Author's Note: I do not own these characters, or the songs that these stories will be based off of.

Warning: Readings will contain character death, violence, acts of homosexuality, strong language, and other adult content. Read at your own digression.

It was a beautiful summer day, warm with a gentle breeze and no humidity, a rare day indeed for July. Ellis, a young man of twenty three with a farmer's tan and a well built, lean stature, gazed out of his window in his bedroom. He had woken up not too long ago, and his partner Nick had already left for work.

Ellis himself had the day off, and he was debating on what to do. The dishes from last night's dinner needed a good scrubbing, laundry was calling, the bed should be made, and he could do a little dusting…

Screw it, he thought. Today's gonna be mah lazy day. Ellis gently grabbed his sleek, black iPod Touch and white ear-buds and walked fell back onto his bed, wearing nothing more than plaid boxers. He always took the time to enjoy the feeling of the cool silk sheets against his skin, as well as how comfortable the king sized mattress was.

Ellis inserted his ear-buds, unlocked his iPod, and hit shuffle. For now, he was just going to enjoy himself and the warm breeze that gently caressed his skin as it blew in the window. He gentle closed his eyelids, and let his mind surrender to the world of imagination.

.:Bad ∞ End ∞ Night:.

Darkness. It was all around, no matter where he looked. The trees were withered and dry, their branches twisted in every direction and the barked was gnarled and broken. Shadows crept and lurked everywhere, watching him. Every last beady eye focused on this one young man who had dared to tread into the territory of the dark. The sky was black and overcastted with clouds, save for the moon, which was only partially hidden. It's eerie light flittered down, showing the young man the path that he must take to reach his destination in this forsaken place. Voices of animals called out to him "Danger! Danger!" while others had said "Stay… Stay… Never return…"

The young man lifted his crystal blue eyes, searching about for any signs that he was on the right path. He clutched a worn and faded letter in hand. Even though it had been written and dated days prior and addressed to him, the parchment looked centuries old. Ellis stopped, shivering from a cold wind that wandered throughout the broken maze of a forest. He unfolded the letter for what had to have been the hundredth time and reread the statement.

Dear Ellis Eldridge,

You are cordially invited to a party in your honor in celebration of the coming New Year. Please come to the mansion in the forest behind town. We will leave markers to help you locate our estate. We look forward to your visit.

Sincerely,

Where the name would have been was smudged and unreadable. Ellis had gone about town and inquired about the letter to his friends. They lived in a small village where everybody knew everyone. His friends had told him that once a year one person is picked from the village for reasons unknown to attend a celebration at the abandoned mansion.

Ellis had heard that the mansion has been abandoned for years, but every year near New Year's it springs back to life. During the night lights can be seen in the distance and music and laughter barely heard at the edge of the forest that's near the town. Many claimed it to be haunted, others stated that it may have merely been a vacation home and served its purpose annually. Some villagers had believed that it was merely a gathering of teenagers and young adults that had made residence there. Despite all of these speculations, only one thing was apparent: No one knew who owned the house, or why its citizens would be chosen to attend.

Ellis was always helpful to others when he could be, aiding his mother and father with the housework and farming, feeding the live stock, running errands and generally just making their own living off of the land. He never expected to be honored for it. As wary as he was of the invitation, and as suspicious as it was, his curiosity had gotten the better of him.

Now here he was, freezing and lost in the dark woods. He had kept up with the markers, which were merely colorful strings tied to branches, but he had somehow lost his way during his trek. Ellis adjusted his long and heavy cape, pulling the hood of it over his head in an attempt to keep warm. He looked about nervously, the darkness becoming too much for him to bear any longer. No matter where he looked, no matter how hard he searched, he couldn't find the next marker. Never before had he felt so lost.

Worry was quickly eating away at his mind, until he saw it. By chance, its beautifully colored ribbon had been caught in the moonlight as it danced in the wind. Ellis broke out into a smile, and he jogged forward. He made his way through some of the branches that threatened to keep him forever, his cape getting caught at one point, and he struggled free it the wretched wood's fingers. Soon, he saw a light filtering through the darkness. Ellis ran for it, excited and elated that he wouldn't have to endure this forest again for the rest of the night.

The young man came across a small clearing, and his breath hitched in wonder. Before him stood the mansion he so desperately wanted to find. Marble steps lead up to great rosewood double doors with brass handles, blood red brick and mortar making up its skin, stone statues of monsters clung to the roofs, and more windows than the boy could ever have imagined lined the walls. The building stood menacingly above him. Ellis' eyes flickered upward. Light was streaming out of the windows, albeit faintly. He couldn't hear music of any kind, or the laughter that was usually heard in town. All was deathly quiet, the only sound being the boy's heart pulsing in his ears. He stepped forward from the freshly cut grass to the cold marble.

Up the stone steps he went, his boots being the only audible sound. The wind seemed to have ceased, the creatures of the dark gone. The forest and its residents seemed to have abandoned him to leave him to his fate with the mansion and whatever lay behind it. Every step he took made his pulse quicken. Every second that passed caused him to break out into a cold sweat. He ascended the last step and cautiously inched towards the Marley-knocker, its hideous face twisted into a scowl, unwelcoming eyes glaring at the intruder.

Ellis swallowed a hard lump growing in his throat as his quivering hand reached out to knock on the door. He lifted the knocker, and it dropped with a loud bang! Its horrendous song echoed throughout the forest, and crows shrieked and flew away from the scene and into the inky darkness. Ellis waited. He had to force himself to breath slowly as the door slowly opened. A pale man in his thirties came forward, dressed in a very well tailored and very black butler suit. His hair was slicked back, and his green eyes were penetrating. The older man scowled harshly and looked over the young boy before him.

"Who, may I ask, are you, and what is your business here?" The butler's voice was particularly harsh in tone, but very smooth and refined. Ellis twiddled his thumbs and left is mouth agape for a moment before collecting himself. "I-I'm Ellis Eldridge. I-I g-got a l-letter sayin' to come here…" The butler looked at the young man and cocked an eyebrow at Ellis' dialect. A few painful moments of silence passed as the butler mulled something over. With a nod, he stepped back. "Come in. We've been expecting you."

Ellis stepped inside, and the door creaked itself closed. Ellis looked back, as if he'd never get another chance to see it again. "Follow me," stated the butler, and he lead Ellis to the end of the hall. The boy took in his surroundings and was amazed by what he was seeing. High ceilings, paintings hung of various people and scenery, dark red carpet outlined with gold decorations lined the grand hall over black, glossy tile. A crystal chandelier hung above him that sparkled in the soft illumination of light. To his left and right were more doors made of the same wood as the entrance. To his left was a massive staircase lined with the same carpet that he was standing on. Directly before, where the butler was heading, were white double doors outlined with a marble frame. Whoever lived here was obviously living the life of luxury.

Ellis felt very out of place, as he was nothing more than a farmhand, a country boy. He wrung the edges of his blue tunic and quickly shuffled after the intimidating butler deeper into the mansion. The doors were flung open when Ellis reached them, and before him were five others that made up the party in a large lounge. There were bookcases filled to the brim with tomes of all sizes, beautiful paintings of unknown people, a large marble fireplace directly before him, and lavish furniture decorating the room. Knick-knacks and various fine and expensive looking decorations brought the room together. He saw in the corner of the room a tall grandfather clock that read with sharp and dangerous looking hour and minute hands eleven o'clock. Ellis inspected each of the house guests.

The first person he laid eyes on was a dark skinned maid in a long, black dress with white frills decorating the ends of it, a stark white apron, and had her black hair pulled back into a ponytail. She had a tiny frame, but was well curved. She wore mascara to suit her dark complexion, but that was all the make up she wore. He full lips curled up into a smile as she eyed the new guest.

The next person he saw was a young woman with pale skin, much like the butler, and she also had her brown hair in a ponytail. She was a thin woman who wore a beautiful yellow dress with black outlines. The fabric hugged her curves seductively. Her gold high heels clacked against the marble flooring as she walked over to inspect the boy. She raised a wine glass that she held in her hand to her red lips, and gave the boy a once over.

The third of the party members was a rough and intimidating gentleman with tanned skin. His hair was short enough to allow one to see the shape of his scalp. He had a dark beard, and was quite muscular. His eyes were unpleasantly looking around as if daring anyone to speak a word to him. He wore a black coat and vest with dark brown slacks and leather shoes that fit him nicely, but Ellis wasn't about to go anywhere near him.

The fourth member of the party was an elderly gentleman, whom Ellis had assumed was the owner of the house from the way he was dressed. He stood tall and statuesque, wearing a monocle on his right eye and a wine red suit. His vest had gold double breasted buttons adorning it neatly. A jacket of the same color as his vest neatly clung to his arms, which were behind his back. Dark dress pants without a single wrinkle came down to his crisp, clean shoes without so much as a scuff mark. The gentleman had a bright white, and neatly trimmed beard and moustache, and was balding on top. Ellis took notice of how clean and refined he looked, and it made him all the more self conscious of his down-trodden appearance.

The last member was a large and gruff dark skinned man. He wore an olive green suit with a black and green tie. He had a full face, with small eyes and a large nose. He was bald, but none-the-less just as refined as the others.

The maid smiled as she came up to the young man first to speak. "Hello there and welcome. You must be Mr. Eldridge, correct? Please, have some tea." She immediately went to work on getting him a cup. Ellis liked the sound of her voice. It was so smooth, and he dared not to speak out of embarrassment. However, a nice hot cup of tea sounded pretty nice to him, plus it would give him reason not to speak as much as possible. The maid handed him a beautiful cup and saucer of fine porcelain and Ellis nodded in thanks. The woman smiled and backed away a few steps. All eyes were on him, as if he himself was being evaluated by every last household guest.

After long and awkward moments of silence, the elderly man spoke out. "Ah, Mr. Eldridge, it's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance!" The elderly man strode over with a confident gait in his step. He stuck his hand out, and Ellis nervously accepted it after a moment of hesitation. Despite being an elderly gentleman, he had a strong grip. "It must be fate that we have met. I am Bill Huntington, head and proud owner of this mansion." Bill flashed him a winning smile.

"Allow me to introduce you to the members of this household. This is Miss Rochelle Everett." He turned towards the maid and she flashed the boy a smile. "A pleasure to meet you," she said.

Bill continued on, "Over here is my younger brother, Francis." Bill gestured to the gruff and intimidating man in the black vest and jacket. Francis sent a wicked smirk towards Ellis, and the boy couldn't help but wince.

Bill gestured towards the man in the olive suit. "This here is a close friend of mine, Charles Greenwald." The large man smiled at Ellis, and brought forth his hand. "Everyone I've worked with calls me Coach, so feel free to do the same." He had a husky and deeps voice, and as Ellis shook his hand, he also took note of Coach's powerful grip.

Bill flicked his wrist, and the butler came up from behind Ellis to stand in front of him. "This here is my butler, Nicholas Godfrey." Nick sent an alluring smirk to the young boy, who slightly blushed.

The last guest, the young woman in yellow, came up to stand beside Bill. The elderly man put his arm around her, and he flashed a winning smile. "And this here is my beautiful daughter, Zoey." Zoey flashed a charming smile at Ellis. "It's a pleasure to meet you." They shook hands, and he enjoyed the sensation of her soft hands in his rough ones. Ellis noticed a slight flushing of the young woman's cheeks.

Bill started up once again, "All right then. Now that we have all been introduced to one another, let the celebration commence!" "Let us get the wine!" exclaimed Zoey. "We must offer a proper welcoming!" called Rochelle. "Let's make some sound!" whooped Francis. "A toast to our guest, Ellis Eldridge!" cheered Coach. Nick handed Ellis a beautiful crystal glass, stainless and glittering in the light, trading it with Ellis' empty tea cup and saucer.

Within it contained a luxurious dark red wine. Ellis slowly brought it to his lips and drank. He was suddenly filled with a warm and fuzzy feeling despite the bitter aftertaste. It felt good, and it made his mind numb. The young boy giggled as he downed the rest, and took another offered glass. The room spun, and everything happened in a flash. He was singing and dancing with the others, at one point mustering up courage to ask Zoey for a dance. She accepted, and the two merrily waltzed in drunken gaiety. Ellis could hear the joyous laughter, see the bright room swirl, and the guests all enjoying themselves.

After his dance with Zoey, Nick boldly stepped up to Ellis to dance. The young man felt awkward about it, but after a few minutes, he let himself go and tangoed with the butler. Pretty soon, he found himself dancing and spinning with every last household member. Ellis continued to drink that savory delicious wine, and forgot all about the good and the bad. Before he completely passed out, he heard someone call out "You're the focus of this crazy night; forget everything about the good and bad! Just have fun to the point of going mad in this happy night!"

Ellis blinked his eyes wearily open. It was dark, and his head was spinning. He struggled to sit up, and images of the night prior came slowly back to his mind. Despite his current hang- over and weariness, it had been a fun night, despite the fact that they never really stated exactly what they were celebrating in the first place. Ellis didn't care though. They seemed friendly enough, and today he was going to return home to tell his friends about his wild night. The young man slowly stood and walked over to the curtained window. He pulled the lush drapes back, and was shocked.

The moon was still out, menacingly full, and the sky as black as ever. He couldn't have slept so long as to have completely skipped the day entirely, no slept so shortly that it was the wee hours of the morning. He was drowsy as can be, and he never recalled waking up mere hours after passing out from alcohol. He felt that something was off. Something wasn't right. His pulse quickened, and he raced for the door, not bothering to take in any sort of detail of these grandiose rooms like he usually did.

He found himself out in the hallway, and looked to his left. Standing there were Zoey and Rochelle, with a grandfather clock behind them. Ellis walked over to them. "Hey there," he called. The two young women looked to him with smiles. However, they weren't the same smiles that he saw before. They were more… sinister. "Hello, Ellis," they said in unison. The boy suddenly felt uneasy, but continued on anyway. "How long was I asleep? I mean, it's still nigh' time and all tha'. Did I sleep through the day or wha'?" The two women looked at each other, knowing looks plastered on their faces. "We have a secret to share with you…" Rochelle slowly stated. Zoey continued her thought, "… look at the clock." The women parted, and Ellis' irises dilated slightly. The clock read eleven o'clock, and despite the fact that it was ticking away, the hands never moved. Ellis thought that they were trying to freak him out.

"Is… Uh…" he started. "Are… yer clocks brok'n or somethin'?" He didn't know what to really say. Zoey was the first to speak, a Cheshire cat grin slowly forming on her delicate features, Rochelle's mirroring the young lady's expression. The two of them slowly crept forward, smiles never faltering. Ellis stepped back, suddenly feeling very threatened, and very scared. "What's wrong, Mr. Eldridge?" Rochelle asked calmly, with a hint of mock in her voice. Ellis' eyes darted to them, and he turned and ran as fast as he could to the other end of the hall. He found himself face to face with another grandfather clock that still read eleven o'clock. Over his heavy panting, he could hear the girls singing.

"You're the focus of this crazy night. Will everything go according to the script? What will happen tonight? The ending is all up to you to decide." Ellis frantically looked around, and saw part of the wall jutting forward slightly. He ran over to it and quickly inspected it. He discovered that it was really a hidden door!

He pushed it forward, and saw that it lead to stairs that went down into the darkness. He fled, hearing the women still calling out to him, getting closer by the second. He stepped as lively as he could down the steps, doing his best to not stumble, lest he fall and hurt himself. When he reached the bottom, he felt around, trying to meander his way through the darkness. He had no clue where he was, but if it could help him escape, he'd gladly do whatever it took.

His hand found what felt to be a light switch. He flicked it on, and the sight made his skin crawl, his eyes widen, and he screamed. "JESUS! JESUS!"

Around him were caskets and tombstones in a dank and small room made of grey cement. He looked at the names engraved on each headstone and started hyperventilating. Rochelle Everett, Bill Huntington, Francis Huntington, Zoey Huntington, Charles Greenwald, Nicholas Godfrey… As his eyes lay on the last headstone, he felt his eyes burning and his breath shaking, not believing what he was seeing.

Engraved on the last tombstone in neatly chiseled letters was the name Ellis Eldridge. Written underneath in tiny scrawl were the words "Guest of Honor."

He looked at the other headstones, and each one had the same sentence: Guest of Honor. Ellis' hands found their way up to his face, tears streaming down his cheeks, and he screamed. "Oh dear…" he swiveled about, and saw that all of the house members were gathered behind him. Bill was leading the group. "You saw it…" he stated. The first thought that crossed Ellis' mind was the word "Danger…danger..." as he eyed each of them. Zoey's wicked smile never left her. "Don't be afraid, okay?" She winked at him.

Ellis darted towards them, shoving them out of the way, as he quickly ascended the stairs. "Where are you going?" he heard them call. When he reached the top and ran back into the hall, he collided with Nick, and Ellis fell to the floor with a thud. The older man looked down at him and smiled charmingly. "Won't you please wait?" he asked. The others had ascended the stairs and grouped into the hall, encircling Ellis as he crawled away towards the grandfather clock. He was surrounded, and frightened. Bill looked down at him. "Search, boy. Search for that way out. That path to a happy ending, and it'll all be over. Will your story end inside a casket, or will you find your way out?" Bill grinned menacingly, eyes leering at the young boy.

Ellis broke down crying, his hands covering his face. He didn't want to go, not like this. His body was trembling with fear. He started to hyperventilate. "How will I ge' home? Wha' am I gonna do?" He heard murmurs and whispers from the crowd around him. "Find the key. Once this stage play ends… you may return home… Where's the key?" Ellis looked up slowly. The key… where had he dropped it? He remembered seeing something of that shape. Cold… gleaming… shining in the light. He looked towards the face of the clock, and slowly, a wicked and relieved smile curled upon his lips. Quietly, he muttered "I found it…" Before he realized what he was doing, he thrust his hand into the glass, causing it to break and embed its shattered shards into his skin. He bled, but felt no pain, just a warm, oozing feeling. He ripped the clock's hands out with ease, and turned towards the crowd. His smile grew as he eyed each of them. "I'm the focus of this crazy night…"

He rushed at Bill, and stabbed the man in his Adam 's apple with hour hand in his left, while he sharply injected the minute hand into the older man's forehead with his right. Blood spurted like a hose onto Ellis, and he started to laugh. He didn't know why. It just suddenly felt so good. Ellis pulled his newfound key out of Bill, and the lord of the mansion fell to the ground, bleeding profusely. He then continued to attack the others, realizing that he was having too much fun to care about killing off these strangers. They group ran, smiles adorned on their wicked faces. Ellis gave chase, first pouncing on Zoey before bringing his toys down onto her skull. A strike here and it went through her cerebral cortex. A slash there and her jugular were severed.

Ellis laughed maniacally, his sides suddenly hurting, but he continued on down the line. Rochelle lost both of her beautiful eyes before her head was stabbed repeatedly. Coach was bashed from behind and attacked just as viciously. Each fell to Ellis' bloodied hands, and by the time the boy was finished, blood painted the hallways and the floors. Grey matter spewed everywhere, some bits of skull lay about, and Ellis looked down at his final victim. Nick was as charming in death as he was in life, Ellis thought. With a final rush of energy, he brought his weapon into Nick's ear, ensuring that it went out the other side before viciously slaughtering his face until it was unrecognizable. The bodies that lay strewn about the mansion no longer had faces. Each was a bloodied piece of artwork, and Ellis was the proud artist.

With no one left to play with, Ellis eyed the clock hands. A glint twinkled in his eye, and his face twisted into a horrible grin. He took the hour hand and held it against the wall, pointing it towards him. He then proceeded to repeatedly bash he head into it until he felt that warm sensation of blood oozing out of his new wounds. He laughed.

The room swirled, and he felt dizzy. He felt the same way he did when he was drunk, and he collapsed to the floor, the letter of invitation falling out of his pocket with him. As red liquid pooled around him, his vision blurred, and everything began to grow dark. He chuckled until he died. His dead eyes stared at the letter, a grin now a permanent addition to his face.

In the dark hallways, clapping resounded. A hooded figure stepped quietly over to Ellis' body, and it bent down. It looked at the boy, and then to the letter. "What a beautiful show…" it said. It picked up the letter, drew out a pencil, and erased Ellis' name. It placed the parchment into its robes, and with one final look at the young boy, it cried.

One Year Later

A bald, dark skinned young man found his way to the mansion. He clutched the letter in his hand, excited for the celebration that was to take place in his honor. He took the Marley-knocker in his hand, noticing how grim and twisted it looked, almost as if it were glaring at him. He dropped it, and there was a loud reverberation of the sound. Crows cawed in the dead of night, and they flew away, leaving him to his fate with the mansion.

The door creaked open, and a well built young man with piercing blue eyes stepped forward. He had a tanned complexion, and wore a black suit with a bowtie. A second figure stepped out behind him. He was taller, wore a similar suit, and had slicked back hair and threatening green eyes. The pair inspected the young man before them, the taller one scowling, and the younger smiling. "May I ask who you are, an' wha' your business here is?" asked the younger butler. The dark skinned man smiled back. "My name's Louis. I got a letter about a party in my honor here." The butler pair looked at each other, eyes cold and knowing.

They looked back to Louis before the younger one spoke.

"Come in, we've been expectin' yew."

Ellis opened his eyes and looked at the screen of his iPod as the song came to an end. He paused it before it could move on to the next song and removed his ear-buds. His loved to let his mind wander, set a story centered around the lyrics, but if there's one thing that he hates, it's having a great day dream being interrupted with the need to pee.

Post note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry if it seemed like I set up a huge thing of characters and descriptions, only to have it end so quickly and sort of lamely. Keep in mind, I'm an amateur writer. I may revise it, but in the meantime I'll keep up the story updated from time to time. If you have a preferable song, send it to me and I'll try to make a story out of it. (Keep in mind that outside of the song there will be snippets of Nellis going on.)

~Pipkin