Half the Battle

The large double doors swing shut behind Cassie. The sound reverberates through the darkness. The screams of Erin and Jayden on the other side worsen her already trembling nerves. She lets out her breath in a shaky exhale. Her friends pound on the other side of the door behind her. Her spine stiffens. She wills herself to ignore her friends cries, to not turn around as she faces the darkness before her. She takes a hesitant step forward. The sound of her own heart pounding in her ears.

The candles nestled in their ornate sconces ignite. The soft glow dispels the dark shadows previously hiding the scene before her. Countless iterations of her own demise litter this room too. There is one at her feet, with blood on her temple and the corner of the dresser right in front of her, it's not difficult for Cassie to guess what happened. There is another slumped against the wall to her left. Her eyes are blown wide, staring at nothing. Cassie can feel the lump growing in her throat as her stomach churns. Her lower lip trembles. She feels sick.

The voice speaks out from somewhere above her. “Your task is simple. It’s a seek and find! Or maybe, more of a relay race. Discover where I’ve placed the key and then come back here and fit it in the lock so you can go free…” What Cassie can only imagine as an unnerving smile punctuates the end of his words. His cavalier attitude about everything is really starting to get on her nerves.

Cassie says nothing as she takes a careful step the version of her at her feet and makes her way further into the hallway. She checks the doors that remain closed, trying to get them open. Only a few budge. Some have already been kicked open. The lifeless body of another one of her replicas lies amidst the splintered remains of the one door that has been completely blown off its hinges. Of the rooms she can see into, most have more doppelgängers and bloodied furniture within. She picks the room with the least damage and pokes around inside.

It’s simply furnished, with a vanity, dresser, wardrobe, simple table and partition. It looks like it was designed to be some sort of bedroom. The dresser and wardrobe are empty of anything useful, but she finds a hair pin in one of the vanity’s drawers. She steps back out into the hallway. Unsure where to start, she heads to the closest locked door near her and crouches down in front of it. Using the hair pin she found, she sets to work picking the lock.

“Ooo hoo,” the voice chimes in, sounding positively giddy as she sets to work on the first door. “I had wondered what you were going to do about that.”

Listening for the click of the pins in the lock, Cassie freezes as the last one gives way. She grabs the handle and turns. When it gives way, she stands as she gives it a gentle push.

The voice sighs. “Unfortunately, that door wasn’t the only way in here.”

Bloodied bodies, broken furniture and shattered glass are strewn about the room in front of her. A fallen chandelier lays in the middle of it all. The only light source now comes through the broken windows. The curtains flap in the cool breeze as the wind kicks more snow into the room. Foregoing the rest of the unexplored rooms, Cassie stuffs the hairpin into her pocket and runs for one of the open windows. Mindful of the fragmented glass still stuck in the frame, she hops over the sill into the courtyard.

“Oh,” The voice chuckles somewhere in the room behind her. “That’s different.”

The winter wind nips at her skin. Her teeth chatter in the cold and shivers run through her body. She tries her best to ignore it as she starts walking. Halfway across the pavilion she’s stopped as the beast from before leaps onto the roof of the mansion. It roars, exposing rows of sharp and jagged teeth. It fixes its gaze onto Cassie.

Eyes locked on the beast, she takes a few cautious steps across the courtyard. The hand she has outstretched behind her brushes against a piece of metal. Cassie freezes. Turning her head away from the beast, she comes face to face with a suit of armor. It is badly burned, the once silver suit now mostly black. The bits of it that have been charred have left behind sharp and jagged ends. Two pieces of metal rise from the side of the knight’s head like horns. The front piece over his forehead has been ripped away, leaving only the charred pink beneath, fused with the remaining metal by his temples. Glowing golden eyes stare back at Cassie from black sockets. The cartilage of his nose is missing, leaving only a gaping hole behind. The remaining metal of the mask bleeds into the exposed tendons of his cheeks.

The knight opens up his metallic jaw, revealing an inflamed and blacked mouth. Bits of metal from the mouth piece are stuck in his jaw; they’re a part of his jaw. It screams. The inhuman sound tears across the courtyard.

Cassie steps to the side as its large executioner's axe comes down at her head. It embeds itself in the ground beside her, splintering the stone and cracking the stonework. She runs for the doors on the other side of the courtyard.

The beast jumps down from the mansion rood and lands on the path behind her. The knight gives a hard tug and pulls his axe from the ground. Slinging it over his shoulder, he starts stalking towards her. The beast close at his heels.

Cassie runs faster. Throwing herself at the door she pushes against it, but it doesn’t open. She pulls, with everything she has but the door remains shut. Dropping to her knees, Cassie fishes the hair pin out of her pocket and sets to work at the door. Her fingers tremble as she tries to fit it into the lock. She misses the lock too many times before she’s finally able to get it. She looks back at the knight.

He drops the axe from across his shoulders, dragging it along the courtyard floor. Every so often, the scrape of the metal against the stone kicks up a spark. The beast on the knight’s other side bares its teeth at her. Saliva drips from its mouth as it comes for her with its master. Cassie turns her attention back to the door, willing her hands to stop shaking as she focuses on picking the lock. She can feel their presence behind her, creeping closer.

This is taking too long. They’ll be on her any second.

She can feel his presence standing behind her. She can feel the hot breath of the beast breathing down her neck, the knight’s hands wrapping around her arms to pull her away from the door. She can see it now. They’ll get to her before she ever gets this lock to give way. The final pin clicks. She turns the handle and falls into the room.

The knight stomps toward her, faster now. Axe in both hands, he angles the blade towards her. Cassie scrambles to her feet. Throwing the door closed between the two of them. She races for the stairs on the other side of the room. Taking them two at a time, her breathing grows strenuous as she tries to put as much distance as she can between her and that thing.

The door below her slams open. She stops and leans over the side of the railing, gazing down at the entryway below. The knight looks up at her from the threshold. The metal of his hands groans as he tightens his grip on his axe. Cassie’s palms grow sweaty against the banister. She takes another step up the stairs. Her legs feel like jello. It takes a tremendous amount of effort to stay upright. Her head swims. She feels like she could faint. Though she knows she has to move, she can’t bring herself to look away from that scarred face with the glowing eyes.

The beast beside him lets out a low growl, then turns and steps back into the courtyard. The knight tilts his head. What’s left of the lower half of his face stretches into an unsettling grin that sends a fresh course of panic straight through Cassie. He stares at her and Cassie is convinced he’ll have the axe in his hand at her throat in seconds. After what feels like an eternity, the knight turns and follows his beast.

Cassie stares at the empty doorway. There’s a tightness in her chest that works its way up her throat. She lets out a shaky breath as she slowly lowers herself to the floor. She presses her head against the banister, her knuckles gripping them so tightly they turn white. She shuts her eyes, welcoming the quiet sobs she doesn’t have the strength to voice.

“Well,” the voice calls out above her. “Wasn’t that exciting?”

Cassie cries harder, pressing her face further into the banister so she can feel it dig into her forehead.

“Oh come now,” the voice tsks. “Don’t be that way…” he drawls out. “We still have so much more to go.” His chuckle fades out, leaving Cassie in merciful silence.

Sniffling, she dries her eyes and wipes her nose as best she can with the sleeve of her shirt. She continues making her way up the stairs.

The upstairs hallway is empty. Pristine. The furniture isn’t broken. The drapes over the windows aren’t torn. The windows are intact. There’s no blood smeared along the floor and walls. None of her copies must have made it this far before. A shudder runs through her at the thought. Somewhere nearby, the steady tick-tock of a grandfather clock keeps time in the silence. Cassie slowly makes her way down the empty hallway. Her footsteps quieted by the carpet beneath her feet.

“The silence is a little unnerving after all that, isn’t it?”

The sound of the voice makes Cassie jump. She brings a hand to her chest as she presses her back against the windows.

The voice cackles. “Oh I’m so sorry. Did I scare you? I can assure you, it was purely unintentional. I promise.”

Cassie squeezes her eyes shut and tries to steady her breathing. Not feeling at all more relaxed—but filled with the need to keep going—Cassie opens her eyes. She jerks away from the window. Her eyes dart up and down the row of windows lining the hallway. She could have sworn she saw something move outside the window. Slowly, she backs toward the center of the hallway. Everything is quiet. She continues down the hallway, with the feeling of eyes watching her as she goes and the distinct sense that she is not alone.

At the end of the hallway, lying face down before a set of double doors, is another version of herself. One hand is out stretched, while the other is tucked beneath her body. Curious, Cassie turns her over. Her eyes are blown wide in surprise and fear. Her face is deathly pale. Cassie tries not to linger as her fingers close around those of her copy’s clenched fist. She forces her palm open. Inside, Cassie finds a brass key. She plucks the key from her fingers and waits for something to happen. Nothing does.

“Well, you’ve found it! Good,” the voice purrs. “That’s half the battle right there.”

Cassie clutches the key in her grasp, desperate not to lose it. She rises to her feet, sparring the only other version of herself to have made it this far one more glance.

That’s half the battle right there.

Now she just needs to get back to the door. She turns and bolts back the way she came. Through the hall and down the stairs. Cassie runs, thinking only of the finish line and how easy it was to get the key once she crossed the courtyard. Cassie comes to a halt at the last step. The door before her stands wide open. The crisp winter air sweeping some snow onto the hardwood floor inside. The only threat she’s seen so far wouldn’t come inside. And yet… all the fallen copies of herself she has seen have been inside.

“Something wrong?”

Cassie takes slow steps over to the door and peers outside. The only movement is the howling wind. Where did the knight go?

Where is his beast?

The floor above her head creaks. Cassie tilts her head back to look at the floor above her. She holds her breath, trying to listen for the movement upstairs.

An axe comes crashing through the ceiling straight at her head. Cassie screams as she falls back onto the floor. Wood and plaster from the ceiling above her rains down around her. She shuts her eyes and looks down. The dust tickles the back of her throat and spurs on a coughing fit. The knight once more pries the axe from where it has been lodged, taking more sections of the ceiling with it. His face peers down at Cassie from the opening he made. There is a glint of amused satisfaction in his eyes.

The voice laughs. “Ah! Ha ha! You didn’t think you were getting out of here that easy did you?”

The beast scrambles down the stairs, bearing teeth and snarling.

Cassie barely spares it a glance as she pushes herself to her feet and takes off running though the courtyard.

“Ha ha! There she goes!”

The crisp winter air burns her lungs and bites at her face. She runs as far as she can—which isn’t very far, before the beast latches onto her arm and throws her to the ground. Cassie cries out in pain as the creature's jaw clamps down on her bicep. The key falls from her grip. She pounds on the beast’s snout to get it to release her. It doesn’t. It growls and bites down harder. Tears well up in Cassie’s eyes and slide down her cheeks. The pain from the creature’s teeth digging into her flesh makes her lightheaded and dizzy. She can taste the blood in her mouth as the wound of her arm begins to bleed and mix with the beast’s spit. Just as she’s starting to lose feeling in her arm, it lets go.

Confused, Cassie staggers to her feet. She sways slightly, cradling her injured arm close to her body. The beast circles her. Tears cloud her vision as she watches its form stalk her in slow circles around the pavilion. The knight steps through the doorway, covering the distance between them in easy strides as he comes straight for her. Raising his axe high above his head—anger and madness blazing in his eyes—he swings.

Cassie lurches to the side, but not fast enough. The blade cuts through her side. She gasps. Her blood rushes everywhere. It begins to stain her shirt. She can taste it in her mouth. She can feel it rush to her head. Her vision starts to blur. Her hands clamp down over the wound at her side. Pressing down on it stings. Cassie hisses. The blood gushes out faster, seeping between her fingers. Her mouth opens but no sound comes out. She tries to take a step but drops to her knees as her vision turns dark. The impact sends a shockwave of pain up her body. She keeps one hand pressed against her side as the other falls to the floor to keep her from falling forward.

He could have followed her inside, but he didn’t. Maybe she only made it as far as she did because of that. Maybe she would have been dead a lot sooner too if he hadn’t decided to hunt her.

The arm holding her up slips out from under her. She falls the rest of the way to the courtyard floor. With some effort, she maneuvers herself so she’s lying on her back. She squeezes her eyes shut at the sharp pain it sends to her abdomen. Her bottom lip quivers as tears slip out of the corner of her eyes and down her cheeks. The knight steps into her field of view, standing over her.

The voice lets out a long sigh. “Such promise. It’s a pity, you ended up like all the rest.”

The knight crouches down beside her, bringing what’s left of his face close to hers he tilts his head from side to side, examining her. His beast approaches, touching its snout to Cassie’s temple. She closes her eyes as the beast’s warm breath fans over her face.

“I really did have high hopes for you.” The voice says. “I would have thought you would have lasted longer than this.”

The snout disappears from her temple. Cassie opens her eyes. The knight leans over her. Cassie flinches as he raises his hand. He brings the back of his knuckles to her face, trailing them down her cheek. He regards her for a moment with a look Cassie can’t discern. Then he stands and walks away.

Cassie lies there, the pool of blood growing beneath her as it pours out of the wound at her side. Her body aches. She can’t move. Each breath she takes is shaky and shallow. Each breath she takes hurts. Her eyes dart across the empty sky above her and she realizes that he could have followed her. He could have gone into the house and sliced through her whenever he felt like it, just like he did with the others. Her heart thrums against her chest, the sound of it pounding in her ears.