>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCsInAfdMYwStephanie and Priscilla paused at the top of the stairs for a second, to catch their breath, making sure nobody was following them before staring down the long hallway ahead of them. There were numerous doors on either side, and the bay window at the end cast long shadows down the grimy carpet every now and then, as lightning tore the skies apart outside; moths flying around the peeling fleur-de-lis wallpaper, and the lamp sitting on the small table about halfway through, inching closer to the edge with every thunder.
"So *huff* what now?" Priscilla asked; hands on her knees.
"I'm gonna go get Mikey." Stephanie turned her toothbrush a couple times to tighten her bun. "You should go look for Audrey and Spencer."
"What about Amber and Derek?"
"Amber's like Spider-Man with boobs-- She could easily cheer her way out of a tight spot. Derek, um... Derek's a dude. He can handle himself, right?"
"So is Spencer."
"Barely..."
"Good point."
"Okay, go. We meet back here in five."
-----
The basement door creaked open, and the horned visitor began his descent down into the bowels of the mansion; the termite-ridden old staircase moaning with each step, his axe dripping innocent blood.
The man reached the bottom of the stairs and just stood there for a moment.
"Come on, doofus! They're, like, never gonna find us down here!" a thirteen-year-old Amber in a flowered summer dress called at him; her eyes sparkling, her mouth full of braces.
"RrrRrAaaAaagGggHh!" he swung his axe around. "LeAve mE alOne!"
Little Amber vanished in a cloud of smoke as the blade went right through her; her warm laughter still echoing all around the musty basement.
The man shook his head.
"RiGht... If mEmoRy sErvEs, tHe bReAker bOx mUst bE riiiGht..."
He kicked the giant freezer to the side and lifted the old tarp behind it with a swift motion, using the hilt of his axe.
"...hEre!"
-----
Stephanie was about to place her hand on the doorknob, when Mikey's bedroom door opened.
"Aaaah!" startled, the boy yelled, stumbled backwards and fell on his butt; his toy blaster escaping his grip.
"Mikey!"
"Thteph! What happened?! Why are you all..." he didn't finish his sentence, he just sat there, shaking, motioning toward the bloodstains all over Stephanie's face and hoodie.
"No-no-no, it's ok! I'm fine, I swear!" Stephanie helped him up, handed him his blaster, and made a beeline to the boy's desk. She picked up the school backpack off his chair and peeked inside. There was a pack of Milk Duds and a small water bottle resting among the books and notepads.
"That'll have to do..." she mumbled to herself.
"Thteph, you're thcaring me... What'th going on...?"
How could she even begin to answer that? She strapped the backpack onto the boy's back, and kneeled down in front of him.
"Okay, little dude... I need you to do me a favor." she grabbed him by the shoulders, doing her best not to stutter.
"Thteph..."
