Alice screamed as the unknown assailant threw himself bodily against the front door, the hinges rattling from the great weight. Cackling from the other side, cold metal slashed against the oak door, a hollow grating noise echoing throughout the house.
"I know you're in there kiddies!" The assailant crowed, his voice wavering as if he were crying. "Such delicious skin needs to be treated and cured appropriately, not wasted on the young as they tan and age it's beautiful ivory purity!"
"This guy is nuts!" Kelly shouted as he and Bade knocked over a bookcase to block the doorway, Alice leaping back into Jeremy's waiting arms, the tall blonde steadying her with a tight smile.
"Maybe we should look for a place to hide until sun up, hmmm?" Jeremy asked looking at the gathered teens. "I did warn you that this island has a bit of history to it and that there were some locals that weren't exactly altogether there."
"You didn't mention loony freaks wielding axes and knives looking to harvest our skin either!" Brian screamed, jumping back as the door shuddered once more. All eyes rested on the cracked form of the door, the broken window next to the entryway where a beefy hand wielding a three-foot blade hacked into the woodwork.
"Yeah, that's not going to hold," Bade said before grabbing Alice's hand. "Come on, let's head upstairs. We can shimmy down into the backyard and make our escape that way."
"Through the graveyard, and then into the swamp on a night of the full moon?" Jeremy pointed out. "You won't make it a hundred feet before one of those animals is upon you."
The door frame rattled and a guttural laugh bounced within the empty halls of Blackmore Manor. "Animals are we?" The man said before punching the door. "You'll see boy, you'll see what we are before this is all done!"
Bade held Alice close to himself as the man stalked away from the door, leaving them all with a few minutes to remember why they were all here.
+++
"Blackmore Manor? That haunted mansion on that island out in the bay?" Alice asked, crinkling her nose in disgust. "I was hoping our senior trip would be somewhere more... scenic."
"I don't know, a haunted house could be a blast," Bade said, taking the printed series of e-mails from Kelly, who was leaning against the railing as Brian tried to do tricks on his skateboard. "How'd you find out about this?"
Kelly shrugged, his long red hair falling over his pale shoulders. "I don't know, they got e-mailed to me by some guy named Jeremy Rudel. He said that he runs a tour of the haunted island and operates a bed and breakfast that would house us for three hundred in total in the weekend. That's including meals!"
"Really?" Brian asked, attention turned to the conversation. "That's like, a third of what we were going to spend going to South Padre..."
"Yeah, and this island is supposed to be pretty remote, so we'll have the whole place to ourselves!" Kelly crowed. "Think about it, we bring the booze, we bring the food, we get to party for an entire weekend with no boundaries next to the Gulf without a care in the world."
"Maybe we could get some decent tanning in without being leered at," Alice added, slowly warming to the idea.
"And he guaranteed we were the only ones at his hotel?" Bade asked.
Kelly nodded. "Yeah, he said that's why he's cutting us a deal."
"Guess with everyone headed down to Corpus Christi or South Padre for their Senior trip, his island isn't getting much business." Alice said, taking the e-mails from Bade. "The way he describes the Manor is pretty in depth. How often do you think we get to go in there?"
"It's a haunted house, so I imagine he'd take us in there every day if we really wanted. I just want a place where we can fish, drink, and party!" Kelly smiled.
"This does look like it could be pretty fun," Bade said.
"That's the spirit!" Kelly clapped his hands. "I'll cover room and board if you guys load us up on fishing supplies and booze. Bring some cookout food too, I have a grill I'm taking."
"You really think we'll be able to catch some fish worth grilling?" Bade smiled.
"So long as I don't have to clean them, go at it," Alice laughed.
"Do you think Donnie will still want to go?" Kelly asked, think of their friend.
Bade scratched his head. "I don't know, is this Jeremy guy going to be that uptight about him toking it up?
Kelly shrugged, taking the e-mails from Alice, eyes scanning over the pages. "He seems like a fairly liberal guy, inviting us to bring whatever booze we want so we don't have to pay for drinks. I think he'll be cool with a little pothead paddling about in the water."
"Donnie is going to likely be reading instead of swimming," Alice laughed, watching Brian take a spill on his skateboard. "Oh! Brian, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine!" He called up from the bottom of the ramp, slowly getting to his feet. The mocha-skinned giant rubbed his back and kicked his skateboard up into his hands. "Kelly talk you all into the island yet?"
Alice looked at Kelly. "I don't see the harm," she said. "Let's go!"
"I know you're in there kiddies!" The assailant crowed, his voice wavering as if he were crying. "Such delicious skin needs to be treated and cured appropriately, not wasted on the young as they tan and age it's beautiful ivory purity!"
"This guy is nuts!" Kelly shouted as he and Bade knocked over a bookcase to block the doorway, Alice leaping back into Jeremy's waiting arms, the tall blonde steadying her with a tight smile.
"Maybe we should look for a place to hide until sun up, hmmm?" Jeremy asked looking at the gathered teens. "I did warn you that this island has a bit of history to it and that there were some locals that weren't exactly altogether there."
"You didn't mention loony freaks wielding axes and knives looking to harvest our skin either!" Brian screamed, jumping back as the door shuddered once more. All eyes rested on the cracked form of the door, the broken window next to the entryway where a beefy hand wielding a three-foot blade hacked into the woodwork.
"Yeah, that's not going to hold," Bade said before grabbing Alice's hand. "Come on, let's head upstairs. We can shimmy down into the backyard and make our escape that way."
"Through the graveyard, and then into the swamp on a night of the full moon?" Jeremy pointed out. "You won't make it a hundred feet before one of those animals is upon you."
The door frame rattled and a guttural laugh bounced within the empty halls of Blackmore Manor. "Animals are we?" The man said before punching the door. "You'll see boy, you'll see what we are before this is all done!"
Bade held Alice close to himself as the man stalked away from the door, leaving them all with a few minutes to remember why they were all here.
+++
"Blackmore Manor? That haunted mansion on that island out in the bay?" Alice asked, crinkling her nose in disgust. "I was hoping our senior trip would be somewhere more... scenic."
"I don't know, a haunted house could be a blast," Bade said, taking the printed series of e-mails from Kelly, who was leaning against the railing as Brian tried to do tricks on his skateboard. "How'd you find out about this?"
Kelly shrugged, his long red hair falling over his pale shoulders. "I don't know, they got e-mailed to me by some guy named Jeremy Rudel. He said that he runs a tour of the haunted island and operates a bed and breakfast that would house us for three hundred in total in the weekend. That's including meals!"
"Really?" Brian asked, attention turned to the conversation. "That's like, a third of what we were going to spend going to South Padre..."
"Yeah, and this island is supposed to be pretty remote, so we'll have the whole place to ourselves!" Kelly crowed. "Think about it, we bring the booze, we bring the food, we get to party for an entire weekend with no boundaries next to the Gulf without a care in the world."
"Maybe we could get some decent tanning in without being leered at," Alice added, slowly warming to the idea.
"And he guaranteed we were the only ones at his hotel?" Bade asked.
Kelly nodded. "Yeah, he said that's why he's cutting us a deal."
"Guess with everyone headed down to Corpus Christi or South Padre for their Senior trip, his island isn't getting much business." Alice said, taking the e-mails from Bade. "The way he describes the Manor is pretty in depth. How often do you think we get to go in there?"
"It's a haunted house, so I imagine he'd take us in there every day if we really wanted. I just want a place where we can fish, drink, and party!" Kelly smiled.
"This does look like it could be pretty fun," Bade said.
"That's the spirit!" Kelly clapped his hands. "I'll cover room and board if you guys load us up on fishing supplies and booze. Bring some cookout food too, I have a grill I'm taking."
"You really think we'll be able to catch some fish worth grilling?" Bade smiled.
"So long as I don't have to clean them, go at it," Alice laughed.
"Do you think Donnie will still want to go?" Kelly asked, think of their friend.
Bade scratched his head. "I don't know, is this Jeremy guy going to be that uptight about him toking it up?
Kelly shrugged, taking the e-mails from Alice, eyes scanning over the pages. "He seems like a fairly liberal guy, inviting us to bring whatever booze we want so we don't have to pay for drinks. I think he'll be cool with a little pothead paddling about in the water."
"Donnie is going to likely be reading instead of swimming," Alice laughed, watching Brian take a spill on his skateboard. "Oh! Brian, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine!" He called up from the bottom of the ramp, slowly getting to his feet. The mocha-skinned giant rubbed his back and kicked his skateboard up into his hands. "Kelly talk you all into the island yet?"
Alice looked at Kelly. "I don't see the harm," she said. "Let's go!"
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