Shadowland Pt. 01

Disclaimer: Everyone in the story is 18 years old or older at all points. Any resemblance to any actual person, alive or dead, is just happenstance.

Author's Notes: This story revolves around a group of people who visit a haunted house, and by the end, none escape. If this type of story is not a fetish you enjoy, please read something else.

Lynn walked into the living room just as the commercial on tv was ending.

"Vist the most terrifying haunted house you have ever seen or get your money back. Attraction is open to all persons age 18 or older. No minors admitted."

"That sounds interesting," Lynn commented to her roommate Emma who was sitting on the only furniture in the room, a beaten-up old couch Emma's grandmother had given them when they got the apartment.

"It sounds dull," Emma said, looking up from the book she was reading.

"How could it be dull? It's the most terrifying haunted house ever!" Lynn said, poking fun at the commercial.

"Are you ready yet? We have to meet Chris and Linda in the Quad," Emma looks at her watch, "Five minutes ago. How come it takes you so long to get ready? Even if you start earlier, we still are late getting everywhere."

It was an everyday conversation between Lynn and Emma. Due to her natural beauty and disdain for cosmetics, Emma could get ready to go in half the time it took Lynn.

Lynn, for her part, wanted to look perfect before she left. She never knew who you might see.

"I'm ready now and seem to be at the door waiting on you," Lynn replied, sticking her tongue out.

"Real mature," Emma said as she dropped the book in her backpack.

"Thanks. I have been working on maturity all morning. It's the reason I am running late, you know."

Emma shook her head, and the two women walked out the door.

Listening to them argue, many people who met them wondered how they could stay roommates.

The two had been best friends since kindergarten. Emma was reserved and more of a nerd, while Lynn was a free sprite who walked a little on the wild side.

As luck would have it, after graduation, the two had been accepted to the same college and had moved across the state to start a new adventure.

They had moved in a couple of months ago and started classes.

Right now, they were late to a gathering of their study group.

"It wouldn't hurt you to get up a little earlier, you know. Maybe ten minutes or so," Emma chastised her friend as they walked down the hallway to the stairs.

"I seemed to remember being at the door waiting for you," Lynn said, smiling.

"You're impossible," Emma said, opening the door to the courtyard.

"And that is why you love me," Lynn said, linking arms with Emma.

They spotted the rest of their study group sitting toward the back of the Quad and made their way to them by weaving between the other tables and students.

Linda noticed the approaching women first and glanced at her watch. "This has to be a record. You're only fifteen minutes late," she teased Lynn as she and Emma sat at the table.

"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Emma is the only one that gets to complain about me being late," Lynn said, pulling out her book.

"Let's just get started. God knows we have already lost time waiting on Lynn to grace us with her presence," Chris smiled as he flipped to the page they needed to review.

Lynn playfully hit Chris on the arm, ending the conversation about her being late.

The group spent the next hour going over the homework before Lynn finally closed her book, catching the attention of everyone at the table.

"What? This shit is boring. Can't we do something fun for once? Always study, study, study. But, God, someone would think I have nothing better to do than hang out with you nerds."

Her outburst caught the attention of a guy sitting at another table.

He's cute, Lynn thought, winking at him.

He walked over to where they were sitting. "Mind if I join you?" he asked, glancing at the group, but his question was directed at Lynn.

"No," Lynn said.

"Yes," Emma and Chris said simultaneously. They smiled at each other.

Lynn moved over, giving the new guy room to sit, patting the spot next to her.

The dark-haired stranger sat next to Lynn.

"Thanks. I'm Jake," he said, extending his hand to Lynn.

"Lynn," she said, placing her hand in his. He leaned forward and kissed the back of her hand, his bright blue eyes boring into hers. The kiss felt electric, sending tingles through her body.

"God," Emma said, rolling her eyes.

"Problems, Emmie?" Lynn asked, leaving her hand in Jake's.

Emmy hated that nickname, and Lynn knew it.

"A small one. Look, Jake. I don't want to be rude, but we are studying for an exam we have on Monday."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interfere," Jake looked between the two women, trying to figure out the dynamics.

He released Lynn's hand and started to stand.

"Don't listen to her. We finished studying for this stupid class. Looking at this shit anymore isn't going to change the scores on Monday anyway," Lynn said as she grabbed Jake's arm and pulled him down.

Emma looked about to say more but sighed instead. "You really should take the class more seriously. But you are right. Studying anymore won't change your score."

The two women glared at each other for several seconds before busting out laughing.

"You are impossible, but I love you anyways," Emma said, putting her books back in the backpack.

Lynn winked at Jake.

"Hey, now that we have finished studying, how about we do something fun?" Lynn asked the group.

"Like what?" Chris asked, putting his things away.

"Well, I saw a commercial about a haunted house not far from here."

"You know there is no such thing as a real haunted house," Linda said.

Lynn pulled up the website for the house on her phone.

"Seems real to me," she said as she read the bio.

Emma rolled her eyes, causing Chris to chuckle.

"Listen to this: The house was constructed in 1844 for the Smithe family. It sits on 100 acres and has over thirty rooms, three kitchens, and forty fireplaces. During the Civil War, the house was turned into a hospital to help in the war effort."

"Let me guess. It's haunted by the soldiers that died inside its halls?" Linda asked, glancing at Emma.

Lynn kept going, ignoring the others.

"By the war's end, the Smithe family sold the house and property to the state, which used it as a mental hospital for almost a hundred years. Finally, it was closed down in 1963 after a scandal. It seems that the medical staff turned the place into a brothel, exploiting the state's young men and women sent for treatment."

"Home, hospital, mental asylum, and a brothel. The house had a lot of interesting history," Jake commented, looking over Lynn's shoulder.

She could feel his breath on her neck and ear. It was causing tingles to develop much lower.

"Stop," Lynn told Jake playfully.

"What?" Jake looked at her innocently.

"You know what," she told him with a smile as she shifted a little so he could see without breathing on her neck.

"Looks like it was abandoned after it closed for about forty years before some millionaire bought the property and turned it into a hunted house."

"Come on, Lynn. You don't believe in that shit, do you?" Linda asked.

"Lynn is a student of the occult," Emmy said, trying hard to look serious. "She goes to haunted houses every year."

Chris glanced at his watch, "We have hours before it's dark. So maybe we can go catch a movie instead."

"It says it's only open from 9 am to 7 pm," Lynn read, thinking the time was odd.

"Is it just me, or shouldn't haunted houses be at night?" Jake asked, shifting to press his thigh against Lynn. Then, getting no pushback, he took a chance and put his arm around her back, and pulled her closer to him.

Lynn gave him a look but didn't move his arm or pull away.

Linda looked at Chris, "What the hell? I'm game if you are."

Chris smiled, kissing her on the cheek. "Anything for you, babe."

Emma felt like the odd person out as the two other couples looked at her.

"Fine. I will go to the stupid house, but you owe me, Lynn."

"Whatever you want, sugar," Lynn told her, batting her eyes at her friend.

"What about you, love?" Lynn asked Jake.

"I'm in," Jake told her, leaning in and stealing a kiss.

"God, get a fucking room," Emma told Lynn. She always does this, finds some guy, and ends up fucking him for a few days before she gets tired of him.

"Maybe later," Lynn told Emma, placing a hand on Jake's thigh.

Chris cleared his throat, breaking the moment for Lynn and Jake. They both look at him, almost in surprise that he is there.

"Now that it's settled, if we leave now, we get about four hours inside before the place closes," Chris said, picking his backpack up.

"I don't want to carry this stupid backpack around all day. So let's split up and drop off stuff in our rooms. Then meet at the front of the campus in fifteen minutes."

"See you in a few minutes, love," Lynn told Jake as she and Emma walked away. She could almost feel his gaze on her ass as she walked away, so she added a little extra wiggle.

Once out of earshot, Emma grabbed Lynn, coming to a stop. Then, turning to Lynn, "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?" Lynn asked innocently.

"You know what. Flirt with some random guy? You don't know anything about him. He could be a serial killer, for all you know."

Lynn laughed and pulled Emma forward, walking towards their apartment.

"I don't know. I just like guys, and this place is full of them," Lynn said, turning and looking at a group of guys as they passed, checking out their asses.

"Down, girl. You already cut one from the herd, remember."

"Oh, come on, Emmy. You can't tell me that you're the least bit interested in knowing what those guys have in their pants."

"I know what they have in their pants, Lynn. They have cocks, Lynn," Emma said, rolling her eyes.

"They do. I was just wondering how big they were," Lynn said, turning around and smiling at Emma.

"You are impossible," Emma said, shaking her head.

"I thought you said I was easy."

The conversation tapered as they entered the building and dropped off their backpacks before meeting their friends.

"For once, you are not the last one here," Linda commented as Emma and Lynn walked up.

Shortly, Chris and Jake walked up, ending their conversation when they got close to the three women.

Chris was the only one with a car; it wasn't big enough for all five of them to ride in it.

"I hope no one objects, but I asked for the campus shuttle to take us there and pick us up at 7 pm when the place closes," Chris said as he warped his arm around Linda's waist.

No one objected, so they boarded the shuttle when it pulled in a few minutes later.

The trip to the haunted house was uneventful, dropping them off in front of the main entry.

The house was a magnificent example of Gothic architecture. They all marveled at the high-arched entryway that led to sizeable stained glass sidelights next to solid black doors.

The stark beauty of the building captured Emma's attention. The massive stonework reminded her of churches she had seen on tv.

She loved the buttresses, but something about the gargoyles that sat above the downspouts bothered her for some reason.

You're being as silly as Lynn, Emma thought, realizing that the group had left her behind in the few seconds she had spent looking at the exterior. She jogged to catch up with them as they pushed open the large door.

Inside, they found themselves standing in a vestibule with a large counter in front of doors on either side. Sitting at the desk was an older woman, her dark glasses a stark contrast to her silver hair.

"Can I help you?" she asked, putting the book she had been reading face down on the counter.

They all looked at Lynn, with Emma raising an eyebrow.

"Fine," Lynn told them as she stepped up to the desk.

"We would like a tour of the haunted house, please."

"I am sorry, miss. Unfortunately, we don't have tours any longer. It's too hard to get people to show up for work."

She picked up her book, clearly done with the conversation.

"This bites," Linda said, annoyed they had wasted part of the day coming here.

Lynn wasn't to be deterred. "Come on. I saw a commercial this morning. It said you have multiple tours a day."

The older woman glanced up at Lynn. "Young lady, we haven't run commercials since last Halloween."

"I saw it too," Emma said, stepping up beside her friend.

The woman behind the desk locked eyes with Emma. She felt drawn into the black pits she saw as the room darkened and the eyes took over her vision.

The noise of the door closing hard snapped the spell that had threatened to pull Emma in. She shook her head, shivering at the sudden cold chill running down her back.

When Emma looked back at the woman, she was surprised to see that she had hazel eyes, not black pits.

Smiling at Emma, giving her a glimpse of her unnaturally long eye teeth before turning to Lynn. "As I said, we no longer have tours, but I guess it won't hurt letting you and your friends wander through on your own."

Does she have fangs? Emma wondered.

"Great!" Lynn turned to the group, having secured their entry.

"Please fill out these forms and sign here," the woman told them before returning to her book.

The group quickly filled out the forms, with only Emma refusing to sign until she read everything.

"Come on, Emma, the place closes at 7," Lynn told her friend.

"I'm not signing anything until I know what I am signing."

Jake rolled his eyes, leaning towards Lynn and kissing her.

"Please, Emma," Lynn begged her, wanting some alone time with Jake.

Emma walked up to the woman behind the counter. She glanced up at Emma and smiled, showing regular teeth. "Questions, my dear?"

Must have been my imagination, Emma thought back to the fangs she had glimpsed.

Emma snapped back to the woman's question. "Sorry, it says that you are not liable for any damage, loss, death, or dismemberment that occurs here. Is that really a thing?"

The woman laughed, the sound sending chills down Emma's spine. "It's just a standard waver like the use at an amusement park."

"See Emma, just a normal waver," Linda said, excited about walking on their own through the house and annoyed at Emma's stall tactics.

"Please, just sign it, Emmy," Lynn gave her the best-lost puppy look she had.

Emma sighed, "Fine," she responded and signed the paper.

The woman collected the papers and put them somewhere under her desk.

"Can I have your attention while I run through a few rules?"

The group stopped talking and waited for her to continue.

"Don't worry, there are only a couple, and they are for your safety."

"The first rule is to respect the house. It's a couple of hundred years old. It has its own personality and noises. The furnishings are period specific, so be careful not to break anything."

She looked at each of them, waiting for them to acknowledge what she had told them.

"The second rule, the house closes promptly at 7 pm. If you don't have a watch, you will hear the gongs from the clock at the top, one chime for each hour, and a single chime at the bottom of the hour."

She handed out maps of the house, showing the layout of each floor.

"The basement and attic are closed for repairs and are off-limits. The entrances are marked on your map."

"Any questions?"

They shook their heads, eager to get inside.

Looking directly at Emma, the woman offered one final thought. "One more suggestion I have for you. Stay together."

Emma swallowed. Something about the woman, the house was causing her instincts to scream to run away.

Lynn saw the look on Emma's face and put her arm around her. "Hey, it's ok if you want to stay out here until we get back." She knew that Emma didn't like being scared and that this wasn't her thing.

Emma shook off the feelings and smiled at her friend, glancing at the woman behind the desk staring at her. "Thanks, but I feel safer with you than hanging out here."

"We're ready," Lynn told the rest. Then, holding onto Emma's hand, she walked towards the door on the left that was marked entrance.

"Here goes nothing," she said as she turned the knob and opened the door. Old-style electric lamps poorly lighted the hall beyond the entry on the wall between each doorway.

They could see several armchairs and debris against the hallway's walls, with flickering lights barely illuminating the far end.

"Wow, it looks like they need to hire a few people to clean the place up," Chris commented, looking around.

They were startled as the door behind them slammed shut after Linda entered the hallway.

"Hey! Where the fuck is the door handle," Linda exclaimed, drawing the group's attention back to the door through which they had entered.

"What the hell," Chris commented, running his hands over the smooth door.

"Relax. God, have you never been to a haunted house before? This is the entrance, we have to walk through the house to get to the exit," Lynn explained.

They laughed at each other before turning around and starting down the hall.

By the time they came to the first set of rooms in the hallway, Emma had found herself at the back of the group.

I should have stayed on campus. It would have been more fun than tagging along and being the only single person, Emma thought, as the two couples held hands as they walked down the corridor.

A sudden noise, like the sound of clawed feet striking the floor behind her, caused Emma to jump and spin around.

"Shit. Did you guys hear that?" Emma asked, not seeing anything in the dim lighting behind her.

Emma turned back to her friends and found herself alone in the hallway.

She took a few steps, looking inside the two open rooms, but couldn't find them.

"Come on, guys."

The room was sparsely furnished, and the furniture in the room was completely coated in dust.

Emma walked into the next room. Like the two other rooms she had entered, it was empty.

"This isn't funny."

She wandered back into the hall, feeling the fear mounting as she frantically searched for the other.

"Guys?"

She walked into the next room. This room had a couple of chairs haphazardly thrown against the bed.

"Cut the crap, Lynn," Emma yelled, but the only thing she found was more empty rooms.

A noise suddenly came from behind her, and when she turned around, she saw a shape running into the room she had just left.

Now terrified, she ran into the next room and slammed the door shut. Looking around, she grabbed a chair and wedged it under the door handle.

Backing away from the door, she tripped on something and sprawled on the floor.

She lay there, stunned, for what must have been just a few seconds, when something grabbed the door handle and tried to enter the room.

When the door didn't open, Emma could hear loud scratching, almost like something was trying to dig its way through the wood.

She hopped up. Looking at the door, she sprinted towards the bed, only to be stopped when she ran into something or someone.

Emma screamed and tried to back away, only to find herself held fast by something much stronger than her.

"There you are. We have been looking everywhere for you, little one," the person holding Emma said as she stroked Emma's hair.

Emma stopped screaming as the soothing voice calmed her fears.

"Let's get you back into your bed," the person said.

Bed? I don't have a bed here, Emma thought. She tried to pull away, but her body wouldn't obey her.

Emma found herself up against the bed, facing the door, standing almost like a manikin.

"I don't know why you insist on keeping it so dark in the room," the person said, reaching for a switch on the wall next to the bed.