30: Personage of Supernatural Significance
“The front door appears to be surprisingly intact,” she said into her dictaphone, “I have also noticed that the path to the door appears to be worn slightly, suggesting some sort of recent activity.” John spun around to scan the dark path himself, while Phoenie continued, “Perhaps this is from previous investigators. How deeply they penetrated into the abode of the personage of supernatural significance I do not know, but I shall be looking for signs once we are inside,”
She continued to muse aloud as she led the group through the creaking metal door and into the lobby. John and Theseus swung torches around to illuminate the cracked walls, unhinged doors and faded paintings that had once made up an extravagant residence.
“Many of the rumours speak of shadows on the higher floors,” said Phoenie, more to her recorder than her friends, “Therefore I propose we start our investigations from the top,”
Without asking her team for their opinion she began to creep up the large staircase that dominated the centre of the hallway. Covered in rotting carpet with a creak on every step, it took the others a moment of consideration before they followed. Dante, however, remained at the base, arms crossed.
“It’s not right, is it?” he asked Phantasia, “You’re supposed to be psychic, can’t you feel anything?”
Phantasia stopped and tried to focus her senses in the corrupted atmosphere. “It’s hard to say,” she said, “This whole mansion has a heavy aura I can’t really penetrate,”
“That’s just the personage of supernatural significance,” said Phoenie from atop the stairs, “What else could it be?”
“Paranoia,” replied Theseus, “You idiots are all as bad as one another,”
“Nothing on the night vision,” said John, “I could try heat, but I severely doubt that will pick up anything,”
Phantasia ignored the banter and tried to focus again. The aura reminded her of the World’s End. It wasn’t the hopeless, hedonistic despair of the Ravens, nor the enmity of the Erebus mural or the dark ritual. It was something else, a feeling she’d only experienced for the briefest of moments that she’d forgotten about until now.
“Are you two staying down there?” Phoenie’s voiced echoed down from above as the group slipped through a door, “I’m pressing on into the bowels of this mystery mansion. If you’re concerned, maybe you could meditate on—”
She screamed, soon followed by Andromeda and Katrina’s screams, while Theseus joined in with some harsh expletives. A moment later they came crashing out of the room they’d just entered and stumbled towards the stairs, only to freeze in their tracks and flee through another door instead.
“I knew something was up,” said Dante.
Phantasia could see them now, like amorphous stains emerging from the fog of corruption. Shambling humanoid figures with skin as grey as stone and blood-shot eyes burrowed deep into their sockets, emitting guttural moans from lipless mouths. They stumbled out of the cracks as if they’d been living as part of the walls themselves, their stick-like arms covered in filthy rags stained with dry blood and vomit, hands ending in searching, twitching fingers. One noticed Phantasia and Dante and redirected its uncoordinated stupor towards them.
~ Zombies? Here? What is this madness?! ~
~ Next: Survival Horror?! ~
