The Horror II

Chapter 3

The Mansion's front door creaked open as the team made their way into the mysterious infrastructure.

Kai glanced up, observing the whole scenery of the dusty desolate building decorated with strands of cobwebs.

'Nice...A perfect place to spend my night... wandering around, looking for a monster that might kill me if it sees me first. Or if I even see it at all.' He sighed, the weight of dread heavy in his chest.

Jaya's voice broke the tense silence.

"Someone should call the cleaning lady. She's got her work cut out for her."

No one laughed. The stale air seemed to swallow the sound, leaving only an awkward void.

At the front entrance, a grand staircase split into two, spiraling upward like twisting vines. On either side of the foyer, hallways stretched into shadowed obscurity.

"It'll be best if we split up and cover the assigned assigned areas. It'll be faster that way and we can notify the ourselves much easier."

Muri, the team leader, instructed, cutting through the awkward silence.

"We'll split into pairs to scout the house faster. Two upstairs, four downstairs. That way we'll check out all three locations easily."

He paused, scanning their faces with a hardened expression.

"Remember—stay in your groups. It'll increase your chances of survival."

Kai swallowed hard. His nerves buzzed like live wires, but he forced himself to nod.

"Good luck," Muri added. The words carried a weight Kai wished they didn't.

'And so it begins.'

The group split up as planned. Muri and Sia, one of the girls in the team, headed down one hallway, while Jaya and Allison took the opposite path. That left Kai with Jade to explore the upper floors.

Kai forced a smile.

"Well... I guess we're partners. I have to say, I do-"

Jade didn't respond. By the time he turned toward her, she was already halfway up the staircase, moving with swift strides.

"Jade!" he called, panic creeping into his voice.

She didn't slow down.

Cursing under his breath, Kai sprinted after her, his heart pounding with more than just exertion.

The last thing he wanted was to be left alone in this eerie place. He caught up to her at the top of the stairs, breathless and annoyed.

"We're supposed to stick together!" he reminded her between gasps.

"It increases our chances of survival. Didn't you hear Muri?"

Jade turned sharply, her angry dreadful glare cold enough to freeze lava.

"Chances of survival?" she scoffed.

"I'm better off alone. You're dead weight. What the hell can you do if danger shows up? Nothing. So stop following me."

Kai flinched but held his ground.

'Wow.' he thought bitterly.

'What a bitch.' But even as resentment flared, he couldn't entirely blame her. If he were the strong one, he might have felt the same way. A weakling like him who did nothing but plea for help all the time had no place in the battle ground. He was, just as would expect, dead weight.

Still, he muttered under his breath,

"Doesn't mean I'd be this rude about it. How didn't I ever notice how bitchy she was?"

At that moment, his gaze caught sight of her well curved ass which flared with the skirt she had on with her, making Kai more lustful than he usually was.

'...Ohh right...that...'

Rolling his eyes, he fell into step a few paces behind her, careful not to push his luck. His thoughts spiraled into doubt.

' You know, Maybe I should've taken Muri's offer and stayed outside. At least I wouldn't be stuck in this haunted death trap.' He gulped.

'Is it too late to back out?'

At that point, a sudden echo reverberated through the hallway—a metallic clang that sent chills racing down Kai's spine.

"What was that?" he yelped, his voice cracking.

Jade's expression hardened. Without a word, she summoned a wooden staff from thin air, the smooth, dark wood gleaming faintly under the dim light.

Kai's jaw dropped. "I always forgot how cool summoning magic was."

Although, he felt like an idiot standing there empty-handed.

Reluctantly, he pulled out a worn dagger from his bag. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing, atleast it was going to be enough to defeat a seeker class Devil...Probably.

Jade moved toward the source of the sound with confident strides, her staff ready for combat.

Kai followed nervously, glancing over his shoulder every few steps as if expecting something to leap out of the shadows and tear him apart.

They reached the door at the end of the hallway, where the sound had come from. Jade didn't hesitate. She took a deep breath, then kicked the door open with a forceful shove, her staff raised defensively as she dashed inside.

Kai stumbled in after her, his heart hammering.

The room was an old, dusty office. Bookshelves lined the walls, their contents long forgotten and coated in thick layers of dust. Cobwebs draped the corners like macabre decorations.

A heavy oak desk sat at the center, papers strewn across its surface, brittle with age.

The metallic ringing had stopped, leaving an eerie silence in its wake.

Kai frowned.

"Was that... it?"

Jade ignored him, her sharp gaze scanning the room. On the desk, something gleamed—a small, intricately designed metal box adorned with strange carvings.

"What's that?" Jade muttered as she stepped towards the box.

Kai's stomach churned with unease.

"I don't think we should touch that," he warned, his voice trembling.

"It could be a trap."

Jade shot him a withering look but didn't respond.

'Of course she's ignoring me.' Kai thought sourly.

'Why listen to the loser?'

Still, she hesitated, her fingers hovering just above the box.

"A trap, huh?could the idiot be right?" She muttered under her breathe.

Just as she was about to pull her hand back, the box emitted a high-pitched whine.

BANG!

The lid flew open with explosive force.

Something shot out—too fast for Kai's eyes to register.

And then, which a loud qwench, Blood sprayed through the air, hovering over Kai's sight.