Chapter Text
They didn't pay you enough for this.
Driving on sight to check out locations was one thing, but when the trip there took hours, it was barely even worth it! And what lovely greeting were you going to get when you got there? Someone ready for an argument, most likely. You understood it, though. How they felt. Money did not grow on trees and paying taxes on top of merely trying to get by was stressful. So, add in someone coming to your house to figure out why that money was not being used toward taxes could only result in a heated discussion. Great.
You sighed, shaking your head to rid yourself of the negative thoughts. It was best not to think of the worst possible situations before you even got there. You worked for a branch under the guidance of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs in a bustling little county in Britain, though your own department of involvement included you being on the road a lot to visit the homes in danger of foreclosure to check in and give warnings after a repeated pattern of ignoring the notices in the mail. It wasn't the prettiest of jobs out there and people tended to not like you since well, knocking on their doors to say that they better pay up or be in danger of losing their home wasn't the best introduction a girl could give.
The current home you were driving to was isolated, to say the least. You had looked over the file and this manor belonged to a Mr. and Mrs. Heelshire. It had been in the family for years apparently before they had just stopped..Paying everything. No electricity, council taxes, telephone services..Nothing. Perhaps they had decided to try the Amish life? Or maybe were on a really holiday? You honestly just hoped that nothing bad had happened. They were an old couple according to the records..
Again, you shook your head. Now your brain was just setting this entire journey up like some horror movie. It would just be a regular old boring trip. You'd arrive, knock, state your business, and fix the problem. Well, try to. It was probably all a misunderstanding, you guessed.
So why did you still have such a nervous stomach?
It was around seven in the evening when you finally arrived and the steady hammering of your pulse did anything but calm down. For one, the large gate to the property was left opened as if someone had forgotten to close it in their haste. Or, you reasoned, that it was the Heelshire's simply expecting you. Sure. That calmed you down some. At this point, you would take any excuse after such a long drive.
Of course, you decided to press on. You had driven all this way for a reason and would be damned to drive all the way back already. Up and around you drove until you were coming to a stop in front of the estate's entrance, your lips parting at the sheer size of the property. It was huge! Gorgeous yet certainly ghastly in the most curious of ways. You even took several moments just staring from the driver's seat in awe, whistling lowly when you sat back. No wonder they weren't paying their taxes anymore, they were living in a freaking mansion that must have cost loads and loads of money!
Gathering the property's files and your purse, you slammed the car door with your hip and paused once, surprised at that rejuvenating twinge of excitement jittering through your veins. Okay, so who wouldn't be intrigued by a home like this? It looked as if it came straight out of a movie! You honestly couldn't wait to see inside and hoped that the owners would be home to see you in. You hesitated at that thought then to peer around for any automobiles and noted with disappointment that none were in sight. That was probably a bad sign for you. You purposefully ignored this piece of information and set to work on climbing up the steps, your chin tipped back to admire the structure.
What if this was a bad idea?
The signs were all there that no one was home. The greenery was long, looking as if it hadn't been cut in ages. There were mouse traps littered around that hadn't been cleaned out and reset. The structure itself looked weathered and ignored. There were no cars in sight. Truth be told, the home looked abandoned.
But what were you supposed to do? Turn back with your tail between your legs already without even checking if someone was home? No, you were an adult with responsibilities. You just had to knock, wait, maybe knock twice or thrice, and call out what your state of business was. If you got to see inside, you'd consider it a bonus.
Running your fingers through your hair, you took a deep breath and straightened yourself out. Time to see what this house was about. Leaning forward, your knuckles rapped against the hard wood and you waited a beat, wondering how anyone would really hear your knock through the entirety of the manor. Once more with feeling, you knocked.
“Um..Excuse me,” you called, voice wavering at your attempt to raise your voice. You cleared your throat and started again, stronger this time, just like you had always practiced and chanted at the doors of others. “Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs!” Still no response. You sighed grumpily, gaze drifting down toward the door handle. No..You really shouldn't. They wouldn't have left their door unlocked now, would they? But even if they did, it didn't matter! You couldn't just break in and make yourself at home in this...This mansion! So what if it was huge and a real beauty, it's not like the interior could match the exterior! Right? ..But what if it did? Hell, who were you trying to kid? You knew it did. You wanted to see, and damn that curious little bugger in the back of your head that made you even consider this! Just..Try the door. Perhaps it wasn't even unlocked in the first place.
Trying your best not to satisfy that curious hunger, you stalled and paced in front of the door for a moment. And then, with a sharp breath, you abruptly wrapped your fingers around that handle and turned it, letting out a pleased huff when it clicked and opened. Okay. So it was unlocked. Fine. That's just dandy.
Just go back to the car.
You ventured on inside instead.
“Heeeello? Is anyone home?” A swallow. “I uh...Apologize for intruding! I'm here to speak about the property?” And check out this sick home, but you were really here for business and didn't dare voice that. Cautious steps pulled you in further, but regret finally began to seep in when your nose scrunched up at the stale smell that lingered and assaulted your nose in waves.
“Christ,” you groused, ducking your chin to your chest to bury your nose under the collar of your blouse. That was not a smell a house should have, especially a beautiful one such as this! It only served to clarify that yeah, this house probbaabbblly was abandoned.
Still, you were intrigued to the point of going in further and yeah, maybe you were crazy and sure, this is how people usually got killed in horror movies or kidnapped or-..”Stop it,” you snapped to yourself, shushing those babbling thoughts from within. You were just doing an honest to goodness look around. No one would grab you or kill you.
The house was messy, you came to discover after a few minutes. There were rooms with holes in the wall, ripped fabrics, broken glass, splintered wood. The stench was a whole different story. It was consistent and followed you, no matter the room you were in. The very state of the home itself forced many thoughts to run through your head. You couldn't help but wonder about what really happened here. Did they just up and leave? Why didn't anyone know of this? What if..
You stopped walking then, your little exploration beginning to frighten you. Something had to happen here to create an environment like this. A feral animal? Squatters?...What if there was a break in? What if Mr. and Mrs. Heelshire were attacked? What if that stench was-..?
A sudden creak in the wood had you nearly screaming.
With a violent jolt, the files in your hand were flung and the papers floated down, your hand cupping your mouth to silence yourself. Wow, alright, shit. You were getting yourself all worked up with those stupid thoughts!
With your heart still hammering in your chest, you tried to calm yourself down, shakily humming to yourself. The soothing melody you chose was one from your childhood and in a way, made you feel a little less alone in such a desolate location. It was all good. You just freaked out a little there, no biggie. But perhaps it was time for you to start leaving..Or hauling ass. Whichever came first, you decided.
But first and foremost, you had to grab those files. Getting down on your knees, you crawled along the admittedly dirty floor and reached ahead to start snatching the pieces of paper up. Placing each inside of the folder you had, your gaze began to list off to the side to take in your surroundings. You were near a dusty set of chairs and, squinting through the darkness, could tell that there was what seemed to be more beautiful pieces of furniture scattered throughout the room.
You had to admit, the Heelshire's really knew how to decorate. However, those idle thoughts you had going on through your head began to sizzle and pop into a dull silence when your hand swept across the carpeted flooring to grab a file. Oh.
All those scary thoughts you had before? Yeah, they started coming back in full swing.
A muffled cry suddenly bubbled up your throat when that initial shock left you to be replaced by gut clenching terror. You toppled back onto your bottom, eyes wide and frantic. That-..It couldn't be real..It had to be some Halloween decoration..
Bones. A skeleton. Remains.
“Oh God,” you choked, scrambling backward in a mixture of shock, fear, and disgust. You failed twice to get to your feet, your joints feeling like jelly against your commands to just move. Screw the papers, screw this little adventure, screw this home. You wanted to get out.
But you didn't get far.
A huff from behind you and an overwhelming pang of that stench was all you could register before something heavy came barreling down in contact with the back of your head. You had no time to react, to breathe, to scream.
Only regret, static, and then blackness.