Chapter three
A/N: I don't own clue, only David, Alex, Madison, Peter, Jackson, Heather, and Alfred (a.k.a. the creepy gardener). Enjoy!
The front door used to be big and majestic, but it had long since been walked through. It now stood open, and we walked inside into the gloom. I took a step over towards the middle of the room and my foot crashed through the floor. I groaned as I tried to pull it out. Someone came up behind me, pulling it out of the floor successfully.
"Thanks," I turned to find Madison next to me. I smiled.
"No problem, just make sure you watch where you step next time." She smiled back.
The walls were still covered in elegant wallpaper, but there was water damage everywhere. The floor was bare in some places, covered in ruined Persian rugs in others. Fungus was growing on the walls near the windows, and a spider web was in the doorway to what looked like a dining room.
Alex disappeared down a hallway with her flashlight and returned a few moments later.
"I've checked some of the rooms, and most of them are in bad shape." She told us.
"What about this one?" David called over to us. We followed his voice, coming to a cozy room tucked away to the side. Alex shone her flashlight inside.
There was a red velvet couch which looked somewhat okay. Bookcases lined one of the walls, full of knick knacks and mouse-eaten novels. Two large picture windows looked out over the front of the yard, and a coffee table was in the middle of the room, resting on an oriental rug. An old, forgotten rotary telephone was sitting on a side table.
"Looks good. The floor looks like it's probably still strong, and there aren't many animals or bugs in here. I say we use it as our base." Alex stepped into the room. We followed her closely, setting our bags down around the room.
I pulled out the map, tracing my finger lightly through the rooms.
"The...lounge. This is the lounge." I told everyone as I rolled the map up and placed it back in my backpack.
"We should go and try to find some candles." David told everyone, noticing that six flashlights wouldn't be enough light.
"There should be some in the basement; that would be where they would put all the useful stuff before the house was abandoned. That way, if anyone bought the house they would have some supplies." Alex said, still studying the room.
"Uh-uh. You can make me stay here in this scary house, but there is no way I'm going down into the basement!" Jackson told us, sitting down.
"Alright," Alex smiled evilly, "But you'll be here…all alone…by yourself…" she told him as we left the room. We walked out of the room and down the hallway, staring at her. She smiled, holding three fingers up and whispering.
"Three…two…one." She counted down on her fingers.
"Guys-wait!" Jackson's feet pounded down the hallway behind us. We glanced at him, then at Alex before bursting out laughing.
The doorway that held the basement stairs was next to the grand staircase. I clicked my flashlight on as David opened it. The stairs seemed to be eaten up by the darkness halfway down. I sighed.
"Couldn't one creepy mansion not have a scary basement? Seriously, you'd think that it was a requirement in these old houses."
"Well, I'm sure it's not that bad once we get down there. Besides, all we need is to grab the box of candles and get back up here." David tried to make everyone feel better.
The whole group took the first step together, then the next. Our flashlight beams bobbed and shook as we descended. Soon enough, we reached the floor. I swept my light around the cold basement, and saw that the floor was covered in hundreds of old cardboard boxes.
"Great." Heather threw a hand in the air, "How are we going to find the candles in this mess?"
"Let's spread out." Alex told us. She headed for the far side of the room, David taking the opposite end. Jackson started pawing through the boxes by the stairs as Heather joined David. I took a few steps and stopped when I noticed a box full of interesting stuff.
I bent down, picking through the contents. I grabbed a piece of paper that was a faded white, and read through the scrawling writing.
Dear Mrs. Blanche White, you are cordially invited to attend a dinner party at the estate of Mr. Reginald Boddy on the evening of 15th June at 7:30 PM. Please wear appropriate attire for we will be discussing my will later in the evening. I hope you will be able to attend but if not, then please contact me before 10th June. I shall be seeing you soon, signed Mr. Boddy.
"What is it?" Madison asked, dropping down beside me. I jumped at her voice before turning to her.
"It's an old dinner invitation. Looks like there's a guest list in here." I told her, handing the invite to her so she could read it. I picked up a yellowed piece of stationary.
"Guest list: Mr. Jonathan Green, Col. Michael Mustard, Mrs. Elizabeth Peacock, Prof. Peter Plum…" I paused at the mention of my name. The paper shook in my hands as I stared at it.
"What is it?" Madison asked, gazing at the paper with me. My heart sped up with her so close.
"My great grandfather…" I told her, rubbing my finger gently over the name, my name.
"Wow…" she breathed.
"…Miss Evelyne Scarlet and Mrs. Blanche White." I finished.
"Guys!" Madison yelled to everyone. They sped over to us.
"What? What is it?" David asked. I was still staring at the paper.
"These people…we're all related to them!" I whispered.
"Look, Peter's great-grandfather went to one of Mr. Boddy's parties!" Madison told them, pointing to the name on the list.
"No…my great-great-grandmother was there too." Alex said, her mouth open as she found the name on the paper. She stared with wide-eyed admiration.
"And-and my last name…that's my last name right there! And Jackson…that's your last name!" David sputtered.
"Scarlet…the lady in that picture." Heather murmured, "Scarlet was my mother's maiden name."
"Well, my names not on there!" Madison said, glancing around at everyone. I looked at the only name that hadn't been claimed.
"Was your mother's maiden name Green?" I asked her.
"I'm not sure…no, it wasn't." she sighed. "It was Getty."
"Well…maybe your grandmother's?"
"I'm not sure what her maiden name was." She sighed.
"But…you have to be related to Mr. Jonathan Green, because we're all related to someone on this list. Don't you get it? This is why this house seemed familiar to us all!" I told her.
It was after dinner, when everyone was enjoying coffee and dessert in the lounge, that Mr. Boddy really got the party started. He stood, six black packages in hand, as he cleared his throat.
"I believe that now that everyone's acquainted, it's time to start the fun." He passed the packages out, each one addressed to a different guest.
"A present Reginald? Really, didn't we come here tonight to speak of your will?" asked Mr. Green apprehensively. Everyone knew how hard Mr. Green had been trying to weasel his way into Boddy's will.
"I'm sure that you'll find these gifts very…interesting, to say the least." Mr. Boddy told his guests as he started to pace.
Green had his opened first, and found that his box held a sturdy lead pipe. He picked it up, feeling its weight in his hands as he studied it.Scarlet had her box opened almost as fast, and was now tracing her fingers over a sharp dagger-knife. The handle was carved intricately with designs of foxes and leaves. Plum, after seeing what the other boxes held, tore open his to find a large wrench, a dent in the handle as if it had been dropped. Then, Mustard ripped his box open and found a new revolver, fully loaded and ready to be shot. Mrs. White clasped her weapon, a thick silver candlestick, and Mrs. Peacock just stared into her box at the rope, a noose tied into it, before clapping her hands to her mouth in horror.
"I have just given each of you a lethal weapon, fit for killing a person with. It's up to you what you do with it." Mr. Boddy nodded at the group.
"But-but…why? What's the purpose of this?" Col. Mustard demanded, standing up. Mr. Boddy pushed him aside, walking over to a wooden carved box on the table and opening it. He brought out his will, holding it up so everyone could see the folded paper.
"This is my will, the object of all of your desires and attention for the past few weeks. I shall not be reading it yet." He sighed, placing the will into his pocket. "But perhaps one of you will be ambitious enough to read it for yourselves before the night is over." He smiled at the surprised group.
I shivered, David standing next to me as usual. I turned to him.
"Let's get out of here!" I pleaded, glancing around nervously at the dank cellar.
"Wait-we need to find the candles." Alex said, waking back up and jumping around the room. I watched her, holding my breath. She was taking too long.
"Hey, I found them!" Jackson yelled at the base of the stairs. We all turned to find him trying to lift a heavy box full of old, half-melted candlesticks.
"Thank you Jackson!" I sighed, rushing over to him and grabbing the box out of his hands before darting up the stairs. The group met me in the lounge as I was setting the candles around, making sure we had enough matches.
"I'm sorry guys…" I muttered as they came in, "I don't know what happened down there. It was just…"
"Too weird." Madison finished for me, slumping down on the couch.
"Yeah, exactly." I nodded at her, smiling as Alex started to light the candles.
"I know, this all seems like it's out of the Twilight Zone or something." Peter agreed, sitting next to Madison non-chalantly. I smiled quietly, turning away.
I had known Peter since first grade, and even then he was best friends with Madison. In this past couple of months though, he had made the short jump between best friend and a little more thana friend. Madison hadn't quite caught on yet, as most girls don't when their best friends are trying to hide their feelings, but if Peter ever wanted to have a chance with Madison, he'd need to tell her soon.
Then, thunder shattered through the room, shaking the ancient walls and making us all jump. After the loud outburst, it got quiet until Jackson started in.
"Guys…" he whimpered, inching closer to the door.
"Jackson, we're staying. Do you want to go out there in the dark and…look, it's started to rain." Alex commented, glancing past the faded curtains that shrouded the large windows. Jackson was glancing around quickly, his eyes wide.
"I really don't want to…" he muttered, getting even closer to the door.
"Jackson, don't." David warned him, starting to walk over to him.
All of a sudden, one of the windows crashed open, letting wet wind in, and Jackson shot out of the room with record speed. We all turned to where he was sitting just half a second before, before we all took off down the hallway after him.
"Jackson!" I called, leading the group. He was only a few feet ahead of me, I could reach him.
Not only did I reach him, I ran right into him. He had flung himself on the door, and had started rattling the door handle like crazy. Once I had pried myself off of him and the group had crowded around us, Jackson backed away from the door slowly.
"Jackson?" Madison asked weakly. His wide eyes had grown wider, and he had started to shake.
"T-the door…" he mumbled, backing into the wall behind him.
David turned to the door, shaking the handle violently. Then, he studied it with a perplexed expression. I got closer to him, touching his arm.
"It's locked." He told us, still staring at it as if it were alive. We all turned to stare at the door quietly.
"Well, it's old, we can break it down." Alex nodded enthusiastically as she came forward, tapping on the sturdy wood.
"With what? A candlestick? It's not like we have a battering ram or anything!" Peter threw his hands in the air.
"Well, fine. Look, this isn't the only way out. Everyone spread out, I know that the windows aren't locked." Alex sighed. We all reluctantly split up into smaller groups, going around to the different rooms on the first floor.
At first, we moved slowly and reluctantly, but then we all rushed around, not believing what was happening. I crashed into Jackson as I was running around a corner, and we both screamed as Heather and David tripped over us. Somehow, we all ended up in the lounge.
Alex was standing there, staring blankly at the window that had been open only a few moments before.
"Alex…?" I whispered, walking towards her.
"This can't be happening…" she breathed. I looked at the window, and saw that it had somehow had been locked and boarded up from the outside. I backed away quickly, my breathing becoming labored.
Every single window and door on the first floor had been locked.
Then, the world shook and little black dots made my vision go fuzzy. I crashed to the ground, and saw David rush over to me before I blacked out.
A/N: Sorry it's taking me forever, I spend eight and a half hours every day at summer band, plus an hour reading Count of Monte Cristo for my English class (that book is longer than the bible-no joke, go compare), along with whatever else is happening in my life, and whatever chores my parents decide to heap on me such as chores. So, please be paitient because I am currently suffering from exhaustion and writer's block. Thanks and Review!