KRAWW!
The monstrous bird’s screech pierced through the sky, heralding the rumble of thunder, and opening up the darkness with the screams of humanity.
It was impossible to tell when the building was constructed, or whether it even adhered to regulations. The cracked walls, ivy running all over it, and bloody letters instructing any observers (who could read English, at least) to “Go to HELL” made it look like discounted real estate that wasn’t even trying to hide the fact someone had been murdered in there.
And seriously, what was with all the horror-themed stuff I’d been getting into lately? Hadn’t I been through enough of that for a lifetime by now?!
“This place is weird,” I said. “What happened to the wonderful kingdom of dreams?”
“Calm down. You’ve gotta know Ghost Mansion. It’s famous.”
“Of course I do, it’s just... They sure put a lotta effort into this place, huh?”
Ghost Mansion was often described as the black sheep of Tenchido games, as most of their titles were aimed at kids. That said, it had gained a strong cult following among hardcore horror fans. I guess I should be applauding them for so faithfully recreating the game world in real life, but it was scary enough already on the other side of a screen. Essentially, what they had done was build something guaranteed to traumatize anybody who entered.
Now, I wasn’t a coward, but Mashiro was standing there without even a twitch in her neutral expression. She must have had nerves of steel.
“Quit stalling and let’s go in,” she said.
“H-Hey, why don’t we go somewhere else? We could leave the haunted house for when we’re at some other theme park.”
“What? Are you stupid or something?” Mashiro turned her frosty gaze on me. “TEL’s haunted house is recognized worldwide because of how good it is. You’re Koyagi’s producer. This place can teach you a ton about atmosphere and effects, and you’re telling me you don’t want to go in?”
“Nrk... I seriously can’t argue with any of that.”
The themes of tragedy and terror that were locked away inside this building lined up perfectly with what the Alliance was trying to do with Koyagi. If I were to skip out on it, I may as well hand in my (metaphorical) producer’s badge.
“Okay. I’m man enough. Let’s do it.”
“Good. Let’s go!” Mashiro scurried forward impatiently, like she couldn’t wait to get in there. She stepped right up the door that was plastered with paper talismans and opened it without hesitation.
Throwing my shoulders back, I followed her. What, you think it’s pathetic that I’m hiding behind her? Well, you’re wrong. I was just protecting her from behind. I wasn’t letting her go first because I was scared or any—
“Purby, purby, purby! Weeelcome to Tenchido Ghost Mansion!”
“GAAARGH!” I screamed.
And you would have too, if someone spoke right into your ear the second you stepped through the entrance.
“You’re being too loud, Aki. I can’t believe that made you scream. You’re an embarrassment.”
“S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to...”
“Ha ha ha! Your girlfriend certainly is strict. But don’t let it get you down! Your screams put smiles on our faces!”
So said the laughing man in the clown costume. This was Glown, a character from the game who acted as a guide to Ghost Mansion. His in-game art always made him look so charming, but in the dim lighting of this building, both his face and the way he spoke came off as just a little bit creepy.
“Now, let’s get back on track, hm? Welcome to Ghost Mansion! My name is Glown. I manage this place with a skip in my step, and make sure all of our residents are nice and comfortable! Are you two here to enter room 404?”
I blinked at him. “Huh?”
“That’s right. Room 404,” Mashiro answered, before whispering in my ear, “That’s how this attraction works. You get this kinda thing in other haunted houses too, usually when they want to create a sense of realism.”
“You sure know a lot about this. You must’ve been to a ton of theme parks.”
“When I was a shut-in, I used to go by myself to— I mean, I read about them online. Yeah. On the internet.”
“I see.”
For a second, I thought she was going to tell me something really sad, but I decided to do the kind thing and pretend I hadn’t noticed.
“Before I check you in, there are a few little things I need to share with you,” Glown said, showing us a piece of paper.
Residents of Ghost Mansion must abide by the following rules:
Keep noise levels down to avoid disturbing other residents!
Don’t run in the hallways, or I’ll tear your legs off! (Just kidding!)
Keep your eyes on the residents when you interact with them! Communication is important.
If you’re going to die, let me know first! Cleaning up dead bodies is a pain...
The rules were written in a scratchy font that perfectly matched the horror setting. This kind of foreshadowing reminded me of the theory about a frog boiling in water—basically, we were being set up to break one of these rules already, and when we did, we’d be attacked by ghosts or something.
It could hardly be more obvious. It might have been enough to fool your average visitor, but as a fellow entertainer, I saw right through it.
“Follow these rules for a fun-filled life in the mansion! And now, off I go!” Glown handed us the key to room 404, then headed off down the corridor, giggling all the while. The very moment he turned the corner and disappeared from view...
“AAAAAAAAARGH!”
He screamed his last!
Simultaneously, the gloomy entrance hall suddenly lit up with crimson lights, and Glown’s hanging corpse (by which I mean a detailed dummy) bounced down from the ceiling. The music turned eerier, and 3D images of the ghosts of Tenchido characters appeared floating around us, cackling derisively.
“So this is it, huh? I’ll admit, the loud noises made me jump, but these 3D characters and the fake corpse are cute more than anything.”
“Hmph... Maybe this is scary for kids, but it does nothing for me. I hope they up their game,” Mashiro muttered, sounding frustrated that she might have hyped herself up too much for this.
Personally, this was the perfect level of scary for me. I was hoping they didn’t raise the bar.
“This way... Come this way...”
A white hand beckoned us from around the corner. The 3D characters whispered around us, urging us to follow it.
It seemed the game was afoot.
“Let’s go,” Mashiro said.
“Sure... Say, aren’t we gonna take one of those flashlights? It says there we’re allowed to.”
A box crammed with flashlights was positioned conspicuously by the wall.
“No.”
“Why not? If they’re here, surely that means the hallway’s gonna be too dark to walk down without one.”
“It says we’re allowed to take one. It doesn’t say we have to take one.”
“I think you’re nitpicking.”
“It means we can get through this house whether we take one or not. It’s a difficulty thing. If you’ve got a choice between easy, normal, and hard, obviously the right one to pick is—”
“Normal. That’s what real men go for.”
“No.”
“Look, part of being a man is knowing when something’s beyond you, and not going ham just because you can. Please understand.”
“This has nothing to do with manliness. Horror games are meant to be played on hard mode. It’s the principle.”
“Hnngh! I swear you don’t care this much about anything else!”
Mashiro giggled. “The supreme terror. The treasure trove of information. And if I lose my nerve, I’ve got you here to fall back on!” Her eyes were now spinning in their sockets as she laughed. Even the 3D ghosts looked scared of her. Which might work out great for me, as long as I stuck with her.