Author's Note: Hey guys, finally managed to finish that other chapter on DeviantArt and my friend is very suspicious about me. Now, I know I left a terrible cliffhanger in the last chapter but I promise you that all will be reveal in due time! You'll just have to wait with more agonizing cliffhangers up ahead. ;) Also, just in case, Happy New Year or have a good day to all of you!

Juster of Riva: XD Well, I guess you'll find out why they can't call for a Witcher in this chapter.

thor94: Don't worry, you'll find out what happened to Ash soon. And there will be an Ash POV soon, just not in the way you would imagine it.

They left Serena alone in the hallway. After watching her breakdown the moment she saw the empty bed, Bonnie led the older girl out into the hallway and let her up against the wall. While she stared at the broken honey-blonde girl who was sobbing until she made noises that were not recognizable, Bonnie stood up and went back to the room. She really wanted to provide some sort of support for Serena since she viewed the girl as the older sister she never had. But even someone with a young mind like hers could understand that this is something Serena needs to be alone on, especially after what happened a little while ago.

When she walked into the room, she could already see her brother on his knees in front of the bed, Pikachu, and Greninja right beside him. Thanks to the two Pokémon, the humans didn't have to worried about stepping into sharp pieces like how Serena did when she ran in here moments ago. While it did leave them with a foreboding feeling of what Ash's mental state was like before he disappeared, the siblings didn't have time to ponder on it for long since they have more pressing matters to take into account.

Bonnie hopped down beside her brother, being careful to not touching anything in case she messed something up. "So, did you find anything?"

Clemont shook his head, making her mood drop slightly. "I'm not a hundred percent sure about what happened, Bonnie." He explained, his hands dancing across the sheets carefully. "It looked like Ash was alone in his room before he disappeared since the markings on this bed indicated that there was one person on it, but it doesn't make any sense. I know what I heard, it sounded like Ash was being strangled for a while. I could understand that Ash was in the middle of trying to heal his mind, but even you know he would have put up at least a fight if someone was attacking him. It didn't even look like he was at all!

"And look at this," Clemont brought a pillow over to them and hold it out so Bonnie could see. Sure enough, the black stains are still present around the sunken down area where she believed Ash's head was resting against. "This isn't even a substance I recognize. If this is the liquid the attacker used to try to choke Ash with while making sure he was pinned down enough that he couldn't move, I'm sure we would have seen another print on this bed."

"So, Ash was attacked, but he was also alone at the same time." Bonnie summarized. "Whoever attacked him was trying to choke him with this gross juice while making sure he couldn't move. But when they probably heard us, they left while taking Ash with them." She then shoots her brother a confused look. "But who would try to do something like this?"

Clemont puts the pillow back down on the bed, unable to answer that question. He didn't even know how to answer it. He wanted to say somebody like Team Rocket or those Team Flare folks they'd encounter a little while ago. Then again, Team Rocket didn't make sure that glass container that's supposed to contain Pokémon is also to be made sure that it isn't vulnerable to physical attacks as well. He didn't know what to make of Team Flare, but a part of him knew that they just viewed them as annoying kids. They wouldn't be so annoyed to actually come after them and-?

He decided to go with the answer that's been plaguing him since the moment he figured out Ash wasn't trying to kill himself in the closet. "Maybe it was the one who tried hanging him in the closet? I guess it would make sense since this person's tactic is strangling their victims."

Bonnie looked like she was willing to take that as her answer before a wave of realization washed over her blue eyes. Like a flip of a switch, his sister's eyes are now showing a fear that he would only see when she had nightmares. She turned to him with her little fists trembling slightly. "Clemont, didn't Ash said he was attacked by a girl with no arms in the kitchen?"

It took him a moment to fully processed his sister's words. His eyes slowly widen in horror once he realized what she meant. "A-And his description almost sounded like she was bleeding... N-Not to mention one of the marked victims' death was caused by illegal amputation on her arms. So, that girl that attacked Ash in the pantry, was the same girl that died here..."

He didn't need words to tell Bonnie what that actually meant. The girl gulped and scooted closer to her brother, wrapping her frail arms around his waist. Even the Pokémon looked incredibly disturbed by this since Pikachu's cheeks are sparking unintentionally and Greninja is tightening his fist at the thought of what could have possibly kidnapped their trainer and what they're probably doing to him as they speak. On second thought, the didn't want to think about it. Because they wouldn't like the things they're seeing.

A wave of silence washed over them. The only sounds that could be heard are the heart-retching weeping within the hallway outside the room. Nobody wanted to say anything because of the new fear that's flowing through them.

Finally, someone broke the silence. "Clemont, we're really not alone in this house, are we?"

Clemont just wraps his arm around her tighter. "Yes, Bonnie. We're not alone... Just not in the way we thought we were..."

They didn't know how they were going to explain things to Serena. After her fight with Ash and realizing he's been kidnapped right when she was on the other side of the door, they knew that the guilt she's feeling right now is like an overflow of water in the sink. For a moment, they consider about not telling the girl at all so she wouldn't have to experience more grief than she is. Then again, they knew they have to tell her the truth. Not telling her would only make things worse and Serena might end up in a state that's similar to Ash's a while ago.

So when they saw Serena still up against the wall, sniffing softly against her hands, they knew what their decision was.

Bonnie bent down to older girl's level, her blue eyes full of concern for Serena's wellbeing. "Serena, are you okay?"

"...I was right outside..." came the girl's first response in an above-whisper voice. The siblings didn't say anything as they waited to hear Serena out. "He was just behind the door... I thought we had enough time to save him..." She finally seemed to let the damp loose as she resumed her sobbing. The sight almost made them reconsider telling Serena the truth about the Lewis Manor.

Bringing herself together, Bonnie gently puts a hand on Serena's trembling shoulder. "Don't worry, Serena. I'm sure we'll find him."

"But what if we don't?!" Bonnie jerks her hand away when Serena suddenly looks up at her with eyes that showed nothing but a blank look of exhaustion. "What if we don't ever find him?! This place is like a maze, Bonnie! We'll probably never find him alive in time! That lunatic who tried to hang him a while ago is very likely killing him right now while we're just standing here," she sniffed to pause. "A-And, the last thing I said to him was that he's the reason why his father left when he was just a baby... Ash is going to die knowing I said that to him!"

Unable to handle all this stress, Serena put her head back down. She wasn't sobbing anymore, her body was too exhausted for that. The only thing that they could hear from her are the sounds of her ragged breath, a possible way her brain is using to calm herself down. But even then, the marks are still there and they won't be living anytime soon.

Clemont almost decided to forget about all the things he's planned on telling when he took a moment to recall Serena's words. The Lunatic. She still thinks that there's a madman on the loose. Knowing that he couldn't lead her on, making her flinch at every single sound that could be a possible psycho that's gonna come after them, Clemont realized he had to tell her the truth and not some white lie. No, that would be cruel.

Knowing what he must do, Clemont bent down on his knees so he was on the same eye level as his friend. "Serena, did you by any chance heard Bonnie and I scream in the hallway when we were looking for Ash?"

Serena looked up. Her blue eyes that were once full of life are now staring at him with a dull sense of confusion. "...What does that get to do with anything?" She eventually said, her voice seemly tired. Not that he could blame her, though. He's tired just as much.

They began to explain everything, from what the siblings saw in the closet and their theory about who could have kidnapped Ash. There were occasional comments from Bonnie like "I didn't even know skin could change color like that" and "...Or people dying from having their arms removed like chopped meat..." The whole time, Serena had kept a natural expression through the whole gruesome explanations. The only time where she had a real, frightful reaction is when they mentioned possible suspect to Ash's disappearance and how they explained about Ash's claims that an armless woman in the kitchen was true.

After that, the siblings waited for their friend's response to all of this. When she didn't say anything for a while they began to worry. "Serena?" Clemont eventually asked. "Are you okay?"

"...I thought that this was all a prank..." She whispered out, giving them slight relief to know that she's responding to them. "That Ash was just messing with us... I didn't know what was happening. Oh my goodness, he must have felt so alone when we didn't believe him!"

Clemont could feel himself frowning. He knows that feeling very well. "We all should've believed him, Serena. But we didn't..."

They sat in silence afterward. The eerie silence within hallway left them a new vibe. Before it sounded like things were too quiet and something that they don't know will pop out at them at any moment. Now they have an idea of what they're up against, but that thought still didn't make them feel any braver.

It took them a while to finally figure out their next move. They had originally wanted to explore the house in hopes hat they would eventually find Ash, alive and hopefully not dead. But then they realized how much of a waste that would be to go looking for him themselves. This place feels like a gigantic maze, full of twists and turns, so they had no idea on where to go first. Not to mention they weren't fully aware of what kind of supernatural forces they're dealing with.

They eventually decided to call for help. They couldn't find Ash in the numbers they were in, and they didn't want to risk the Pokémon going up against something that could possibly kill them. Remembering the horrible storm outside, Serena had taken out Talonflame's Pokéball. While they knew they couldn't walk through the storm without freezing to death, Talonflame could be able to make it by its Flamebody ability, so it could hopefully reach the last town they were at in time while they stay and hopefully start the search for Ash themselves.

What they didn't suspect when they got to the entrance was that the doors were bolted shut.

"...Come on!" Bonnie groans, she and Clemont on one side of the door while Serena and Greninja were on the other. They were all gripping the handles tightly and were trying to the get the doors to budge. However, it was shut tight like someone had intentionally put glue on the sides and left it there for a while.

When it became clear that they weren't making any sort of progress, Clemont gave up. He let his grip on the handle loose. "It's no good, these doors are locked from the outside!" Eventually following after the genius, the girls and Pokémon had let go of the door with sadden eyes.

"Why won't it open?" Bonnie asked in frustration, stomping her foot for emphasis on her mood. Clemont took a closer look at the doors, adjusting his glasses a bit so he could inspect the doors clearer. It didn't make sense for the doors to be locked, they didn't even have a key for this place so it couldn't have been one of them.

Serena finally speaks up after a small moment of silence. "You don't think, the spirits here locked us in here? Do you?"

"Well, by the looks of things, I would guess so," Clemont comments as he turns to look at her. "Whatever they wanted, they wanted to make sure Ash didn't leave from all the horrible things he was seeing. I guess I shouldn't really be surprised if they would do something like this if Ash were to finally snap and try to run out without any of us knowing."

Although they were unintentional, Clemont's words brought back the guilt they all felt about not believing Ash. Looking back when he first came to them after his terrifying experience in the kitchen, they quickly denied his claims of supernatural forces when they didn't found any evidence instead of actually being a little suspicious. Maybe if they had believed him, Ash wouldn't have been so closed off from them and he wouldn't have to keep going off on his own. But they knew they couldn't change the past.

Especially Serena. No matter how much she wants to, she knew that she can't change what she said and will have to live with what she'd said to Ash for the rest of her life. Even when she finds Ash and tries to apologize, it wouldn't make a difference. Things aren't going to be the same between and that thought frightened Serena. She didn't want things to be complicated between her and the boy she loves, even though she was clearly at fault for mentioning the one thing that could make Ash hold a grudge against anybody, even her. Somehow, she will make this up to him.

After a bit, Clemont finally broke the silence. "I think we should go look for him ourselves. We can't call for help if the doors are locked with no way of us getting out."

The girls nodded in agreement. The Pokémon didn't make any movements, but their eyes showed that they're willing to follow. They eventually moved away from the door and began to make their way down the entrance hall so they could get back to the living room.

For some reason, the ancient hallways felt longer when they first walked down it when they had arrived at the Lewis Manor. Even the lighting from the lights held a creepy atmosphere to the hall, but they couldn't decide if it was just their imagination or if the ghosts of the houses are finally deciding to play with them like they did with Ash.

"Hey... Everyone who died here came back as spirits, right?" Bonnie asked, hopefully, to get their minds off the creepy hallway they're walking down.

However, the two older children's fear didn't waver from Bonnie's question. Instead, it only increased since they had an idea of where this conversation could go.

"So, if all those girls who died are still around... Doesn't that mean the murderer is here? I mean, nobody died for the last fifty years... So I guess the murderer died too... Do you think the murderer might have been the one that kidnapped Ash?"

It wasn't how they thought the conversation was gonna go, but it still made them feel uneasy. To know that the mastermind behind of all the killings in the Lewis Manor has their best friend wasn't exactly a settling thought. They didn't answer her, but Bonnie knew she went a little far by playing with their fears so she kept her mouth shut for the rest of the way.

It was only when the floorboard's incessant squeaking became unbearable that Bonnie finally complained! "GAH! Why does this floor have to be so loud?! I get that it's old, but this is ridiculous!" To emphasize her point, Bonnie stomped her foot down on the old thing. There was a vociferous groaning that lasted for a few seconds.

"Bonnie!" Clemont scolds. "This place is probably a hundred-fifty-years-old, so that means floorboard is unstable and it could collapse right under us at any moment!"

Bonnie just shoots her brother an unamused look. "Clemont, I think you're overreacting. If the floor really was gonna break on us, don't you think it wouldn't have done so by now?"

CREAK!

That loud groan made Clemont stop from lecturing his sister and look down on the floor with everyone else. This time, the groan didn't stop. It only got louder and louder. Did Bonnie just-?

Before they could react, the floorboard collapsed right underneath Serena and Pikachu. Everything happened so fast they didn't know how to react at first. Only when she realized that her feet were no longer on the ground and gravity was dragging her down into the dark abyss below, Serena let out her scream.

"Serena!"

In a desperate attempt to save her, Clemont reached for her hand that was rising from gravity's sudden hold on Serena. He couldn't grab her, however. His hand had only missed hers by a couple of inches. In their shock, the siblings and Ninja Pokémon could only stare in horror as they watch their two friends fall all the way down the endless black hole that's swallowing them up. Their screams echoed the whole way down, even when they were out of their sights.

I think I'm starting to like torturing you guys with cliffhangers. :)