A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL : CHAPTER 1 – 10
UNINVITED GUESTS 1
The mansion was massive, larger than I had ever imagined. Its sheer size made me feel small, like a speck of dust in the shadow of something ancient. As we walked closer, I felt the weight of it looming over us, an old beast that had long been forgotten by the world but still carried the memory of every soul who had ever crossed its threshold.
I glanced up, and for a moment, I thought I saw movement behind the grimy windows. But when I blinked, it was gone—just shadows, I told myself. Still, a chill crept down my spine. The place looked like it had been abandoned for centuries, left to decay and wither away under the weight of time.
The front gate, which once might have been an imposing barrier, was now rusted and hanging off its hinges, the wrought iron curling into twisted shapes that looked like something from a nightmare. Liam pushed it open with a creak, and the sound made me flinch, though he didn’t seem to notice. I followed him up the overgrown path, weeds and dead leaves crunching under our feet, the silence of the place pressing down on me.
The front door was slightly ajar, a gaping mouth inviting us in. It was huge—made of dark wood and carved with strange, swirling designs that I couldn’t quite make out. Ancient symbols, maybe. I didn’t like the way they seemed to shimmer in the fading light, as if they held some forgotten power. I hesitated at the threshold, my hand hovering over the handle.
“Come on, Selene,” Liam called, already inside. “It’s just an old house.”
Just an old house. Yeah, right. I took a deep breath and stepped inside, immediately feeling the temperature drop. The air was thick, heavy, like it hadn’t been disturbed in decades. Dust clung to everything, swirling in the faint shafts of light that managed to break through the filthy windows.
The foyer was enormous, far bigger than I expected. The ceilings stretched so high I could barely make out the top, lost in shadow. There was a grand staircase right in the center, winding its way up to the second floor like something out of a gothic painting.
The banisters were carved with intricate designs, delicate spirals that looked as though they’d been crafted by a master long ago. But now they were worn, covered in a thick layer of dust that made the whole place feel… forgotten.
Spider webs stretched across the corners of the room, some of them so thick and dense that they looked like lace curtains. They draped from the chandelier overhead—an enormous piece with countless crystals that should have sparkled but were now dull and clouded with dirt. A few of the crystals had fallen, their shattered remains scattered on the floor beneath.
The walls were lined with faded wallpaper that must have been beautiful once, but now it was peeling, curling at the edges like dead skin. Portraits hung crookedly on the walls—stern faces, cold and lifeless, staring down at me as if they were judging our intrusion. The frames were tarnished gold, and the eyes of the figures seemed to follow me wherever I moved. I shivered, tearing my gaze away.
“This place is amazing!” Liam’s voice echoed through the vast space as he ran his fingers along a dusty table. “Can you believe it’s just been sitting here like this?”
I couldn’t answer him. All I could do was stare, my eyes tracing the lines of the grand staircase, the walls, the chandeliers, trying to take it all in. The mansion was beautiful in its own way, but it was the kind of beauty that made me uneasy. It felt too still, like the house was waiting for something.
Cobwebs covered everything—looping over doorframes, draping from the banisters, clinging to the intricate crown molding at the ceiling’s edge. Some of the webs were so thick they seemed almost intentional, like someone had spun them to trap unwelcome guests. I didn’t dare touch them. The mere thought of brushing against those sticky strands made my skin crawl.
I moved closer to the grand staircase, my footsteps soft on the marble floor, though the sound still echoed in the vast emptiness. There was a chill in the air, deeper than the cold outside, as if the house itself was breathing down my neck. I tried to shake the feeling, but it clung to me, settling in the pit of my stomach.
Above the fireplace at the far end of the room hung the largest portrait of all. It was of a man, stern and imposing, his eyes piercing and sharp, though his face held a faint smile that didn’t reach his eyes. I could feel his gaze on me even when I looked away, as if he was watching us with some hidden intent.
“This is unreal,” Liam whispered, his voice full of awe as he stood beside me, staring up at the grand chandelier. “Can you imagine what it must’ve been like back in its prime?”
I couldn’t imagine it. The house felt too full of shadows and secrets. Every inch of it seemed to whisper of something long forgotten, something that didn’t belong to our world anymore.
I swallowed hard, glancing toward the staircase again. The second floor stretched out above us in dark, endless hallways, with closed doors that seemed to hold more than just dust and cobwebs behind them.
“This place is huge,” I finally said, my voice barely a whisper.
Liam just grinned, taking a few more steps forward. “Come on. Let’s check it out upstairs.”
I didn’t want to go. I wanted to turn around, leave the mansion behind, and never look back. But Liam was already heading for the staircase, his excitement pulling him forward, and I couldn’t let him go alone. I mean, I will certainly be scared being left behind.
As I followed him up the creaking stairs, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching us. Not just the portraits on the walls, but something… else. Something that was part of the mansion itself, woven into the spider webs and hidden in the shadows.
The stairs groaned under our weight as we ascended, each creak echoing through the hollow mansion. I clung to the banister, running my hand along the carved wood that was slick with dust, trying to ground myself. The air was even colder up here, and the smell of damp and decay was stronger. It was like walking into the heart of a long-dead beast.
A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL : CHAPTER 1 – 10
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