Enter the hallway
From Create Your Own Story
You decide to enter the hallway.
It's really an unremarkable hallway. The light quickly gets dimmer, but before you have to be concerned about being able to see, a room off the hall presents itself. You duck into the room. Oh how interesting! A records room! There might be some very interesting information here.
A solid oak desk occupies the center of the room, and shelves of books, parchments, and various other interesting reading materials line the walls of the room. A large window lets light in, but best of all, there's a lamp on the table accompanied by a set of matches.
You set the lamp aside for now and start to look through the records. Perhaps they'll give you some of the story about the von Furchstam family.
You quickly establish that the castle was abandoned in 1894. There are no documents after that year. It looks, though, like it was beginning to fall into disuse as early as 1850. You search for a while, and find some notes and journals. After paging through them, you get a sense of why.
In the early 1850s, there were a number of deaths in the castle. People had the same symptoms- gradual weakness, then death. People seemed to think the von Furchstam family was being specially targeted. In fact, the entire family was wiped out except for one man who was abroad with his family. When he returned to Transylvania, he stayed away, using the castle only rarely on his visits home. Forty years later, he retired to the castle, and died within a month. His heir never returned, believing the place to be cursed.
You're starving, so you pull out your lunch.
It was widely believed that the agent of death was a vampire. You find several stories of bodies being exhumed and staked, but to no avail. Priests were also called in to bless the castle, or exorcise it, but again, nothing helped. It was probably chance or cancer.
So you take the next logical step. You check the death records. Yes, in the early 1850s, there were an unusual number of deaths in otherwise healthy people.
Doctor's journal: He reported that hanging a crucifix above a sufferer's door slowed the progress of their symptoms, though few patients recovered once afflicted. In fact, the only ones who recovered did so outside of the castle.
As you close this last book, a chilly breeze blows through the room. The day's become dark and overcast. It feels like rain.
Your logical mind tells you that all the things you've learned today are superstition, but you can't help worrying if it's true. You don't like the implications of it being true, though. The implications for Michael are especially dismal. Being stuck in a castle for two days with a hungry vampire probably doesn't do much for your survival prospects. Except that vampires aren't real, of course.
What time is it? You've lost complete track of time while sitting here. You pull out your cell phone. 4:00. You've missed your ride.
