The front yard was full of weeds and patches of wilted grass. The wooden fence did not look as though it would be able to hold on much longer, creaking and cracking at many points. The gate needed to be oiled and the lopsided sign had creepy, crooked letters carved on its surface.

“Okay...this is pretty convincing,” Valeriana muttered. “I heard this was the new horror house attraction they put up recently, but for the last few weeks, people had gone missing when they went inside. People say it’s a rumor to draw in more visitors.”

On the other hand, the house itself was decrepit. The walls had gigantic holes that one could see the inside. The windows hang on their hinges and the paint chipped off.

Valeriana felt the hair on the back of her neck rising as a dark figure passed by the window. “That's just...I don't think I can go in there. I'm already scared just by standing outside.”

Seraphina dauntlessly walked through the gates.

“Hey!” Valeriana ran forward and caught up. “Wait a moment! We have to wait in line!”

They both stopped before a queue of people by the entrance.

“This is still a horror house, so we have to wait to get in and pay the fee.”

“I don't think I can wait at all,” Seraphina answered.

With that said, she pushed past the people waiting for their turn at the entrance. They reacted harshly, complaining about how they waited for hours to get where they were. However, their whines fell on deaf ears as Seraphina proceeded calmly without looking back. Valeriana could only walk after her, feeling embarrassed and uncertain.

“Seraphina!” she whispered loudly. “Hey!”

When they were right in front of the door, a man stepped on their way. “I'm sorry. Do you—”

The piercing gaze the woman shot his way made him shut his mouth and back off. With a slight push, they brushed past him and walked into the horror house without any trouble.

Valeriana looked back and saw the man helplessly standing in the entrance, scratching his head. He muttered several things under his breath, such as being fired, so she took out a couple of dollars from her pocket and shoved it into the hands of the guy. That exhausted the last of her money, but she still had a couple of dollars to spare for a cab.

“Keep the change.”

“This isn’t even—” He shook his head.

Seraphina swept aside the black, silky curtains and entered. Valeriana had to lift her leg as there was a hump. While her companion looked unperturbed, Valeriana was already regretting ever going in.

They stepped into a dark, abandoned hallway. The quietness made their steps echo eerily. The atmosphere and silence felt unnerving.

“Hey! Wait for me!” Valeriana exclaimed.

Seraphina had her hands around the hilt of her sheathed sword—a weapon that fortunately nobody noticed—and was bent slightly on a pose that signaled her readiness for any kind of attack.

“Valeriana, if you see something strange, alert me immediately.”

“B-but, how am I supposed to know? There are all sorts of scary things in here.”

“We should check this door.” Seraphina walked towards the door to their right and placed a hand on the knob.

“W-wait, I don't think you should.”

The lady slowly pushed the door open, letting it hit the wall.

“Holy mother of—” Valeriana broke into a loud scream.

On the couch was a dying woman covered in her own blood. Crimson had dried off around her mouth and even more seeped through her painted lips. There was another character in the scene, feeding on the innards of her open stomach. The monster's appearance was barbaric, with a pointed set of teeth stained with blood and bits of flesh falling from his mouth.

“H-help...me...” The woman reached out to them.

When the monster saw both girls, its blood red eyes glistened with bloodthirstiness and started running for the two. Valeriana jumped from where she stood and grabbed the knob instinctively while Seraphina drew her weapon. With a loud bang, she shut the door close and took off running with the woman in tow.

Her heart was beating so fast it felt like it would burst from her chest. Her hands, as well, were racked with uncontrollable trembling and her knees felt unbelievably weak.

Even after shutting it close, the monster kept banging on the door.

“Why did you leave her alone? We should help her!” Seraphina exclaimed.

Valeriana focused on calming herself. “Listen,” she told the woman as she took in deep breaths. “None of that was real.”

“But...”

“You won't believe how great special effects are,” she paused. “That woman had great acting too. Really. I felt like I just died a gazillion times.”

“It wasn't real?”

“That's the point of a Horror House—to scare, but not harm people. It's for past time and entertainment.” Valeriana wiped off the sweat from her brow while panting. “So you have to keep in mind that you can't just draw that thing out recklessly or you'll probably kill innocent people who’re just doing their job.”

Valeriana pointed to the fully drawn, gleaming sword Seraphina held with her two, swift hands.

“You have to promise me that you will not use that thing here—at least, on people. I didn't lead you here to murder someone after all. Now, for Pete's sake, please put that away.”

Seraphina seemed disappointed and troubled as she sheathed her weapon. Once it clicked in place, Seraphina released a huge breath and began to contemplate how on Earth she would distinguish demon from human.

“I'm going to have to proceed without drawing my weapon against anything at all then. I'll try not to unless I am sure who my enemies are.”

Valeriana nodded at her statement in satisfaction. “Alright. Now we're clear.”

“Let us go. Who is Pete by the way?”