Ray enjoyed investigating abandoned places with his friends. It had become a hobby now that they had all started, as just a fun thing to do when they spent time together. This weekend, they would be visiting Halloran Manor, a long-since-abandoned home that had been forgotten by time. When Ray, Allen, and Ben arrived, they had to park outside the steel gate, which featured an elegant emblem of waves engraved into the metal.
Unfortunately, the gate was padlocked and chained, so they would have to scale it. Ben clicked his tongue and shook his head, making the comment that this was why they needed to start bringing bolt cutters to their little adventures. Allen piped up, commenting that it would also make them easier to catch by the police officers, too, even though the trio was already breaking and entering to begin with. Ray ignored their bickering and looked to his left and then to the right, trying to see if there could be a break somewhere they could slip through.
Honestly, he was not expecting to find anything, but he found a bend in the metal gate and a hole dug underneath it. Getting Ben and Allen's attention, he motioned to the spot with his flashlight, and both young men nodded in silent agreement that this was where they would enter. The three entered the house after ducking and crawling under the bend in the gate. When they reached the door, it was already ajar, the handle broken and hanging on by a thread.
Ben, Allen, and Ray looked at each other and played a quick game of rock-paper-scissors to see who would go first, and much to Ray's dismay, it was he who lost. Ray pushed the door open with an index finger, slowly stepping inside. He alternated between shining the flashlight on the creaky floor and the winding staircase that started from the side wall to his left and upwards. When he stopped in the center of the room, it began to groan under his weight. Ben called out to him, telling him not to move, but it was too late. He turned to say something and watched both of his friends above him disappear into complete nothingness.
When Ray had awoken, he found himself in a damp, bleak, and suffocating room. A dim blinking light was the only thing that illuminated the room. Taking in a deep breath and exhaling, Ray covered his hand over his nose, gagging. The smell of decay, blood, and mildew invaded his nostrils. Where was he, and how far exactly had he fallen? Ray squinted, letting his eyes adjust to the room.
He had lost his flashlight somewhere during the fall. He looked around from his place on the floor, feeling the smooth texture of the tile. Ray's hand bumped into something, and looking down, he held in the urge to scream as he bit his bottom lip. What he almost placed his hand onto was a human skull. With his eyes now well-adjusted, he could see more than just a skull. More bones were scattered around where he sat, and old reddish-brown stains splattered across the walls, with piles of bones underneath.
Ray saw something move out of the corner of his eye. A sudden chill ran down his spine. Standing in the center of this room was a figure rocking back and forth. How long had it been there, and why hadn't they said anything? Ray went to open his mouth to speak, but something told him not to. Whoever this was was no longer human. If it was even human, to begin with. Ray pulled himself to his feet, keeping an eye on the figure.
He used the wall to guide himself to what he believed was an exit. Ray's foot accidentally kicked one of the many bones on the ground, causing the figure to snap its head in the direction of the sound. It turned its head from side to side, listening and sniffing the air. Could the figure not see? Exhaling a sigh of relief, Ray waited, not wanting to draw it closer to him. Now, at the door, his hand almost touching the handle, he heard the slow, shuffling approach.
Ray froze, turning his head to the source of the sound. The figure was closer now. Ray could now see more of the figure's features. Its skin was ashy and sunken, clinging to the bone. Its limbs were twisted and bent. The figure dragged its feet across the floor, lifting its head to look at Ray with eyeless sockets. Its mouth opened and closed, exposing a mouthful of black, crooked teeth. Ray's chest tightened into a knot as the creature stood in front of him. It knew precisely where Ray was. He stepped back, causing the creature to sneer and bare its teeth. Its eyeless sockets locked onto Ray as it advanced forward. Ray tripped over a pile of bones in the room.
It pinned him down, wasting no time in sinking rotten teeth into Ray's flesh. He screamed, trying to get loose from its grasp, but was unsuccessful at pushing it away, even with how frail the creature looked. It bit and tore into his flesh, exposing the bone. The creature gulped down his blood with what looked like a smile on its face. Ray's vision blurred as he began to lose consciousness. He would become nothing but another pile of bones, a mere collection for this creature.
Above, Ben and Allen looked down into the hole where Ray had fallen. They could not see where he had fallen, no matter how much they tried using the light from their flashlights. It could not penetrate the darkness below. Both paled upon hearing Ray scream, scrambling to their feet. The sounds soon tapered off, followed by the squelching of blood and flesh. Stepping back from the hole, they ran out the front door and down the stairs, not bothering to shut the door behind them.
Whatever was down there had gotten Ray, and it wasn't something they wanted to face. A creature that lurked in the darkness. The creature knew, though, that more curious souls would wander Halloran Manor, wanting to explore its history. It would wait and savor this meal for now. For someone else to fall into the depths of its lair.