The winter brisk air became itself an obstacle to be reckoned with. It burned his lungs causing his breathing to come in long slow gasps through his nose. As he neared the building the frosty air burned at his fingertips, turning them a dark shade of red. He could feel the pricks of pain in his cheeks as the breeze blew around him. His teeth chattered as his feet scratched against the cracked ground.
This building was affecting the weather drastically; ripping the warmth from the air. He was only a few meters away when he peeked through the foggy glass of the window. On the other side were two shapes. One was seated and bowing its head whiles the larger leaner one stood at attention by its side. Neither moved as the doctor laid his hand upon the glass.
He moved over to the door and knocked. A moment passed before he heard the dull sound of footsteps. The clattering of metal filled his ears as several locks were being undone. Finally the large stone door gave a weak creak and opened. On the flip side was a girl. Her skin was darkly pigmented and her long black hair was pulled tightly in a bun behind her head. She was short compared to the long slim form of the doctor, but she made up for her lack of height in beauty. When she began to speak the doctor's alerts went on high.
"Good evening' sir." She said emotionless and as stone cold as the air. He let his eyes trail behind her into the dark noiseless room. It was furnished like an old time castle. Metal soldiers hung against the walls, their weapons drawn in a respectful manner. A long ancient red carpet was draped across the floor with a decent amount of dust fading its warming color.
"Yes, a rather cold one it seems." He spoke cheerfully and with lively spirits. Her demeanor remained as shadowy as the knights in the shinning armor behind her.
"Come in." She demanded.
He obeyed and entered the medieval based building. He continued running his eyes around the place. The air was still cold and harsh but it allowed more comfort than that of outside. He rubbed his hands together and blew into them warming the frozen digits.
There was a large stone fireplace in what seemed like an ancient lobby. Two of the soldiers guarded it with thick long axes, beautifully carved in what looked like Italian décor. The fireplace was lit, but the heat coming from it was missing. There were two couches, also sprinkled in dust as if they were never used.
The ceiling rose high above the doctor's head and the top was also carved as if this was some castle. Over ten chandeliers hung from it. They were lit and sparkling, but the warmth from them was nowhere to be found.
"What a cozy place you have here." His words were weighted with sarcasm.
"The master believes so." Alright, so she was a housekeeper. Still something was very curious about her behavior, how she seemed to be empty and working like some zombie.
He turned to face her after observing his surroundings but he was greeted with the stone door. She was gone. He looked around, half expecting her to have walked off, or be beckoning him from the doorway. The eeriness of the room was by no means bringing comfort to him. He picked a random corridor and began walking down it. It repeated the ancient way of the lobby; a long dusty carpet, some chandeliers, shiny metal soldiers with silver sharp weapons, and candles offering no warmth.
A good ten minutes passed before he heard something; clattering of metal and the sharp screeching of machinery. He followed the sound and was led to a door with light spilling out from under it. He bent down to his knees and peered through the large key hole.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" He muttered.
Inside the room was something that broke apart the medieval scene. The room was washed in smoke; yellows and oranges clung together in the fog creating thick heavy shades of light. The clanking metal was a large powerful machine that screeched and hollered as it was at work. The room seemed bigger than what was available to his sight. He slowly stood up and continued his march down the corridor.
He walked a while on, the air becoming warmer and warmer as he went. The heat of the air did nothing to calm the rising chill clawing at the base of his spine and bouncing around the barriers of his chest. Both of his hearts quickened their pace as if they knew that danger was biting at his heels. He noticed another sound. This one was peaceful and soft.