I'll admit this one was somewhat challenging for me. It's the first chapter where the content is made up wholesale.

Elsewhere in the house

The room was dark, cold, and damp. Two barrels lined the back walls, their contents unknown. There seemed to be a low table with two wooden stools for occupants to eat their meals. Most inexplicably, there was a stuffed plush dog on an end table next to the barrels. It seemed oddly familiar.

Where am I? A child thought, surveying the room from a bed in the top right corner. It felt alien, yet also familiar. Terrifying, yet also strangely comforting, nostalgic even.

The child got up from the bed. It wasn't the greatest of mattresses, but not the worst place to sleep by a longshot. Was I asleep? No, no I wasn't. I was awake, but… resting?

The child had indeed been resting for quite some time, years in fact. It wasn't exactly a peaceful rest, though. There was a constant, nagging feeling of discontent. Something was preventing the rest from being the comfort it should have been. Something preventing true passage into the beyond, where true peace could be found.

Wait, was I…? It all came back to the child. There were others. Others in the same situation. They were resting, or trying to, at least. Something had tethered them to this world. Something had riled their negative emotions to such an extent that they could not truly move on. Rage, sadness, regret, and vengeful hatred. All in such a high concentration that their souls persisted even after death.

One day, after an uncertain amount of time had passed – it was hard to tell for them- another joined them. This was sadly common, as the years went on, their numbers swelled. Children, adults, people, and animals, all gathered here, thirsting for revenge they could never achieve on their own. For the justice they would never receive.

This one was different, however. They all knew her, which was a rarity for them. Few of the subjects knew any of the others, and to meet one that they all knew was something else entirely. Oh yes, they all knew her well, and they had a bone to pick with her. She was not their killer, not directly, but she was an accomplice. She knew of all the murders, the experiments, but she did nothing to help them. Just the opposite, she encouraged their killer. Urged him to continue his vile and ultimately pointless work. She exalted as he cut them to pieces and used them for his twisted art. Now it seemed she too, was paying the price for her cruelty. Rest would be easier with this bitter satisfaction, or so they thought.

Three years went by, or so they had been told. Three years since the events of her death. One day, on the eve of the anniversary of her death, something changed.

A strange being had come to her, a mysterious red eyed stranger offering them the chance they never thought would come. She had been granted a power, one that would allow them to take their deserved vengeance. As soon as the clock struck twelve, and the anniversary of her death had begun, they would have a single opportunity to get their revenge.

She did not desire to kill him. She had other plans. He would be hers for all eternity, in the realm of the dead. Hers to do as she pleased. She still had a twisted affection for the man, and she wished to both punish him and cherish him for all eternity. It was a truly disturbing plan to behold, but what choice did they have? This was their only chance at revenge, their only chance at peace. When the clock struck twelve, all spirits in this wretched purgatory would be unleashed into the world of the living, and years of pent-up rage and hatred would be unleashed upon the Drevis Household.

The child was not a vengeful person in life. She had been wronged by a great many people in her life, but she'd never had the luxury to consider revenge. It was always a matter of simply surviving another day. This was different, however. Not only had he killed her, he had betrayed her. He offered her hope and happiness, only to take it away again. She could still remember the day she had been told to report for a routine checkup. How she waited patiently for her own demise. That horrid laugh as the saw cut into her flesh.

The child was shaking. It was an odd feeling; one she had forgotten in her years as a spirit. With that a realization came to her. She was alive! Or close to it, at least. She gazed at her hands; her skin was ashen, the color having long drained from it. She pinched the skin on her arm, just to confirm she could feel again. It was hardly the most pleasant sensation, but after years without truly being able to feel anything, she welcomed it.

She hopped from the bead and felt the cold brick on the pads of her feet. She traipsed around the room, giggling, unable to contain her excitement. She eyed the barrels and suddenly got an idea. She grabbed one of the barrels and heard a sloshing sound within. Perfect!

She pulled the barrel out, grunting with exertion as she did. She got behind it and braced her arms and back against it, and extended her legs outward. One, two, three! She pushed against the barrel until it finally toppled over. It was old enough that Ines was concerned it would shatter on impact. Fortunately, that didn't happen.

She circled around to the front of the barrel and popped the cork out of the bunghole. Cool water poured out of the barrel and onto the floor. She washed her hands and feet in the water, then splashed it on her face. The cold water felt wonderful, even more so after so many years. How long has it been?

As she corked the barrel once more, she caught a glimpse of herself in the large puddle. It was hard to make out anything in this light, just a vague outline. She squinted to try and make out more detail. She ran her hands through her hair, adjusting it a bit. It was still a mess; she'd never been much of a stylist.

She wondered what to do now. Perhaps the basement still had rats? Monika would always scold her for playing with them, but that didn't really matter now. She was so overwhelmed with joy at all the things she could do again now that she had a body once more, that she's completely forgotten what her purpose here was.

"Having fun?" a voice sounded from across the room. The child jumped in surprise, turning to see a well-dressed man with pointed ears, red eyes, and a complete bald head. The man wore a perpetual smile on his face.

"There's no need to be frightened, dear." The man chuckled. "After all, are you not one of the beings now haunting this place? Is it not you who should be doing the scaring?" The man's voice was disarming, his tone friendly and relaxed. It had the practiced charisma of someone who made it his business charming other people. The tone contrasted starkly with every other aspect of the man.

"Who… are you?" The child finally spoke.

"Ah yes, how rude of me. You may call me Ogre. An odd name, I know." He extended his hand. "And who might you be, little one?"

The child eyed his hand suspiciously. She cautiously reached out and shook his hand, mainly out of fear of offending the man than anything. "Ines, i-it's Ines."

Ogre smiled. "A pleasure to meet you. I must say, I'm quite interested the decisions you make tonight. Even more so than the good Doctor's other victims."

"What do you mean?"

Ogre let out a chuckle. "My dear, you seem to have forgotten. You had far more ties to this family than most other subjects."

Ines let out a resentful laugh. "Seriously? The Doctor used me! He never wanted me to be part of his family! He lied! He just wanted more parts for his sick art project!" Ines's voice was full of rage and sadness. Tears streamed down her face. "And Monika? She was in on it! She knew what he was doing all along! All that time, every second she spent caring for me? Pretending I was her daughter? She was just luring me to the slaughtering house! I'm glad the Doctor killed her! And I'm glad he's gonna die too! How am I any different than any of the others!?"

Ogre's expression didn't change. "Ah, but there's someone else in this family, is there not?"

Ines's eyes widened. Of course. How could she have forgotten? A nervous smile spread across her face. "Y-yeah, but they wouldn't- they're not gonna- there's no reason to go after her, is there?" Ines said, chuckling nervously.

Ogre took on a somber expression. As unnerving as his constant smile was, it was even more so to see it change. "I'm afraid they won't be so discriminating. Most of them are not like you, they're consumed with rage. There's little left of their minds besides their anger now. They'll lash out at anyone who crosses their path."

"But she didn't have anything to do with this! She's just a kid!" Ines was overcome with horror at what she was hearing. Tears began streaming down her face once again.

"I'm afraid they cannot be reasoned with now. Only five others have shown as much sense as you have. Two have departed after she helped them, and two are animals, and not the intimidating kind. They won't be much help. The last is not unlike you, actually. You would get along swimmingly, but his efforts have not yet born fruit."

"B-but- I have to help her! I can't let them take her!"

"And why is that?"

Ines was appalled at the question. "What do you mean!? 'why is that'!? So, I should just leave her!?"

"She is dead set on saving her father, I'm afraid. If she succeeds, you may never get the peace you deserve."

Ines was taken aback. "Why…? Why would she want to save a man like that?"

"Humans are… odd creatures." Ogre said, somewhat fondly. "Family bonds are remarkably hard to break, especially at such a young age. She doesn't know him as Doctor Alfred Drevis, the serial killer, the man who tortures innocents for his mad quest for eternal beauty. No, to her, he is simply 'Father', a kind and affectionate man. He is much the same around her as he was around you, up until that faithful day. She isn't going to see him as the monster he truly is, not right away."

Ines clenched her fists in frustration, then let out a sigh, smiling sadly as she did. "How long has it been?"

"Hm" Ogre thought for a moment. "About eleven years, give or take."

So, she's my age now. My little sister spent eleven years with these monsters; they have her wrapped around their fingers and there's nothing I can do about it.

"I still have to help her." Ines said with renewed determination.

"Oh? Even if it means never finding peace? Even if it means the Doctor escapes justice for his crimes?"

"She's my sister! I have to help her!" Ines wouldn't budge. She had to do this.

Ogre eyed her curiously. "She won't remember you, you know."

"I know" Ines said sadly. "How could she? She was only a baby. I think she just barely learned to walk when I… you know. But that doesn't really matter. She may not see me as a sister, I don't expect that, but I still have to help her."

"Interesting…" As much as Ogre loved humans, he didn't understand them. So many were selfish, uncaring individuals, even some who truly thought they cared. For the longest time he thought this was the way of humans. He'd offer gifts to interesting individuals: the mad, the greedy, the foolish, the vengeful, and watch as chaos inevitably followed. In all his travels, he'd never met someone truly noble, truly selfless. Even those who believed themselves to be so turned out to be just like the rest. Perhaps his sample size was too narrow. After all, his company didn't seek out the most savory individuals. He would have to think about this more. Were there more humans like this girl?

"So where is she? I need to find her now! Before something bad happens to her!"

"Patience, child. There is quite some distance between where you are and where she is. There are many perils you aren't equipped to handle. You'd never make it."

"But- "

"She is safe for now. Not all of this house's denizens are hostile to her, and she's proven herself quite capable. She'll make it down here in due time."

Ines frowned. She felt helpless, unable to do anything when it mattered.

"I advise you to take this time to prepare. You may not be as ready to face her again after all this time."

"What do you mean by-" But the man had vanished. Ines sighed. She supposed she'd better get the layout of the floor and its hazards memorized. She'd be far more equipped when the time came.

Ines is the best sister.

So I tried something new here, where you don't really know who's POV the chapter is from at first. It was a bit tricky since I had to figure out how to distinguish between dialogue without giving away who's talking. English isn't really the best language for that kind of thing. Please let me know how well it works, or if you have any advice to improve it.

Yes, the hole with the cork in it on a barrel is called a "bunghole". I learned it while watching a Shadiversity video on the history and engineering principals of barrels. What? You thought I WANTED to call it that? No, it's actual terminology.

Just an FYI, I went back to the prologue to change the house description to that of the newest version of the game.