The doors made uncomfortable creaking noises as I stepped inside the mansion with my phone in hand enlightening and recording the scene up ahead. The place mostly has been relieved of most of its furniture and whatever left was broken unfit for use. The curtains were torn and the ceiling lamp was missing. I began an explorative tour until –

BANG! I instantly turned around to record the scene of the doors slamming violently as if trying to give me the first scare of the night. Luckily, I wasn't as spooked as I thought I would have. You expect something like this when you leave the doors open behind you on such a windy night.

Or at least I hoped that it was the wind…

I shook my head at my understandably wild imagination and proceeded with the investigation taking in the new environment.

The abandoned state of the building just added more to the creepy factor. Not only was there no source of electricity but the reception hall looked like a war zone. There was a single chair covered in a white-turned-yellow blanket that was stained with suspicious faded red spots. The floor was covered with debris and brick remains giving a noisy tune to my steps. I almost jumped at the sight of the knight suit standing in the corner next to the staircase. I took more careful steps with the dusty floor boards creaking and broken glass shards getting crushed beneath my shoes. I made sure to get every corner within the screen of my phone camera to get a better understanding of the general layout. This isn't so bad after all. Who knows? Maybe I will get back here again so might as well get familiar with the place.

I was sweeping the area with the light circle until it stopped at a door at the far side of the hall. Alright, that could be a start. I wanna make sure the reception is clear first before I move on to the next areas. I walked through the debris on the floor and began to stir the doorknob but it didn't budge. Huh. Locked.

My first thought was to kick the door open but I didn't have enough mental preparation for such a big step when I barely just got here. Literally everything inside me told me not to open that door. Who knows what could be waiting for me inside? I stepped away from the door feeling utter dread from what could be behind it. Maybe I'll come back later.

I exited the reception and made my way to the next room which appeared to be the dining room and I was instantly reminded of the one back at home. Heh. Not two minutes have passed since I got here and I'm already feeling homesick.

Naturally, the dining table had nothing on it except for an old-fashioned triple candle holder with only one small molten candle on its side holder. The chandelier's diamonds were dusty and seemed to have lost their luster a long time ago. On the opposite side of the dining hall, there was an empty dark fire place that looked like the mouth of someone yawning. I headed over to it and directed my device's flashlight to see what might be in there. Ugh, it smelled mega shitty inside. I took a closer look and, like I expected, there was a dead rat inside. Surely something had to be dead in there if it smelled that bad. What I did not expect however was to find a Goddamn burnt dog's body among the ashes. I silently gasped at the horrid remains I just discovered and proceeded to get closer with the phone to record it up close and personal. The thing wasn't even in one piece, the limps were severed and stacked together alongside the head and torso and even the tail. Conveniently though, there was an iron poker right next to it leaning against the wall. So with the phone held in one hand, I used the other to hold the sharp item and used it to toy with the appendages in the fireplace. The poker was sticky and dusty and made me wish I would have brought a sanitizer with me. I held the phone and kept its lens and flashlight aimed at where I was moving the long rode until I touched the dog's head, poking it with the iron rod here and there to get a better view from every angle.

I've read about the people who died here in the mansion from the Wiki but I didn't delve into much info regarding the animal victims. I only skimmed through this one text about the kid who was playing with his dog in the front yard and when it wondered inside the house, it was never seen again much to the owners' dismay. But I couldn't continue reading anymore because of my soft spot for animals. I just can't bear the thought of losing your own pet or Familiar forever.

There has to be a 100% chance that this scorched body must have belonged to one of the victims who had entered the house. But how did it end up here? Probably by a killer who murdered whoever previous residents that used to live here. Because a mangled corpse that ends up in a fireplace can't just be a coincidence. I especially focused on the head, it was black and somewhat fragile due to the heat it was exposed to. But it mostly managed to survive the flames. When I inspected it more carefully, I noticed the burnt fur still attached to its surface. It looked so mummified and the eye sockets are now nothing but gaps in the midst of the lifeless face.

Hold up, are there anymore remains?

I used the poker to rifle through the soot-covered remains. Almost chocking with emotion when I saw a shriveled paw under the bright phone's flashlight. Wonder what kind of a dog breed was it? What about its gender and behavior? How did it live before it met its end like that? Must have been a nice dog…

I gave up a few seconds later. Besides the rat, the rest was pretty much revealed. And the camera caught it all.

What kind of a sick fuck that would kill an animal then throw its pieces in the fireplace?

If I had to come up with a theory, the killer murdered the canine victim then tossed the remains in the fire place. But it isn't big enough to fit the dog because judging from the size of the head that it must have been a large breed. So the killer probably chopped the poor thing to pieces and tossed it in the flames seemingly to hide the evidence. Then again, there's still the possibility of something else that has caused this. Who or whatever it was though, they don't sound so friendly – or sane for that matter.

Not feeling like playing detective Conan, I was about to slowly get up from my crouched position in front of the fireplace only to end up jumping into a standing position when I heard a loud banging noise.

That's when the fear started to kick in. The banging noise continued steadily from somewhere in the upper level most likely. Now this time, it can't be the wind. The windows were all sealed shut and I'm not feeling any current from where I was standing. Perhaps there was an open window up there?

Bang… bang… bang…

No. even if it was the wind, it's not strong enough to cause all that banging. Something else must be causing it. Now I have to make my choice: should I investigate?

I headed back to the reception hallway and stood at the bottom of the staircase trying to make my choice. And sure enough, the banging noise was from upstairs and it got louder as I got closer. I stood there with my camera for a while recording the darkness of the upper floor contemplating on whether or not I should go upstairs to see what's causing that noise.

Bang… bang… bang…

This is not the wind. Definitely not the wind.

Bang… bang… bang…

If it's not the wind then what is it?

Bang… bang… bang…

All my instincts told me not to go or else I'll regret the hell out of it. Even if I didn't get physically hurt, there's still the possibility I'm setting myself up for a horrible trauma. Because judging from how repetitive and severe the noise was that whatever entity up there must be violent.

That's when I made my decision: I'll just stick with exploring the lower floor and ignore the noise. Last thing I need is waste my phone battery because of my indecisiveness. So I left my current spot and headed to the other side of the reception opposite from the dining hall and into the corridor leading to the kitchen.

Bang… bang… bang…

Wow. That thing won't shut up, will it? At least that's all the proof I need that what's making that racket is more than just the airstream.

I took a few steps into the kitchen and that's when the banging noise finally ceased making me question if this was a coincidence, seeing as it literally stopped just as I went the opposite direction. As if the ghost upstairs was warning me from approaching. But these thoughts were quickly brushed off in my distraction to explore the kitchen and it was hella gross to be honest.

The table in the center had a pot on top of it and when I left the lid, I was greeted by whatever food remains that went rotten beyond recognition. I huffed in disgust at the smell and I couldn't even cover my nose as both hands were busy with the phone and pot lid.

So I placed the lid aside and removed the mask from my pocket and quickly put it on because I was sure there will be more odors like these from now on. And just like the case with the fireplace and iron poker, I found a wooden spoon next to the container. Instinctively, I picked it up and began to stir the inedible crap in there. I half expected to find more animal remains but, for the life of me, I couldn't distinguish what the hell was in there and it was disgusting to look at yet I was masochistic enough to have it all recorded anyway. Without bothering to put the lid back on, I left the spoon in the pot and moved over to record the sink. It was lined with nothing but filth and, what the hell, is that a dead pigeon blocking the sinkhole? There were feathers and blood around the small carcass so I picked up a fork and recorded my own hand sinking the utensil in the flesh to yank it from the hole. I watched the blood and organs drop freely from the part where the entire upper half used to be. It's as if someone grabbed the bird, shoved its body down the sinkhole then turned on the garbage disposal to tear the poor thing apart.

This was starting to get out of control.

The rat was somewhat tolerable seeing as it's common for these little pests to constantly get themselves killed in random places. But why a dog and a pigeon?

Then a thought hit me: the blood was still somewhat fresh albeit a bit clotted. What does that mean? How long has this been here before I arrived? I decided to be bold and pulled the mask down my nose for a quick sniff. Mmmm. judging from the smell, it must have died recently. Probably a couple hours or so. There's still a faint sign of rotting though but the unsanitary environment and lack of ventilation probably accelerated the decomposition anyway. But all that doesn't matter under the light of the fact that this pigeon was killed soon before I showed up. Which is an alarming sign, don't you agree?

One thing is for sure: something is seriously wrong with this mansion. And it's not just about paranormal activities but there are fucking dead animals in here. Do I even want to find out?

Shaking my head in confusion and disgust, I placed the pigeon on the table with the fork still in it and headed over to the fridge. Now what surprise am I going to find in there?

I gripped the handle and tried to open it but the door was stuck in place by the grim that I had to use some force to finally yank it open and see what's insi – oh my God…

This is too much. Way too much.

"Phew… ugh." I coughed at the horrific stench from inside the fridge. The mask doing little to conceal the stink. I expected something horrid but not to such an extreme level. This is no laughing matter anymore. This is more serious than I thought.

Everything was more or less tolerable until you find motherfucking human heads inside a fridge. And what's worse that there was one that looked unnervingly fresh. The head's expression was blank, eyes closed with the lips slightly drifted apart. The other one wasn't any better. In contrast to the first head, this one was awfully decayed and half covered in skin. the eyes, jaw and some teeth were missing, and a few hairs were still sticking out randomly from the rotting scalp. On the middle shelf were a couple feet and arms stacked together. Not to mention there was a whole torso taking over the bottom shelf. And they all seemed as fresh as the first head on the upper shelf. Making me wonder if they all belonged to the same body. My frozen state allowed me to get an eyeful of the not-so-flattering view before I moved and slammed the fridge door shut to keep all that disgusting shit hidden from sight again.

I stood there contemplating the reality of the situation as I tried to suppress my gags with my back pressed hard against the fridge door that hid the horrible contents behind it. That's when I remembered the mysterious texts I've seen from Wiki. Could these be the remains of the victims that died here? If so, then why haven't the police or any of the previous investigators found them? Then I remembered that the newest article I read dated to a few years back. Since then, not a single foot was set in the house again (Well, besides the ones in the fridge but you know what I mean) Perhaps these are what is left of the more recent casualties and I'm the first poor chump to uncover them. Is this the fate I'm going to face if I stayed here any longer?

Before I felt ready to move, I spotted something moving in my line of sight and I raised my head to spot the microwave door opening by itself. I pushed my back off the fridge to slowly approach the microwave expecting another head inside but all I found was nothing but garbage, sticks and mud stuffed in there. Without a chance for further examination, the door swung by itself causing me to gasp and jump back.

Wow… this is the first paranormal encounter so far. And judging from the state of this place that I will be facing more of those again soon. I phew'ed and ran my head through my hair. It's one weird thing after another. Might as well carry on with the exploration and find out what else could happen.

The kitchen had another entryway facing a toilet with a long corridor separating the two entrances. The toilet door was wide open and I began sweeping the inside warily with the flashlight. I've heard that the jinn prefer the least sanitary places and the toilet is at the top of their list.

I carefully walked in ready to warp outside at any given moment. The sink was empty but it reeked of shit thanks to the muck covering it. The toilet seat looked like it has seen better days. The lid was off and when I took a look inside, there was vomit and blood down there, dried to blackness. When I aimed my attention to the bathtub, oh goody, the curtains were pulled.

Now as I slowly moved towards the tub, a machinegun of thoughts was being shot through my head:

Another corpse? Nah. Too obvious.

Human heads? Nope. Already seen those.

A pile of guts swimming in their blood?

Maybe dead animals among some garbage?

Or a bunch of arms and legs stacked together in a pile big enough to form manure?

Maybe something as brutal as a full human hanging from the ceiling from a hook through their leg, skin peeled away like a culled animal! Or could be something as simple and classic as a whole skeleton.

Only one way to find out.

But considering that my nerves were feeling rather lively, I had to uncover what could be inside the bathtub in a way that would give me as little a heart attack as possible. In other words: subtly.

So I moved the curtains aside very slightly but just enough for my hand to poke through with the phone so I could have a peek from the screen instead of ramming in directly. After I made sure the coast was clear, I was encouraged enough to remove the curtain aside without hesitation.

The bathtub was half filled with reddish brown water and gross unknown objects could be seen floating around beneath the water surface and when I approached with the camera, they were hard to identify even under the flashlight from beneath the mucky liquid getting in the way. I looked around to see if there was anything I could use to unclog the tub. That's when I noticed there was a cabinet above the sink. I slowly reached out with a shaky hand to open it half expecting to find a whole tooth set inside a glass of water. Well, close enough. I opened the door to uncover an entire lower jaw. The second I saw it and my mind instantly went to the head in the fridge. If I'm not mistaken, that must have been where the jaw belonged to. It even looked just as badly decayed as the head so they seemed somewhat matching.

The mandible was moldy and sitting in tiny sheets of cobwebs and a blackened dusty smudge of blood that has been dripping to the lower shelves, now dried up after nothing else was left. The gum was rotten and what was left of the teeth lining it up were yellow and crooked. The missing ones were replaced by gaping holes. Glad I had my mask on. The condition of teeth like these already smells bad on a living person. Let alone if it was coming from deceased flesh. But I'm forgetting the priority here: who or what the hell did this? Unless you have a depraved sense of humor, you don't just kill someone and put their jaw inside a toilet cabinet like a set of dentures!

The inside of the cabinet had thick dirt and cobwebs covering every inch that it became hard to believe it used to be white at some point. Right next to the jaw was a tooth brush that could easily kill you just from using it once from how filthy it was, but it wasn't what I needed. it's way too short for me to reach to the drain without getting elbow deep in liquid shit. Yet my hand appeared in the recording reaching out to the brush next to the jaw and used it to push the body piece off the shelf. It was kinda stuck in place due to the blood it has been sitting in for a long time but it was quick to budge and fall right into the sink taking a few cobwebs with it then started moving it around with the brush for further inspection. I think I'm beginning to develop this new weird habit of poking dead remains and rotten food leftover using various items I find within reach. I blame the curiosity and childhood instincts. Everybody has them, no? like when you swat a house gecko with your sandal then pick it up with the handkerchief to see what it looks like upclose.

Once I'm done fooling around with a germ-infested tooth brush on an even more germ-infested jaw, I tossed it somewhere random and tried to look for something else that I can use to dislodge the drain plug. And there it is, in the corner was a toilet brush tall enough to do the job. Or at least, I think it used to be a brush at some point. The brush hairs were almost gone like someone's balding head and the rest were worn away as if it had a long history with piss. Well, considering the nature of this place, I can't expect to find anything in perfect pristine condition.

I carried the brush (or what looks like a brush) to the tub and began nudging the clog roughly to dislodge it from the drain. After a few tries, the thing budged allowing the water to drain making gurgling noise that felt too loud in such a quiet place, allowing me to get a clear view of everything down there.

Ding! Ding! Ding! One of my guesses was correct!

The entire bottom of the bathtub was filled with guts and entrails. Random pieces of flesh could be seen among what seemed to be small intestines coiled together in their own blood like a plate of pasta. I spotted the liver and the heart and what looks like a lung next to it. And some other random organs that could barely be recognized in this bloody heap. Of course, with the brush in hand (at least I think it's a brush) I did what any other reasonable human being would do and started moving this junk around with it making soft squishy noises. I totally felt like an evil witch stirring a cauldron. Childhood instincts, remember? The strong light from my phone made the grotesque view seem more detailed than what I'm comfortable with. Then my eyes moved to what has been plugging the drain hole all along.

A half decayed human hand. It was deathly pale in color in contrast to the slightly pink flesh hanging from its stump in shredded bits. I held my breath so I wouldn't inhale the stench of rotting guts at such a close distance then leaned over the tub to get a closer look at the severed appendage with my camera and, just like how I did with everything else, poked it with the toilet brush. The hand fell on its side causing the somewhat stiff fingers to move a bit. If any poltergeist wanted to be funny and shove me right into a bathtub full of someone's insides, now would be a perfect opportunity.

Considering what I have seen earlier, this barely did anything to faze me. More like bewilder me into questioning what happened to the owner of these innards and how the hell they ended up in a bathtub and whether they all belonged to the same owner or an entire collection of victims were involved. The more I discover, the more I become more than convinced that all this fucked up shit so far is no coincidence. There's definitely a factor behind everything I have seen and doesn't require much brain power to deduce that.

Well at least that explains the stink I have been smelling from three rooms away. The mask barely doing anything to keep the stench off my nostrils but I needed a barrier somehow.

I made to exit the toilet but not before seeing if I could wash my hand. This place might be ancient with the power out, but that doesn't deny the possibility that it could have running water, right?

Right?

Well, yes and no.

I discarded the brush (this is a brush, right?) then turned the sink's knob to see if something would come out. At first it made some burping noises that reminded me of Gallius's when he takes a swig from his soda. What I saw coming down from the faucet, however, made me think back on cleaning up. Because I don't think this brown water will do a good job with my hand, nor will these weird black pieces of gunk mixing with the immensely contaminated liquid. I jumped when the brown water starting coming out from the faucet in quick bursts. I turned off the faucet before it made more mess than what was already in there. And just as I turned my back to leave, I heard squeaking noises and when I turned around, I froze at the sight of the knob turning by itself and it became seriously shocking when a crimson red liquid starting to get spat out as well.

Don't fucking tell me the faucet began coughing up blood…

More gurgling noises came from the faucet as it was dripping more and more blood. I couldn't believe this. Where all this blood was coming from? Could there be a dead body stuck in the sewage or something?

More blood came streaming from the faucet to stain the entire sink in red and black. But it got interrupted when a dark thick piece of clotted blood pushed its way through the faucet followed by more blood to splash on the sink that I had to back away for a little so I wouldn't get this crap on me. I waited for a few seconds for more outbursts from the faucet to see what else would come out but all that remained was a few red drops falling on the smudged sink beneath before it stopped completely.

Not even the words 'weird' or 'strange' were enough to describe what I just witnessed.

Was there really something wrong with the sewage system or could this be the doing of an entirely bigger factor? Then again, maybe I shouldn't search for logic behind all this chaos in a haunted house. I mean the term alone speaks for itself. So it's only natural for things to get this fu-

"Ah!" I yelped in an unnecessarily high-pitched voice when I felt something pull my shirt and when I turned around, I found – you guessed it: no one there. But it doesn't make it any less of a sign that this toilet might be… occupied, if you know what I'm saying.

I have decided that this was enough of the bathroom exploration. So I exited to the corridor which I have slowly walked down. My breaths were shaky and loud beneath my mask from the previous scares. I don't think I could handle any more shocks. One more and my ass is outta here. I'm actually surprised I'm even continuing this.

I recorded my way down the hall past a broken mirror that I didn't have the heart to look at. I've seen ghost adventurers record themselves in front of the mirror then the creepy motherfucker sneaks right behind them in the reflection. If you ask me, this is a scenario I'm absolutely not ready for. I made my way down the narrow dusty corridor until I stopped at what seemed to be the backdoor. I looked through my phone screen past the foggy small window on the door to check the darkness outside and… what's that?

Is that…?

And I almost jumped right through the roof when my phone started screaming a Breaking Benjamin ringtone and I saw Gallius's nickname on the screen. Goddammit, Gallius. What now?

Before I replied, I quickly peeked through the door's window but saw nothing out there. So I took a deep breath to calm myself so he wouldn't recognize my shaky tone, then removed the mask to avoid further questions. I swiped at the screen that had the name 'Assguard' on it and put the device to my ear.

"Hello?" my voice seemed weird in such a quiet place especially since this is the first time I talked since I got in.

"Hey, punk. Where are you?" I heard my bodyguard's voice on the other side.

"G, you know about my night strolls. Don't worry about me." I said twisting the truth as elegantly as possible while managing to keep a casual tone.

"Just checking when you'll be back." I was about to reply when I heard strange noises coming from the kitchen at the end of the hall. And you wouldn't believe how wide my eyes bulged when I spotted something get thrown from the bathroom. It took a bit of my will power not to rush over there. Not while Gall was still on the line. Hopefully he didn't hear anything.

"I- I'll be back soon. I'll be home before you know it." This time, I meant it. I'm about to have enough from this hellhole. Just a few more explorations then off I go.

"I'll count on that. See you later, man."

"Later." The second I hung up and I ran down the corridor and stood at the entrance of the toilet. I didn't know where I got this burst of courage from. I just acted on pure instinct.

I wasn't sure what I expected to find but the toilet was vacant and the object that was thrown outside was the very tooth brush I had left in the toilet, now laying on the kitchen entrance, and that's where I stood next.

I didn't notice anything at first until I had to take a second look and realized something really must have happened while I was gone for the past few minutes. First off, the pot I have left on the table had fallen to the floor spilling its unappetizing dreck on the floor. A knife that was once on the table somehow got thrown to fall into the sink. But I left the most important detail to the last:

The pigeon was gone…

And in its previous spot were the bloody fork and a red smear as if it was dragged from its place. But no other traces were left of it.

Again, it took all of me not to hightail it the fuck outta here. The mysterious removal of items in the few instances I had my back turned are brick solid evidence that I'm not alone. Something must be in here with me and it's definitely the one that took the pigeon. I carefully poked my head out in the other corridor but didn't see anything moving. I strained my ears for any sort of noise that could warn me of whatever was out there but it was deathly silent. Dammit, I wish I would have left a camera in the kitchen to record what has been happening when I wasn't there. But unlike those professional investigators I see on the internet, I don't bother with a thousand cameras on me.

But here comes the question: was it a ghost or a person?

I could have easily chosen the latter except that I hadn't heard any footsteps or any sort of movement that would indicate someone was in the vicinity. All I heard was the sound of the pot falling and what sounded like the knife getting tossed. Not to mention the brush that got thrown out of the seemingly empty toilet. Making me opt for the more worrisome option.

I turned my phone on and saw that the battery was still at 85%. The call from Galli interrupted the video recorder so I turned it back on and got all this new weird mess onscreen. I guess it's safe to say that I have gotten the entire bottom floor covered. This little fact caused me to shake with dread at the thought of carrying on to the upper floor.

I was still a bit hesitant about moving to the source of the bangs I heard earlier. But I couldn't quit the investigation midway at the thought of leaving the mansion half explored. But after what I have seen, my nerves were somewhat in shambles. So I thought of a compromise: I'll just keep exploring the lower floor one more time in case I missed something. If all went well, I should have enough courage to advance to the upper level. I'm… not procrastinating or anything! So I passed through the kitchen doorway and went back to the reception aaand are you freaking shitting me?

The blanket that was covering the chair has been half removed revealing burn marks on the piece of furniture it used to cover. Now that I mention it, there were a few burn marks scattered here and there that I haven't noticed before. I've heard about the fire jinn and their pyromaniac tendencies making them the most sinister and violent type of jinn. I've seen them in videos where fire pops up out of nowhere spooking the hell out of the adventurers. I just hope this wouldn't be the case for me.

But that became the least of my worries when I noticed those weird hairs scattered about. Hold up, were these here when I first got in? I began breaking out in cold sweet when I spotted more and more of these black long strands wherever I look. And I was pretty sure the iron suit had its head on earlier, now it's missing. I guess I will have to check the footage to compare the scenes. I ran my hand through my hair with a huff then rubbed my eyes trying to keep it together. This is a haunted mansion after all. This weird shit is what I came here for. What the hell else did I expect?

I was just about to make my next move when I saw the locked door at the far wall which is… not locked anymore. Hold up, what? When did it open? And how? And like the fucking moron I was, I rushed over to the unlocked room to check it out. I didn't stop to think this could be a trap. I didn't stop to think to see if there's a catch. I didn't stop to think at all. Because the second I saw the finally open door and I took that as my chance to see what's behind it.

And I wish I didn't…

"I wonder what Noct is doing." Inquired Gallius as he, Ignis, Prompto and Yozora all piled up on the living room couch watching Pacific Rim from the TV connected to the USB Drive that had the movie in it.

"Did he not say he's going out on one of his night strolls? Just let him be." Shrugged Ignis as he scooped some popcorn into his mouth.

"He had to go and do it on a movie night though…" Sighed Yozora as he leaned with his head on the advisor's shoulder.

"Between you and me, it would be a bit tedious if you were to be forced to watch a movie you have already seen before. So next time, we shall pick one that none of us has seen so we can all gather for the movie night. It's just like he said." Reasoned the group's chef as he reached for more popcorn. His hair was down making him look his damn age.

"I kinda miss that jackass…" confessed the bodyguard.

"I guess that makes it all of us." chuckled Ignis.

"Did we weally had do wath zis wate?" yawned Prompto wearing his Chocobo pajamas as he rested his head on Gall's shoulder.

"Hey. If you're feeling sleepy, the bedroom is right over there." Pointed the giant ape man behind them as he grabbed some popcorn from atop Ignis's lap.

"Nah. I'll finish the movie." Replied the gunslinger lazily, eyes half closing as they strained to focus on the movie. It was quiet among the four of them for a while until the silence was interrupted by Gallius's cheering.

"Hell yeah! Go Gipsy! Punch that alien bitch in the face!"

"I prefer Striker though." Mumbled Ignis.

"Hey. Don't diss Gipsy!" defended G the Jaeger humorously.

"Is no one going to talk about Crimson Typhoon?" remarked Prompto.

"Screw you all. Obsidian is the best!" chimed in Yozora with a chuckle.

"You're saying this because you both wield similar swords!" exclaimed the bodyguard.

"Mind it or I'll toss some popcorn at you!" threatened the dual-weapon wielder playfully.

"Go ahead! I'll just eat them!" retorted the Shield almost leaning across Ignis.

"Mind moving your head? I'm trying to watch here." Said Ignis in feigned annoyance as he shoved the bodyguard's head out of his view. "I wonder what Noct's favorite Jaeger would be." Wondered Ignis after a few minutes of silence where you could hear nothing but the TV noise and crunching sounds here and there.

"Knowing him, he will probably choose Striker." Guessed Yozora.

"Mmm. That sounds like a good taste." Nodded Ignis with a smirk.

"Just where is he?" wondered Gallius rhetorically.

"You just called him a few minutes ago. Furthermore, he's a big lad. He can take care of himself." Shrugged Ignis.

"Yeah. I mean, where could he possibly be anyway? A ghost house?" laughed Prompto at his own joke earning double eye rolls from his companions. The movie was nearing its end until the photographer came to a smart conclusion: "That thing is a female?"

My heart was beating at a maddening speed and a drop of sweet made its way beneath my mask. I was hyperventilating after the panicked escape I made just a few seconds ago.

What was that thing?

I didn't see it at first but it was peeking at me from behind a flipped table. It had a humanoid shaped head covered in long black hair and small glowing eyes among pale distorted features. And the flashlight aimed at it didn't make the undesired details look any prettier.

I'm SO going to have nightmares. All because I was curious like a total moron. The videos I've seen should have been enough of a warning for me but nooo~! I had to go on with this pointless escapade. But none of the videos I've seen could have prepared me for this. Not in the slightest. I've seen lots of weird creature videos before but none of them were as hideous as that one. Because they seemed somewhat normal to me or because the recording quality was bad. Well, at least I know who the owner of those hairs was.

It was staring at me… it was staring at me with a silent blank expression. It must have been a Jinn that just had to choose to manifest into that form and it was the one who had left the door open as if it was wordlessly inviting me for a peek only to get a good laugh at my reaction.

When the hell has it shown up? Was it roaming the reception hall while I was gone exploring the kitchen and bathroom? What would have happened if I had returned earlier and ran into that thing?! hold that thought; Is it chasing me?

I really didn't wanna check. But either that or I will stay here clueless to whether or not that thing was after me. So I came up with a compromise; I stayed hidden behind the entrance and carefully reached with my phone outside and let it record the reception so I could get a view of it through the screen. Just like how I did with the massacre of a bathtub earlier. My breaths were shaky as I was adjusting the phone angle not getting my eyes off of the screen. I aimed my device camera first at the open door I ran away from, waiting for that thing to walk through to start looking for me while I stayed hidden behind the entrance in case it did. I waited and waited. And my hand jolted when I heard noise coming from inside the room. The sound of paper bags crumbling and hard objects getting dragged on the floor. In the few seconds I was standing in the doorstep, I found a shit ton of garbage in there and that creep probably was fooling around with its own mess. I was totally imagining that weird creature to be in that corner or by the chair or next to the staircase. But it remained inside its room and soon the noise ceased. I waited for a few more seconds waiting for something to happen but it remained quiet. So I retreated back again.

In my panicked state, it took me a while to recognize the room I'm in. I have accidentally made it back to the dining hall so I directed my attention around and I held back a whimper when I saw the candle holder fallen on its side and the iron poker that I have left next to the fireplace, now stabbed with its sharp pointy tip into the dining table like it was some kind of a warning. Like I'm next…

Before I had time to panic, I almost went dizzy with fear when I heard rabid footsteps dashing MY way! Loud, clear and unmistakable footsteps! And they weren't coming from the upper floor this time, they were coming right at me!

I decided that this is it. I'm leaving this insane place. I didn't even bother checking the damn upper floor. Enough is enough. Thanks to my warping abilities, I was outside this shithole in no time. It took me a while to calm down and swallowed hard seeing as all that rapid breathing in and out have dried up my throat. When I managed to put myself together, I turned my phone video recorder off. I'm definitely going to relive these horrible moments again when I review the footage. Even so, there's simply no way I'm going to delete this. I didn't go through with all that just to have it wiped out in a second. So might as well make it worthwhile. I stood next to the entrance of the mansion and began to summon my Familiar. As she was emerging in a burst of light, I had this odd feeling. I felt this weird sensation on my back. Like some kind of an itch that is bitching at me to scratch it.

I was about to contemplate it but I was quick to be distracted by Freya when she suddenly raised her enormous head and began to look around frantically like something was bothering her. I started to stroke her soft neck feathers when she began to screech loudly as if she was upset by something. I wasn't much confused by her behavior seeing as animals like her can sense the presence of paranormal activity and other forms of danger. She knew this place was not normal. But how come she didn't do that when we first got here? Maybe because the paranormal powers weren't as severe back then as they became when I was done exploring? Could it be that my presence has activated them somehow? That's the only explanation I could come up with.

I didn't have time to think up more anyway because Freya grabbed me by her beak and tossed me on her back. I adjusted my seat in a grunt as she quickly turned around and flew off to where we came from. By then, the sensation on my back was gone and I completely forgot about it. On the way back, I kept imagining my friends' reactions if they knew what I was doing.

What the hell were you thinking?

You're not a little kid! You should have known better!

Something must have gotten into your head, Noctis!

A haunted mansion? Really?

Why did you go there? Are you crazy?

What if you got possessed?

You shouldn't have watched those horror videos!

You can't be trusted to be alone again!

These things haven't even been said to me and I'm already feeling hurt. Especially by the last one. What have I done? Did I bite off more than I could chew? I'm not exactly sure whether I regret this experience or not but I knew I probably will if I got caught. What did I gain from all that honestly? Just a secret to keep hidden from the others. And possibly a trauma.

Putting all that aside, what was that creature I saw? And just what the hell were those footsteps? What could have happened to me if I stayed? Would I have gone face-to-face with whatever entity that caused this mess? Even if they were human, what kind of a sane person that would call this place home and could vanish without a sound? And how come I didn't see them when the footsteps were loud enough to be considered within arm's reach? I could almost hear them still echoing in my head. Good Lord, that was a close call! Was it really nothing or did I just dodge a bullet?

I was laying on Freya's back and had my arms buried in her feathers then my head suddenly snapped up when I remembered a super important detail. I was sure I had it recorded so I'm gonna take a look at it the second I return to my room to make sure my imagination wasn't trolling me. At the meantime, I'll just allow myself to relax on Freya's neck until then.

I was sitting cross legged on my bed checking the footage from my phone until I've reached the part I have been suspecting. I couldn't believe the first video alone was 35 minutes long. I just didn't expect myself to last considering the bullshit I just witnessed that I was almost sure Gally and Iggy would be able to tell something was wrong with me. No one can read me better than those two do. Luckily, the time spent on my Familiar's back did wonders to calm my nerves like nothing has happened. That's why I was able to greet my bodyguard normally when he opened the door after we waved at each other through the window. According to him, everyone was asleep while he stayed to look through some e-mails on the main computer in the living room.

"Chris Redfield wouldn't stop bitching to me about the new monster Piers Nivans has been trying to tame." Explained my bodyguard as he went back to sit at the PC with me following behind.

"So Piers owns a Zinogre now? Good for him!" I stated happily looking over my friend's massive shoulder. Apparently, the Thunder Wolf Wyvern is behaving more like a Golden Retriever and his newfound owner is training him to shape him up.

"Aranea called me a while ago. First her, now Chris. Wow, am I starting to feel popular." he sneered with an eyeroll.

"What about Nea?" Raising an eyebrow, I inquired about the military commodore. I hadn't expected her to be a part of it as well.

"Apparently her ass got involved in this dog business. She too isn't safe from Chris's yapping about the fact that his pup has found another pup of his own." Explained my Shield as he began scrolling through our allies' Facebook page.

"You don't say?" I chuckled. "What did she say about it?"

"She seemed quite impressed actually. She even sent them dog treats as a congratulations gift! Can you believe that woman?!" he chuckled sounding exasperated at Nea's generosity.

"Considering her sense of humor, I would believe it." I smirked as I rested my chin on his head and both my hands on his solid as hell shoulders.

"Gotta hand it to them though. It ain't no easy feat to tame a monster from, what do you call it, Old World and New World?" he said looking above at me briefly before switching his gaze back to the screen.

"Yeah. That's what their worlds are called. Somehow, they got those guys under their leash. Literally most of our allies own a monster by now." I said as I watched the screen getting scrolled until we stumbled on a picture revealing Pier's new pet.

"Damn. This thing is no joke."

"Tell me about it. It looks cute though!"

"We sure have weird standards for what counts as cute." Scoffed Gallius as we were browsing through the pictures of the monster in question. That is until we gaped at the selfie sent to us by Piers and his monster partner.

"Hahaha! Look at that Duck Face! He looks so shit faced!" I laughed trying to keep my voice down for the sleeping residents above. Speaking of which… "Oh man! The others have got to see this!" I managed to squeeze out.

"Not even sure who's more entertaining to look at, haha, him or the monster! He looks dumb as fuck! Hehehe!" strained G through his giggles putting his hand on his mouth. Once we have finally calmed down, we accidentally took another peek at the picture only to end up wheezing again!

"Oh ho ho ho!" my muffled chicken giggles could have been heard throughout the entire house if I hadn't kept my hands on my mouth like a muzzle. Damn, so many dog jokes.

Gallius had his forehead on the table, shoulders shaking with laughter wanting to escape his throat. He banged with his fist on the table with a loud piglike snort.

"What the fuck, Piers? One picture from you and we're making sounds like farm animals!" I strained through my laughter. The comment made Gallius laugh even more. And with his increased laughter, he made me laugh even harder. It was like a cycle of laughter!

"He looks like he just inhaled a pot of cocaine!" he remarked still grinning at the view.

"True. He looks high as a rainbow!" I agreed.

Once we have finally calmed down for good, we went through the next few pictures still snickering here and there. I was staring with awe at the Zinogre in display on the screen with the caption 'taking Marcus for a walk'. Such a gorgeous monster!

"Now get to sleep, Noct. Stay up too late and you might wake up the day after tomorrow." I frowned at his meaningful smirk. He was referring to the time when I had accidentally slept all the way from Monday through Tuesday and woke up on Wednesday. I hadn't realized back then that I was out cold that long and so when I turned on the TV to watch the usual Tuesday shows while I was having lunch, I thought they might have switched schedules. That is, until Gallius broke it out to me with an amused leer that I have been hibernating for 24 hours straight. It took me checking all the calendars and a confirmation from Ignis and Prompto to finally believe, to my dismay, that he wasn't playing a prank.

The reason why I was able to get away with sleeping that long without Ignis yanking me from bed was because he and Prom had gone to spend a couple nights outside Insomnia on their search for those rare ingredients, gemstones and sceneries those two have been crazy about recently. I didn't tag along cuz back then, I had just returned from a week-long stay in the citadel where I had to update the security measures which required me to be there 24/7. Once this business was done and over with, the sleep deprivation has begun bitching at me. Gallius stayed behind as well because he didn't feel like leaving the house after the trip to the citadel and preferred the rest as well and also – quote: 'to keep an eye on the sleeping beauty'. When Ignis learned about my shittier than ever sleeping habit on their return, he went ballistic. I barely had anything to say to defend myself and all I could do at the moment was try to calm him down cuz his reddening face had me somewhat concerned. He even lit on Gallius as well for allowing me to sleep that long but thankfully the bodyguard reasoned that I was exhausted, couldn't sleep for a week and the stress from all the work I have been doing during that time had zombiefied me which was enough to shut Ignis up and get me off the hook. He even prepared my favourite meal of good ol' juicy steak to reward me for my hard work, and to apologize for laying it on me. Prompto, however, has found the whole thing amusing. For the next couple of days, he wouldn't stop calling me 'bear', 'caveman' or 'creepy hermit' and asked me how long I was gonna 'hybernate'.

Wise ass…

Bidding my protector good night, I headed upstairs seeking much needed privacy in my own room to check the fruit of my labors!

Maaaan, did it feel nice to be back in my safe room again. The incident at that fucking mansion sure felt like a long since gone memory.

Going back to the moment when I was viewing the horror video of my own making, I knew it; there was no hair at the beginning. The chair was fully covered and the knight suit had its head on. But all that changed when I was exploring the other rooms. I continued watching the footage to the minute I have been waiting for. And yes, there it is!

I really wasn't seeing things. There was a shadow figure standing by that tree when I was looking through the backyard door window until Gall's phone call interrupted. I paused the video and took a scrutinizing look at my phone to make sure this wasn't a normal person wearing a black robe. But a normal person would have recognizable features on them. But this one stayed completely dark even with the light directly aimed right at it. There was no clothing visible or a face I could make out. Just… a shadow.

Did I just capture a real ghost on camera? Was this one somehow connected with the corpses I've found? Was it responsible for the loud banging noises I've heard coming from upstairs? And, most importantly, was there more of it?

I felt kinda bad for leaving an entire half of the mansion unchecked. But imagine if this shadow thing was the one behind this mess. It looked creepy enough as it is from inside a phone screen. Let alone actually coming to see it in person. I was tossed back and forth by the opposing thoughts of regret for not finishing my investigation, and the relief of having avoided such an encounter.

Eventually, I decided I should call it a night. So after copying the video from the phone to my laptop for backup, I took off my shirt and jacket off to get ready for a shower. There was no way I was gonna sleep in my bed without cleaning myself up from that shit nest. That's when I heard someone approaching my room and in walked Yozora wearing his Linkin Park pajamas.

"Hey. I thought you were asleep." I questioned still holding my tops in my hands.

"Nope. I've been waiting in my room until you get back. It's been a while since I've last spent some quality time with you." said my heterochromic lover staring at me longingly.

"….." I didn't really know what to say. I cracked my neck awkwardly putting my hand at the back of my head. It makes sense considering that Yozora isn't a member of our team and we see him every now and then. He paid us a visit a couple days ago after receiving our invitation to spend a week with us. No wonder he wanted me to stay with them tonight and I put that aside in favor of going on a stupid adventure that turned into a nightmare.

"I… really missed you, Noct." Without warning, he closed the distance between us leaving little to no personal space, held my elbows gently and the second he kissed me on the lips and I knew that this was all I needed to let loose. So I tossed my upper body clothes on the bed behind Yozo and let him make out with me while I was shirtless. I could feel the stress from the experience less than an hour ago get relieved as we both twisted our lips together. I coiled my arms around his waist and massaged his back as he began to nip at my neck. Shit, that tickled. I moved my lips to his jaw, along his cheek and went back to licking his mouth when I felt his hands on my back. And suddenly, he tensed up. I was barely in the right state of mind to know that something was wrong.

"Noct?"

"Mmm?" I responded lazily, still in a daze from the sudden pleasure.

"What's that on your back?"

My back?

By the time I figured out what he was talking about, it was too late to respond. He turned me around and his next words made me realize just how much I have let my guard down.

"Noct! What are those scratch marks on your back?!"

Oh shit…