Chapter 1: The Beginning

Hi, my name is Peter James Uteger, and I have been living in this mansion for quite some time now. A lot of time has passed since I initially arrived here. But even if I could go back, I wouldn't. I'm happy here, and I will never forget how all this happened.

An unknown number of years ago…

My parents kicked me out. They finally got fed up, and kicked me out. I was afflicted with Asperger Syndrome and ADHD from a very young age, and as such, didn't have a lot of friends. To most I was a lazy slacker constantly distracted from getting anything done. However, ask anybody who knew me well enough, and they would say that while I didn't really make an effort most of the time, the few times I did, I would give it my all, and becoming extremely dedicated and even a bit stubborn at times. But those times were few and far in-between. Most of my time was spent on my various interests, of which I had many. Sometimes I would even obsess on a single interest, or aspect of the interest. This would usually only last a week though.

There was one hobby however, that was my primary burning passion: video games. I would spend almost any time possible gaming, when that was an option. After I did have three younger sisters, on top of my usual household chores to take care of, so the only free time I had was usually late into the night. Sometimes I could visit friends houses and stay overnight. But having graduated high school with no employment, there wasn't much else to break up the monotony. But after years of trying to keep me on task, and re-explaining to me how to do my chores they had had enough, they told me to get out, so I did. All I had was the clothes I was wearing (my pajamas), my wallet, my phone, and a small rusted badge I had worn everyday since I received it in my early childhood.

I tried contacting my friends but wasn't able to secure a place to sleep for the night. I walked to the park and sat on a bench. It was nine o'clock at night, so all was quiet, leaving me to wonder what I should do. I certainly wasn't about to sleep on the street. Then I heard the sound of thunder, and it quickly began pouring down rain. It would be too dangerous to stay outside with a potential thunderstorm coming this way. An idea then popped into my head.

You see, in our town there was this old abandoned mansion that was located a the the peak of a somewhat tall hill. No one was living there, so I could stay there for the night, or at least until the storm died down. People said it was haunted, but while I was a firm believer in the supernatural, in my experience, haunted houses were complete bullshit. Sure, most people would be satisfied with voices, chills, and doors moving themselves, but what I wanted to see was some actual fucking ghosts, presenting themselves in a way that was undeniable, and goddamn terrifying, so naturally haunted houses were always a disappointment to me.

After awhile, I finally made it, stood face to face with the front door. It had been a pain, that hill was more like a goddamn mountain, and I was so ready to just kick back and relax. So imagine my surprise, when I walked into the house only to be greeted by an actual fucking ghost. Not a very threatening-looking one, mind you but still, it was a ghost.

"Hello I am Spooky," she said. I heard the crack of lightning, and piano music played from an unknown source.

"Hi Spooky," I replied. She seemed friendly enough.

"This is my home," she continued.

"Hey, if this IS your house, can I stay here for the night? My parents kicked me out and I have nowhere else to go this late at night." I asked her. I figured if she was the current resident, it would only be appropriate to ask her if I could stay.

"Wait, really?" she asked. I nodded.

"Okay, if you can make it through 1000 rooms, I will let you stay here as long as you'd like." she told me. "How's that sound?"

"Sounds good." I told her. She then zoomed down to me, and held out her hand.

"We have to shake hands on it." she said.

"Why?" I inquired.

"Because it's like an unbreakable vow, this way I know you won't try to escape before you complete my challenge," she explained. "So just uh… shake the hand… so we can… start… and stuff."

"Okay." I obnoxiously shouted. I swear I heard her let a small chuckle for a moment, but whatevs. I grabbed her hand, and saw a blue flame engulf my arm. It felt cold, and didn't seem to really be affecting me, so I paid no heed.

"We cool?" I asked. She nodded.

"Yep," she replied. "Here take this." She handed me what looked like an electronic wristwatch. "It will tells you what room you're in, and how many you have left."

"Gee thanks," I said with a smile.

"No problem, just… just go..." she stated awkwardly.

"Alrighty, I'm ready, let's-a-go!" I exclaimed, doing my best italian plumber impression. I could hear her stifle a laugh.

"Well… let's see how far you make it… HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA… goodbye." she then vanished into the ceiling.

"Well she seemed nice," I thought to myself. I took a deep breath, proceeded across the room, and entered the first room.

And that's how it began…