Sabrina exited into the almost-cheery warmth of the Foyer. Its bright, plush interior was a welcome relief from the room she'd just been in. As she stood at the hub between the two staircases, she paused to catch her breath. The Foyer is, after all, one of the few 'safe' rooms. …As long as those brainwashed ghosts stay away. I hope.
She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to think of what to do next. "Leota, should we try the other doors on this balcony?"
"I wouldn't try it," Leota responded dryly. "The aura emitted from behind those doors was very strong. I don't think we should even give them a second thought until later."
"She's right," Salem concurred. "Whatever's behind those doors must be too strong for us—at least now. Downstairs seems to be our only option."
"Why Salem, you actually agreed with me," Leota gasped in mock-astonishment. "What is the world coming to?"
"Don't get used to it," the black cat muttered.
Sabrina rolled her eyes at her companions as she descended the staircase. Why do I have the urge to slide down the railing? She paused, and grinned. Couldn't hurt.
With a whoop, the Detective mounted the rail, and pushed off. She shrieked with laughter as the wind whistled by her ears. She landed in a most un-ladylike manner at the foot of the stairs, in a heap of crinkled-up petticoats and faintly unraveling braids. Sabrina couldn't contain the laughter bubbling up her throat. She lay in a heap and giggled while Salem yowled in protest, and Leota demanded to know what was going on.
When she finally calmed down, she stood up and straightened her skirt, resisting the urge to point a mirror into existence to check her hair. I can't be using magic for petty purposes right now.
Salem scowled—as well as a cat can, anyway—and demanded, "What were you just doing?"
Sabrina gave him an impish grin. "Having a bit of fun."
Leota chuckled. "Don't worry, Salem, it's perfectly harmless. And besides, too many frights in one night can drive even the toughest investigator out of their skin—metaphorically speaking, of course, but in this house one does wonder…"
Sabrina had reassembled herself, and started for the door nestled between the stairs. It turned out to be the door leading to the Downstairs Hallway, as Leota informed them a moment later. She reached out for the door handle, pleased when the purple electricity melted away.
Her first thought upon entry was that it was dark and cold. The wallpaper in the hallway was some sort of shade of blue or purple, but it was impossible to tell which one in the dimmed light. The dark wooden floor underneath her feet was smothered in a layer of dust. Rugs in shades of subdued browns and tans lay roughly every six feet, their own colors warped under the dust.
Sabrina craned her head, wondering where she could find a switch for the hallway. Not to the left, nor in front of me…
…Sabrina…
Out of the corner of her eye, the Spirit Detective could see a wisp of a white shape—vaguely human-like—flit down the hallway to her right. Her heart leaped, pounding in double-time. Sabrina felt her throat go dry.
"What was that?" whispered Salem.
"I don't know…it doesn't feel right," Leota murmured.
Sabrina didn't seem to be listening to her companions. Her pupils shrank; eyes focusing on something that could not be heard or felt. She began walking in the direction the…thing… had fled.
Before them was a stretch of hallway, with a few doors that faintly shimmered with violet electricity. On either side of the hallway, at intervals, were doors, with boards tacked over them haphazardly. The hallway ended in shadows, quiet and brooding.
Sabrina began walking quietly down the hallway. "The room we're looking for is most likely the Kitchen," Leota mused. "It's the second door on the right."
Salem, however, couldn't keep his eyes off the boarded-up areas. What are they? Doors? Alcoves?
"Hey, Leota, what're these?" The cat jabbed with his tail at the nearest boarded-up area.
Leota pursed her lips. "You don't want to go near there. Trust me."
"But what is it?"
"Forget about it. Just stay away."
"C'mon, you can tell me, right!"
Leota puffed up in anger. The crystal ball turned a violent shade of green, the small whorls of aura swirling faster. "I told you: DON'T GO NEAR IT!"
"He won't listen," Sabrina informed the clairvoyant in a monotone.
Leota deflated slightly. "Is that right?" She sighed. "Fine. Go near it. Touch it for all I care."
Salem inched forward carefully, amber eyes glowing with curiosity and mystery. It doesn't LOOK so scary. Just a bunch of moldering boards…
Boards creaked apart, as clawed appendages burst forth from the shadows and reached for the cat. They frantically waved, trying to scoop up the feline.
Salem screamed, and ran to the Spirit Detective and medium standing in the middle of the hallway. Reluctantly, the claws drew back and the boards shut themselves once again.
The cat huddled in a quivering ball next to Sabrina's feet. He turned near-bulging eyes upward. "I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!" he screamed.
Leota smirked. "Hate to say 'I told you so,' but…"
"I get it, I get it," the cat grumbled.
Leota chuckled, turning to Sabrina. "There's a saying I have in mind—I don't know if it still exists, but 'curiosity killed the cat'…"
"And satisfaction brought him back," Salem finished sarcastically. "Now, can someone please tell me what all that," he shuddered, "was about?"
Leota shook her head. "Fine, fine." She sighed, preparing herself.
"When Thorne took over, he didn't do it alone. He had help from a host of netherworld demons, some of whom still roam about the Mansion and its grounds."
Sabrina shuddered, recalling the spider demon she'd fought.
"Now, contrary to popular belief, there were a few—and I mean, very few—who had survived the onslaught. Those had been the ones to escape unnoticed during the carnage, or those who weren't here on the estate when the invasion took place.
"Zeke Holloway was one of them." She was quiet for a moment. "He was the assistant caretaker; not very smart or brave, but a likeable fellow. He had not been present when the Mansion fell under siege.
"He heard of the mysterious disappearances, and knew something had to be very, very wrong. So, Zeke came back, trying to figure out what had happened. He found me, and a few of the more powerful ghosts, who were hiding from Thorne."
"What happened?" Sabrina asked curiously. "Did he attempt to fight Thorne?"
"No. Zeke was thoroughly human. We all knew he would stand no chance against Thorne. The most we could do, we decided, was to aid any future rescuers. Doc Penezek, a guest at the Mansion, had left behind his entire stock of his trademark Bravery Tonic—which does work, at any rate. It was Zeke's idea to stockpile it, for any future would-be rescuers.
"Those boarded-up alcoves you see were either much smaller rooms, or passageways to smaller rooms. Some of the weaker demons are sealed in there—by my spells and some good, old-fashioned elbow grease." She sighed moodily. "Unfortunately, both are starting to wear off. The boards hold a little, but not enough to keep the demons entirely in their prisons. The spells keep anything from getting out, but don't prevent things from getting in…if you get my drift."
Salem's eyes bulged, and he climbed back up into the backpack.
"Right. So stay away from the demon traps," Sabrina noted. She paused as she adjusted the straps of the backpack. A thought came to her.
"Leota…what happened to Zeke Holloway?"
"He stayed here, more or less. There's a small shack, not exactly in the grounds, but not exactly outside, either. He stayed there with his hound Queenie, keeping an eye on the place."
Sabrina fell silent, contemplating the story. I wonder if Zeke's spirit was caught here, like the other residents… She sighed, and continued on, carefully avoiding the boarded doors. She easily found the Kitchen, and eagerly began the opening process.
"Do you think they'll have something to eat?" Salem asked eagerly, eyes shining with hope.
"Probably not, Salem. Any fresh food they would have had would be rotted away, and if they had any tins, those wouldn't be kept in the Kitchen."
Salem pouted.
Leota gave him a sudden grin. "We've got plenty of Bravery Tonic. Tastes pretty good, too."
Salem stuck his tongue out. "To people, maybe."
Sabrina chuckled and stepped inside.
The kitchen was quiet. Sabrina hardly had time to note the bare facts of the room: fireplace to her right, low cabinets doubling as workstations ringing the room, a few tables, and a large standing cabinet to her left, before her attention was diverted.
Hovering not six feet in front of her was the white blur from the hallway. It was shaped like a young girl: a young girl in a flowing white dress. Sabrina did not question its absence of legs, nor the hair flipped forward, covering the face.
As if in a trance, she stared.
It reached out an arm—a long, pale, clammy-looking arm—and extended a hand. The thin, bony, clawed fingers beckoned at the girl.
…Sabrina…
A soft, haunting voice, the voice of a young girl, called out.
As if in a trance, Sabrina stepped forward. I must go to her…I have to…
With that step, the lank fall of hair flipped up, standing as if electrified. The creature's skeletal face was stretched open in a grimace. The dark hole that served as a mouth widened, a bone-chilling scream issuing forth.
Sabrina was immediately jerked back into reality from the foggy daze the creature had held her in. The Medusa-like creature continued her unearthly screaming, while shooting white beams from the hollow sockets that should have contained her eyes.
Not a good day to get stoned… She smirked, thinking of Medusa's petrifying powers.
Sabrina ducked under a nearby table, and began concentrating, trying to summon a larger amount of energy than before. Sabrina had barely time to formulate a plan before Salem began squalling. Sabrina darted up and out from behind the table, the ghost swiveling to face her. Again, the banshee uttered her eardrum-shattering wail, attempting to hit Sabrina with her paralyzing gaze.
Sabrina began to run towards the opposite end of the room. Abruptly stopping, she swiveled and fired. There was a heart-stopping pause.
The creature screamed again, an eardrum-piercing, inhuman screech, and fired another ocular blast. Sabrina ducked, watching the blast sail over her head. There HAS to be a better way to fight her. I can't just keep doing run, duck, and cover. She paused, biting a lip. Wait! Right after she screams, she fires that energy-blast thing. Maybe that can be useful, somehow…
Sabrina popped up, and, praying blindly, began to run in a circle around the walls of the Kitchen. While she ran, she fired blasts at the confused banshee. If ghosts could become confused, Sabrina decided, this one was, constantly swiveling to try and face its prey. Apparently, however, it was fairly strong, since the blasts of light seemed to have little or no effect on it. Salem and Leota screamed from the sidelines to 'keep it up.'
Keep it up? I don't know if I can stand this screaming for much longer! This ghost is starting to piss me off!
Sabrina quickly developed a strategy of 'shoot, run, and hide' that she blindly prayed would work. All the while, the ghost's tortured screeches were beginning to fray her already frazzled nerves.
Run. Pause. Screech. Duck. Run. Pause. Screech. Duck. Run. Pause. Screech. Duck.
The Kitchen seemed to whirl around her in a blur. She was getting tired and dizzy, and that ghost's screaming had her ready to snap. Blood pounded in her temples as she dashed forth, clutching the Beacon, the light energy humming hot and bright in her hand.
"JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!" she screamed, watching the burst of energy slam squarely into the ghost. The wraith twisted and let forth one final screech as she burst into small fragments of light that quickly shimmered into nothingness.
Sabrina let out a sigh, and leaned against the table, legs wobbling under her. "Remind me never to watch The Ring again. What was that adorable creature, by the way?"
Leota's ball rolled over to where the Detective stood. "They're lost souls, the spirits of evil women who refused to repent their ways. Eventually, they become banshees. I expect our old friend Thorne managed to find some trapped in the Netherworld, and brought them along for the ride."
"Lovely." Sabrina rubbed her eyes.
A loud, slow rumbling filled the room. Leota swiveled the crystal ball in all directions to see where the creature was hiding, and Sabrina clutched the Beacon, the Soul Gem pulsing with collecting energy under her fingertips.
Both of them quickly realized that the rumbling was coming from Salem's stomach. If the feline familiar had been in his biped form, he would have sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, and maybe blushed. But as it was, he couldn't raise his…forelegs…and any blush, no matter how red, would never have showed underneath his coat of thick, midnight fur.
Sabrina sighed, let the energy recede into the Beacon, and placed her hands on her hips. "Saaaalemmmm…"
He pouted. "I'm hungry!"
Sabrina rolled her eyes. "We've been through this before. They didn't keep actual food in the Kitchen a hundred years ago; they kept it in a different room. Now help me find some matches to light the fire, or we're in trouble." Leota's ball was placed in the backpack, and Sabrina began examining cupboards and drawers, looking for matches. They had those in the 1800s, right?
Salem prowled the countertops angrily. Stupid house…no decent food…I've half a mind to just walk out… His tail angrily lashed sideways, knocking over a black candle set precariously close to the counter's edge.
As if in slow-motion, Salem watched the candle slowly pitch to the earth with a small crash.
Sabrina whirled around, with an accusatory look written on her face. Salem tried his best to assume a 'who, me?' expression, but ultimately failed.
Leota gasped. "The candle! Look at the candle!"
Both girl and cat looked down to find a small, purple fire flickering above the surprisingly intact candle. "Uh…Leota…" Sabrina began.
"That fire's not normal," Leota stated. "There's supernatural energy emanating from that flame."
"Hit the deck!" Salem squawked.
Sabrina looked up in time to slam to the floor, as a plate arose from a stack of crockery on a table a few feet away, and soared to crash near her head. Sabrina paused, and then cautiously raised her head from behind the table she was crouching next to.
The Detective pulled down to avoid being decapitated by the next flying plate.
"What the heck?" she yelped, covering her head, " Salem, I think you've made whatever ghosts are in the kitchen very, very angry."
"Wasn't me!" the cat wailed, leaping off the counter, and trying to hide.
"To the door!" Sabrina announced, like a battle cry, and began crawling forward. She paused, and looked up again. Yet another plate was hurtling towards her. She ducked under the table, listening to a glass-shattering smash far too close for comfort.
Something red dropped onto the floor next to her. Sabrina blinked, and looked up. The plate had smashed a bottle of wine that had been placed on a table behind them, the contents dripping over the edge to lie in a crimson puddle on the floor.
That wine on the floor's conducted the flame…weird…
Sabrina quickly scanned the room, noting for the first time the bottles of wine scattered around the room. She bit her lip, playing an idea around in her head. Maybe…since I can't find any matches…this could do the trick. Hopefully, the plate will follow...
Sabrina quickly found a nearby bottle of wine, and darted to face it. From the corner of her eye, she saw the plate streaking towards her.
"Sabrina!" Leota shrieked, "Get out of the way!" Salem's eyes bulged as he hissed.
At the last possible moment, she ducked down, watching the bottle smash and wine leak onto the floor. Salem slowly started forward, and daintily lapped at the fluid. His eyes widened, and he lapped more enthusiastically. "Aw man, Sabs! This is the good stuff!"
"Thanks for letting me know," Sabrina grinned.
Before the psychic and cat's very eyes, Sabrina began to dart around the room. The invisible plate-flinger tracked the girl's every move, sending flying dishes in her direction. But at the last possible second, Sabrina would duck or jump to the side, making the plate crash into a bottle of wine that she had been standing next to.
"What is she doing?" cried Leota, baffled.
"Sabrina, if you're trying to make them run out of plates, it's a good idea, but they could just conjure them from thin air," Salem shouted.
A small, knowing smile hovered around the Spirit Detective's mouth as she darted from spot to spot, like a graceful black hummingbird. "Trust me on this one."
Leota swiveled in all directions, observing the room. Wait…all the bottles are gone except for one…
Sabrina was now standing with her back to the fireplace, a bottle of wine on the table before her. A laugh bubbled loose from her throat as she dodged to the side, while the bottle shattered. Pieces of translucent porcelain flew into the fireplace.
"Now I understand!" Leota yelped. "The wine on the floor! It was a trail!"
Sabrina folded her hands on her hips and smiled. Indeed, she had been doing the 'dance of broken dishes' for a reason. Each bottle of wine that spilled onto the floor had created a trail of alcoholic beverage. The magical fire from the candle leapt with a roar onto the line of liquid, following it straight into the fireplace.
A roaring, crackling blaze sprung to life in the pit, and Sabrina eagerly turned to warm her hands by it. Leota slowly rolled to rest by Sabrina's side. She looked up at the girl. "Good idea," she beamed. Sabrina smiled.
Salem, however, was sitting on his haunches by the first bottle of wine, whimpering. "What is it, Salem?" Sabrina called, turning her body to face him. "Did you burn your tail?"
"Why is the wine gone?" he whimpered plaintively.
Sabrina grinned. "Because the bottles were set up in a way that, if shattered, could leave a trail of alcohol to the fireplace. The fire simply caught it, and shazam! The fireplace is lit, lights on."
"But why is the wine gone?" he wailed.
Sabrina tipped her head back and roared with laughter at this one.
A brief search turned up a barrel filled with bottles of some sort.
She stooped and withdrew a brown bottle from the bin. "What is this? Doc Penezek's Genuine Old Fashioned Bravery Tonic," she read. "One dose is good for tongue warts, ear twitching, navel lint, cowardice, and other ailments."
"Yum—tasty…"
"Saaaaalem…."
"I'm serious! Did the guy patent it? It sounds great! After all, doesn't everyone want a cure for navel lint?"
Rolling her eyes, Sabrina stuck a few bottles in her backpack. "I'll save these for later."
Now that the evil spirits that had infested the room were gone, Sabrina found herself relaxing. Mmm, and this Kitchen smells wonderful! It faintly smelled of spices, coffee and tealeaves. In the corner, next to a pile of old sacks stood a ghost with a list and pile of other documents, checking the household accounts. He had briefly greeted Leota, nodded to Sabrina and Salem, and continued with his work. "Very busy, don't have time right now," he'd mumbled.
Sabrina sat down, cross-legged, in front of the fire. Leota rolled to sit on her right side, and Salem settled down on her lap.
"Just great," he mumbled, "nothing to eat, and nothing to drink but that Tonic. We'll die of starvation, if not from the monsters."
Sabrina chuckled, stroking his fur. "I don't know about that…" Exaggeratedly looking in all directions, she pulled out a bottle of wine she'd somehow snagged from a table.
Salem chuckled with delight as she pulled the cork out and took a sip. Once Salem had had a sip or two (Sabrina not being convinced that wine was entirely good for cats), she sat, drinking. Salem curled up in her lap, purring, as the fire danced merrily.
"This mood calls for music," she declared.
"And maybe some rum," Salem purred nostalgically.
The comment struck an idea in Sabrina's slightly buzzed brain. She began singing, softly, but getting louder. "We're rascals, scoundrels, villains and knaves, drink up, me hic hearties, yo ho." Salem sat up in delight and joined her in signing.
"We're…devils, and black sheep, and…and…really bad eggs, drink up, me hearties, yo ho." Sabrina brandished the bottle. "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!"
Leota sighed and rolled her eyes. Enjoy yourself while you can, Sabrina, but there're still more challenges ahead…deadly ones…
I'm sorry, I couldn't resist a POTC reference. Shame on me. (Or not!) Haha, and don't worry, she won't stay too drunk for long. After all, there's work to be done!
Zeke Holloway is the protagonist of the Haunted Mansion video game; sorry, Zeke, but if you'd defeated Thorne back in the 1800s, there would be no case! As an interesting side note, Zeke bears an uncanny resemblance to the Caretaker figure in the ride. I've always wondered if the resemblance was done on purpose as an homage.
Next chapter: As Sabrina struggles to regain her motor skills, the gang must navigate the Hallway of Doom, and figure out how to escape a room with no boundaries.