The interior of the castle was as warm and inviting as it was outside. A few burning sconces meagerly lit the chamber sending threatening shadows dancing all along the floors and walls. Aside from the dust and the odd spider web a leak in the wall sent small drips down a black slick of stinking mildew, other than that the castle's entirety reeked of dry rot… and normal rot.
The foyer was laid out in a shape like a cross and a diamond combined. Four doors exited the room. Other than the front door and the one directly in front of him, were two on each side of the diamond cross. Dean walked slowly, his handgun at the ready, his eyes scanning slowly from left to right.
He came to a stop near the mid section of the room, and lowered his gun to his side. The floor was strewn with old bones, a few swords, and a couple battered shields, as far as other hunters got it seemed. The room was empty and safe, but the door ahead of him was locked, as was the one to his right, both locked behind thick rusted iron portcullises.
He made it to his fifth step before the bones, shields, and swords began to bounce like balls on a trampoline. His gun shot up to eye level and he circled in place as the bones came together about him- a guard of grinning skeletons.
Each skeleton held their rusted iron swords high ready to strike, and each braced behind a battered bronze shield. The creaking of bones echoed in the room as they slowly advanced on their prey.
Pop! Pop! Dean fired two quick shots and smiled as the skeleton's skull fell from its body. His elation was short lived, the head bounced once, twice, and a third time before it found its way back to its neck- it was whole once again.
"Damn it!" He ran sprinted really, toward the only door not locked, even the front door was locked behind a portcullis. The oaken door pulled open easily and he ran in and slammed it behind him.
The hall before him was a paradox. Somehow it circled back around to the door on the right without crossing the hall that should connect to the door at the top of the cross. This hall was completely bare. The walls and ceiling had crumbled away revealing the building's frame. The wood of the flooring had long ago buckled, warped, and cracked.
He ran toward the door and found a rusted lever just before the door and gave it a tug. It squeaked loudly in protest and Dean grunted and groaned as he pulled it. Even with both hands and all his weight leaning back into the pull he could just barely move the lever. As it came to a rest and could move no further, he could hear the portcullis on the other side of the door raise with a groan.
The hunter pulled the door open and the skeletons were there to meet him. A sword arced down at him and sent sparks spraying as its tip scraped the wall. Dean rolled just in time to miss the sword and felt the sword run a crossed his shoulder.
He came to his knees and pulled himself up to a run and found a lever had appeared by the door directly ahead of the locked front door. This lever was no easier to pull than the other but the adrenaline that raced through his veins gave him strength. The lever gave way and broke sending Dean falling back to the ground and looking up at a skeleton staring down at him.
Portcullis rose as the skeleton stabbed downward hoping to run Dean through and pin him to the floor. The hunter's eyes grew big as he saw the sword tip race toward him.
Just as he thought he was done the skeletons creaked, rumbled, and fell into a pile its sword clattering harmlessly on top of his chest. He lay there a moment staring up at the ceiling. He was dead and a ghost haunting the castle, right? Surely that's it. He died and he was a ghost.
Slowly he rolled over and looked down- no body. "I'm… alive? But how?" Then he saw the door by the lever- its portcullis had raised.
This hall to was a paradox, for it also didn't meet with the other hall, as it should. Instead it ran straight 40 or so feet and lead to another door to the left side and beyond that it opened up into another large room with a staircase leading up to a balcony and a door beyond.
He walked slowly, opened the door on the left side shut it and closed his eyes, tried to catch his breath and calm himself. He should have kept his eyes closed.
The room he entered had shelves that lined the walls, ancient teddy bears and porcelain dolls the expensive one with human hair (and clearly possessed by the devil) stared down at him. Toys, games, and puzzles lie scattered a crossed the floor but worst of all was the little girl who sat cross-legged, brushing the hair of one of her dolls.
The little girl was beautiful, like a child model. She wore light faded blue jeans, and pink canvas tennis shows with purple shoelaces. Her white short sleeve shirt said "love" in big red letters and had a cartoon cupid holding a large red heart. The little girl innocence ended there, the rest of her showed she was something considerably more or less than human.
Her skin was deathly pale and she wore her raven black hair straight and just passed her shoulders. But was it that, her long sharp k 9 fangs, or possibly her lustrous glittering red eyes that most obviously gave her nature away as a creature of the castle?
She smiled and put the doll on her lap. "Oh," The little girl looked Dean up and down. "Did you come to play with me? Ever since those mean old skeletons moved in down there no one's come to play with me."
*Author's Note* Some of you may be wondering what that little guy was, the one who stole Dean's stuff and lead him to the "life font". He's a chupacabra. In the game they steal your stuff, and make fun of you if you can't find them. They tell you "hot" and "cold" so you can find them because sometimes they blend in with the scenery. You can stop them from teleporting by sending a fairy at them or chase them to their last spot. Either way you get your stuff back. They aren't bad guys and you don't fight them but they tend to lead you into dangerous places like an area full of trolls. Personally, I think they are cute so I put one in. Also in "Lords of Shadow" you refill your life with the green fonts.