Chapter Text
Dim lights met your eyes as you made your way down the dull hallways, the colors desaturated from layers of built-up dirt. Every now and then, your ears would pick up the light sound of water droplets falling against the floors,a sign of the roof's integrity. Everytime a water droplet fell against the floor, another layer of frustration washed over you. The scene that had met your eyes the moment you walked in, was a scene you most certainly despised, although you could never say you weren't expecting it.
Having been abandoned for well over two years, the Heelshire Mansion had sat vacant for a good time, subsequently exposing it to dangers that could have been avoided. Past storms and weather conditions have taken a toll on the house, placing it in a rather run down state. The wood along the outside of the house has long started to rot, the paint peeling and falling off. The windows can no longer be looked through due to built up dirt and muck. Meanwhile, the hinges to every door have begun to rust and wear down, a hindrance that annoyed you the most.
Despite the state of the house, the electricity and water were still on, meaning that the previous owners must have still been paying for it. However, you knew that one day soon, you would have to start paying for your own expenses around the manor. Yet, that didn't seem so bad, especially since this was the house you picked out. A fixer upper, a place you could rebuild and fix to its former glory, a place you could soon find refuge in.
A loud crash met your ears as you ran into a side table, a pain shooting out through the side of your hip. With a hiss, you grabbed your now bruised skin and glared at the table. "Stupid piece of junk!" You whisper yelled in pain, your side screaming in pain. You knew that the pain would fade soon but it still got on your nerves. "What's even the point of having a table in the middle of the hallway? No one is going to use it." You mumbled to yourself, continuing your walk.
Your eyes scanned over a door near the end of the hallway. You approached it and laid a hand on the door knob, twisting it ever so cautiously. Slowly, you pushed the door open, revealing a young child's room, adorned with stuffed toys and innocent decorations. The bed was neatly made, completely free of dust. Taking a step into the room, your eyes cautiously continued to scan the room.
There was a bookshelf along the side of the wall, lined with books. On the edges of the shelves hung toys and figures of clowns. You approached one of the clowns and held it, the painting pattern intriguing you, despite the fact that it was severely fading from abandonment. You smiled at how cute it was before dropping it, leaving the room soon after.
You began walking away from the room when you heard footsteps just behind the door. Your heartbeat quickened and your breath came out in quick intervals. You hadn't seen anyone there earlier, the fact was horrifying. Someone was in the house and you had just been in the same room as them. Glancing around the hallway, you ran to the table from earlier and grabbed an old screwdriver from the top of it, before making your way back to the room.
"Don't put yourself in danger, just check if they're still there." You whispered to yourself before turning the doorknob and throwing the door open, moving the screwdriver defensively in front of you.
You looked around the room, your breath coming out in harsh puffs of air. You couldn't see anyone, nor could you hear anyone. Cautiously, you entered the room once more, one foot in front of the other. The screwdriver was pointed out before you, witnessing the scene before your eyes even met it. "Hello!' You called out, your heart quickening even more. You took another step when your eyes landed on the doll again, this time in a different position than you had left him.
You lowered the screwdriver once you realized that nothing had moved, not even the dust. Letting out a breath that even you didn't know you were holding, you turned away from the scene and walked out of the room once more. " Odd." You thought as you made your way back down towards the parlor, a tense air following you.
When you entered the parlor, you pulled your phone out and quietly played some background music. It was only now the evening, so you had some time to start cleaning. In a mild move of distraction, you began dusting the parlor, refocusing your thoughts on cleaning rather than the incident from earlier.
As the night grew tall and the moon hung high in the sky, you finally decided to call it a day. You had finished the parlor and had started working on the hallway, however, that would be left to complete tomorrow. Grabbing your phone, you made your way into the kitchen and a tupperware from the fridge -a tupperware you had placed there earlier on in the day. You heated the tupperware up before taking a plastic fork from a box and taking your seat at the small table.
"Can't believe I actually committed to moving here. I know I've been joking about fixing this place up for a while, but I never imagined myself actually doing it." You talked to yourself while eating, waving your fork in the air every now and then. The air remained still, unmoving as if it was listening. "I guess everything changes eventually. After all, I am safer here than I was there. All for the better in my books." You took one final bite before grabbing the now empty tupperware and tossing it in the sink.
Standing from the kitchen table, you made your way back into the parlor room and laid down upon an empty coach. You grabbed one of the blankets you had grabbed from your car while cleaning and laid it over yourself. Closing your eyes, you finally felt exhaustion wash over you, dragging you into a world full of clean homes and quiet rooms. It was here that you finally began to feel like you escaped, that you could start over again. After all, no one actually knew that you were up here in the old Heelshire mansion, living a dream that you've dreamt for many months now.
I'll make this place a home.