The door slammed shut behind the reptile the moment he set foot inside, entrapping him in a world of darkness. He reached for his torch on his AA12 and switched it on so any survivors could see him. The reptile wasn’t worried that the horrors that festered behind every shadow were also aware of his presence. Jackson had already suspected a haunted building would know of his arrival the moment he set foot inside.

The place was made of displayed furniture, a maze of interiors of what a potential home would look like to some people. With his shotgun firm on his shoulders, he marched deeper into the complex. Walking through kitchens and bathrooms swiftly and quietly. His eyes darted around for any potential threats that lingered near.

Though the reptile was met with silence and no sight of any living creature. He could smell them. Their scent was close like they were waiting behind every corner. But no matter how many times Jackson checked, he could never find a monster or a living soul. They were close, too close, like a cat ready to pounce at any moment.

The place, or what he figured, was actually a realm. Subtly changing around him with every turn. With his thumb he scratched a wooden table to mark it, and after what seemed like two laps around the complex, no matter how many turns he made or changed where he was moving. He would find the same wooden table. The reptile figured the place was keeping him trapped, or forcing him to stay at a desired location for some sort of plan.

‘God no!’

Jackson’s body darted to where the scream came from. He sprinted over there with his weapon at the ready, suspecting a foe in his way. He heard the scream again, though even if it came from the same direction, it sounded further away. But he couldn’t slow down, not if there was a chance someone survived inside the complex. He leaped over counters and crashed through thin walls to hasten his search for the survivor. A subtle approach wasn’t necessary anymore, not when he had to get to them quickly.

The moment he arrived, he found a pool of blood, but no body. He was too late. He took a knee to dip his fingers into it, its warm feeling a sign that it was recent. He dabbed his bloodied finger into his mouth to taste it and knew it was human. Some creatures would set up traps or use fake blood as a way to deter anyone from entering their territory. Simple, but effective. However, the reptile could tell the difference between the two.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

The reptile scanned the area, searching for a trail or any proof of struggle. Yet he found nothing. He couldn’t even smell anything else besides the blood in front of him. Which meant the creature that attacked the victim had already killed them and took their body somewhere else. For what purpose, the reptile wasn’t sure.

Drip!

A drop of blood fell in front of him. Jackson looked up at a mirrored version of the furniture maze above him. The layout and even the damaged walls the reptile barged through were a perfect representation. Except, the only difference was there was a body up there. Laying on the floor, ten feet above him. It was a civilian, her neck slit open, revealing the contents inside. Though what made the reptile curious was how swollen and yellow her left leg was.

The reptile slung his shotgun to his side while he pulled out his grappling hook. He aimed up, gas hissed from the device as he fired the hook near the body so he could propelled up to examine her injuries. However, the hook couldn’t reach the roof as it anticlimactically fell back down. The grappling hook could reach at ranges of sixty feet without issue. Jackson knew he should be able to reach it, yet, he couldn’t. The haunted building was playing a trick, one that knew to some degree the intentions of the reptile the moment he opened its door. The reptile was a lone hunter, and he came to fight it like the team before.

Seeing no other option, the reptile readied his weapon and journeyed deeper into the complex. Navigating a maze of cheap items any homeowner could grab. But through its friendly veneer was something wrong, something hideous. Jackson could sense that the building only chose to pose as an Ikea as a convenient way to conceal itself into the modern world. Yet the question lingered, why would the haunted building suddenly appear in the middle of the town?