HHH/Steve Napier
From Create Your Own Story
You're not from around here and you've always thought of Carrville as a backwards little town. It's just that the university is cheap and has a decent computer science program. So when you and some of your D & D buddies heard the stories about the "haunted" mansion in the hills to the west of town, you all started joking about it every gaming night. Somewhere along the way, the joke turned into a bet. If you stayed here overnight all alone, you'd cash in on ten bucks from each of your five friends. If you chickened out and phoned to get picked up . . . well, the consequences were neither monetary nor pleasant. Let's just say you'd be a minor campus celebrity for a week or so.
So half an hour ago, they dropped you off at the gates to the grounds. All you have is a pillow, a flashlight, your phone, and a bag with a couple of books to read if you get bored. You wormed your way through the hedges and walking down the driveway that you'd swear was half a mile, found the ten foot tall front door unlocked. You decided to keep this simple and camp out right in the front hall. After about fifteen minutes, the rain that had been threatening all day finally started up. Then, to your surprise, the door burst open and a tall, dark-haired woman wearing a red blouse and blue jeans came in. The first thing you notice about her is those fantastic fun bags. She must be at least a double D, and although she looks a little older than you, they look nicer than most of the girls you see on campus.
Shining her flashlight around, she catches sight of you: "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Managing to raise your eyes from her chest, you say, "I was kind of wondering the same thing."
She looks a little flustered. "I'm a . . . local historian. I was coming out here to do . . . some original research on the architecture."
You don't know what she's really up to, but you're not stupid. Before you have time to ask anything more though, the door opens again. Past the huge figure standing in the doorway, you see that it's really pouring out there now. The door slams shut and both you and the woman turn your flashlights to the newcomer. He looks like he belongs on an army recruiting poster. He has to be over six feet, and his big frame looks like nothing but muscle. His hair is in an old school flat-top crew cut.
"Have you guys seen a dog?" he asks.
You and the woman look at each other, your faces scrunched in confusion. "Uh, no," you reply as she shakes her head.
"He got out this morning and I've been looking for him ever since I got home. I thought I saw his tracks coming this way. Then it started raining and I had to duck in here. What is this place?"
"Well, some of the highly reliable stories around town say it's haunted because of some murders," you say.
The woman glares at you and says, "There's a lot more to this house than those silly stories. The Sprye family was one of the founders of this town and---"
"Okay," says the guy, "I didn't ask for a history lesson. I'm A.J., by the way."
"My name's Steve."
"I'm Jennifer. And no, I'm not Jenn."
You all turn when you hear a rapping at the door.
A.J. turns to look at the door. "I didn't see anyone out there."
"Well let them in! Can't you hear the wind?" you say.
When A.J. opens the door, the figure outside looks like an elf in comparison to him. She can't be even five feet tall, and she's waifishly thin. The beam of your flashlight reveals long red hair and a white tee shirt you can see right through. To your disappointment, she's wearing a bra.
She looks around at the three of you. "My car broke down out there and I saw lights up here. Can you guys help me out?"
"Lights?" you say. "Did either of you see any lights on?" A.J. and Jennifer both shake their heads.
"So wait, what is this place? Who are you guys?"
The three of you introduce yourselves and, before Jennifer can cut in with a lecture on the history of the Sprye family in Carrville, you tell her you're staying in the "haunted" mansion on a bet.
The girl's mouth widens and her eyebrows draw up. "Haunted?"
"It's all bullshit," you say. "What's your name?"
"April," she replies just above a whisper, obviously still scared.
A pronounced click comes from the direction of the door, and then an odd rumbling, clanking sound.
A.J., still closest to the door, tries it. "It's locked."
"I wonder how that happened," you say. "I guess we'll have to look around for another way out. I should probably call my friends, tell them what happened." You pull out your phone and see the dreaded No Service. "That's funny, I had three bars when they dropped me off."
Jennifer checks hers and can't get a signal either. A.J.'s is dead. "I swear the batteries were almost full when I left."
After patting down her pockets, April can't find hers. "But I specifically made sure I had it before I got out of the car. . . . I must have dropped it running up here. Oh God! It must be soaked out there.
Turning your flashlights down the long foyer, you see a door leading off to either side and a stairway going up at the end. It looks like you won't be sleeping in the foyer after all.
"I guess we should have a look around," says Jennifer. "If we split up, we can cover more ground, then all meet back here. We'll be out of here in no time."
"S-s-split up?" says April. "I don't think that's a good idea."
A.J. looks at you and shrugs.
Do you:
