They spent the next few minutes walking around casually, checking door after door. The scenes were truly terrifying, and there were a couple of jump scares while they continued to circle the building. This Horror House wasn't something for the faint of heart.

“W-where the heck are those demons you're talking about?” she asked. “Can you just find them and get it over with already? Maybe they aren’t here at all!”

“Perhaps this door,” Seraphina told her, opening the one they were facing.

They were greeted by the sight of a beast chained to the wall, lying helplessly on the floor. His breath was heavy and soft growls escaped through rows of narrow-edged teeth. A few steps away from him was rotting meat.

Valeriana stared at the beast in silence, intimidated by the aura about him.

It roared so suddenly, making her jump. It pulled on the chains cuffed around its arms and feet as it attempted to lunge for the two.

“Close the door! Close it! Close it!” Valeriana cried.

Seraphina hurriedly did as Valeriana said and took a deep breath as the door slammed shut. “I have seen things worse than this, but I have to admit that your people are quite convincing. It is somewhat unnerving.” She trembled, probably from aversion.

“I know.”

“Is this the human idea of demons?” she asked.

“There are various other concepts, really. Demons are mostly related to religion. This should be an embodiment of how we imagined them to be, based on traditional beliefs or something. Either that or the Horror House just wanted to make it scary enough to frighten the heck out of people,” she told her. “Which is working.”

“Demons—”

“Row, row, row your boat...” a child's voice sang, wet footsteps on the pavement. “Gently down the stream...merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily...”

The pauses were too heavy to ignore, include the fact that the tone seemed soulless and solemn too.

“Life is but a dream.”

A chill ran down Valeriana's back. In fear, she jumped and clung to Seraphina. “I don't want this anymore. Please, just find your demons and let's go!”

The wet footsteps continued and got even louder. “Row, row, row your boat...”

Valeriana restlessly looked around, but the voice seemed to be coming from behind them. “Come on! Let's go!”

A rush of cold air swept past the two and a black shadow passed over their heads. Valeriana caught sight of it from the corner of her eyes and reacted by shrieking and jumping in fright.

The air around them got heavier. It was different from all the other elements making up the Horror House—too ominous to ignore.

The woman looked up at the ceiling. A swift figure of black made its way overhead. Valeriana, as well, caught sight of a pair of glimmering red eyes from where she stood.

Seraphina's eyes narrowed. “I knew it.”

“Okay...is that it?” she asked.

Seraphina didn't lose focus and responded. “Yes. Probably.”

“That's not so scary.”

The demon turned to her. It coiled its body which was purely of black smoke and flew effortlessly in the air. It seemed almost nonexistent by the way it moved and how it appeared, but it was there.

It opened its jaws and shrieked, the high-pitched sound bouncing off the walls. Valeriana cowered and hid further behind Seraphina.

“I stand corrected!”

“It's some sort of miasma demon, no doubt by the crude scent.” The woman's nose flared as she took in the smell the creature carried with it.

“What?”

“Try not to inhale too much. It's poisonous.”

“How are you going to—”

Seraphina abruptly broke into a sprint. With a quick jump, she used the wall as a stepping stone and flipped backward, drawing her blade and swinging for the demon. Her sword whistled as it cut through the creature, causing it to burst into flames like before.

In the bat of an eye, the demon was eliminated.

“—kill it?” Valeriana finished, her voice trailing off. “I didn't even see how,” she muttered.

“Are you alright?” Seraphina asked as she landed flawlessly.

“Yeah. I’m fine. I’m just a bit...chilly.”

A creased formed between her companion's brows. She looked at Valeriana with a pair of questioning eyes as she sheathed her weapon. Seraphina reached for Valeriana's hands. They were freezing. “Perhaps you got too scared?”

“That may be one reason.” She nodded.

“If one is near, the others are around,” Seraphina told herself. “Come on.”

The woman ran ahead, leaving Valeriana behind to follow.

The girl did not protest and ran after Seraphina. The singing girl from a while ago caught Valeriana by surprise. Although she didn't get a good look at the ghost, she was dressed in stained, white overalls with long, black hair that dripped wet, hanging like messy curtains in front of her face.

Typical Sadako. Only singing.

“Why did I ever agree to this?” she asked herself.