Ch. 25: Mr. Mysterious
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The deeper they walked into the darkness, the more frightening the silence became.
"How far does this go?" Lucas asked in a bare whisper as if almost afraid to disturb the "things" hiding in the darkness.
And as if answering his question, the street curved and revealed what appeared to be the end of their walk—an old deteriorating brick facade, with an appropriately rotting plaque that read "hospital".
At first sight, Corrine breathed in relief at the glowing exit sign that hung above the door. The end to all her fears was just beyond that plank of wood.
"Shall we?" There was a mischievous smile tugging on Marshall's lips as he cautiously approached the building.
"Try not to look," Vaughn whispered into Corrine's ear, and pulled her slightly closer to his body. The simple action left her heart beating faster than it already had been, but left her wondering why she shouldn't keep her eyes open.
And with a slight turn of the knob, their quiet darkness was suddenly transformed into frightening world of gore and psychological disturbances.
Once inside the putrid building, an ear shattering, and bone shilling scream echoed a rather unwelcome greeting. The scream took the group by surprise, so much so, that they hadn't realized the shockingly small room they were in. Or that sitting right in front of them guarding the only other way out was a stretcher draped in blood stained sheets, and under it appeared to be a body poking out, ready to grab any unsuspecting person walking by. The walls, just as the sheets were discolored, and marked with splotches of blood.
"I don't like this," she whispered just loud enough for Vaughn to hear, and buried her face into the arm of his jacket. She should have known well enough it wasn't the end, it was far too easy to have walked down the street without the least bit of a scare. No, it was definitely just starting.
And what was more frightening than an empty street in the dark, was being stuck in an enclosed building knowing there are definitely others inside.
"At least it's a little brighter in here," Lucas observed the dim sconces on the wall simulated to look like flickering candles.
The group eased their way closer to the sofa. "Give you five dollars if you look under the covers," Marshall said to Lucas who declined his offer.
"Ten," he raised the price, hoping to tempt him, but failed.
The lights, at that same moment, began to flicker wildly, until finally burning out completely, followed by another more terrifying scream.
Corrine shrieked, and Vaughn felt her grip tighten around his arm. "I wanna get out of here!"
"Ho—"started Lucas, but was abruptly cut off by a loud pounding on the door from which they just entered from.
Their options were clearly limited to heading forward past the corpse, and into the adjoining room, and try to follow their way out, or stay in the foyer a little longer, and welcome "the guest".
"Finally, this is getting good." Marshall said in a rush of excitement.
Corrine couldn't see the good that he was talking about in the situation. Frightening was what it was. She couldn't fathom how people thought this was fun? She was ready to get out of there.
"Let's see who's at the door," suggested Lucas.
It was Vaughn who finally got them to start heading out of the room. His easy calmness was a reassurance, and proved refreshing against Marshall and Lucas's immaturity.
Although the body on the sofa started to shake violently, it did nothing else close to what wild ideas that haunted Corrine's imagination. It didn't jump up exposing what mutilations happened to his body, with a pick axe gripped in one hand, or grab any of them as they walked by.
Vaughn led the way into a tight corridor. The narrowness of the passageway forced Corrine to move behind him. While her heart was beating frantically from fear, she felt a trace of sadness as he easily let her go. The safety she felt from their physical touch vanished, and she was suddenly alone. Behind her Lucas repeatedly stepped on the backs of her shoes.
"Sorry," he apologized.
There was an opened doorway in the hallway where suddenly a "patient" appeared screaming in an incomprehensible language, his head thrashing ferociously back and forth.
Corrine leaned her head into Vaughn's back, shielding herself from the terror. Moments before the surprising episode, Corrine felt Vaughn's hands seeking hers out in the darkness.
The group squeezed their way through the doorway, leaving behind the unusual patient. And it was then that the front door slammed shut. Whoever was knocking was finally inside.
The darkness of the foyer and hallway was replaced by an iridescent glow emanating from glass jars that lined the shelves of the room. Inside them were dismembered body limbs and other odd bits and ends. In the center of the room lay a metal table layered with a thick coating of rust. On it laid various instruments, all appearing to have been taken right off a horror movie, complete with an appropriate layer of rust and the remnants of blood.
The indistinct ramblings of their previous encounter were replaced with involuntary screams of torture, and then a deafening silence. It was the signal to keep going before whatever it was caught up with them.
But the treading feet came all too fast.
"Stay with me, okay?"
It took a few seconds for it to register, and for Corrine to realize it came from Vaughn and that it was directed at her. She looked up and nodded even without knowing what she was getting herself into. His wonderful honest eyes stared into hers for a delightful moment, and she would have said yes to anything he would have asked—no matter how absurd.
"You guys go ahead," Vaughn told Marshall and Lucas, motioning to the next room.
At the first sound of his proposal Corrine protested, insisting to tag along with them and increase her chances of getting out faster rather than staying behind.
"Okay, but as a concerned ex-boyfriend, I think Corrine should come with us," Marshall said haughtily "She's already scared to death. Why prolong the torture?"
Vaughn didn't have to say much for her to reconsider. "That's fine, but it's still up to her to decide,"
Marshall was never one to ask for her opinions, he just always seemed to assume. Of course it wasn't always like that, but they stood out more prominently than the times when he let her have her say. It must have been telling her something.
When Marshall and Lucas left, Vaughn took hold of her hand and led her back through the doorway. "Don't worry we're getting out of here," His words served as a sweet endearment, and she found herself smiling even in the midst of everything. He actually wanted to get her out; instead of wanting to keep going for his own entertainment. In a modern way it seemed almost like a selfless act.
She awarded herself with a smile, until they met face to face with "the guest", who wiped her triumphant smile off her face. His clothes were normal enough—trousers and a white collard shirt only stained with the smallest spots of blood underneath a vest. He wasn't all too scary, Corrine decided until she looked up at his butchered face. But shockingly enough what came out of the man's mouth wasn't anything foul or threatening. It was a 'hello' in the cheerful British accent.
"Is this her?" he asked in a casual tone addressing Vaughn.
He nodded.
The man smiled brightly showing off his rows of perfect teeth. "Nice to meet you Madam," he gave a curtly bow and brushed his lips softly across her knuckles.
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I actually based some of the events in this chapter and some of the following ones from my own experiences. And the descriptions of The London Dungeon were of my own imagination as I have never had the liberty of visiting the famous attraction.
I appreciate everyone who has remained loyal to this story even despite the long waits for updates.