“Alright let’s get this over with.” A youthful man with pale skin, high cheek bones, deep brown eyes, guyliner done just right, and messy wavy black hair framing his face to his shoulders sighed. It was like his world was always dull and raining, the way he never smiled. He wore black boots, black jeans, a long sleeved black shirt and a black waistcoat over it. The cuffs of his sleeves covered his knuckles and his nails were painted black.
He stood at the front of a waiting room filled with exited and anxious prospective temporary interns. They looked immaculate in their smart slacks and skirts, suits and jackets with their hair gelled or sprayed and makeup to look pristine. They all wore guest lanyards, yellow ones, unlike him. He was fulltime staff so his lanyard was red and had ‘Staff- Sylas’ printed in large spooky black letters. “Good afternoon ladies, gentlemen, and everyone else in between.” Sylas cleared his throat and held up his clip board to read off the script. “As you are all here, you have been short listed to work for one season at Madam Vaculik’s House of Horrors on a creator internship. You have passed our extensive screening process and have been deemed suitable candidates for the program.”
Several hands clasped each other and giddy whispers stopped with dark stare from Sylas. “You will begin your orientation by getting out of character. Your costumes removed and your makeup comes off. Then you will practise your act ever second you can before our first opening night. We run for 7 nights leading up to October 31st.” Sylas rolled his eyes at the stench of excitement in the air. “You will use the name you are given from the moment you arrive on site to the moment you leave. When observing a suitable candidate you will not be obvious. You are not to draw attention to our business. Once you believe you have found what you’re looking for, you are to discretely excuse yourself from your station and alert me at the tech desk whom you have selected. They will be given a VIP pass to return on the grand finale night of the 31st. This will give me time to vet them in advance and make you aware of their profiles.” Sylas lowered the clip board and spoke to them directly around the room. “I warn you now? Do not go for the super loud, super pretty, super happy ones. If they are surrounded by adoring family and friends, that’s a red flag and an automatic no from me. You’re looking for broken, timid, lonely ones. If they are bullied or neglected, that’s even better.” There was a lot of eager nods around the room, which reassured Sylas they understood the idea of the program perfectly. “No one who will be missed.”
“But how will me know that just by looking at them?” A woman with thick curly red hair put her hand up like a student, even though she looked to be in her late 30s.
“By using all the senses at your disposal to make a short list by preference and suspicion of their suitability. I then do all the leg work, so you don’t have to stalk anyone.” Sylas took his cell phone out of his jeans pocket and waved it at the redhead. “The marvel of the digital age. Anything over the age of 15 tends to have social media and most don’t use security to protect their information. The ones that do? I just hack.” He shrugged with a dark grin. “I’ve been doing this job a long time, and I’ve not come across an account I can’t get into one way or another. Without leaving a trace, of course.” He chuckled at his own excellence, and he looked very different when smiling. Handsome rather than broody. Sylas’ expression fell back into his usual stoic mask as he cleared his throat and returned to the clip board. “As I was saying…right.” He tapped where he was up to on the script. “Once you are given the green light from me you will declare your intentions to Madam Vaculik. Sign all the relevant custody paper work, and then on the night of the 31st we will facilitate the candidate’s transfer into your care. If you will require any special arrangements for this, please make sure to let me know with at least 24 hours notice. On the stroke of midnight on the 31st of October we will leave and you will all return to your prospective homes as brand new creators.”
He looked up exhaled with boredom as the room erupted with cheers and high fives.
“That will be all Sylas, thank you.” He flinched and held his chest in shock at her presence. Madam Vaculik was the only one able to startle him like that. Understandable really.
Being that’s she’s a brood mother.
She emerged from the shadows with coffee and cream skin, mottled with a dark brown exoskeleton over her crown, chest, arms and legs. The rest of her was soft and pale. Her breasts and waist spoke to her reproductive prowess, and the segmented dark brown spider legs spoke to her deadliness. She had two arching out of either side of her back which suspended her body like she was flying as she sauntered into the waiting room. She had big black eyes where you’d expect them to be, but three more smaller eyes framing each of them. Her long black tendril like hair hung down her back and her black lips parted to show she had fangs that distended to drip venom.
She raised her humanoid arms up as she lowered herself to stand on her humanoid feet. Her spider legs recoiled into her back. She rolled her head and her skin turned peachy, soft all over, her hair turned to silky black waves, and the six smaller eyes shrank into her temples. The woman who stood before them in a red dress with long sleeves and a high collar looked elegant and beautiful. Her hands went to her hips and she smirked at the stunned room. “I’ll take it from here.”
She spoke with authority and her head raised high. Sylas bowed and backed out of the waiting room to leave his boss to take the lead. “I am Madam Vaculik. Welcome to my House of Horrors.” She dramatically raised her hands and chuckled. “Together we shall terrify mortals of all ages and take money, and their unwanted children. They will be bestowed the great honour of becoming one of us. A creature of darkness and power.” She sauntered around the room and saw the adoration and hope in their eyes. “This you will do here, to create a new generation, is a sacred duty. Whether you are here to sire a child, or a mate to breed with to reproduce with later, together we will find the right mortal for you. Now you must remember?” She turned on her heels and minced towards the door. Her right hand pointed upward as she came to a stop and smirked over her shoulder at them. “No eating any of them. You will not harm my business with your hunger. You will not reveal that you are not an actor but a real monster.” She chuckled and wagged her finger. “You will not pounce until all the correct due diligence and paper work has been completed. On the 31st of October we will snatch away your new little ones and then you can raise them in safety. Away from the influences of mortals.” She giggled and stretched her arms up over her head, her back popping eerily as she did so. “Oh?”
Madam Vaculik turned and her eyes bled to black, her mouth opened impossibly wide and two black fangs distended from her upper jaw. “Break any of my rules or endanger any of my permanent staff? And you will wish I would just kill you. Instead of the slow, agonising, burning death I will deny you over and over again. Captured forever in my web.” She giggled at how pale and deathly quiet they all became. She shrugged her shoulders and returned to her misleadingly normal appearance. “Not that that’s out of the way. Welcome to my House of Horrors. Let’s get you out of costume and let your prettier side out.” She pushed the door open and waved her hand for the new interns to follow her. They did so without hesitation.
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