Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2013 22:58:21 GMT -6
Romano stumbled through the halls, tripping over his own feet. He couldn't stop the shudders that crawled down his spine and made him writhe. A combination of cold from his still-damp clothes and terror from the most recent unsettling experience sent convulsions through his body that made him double over, holding himself as he nervously glanced over his shoulder to be sure that nothing was following him. He found himself whirling around every few seconds, first cautiously moving forward, and then walking backward to satisfy his paranoia. His walking was sporadic as well, alternating between small, shaky steps and long, fearful strides. His gaze flickered to every nook and cranny, never completely trusting anything he saw. It was for good reason: his nerves were so high-strung, he couldn't get his eyes to focus. The hall was spinning, multiplying, blurring in and out in time to his racing heart.
He didn't like being out in the hallway like this. The fear of being stalked from behind, coupled with the fear of the unknown up ahead. He hated it. The entirety of his experience with the Manor has been one long game of endless fear. Every time he thought he had seen the worst of it, it always came up with something to send a new wave of shivers over him. He wanted to scream, but he couldn't. Any sound would alert them, and he didn't want to know what would happen when they found him. Angry, hungry, playful… even if they were in a good mood, he would end up dead. He wanted to duck into a room and hide, but even the closed doors were ominous. Behind any one of them could be the very things he was running from, lying in wait for his fear to drive him into their wide open maws. And even if the rooms were empty, would it really be safety? All he would be doing was trapping himself in a dead end, where any monster could walk in and back him in a corner. It wasn't security; it was a false feeling of security, and Romano couldn't risk letting his guard down.
The place he wanted to be most was outside. Wide open spaces left plenty of room to run, plenty of room to hide, not to mention the small – highly unlikely, but still possible – chance of a way off the property. It wasn't constricting like the endless halls or closed off rooms of the Manor. But he couldn't go outside. He was trapped. The floods still hadn't drained away (where they had even come from, he had no idea), keeping him stranded in the upper floors. There was no way out. What seemed at first to merely be a random inconvenience had turned into a new source of horror. What if they never drained? What if he was trapped up here forever, doomed to wither away until he was just another soulless creature stalking the halls? Well, there is always the roof… He had only been up there once. The distance from the ground had unnerved him, and he hadn't been up there since. But now that all other exits were unavailable, he began to wonder if perhaps there was a way safely to the ground…
A shadow moved out of the corner of Romano's eye. He could swear he felt his heart stop, hugging the wall and gaze darting around to find what it had been. However, in his panic, his vision only grew cloudier. Calm down, you idiot! he thought to himself. It's probably nothing! Focus! But he was asking too much of himself. He couldn't be in that hallway anymore. He ran with all the energy he could muster, turning doorknobs as he went. Most doors wouldn't open. It was almost as if something were blocking them from the other side. Finally, he found one that flew open easily. Running inside, he slammed the door shut behind him.
He stood there, leaning against the door should anything try to follow him inside. As time went on with no adversary making itself known, he managed to calm down enough to breath easily. He was still cold, though, and still shivering. He felt horribly light-headed, but at least now he could see where he was. It appeared to be a study, with desks cluttered with papers and books. Across the room were a few floor-to-ceiling windows, only black void visible through the glass. Was it night time? Or was the Manor trying to show him that there really was no hope beyond these walls, that his whole world was now limited to the upper floors of a mansion that fed off of his fear? There was a fireplace in the room, with charred remains of a fire. Someone had been in here recently. Had they left the room before Romano came in? Were they chased out? Could they still be here in the room, hiding from his field of vision? Were they friend or foe? Too many questions. Too much to think about. He shivered and wished there still was a fire going.
Pushing his discomfort aside, he began to sift through the papers on the desk, eager to find something, anything to keep his mind off the paralyzing terror that he knew would strike if he didn't occupy himself. He wasn't quite sure what he was looking for, but it was something to do. Maybe there is some kind of map of the grounds around here, he thought to himself. There has to be a way out of here…
He didn't like being out in the hallway like this. The fear of being stalked from behind, coupled with the fear of the unknown up ahead. He hated it. The entirety of his experience with the Manor has been one long game of endless fear. Every time he thought he had seen the worst of it, it always came up with something to send a new wave of shivers over him. He wanted to scream, but he couldn't. Any sound would alert them, and he didn't want to know what would happen when they found him. Angry, hungry, playful… even if they were in a good mood, he would end up dead. He wanted to duck into a room and hide, but even the closed doors were ominous. Behind any one of them could be the very things he was running from, lying in wait for his fear to drive him into their wide open maws. And even if the rooms were empty, would it really be safety? All he would be doing was trapping himself in a dead end, where any monster could walk in and back him in a corner. It wasn't security; it was a false feeling of security, and Romano couldn't risk letting his guard down.
The place he wanted to be most was outside. Wide open spaces left plenty of room to run, plenty of room to hide, not to mention the small – highly unlikely, but still possible – chance of a way off the property. It wasn't constricting like the endless halls or closed off rooms of the Manor. But he couldn't go outside. He was trapped. The floods still hadn't drained away (where they had even come from, he had no idea), keeping him stranded in the upper floors. There was no way out. What seemed at first to merely be a random inconvenience had turned into a new source of horror. What if they never drained? What if he was trapped up here forever, doomed to wither away until he was just another soulless creature stalking the halls? Well, there is always the roof… He had only been up there once. The distance from the ground had unnerved him, and he hadn't been up there since. But now that all other exits were unavailable, he began to wonder if perhaps there was a way safely to the ground…
A shadow moved out of the corner of Romano's eye. He could swear he felt his heart stop, hugging the wall and gaze darting around to find what it had been. However, in his panic, his vision only grew cloudier. Calm down, you idiot! he thought to himself. It's probably nothing! Focus! But he was asking too much of himself. He couldn't be in that hallway anymore. He ran with all the energy he could muster, turning doorknobs as he went. Most doors wouldn't open. It was almost as if something were blocking them from the other side. Finally, he found one that flew open easily. Running inside, he slammed the door shut behind him.
He stood there, leaning against the door should anything try to follow him inside. As time went on with no adversary making itself known, he managed to calm down enough to breath easily. He was still cold, though, and still shivering. He felt horribly light-headed, but at least now he could see where he was. It appeared to be a study, with desks cluttered with papers and books. Across the room were a few floor-to-ceiling windows, only black void visible through the glass. Was it night time? Or was the Manor trying to show him that there really was no hope beyond these walls, that his whole world was now limited to the upper floors of a mansion that fed off of his fear? There was a fireplace in the room, with charred remains of a fire. Someone had been in here recently. Had they left the room before Romano came in? Were they chased out? Could they still be here in the room, hiding from his field of vision? Were they friend or foe? Too many questions. Too much to think about. He shivered and wished there still was a fire going.
Pushing his discomfort aside, he began to sift through the papers on the desk, eager to find something, anything to keep his mind off the paralyzing terror that he knew would strike if he didn't occupy himself. He wasn't quite sure what he was looking for, but it was something to do. Maybe there is some kind of map of the grounds around here, he thought to himself. There has to be a way out of here…