Page 7 of Monster Mansion

Ted raised his eyebrows, and I swore I saw a hint of panic rush across his face.

“Yep, just squirrels.” He said with a hint of a chuckle. “Anywho, I’d better get back to it. Like I said, the place is yours for the month, so make yourself comfortable. I’d reach out to Mr. Silver, so he knows you made it safely. I reckon it would be better for you to let him know rather than me, so he doesn’t think I’m telling tales. I believe the cable company set up the interwebs for you, but if you have any trouble, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be the one to answer them. There’s a magnet on the fridge with the company’s information if you run into any issues.”

I made my way to the stairs with my suitcase in tow. “Perfect. And I’ll be sure to let our boss know I made it here. Good luck with the graffiti.”

“Good luck unpacking!” he said cheerfully as he headed back outside.

I walked backward up the stairs, dragging my suitcase behind me. The smack against every step echoed throughout the house, letting me know how alone I really was in here. The silence was deafening, and I was thankful I’d remembered to bring a speaker, even just for some background noise to provide the illusion of company. As updated as the house was, I didn’t spy a single television or radio, so it was a good thing I’d packed all my tech stuff.

I elbowed open the first door in the hallway to my choice of bedroom and hauled my suitcase onto the twin bed centered in the room. I hadn’t slept in a twin bed since I was a little girl, but it would be worth it since I’d get to fall asleep to the open sky every night.

The first thing I did was fish out my laptop and bluetooth speaker. The internet appeared to be set up just like Ted told me it would be. The network was easy enough to find because it was the only one on the list. I reallywasout in the boonies. I pulled up a playlist and got some music going so I wouldn’t have to unpack in silence.

Just before hitting play, I heard a scratching sound and instinctively looked all around the room, but saw nothing unusual outside of the whimsical decor.

“Must be some massive squirrels,” I muttered to myself to steady the jump in my heart-rate as I pulled the clothes out of my suitcase and placed them in an antique dresser.

Chapter3

Nox

A shadow hung just behind the door to the room she’d selected for her own, hovering comfortably in the crevice between the door and the wall. The darkness created a sanctuary for the creature as he observed quietly, keeping his long tendrils tucked neatly behind him. He was as silent as the shadows themselves as he watched and waited, already thick with desire as he wondered what her skin would taste like. She was unique. He could already tell. Hardly a drop of anxiety came off of her as the fat man gave her his usual tour and speech, unlike the others, who’d already reeked of fear the moment they’d laid eyes on the dead animals propped up in greeting as they’d walked through the front door for the first time.

He wanted to test her, to prod the fight-or-flight instinct that every human possessed, and as she turned to put away another stack of clothes into drawers, he found a glimmer of chance. One smoky black tendril crept over the ground like the shadow of a serpent, shoved her suitcase closed, and quickly slithered back to its hiding spot.

“What the hell?” she asked the emptiness behind her before reopening the bag. The creature could hear her heartbeat jump in pace for a moment before she flung the lid open once again, slamming it hard on the bedspread.

A reaction! Just like the creature craved. The first of many, he hoped. He sent out a second tendril to close her bag again. For it to close once was a coincidence, twice a pattern. He so badly wanted her to feel watched or stalked. It was a fun game to play, to tease his presence without ever letting himself be known.

“Okay, seriously, what thehell!?”

She was getting frustrated, now, although the creature could smell no genuine fear on her. The girl slammed the bag open a second time and proceeded to dump the remaining contents out onto the bed, tossing the suitcase onto the floor.

“It’s definitely closed now!” she said with a raised voice. “Happy!?”

The creature was definitely happy. Whatever annoyance she was feeling now would certainly turn to fear in time, but there was no doubting that this girl wasspecial. He knew she would be the moment she’d selected this particular room over all the others, even the ones with a bed four times the size of this one with a luxurious bathroom attached. Something about her was interesting—intoxicating, even. Her confidence, her fearlessness, the scent of the summer air lingering in her long black hair. She would be an absolutely delicious meal, but perhaps they could enjoy their games with her a while longer.

Before she finished organizing the dresser, the creature sunk into the shadows like liquid and slunk out of the room before the girl could notice the slithering shadow emerging from behind her door. When he reached the hallway, he regained his natural form and silently waltzed down to the first floor with an eerie grace.

His form was human, or at least seen as such by unsuspecting eyes. A well-fitting suit jacket covered his upper half on top of a perfectly tailored white collared shirt tucked into an equally professional pair of slacks that fell at his ankle over a pair of polished, pointed ankle boots. His skin was white as marble, and blue veins showed through on the insides of his arms and through his neck. The creature’s form finished with a striking face, angular and free of blemishes, with eyes such a dull red they resembled an antique ruby that lost its shine, along with stark white hair cut close to his scalp. To his victims, he was handsome—devilishly so. He was a tempting example of what a perfect male specimen would look like. He was a walking, talking trap, always ready to feast on the willing bodies of women who threw themselves at him.

Up the creature’s sleeve scampered a field mouse no bigger than a deck of cards. The mouse settled comfortably against the collar of the creature and spoke directly into its ear.

“This one might be a tough nut to crack, eh, Nox?”

The first creature slowly blinked in annoyance and inhaled a deep breath.

“Hello, Ruse.” He exhaled. “How long have you been there?”

“Long enough to see you teasing the new girl, and long enough to watch her not give your antics the time of day,” the mouse snickered. “Never thought I’d ever see the legend himself come up short on a scare.”

“She’s definitely unusual, but everyone has their breaking point,” Nox hissed. “Besides, it’s been a while since we’ve gotten to enjoy a long hunt.”

“Quite true,” mused the mouse. In an instant, the mouse’s fur looked like it was holding back a rolling boil, and the tiny animal’s form began to change. Its skull grew, and its legs shot out longer. Within only a few seconds, the field mouse transformed into the shape of a bobcat. “Although I was certain I had her with the old taxidermy trick, but the fat old man’s ramblings distracted her.”

“You do it every time a new girl arrives.” Nox sighed as he faded into and out of his shadowy form, lazily circling the living room as the bobcat followed. “It was funny the first time, but now Thorn and I both expect it. You’ve got to come up with new material.”

“Last I checked, my priority wasn’t to make sure my unfortunateroommatesare entertained,” the bobcat snapped in return before pouncing onto Nox’s shadow and immediately shifting into a snake to ride along as he flowed in and out of shadow and physical form, “but to instead make sure whatever tasty little morsels the Man drops off for us are ripe with fear before I tear into their guts.” The snake’s fangs instinctively bared themselves at the thought of a meal.

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