Night 01

What am I doing wandering through this forest? Last I remember, I took a boat, heading back to the Military Police barracks. When I stepped off of it, I started walking, and I somehow ended up here. What is this place, and why is it here?

The young woman walked almost mindlessly down the faded dirt road. The sleeping city, with its cobblestone streets and burning lamps, seemed long gone from where she was. Edgeless forms of trees surround her like an indifferent crowd. The shape of a large building then manifested farther down the path. The closer she got to it, the more she could see. Tombstones jutted out of its front lawn, thick shutters of dozens of windows were closed tight, and no light came from the house, save for the front steps; on either side of the heavy, wooden, double-door, there was a dim candle, which gave off an alluring glow. Over the entrance were the words "Gregory House". With a loud, ear-grating creak, the doors opened, allowing eerie light to pour over her as she walked in. Somewhere, a distant scream could be heard.

The inside was quiet and still. All noise seemed to be snuffed out, and the interior was filled with more striking colors than she had expected; the floorboards, wall moldings and gleaming armchairs were all a purple wine color; the walls were turquoise, and all other wooden pieces of furniture and fixtures were traditional shades of brown. Though the hall beyond the lobby was dark, candlelight lit the front room from either high up the walls, the low tabletop surrounded by waiting armchairs, or the corner of the unoccupied front desk. On the other side of the desk, there were cubbies, some of which held pure white, picked-clean bones of indeterminate origin.

"Young lady, are you lost?" the oily voice of an old man asked from behind her.

The young woman turned, but she jumped back in shock, met by the sight of a stout, human-like mouse half her size. The creature appeared to meet her gaze, despite the fact that his red wine-colored eyes went in opposite, outward directions. He chuckled and commented, "He, he, he. I'm sorry, my dear. I didn't mean to scare you."

The young woman froze, with a hand defensively hovering over her rifle. Her eyes darted over his form, still trying to register just what he was; though he was covered in grey fur, he had mangy, dirty blonde hair hanging off the sides of his head, behind his large ears. He wore a pink coat over a red-black striped shirt. His large incisors were the centerpiece to the knowing smile on his face, which was covered with wrinkles and a handful of moles.

"What…are you?" she asked, still not sure what to think.

"What am I?" He repeated in slight amusement, then answered, "Oh, just an old mouse. He, he, he."

The dumbstruck, young woman blinked and shook her head in disbelief. She murmured, "…I must be dreaming…"

"Dreaming, you say?" the mouse repeated before chuckling. He then replied, "Well, for someone who's asleep, you sure look tired." The old mouse suggested, "Why not spend the night, my dear?"

At this, the young woman stiffened, taking up an unreadable expression, and responded, "I have somewhere I need to be tonight. I can't stay here."

"But you've come all this way, my child. I would've thought that you'd like to relax and escape for a bit," he spoke in an ingratiating tone, with his words stirring an odd feeling in her. The old mouse went on to say, "Besides, I don't think it wise for one go through the forest, this late at night, alone. I'd say you were very lucky, my dear, to have made it here without running into any trouble!"

For a moment, the young woman paused. After a long minute, she replied, "…Fine. I'll take up your offer."

"You've made the right choice, my dear," he responded. The old mouse then shuffled past her, out of the way of the door. The young woman looked at the exit, but she then turned back to the creature; he picked up the chamberstick from the front desk and, from a hook behind the desk, took a ring of keys with his other hand. He slowly looked over his shoulder, smiling as he said, "Allow me to show you to your room. He, he, he."

The old mouse then turned forward again and made his way out of the lobby, where the nearly impenetrable darkness began to swallow up him and his candlelight.

I DO NOT RECOMMEND READING THIS STORY UNLESS HAVING WATCHED "GREGORY HORROR SHOW", EPISODE 25 OF SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN (ATTACK ON TITAN) OR READ AT LEAST CHAPTER 34 (VOL. 8) OF SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN (ATTACK ON TITAN). OTHERWISE, THERE IS A HIGH CHANCE OF SPOILERS.

Moon's Meow: Here it is! The first bit of activity I've done in a while as well as a new story. I will post chapters on a bi-weekly basis and I hope you all enjoy.

Also, as far as the warning above, I feel that a lot of elements in the story will be more enjoyable if one is familiar with these things. You can certainly read the story anyways but I still recommend checking out both GHS and SNK before reading. The Gregory Horror Show can easily be found on YouTube by searching "Gregory Horror Show Volume 1" and I advise finding the user "MsChocolateHills" as they have playlists of the entire series. One watch SNK by searching online for something along the lines of "Shingeki no kyojin episode 1" or read the manga by searching "Shingeki no kyojin chapter 1".

Thank you and I hope you have fun reading!