Be Careful What You Wish For: A Zombie Apocalypse
Chapter 210: A Long-Lost Friend

Chapter 210: A Long-Lost Friend

When I opened my eyes again, the office tower in front of me was completely gone. In its place was a house that would have made any gothic chick proud.

The entire exterior was done all in black, with towers and arches as far as the eye could see and a single red door that was the only way in or out for anyone inside. Even the windows, and there were a lot of them, were there only for looks and to let in a bit of light. Otherwise, they might as well have been part of the walls for all that they could open.

There was a wraparound deck in the front with more columns and arches added as decorations. From there, there were four steps leading down to the ground before the short walkway over the bridge.

And yes, there had to be a bridge in order for there to be a moat.

Where else was Tink going to spend all his time in? The moat was filled with mossy green water and fallen logs that easily hid the massive gator, and there were even a few cattails along the edge just to add some plant life.

The slap of Tink’s tail let me know just how much he liked it.

Nodding my head as if I was dancing to music I wasn’t able to hear; I studied the fortress in front of me. It screamed haunted mansion, and hopefully, that would keep the trick-or-treaters away from here.

Walking over the bridge and down the short path to the stairs, I was satisfied with my new home.

Here, I would be safe. No one would be able to enter unless I let them, and even if they managed to get in somehow, they would never find their way out.

I stopped in front of the door and looked at the black old fashioned knocker. Instead of it being a lion’s head with the ring in his mouth, it was a hellhound...a type of dog that looked a lot like a cross between a Doberman and a Rottweiler. Its piercing red eyes seemed to stare directly at me as if daring me to come in.

"Silly puppy," I murmured, patting its head. "This is my house now. Only me and mine are allowed in here, do you understand?"

Just as I was pulling back my hand, I managed to cut my finger on something sharp, and a few drops of my blood smeared onto the hellhound’s head.

"Vraiment?" I sighed, sticking my finger into my mouth. "If you wanted a bit of my blood, you could have asked nicer." Wrinkling my nose, I had to smirk as the door swung open for me without me touching another thing. "Don’t worry. You’re forgiven."

I could have sworn I felt something akin to pleasure coming from somewhere around me as I entered the main foyer. Unfortunately for me, I had no idea where anything was, nor did I know where I was going.

Closing my eyes and spinning in a circle, I walked in the direction of wherever I stopped when I opened my eyes. I was sure that there were smarter ways of getting lost in my new home, but this seemed to be fun, so why not?

"NOOOO!!!!!!" screamed a male voice as I continued to walk down a darkened hallway. There were rooms on either side of me, their doors cracked open as if to invite me inside, but I was more curious as to who was screaming.

I thought Tank had said that there was no one left in the old Dragon’s Lair before he had left. And if there was no one, then where were the screams coming from? Clearly, some people weren’t all that good at following the simplest of directions.

"Please, save me!" cried a second voice. This one was much closer to me and I watched as the door to a room opened even wider as if inviting me inside.

Either this house was actually haunted, or it was sentient...

Oh... a sentient house... now that would definitely be amusing.

I walked into a room that looked similar to Dante’s office with the massive oak desk, a beautiful leather chair, and thick, dark curtains framing a window that looked out into a beautiful green field.

"You! There! Little girl! Go get your mommy or daddy and get them to help me!" The words were coming just to my left and I turned to see a comfy seating area complete with a couch, five chairs, and a coffee table in the middle.

While the wall in front of me and the one to the left had a mirror and paintings to decorate the walls, the wall just to my right had what I could only describe as some type of new-age artwork.

The sculpture looked to be a life-sized man with a fearful expression on his face and one arm, his chest, and his left leg hanging on the other side of the wall as if it was trying to run away. However, as real as this piece of art was, it was the eyes that held me.

They darted over to me, the rest of the body frozen in the wall, and the mouth started to move as words emerged. "Please, you have to help me! Pull me out! Tear down the wall, but don’t let it eat me! I can feel its teeth!"

"So life-like," I chuckled as I reached up and stroked the still-warm cheek of the human stuck in my wall. "I have to say, whoever the artist is, they managed to create a masterpiece."

"I’m not fucking art!" screamed the man; however, since his chest wasn’t able to move, the words came out breathy, like he was suffocating from an immense pressure being placed on his chest.

Then again, the house did appear to be eating him, if his comment about teeth was accurate and not just a figment of his imagination.

Yup, this was definitely the most perfect house for me.

As if the house could tell that I was happy with it, it seemed to almost purr in delight. The shadows in the corners of the room stretched toward me, their fingers brushing any part of my body that they could reach.

"Oh, you really are perfect," I purred, dropping down so that I could put my fingers in the shadows, stroking them like a long-lost friend. "Enjoy your snack! I’m going to take a nap for a bit; let me know if I need to worry about anything."