Author's Note: I'm back from the supposed dead! Sorry for not updating as much as I usually do, but I had a lot of things to do over the past few days. I even had homework, UGH! But, I'm back now! Giving you the prequel to the horrible angst in the Chapter 6. If you excuse me, I need to continue rebuilding my Bomb Shelter because somebody broke it when they saw Chapter 6. Also, huge shoutout for StreetRacer-Sam for giving me an awesome new cover for The Thing!

StreetRacer-Sam: I appreciate your advice, Sam, but I think I'm gonna stick with the capitals on a few screams. I only do that to show how emotionally vulnerable a character could get and I feel like using capitals could project that since it's kind of my style. I'll keep it in mind of future chapters, though.

Juster of Rivia: I'm glad! Don't forget, we all were once kids ourselves. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

michmech: Thanks! Hope you enjoy this one!

Marcellasnow231: Really? Thank you! This is what I always wanted to do when I create a horror story, scare the heck out of the audience! Thank you so much for the feedback!

thor94: Those two are my specialty! Don't worry, the interest of Ash isn't something as stupid as that. I'm more complex and planned out than that. The reason isn't entirely big, but I can say it's nothing like that. "Special Blood"? When did Ash had special blood?

Enjoy the chapter, if Amourshippers aren't ready to kill for this chapter and the next!

Serena realized she couldn't eat. While everyone else is happily munching away on their food, like how Pikachu is savoring every last ounce of ketchup inside that bottle, Serena didn't even touch her food. All she did was pick up a few pieces with her fork and play with them. So this is what worry does to you when you don't know what to do.

While she did agreed to leave Ash alone when he asked, Serena still couldn't help but worry. Ever since they enter the Lewis Manor a day ago, Ash has been acting strangely; First, he claims to see a corpse in the pantry and an armless woman attacking him but when she and Clemont entered the pantry they didn't even see a single sign of a corpse or struggle in there. Then, they suddenly find him inside the closet with a noose around his neck, making them believe that he wanted to kill himself. But since Ash didn't remove his shoes before committing the act, then that would mean someone is inside the mansion with them.

And the very thought of Ash going alone when the person that nearly killed him is on the loose made her tighten her grip on the fork.

Clemont seems to sense her distress as he stops eating and looks at her with curious eyes. "Is everything alright, Serena?"

"I'm just worried," Serena turns her gaze up to the staircase, her blue eyes dulling. "Should we have left him alone after what happened? What if the person who nearly hanged him comes back and does something even worse to him?"

The genius instantly recognizes the problem. After all, it didn't take equations to figure out Serena's feelings towards the raven-haired boy. "I'm sure he's fine, Serena." Clemont tries to reassure her. "He probably got caught off-guard when that person first attacked him, he wouldn't be reckless about where he goes next time. Besides, he needs some time alone after going through all that."

Serena nods her head in understanding, but her eyes still showed the heavy burden of apprehension. No matter what, Serena's feelings for him will always make her worry for Ash constantly. Seeing this, Bonnie decides to put her worries to rest.

"Come on, Serena, you're overthinking this!" The young girl says cheerfully. "Ash would beat that guy up the next time he sees tries to attack him!" Seeing the smile returning to the honey blonde's face, Bonnie continues. "Besides, if he really was in trouble, he probably would have screamed by-"

"Aaaaa... AAAAAAAAAA-!"

Hearing that bone-chilling yell made all the humans and Pokémon freeze from what they were doing while all of their bodies all stiffen to the point they have aching shoulders. It didn't take them long to recognize who's scream it belongs to, but the way that person screamed... It sounded like he was about to let out the loudest scream he could manage since he sounded so terrified, but then it was abruptly cut off the very moment he started it. It's like someone wanted to silence him before they can get on with what they're doing.

Looking back at Serena's disquiet moments ago, everyone else now thought she had every right to worry. Heck, even now they can feel a similar form of dread coursing through their veins. Even Pikachu's happy fantasies of ketchup are instantly wiped away.

"Me and my big mouth..." Bonnie berated herself, but Serena didn't even pay attention to her as she is already up on her feet and ascending the stairs the fastest she could go on her bare feet. The two siblings were not so far behind, along with the Pokémon. Pikachu was the last to follow since it was busy trying to close the cap of the bottle. Who knows when he might need it the next time? Thankfully, Greninja gave it an alternative route; he picked the mouse up and left the bottle alone, much to Pikachu's complete horror

"Serena, wait!" Clemont pants, his legs already tired out to the point they're ready to collapse right there. But Serena didn't even spare him a single glance as she looks back and forth between the two paths they could lead her to the salvation or death of the boy she loves.

"Which way did he go again?!" Serena's voice came out as a demand, but they can still hear the everlasting fear behind it.

Seeing that they all can't remember which way their friend went, Clemont decides to help them with an option. "Why don't we split up? We can cover more ground that way!"

Not even waiting to give her answer, Serena is already running down the right path faster than they can blink. Following behind her are Braxien, Sylveon, Talonflame, Hawlucha, Noivern, Greninja, and Pikachu - who is still crying in Greninja's back over the defenseless ketchup bottle back in the living room. Everyone else went down the left path automatically, the worry for his friend help Clemont gain more feeling in his legs to catch up with everyone else.

The search to save their friend is on. When they find the one that's hurting their friend, that person is going to pay with their lives.

If only that person was even alive.

Despite the sudden lack of oxygen in his brain, Ash knew it was one of those marked dead girls that have her hands enfold around his neck to prevent any oxygen from coming in. He didn't know which girl it was, though. Whoever is choking him know what they're doing since he's already seeing blurry spots But feeling the bitter, icy cold hands that are suffocating his throat told him that this isn't the girl from the pantry, much to the very small part of him that's relieved.

But then he remembers the situation that he's currently in and begins to fight. He's sick and tired of this mansion playing with him and there's no way he's gonna be its plaything anymore. He wraps his own hands around the person's arms, stopping a moment as he feels the bitter skin sending shivers down his spine, and attempts to pull the hands away from his neck so he could breathe for a moment.

To his surprise, the hands didn't even move a single inch. Maybe it's the supernatural thing that would make someone undead strong beyond words. Who knows, really-

CRACK!

Ash let out a dry-heaving scream when he feels the person's hands digging into his throat further to the point he could feel his larynx cracking from the pressure. Why does his mind have to keep distracting him when he's in a life and death situation?! His lungs yearn for oxygen as they're currently burning alive, but his brain couldn't perform their wishes since he's trapped. The woman holding his throat is strong beyond words and he could feel his body growing weaker and weaker by the second due to the lack of oxygen to the brain.

No matter how much his instincts tell him to not give up, Ash no longer has the strength to even bother. He can already see his vision starting to darken, his eyes welcoming the darkness as if it's a miracle worker. Maybe... Maybe the darkness could help him breathe again.

His hands lost their grip on the girl's arms as they fell to his sides, lying limp on the ground as if all the life was sucked right out of them.

Clemont usually hated running. He didn't spend most of his childhood days playing ball with the others kids, he just spent them locked up in his room so he can create inventions. Added that to the fact he's always carrying that heavy backpack of his, Clemont would think of himself the least athletic person in all of Kalos.

But hearing his best friend's scream cut off so suddenly made him forget about the burning sensation that's traveling through his lungs. He ignores the roaring aches that came from his legs' muscles. He ignores the little voice telling him to stop and lie down for a while. Right now, one of his best friends is in trouble and he is not gonna just lie down like a lazy bum!

He temporally ceased his running when he finally caught up to his little sister, who has just open a door on the right side of the hallway and is look through it. He didn't know where the Pokémon went off too since he was so far behind, but he would imagine that they have broken up to cover more ground on this side.

"Did you find anything?" Clemont panted, taking the moment to rest his hands on his knees while he took deep breaths.

Bonnie seem to notice that her brother finally caught up with her as she closes the door. "No," she frowns. "Oh, why did Ash had to go off on his own?! He could have stayed with us so we could all talk about this, but no, he decided to act like a tough guy and look where that got him!"

"Bonnie, he's probably going through a lot. We can't really blame him." Clemont sighed. While he understands where his sister is coming from, heck, even he wants to berate Ash for going off alone when he sees him again, he also knows that Ash is the one that's always positive no matter what happens. For something like hanging to happen to him must have left a dramatic impact on his mindset and he didn't know how to deal with it. Honestly, he didn't know how to deal with a supposedly suicide-attempt the moment he saw it, he really shouldn't be a hypocrite.

Bonnie, in spite of her brother's stern words, pulls a face, crosses her arms over her chest and turns her body away from his direction. Then again, Bonnie isn't old enough to understand the concept of what suicide can do to the human brain, especially with someone like Ash. To her, she thinks everyone's problems will just go away by talking. But there are just people out there who don't want to talk about their problems and want to figure things out themselves, Ash just so happens to be one of those people.

Before he could say anything else to her, Bonnie suddenly cuts him off with her own voice. "Hey, Clemont? You don't think Ash could be in there again, do you?"

Following his sister's gaze until he sees what she's looking at, Clemont could have sworn his heart had just skipped a couple of beats.

Standing there in the same place he and his friends left it is the closet found at the end of the left hall, AKA the same place where they found Ash nearly suffocating to death.

His genius mind began to work its gears; the idea of whoever attacked Ash and bring him back into the same place they found him the last time is very unlikely. No matter how mentally unstable this person can be, they're probably smart enough to not make the same mistake twice. Still, there's that small twenty percent chance that the person might bring Ash here because it would be the last place for them to look.

Both options have a fifty-fifty outcome of them finding Ash, but they might not like the way the outcome will turn out.

Before he could come to a conclusion, Bonnie is already heading over to the door and twisting the knob.

"Bonnie, wait-!"

She already opens the door before he could finish his sentence.

Whatever hope the siblings have about finding their best friends behind the door is instantly wash away. What suddenly came out of the closet was not Ash or the person they believe that's assaulting their friend. No, it was something worse. Something that Clemont should have covered Bonnie's eyes before she could get a chance to really look at it, but the young genius could feel his whole body freezing horror.

Out came the closet is body parts, not the ones you would find in an anatomical model. No, these are actually body parts. Corpses more like it. Every visible skin has rotted away, now all that's left of their skin are decaying green layers. From what they could tell from the torn up clothes, these people were from the 1900s. And judging but their sunken, decapitated heads, they're male and female. Suddenly the story about the Lewis Mansion is replaying in their minds, how Mr. and Mrs. Lewis were cut up into pieces when their corpses were found a month after their deaths.

It only took them a few seconds to realize that these are the corpses of the couple in the painting.

Bonnie instantly launches herself onto her brother's waist the moment the body parts came, Clemont returning the tight grip by wrapping his own arms around in a instant death grip. Their shrunken, blue eyes full of fear, terror, and horror didn't move from the sight of these pieces. Their minds have completely shut down the moment they their eyes landed on these mangled corpses. They couldn't even scream properly since their voices died with their brains' shutdown, so the only sounds they could make in their throats are gags and whimpers.

They're starting to think that Ash did see a corpse inside the pantry.

Then they notice a maggot crawl out of the woman's decaying mouth.

Now the two finally let their screams free.

The darkness still hasn't taken over yet. He could still see the tiny spots of blurred out colors in his vision, fading, but still there. Why couldn't they disappear? He has already given up to the darkness. Why are they still there? Maybe that girl is taking her time to strangle him. That's cruel. Or, maybe it's that small part of him that wants to keep fighting her even against all the odds. He doesn't understand why it would-

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

It's those screams that brought Ash back to his senses. What in the world was he thinking?! He couldn't give up right now! Judging by those screams, it sounds like his friends are in trouble. There's no way in the world is he going to let this girl get away with murdering him and leave his friends alone to suffer. Like heck!

"Ge... ...off...!"

After learning his arms weren't strong enough to push the spectral girl away, Ash reel his legs back until his knees are touching his chest before he let them loose. It was a long shot, but Ash felt an instant relief coursing through his veins when his feet made contact with something solid and the weight around his neck is immediately gone. The girl probably didn't expect him to fight back so suddenly, making her surprised when she felt the blunt forcing knocking right into her and sending her back a few feet away.

The first thing Ash did once his neck became free is taking large gulps of air. His lungs are still burning and bringing the oxygen back is able to dull the pain momentarily. His throat is still aching from the pervious time it was trapped in something, and that little episode made it even worse.

Despite all the pains he's feeling, Ash still has the strength to sit while he still took a large amount of air into his lungs. He rubs his aching throat, wincing when felt the sharp pain coming in. Now his throat will probably have those marks for life.

Ragged breathing in front of him made Ash remember that he's not alone in this library and the person who nearly strangled him is lying a few feet away.

Daring himself, Ash raise his head to look at the girl in front of him. Like the girl in the kitchen, this girl has long hair. The only differences with her is that her hair is a silvery-white that reminded Ash of snow, not to mention it's in a loose ponytail. Looking at her clothes now, which are torn-up in a few places, she appears to be wearing a dirty white, sleeveless nightgown, so Ash can assume she was sleeping when she died.

What really made him back up a few inches is the blood stain surrounding the hemline of her skirt, the dirty garment that's already ruin is continuing being plaster with fresh blood that's oozing out of her like she's still alive and heavily injured. That's when he notice no legs were sprouting out of her dress, just a complete bloody mess behind her wherever she goes.

Ash instantly knew which marked girls this is:

Melanie Smith
(1886-1903)
Caused of Death: Bleeds to death after having her legs amputated

Melanie finally turns her bloodshot, gray eyes back to him after regaining her bearings, the blood slowly dripping down from her eyes like tears made Ash gulp and move a few inches back again. Why did ever ghost girl in this mansion seem to have a problem with him?!

"You..." Melanie growls in a howl voice, female but not human, as she uses her arms to slowly make her way over. When Ash noticed this, he kept moving backwards. Thank goodness this library is so big, otherwise Ash wouldn't know what to do if his back hit a wall since his thinking hat has shut down for now.

"You... You're just like them..." she continues. "You... It needs you..." Ash is beginning who's this "It" they're referring too. "It needs you... Like all the others... It wants you, so It can get her... It won't stop... Until she's captured, like the rest of us... It needs you... I won't let it... I won't... You won't go with It... You... YOU WILL DIE!"

At that, she launches at him at inhuman speed. Almost as fast as the one in the kitchen.

Thankfully, not fast enough if Ash is able to roll out of the way in time and let the legless girl collide with bookshelf face-first with no problems.

Ash would have winced and felt sympathy for the girl when heard that sickening thud, but his instincts already took over him again and he's already up on his feet.

I've got to get out of here! Ash thought as he turns left, the place where he remembers coming into this area of the library and made a break for it.

However, maybe he shouldn't have run at the speed he's going so soon. His lungs still didn't have all the oxygen they needed and his throat is still burning from all the pain, so breathing while running became extremely difficult. He had to slow down for a few seconds when he couldn't breath and has to speed walk instead so he didn't have to stop. Even with all the searing pain and exhaustion shooting through his body, Ash still found the willpower to keep moving at pace despite his body's protests.

Maybe it's his determination to live that's striving him to keep going. He's only ten. He still has a long way to go before he fully grows. If he were to die right now, he won't be able to grow. He won't be able to experience all the things he didn't see yet. He won't be able to finally achieve his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master.

Then he remembers how he broke out of his death trance when he heard his friends scream like they're being chased by a monster. Maybe it's not just his determination for him to live that's keeping him going, maybe it's also his determination to keep his friends safe no matter what is forcing him to continue moving forwards. He wouldn't live with himself if anything happened to his friends and he wasn't there to stop it.

Whatever the reason was, it suddenly left Ash's mind when he felt his body colliding with the door. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts he didn't even notice that he was charging right into the door. His mind and body are gasping in relief when he's so close to escaping this horrible place. He grabs the door handle and gives it a ferocious tug...

...Only to feel his heart stopping momentarily when the door didn't move.

It's locked. Just like the door back in the kitchen...

"No, no, no!" Ash rattles the handle with all of his might, he even slams his body against the door in order to bust it open if he has too. His moves became increasingly violent when his efforts to open the door still didn't work. Normally, Ash wouldn't be this violent when he's trying to get a stuck door to open, but now he's desperate. The fact about him not wanting to die is effecting his judgement and now he's willing to do anything to stay alive.

Just when he thought his efforts were completely futile and he was going to breakdown right there, the door gave a sudden lurch. While it didn't open all the way, it's a little out of place, which means it's loose for someone to grab the edges and pull the door open the rest of the way. And that's exactly what Ash needs.

Grasping the edge of the loose door with his bandage-covered fingers, Ash begins to pull at the door with all the strength his aching muscles have left. He ignored the searing pain that shot through his fingers from his old injuries. Right now, all he cares about is escaping the library and get away from it ASAP.

It seems like he might just be able to since he feels the door moving slowly. It's a slow process, but the door is close to opening. And that's just enough for Ash.

"Where are you going...?"

Ash's whole body stiffens when he hears that vile voice entering his ears. Has she already reached him? How come he didn't hear her coming towards him? He's pretty sure he would be able to hear someone dragging their legless body over to him. Daring himself to look, Ash moves his head slightly to look over his shoulder. His breath hitches once he realizes what he's staring at.

The legless girl is not lying down on the ground like he would expect her too since she has no legs. No, it looks like she's standing upright in a slouched position, similar to the armless girl. Seeing that she still has no feet on the ground indicates that she's floating, which would explain why her hair is being blown by an invisible wind.

But what made his breath hitched his her face. Before, she had two grey-eyes with blood trailing down her cheeks like tears. Now, her eyes are completely gone. What once were her eyes are gouged eye sockets, blood dripping down from those bloody holes like a stream. To him, this is even worse than seeing the armless girl in the kitchen.

"You're still not dead..." She continues like she's confused about why her favorite toy isn't working the way she wants it too. "Come over here... It won't hurt..."

He didn't care if it will hurt or not, Ash is not gonna die anytime soon!

Without even noticing what he was doing, Ash actually ripped the door open with all of his remaining strength. Unprepared for that sudden act, Ash stumbles out of the library and falls face-first into the hallway.

"Come here..."

Remembering the ghoul he left behind, Ash whips his head back to stare at the open door to the library. Every part of him was suspecting the legless girl to be following after him to the hallway since she seems so determine to kill him.

So you can imagine his surprise when he saw that there was no one behind him or in the library.

He's all alone in the hallway. Almost like he'd just imagine the whole thing.

His body seem to have finally caught up with reality because his exhaustion from all his pervious experiences hit him with full force. With a tired moan, Ash lays his face on the fluffy fabric of the rug that's inside this hallway. He didn't care if some dust got on his face. He's too tired to even bother.

Is he ever gonna get a break in this corrupted mansion?

Ash eventually found the strength to lift himself back on his feet and walk down the hall. He still needs to find his friends. After hearing those screams, Ash knew at that point his friends must have discovered something horrible. Maybe now they will finally believe him about everything he's been seeing inside this mansion.

But before he could worry about his friends, he has to worry about walking through this dark hallway.

He didn't know if his brain is finally cracking under the pressure and he's hallucinating, but Ash is pretty sure that this hallway keeps getting darker the further he walks. The feeling of trepidation is already crawling up his throat while ghastly predictions are entering his thoughts. Maybe he's going to see one of those marked ghost girls soon enough and they'll attack him again. Then there's also the chance of him seeing a very gruesome sight of a corpse. He knows that a lot of people have died here and the possibility of seeing another corpse is greater than his chances of him giving up eating.

Then a horrible thought enters his mind; is he going to see the corpses of his friends the further he walks down the hall?

The thought immediately sends shivers done his spine and Ash quickens his pace. He's not going to let something like that happen to his friends. Not while he's still standing.

The hallway seems to be endless. Ash is beginning to feel like he's been walking for ages. Just when he was about to stop and rest, something suddenly pops out of the darkness from the corner of his eyes.

A wooden chair is conveniently placed in the middle of the hallway. Ash would have normally been suspicious about that but his focus suddenly turns to the head popping out from the upholstery. He couldn't see the person's face since they're facing the darkness of the hallway, meaning he could only see the back of the person's head. But Ash instantly recognizes that honey-blonde color and the short length hairstyle anywhere.

"Serena!" Ignoring the way his throat jerks in protest from his shout of relief, Ash quickly makes his way over to his best friend. "Oh man, you have no idea how happy I am to see you!"

Maybe he shouldn't jinx himself so soon.

Instead of replying, "Serena's" head suddenly lurches to the left before it falls to the ground right beside the chair. That is all that came over; a head. Nothing else. No body. All Ash saw is a decapitated head of his best friend. Looking at it now, though, the head didn't even belong to Serena. The girl's head appears to be older by her facial features and her skin is too pale to match Serena's flawless skin.

It didn't stop Ash from seeing the decapitated head's innards from the neck, though.

Ash falls to his knees, his whole body going numb. His stomach violently jerks at the sight of those innards before he feels something rising up his throat. He immediately clasps his hands over his mouth as quick as he could to keep his liquidize food from escaping. A deep chill suddenly crawls up his pine, making his whole body freeze, literally.

It's a coldness, unlike anything he's ever felt before. No minus zero degrees blizzard has ever felt this cold. Not even all the chills he's been feeling since he got into this place. No, this cold feels like the bitter cold that has never been touch by the warmth in its life. Like all it knows is the artic weather.

A sudden blackness begins creeping its way into Ash's vision. The way those tendrils sway and how they slowly creep up is like they're trying to encase him in the world of black. Ash slowly turns his head over his shoulder, his hands still over his mouth, when he suddenly feels a presence over him. He didn't know how he knew, but it feels like a heavy pressure is pressing over his body, and he knows it's not the exhaustion. What he saw made him completely freeze.

Two orbs stare at him in the dark abyss that's surrounding him. Yellow as the full moon on a midnight, those two orbs seem to be piercing right into his very soul. Even though they seem completely lifeless, Ash can still see the hidden malice behind them. Whatever this thing is it wants to do something to him, but he didn't know what it's planning.

Due to his body being paralyzed with fear, Ash couldn't do anything as the thing wraps its creepy black tendrils around him. Trapping him from going anywhere if he somehow gains control over his body and moves away from it. Ash squeezes his eyes shut when he feels the tendrils move around him, its grip on him tight. He could feel those tentacles making their way to his mouth.

Why can't this house just put him out of misery?"

"ASH!"

Serena didn't know how long she was running. The way her legs scream at her to stop since they're aching so badly probably meant she's been running for too long. But no matter how much her legs either scream or beg, she won't stop. She could hear all of Ash's screams echo off the walls of this hallway, each one sounding terrified than the last. She knows that he's trouble, and she's going to do everything she can to protect him.

She didn't know where she's going. She's lost the rest of the Pokémon behind since she was running so fast. All she did is follow the screams.

Finally, she found him. He's on his knees in the middle of the hallway, an old wooden chair in front of him. His back is in a slouch position like his body has lost all of its energy. Before she could react, Ash regurgitates all the food inside his stomach onto the floor.

"Ash!" Seeing him throwing up so suddenly made her worry. What happened him that made his food leave his stomach?

Serena instantly runs over to him, dropping to her own knees while she places a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?! Ash, what's wrong?"

She didn't expect him to whip his head towards her at full force. His amber brown eyes that were once full of joy and happiness are now filled with blank rage.

"Where the heck have you been?!" Ash's voice started to scream at her, that voice is screaming at her despite it breaking a few times the more he screams. "Do you have any idea of what I've just been through?! I was nearly killed just a few seconds ago! Where were you?!"

"I-"

"What about all that talk about always staying together, huh?! Was that just an empty promise?!"

"That-"

"Shut up! You always think everything has to go your way! On the one time where I really needed you, you decided to think I'm crazy! Some friend you are! You think it's funny that I'm going through all of this?! Well, guess what, Serena? YOU'RE THE WORST FRIEND I'VE EVER HAD!"

With that, he jerks his head away from her to stare at the vomit-covered floor in front of him. If she were paying attention, she would have noticed the way a sob escapes his throat whenever he breathes out. She would have notice tears dripping down his eyes, showing how emotionally disturbed he is.

But she didn't pay attention. She didn't see Ash's current condition. All she could think about is one thing;

Besides, if anything bad does happen, I'll protect ya!

If you all thought what Ash said was bad, wait until you see the next chapter.