Aya had barely made it to the foyer when she heard the shriek of the ghouls once more. The Brunette had finally made it to the top of the stairs, be it through determination or pure luck. She flopped about on the floor trying to right herself. As she slowly rose from the ground, Aya lifted the chair by its back. As soon as it stood up fully, Aya charged. She let out a cry of fury mixed with fear, throwing the ghoul off for several precious seconds.
Once she was close enough, Aya swung the chair as hard as her eleven-year-old arms could manage, right into the ghoul's head. The blow tore through the already damaged stitches around her neck, and took her head clean off. It smacked against the wall with a satisfying thud.
Aya could barely believe what just happened. I-I did it! I actually did it! She felt a rush of endorphins to her head as she flattened the ghoul's head with the chair leg. Soon, she began to laugh. It began as one of relief as the adrenalin wore off, but soon turned into a maniacal cackling. She didn't know what she was feeling, she didn't expect it to feel so good after she killed the ghoul. It was the most exhilarating experience she'd ever felt.
As the Blonde Ghoul slunk up the stairs to join her comrade in the fight, she was greeted with the grizzly sight of an eleven-year-old girl standing triumphantly over the defeated corpse, laughing like a maniac. She charged forward in a rage at that. That laugh, that vile laugh. It was one that sounded all to familiar to her, and filled her with a blind rage.
Aya saw the ghoul just in time to dodge backwards from the attack. In a panic, she bolted down the hallway, toward the staircase that boy had tried to lead her down. Suddenly, her feet were knocked out from under her. As she fell to the floor, she saw what looked like a leg. She climbed to her feet, and noticed a doll sitting on the velvet couch. She had no time to ponder this, however, as the ghoul was still charging fast. Suddenly, the doll hopped up from the sofa, and turned to meet the beast. The ghoul was on it in seconds, tearing it limb from porcelain limb until the doll was scattered in pieces across the room. Aya didn't waste a second, she sprinted down the stairs, as the ghoul finished the doll.
Aya scrambled down the stairs, nearly tripping in the process. She was met with yet another corridor, lined with doors. There were three doors on the north side, one near the stairs and two further in, on either side of three life-sized toy soldiers, a rifleman, a drummer boy, and one in the center that appeared unarmed: the leader? The south wall had only one door, leading back to the foyer. At the very least, she had options.
The Blonde Ghoul barreled down the stairs, screeching in rage. Running on all fours upside down isn't ideal for coordination, however, nor is a head permanently hanging to the side, and her hands soon missed the stairs entirely, causing her to trip and tumble down the stairs at break-neck speeds, not that this was an issue for her anymore. She crashed to the floor, breaking several bones in the process. Unfortunately, pain was an obsolete concept for her, and her arms and legs were spared the brunt of the damage, save a few fingers.
As the ghoul struggled to right herself, Aya immediately made for the closest door but the knob wouldn't turn. Locked. She sprinted down the hall as quickly as possible, desperately trying to reach the next door.
The ghoul bolted forward with incredible speed. Aya was slightly quicker than the thing, but not fast enough. It was gaining fast, and if she tried to go for the door, she wouldn't be able to get in before she was pounced on. Aya slipped on the waxed marble floor and crashed to the ground. The ghoul seized the opportunity to strike. As Aya attempted to get up, she pounced, ready to tear into the girl's flesh. Aya turned to see the beast descending upon her from the air. She braced herself for the end and let out a petrified shriek.
Bang!
The ghoul lurched mid air as a splash of crimson burst from her abdomen. The force of the blow knocked her backwards, causing her to land in a crumpled heap at Aya's feet. The sound of snares caught Aya's ear as the ghoul arose once more.
Bang bang!
Two more lumps of hot lead tore through the beast, staining her black gown a dark crimson. The beast attempted to lurch forward, when another shot tore through her right elbow, and passed through to her thigh, just above the knee.
Aya crawled backwards, attempting to put as much distance between her and the ghoul. The ghoul reached forward with her left hand, attempting to drag herself towards her target.
Bang!
Another shot, distinct from the previous two, rang out. A slug tore through the ghoul's wrist, blasting her hand clean off. Aya finally glanced back to find the source of the shots. There stood the toy soldiers. The Rifleman had his gun at the ready, eyeing the ghoul suspiciously for any sign of movement. The Drummer held his sticks above his snare drum, awaiting the commands from his superior he would need to relay to the Rifleman, not that this was strictly necessary at the moment. The previously unarmed soldier now held an officer's revolver in his left hand. Both guns were smoking slightly, and the air smelt of sulfur.
"Excellent shooting as always, lads!" The Middle Soldier spoke.
"Thank you, Corporal!" The Rifleman responded, lowering his gun.
The Drummer Boy played a beat on his drum, and gave an appreciative glance to the Corporal, who responded with a thumbs up.
The Corporal walked towards Aya, who shrunk in fright of the strange living toy. The man gave a comforting smile, and stepped past her, towards the ghoul. Aya relaxed slightly, then tensed up again as another loud shot rang out, the ghoul's head bursting like a ripe tomato. The Corporal gave a satisfied grin, then turned back to Aya, putting away his gun in the process.
He knelt down to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, luv, we took care of 'er for ya. Your safe now." He spoke with a thick British accent.
Aya looked up at the man, still trembling a bit. "Th-Thank you." She said, finally. She rose to her feet, still shaking. "Who are you?"