"Hello there, my fellow scholars of the paranormal and unexplained! This is Kelly Sanders, and as our many viewers at home know, we are; Ghost Stalkers! Our team of expert supernatural investigators are hot on the trail of the latest stir in the haunted house research community, the infamous 'mansion fortress' of Madam Gillespie!" the excited blonde eloquently narrated, before pausing with a frown. Staring into her hand camera, Kelly decided to shoot another take, considering all the honking going on outside their travel van.
Lisa grimaced, hearing the peppy 'team captain' repeat the same insipid lines for the umpteenth time. The irritated young woman knew the only reason Kelly had managed to negotiate such a title, was because of her hot looks. Every time they used her face as a thumbnail, or in an ad, it objectively moved the needle on their viewer numbers, silencing most dissent. But Kelly was just a dumb bitch, Lisa reasoned. Lisa thought the airhead wasn't fit to lead her dogs on a walk, much less their high-stakes entertainment project.
Jack was just going over the camera equipment and other electronic 'paranormal investigation tools'. EMF readers, digital thermometers and sound recorders. They even pooled the money to buy thermal camera equipment. He'd gotten really good at timing wind gusts, and knew how to capture great footage of old walls rapidly changing temperature. What really sold it, was the strange, groaning old-house noises that usually accompanied the gusty zephyrs. The team rapidly discovered the secret recipe to their venture's success; stormy, thunderous weather. The louder the better, one well-timed crack of lightning, and they might crest into the six figures, in terms of online viewership.
Finished with his tinkering, he looked over at the front seat, and realized Danna was wearing headphones. Their driver was totally focused the on road and ignoring the rest of them, like usual. He thought about saying something about driving without being able to hear, but realized Danna wouldn't listen to him, both literally and metaphorically. However, just then, she turned around and whooped, "Hey up! We're here, laddies and ladesses, and I can't see shit over the high walls."
True to Danna's words, and the compounds notorious nickname of 'mansion fortress', it was surrounded by a ten foot tall triple-brick perimeter wall. The foreboding barrier was lined with a triple layer of spiked, serrated cast-iron barbs. It gave the place an ominous appearance, like a marching phalanx of diabolical spearmen were just behind the wall, waiting.
When they got out of the van and stated stretching their legs, they could just barely see the top floors of the dilapidated mansion. All the windows were securely barred with black metal cages. The front gate looked damn sturdy, like it might win a head-on collision with their van driving full-speed. Fortunately, they'd negotiated everything with the current owners, who were glad for the publicity the 'Ghost Stalkers' team might attract. They had a mind to turn the place into a public Halloween attraction, but needed the 'lore' to get more established before people would travel far to visit. Just like the owners had said, there was a key waiting for them underneath an old, conspicuous rock.
"Fuck, Danna, I'm gonna need your help. This gate is HEAVY!" Jack said with strained effort as he lumbered with the creaking entryway. Danna made the difference, and soon they were working together to get their equipment crates onto the building's front porch. The owners had promised them the building was structurally sound, but even so, had insisted their team sign waivers. A few falls and rusty nail jabs were just part of the business, as far as Jack was concerned. Lisa thought differently after that nasty business in the 'Hotel of Terrors' in Connecticut, but nobody in the group paid attention to Lisa, or her numerous opinions.
Kelly forced Lisa to hold up the cue-cards as she read out her lines for the camera, "The title 'mansion fortress' certainly seems apt, doesn't it folks? Behind me, is the notorious residence of Madam Gillespie. The history of this long-passed woman is a tragic one, listeners! Once a kindly old spinster of considerable inheritance, a band of hooligans ran afoul of the isolated woman. After the authorities briefly became involved, the gang swore vengeance. This began a dark spiral of escalating rivalry between them. Increasingly destructive vandalism induced Gillespie to invest her remaining wealth on outfitting the grounds with these fortifications, but her nemeses were mischievously determined. The feud escalated to tragic proportions, when one of the young group died in a trespassing attempt. Incensed beyond reason, the remainder later broke into Gillespie's house with murderous intent, but found the woman surprisingly capable of defending herself. Authorities only arrived much later on the scene, to find Gillespie dead in her house, along with every single one of the intruders. Sporadic sightings of the woman's ethereal presence and other odd occurrences have been reported ever since!"
"Great, perfect take, you looked... really cute in the footage," Lisa said with pained exasperation, as Kelly mulled the situation over.
A short while later, Kelly offered, "Nah, let's do another take. I think we'd get a better angle... over there!"
Danna looked over at Jack, as the two realized this situation was prone to escalate, prompting their immediate intervention. "We should head in, it looks like it'll break out in rain at any moment," Danna offered thoughtfully, prompting Kelly's cat-like reflexes to activate. The blonde team captain ushered everyone inside, deeply fearful of drenching her expensive hairdo.
"This is the interior, and folks, let me tell you. I can feel a spine-tingling sense of dread upon entering the threshold--OHMYGODWHATWASTHAT?" Kelly exclaimed, with an almost commendable amount of genuineness. Jack rapidly panned the camera in a frenzy, getting random footage of the spooky foyer's chandelier, dark corners and once-opulent, now ramshackle, staircases. He switched to the thermal camera setting, tuned to its most sensitive possible settings, capturing an interesting display of coruscating heat-indicating colors upon the walls. More than Jack expected, prompting the man to savor the valuable footage. Danna had her EMF out, and was filling the dead-air and scared breathing with an atmospheric, distorted crackle, perfectly setting the mood.
"You feel that right? Like... Something's here, like something doesn't want us in this place..." Kelly murmured, her eyes nervously rolling about. Lisa had to give her rival credit for this one. Normally she hated it when Kelly improvised the lines she'd written for her, but the blonde really sold her terror. When Kelly didn't let up for some time, Lisa almost felt a little spooked herself. The matter-of-fact girl quickly relented, however, surmising the ditzy 'captain' was just getting better at her acting.
They continued their planned-out walkthrough of the building's most interesting rooms, much of the mansion beyond-limits due to rot and structural decline.
"This is Gillespie's living room. Despite having a house with over 43 different opulent sections, the isolated biddy spent the vast majority of her time right here, watching TV," Kelly continued, slowly walking backwards with careful grace. Jack was following with the camera, Danna and Lisa flanking him.
"Guys, guys, check it! My EMF is going fucking cray-zay!" Danna enthused, proudly showing it off to the camera. The other members cringed a bit, knowing Danna was breaking Keyfabe by acting so giddy and excited, but all the same, the EMF readings were great. When the crew piled into the musty, old living room, smelling of mold and old maid, nobody was prepared for what happened next.
"Yeah, I feel it, like, her presence is strongest here," Kelly murmured, closing her eyes and holding her hands up in a gesture of other-worldly contemplation. The blonde woman yelped in fear as the television suddenly blared on, airing an old sitcom rerun. "Oh-oh, hey, wow! Uh, what a sign!" Kelly awkwardly stammered. She was not prepared for the television's unprovoked activation, but assumed it to be some trick of Jack's or... something. Probably trying to rattle her, and get truly genuine footage. She half liked the idea of it, but mostly hated it, her heart hammering wildly.
Jack, however, just felt spooked as fuck, while Tim Allen and Richard Karn blared out of the black-and-white television. He turned to Danna and whispered, "The fuck? Does this place even have power? What am I saying... of course it does, duh!" For consoling emphasis, he gestured at the flickering television, internally berating his own gullibility. The grainy footage of Home Improvement ebbed out of view, replaced with the buzzing white noise of television static. The volume growing louder and louder, the chaotic blare having a tinny, needling quality that deeply troubled each of the Ghost Stalkers. It rose into a warbling crescendo, increasingly assuming the tenor of a pained, yowling wail. At the very end, it crested to an unmistakable female scream, filled with hateful anger, before the television silently turned off. Just then, Jack spoke up again, "Uh guys, m-my camera... it's not working anymore." Everyone else checked their phones and electronic equipment, finding them similarly unresponsive, as if utterly drained of battery.
Everyone was silent for a few moments, until Danna spoke up, "Let's go regroup in the van and uh... look over the footage, okay?" Everyone nodded in affirmation at the tall woman's wise words, as they silently marched back out the way they'd come, no longer fidgeting with their cameras or gizmos. When they marched to the building's wide, front doors and tried to open them, however, they discovered they were suddenly and mysteriously locked shut. Jack fidgeted with the old, rusty handles for some time, until one broke off in his hand. Dropping it in shock, he muttered a series of curses to himself as the three others grew increasingly alarmed.
Not having the sense to guard her words, Lisa said, "Guys, y'know, with the research I did... The police theorized Gillespie intentionally let the teens in, under false pretenses, knowing they were trying to kill her. They said she got them divided up in her mansion, and managed to kill them all, one by one..."
Kelly angrily retorted, "What the fuck is your point, Lisa? We can't film this shit anymore, why are you bringing up that stupid ghost shit?"
"B-Because... unless someone's messing with us right now... Look, all I'm saying is, let's stick together, okay?" Lisa squeaked, sounding increasingly alarmed. Just then, the entryway's massive crystal chandelier came crashing down amidst them, sending slicing sprays of sharp, shattered glass in every direction. The four of them split up, utterly lost in mortal terror while they scattered about the ominous mansion.
***
Kelly darted through a door under the staircase, unknowingly stepping into the servant's quarters. She passed through a musty hallway, the ratty carpet tearing under her boots as she worriedly stepped along, wondering if she should turn back. Just then, upon entering the homes aged kitchen, she spotted a sight that set her heart racing. Just over yonder was the unmistakable glow of an old flip phone, just laying there in a strange cupboard. Approaching the dumbwaiter none-the-wiser, Kelly immediately reached for it, happy to call for rescue.
As soon as she leaned down between the large dumbwaiter's cabinet doors, they suddenly flew against her sides, ushering her into the cramped space. Kelly immediately began shrieking in alarm, clasping the phone in her hand as the tethered elevator platform lowered her deeper and deeper. Kelly became increasingly alarmed as the dumbwaiter's chamber seemed to go inexorably deep, until she looked around and realized the surrounding shaft was looking increasingly wet and sticky. Her panic turned to hysteria as she realized the walls seemed to be... undulating around her. When the platform bottomed out, Kelly was half-submerged in a pit of stinking, foul-smelling gunk.
She tentatively pressed at the surrounding walls, cringing in disgust as they felt warm, and trembled against her fingers. Her scared gasps and whines turned to a chorus of shrieks as the walls began heaving chaotically, folding up against Kelly in a jumble of slippery, pressing membranes. The blonde woman simply didn't know how to handle the dark, inexplicable terror that overcame her in the moment. It was like being trapped within a living beast's gut, the rippling walls of her enclosing chamber pressed her into an increasingly compressed and degraded state.
Luckily, Kelly sole, relevant instinct to the situation triggered. She still grasped the strange phone in her hand tightly, and tried dialing on it, only for a call to go through immediately, unprompted. Kelly was frustrated, before realizing it was patching through to Lisa's number. Maybe they'd gotten their cellphones working, and could send her help before it was too late!
***
Lisa's arm was bleeding profusely from being grazed by chandelier crystal. The woman was in a panic, not thinking straight as her arm throbbed with pain. She darted into a nearby bedroom, ripping off a piece of her own shirt to staunch the bleeding. Suddenly, a vibration in her pocket alerted Lisa to her phone's sudden reactivation, the scared woman blessing her luck. She fished out the phone with her uninjured hand, seeing that Kelly had managed to get a call through to her.
Lisa was feeling more comforted by the moment, realizing there phones were working now, though she was getting terrible reception at the moment. She lifted the cellphone higher, seeing the third, necessary bar flickering on and off as she tested around the room for the zone of best connection. Lisa was so focused on the glowing screen of her device, as Kelly's number rang through again, that she just followed the strengthening signal into the bedroom's large walk-in closet. As soon as she stepped in, the phone finally managed a successful connection and Lisa got through to Kelly.
At first, Lisa didn't know what to make of the strange gurgling, sloshing noises and squeaks she heard, before hearing a strained scream from the other end, unmistakably Kelly's. "K-Kelly? Are you okay? It's me, Lisa, where are you? What's going on, are you okay?"
Panicked and pained gasps returned in reply, before Kelly finally managed, "L-Lisa, help me! I'm s-stuck in the... elevator! OH God, it's burning! It's some kind of pit of acid, it's crushing and burning me! Help! HELP HEEELP--" Suddenly, the phone in Lisa's hand went dead again. Gasping in fear, the mousy woman's emotional state did not improve when the closet doors slammed shut behind her. She tried to open them, but realized the door wouldn't budge. A fluffy sensation at her back brought Lisa to a fit of shrieking, as she whipped around and balked at the strange sight before her.
A part of her mind eased, as she realized she'd brushed one of the old, musty fur coats lining the closets racks. They swayed before her, disturbed by her alarmed movements in the tight space. Lisa looked around, and realized the clothes were moving more than her earlier disturbance had warranted. Just as the realization of this supernatural danger manifested, suddenly the hangered women's clothes started wavering up to Lisa's body, and began wantonly wrapping around her.
Lisa squirmed about desperately, lost in primordial terror, unable to effectively resist whatever mystical event was transpiring. The fur dresses enveloped around the small woman, slithering off their hangers and scurrying around Lisa's flailing body like the wild animals they once were. Lisa's horror just magnified as the cocooning envelope of skittering dresses began exuding a sticky, caustic substance, which clung to Lisa's skin and caused it to itch terribly. Suddenly, Lisa's phone sprang back to life, only to echo out the incoherent, terrified screams of Kelly on the other end.
***
Danna and Jack stared at the shattered chandelier, before looking up quickly to see if there was any other hazards hanging overhead. Finding none, they turned to each other. Jack was the first to begin talking, "W-what the fuck? What was the timing of that? Sure, maybe we disturbed it with our steps or something, but... but--"
"But nothing, fuck that, That was trying to kill us! This house is a goddamned death trap, one way or the other! KELLY! LISA! GET THE FUCK BACK HERE!" Danna yelled in response, cutting Jack off as she called for her startled 'friends'. After not getting any response back, the man said, "Fucking hell, those dumb bitches... They'll probably both end up with their necks broken or something if we don't get them, like turkeys drowning in the rain..."
The two set off together, trying to trace the steps of Lisa or Kelly, noticing their steps diverged. They followed the first set of footprints they found, which lead up higher and deeper into the mansion, near the very top. They passed through a series of opened doors, following the perfect set of footprints forward while calling out, receiving no response back at any point.
When they heard a faint voice just ahead, the pair rushed forward, following the dusty footprints to their origin. They were baffled upon entering, however, finding nothing but an old tube radio in a dirty, small bedroom, caked with ancient filth. The radio was playing the commercial to a house siding installation/repair company's ad, before a song came over the radio. It was "Aretha Franklin's 'The House that Jack Built'"
The pair were so mystified, they just stared dumbly at the old, playing radio as it rasped out a crackling tune,
"Up on the hill there's a big plan still,
In the house that Jack built
(The house that Jack built)
I'm gon' remember this house
(The house that Jack built)
Listen!
I got the house
I got the car
I got the rug
And I got the rack
But I ain't got Jack
(I ain't got Jack, Jack, Jack)
And I want my Jack And I want my Jack And I want my Jack And I want my Jack And I want my Jack And I want my Jack--"
Jack felt immensely creeped out as the radio kept repeating that last line of the song, stuck somehow on a loop, until Danna picked it up and threw it across the room, dashing it instantly. A distorted, low-pitched voice groaned out of the half destroyed radio, before Danna walked up to it and started stomping the thing to pieces.
She turned to him upon finishing, shrugging her shoulders and saying, "What? Fuck whatever was going on there... W-What do you think WAS going on there!?"
Jack felt overwhelmed in the moment, not knowing how to respond. He felt singled out, as if whatever malevolent spirit was hounding them was targeting him now. "I dunno... I feel like, like there's this mark of doom on me. I'm glad you broke that stupid radio, the shitty thing's noise was hurting my head... I keep hearing that song," Jack's voice sounded pained and distracted as he spoke. Spooked, but still intent on finding their friends, the pair continued exploring through the house.
Hours passed, and as no sign of either of their friends materialized, Jack and Danna grew increasingly anxious. They tried looking for viable exits as well, but found every window they passed maddeningly barred with immovable iron rods. After a few more hours had passed, the pair gave up all pretenses of looking for Lisa or Kelly, and just focused on finding a way out.
The pair both spotted it at the same time upon entering the mansion's large attic, staying close together as they explored the houses' rooms. There was a window, like the many others, but a few of the iron bars looked out of alignment, perhaps loosened by some previous event or just rotting deterioration. It was still covered by a locked shutter made of heavy, thick wood, so the pair went around looking for something to bash it open with. Jack shuffled through the various boxes of nick-nacks and stowed clothing fruitlessly, before spying the absolutely perfect thing. It was an old, wooden craftsman's carrying case, filled with all manner of fine tools. Even if those bars wouldn't budge, the chisel and large hammer before him might do the job somewhere else. He bent low, picking up the hammer quickly, but as soon as Jack touched it, a powerful vision overtook him, and a strange, ethereal voice spoke within his mind, <I've been waiting for you, Jack.>
While Jack became mesmerized by the seemingly-innocuous hammer in his hand, Danna was still distracted in her search for something useful to bash their way free. She saw a huge, wooden chest, ancient and lacquered, with a little plaque on the front that read "TOOLS" in big lettering. Danna yelled out in triumph, "Hey! Jack! I got what we need, let me just get this sucker open and--" But when Danna pried the heavy, half-suck lid open, she was not greeted by a bundle of old woodcrafting gear.
The first strange thing she noticed, were the viscous, wet strands connecting the chest's top and bottom rims. As soon as the chest widened further, Danna was puzzled by the sight before her. The chest was full of meat, and not old meat either, fresh, wet meat that glistened in the room's dim light. The puzzled woman looked closer, and realized the inner lining of the chest's ream appeared to almost have little teeth. Just as she made this up-close observation, a long, prehensile tongue extended from the containers center, and firmly cinched about the woman's thin neck. "Oaahh-HURRKkkcc!" Danna managed, before the tongue squeezed so tight she could barely gasp. It violently reeled her into the box's gooey, fleshy interior, which felt like the meat of a clam upon Danna's skin. She desperately tried to resist, but the monstrous container had already gained too much initiative in the surprise attack, and quickly dragged the tall girl down between its closing rims. The chest sealed with a wet, gooey smack, muffled cries emanating out from within.
The loud smack of the chest sealing awoke Jack from his stupor. He heard the faint, muffled yelps, and approached the source with hammer-in-hand. He approached a huge, wooden chest, which looked to be oozing clear slime from its corners, like a drooling basset hound. Hearing Danna's cries within, Jack approached the box, which bore a plaque reading "GILLESPIE" in cursive letters. Jack was just about to smack the box apart, when it's lid opened up, and it began speaking to him with an inhuman, monstrous voice, "Jack, wait. We have to talk."
Jack was paralyzed by the incomprehensible site before him, as the chest began speaking, its lid flapping like a top jaw, "This house needs you... I need you. You have the skills, I saw you, I saw inside of you. Embrace your life's purpose, life with me here, you no longer have a choice. If you don't live with me here, you'll die with me here, like all the rest!" It was then that Jack noticed Danna's tightly curled body squirming deep within the chest, her scared face briefly visible when the possessed box would speak.
Jack raised the hammer high, undeterred from his plan to save Danna, whatever it took. Seeing him press forward, the chest quickly spoke again, "You fool! Don't you understand? I'm not just some stupid chest, I'm this whole house now! Every part of it, it's all like a part of my body! And you, you're all just parasites... except you don't have to be, Jack! You can be my... my symbiote! Smash this chest apart, maybe you can still save your friend. But I'll get you eventually, I've been intentionally leading you along, so we could speak directly like this. Trust me, if I so choose, neither of you will leave here alive. So what will it be, Jack, life or death? Danna's fate is already decided. Embrace it, embrace your fate, fix this house, and I will reward you!" And with that final word, the chest slammed firmly shut, the clink of a locking mechanism signaling the end of discussion.
Jack slammed the hammer down on the chest, again and again, but quickly realized the thing wouldn't do the job. Remembering a hacksaw in the tool box he saw earlier, Jack sprinted back, only to be met with a strange sight. All of the attics scattered items from their search had arranged into a neatly spelled message upon the floor, "FIX ME OR DIE LIKE THE WHORES". Jack looked around, realizing what madness he was up against, and faltered. If Danna had been attacked by a bear, he would've gladly died fighting the creature to save her. But fighting a possessed, monstrous house? He wasn't a priest or exorcist, he didn't know how to deal with this situation, or even what he was truly up against. Cowardice crept into his heart, and after being faced with the prospect of his own mortality so long, he foundered in the moment of moral imperative.
***
Jack stapled the new siding shingles into place, sweating from the baking sun. He'd been at it for hours, and was feeling both famished and dehydrated. Somehow noticing, a familiar, feminine voice spoke softly into his head, <Jack, Jack you've been working so hard today. Come in, it's time for your reward. Into the kitchen now, I'm nice and full for you.>
His stomach grumbling, Jack crept off the ladder as fast as he dare, before scrambling through the old mansion's twisting hallways. He was well accustomed to the layout at this point, and found himself in the house's kitchen area, before approaching the huge pantry doors. Fingers trembling and curling with excitement, he flung open the doors, marveling at the beloved sight before him.
Staring him straight in the face, was a gigantic, rubbery nipple, the flesh dark and chocolaty except for the pink inner flesh near the nipple's hole. His mouth could barely contain a third of the huge teat, his tongue flapping about the areola expectantly to coax forth his sustenance. His arms stretched out forward, massaging and kneading the huge, soft pantry-breast for fun and to help the milk flow. When the mansion's milk began squirting into his mouth, it was a rush at first, nearly overpowering him as he greedily gulped the thick fluid down. The taste was indescribably delicious, and filled him with a profound, comforting warmth as it flowed from the stupendously large breast residing within the house's repurposed pantry.
Suddenly, Jack's feasting reverie was broken by an agitated psychic message from the house, <Jack, put my breast away, we've got company. My supposed 'owners' are here, to discuss whether to take you on as my full-time caretaker, likely. Remember, don't offer to work for free, that will just alarm them. Make your case just like we rehearsed, I believe in you, sweetie.> Jack gave the nipple a parting kiss, licking away the last few drizzles of thick milk before gently closing the pantry doors. The mansions owners were a total pain to deal with, a couple of real chuckle-fucks. A part of him wondered if, somehow, he could use their visit to attempt an escape, but the thought was faint beyond recognition, a deeply suppressed yearning at the periphery of his consciousness.
Stepping out through the mansions front doors, Jack saw the approaching owners walking up the mansion's stone-work pathway up to the porch, waving gaily. Grumbling inwardly, Jack waved back, and shouted, "Glad you could drop by, come in, let's discuss my employment inside." Jack bowed low, gesturing with his arms as Mr. and Mrs. Cauthorne stepped in.