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 Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 10:47 am
Please post your writing for the event in this thread. It reduces clutter. Thanks!
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 6:20 pm
  Era & Riley
Era swallowed uncertainly, she really really didn’t want to go in there, but Riley looked so excited… The Pikachu stalled for time, looking over the building as she tried to calm herself down, It’s okay Era, they’re only trying to psych you out. In the end it’s nothing but smoke and mirrors, right? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, calming her rapidly increasing heartbeat; this pep talk was clearly not working at all. Riley was looking at her expectantly, his own cloak billowing slightly in the remains of the wind that had come from the entrance. ”…Sure,” Era said at last, getting the ominous feeling that she would regret this, ”Why not? It’s just like a scavenger hunt.”
Riley smiled happily, ”Awesome!” he said, tipping his hat to her, ”We’ll get this done in no time!” He led Era forward to the entrance, and the pair waited for the group in front of them to enter before it was their turn. ”Are you ready for this?” Riley asked her, his eyes alight with a sense of adventure.
”As ready as I’ll ever be,” Era replied nervously. It was irrational to be so afraid of something that wasn’t even real, and yet she could shake her mounting fear of this place. Better just get the five things as fast as possible and get out of there before anything could happen. Riley headed inside first, making his way through the gaping door and Era followed, tentatively looking about as they went into the belly of the beast.
~~~~~
The duo walked down a long dark hallway leading to something unknown. There were classic candles decking the walls and providing a dim light for them to see by as they went forward down their path. It was dead silent, nothing stirring except for the faint sounds made as their paws touched the carpeted floor. Cobwebs were here and there in the eaves and dust covered everything, giving the appearance that nothing had been touched here in a long time. ”D-Don’t you think we should have run into something by now?” Era asked, shivering involuntarily as she looked at the eerie flickering candles.
”Hmm, I don’t know,” Riley replied cheerfully, ”But seeing as we haven’t seen anything yet, I bet that they’re trying to lull us into a false sense of security.” He shrugged, ”All haunted houses are different though, so who knows? They are setting the scene quite nicely though.” Riley appeared completely indifferent to their surroundings, strolling as complacently as if they were walking through the woods in springtime.
Era didn’t feel reassured at all by Riley’s explanation, getting a little closer to the Eevee and glancing about furtively as though expecting something to happen at any moment. This place was doing a number on her nerves already, and they hadn’t even gotten to the scary parts yet. The Pikachu kept walking though, determined that she’d finish. You can’t stop once you’ve started, life isn’t so forgiving. Not to mention, and Era shuddered at the very thought of it, she didn’t know the way out.
The hallway came to an abrupt end, stopping at a grand ebony door that was gruesomely carved with images of torture and terror. Era’s eyes widened with a touch of fear; well that was reassuring. Riley pushed the door open, and it yielded to his touch without a problem, revealing the next room. As they stepped inside, the door swung shut behind them as they looked around. Contrary to what they would have expected, the room was enormous, giving the appearance of a front hall in an old Victorian style mansion. A grand stairwell was directly across the room from them, leading to an upper floor which split off in two directions and a magnificent candle-lit chandelier donned the ceiling. The wall behind the staircase was solid in appearance, nothing but solid painted plaster as far as the eye could see except for a few pictures of well-to-do Pokemon whose eyes seemed to follow your path when you passed them. To both their left and their right were tightly closed doors and everything else was vacant, just like the hallway had been.
Riley looked about with an almost childish delight, ”Wow, check this place out!” he said, stepping into the foyer, ”These people really go all out, don’t they?” He beckoned Era to follow him and began to look around the room for some hint as to where the items of their search might be. Both doors were found to be locked up tightly, and the wall in the back also proved to be truly a wall and not just a façade. ”Well then,” said Riley, looking at the staircase, ”I guess there’s nowhere to go but up!”
They headed up the staircase and still nothing troubled them, leaving them on the second landing with no sign of life anywhere. Era closed her eyes tightly, pausing for a moment; now the suspense was slowly torturing her more than anything else possibly could. They took the left hall, and it led down to yet another locked door, leaving them both rather annoyed. ”I guess that just leaves one more,” Era said, looking down the shadowy hallway towards the other end of the second floor. She and Riley turned and made their way back down the right path, heading for what would hopefully lead to their first “proof” as the Lucario had called them.
The right side ended at yet another door, but unlike the others this one was unlocked. Era opened it to reveal nothing but black, darkness so deep that you couldn’t see a thing beyond it. The Pikachu looked ahead nervously but Riley smiled, ”Here, keep your paw on my cloak,” he told her, stepping beside her as she did so, ”Now we won’t lose each other.” Era was thoroughly relieved, clutching the cape as though it was her one lifeline to the world, and together they stepped inside.
Immediately, everything turned black. The door swung shut behind them faster than they even knew what was happening, and even the light that usually radiated from Era’s Volt Globe vanished somehow. Era quickly turned and pushed on the door with her free paw, only to find that it wouldn’t open: it was locked. ”So now they’re starting to make things interesting,” Riley said. His voice was right beside her ear, reassuring Era that he was still with her. ”Stay close Era, I bet we’re in the right place now.” He really didn’t even need to tell her that, Era wouldn’t have let him go if someone paid her now, she was terrified.
Riley began to walk and Era followed, still holding onto his cloak. Fortunately it didn’t seem like there was anything in their way, seeing as they managed to not run into anything. A chilling breeze began to enter the air and from the darkness odd sounds began to arise. Chilling laughter echoed in the duo’s ears and the sound of crunching was quite audible. Underneath their paws the texture changed to something sickeningly spongy that squelched when they took a step. Era shut her eyes tightly, trying to push the mental images out of her head but it didn’t help, none of it disappeared because none of it was visual; there was no way to escape it.
Riley slowed down a bit as he felt the paw clenching his cloak begin to tremble, pressing himself against the Pikachu reassuringly. ”They’re only sounds Era, nothing more,” he said soothingly. The blackness was overwhelming, and as they continued onward the noises drew closer and became ever louder. Voices began to echo nearby; moans of pain and cries of agony made a destructive cacophony of sound as they formed broken chords with the ever-present laughter that chilled Era to the bone.
Voices began to form after awhile, making sentences instead of just awful sounds, and they whispered in the ears of their unsuspecting victims. What’s this? a voice hissed in Era’s ear, causing the Pikachu to jump with alarm at how close it was, A little morsel has come to play with me? How delightful. Era shut her eyes, It’s all a trick, it’s all a trick, it’s not real. The voice cackled delightedly, Are you afraid? it asked, and she felt something slimy trickle down her back, causing her to shudder. She reached out her paw to try and feel what was there, but her paw met with nothing but thin air, causing her to pale in alarm. The voice laughed again in a horrible raspy tone and one could almost hear the menacing smile in its parting words, Keep walking little Pikachu, I’m waiting…
Riley was experiencing a similar ordeal, but unlike Era he was smiling as it talked, and waved farewell in the direction of the voice when it left. ”They’re doing a great job aren’t they?” Riley asked Era. He was met by silence, which caused him to turn around, ”Era, are you still with me?”
Era was silent, unable to find her voice over the terror that she’d just experienced, ”Fine,” she managed to choke out, her voice coming out in a squeak, ”I’m fine.” Obviously she was the opposite of fine, but she tried her hardest to seem alright at least although she was doing a rather poor job of it.
”It’s alright Era, we’re almost through,” Riley said softly, ”Come on, it can’t be much further to the first piece now.” He walked beside her, pressing his side against hers in the manner that a dog would do to lead her forward. By this time the other sounds had died down and all that remained was a slow dripping sound. They kept moving forward until the sound was clearly getting closer and finally Riley stepped into something that created a splash. ”What the…?” he said removing his paw.
Era moved forward, putting her front paw that wasn’t holding onto Riley on the ground. She felt it go into some type of liquid and felt around inside it, her paw brushing against something hard. ”Riley, there’s something in here…” she said, uncertain what to think. Carefully the Pikachu fished it out, and at the same time she heard another something being taken out of a liquid.
”I found something too!” came Riley’s voice, ”Hold onto it for me, will you?” Era reluctantly released Riley’s cloak, picking up the other object in her second paw, as she heard more splashing about. ”I know there was something… Ha! Found it!” Era heard a click, and suddenly the wall opened up, showing that the door that they’d entered from was on the wall nearby. Without another thought, the two hurried out of the room and into the light, their items in hand. They made it out just before the door slammed shut again, and they both paused for a moment, panting.
Era finally recovered her wits enough to look at the items in her hands, and promptly shrieked. Riley looked at her in alarm and then realized what had disturbed her; her paws were both stained red, the same shade as blood. ”Era! It’s alright!” he hurried to reassure her after ascertaining that his own front paws were red as well. ”It’s not blood! It’s just a dye to make you think it’s blood.”
”But…But we didn’t see what it was! It could have been blood! That would explain the dripping!” Era moaned, the items she was holding all but forgotten in her dismay.
Riley did the only thing he could, slapped her across the face. Era stared at him in shock, although she seemed to have snapped out of her hysteria. ”Era, it’s a haunted house,” Riley said, trying his best to calm her down. ”Everything here is just a trick, it’s just like when I do this.” He conjured up white flower which he handed to her. ”But in the end, none of it is really real.” The flower in Era’s hands disappeared in a cloud of sparkles that fell and settled on Era’s paws. ”You see?”
Era sighed, trying to calm herself down, ”I’m sorry Riley,” she said apologetically, ”I just…wasn’t ready for that.” She knew she’d overreacted it was just that she was easily convinced of tricks like that it seemed.
Riley conjured a handkerchief with which he wiped Era’s paws and then his own. ”It’s alright,” he said softly, the handkerchief vanishing as he stood. ”I don’t mind Era, I just hate to see you so out of sorts.” He nuzzled against her tenderly and the Pikachu smiled a bit. With Riley with her maybe…maybe she could get through this.
”Oh!” Era said with alarm ”I almost forgot, we got these.” She set down the two items in their hands and they looked them over curiously. The first was an old metal key with an ornamental handle and the second was an orb that oddly seemed to radiate darkness. ”If this is the item…” Era said, holding up the bizarre orb, ”…Then this must be the key to another room!”
”I bet you’re right!” Riley said excitedly as Era placed the orb safely in their bag. ”Let’s go try the other door down that hallway!” The two hurried across the second landing, surrounded by the eerie silence of the main hall again although nothing was there, just like before. When they arrived at the second door, Era put the key into the lock and turned it. There was the satisfying sound of a bolt sliding out of place and the door swung open, inviting them to enter. Era took the key back out and slid it into the bag again, just in case. They glanced at each other and then went inside, walking together into the next part of the challenge.
This room contrasted greatly with the other room, lights shining practically everywhere within. A sign was inscribed in bloody red letters, “Dr. Macabre’s Hospital” and in smaller letters below it read, “We’ll take care of you.” Riley laughed a little, ”Dr. Macabre, isn’t that just a little too obvious?” he said, ”And the subscript is a terrible pun too.” He was trying to make Era feel better, but here it wasn’t that hard. This was as if they were trying to make it laughable. Era gave a nervous laugh of agreement although she wasn’t thoroughly convinced. She had a bad feeling about this place.
They walked past the sign and along the path itself, and immediately they were met with an array of terrible sights. It was more like a butcher shop than a hospital, on one table there was an arrangement of decapitated heads, arranged from smallest to largest. Era gulped as she saw a Pichu head, looking away from the horrified look that the non-living eyes still held. On the other side of the room, various appendages of Pokemon hung from the ceiling; here a Slowpoke’s tail; there a horn from a Rhyperior; a Macargo’s shell; tentacles from an Octillary; and many other unpleasant sights. Era kept as close as she could to Riley who walked on looking about unfazed.
As they walked onward, horrified screams could be heard along with the growl of something that sounded suspiciously like a chainsaw. Shadows could be seen on the opposite wall of grotesque scenes all featuring a disturbing Vigoroth wielding various tools of a doctor’s profession and amputating his patients. He cackled delightedly amidst the screams of his unfortunate victim before showing up suddenly in another montage. A small Whismur in a nurse’s cap was scribbling something at a table they passed. She suddenly turned around and smiled at them, revealing part of her face to be torn apart, and she held up a scalpel, ”Want to play doctor?” she asked.
Era bolted in terror at the Whismur, barreling forward as if there was no tomorrow. Riley cried out in alarm for her to stop, but she couldn’t hear him; her heart was pounding too loud for her to hear anything. She raced past several operating tables with pieces of Pokemon on them, hurried past a vat labeled “Medicines” that was bubbling evilly, and stopped, panting hard, as a wall blocked the path from continuing. A voice suddenly assaulted her from all sides, its evil cackle sounding right behind her. ”Welcome to the operating room,” it said, although its source wasn’t around, ”This won’t hurt a bit.”
Era stood, paralyzed with fear, as the sound of footsteps began. They were slow and deliberate, and the evil laugh was still echoing in her ears although she couldn’t hear it any more. She backed up until she found her back against the operating table. Era knew she shouldn’t look, but her eyes were drawn to it beyond her control, causing her to gasp with horror at the sight of an Eevee lying there. It was sown together like a paper doll, and a frightening stitched smile was on its face. Oh no, no it couldn’t possibly be… ”Era!” Riley’s voice sounded from the path behind her, the Eevee’s fur bristling with alarm. ”Don’t take off on me like that, you had me scared I’d lost you!”
The Pikachu’s eyes teared up and she ran over to Riley, hugging the Eevee close, ”Riley, you’re alright, you’re alright…” she whispered over and over again, holding him to her and listening to his heartbeat. Thank Arceus you’re alright…
”Of course I’m alright, why wouldn’t I be?” he asked, after recovering from the initial surprise from Era’s hug. She pointed a paw in the direction of the stuffed Eevee and buried her head in his fur so as not to have to see it again. ”Oh…” Riley said, realizing what had spooked her so much, ”But it’s alright, I’m here, I’m okay.” Something caught Riley’s eye then, which caused him to wriggle away from Era in spite of himself. ”Hey look, there’s something over there,” he said, pointing at a cabinet of sharp surgical equipment. He walked over to it and opened it up, a victorious smile on his face. ”Era! We have our second proof!” From within the Eevee pulled out a doll with the same creepily stitched smile from the stuffed Eevee along with another key. He placed them on the ground before looking around for one last thing. ”Ah, there we are,” he said, pressing a button cleverly hidden beneath a surgical mask which opened up the door before them.
Era picked up the proof and the key, putting the doll into the bag immediately but holding onto the key. As they walked out and the door swung shut once more, she let out a sigh of relief. There were only three more left, just three more. She paused to examine the key, wondering where it would lead them. ”Which one do you think it unlocks?” she asked Riley.
”Only one way to find out,” was his cheerful response. They headed down the grand staircase, and Era shivered again involuntarily as they reached the first floor. There was something about this hall that wasn’t quite right, although she couldn’t put her finger on it. Riley headed to the left door first so Era tried the key there, only to find that it wouldn’t fit. ”Well I guess that answers that question,” the Eevee said, turning to head to the other door. Era followed, trying the key again, and this time it worked perfectly, the door swinging wide open for them to enter. Era put the key in the bag like before, alongside the proof and began to walk in. ”Wait,” Riley said, stopping Era before she walked inside, ”Will you be alright?”
Era swallowed nervously, it didn’t look so bad, but then again the others hadn’t looked bad from the outside either. ”Just stay close, alright?” she said to Riley, putting her paw on his back as if to reassure herself of his existence. Her companion nodded in agreement and stepped inside, Era following right behind.
The area was lit with oddly colored strobe lights of blues and whites, the shades mixing together to give almost a misty appearance to the light filled air. The floor was almost like a street, cobbled in a way similar to that of an old city road. Era and Riley made their way warily onward past well constructed walls painted to look like a cityscape, with Pokemon walking by now and then their faces concealed. Up ahead there were two Pokemon talking intently and as Era and Riley got closer, the conversation grew more violent, punches being thrown and shouts being heard. Suddenly the glint of a knife blade was seen and everything went black, something wet sprinkling the two lightly across their faces. When the lights came back up, a corpse lay on the ground and blood trailed further up the road. As they looked at each other, Era was slightly chilled to find red speckles on Riley’s face, which she was certain were also on her own. Don’t panic, don’t panic, it’s just like before, nothing to worry about. Riley handed her the handkerchief from before, having just wiped off his own face and she gratefully accepted it, doing the same before it wasn’t taken back by the Eevee and not seen again.
They continued onward to find more corpses strewn along the way. They started out just being stabbed in a fatal location but soon they grew more unpleasant. The killer began to get creative with his knife, engraving designs into the flash of his victims. Era cringed away from the body of a little Igglybuff that had butterfly designs drawn in blood all over it, and Riley hurried her onward, slightly disturbed himself by how gruesome this haunted house was becoming.
Soon the corpses weren’t alone, the moans of those dying ahead on their path became audible, and they weren’t killed as quickly either. Bloody handprints lined the pavement where victims had struggled to find help; and some of them began to be still bleeding profusely as the pair passed them by. None of those who were there were alive though, that was one thing they all had in common. A fog billowed in making everything appear more menacing than before, and corpses seemed to come from nowhere, their unseeing eyes staring up into the two partners’ own as they bled out on the street.
At the end of the pathway was one last corpse, this one of an Absol who had words carved into his side. The pair read them, mounting horror growing on their faces as they did. In bloody mangled letters, the body read, “There will be no survivors.” As Era began to back away, Riley stood in front of her, even he was a bit scared by the eerie message. Suddenly the Absol twitched; it reeled about in a puppet-like manner and finally rose to its feet, staring at Era and Riley. ”No survivors…” it muttered jerkily beginning to move towards them. The fog lifted as they continued to back away and it was revealed that all the corpses had gotten up and were headed toward them, echoing the Absol’s words.
”Run!” Riley shouted, turning and bolting down the path, Era following all too willingly. They ran for their lives terrified, and Riley desperately tried to think. ”The others had a button to get out! We have to find it!” The pair desperately looked about for something like the proofs from before but there was nothing, giving them no choice but to keep running from their pursuers. At last they reached the paths end, and there lay what they needed. “Sweet dreams” was written in blood across the pavement, and at the end was the knife. Era grabbed the knife, finding the key tied to the other side and looked over a Riley who was looking for their escape. At last the Eevee spotted it, pressing down hard on a pavement tile that was askew. The wall opened up into the door, just like before and the pair was out of their as fast as they could run, not stopping until they were outside and the door slammed closed behind them.
They took a moment to catch their breath, both still recovering from the fright they’d just experienced. Riley was first to recover, his heart rate finally returning to normal. ”Arceus, that was insane,” he said, looking at Era with wide eyes. ”Let’s hope the next one’s nothing like that.” The Pikachu nodded, her eyes focused on the door they would likely enter next and she removed the binding from the knife and the key, putting the former into the bag. She sighed, walking over to the door on the other side although every fiber of her being protested going through yet another haunted house. She slipped the key into the lock and turned it, the door unlocking as easily as the others, and yet again she put the key back in the bag for safe-keeping. The two didn’t bother with discussion this time, just moving ahead into the next terror that was in store for them.
Inside, they were met by a chill breeze again, just like in the last room, but this time it was different. The floor was paved with plain white tile as far as the eye could see and the same applied to the walls and roof. Out of the floor jutted identical statues made of the same stone or marble that the floor was made of. Era crept nearer to one to get a closer look and was surprised; the statues were of angels, these were tombstones. Riley followed her and looked at the tombstones sadly, feeling almost as though this were a real graveyard. Somewhere the sound of an organ could be heard, playing a low and mournful tune, and silhouettes could be seen far in the distance walking amongst the graves. It could have been peaceful and merely sad if it wasn’t inside a haunted house, but it was.
Era and Riley wove their way through the tombstones, chills coming over both of them as they got into the spirit of the place. It was dimly lit by blue candles, and without warning a swarm of Zubat flew past, startling them both. There was little to nothing aside from the graves there, but it was plenty. Every now and then a hand was seen sticking out of the earth and clawing to get out, or otherwise the clattering and creaking of old bones could be heard as the sound of skeleton nails being scraped against the tombstones was heard. Era began to shiver uncontrollably, and Riley pressed up against her, trying to soothe her fear a bit.
On the sides of the graveyard were diggers burying their victims alive and zombies rising up out of the graves to devour innocent passers-by. Shrieks and blood curdling cries could be heard from all sides and they suddenly stopped as Era and Riley reached the back of the white graves. Ahead stood a huge mausoleum, its white stone doors standing wide open in a very ominous manner. Both of them swallowed their fear and pressed onward, determined to get to the end. They were over halfway done, it couldn’t be that much longer until they were out of this place now.
Inside the mausoleum it looked very similar to the outside, only there were piles of white marble coffins stacked up within, some rattling and shaking as their occupants tried to get out. They continued onward to hear the sound of a young girl’s voice, a little Shinx sitting and staring at the wall. ”Sleep sleep little one, I will always be here. Never ever shall we part, I will stay your fear. Now the sun has gone at last, now I meet eternal night, wait for me my lovely child, I’ll come for you and steal the light.” She turned to face Era and Riley when her song was done, her face lonely and sad, ”Momma will come for me soon, right? she asked, ”And you can come with us too!”
That was enough to send them hurrying off further inside, the girl’s distorted childish laughter following them as they went. In the very center was an alter-like object, and on it rested a box and a key. Era bolted towards it, grabbing both items and putting the first in her back. As it went inside it opened and began to play the tune of the little girl’s song, causing her to fumble with the key as she rapidly slammed it shut. Riley jumped up onto the altar, pushing the candle that burned on top of it to one side. The back of the mausoleum opened up into the door and they hurried through it, not wanting to spend another moment there.
The door slammed shut behind them as it had the past times and they stopped for a moment, uncertain of what to do. They had a fourth key, but there was no door for it to unlock. They looked around with some confusion when it dawned on Riley, ”The first door!” he said, pointing back at the door they’d entered from. They’d never checked to see if it was locked, which meant that it must be what they were looking for. Era went over to it with the key, putting it into the keyhole that she hadn’t noticed before. Sure enough, it opened up and she put the key back in the bag as they entered through the door again.
The instant they stepped inside though, they knew something was strange. The hallway wasn’t the same, it was darker somehow, and as they stepped forward something clicked and the whole room began to spin. Both of them squeezed their eyes shut as the spinning became too much for them, holding onto each other tightly until it ceased. When they opened their eyes they were astonished to find that everything was different. The hallway was no longer a hallway; it was a hall of mirrors.
Riley raced over to one of the mirrors, looking at his distorted reflection with amusement. The mirror made him look a great deal taller than he actually was, and skinnier too. ”What a weird thing to have in a haunted house!” he said, moving to the next one which made him look shorter and pudgier. He laughed, ”It’s more like a fun house than a haunted house!”
Wouldn’t you like to think so? a voice echoed through the hall, and both Era and Riley looked about frantically to see where it came from . It cackled menacingly and suddenly distorted red and orange lights of all colors came on as it concluded, Well then the fun is just beginning! The evil laughter that filled the room made Era shiver as Riley backed away from the mirrors; clearly this wasn’t as innocent of a place as it looked.
They walked forward slowly through the hall as carnival music began to play, twisted and changed so that it hardly sounded like music at all. Their reflections in the mirrors weren’t their reflections anymore, monsters and psychopaths and madmen taking their places. Everywhere they looked it was a different face, a different horror that they faced. It was almost scarier than anything else to be surrounded by silent horrors like this, even as the carnival music continued on.
The further they went inside, the more complicated the hall became. It was like a maze that it was impossible to escape from; if you thought you entered one way you doubtless went the other, even without intending to. It destroyed any sense of direction that either of them might have had what with all of the distractions in the mirrors, and nothing to keep them on the right path. It was infuriating to come to a dead end and have the reflection in the mirror tease you and it was very wounding to one’s pride.
In the end, they finally came to the end of the path, which stopped abruptly in a circular room of mirrors that had no exit except for the one they had entered from. Here their reflections were just that; their reflections, but there was something odd about them. The reflections moved of their own accord, jumping up and down and glaring at their owners, making them both begin to wonder if they were seeing things. It grew stranger the longer they stood there. Their reflections suddenly pulled out daggers, turning to face each other and began attacking each other. It was enough to drive anyone mad, watching themselves kill their companion over and over and over again, just like a record stuck on repeat. The longer they watched, the more horrified Era became until she finally did the only thing she could think of. She sent a Thunderbolt straight at the glass opposite her, shattering the glass into several smaller pieces and everything suddenly came to an abrupt halt.
The music ceased the reflections were gone, and even their own breathing was scarcely audible. Era walked up to the shattered mirror, Riley close behind, and they found a small stand with a perfect round mirror lying on it and one last key. Era let out a sigh of relief and took them both and placing the mirror in the bag. Shortly after she pressed a button that was built into the stand and a door opened, letting them both through. They found themselves once again in the hallway from the start; nothing but silence and candles to keep them company. When they reached the door at the end, Era unlocked it and they both stepped outside, relieved to see the light of day again. Riley put his paws on her shoulders and she hugged him close as they stepped to the side before she removed their five proofs from the bag: the dark orb, the doll, the knife, the music box, and the mirror. Alongside of them she placed the five keys and then released a breath, relieved beyond words that it was over. One thought ran over and over again in Era’s mind as she stood there with Riley and their proofs and keys, Never again…Never again…
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Crew
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Cherry_chain Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 6:32 pm
  Melissa && HopeMelissa stared up at the building. It was raised on a wooden platform, obviously temporary. This was a travelling circus after all. The opening was the large open maw of some unidentifiable creature. But it seemed to have slits for eyes, horns protruding from various parts of its body, and blood dripping down its serrated teeth that surrounded the black curtain which lead into the beginning of the Halls of Terror. The Bulbsaur began to wonder if this was such a great idea. She knew that nothing in there would actually hurt her (...right?) but the thought of something like that monster jumping out at her was frankly terrifying. But what if it isn't that bad? No, she already told Atra she was going to try it. He would tease her so badly if she chickened out (assuming he wasn't still emoing over everything). Gathering her courage, the Bulbasaur stepped forward, twitching as the fake blood (please be fake...) dripped down from the fangs above to splatter all about her. She pushed aside the black curtain, blinking as a creepy purple mist leaked out to evaporate in the sunlight. "Here goes nothing..." She took a deep breath and stepped in. --- A certain Jirachi watched Melissa going in. She didn't a hard time getting away from Atra, and Hope had followed the Bulbasaur there. Though she was too young to understand what was going on, the magic of her existence drove her on. Melissa had been terrified of going in, so Hope was going to save her from the fear. As the Jirachi flew down into the Haunted Hall after the Bulbasaur, a happy, unaware smile on her face, a fierce wind began to pick up just outside the attraction... Hall One: The Ghostly MistsIt was definitely dark and creepy. Mist swirled gently around her feet, making it hard to see ahead of her. The only lights were offered by small floating candles which all cast a deep purple light. It was completely silent, and the Bulbasaur cast her glance around nervously as she walked forward. It seemed to simply be a long, narrow, featureless room. She could feel rough wood against her feet, and she had an involuntary shiver. She told herself that it was just because it was cold. She was suppose to look for something here to bring back as proof that she had advanced...her vines scoured the ground around her carefully, hoping to maybe bump into an object. Heart pounding in her chest, she was hoping to find whatever it is and just make a break for it before whatever this room had in store comes at her... --- "Get ready guys. We have a Bulbasaur coming in." The Gengar signalled to the assembled ghosts in front of him with a wide grin, three Ghastlies and two Haunters. "You know what to do. Let's start."
As the other ghosts seemed to disperse into mist the Gengar's form changed, his colour and shape adopting that of a Venosaur. Two vines came out of his back to wrap around his head. With a satisfying pop it came off. He settled it carefully on his back.--- Melissa froze and gave out a strangled scream as she felt something wet move against her hind leg. She jumped around, looking from side to side wildly but there was nothing there. She felt frozen in place, unable to move, as the mist around her swirled up around her. Out came laughing, hoarse and cruel, assaulting her from all directions. The Ghastlies laughed to themselves at the success of the Lick attack. Now she was Paralyzed with fear, and the boss Gengar can come in and finish her off. The headless Ivysaur slowly rose out of the ground behind her, the head moaning as the vines grabbed onto it, slowly moving it forward, ready to drop it in front of the Bulbasaur. Melissa heard the thing behind her, but was too scared to turn around to see what had happened. A wind blew through the room then, a powerful gale that tore through the curtain opening, scattering the mist. The Ghastlies and haunters shrieked as they dove down under the floorboard to prevent getting blown apart. The Gengar cursed as his physical-looking form began to melt away, just as Melissa turned herself around. All she saw was a frustrated-looking Gengar fading from green to dark purple. "Bloody hell, that wasn't suppose to happen."And he vanished down into the floor, leaving the Bulbasaur looking thoroughly confused. The effects had been great...until they revealed themselves. And honestly they probably could have been better? Melissa made it down to the other end of the hall, where she faced what looked like the small decapitated head of a Charizard. Beside it was a piece of paper, along with the instructions to "stamp it". She grabbed a paper with her vines and carefully placed it within the Charizard's mouth. She yelped as it suddenly clamped down on the paper, fire shooting out of its mouth. When she finally gathered the courage to take the paper back out, she read it by the dim light of a purple candle, where thin precise lines had been burned on to read: I survived the Ghostly MistsSo that was probably the proof she had to collect. The wall beside her suddenly shuddered as a portion of the wood creaked open like a secret door. Pure blackness awaited her. Hall Two: Belly of the BeastShe stepped in and suddenly her vision was gone. She heard the door creak shut behind her, followed by a click that told her she was locked in. The ground under her was...soft...squishy...slimy. There was the sound of heavy breathing that seemed to reverberate throughout the entire room. And- oh god, was the floor moving up and down? It was cold too...a chill that seemed to settle into her very bones. She could imagine her breath rising before her in the frigid air. She wondered for a wild second if she hadn't been transported to the belly of a Waillord like that little Puppet in the classic story. Taking a deep breath she took a step forward, grimacing as she felt herself sinking a few inches into the soft floor. It was almost hard to keep her balance. Another step in the total darkness and- She froze as her face came into contact with something that felt like...well, it was slimy and soft and squishy and her imagination ran wild. Terrified, she stumbled back and couldn't keep her balance, and she tripped over her feet- The lights suddenly turned on. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, bewildered as she took a look of the room about her. The entire floor seemed to be a giant inflatable balloon, like those bouncing rooms little kids played in. The floor was being constantly inflated and deflated to give the illusion of breathing. Several speakers in the corners of the room played sounds that added to the effect. There were various items scattered around the room, including right in front of her, that were covered in a thick gel-like substance. "Damnit, who the hell turned the maintenance lights on!?" A pause, then more swearing. "Damn! The switch is broken, I can't turn it off. CARL!" A rather irritated Weavile suddenly jumped down from the ceiling, landing in front of Melissa. "What the hell are you still doing here? Scram, off to the next room for you. I have a mess to clean up here-"Melissa scurried across the room where another Charizard stamper awaited her. She was ready for the fire this time, and she left through the open secret door with a paper that said I survived The Belly of the Beast.Hall Three: The Lurking HorrorAs the door closed behind her, shutting her off from the light the new room was dark as well. She could see the Charizard on the other side of the room, illuminated by a purple candle like in the first room. She jumped straight into a sprint towards it, though she was starting to have her doubts about this place. It wasn't so bad...none of it was real. Something dark darted across the edge of her vision, cutting off the light of a candle for only just a moment. She turned immediately, her eyes scanning the darkness, trying to see what it was. There was a ragged, shrill cry behind her and she turned back, eyes widening in horror. It had the head of a Abra with a large horn protruding from its face. It had a large deadly pincer on the end of one short arm as well as a beedril drill on the end of the other. It had only a single, vertical eye right underneath the horn, bloodshot and drawn to a slit. Its body was that of a- The monstrosity suddenly gave out a cry, and Melissa shut her eyes tight as it fell down towards her- -and soared above her, landing with a crash behind the Bulbasaur. Melissa turned around just in time to see the mismatched features coalescing into a groaning pile of pink goo. A ditto. "Calm down miss. It's just a haunted house geez. No need to attack me." It told her grouchily as it struggled together into the form of a misdreavus. "Well you totally ruined this. Go to the next hall then." It said grumpily, turning around to leave. "But I didn't do anything." Melissa frowned, a little annoyed that the Ditto would blame her for its own mistake. She went forward to get her third stamp of I Survived The Lurking Horror and stepped into the next room, feeling kind of lame now. This isn't all that fun if she keeps finding out the tricks behind the horror. Hall Four: The Confounding ReflectionsMelissa blinked. So did dozens of her reflections. Though the past rooms had all been dark, this one was well lit, and she was staring back at herself from all angles. She carefully extended a vine forward and it rested against a solid barrier. Her reflections all reached out with their vines as well. She slowly moved her vine down the solid wall as her eyes found it impossible to see the opening the mirrors. She felt it turn sharply and she walked into that direction, probing her way with her vines. --- The Mr.Mime walked around happily. He could sensed the area around him and knew what was a mirror and what was an open passage that the optical illusions made look like a mirror. He hummed to himself quietly as he tapped a Reflect barrier, shattering it, while randomly placing up new ones. This hall of mirrors was constantly changing, and this Mr. Mime made sure of it.
He could sense a newcomer into his maze and smiled broadly.
A Duskull rose up beside it, the two exchanges nods, and the ghost melted into the wall of Relect Barriers.--- Melissa first noticed something wrong when her reflections stopped walking with her. She walked right into a mirror, and bounced back, rubbing her nose. She hadn't expected that- there was no reflection in front of her, so how was there a mirror? She back in confusion to see her reflections giggling at her, their eyes having turned red, a dark mist creeping up from around them. They seemed to advance on her, and she had to admit they were pretty creepy. Maybe this one would actually go right... One of the Reflection's vines -which had turned black- lashed out of the mirror. Melissa yelped as she backed up right into a solid barrier, the black vine wrapping itself around her front paws as it began to drag her towards it. "Join...us..." It rasped, and Melissa violently pulled her leg free. She turned around and tried to pick the right way to run, the way that wasn't a mirror. Her vines desperately moved over the mirrors as more black vines came out to grab onto her. None of their grips were strong, but it was still freaky as hell. Finally she found the open side and dashed down it as fast as she could. All around her the mirrors were filled with her reflection, laughing at her as they grasped out to try and stop her. She skidded to a stop as she realized there was a mirror in front of her, her eyes darting around for the next open passage. The laughing stopped suddenly, all of them turning to look at the wall in front of Melissa with confusion. A crack had appeared in it, snaking its way outwards. When it hit the first dark reflection- "Auuggh!" A small duskull was violently thrown out of the mirror as everything around her shattered. The Bulbasaur ducked, but the shards of the Reflect Spells simply dispersed harmlessly into mist. The Duskull got to its feet, looking awkwardly at Melissa for a second before ducking down under the floor in embarrassment. Her way to the next Charizard stamp was completely free now, and she made her way towards it, feeling almost resigned to all the unexpected problems. I survived The Confounding Reflections. Hall Five: The MysteryMelissa walked across the next room. It was large, plain, with simple lighting. It was like walking through someone's very large living room when they hadn't brought the furniture in yet. No longer jumpy, Melissa simply began to make her way across the room, almost expecting that something had gone wrong already. This wasn't creepy at all after all, and she could see the Charizard Stamper clearly across the room. --- The Alakzam frowned. He was trying his best to create the illusions that would scare the wits out of the young unsuspecting girl but- nothing was showing up. Scratching his head, he created a new apparition. He could feel his psychic energy being channelled, taking form, but...why did nothing visible happen?--- Well this was kind of lame. Melissa thought dully as she stamped her last piece of paper, I Survived The Mystery. It was a mystery why this last room was so lame. Was maybe its sole purpose meant to just have the guest constantly jumping and expecting nothing? Was that it? Because it might be effective usually but after everything that went on it was just really stupid. Seriously, this place had the potential to give her a good scare, but why did everything always mess up? The secret opening creaked open, allowing sunlight to stream through and she began to walk towards it... --- Hope floated high up in the ceiling, giggling as she simply pulled the Alakazam's illusions up to the shadows of the ceiling where no one could see them. The Jirachi wasn't even fully aware of its own actions, but she was delighted at all the fun.
Melissa's wish seemed to have changed too, and with a happy gurgle the Jirachi raised her sleeved hands up, glowing slightly...-- Melissa took a cautious step back as red mist seemed to come out of nowhere to gather together in front of her. It began to take shape into solid form and colour, and she gaped up at its massive form. It snorted, its triangular, dragon-like head bending down an enormous body to stare down at her. Though its head was whole, as her eyes moved down its body it seemed to go through gradual stages of decay. Flesh hung in scraps from its rib cage where its freshly red beating heart was visible beneath. Its tail was simply a long bony protrusion that whipped back and forth, its spikes digging gouged in the wooden floor. Melissa stared up at it, terrified, hoping that at any minute it would disappear. It did not. With a mighty roar it opened up large, half-rotten wings and burst into flames. Melissa screamed as it bore down at her, mouth wide open, its jaws crashing down about her. She felt it tighten around her body, and with a strangled scream, her vines desperately tried to pry the mouth apart. She was suffocating, it was eating her, going to rip her apart and- She opened her eyes, gasping, her heart going wild as she realized she was standing outside the Halls of Terror. Just behind her, over the door, was a standard "Exit" sign. Apparently she had run out of there as fast as possible, because some passerby's were laughing at her. She felt more than a little annoyed at their attitude- that last bit really had been scary. Maybe the entirety of the first four halls were designed to make her lower her guard...if that was the case, they did a hell of a good job. Shaking slightly, The Bulbasaur made sure she had all five of her stamps and went to find the Lucario. --- "It went wrong for all of you as well?" The Duskull asked the other nervously, and the assembled staff of the Halls of Terror all nodded. "I did not create that last illusion." The Alakazam stated slowly. "D-do you think it's really haunted?" The Ditto-Misdreavus squeaked fearfully. Up above Hope was giggling happily as she made her way back to Atra, having little idea of what she had caused that day.
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2011 5:44 pm
"Excellent! A wondrous adventure."
The Lucario stood in front of Era. He clapped his hands together a few time before suddenly stopping with both hands clasped.
He walked over to Era and opened them. A small piece of paper fell down, seemingly unaffected by the wind.
"I enjoyed seeing what your mind could conjure. Do enjoy your reward, and I hope to see you the next time we're in town."
The ticket that fell to Era was Golden in colour.
By the time she took hold of it, the Lucario would vanish.
~~~~~
"A bit stereotypical, perhaps..." The Lucario chuckled as he stood over the Bulbasaur. "But a wonderful ending."
He took the piece of paper from her hand and took a quick look at it before nodding.
He began to rapidly fold the piece of paper until it was nothing but a small square, no further across than an inch.
After a few light taps from his hand-spike and he handed it down to Melissa.
"Your prize is inside. Congratulations."
The Lucario took his cape in one hand and tossed it, causing it to wrap around him and obscure him from view.
Suddenly the figure inside the cape began to shrink down into the earth until all that remained was a cape that swirled into the earth, as if sucked under by a vortex.
When Mel unwrapped it, there would be two red tickets inside.
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Dark_Hunter-Angelic_Tears Crew
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2011 6:39 pm
Era & Riley Era watched the Lucario head over to them, applauding their efforts and handing over a ticket. As it fell Era held out her paw to catch it, and she heard the Lucario's parting words, but when she looked up, he was gone. Riley was watching the spot the Lucario had disapppeared from with a smile; they were both magicians after all, and clearly the Eevee was enjoying the presence of another magician at the carnival, another good magician at least. Era's eyes reverted to the ticket, staring at its shimmering Golden surface. "What an interesting Ticket," she said softly, trying to get her mind off of the experience she'd just had, "It looks like it's different than the other ones."
Riley smiled, "Probably," he replied, "I heard that the winners of the last competition got a Golden Ticket too, so they must be something special." A grin spread across his face, "You know what that means, don't you? We won Era! We got first place!" The Eevee's tail wagged happily, "Looks like our hard work paid off." His eyes fell to the ground where their proofs had been and found that they were gone. He decided not to mention it, to avoid bringing back any thoughts of their trying experiences in the Halls of Terror. Instead he tried to cheer Era up by sticking to the bright side of things.
Era nodded, hugging Riley again, "Yes, I guess it did," she replied happily. She was so relieved to be finished with that ordeal, so pleased that she'd been able to survive it with Riley's help that she could have kissed him, and so she did. The Eevee's face turned bright red, his expression one of sheer bliss. "Promise me one thing though Riley," she said, completely ignorant to his change in expression.
"What's that Era?" Riley said. At the moment he would have jumped off a cliff if she asked him to.
"Never make me do that again." Riley laughed a little bit, and then Era joined in and they both laughed together as they headed away from the building. Things looked far less frightening from this side of the door, and the daylight shed light on the nightmares that lurked within and made them seem as harmless as spectres of the night reduced to shadows in the day.
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