Explore

You announce. “I’m going exploring. I want to see what’s here.”

You go down the stairs. You feel something dark drawing you to it. You peer into a room on your left. It is a small mausoleum for lesser nobles. You have no interest in it. You keep walking. A few empty rooms line either side of the corridor.

You feel you are drawing near the darkness that pulls you. In front of you the chamber enlarges. You shine your light around. Coffins line the walls. A large, ornate, black coffin sits in the middle of the room on a dais.

You approach it. Within it clearly lies the lord of the castle. You peer into the coffin. In it lies a skeleton. A wooden stake sits in the cavity that would have been his heart. You move the stake to get a better look at him. You tremble. He looks just like the vampire in your family’s oral history.

You touch his skull gently, almost expecting it to bite you. You run your hands across the skull into his mouth.

“Ow!” You catch a finger on something sharp.

As you stand up to leave you figure you should buy a lottery ticket. Your mind staggers at the odds of you being here.

You walk toward the exit.

Behind you you hear. “Hello, Gena.”

The voice is deep, strong, and powerful. You want to turn and see what is there, but part of knows it will be something terrible.