Chapter Thirteen: No, that's not a Scooby-doo Setting

"That's a horrible idea," Mark, one of the men in the group objected, folding his arms.

"What other choice do we have?" Luke asked, glancing up at the foreboding building anxiously. "There's gotta be another way. Carlos?"

The oldest in the group sighed heavily. "I don't know. Entering a cave at this time of night, especially one open to the air, could be heavily dangerous."

"I agree," David nodded. "But the Illagers inside would probably keep any sort of mob from entering their haunted mansion and killing their members."

"Wouldn't we have to deal with them as well, then?" Alex asked, keeping an eye on Scott and Max, who were hiding beneath a tree, Scott looking smug at the fact he'd found a woodland mansion. "Is it worth it?"

"There are fewer mobs inside of the haunted mansions," Adam explained. "We'd only have to deal with the Illagers."

"Well, let's vote," Carlos decided. "All in favor of entering the mansion, raise your hands."

Luke, Adam, and even Mark raised their hands.

Carlos sighed. "Group consensus taken. We're entering the mansion."

Luke and Adam grabbed some scaffolding from their inventories, and quickly built up a structure near one of the windows, up close to the top. Taking axes, they easily smashed in, ten nodded to everyone else to follow.

Alex climbed up next, with Mark behind her. Scott and Max scrambled up after him, with Carlos coming in last, destroying the scaffolding to protect them.

Inside, the mansion was cold and dark, with no light sources around except the wide, tall windows letting in the dingey grey light from outside. The mansion was immaculately clean as well, without a speck of dust, dirt, or anything else mussing the walls or brilliant red carpet.

Alex held her breath, feeling as though such a common sound was forbidden in the quiet hall. The group stuck close together, feeling dreadfully unwanted and scared in the frigid darkness, the atmosphere weighing down thoughts and actions.

"What do we do now?" Max whispered, shuffling closer to a nervous Scott, putting on the facade of easing his friend's nerves whilst obviously doing the same for himself.

"We hide," Carlos explained. "The Illagers don't know we're here, so we have to be as quiet as possible."

Max nodded, and Carlos pulled out a stack of torches. "I'll light the way. Adam, stay near the back and destroy these as we pass them."

Adam nodded, falling towards the back of the group, and they all set out, nerves strung high as the group wandered through the twisting maze of hallways. Carlos led them through the deserted first floor, down the hallways and past many empty rooms. The eireeness of the constantly flickering torches was obviously making everyone nervous.

Finally, Carlos found a large room filled with wool, and ushered everyone inside, blocking off the doorway with dark oak wood and iron doors.

"We can wait out the storm here," He explained. "It's an unsuspecting room for Illagers to spawn in. It'll be safe here."

After torches were passed around, everyone began to work on lighting up the room and making it more comfortable to sleep in.

Mark and Luke helped Alex dig a hole into the ground beneath the wool, chopping through the wood in the floor and clearing out a burrow-like hole. Mark helped Alex set up the beds with a friendly smile. He obviously didn't think chore such as that shouldn't be left for just a woman. Alex thought of Steve and sighed sadly.

Was he doing okay? Did Braxon hurt him? Is he alright? Alex sighed again, and climbed up the ladder and out into the room.

She sat down next to Scott and Max, pretty tired after worrying all day. Settling into the itchy-ish warm wool, Alex began to doze off when a loud striking noise jolted her into an alert state.

Everyone in the room quieted down all of a sudden, ears straining for that ungodly sound of an axe blade striking wood.

Another noise, accompanied by a crack in the wooden door.

"Alex, take Max and Scott into our camping area," Carlos hissed, unsheathing a strange-looking glittering grey sword. "Adam, Mark, Luke, come with me."

Alex surprised herself by actually doing what she was told, and ushering Max and Scott into the basement, shutting the trapdoor above them.

"What do you think's going on?" Scott asked, pacing slightly. Max glanced around the small dirt room nervously, and Alex pulled out an axe, bracing herself just in case something tried to attack them.

"Maybe a vindicator?" Max asked, flipping through his book. He looked nervous, and Alex couldn't blame him. "They'll protect us, right?"

A slam was heard from above, then shouting.

"Cover your ears," Alex instructed, horrified at what was happening. Back in Herobrine's fortress, when unsuspecting piglins were tortured to death…

"Wh-"

"I SAID COVER THEM," Alex shouted. Max and Scott both obediently slapped their hands over their ears, giving each other a strange look.

Then the screaming began.

One of the men above them was howling with pain as the others shouted, and Alex was barely keeping it together. She focused on protecting the boys instead of racing outside to defend them, but her anxieties were getting worse.

Then, there was a screech, a thump, and a deadly silence.

A/N: I'm sorry, guys, I didn't know you wouldn't be able to review.

Review Replies:

Ayannamichaeli: Mood tho

Moatazabou4: I know, I know, I'm sorry.