Feed Them To The Hungry Rats! (OPEN)

[Claude Delacroix]

Halloween… The most delightful and darkest holiday created by humans. For most, it is a time of fun and celebration, and candy. But not so in the manor. This was the time when Claude was at his most powerful and Charles knew that all too well. It was a time when he could conjure up the demons of Hell and let them roam the manor. He went down to the cellar and nipped at his fingertip to draw blood. His blood was much darker than a human's and thicker, like glue.

He knelt down and began to draw his symbol upon the floor. When he was done, he smiled and snapped his fingers. He was now in the main foyer and in his long, nimble fingers was his violin. And not just any violin. The VERY violin that Nero played as Rome burned to the ground. The violin sang in his hands as he drew the bow across the strings, the music echoing throughout the entire manor. As he played, he began to sing:

What will we do with a drunken whaler,
What will we do with a drunken whaler,
What will we do with a drunken whaler,
Early in the morning?

There came a terrible pounding… Pounding… Pounding from deep below the manor. No one could tell for certain what it was. Perhaps just the beating of their own heart? The blood rushing in their ears? No, it was something worse. The symbol HE had drawn was now starting to glow and crack upon the floor. Someone- or something- was getting out. Claude continued to sing, now viciously belting out the words as he laughed maniacally.

Feed him to the hungry rats for dinner,
Feed him to the hungry rats for dinner,
Feed him to the hungry rats for dinner,
Early in the morning!

The snarling hellhounds broke through the Seal, their sharp claws tearing at the stone above them as they crawled out from the sulfuric pit along with others. Incubi, succubi, and other nightmarish monsters. Even the very things that stalked the nightmares of the inhabitants, whether they be human or ghost or other creature of object. Their night terrors would come to life for one horrific evening that would not end until daybreak. This Halloween was going to be the one night that no-one would ever forget.

[ladybarbossa]

Christine Emilie had been in the garden tending to the the variety of flowers, herbs and vegetation. Re-entering the Manor and began to make her way to the kitchen with the freshly cut thyme and parsley. Such a wonderful scent the thyme gave off, so light until you bring the herb directly to your nose to inhale it's scent only then it was so strong and delightful. The flavor it infused with foods made any dish a true culinary delight.

Just about to reach the kitchen she stopped upon hearing a faint pounding from the depths below the Manor. At first she thought it was one of the Erik's raging away upon their grand organ but then she realized, it was not an organ. The sound confused her greatly for a while as she went into the kitchen and set the herbs aside to dry. Trying to go about her usual routine in the kitchen but the pounding continued to distract and confound her.

Suddenly she had a great sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as fear coursed wildly through every fiber of her being. If it wasn't one of the Phantoms, was it Charles?
Claude!
That sinking feeling made her womb twist in absolute agony as she doubled over and gasped, nearly weak in the knees and unable to move. Grasping the counter's edge to keep her stable as she forced herself to deal with it and stumbled her way out of the kitchen.

She was in the hallway by the time that twisting in her gut subsided and she glanced about. "Raoul." Pausing with a swallow and catching her breath, "Gustave. Erik." Those whom she loved most she now had a greatest desire to keep them so very near to her. Fearing for them all!
Hastening her way through the hallways and corridors of the Manor in a fearful need to find her son, her Husband, and her Angel.

[Teressa Lavalais]

Teressa lay on the divan in the sitting room, humming softly to herself. Eyes closed, hair splayed out beneath her, she stretched. Her sheer sirwal showed off her new henna she'd completed this morning, and her bolero was unbuttoned halfway so she could get some air on her skin. She was comfortable and peaceful, after the hell she'd been feeling. At least she had that...

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sound from above...Funny, that shouldn't happen...the manor was so far above the little house on the lake...She sat up. There was a rumbling and she felt the tremors overwhelm the house. Her heart stopped. It sounded terrifying...perhaps it was construction?

"Erik?" Teressa called for him urgently. She didn't know if he'd left the house while she'd been relaxing, but she didn't hear him playing anymore. Perhaps he was asleep? She'd have to go check...She left the sitting room and wandered to his room. The door was open. Pushing through the doorway, she saw his mask was gone and his coffin was open. So he had left...that didn't make her comfortable at all...

Pushing her hair behind her shoulders, she turned off the lights and left the little house, determined to get to the surface and find Erik. She HAD to find Erik...that was the only way she'd feel safe right now.

[destler]

Destler was returning to his underground lair to find some piece he had left behind or so he thought. Scouring the abandoned little cave filled with dusty candles and rotting furniture. Oh, where was it. Where... where... where.
Moving from one place to another but did not find it and furrowed his brow in a slight bewildered scowl. This did not settle him well enough to get him to leave.

After a while, he departed the decrepit little cavern and made his way back to the surface. Stopping within the tunnels upon the sound of some rumbling and pounding. Some unholy pound from deep within the core of the earth. Turning around each quarter turn to look around and listen. He didn't like the sound of it and took off in a sprint towards the surface, back up to the main floor of the Manor. What on Earth was happening?

[Emma Ravenhearst]

Emma knew. She knew from the moment she heard the noises what was happening. She had heard the same noises the night she had been killed and brought back as an eternal ghost, had see the hellhounds growling and snapping, pulling themselves from the pentagram that Charles had drawn...and they had eaten Charles alive.

She rose from her book in the library, feeling the heart she had so recently acquired practically quake with fear. It couldn't be happening again. Not now. Not when everything was starting to come together. But she knew what she had to do. There was no time to find Charles- she hasn't seen him in days anyway, she suspected he was taking time for himself. Taking a deep breath, she began heading for the basement, anger and a bit of fear in her heart. She was not[/] going to let was she had worked so hard to build up be taken from her in one fell swoop.

In moments, she had reached the basement where her body was kept and where the pentagram still glowed. But now...Claude was playing the violin, the hellhounds were escaping again, coming into her home! She pressed her hands over her head, trying to wake herself up from this awful dream, and her voice was loud and nearly made the manor that was her incarnate shake, "STOP IT!!![/b]"

[maria]

Maria had been outside to enjoy the day and see the horses, it was a perfect excuse to get some fresh air. Not much she did other than do her best to help Lenoir with the Opera restoration. Most of her time was consumed by it's repair.

As she strode indoor, the strange pounding grabbed her attention and she froze to listen rather concerned. What ever in the world was it? Slowly walking into a hallway and looked around as the dull, deep pounding continued. Lenoir may know. Or one of the other residents. She trotted from her spot down the hallway in hopes to find one of the other residents as fear started to flood her.

[Roselin A. Soulle]

Oh the little innocent girl, staring out her widow. She wore a dark orange long sleeve shirt with black pants and a great big black bow in her hair. Roselin lit a white candle stick and put it in it's candle holder. She then opened her window a crack and sat at her desk. Easter may have been her favorite holiday, but Halloween was definitely the best holiday that isn't exactly the fuzzy - family loving kind of holiday like Christmas and Thanksgiving.

As Roselin stood in the single-candle lit lighting and the cold breeze from the window, her heart began to thud furiously... or was that her heart? Her room suddenly became much colder and she began to shiver. She closed her window but it only got worse. And then it all stopped for a moment, the thunderous beating. But only for a moment - long enough to let her hear some sort of strange music... some sort of... fiddle music? It was dark, unearthly, almost... evil. She glanced at her bed, the sheets almost beckoning to protect her from whatever was living here. Why did was she feeling this way?

She looked to the door, perhaps all she needed to do was find the player of the music and whoever they are can reassure her that everything was fine and that she could go back to her room. Perhaps it was even an Erik. But as she took a step towards the door, every fiber in her body repelled against her. Roselin swallowed hard. She then growled at herself, there was absolutely nothing to be afraid of! She then began to hear singing... such singing she had never heard of before... it came to her ears like hot coals set on her skin. Roselin ignored it as best she could but it was difficult when if felt as if it was causing her physical pain. She dove out the door without another thought, only to put her fears at rest. The door suddenly shut behind her and she could not reopen it. Something wanted to find the music.... find the music... and so, she began to wander.

[Claude Delacroix]

(Just a note to everyone: You may add your own demons at any point, especially since this is a psychological/physical torment thread. So enjoy, and happy haunting!)

The demons of the manor itself began to whisper and sing along with Claude in that terrifying rhyme:

Stuff him in a sack and throw him over,
Stuff him in a sack and throw him over,
Stuff him in a sack and throw him over,
Early in the morning.

[/color][/center]

The beings cackled loudly and started scratching at the walls as they had done when HE first came there. When Charles had sacrificed Emma and the Hellhounds tore him to shreds in the bloody aftermath. Oh, what fun that was! And now he was ready to re-live that moment, but without all the blood. No, he wanted to simply torment the little mortals, let them all know who was really in charge over this estate! Not Charles, no! That bloody bastard knew better for he was the one who summoned HIM there to begin with!

Claude's violin sang and he began to dance to the music, his shoes tapping loudly upon the floorboards. He quickly vanished when his eyes caught sight of Destler, reappearing at the top of the main stairway above him. He continued to play without missing a single beat as the bow glided across the strings effortlessly. He wanted to just kill him, all of them, right then and there! But he had to maintain control; the others were not there and he needed more witnesses.

[destler]

Sprinting through the tunnels and made his way topside as the pounding continued, getting louder and louder. What ever was happening? Of this he couldn't be too sure of until he reached the stairwell that led to the great foyer of the manor. Taking a couple steps at a time but came to a sudden halt upon the sight of Claude before him at the top of the stairs. Taking a couple slow steps back, his hands braced against the walls while staring in horror at the Devil who was now blocking his escape. The music made his ears hurt and winced with pain feeling as though the music was ripping apart his ear drums. Glaring up at Claude in mild horror and now disdain, his immediate thought went to Teressa. He suddenly feared for her. Taking another step back as he doubled over with that pressure in his ears and growled in agony. "STOP IT!" Another hissing groan. "STOP!" His fingers curled against the stone wall. Shaking his head very carefully and slowly, he had to find Teressa. He had to keep her safe from this vile being. Twisting around with his head down slightly and cringing, he descended the stairs in a staggering effort to reach that little house by the lake. He had to get through the tunnels first.

Not caring if Claude followed him right now or not. Well, no, not true. He did care. He didn't want the bastard to get ahold of Teressa. Any good man would protect the one he loves and right now, he had to protect Teressa. "Teressa. Teressa," he spoke in soft agony as he stumbled and staggered through the tunnels, feeling as though in he was in slow motion, trying to get to her. "Teressa."

[Emma Ravenhearst]

The demons continued to wail and to screech with laughter as Emma screamed, almost laughing at her feeble attempts to stop her. And they were hurting her, biting her! The manor was called Ravenhearst Manor for a reason. The only reason it had stayed together and had not fallen apart completely after all these years was because Emma's soul stayed intact. The two were completely intertwined- if Emma was in pain, so was the manor.

And so, it was her responsibility to destroy anything that threatened it. After all these years, she deserved peace in her final resting place. And she knew the way to achieve it. Charles had told her about it, though he no longer had the courage to do it himself. He was terrified of Claude and what he might do to him. But Emma was not. Claude had not hold over her. She had not sold her soul to him and the only way that he could do anything to her was by destroying the manor- and he would not dare do that. The manor was his home too.

The book. The book that Charles had originally used to summon Claude, the book that contained all of Claude's spells. That was the only way to banish him from the manor. If she could find the book, she could stop him.

But even as she thought this, something began to materialize in the corner of her eye. She turned to look- and gave a scream of horror. It was Charles. Charles, carrying the axe, covered in blood, seething in anger.

"Emma...Emma, I love you..."

He began to lurch forward, just had he had done those 117 years ago, his eyes burning with passion. Emma stood still for half a second, and then began to run, emitting an unending wail of terror. As she ran, windows thudded open as she passed, floorboards shook, paintings fell from walls- the entire manor was shaking as though an earthquake was running through it and her scream was ripping through every room in the house as she ran, heading for the room she knew she had to reach- the room in which she had died.

[bedeviledmanor]

All at once, the master of the house was in front of her--not a demon, but the real man. Fresh, new, his familiar skin. And, directly in front of her, he quickly grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the nearest broom closet.

Charles Dalimar had been sleeping for the past couple of days, then roaming about the mansion and sleeping some more. He was sure his wife wasn't aware of him sleeping beside her every night, with these irregular sleep patterns--besides, it wasn't as if they were ever apart. Not really. He all but heard her thoughts... he could recall several occasions when she would feel something that made him laugh.

He hadn't laughed in so long... he loved her so much...

And things were good. For the first time, things were actually good.

And then that song... He awoke with a long wail in his sleep and sprung up from his bed. He could feel Emma's rising panic as well, could hear them coming--coming not for him, but for her. Claude was cruel and reckless but he wasn't stupid. He knew what would hurt Charles much more than piercing his skin.

And he could feel her being tugged, her shadow clawed at. He raced through the manor, down the stairs to the second floor, where he could feel her. She was rushing toward her old room. He'd follow--no, he'd stop her.

It was just milliseconds after thinking this that he appeared before her and began to drag her backward. He could hear his own familiar growling down the hall--the demon of him was panting, sweating, smacking his lips together.

"I seeeeeeee you.... I see your little feeeeeeet... umyumyumyumyumyumyumyum..."

Charles shivered, holding her close as the door slammed behind them. His arms wrapped around her waist, his cheek pressed into hers.

"Where is he?" he asked gruffly.

[Adina Gillespie]

Adina had been sleeping in her old room. The nights were growing longer and it made her sleepier now that she had her old body back… She wondered how long this would go on? How long would she be given this mortal coil again? After the incident with Claude, Lenoir, and Destler in the lairs, she thought it was not for much longer.

She had terrible nightmares for the past few nights, most of them about her father but others about Claude. But then she suddenly awoke to the loud pounding sounds. What could it be? She had wondered, getting up and wrapping her shawl around her shoulders before lighting a candle and peeking out her door. "Hello?" She called out. No response. She carefully opened the door a bit more when she saw the flame of her candle flicker though there was no wind. She gasped and whipped back around to see a dark figure standing in her room. "W-Who are you?" Her voice trembled nearly as much as the candlestick holder in her hand. The figure slowly lumbered towards her as if with a terrible limp. She could hear the other foot dragging across the wooden panels. He finally came into view….

"N-N-Non!!" Adina cried out, dripping the candlestick as the light went out, only the moonlight backlighting the man was the only source of illumination. Her hands fumbled behind her for the light-switch. She really did not need the light to know that the man before her was Lambert Gillespie: her father! It could not be! She had put all her fear and anger of him behind her. She thought she was free. Free! But….
"Mon Dieu!" The man growled, turning his attention to the fallen candle in front of him. His dark-circled eyes intense with anger as he reached out and grabbed his daughter roughly by the arm. She could smell that same cognac upon his breath and she saw that dreaded switch in his free hand. This was no ghost before her! He was as real as she was now! Her terrified eyes looked up at the drunken and violent ones of her father. "Look, Adina!" He hissed, pointing the switch to the fallen candle. "Look at the mess you have made, petit fille!! I thought I had taught you better! Well then, I suppose the lesson has not sunk in enough!!"

With a vicious snarl, Lambart raised the makeshift whip and struck his daughter's shoulder. She cried out in pain and saw that it had been such a sharp blow that she had begun to bleed a little. Before he had time to raise the switch again, Adina had scrambled to her feet and rushed to the door. She flung it open and raced down the corridors. Her heart pounding in her chest as she looked back to see him still close behind her, even with injured foot. She had to find Lenoir; she knew he would be able to keep her safe! But then she heard the music, that strange violin playing below her. She hurried down the hallway and flung the door to the main foyer open only to now be face to face with Claude!!

[Roselin A. Soulle]

Roselin continued to cautiously walk down the hall, the deafening beating in her ears, beating through her. Her legs felt week and she had to support herself with one hand on the wall. Through the beating, started a voice. It was her mother's singing.... but it was altered... and just barely audible above the beating. It didn't sound loving... or good... or anything like her mother except that it was her mother's voice.

' Down the little hall
dose a little girl wander
always so curious
always has to much to say'

Roselin's eyes began to feel heavy. The hallway began to dim darker and darker. She could feel things breathing behind her, stalking her, cackling at her.. but there was only the beating and her mother's voice. Her body told her to not listen.. it told her to go back to her room. But it was out of her control now, the voice lulled her into a sort of trans and the beating over whelmed her conscience.

'What will she do
when little girl finds him
will she give in
or will she run away'

Roselin's eyes then closed, darkness engulfing her. She dreamed of her mother in a black dress, her eyes covered by a heavy black cloth and rocking eerily on a crimson rocking chair. Her mother then began to open her arms wide, and between her arms was a spider web. Roselin walked into it and looked up at her mother who suddenly was not her her mother at all, but instead some man she had never seen before, grinning at her. And then she fell into darkness.

'Go join the dance
come play games little girl
watch for spider webs
or you'll loose the day'

Roselin gasped as she opened her eyes and fell to the floor. The hallway was now completely dark. She wrapped her arms around herself and didn't know which was she was going. The beating and the voice was now much louder, loud enough that she believed it could make her ears bleed. She couldn't stop here, she would go mad if she just gave up and stayed put. She crawled beside the wall.

'Come on in - closer
don't stray away now girl
the game is fun
don't always keep at bay'

Roselin felt claws lightly dragging across her back. She screamed and jumped up and started to run. She couldn't see which way she was going, she just had to escape. There was only so much of this that she could take. Why, why and how was any of this happening? The voice turned into a man's voice, it felt like nails on a chalk board. She regretted coming out of her room. Maybe if she would have listened, she could have saved herself from this nightmare. Finally, she screamed out "HELP!" And then ran and smacked full force into a wall.

[Claude Delacroix]

"OUR CHILDREN ARE HUNGRY[/color]!!!" Claude shrieked, his voice penetrating the walls, the floor, through every surface of the manor just as the Hellhounds burst from the basement and howled loudly. Their howls were chilling to the core as they clawed their way into the manor. The beasts growled and licked their jaws, black saliva dripping from their tongues as they stalked through the manor. The Devil was just about to start his song again when he heard the door behind him fling open and then slam shut as someone rushed in. He turned to see….

"Adina," He growled soothingly as he pulled away his violin and took her hand. "Enjoying your mortal body still? But not for much longer. We will take back your soul soon and rip it straight out of your beautiful chest."

"Do it, Master! Kill her! Kill the pretty lady!
Cut out her tongue so she can't sing anymore!
Rip out her throat so she can't scream!"

"Silence[/color][/i]…" He hissed as he brought the terrified girl closer to him, his nails lightly scraping against her flesh as he gripped her chin. "What a beautiful little thing you are. We wonder what your soul tastes like. Such a pretty thing should have an equally delicious soul. You know, it's too bad that the cook drowned you so early in your young life. But now we can watch your soul break before we eat it."

Suddenly, Lambart Gillespie bursted into the room and grabbed his daughter as she screamed in terror. Claude kept his hold on her, savoring her fear as he leaned in to kiss her deeply. He wanted a taste of her, of her pure fear… Ohhh, and how sweet it was! He could taste it, delicious and addictive as her father watched and held her tightly. After what felt like hours to the poor woman, Claude finally pulled back and let her go, as did her father. "Mmmm, so sweet," He whispered, licking his lips. He leaned back in and gripped her hair. "Run…"

With that, Claude violently shoved her down the stairs, however not hard enough that she broke her neck. He watched as she lay limp upon the floor for a moment before she struggled to get up. He laughed and took up his violin and started to play again… This night was just getting started!

[Teressa Lavalais]

Teressa took the stairs. She hated the lift system, and she had to get up to the surface. She didn't know why, but her soul trembled with more fear the closer she got to the top of the stairs. Where was Erik? Could he not feel the tremors in the manor?

She'd climbed two stories before she felt a chill come over her. Her heart felt like it was about to pound through her chest, she could feel her pulse hammering in her throat. Something was very wrong here...something was VERY wrong....

"Bon nuit, ma petite chou-chou..."

Teressa stopped, eyes wide. Her mouth went dry. It was that voice...his voice...she turned. There he was, that evil glint in his eye. The figure from her nightmares. She never did find out his name, but his face still haunted her. After all these years, he still had a traumatic effect on her. He took a step toward her. How did he find her? Were the others with him? The other two men...Her heart sank when she felt rough fingers wrap around either of her arms. They were here...all three of them...

She suddenly felt a surge of energy in her desperation, thrashing out at the men around her. She kicked and screamed, praying that someone would hear her and help. She didn't want to relive her past, she didn't want to feel them hurt her again, like they did when she was nineteen. Tears streamed down her face as she cried out.

"What's wrong, chou-chou? I never finished, remember...?" The man grinned maliciously, and Teressa kicked at him, but in vain. Where was everyone?!