*** PLEASE READ ME! ***
To anyone who just happened to click on this without reading 'Fell In Love With a Girl', it's cool. You don't have to read that to read this; however, the concept of what's going on in this little outtake/one shot will make a little more sense if you do.
Author's Note and Disclosure:
I've crafted a first-person walk through of the haunted house.
I feel these crazy kids spent a lot of time on it, so it'd be a shame if I didn't at least try to write out the vision I had for them.
Enjoy. Or at least, I hope you will. :o)
OH... apologies... this should've posted around last Wednesday (and the new chapter, Sunday), but I wasn't able to put as much time into it to get it 'up to snuff' until now.
Character names are the property of Rob Zombie.
ps. I in NO way support violence towards anyone. I do NOT condone the deplorable actions that some feel the need to take. Remember that. It's a story, folks. A silly work of fiction. Emphasis on 'fiction'.
If you have a particular aversion to mirrors, creepy kids, ghosts, clowns, psychopaths, and hospitals/asylums then you might not even want to bother with this one... I won't be offended.
Lazaretto
You walk through the dark entrance to encounter quickly flashing lights.
Clutching the hand of the person next to you, you turn right, but discover the way is blocked. Left is the only option.
As you start to make your way, a childlike voice starts to recite a poem...
Mirror, mirror on the wall
Bloody Mary, hear my call
Bloody Mary, hear your name
Bloody Mary, stupid game
You start to move faster.
Bloody Mary, stupid dare
Bloody Mary, I don't care
Bloody Mary, now five more?
Bloody Mary, what a bore
As much as you don't want the dreaded name to even enter your mind, you can't seem to help yourself.
Bloody Mary, scratch my eyes?
Bloody Mary, urban lies
Bloody Mary, almost done
Bloody Mary, eleventh one
As much as you don't want to look into the mirrors, you need to. After all, how do you hope to escape with your eyes closed?
Struggling with the lack of light
I begin to see a gruesome sight
A horrid girl with a bloody head
A menacing stare filling me with dread
You make more twists and turns and arrive at a pretty, white door.
"This is dumb, it can't be true."
"I simply don't believe in you."
Her ghostly voice then suddenly came
"I warned you not to speak my name."
Well... white save for the blood on the knob.
You and your companion are hesitant to enter, but you won't go back to the mirrors.
To those words.
You take a deep breath and open the door.
A child's room.
At least that's what it appears to be at first glance.
A soft lullaby is playing and lamps placed at each side of the room cast shadows of children dancing on the walls.
Happy little mobiles spin at the heads of each small bed.
Toy scatter the room.
And a pair of twin boys quietly play on the floor.
However, once you take a second glance, you are convinced that something isn't quite 'right' here.
Maybe because it's not only crayon scribble that graces the walls, but also bloody hand prints.
Maybe it's the disfigured limbs jutting out from under the beds.
Maybe it's the fact that the 'happy little mobiles' consist of severed fingers, ears, and noses.
And now you realize that the shadows 'dancing' on walls aren't dancing. No. They're screaming.
You are not safe.
Unfortunately, by this time your presence has been noticed by the children.
"Come play with us," they ask as one.
You provide a polite 'no, thank you', but they start to advance.
"Come play with us."
You move faster in effort to get away as quickly as possible, careful not to trip over any strewn toys.
"Come play with us."
Where did they get those knives?!
And why are they giggling like that?
You somehow manage to get to the next door.
The boys tell you to 'have fun' before returning to their original place on the floor.
Not letting their words deter you, you continue on.
Silence greets you in the next room.
An attic. Dusty and lit by only a dim, swinging bulb.
You don't even finish taking your first step when the whispers begin.
Whispers that might not be so unsettling if you could tell where they were coming from.
You and your companion make your way through, dodging boxes and trying to ignore the whispers that somehow know your names.
You don't get very far before a ball rolls out from the shadows between an old mirror and a dress form.
It crosses right in front of you, causing you to stop short.
When you stop, the whispers do too. And that frightens you more than you'd like to admit.
Gradually, you begin walking again and the whispers continue. To your relief or not, you aren't quite sure.
Boxes move to your right.
Something skitters across the floor to your left.
You stop walking again when you see figures standing stock still.
Oh. Just more dress forms. Two of them. Covered with sheets.
You walk a little slower. Wary... not knowing what could happen.
A loud bang sounds from behind you, causing you to turn around.
The whispers have stopped again. The only noises that fill the room are your own heavy breaths.
Your eyes strain to see what you could have caused the great noise, but are unable to detect the reason.
You turn back to continue on your way and start when you find one of the dress forms directly in your way.
The whispers begin again, except this time you can actually make out what they're saying.
"Get out."
"Run!"
"Leave. Now."
"Please, help us."
Despite your fear, you step around the object in your path and head through to the next door, where you are immediately plunged into darkness.
You encounter deafening screams and moans. And awkward ground.
Once you are able to somewhat regains your bearings, you and your partner continue.
You feel around to find your way and come to what you think is a bridge.
Yes. It is a bridge.
Now that you've had a few moments to acclimate, you are relieved to see that the room isn't as pitch black as you though it had been.
In fact, you can see a light in the distance. It's the light that you make towards.
You step up to cross the bridge and that is when you realize where the screaming is coming from.
Under your feet.
Hidden in a cloak of fog.
As much as your instincts are telling you to hurry across the bridge, you can't.
You don't feel stable enough.
And you're fairly confident that you just saw an arm reach up from the mist.
Actually, you know you did, because another just appeared.
And another.
And another.
They're all around you now.
Reaching for you.
Shaking the bridge, which already feels like it could come down at any moment.
The screams and moans get louder with every step you take, but you continue.
There's no other option. When you finally enter the next room, you wish there had were.
A split second.
That's all it takes for you to know that you do not want to be in this room.
Bright light assaults you.
Colors are everywhere.
You don't know what to focus on first:
The busily patterned walls?
The maniacal laughter?
The giant box near the far corner?
Or all of the broken-looking clowns who, judging by their various expressions, would love to do you harm?
Just when your companion has convinced you to start moving, the lights go out.
Total blackness.
And then a familiar tune begins to play.
A tune synonymous with jack-in-the-boxes the world over.
The laughter continues and you hear shuffling footsteps.
Without warning, the lights come back on.
The music has stopped and the laughter has subsided.
You both look around, trying to seek the way out and commit at least some of the room to memory should the lights falter again.
There's a large clown to your left.
His mouth painted in a wide, but evil smile.
He holds a mallet, dripping with some sort of dark matter that you don't want to think about.
A few paces away from him is another.
He's wearing an even more sinister expression than the first.
A whirling noisemaker is in his hand, practically begging to be cranked.
Another is straight ahead.
This one stares at you with a vacant expression and holds a horn in his hand bigger than his head.
That horrible laughter fills the room again.
This time you can clearly see where it's coming from.
In the corner.
He has a static smile on his face and a gleam in his eye.
He lifts his hand to wave at you both.
Only when he lowers it back down do you see what he was holding.
A light switch.
You shake your head, putting everything together, knowing what's coming.
You start to plead, but it does no good.
The darkness comes.
The tune begins again.
As do the shuffling footsteps.
A horn sounds.
A noisemaker whirls.
And then it all stops just as abruptly as it started.
The lights are back.
You almost feel relief.
'Almost' because you notice that the clowns have moved closer to you.
A tugging on your hand reminds you that, thankfully, you're not alone.
It's enough to snap you out of your paralyzed state and you start to move again.
You only make it three good steps before it all happens again.
The laughter.
The darkness.
The tune.
The shuffling.
The horn.
The noisemaker.
And now they're closer still.
Your steps come quicker now, as you try to make the most of the light as you have it.
You can now see the other side of the giant box and observe that a crank is attached to it.
A crank that is in the hands of yet another clown. This one, though significantly smaller than the rest, is no less menacing.
Again, the pattern repeats...
The laughter.
The darkness.
The tune.
The shuffling.
The horn.
The noisemaker.
They're all around you now.
Close enough to hear them breathing.
You move faster, silently praying that the light will hold out this time.
A little giggle comes from the smallest and he starts to turn the crank.
You know the tune will be coming to an end soon.
A sick sense of curiosity has you wondering what will happen when it does, but self-preservation has you scrambling to get out before it happens.
Suddenly a voice rings out...
"Hey there poopy-pants! What are you doin' out here?"
A beautiful blonde woman is standing near an open door.
She's a saving grace.
She's an angel.
And, given your current situation, you're willing to follow her anywhere.
You make your way towards her and she pulls you through the open door, closing it behind you.
"Holy moly! Those guys are fuckin' crazy! What in the world were you doin' out there?!" she asks you with a smile.
A deep voice answers from behind you, "Baby, don't go interrogating the folks, they just got here."
Another clown.
Though this one almost seems harmless compared to the monsters in the previous room, he's still a clown and you are immediately on edge.
"Oh, you don't need to worry about him," the girl reassures. "Daddy! Show them the thing!"
"Well, I'd be happy to, Baby! Take a look at this, kiddies!"
He pulls on a string attached to his tie and chattering teeth start to move on is lapel. He also moves his own mouth in the same fashion, causing Baby to giggle.
"Ain't that just about the silliest thing you ever seen?"
You and your companion look at each other, no sure how to respond.
Baby frowns at your silence.
The clown advances, "It's rude not to answer direct questions."
You take a step back and nod your head. Yes. Yes. That IS the silliest thing you've ever seen.
Baby giggles again. Your apparent transgression forgotten.
"You guys are pretty cute! I think I'll keep you for a while."
You nod again.
Baby looks at the clown, "Can I keep them, Daddy?"
"Well hells bells, Baby! Looks like you've got yourself some new playmates!"
She claps and then holds out a hand to you.
"My name is Baby."
You stare at her hand for a moment before shaking it.
"That fella back there is my daddy," she starts.
"But you can call me 'Captain Spaulding," the clown finishes.
You nod and wave, not sure what else to do.
"I sure hope you guys hold up better than my last playmates. They got boring after a while," Baby comments.
"Now, Baby... be nice to your friends. Show them what you've been working on," Captain Spaulding urges.
Her eyes light up, "You guys wanna see something really groovy?
You shrug, not seeing that you have much of an option either way.
Baby smiles, "Come on! Daddy, you too!"
He chuckles, "Lead the way, Baby."
"You guys are gonna love this! I've been working on it for forever! Daddy wanted me to make some boring tour about the Marx brothers," she says, leading you around a little corner.
"It was just a suggestion," her father says from behind you.
"I think that these guys are so much better than some old comedians, you know?"
You come to a stop and look around.
"This," Baby gestures to a man in an odd suit, "is Eddie Gein. Say 'hi', Eddie."
"Hi," He says in a mumble.
"Our Eddie here has been a bad boy," the Captain explains. "He got it into his crazy noggin that it was a good idea to rob some graves.
'Eddie' smiles and shrugs.
"Tell them the rest, Daddy!" Baby insists.
He chuckles indulgently, "Okay, okay. Now, when most people think 'grave robber', you naturally assume that the ghoulies are robbing the gold and silver. Not our Eddie though. No. He took the whole damn body, or at least parts of them."
"See his belt?" Baby ask excitedly, "It's made of nipples!"
"Noses too," Eddie says in humble tone.
Baby squeals, "And tell them what your suit is made of!"
"Human skin," he blushes.
You practically feel the bile rising in your throat as things like 'bowl made from a human skull', 'police stumbled upon a death farm', and 'female genitalia kept preserved in a shoebox' are mentioned.
"Eddie's gonna teach me to sew, so I can make my own suit one day," Baby says wistfully.
"Baby, maybe we should get the show on the road? You wouldn't want Eddie to grab one of your new playmates," Captain Spaulding says, making you grateful that he came along.
She nods and tosses one last wave at Eddie before leading you around the next corner.
An elegantly dressed woman stands in the middle of a stone room.
Baby walks over to her and curtsys, "Countess."
The 'countess' tilts her head in greeting and then looks at you.
"Oh! Allow me to do the introductions," Baby says in a sickeningly sweet and proper manner, coming to stand next to you. "Countess, these are my new playmates. Playmates, this is Countess Elizabeth Báthory."
Countess Báthory barely spares you a glance, before she's shouting at one of many people milling about the room.
Now that your attention isn't on her any longer, you fully grasp what's going on around you.
Torture.
In all forms.
There are several corpses chained to the walls in various stages of decomposition.
One looks like it's mouth was sewn shut at one point, while another looks as thought it was burned.
Currently the countess is directing maids to fill a large tub with what looks to be blood.
"Countess Báthory is a visionary," Baby says in awe. "I mean, she was the one who first discovered the wonders of bathing in virginal blood in order to retain your youthful glow."
Captain Spaulding chuckles, "Baby, you still have your youthful glow, you do need all of this blood bullshit."
Baby frowns at him, "But I won't always have it. Best to get started now."
He shrugs and wonders off to nudge one of the chained bodies with his boot, "You know, I don't normally care my girls to be so... stiff. But damned if this one doesn't have a nice rack on her."
"Anyway, as I was saying, the countess is a visionary. She lucked out by marrying a guy who not only encouraged her, but he taught her some fun stuff too!
"Like spreading honey on servants who talked back and leaving them outside for the critters to take care of... OH! Or, prolonging the fun by cutting off the fingers one-by-one, instead of just cutting off the whole arm, or hand.
"Later she had the bright idea of snipping the webbing in between the fingers, too! And she never limited herself. Sometimes, when she ran out of high born ladies to work on, she brought in low borns. She was totally into equal opportunity," Baby sighs. "A visionary."
You're past the point of nervous.
If Countess Báthory did that to low born and high born ladies, what are the chances for you getting out of here?
Baby pouts, "You know, for all the groundbreaking research she's provided to the world, the man is still down on her. Why they've already buried alive some of her servants, just for helping her. There just doesn't seem to be any justice left in the world."
You feel the best course of action would be to keep your mouth shut, despite the fact that you feel that anyone who would've helped the Countess would've gotten what they deserved.
"Baby, the kiddies look like they're turning green. Maybe bring them back here when they're a little more... broken in?" the Captain poses.
She smiles at him, "You're probably right, Daddy. "Come on, dummies! I have one more guy for you to meet."
The third room you're led to looks like a bedroom.
The lighting is dim and the furniture looks to be about forty years old.
You hear the sound of muffled crying.
A man steps out of the shadows and approaches, shaking Captain Spaulding's hand.
"Good to see you again, Cameron. Place looks cozy," the Captain says, looking around.
The man nods and goes to give Baby a kiss on the cheek. She giggles and then points to you, her new 'friends'.
"This here is Cameron Hooker. He is quite the good samaritan," Baby gushes.
"The girl ain't lying," Captain Spaudling interjects. "Cameron likes to pick up poor hitchhikers in need of a ride."
Cameron shrugs, "Not ALL of the hitchhikers. Just the girls. The young ones. The ones who can be molded and trained."
You don't like the way he's looking at you and your partner, but you don't see how you can do anything about it at the moment.
You hear the muffled crying again... and so does Cameron.
He walks over to the bed and kicks at the frame, "Shut up! If you keep it up, you'll go on the rack later and I'll have to inform 'The Company' of your behavior."
"He's talking about the 'Slave Company'," Baby says from behind you and you jump. You didn't realize she had moved back there.
She giggles at your reaction and continues, "He made the little crybaby under the bed sign a contract. He owns her now. She's going to be very happy here."
"It's how I met Baby's momma," the Captain says fondly.
Baby nods, "She said it took some getting used to, but once she recognized her place in the household, it's been smooth sailing."
If possible, the cries get louder, causing Cameron to lose his temper.
He curses and toss the mattress off of the bed, revealing a door in the frame.
He opens the door and bends over to pull out a small, dirty girl.
She can't be any older than 17.
"If you folks would excuse us, someone needs to be taught a lesson," Cameron says.
Captain Spaudling holds up his hands, "Say no more, friend. We are on our way out."
You don't want to leave the girl with her kidnapper, but you don't see where you have any other option, since Baby is dragging you from the room.
"Well this has been swell and all, but I have other things to do," Baby is telling you, as you approach a steel door. "You're going to spend some time with my old playmates. They're boring now, but what can you do? Some people just don't have that pizazz. Bye."
She walks away, leaving you with her father, wondering what you did to cause her abrupt departure.
The Captain sighs, "That's my Baby. She's a fickle sort, don't take it personally. Well folks, it's been a hoot and a holler, but I gotta get a move on. I think I'll pop back in and see how Cameron is managing with that little ladybug..."
He leaves as well.
You are alone again.
Go forward or go back?
Yeah... you're not going back now.
You push open the steel door and step through.
Flickering fluorescent lights illuminate blue-green walls.
A hospital ward.
At least that's what you're assuming, judging by the number of people wondering about in hospital gowns, robes, and slippers.
A group of them is sitting in front of an old television. The attention they're giving it throws you off a little, as only snow is currently displayed on the screen.
Your companion says what you're both thinking.
"What the fuck?"
A second later, one of the patients 'watching' the television jumps up and starts shouting at you.
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! YOU'RE RUINING IT! I'M TRYING TO WATCH MY STORIES AND I CAN'T HEAR THEM IF YOU KEEP SPEAKING!"
You try to apologize, but it only makes him more agitated.
"SHUT UP! SHUT THE HELL UP!"
"Calm down, 33. Come get your meds," a voice says to the right.
You turn to see where it come from.
A nurse.
Currently she's sat behind a desk, handing out medicine to the queue of patients.
The shouter cuts past the queue to get his medicine, before settling back into his chair.
The line starts moving again.
Once they've taken their pills, the patients are free to wander.
Some of them join the group at the television.
Some of them go to stare at a few other patients who are currently straight-jacketed on gurneys.
Some of them just stand where they are and drool.
You're uncomfortable.
You don't belong here.
You need out.
"106, 107. You two go get in line for your meds," the nurse tells you both.
You kindly inform her that you are not patients and ask if she can point you towards the exit.
She smirks at you, "Yeah. I've never heard that before. Get in line with the others."
The lights flicker and screams come a moment later.
The screams only prove to agitate the shouter more, despite just having his meds.
"MAKE THEM STOP! I CAN'T WATCH MY STORIES IF THEY KEEP RUINING EVERYTHING!"
The nurse rushes over to try to calm him and you use the distraction of the room to find a way out.
You see it towards the back of the room.
A dim hallway.
With all you've seen tonight, a dim hallway seems like the least of your troubles.
As you walk, the lights flicker again. No screams this time.
You round a corner and there it is in red.
EXIT
No four letters ever filled you with so much relief in your life.
In your haste to get there as quickly as possible, you didn't notice all of the doors lining the wall.
The second you're within reach an arm shoots out and attempts to grab you.
"Please! Please! Help me out of here! I don't belong here. I just want to go home."
Even if you were able to get him out of there, you aren't sure you would.
Other than the person next to you, you don't know who you can trust anymore.
The same thing happens when you pass the next few doors.
Reaching. Begging. Tears.
You can't save them all.
The sounds coming from the next room are different.
"No. No, no, no, no, no. No, please. Please no...noooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..."
The lights flicker.
Curiosity gets the better of you and steal a glance through the little barred window.
A man is strapped to a gurney, convulsing.
A doctor stands over him, holding some sort of wired contraption to his temples.
The man's eyes roll back into his head and he stops moving all together.
The doctor smiles and removes the contraption.
"There you are!"
A voice says from behind you.
The nurse.
"Get back to the common room for your meds. You have to wait your turn to see the doctor."
Her voice has brought the attention of the doctor to you.
He grins at you through the bars, "Nurse, don't take them just yet. I just finished with 99. I suppose I could make an exception and see them now."
You don't wait to hear the nurse's answer, you run.
"GET BACK HERE!"
You hear from behind you, but you refuse to listen.
You're so close.
You're nearly there.
Just a little farther.
Your hand is on the door.
You're pushing through.
Safe.
You're safe again.
You take a deep breath, happy to have made it out.
You turn to smile at your confederate.
They're not there.
You shrug.
Better them than you.