Chapter 15:
2nd night: Part one
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2nd night!!!! This should be fun! Thanks for reviewing; I'm going to start the chapter now!!! This is somewhat like a teaser for the second night, I guess. Just to keep you guys happy. Nothing too special.
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Lina shot up from the horrid nightmare. The sound of her heart reached her ears, as well as bare feet on wooden floor. She turned from her position to see who was there, but all there was were the empty eyes of the dolls. Dolls… Lina glanced down, and fell back in horror.
On her wrists there were marks, as though she had been bound tightly. She brought her wrists up to look at them. Slowly, the marks began to disappear. Lina looked up slowly, her heart beating so fast she feared it might jump out of her chest, and gasped in surprise.
In front of her, a small boy with short hair in a traditional Japanese outfit stood. In his hands, he held what seemed to be a mirror piece.
"That mirror…!" Lina gasped, reaching out towards him. "Give it back!" The boy slowly disappeared, still staring at her with cold, lifeless eyes. Lina shivered slightly and stood up. Her camera and flashlight were beside her, and she realized the only reason she could see was the fact that it was on. She gently knelt down and picked them both up.
Sighing, Lina began to look around. She was in the room with all the dolls again. Awful memories came to her as she thought about it. She glanced behind her, to where the door was. Everything seemed in pristine condition. But that wasn't possible. She had knocked down one of the shelves before. Lina backed up slightly, and tripped over something.
Groaning, Lina looked at what had blocked her path. Her backpack! Lina grabbed one strap and swung it over her shoulder. It had everything she needed, including a small snack in case she got hungry. Then, her flashlight began to flicker, and then went out completely.
"Oh god," Lina muttered under her breath as she pulled off her bag and started to go through its contents. "It's a good thing I brought extra batteries,"
She quickly unscrewed the lid of her flashlight, put the batteries in, and then clicked it on. The light was bright, after her eyes had adjusted to the dark. Lina moved it around a bit, looking around. She let out a startled cry and took a step back when her beam shimmered on the form of a little girl.
"Y-you!" Lina exclaimed, taking a calming breath and relaxing slightly, seeing that it was only the helpful spirit of… Amelia, she thought. But that wasn't possible, Amelia was the woman who had attacked her earlier; how could there be two Amelia? She shook her head and concentrated on the figure before her. "How did I get here? Did… did you take me here?"
The girl gave her a small nod and then pointed at her camera. Gently, she pointed to the far wall, just next to the large doll roped off. She tuned back to Lina took a step past her. Lina turned slightly and watched the girl walk over to a small cushion in the middle of the floor. Then, she slowly faded out.
Lina shined her flashlight on the spot where the girl had stood. A piece of paper caught her eye. As she removed the cushion out of her path, she realized it was two papers. One was folded up neatly, and the other looked like it had been torn from something. And there was what looked like a small packet of film. Lina took the film and placed it in her bag, and then lifted up the scrap to look at it. It was written in Zelgadis' handwriting!
I must have passed out… I'm afraid it's much too late to help Mr. Gabrief, or anyone else in this mansion! If only I hadn't hesitated to come, I may have been able to save them… it's too late now, though… I'm worried… I know Lina came here looking for me… I've seen her here. Or maybe I'm just seeing things. The mind has been known to play tricks on someone when their desires are strong. I suppose it's just my subconscious, trying to appease the wanting to see my sister. I hope she isn't too worried…
Lina felt tears well up in her eyes, her heart wrenched as she thought of her big brother, alone in such a large and frightening place, writing this as though he would never come back alive. It was only when she tasted the salt on her tongue that she realized she was crying.
"Oh Zel…" She mumbled through her hands as she held them to her face, hiding her crumpled expression that gave away her tears. She quickly brushed away the streaks on her cheeks and put the paper away in her bag. Gently, she lifted up and unfolded the second piece of paper, and gasped in great surprise. "A map!"
It was a map of the mansion. More than likely it was used in the building of the large house. She carefully laid it out on the floor and looked it over, trying to find her position. There were words written on the paper next to each room. The names of the rooms, Lina guessed.
"Okay, here's the Entrance." Lina pointed to the place where she started her voyage through the mansion. "That means… the large porch out there must be the C-Cherry Atrium…" Lina squinted to read the tiny writing. "So I am in the… Doll Room. How fitting…" She mumbled, glancing around.
Slowly, she stood up and put the map away. It might come in handy later. Then, she thought of the other message of the girl. She had pointed to the wall… like the way she had when Lina needed to find what she figured was called the Lamp Hallway.
"She wants me to take another photo…" Lina said, walking over. She gently placed her ear to the wall and knocked. It sounded hollow… Lina took a step back and slowly raised her camera.