You could hardly even contemplate the choice you were being forced to make. All you knew for certain is that staying here and suffering the same fate… just wasn’t an option. You needed to find a way out of this nightmarish mansion. Maybe, once you’re free, you’ll be able to call the police ro something to come help your friends. Hardly able to see through your tears, you finally swing work up the willpower to turn, swing the door open, and go stomping out of the chamber.
Now that you had the key, the manor suddenly looked completely different. It didn’t feel like you were lost in some endless maze of hallways anymore. It was as if it had returned back to being… just a normal house. You could see the front door just on the other hand of a hallway, and with no clue of where your pursuer was, you make a break for it. This almost proved a fatal mistake; you only barely managed to duck under the canines claws as she leaped at you from the darkness of the hallway. “Not so fast!” She taunted as you fell to the ground in shock, trying to crawl desperately away from the canine woman. She seemed to be rearing up to pounce once again, and it seemed like it’d be too late to flee out of the way of this one.
Just as she leaped for you, your hand happened to land on a broken, wooden handrail bar… and without a second thought, you swing it at her with all of your might. “Augh!” She yowled as she stumbled back, covering her bloodied snout. While she was distracted, you slid past her, sprinting down the hallway once again. “Hey! Get back here!” Slowed by her injury but ever more eager to capture you, she chases dizzily after you down the hall, to the point that you can feel her just a few inches behind you as you approach the door. Just a few more steps, and you’d be home free…
The canine leaped forward in a last-ditch effort when you made it to the door, ending up wrapping her arms around you and sending you both plummeting right through the front door! Bits of wood and glass splintered all around you as the door was blown off its hinges by the force of the canine’s pounce, as the two of you finally land on the cold sidewalk outside. Fortunately, the canine broke you fall… but unfortunately, you were still wrapped tightly in her arms, unable to squirm free! However, to your surprise, instead of just devouring you right there, she started to laugh. “Hehehehe!” She giggled, hugging you gently closer, as if this had all been just a big game. “Oh… that was fun! You really gave me a run for my money, there!”
You whimpered as the huge canine lady stood up, cradling you in her arms. “Well, you were the first one to make it through the Maniacal Manor. So… congrats!” She smiled, holding you against her nude form as she carried you back towards the house. “I think you deserve a special prize; every single treat we have, on the house!” You squealed and squirmed when you realized she was taking you back inside, desperate not to have to return to that terrible manor… only to realize that the interior of the mansion now looked completely normal. There were a few halloween decorations all over the place, sure, but the house was actually quite well-lit and homely.
“Oh, don’t worry. That whole maze you saw was all in your head! We got ol’ Serafine to cast some illusionary spells on the house for us, making it seem spooky and haunted to newcomers. Clever, right?” She said, setting you down on the carpeted floor. You looked around like a deer in headlights, and the canine just gestured to the living room, where the bear and cow were sitting on that very same couch, watching TV. “We’ve actually got a pretty nice place here. Go on, make yourself at home.” The canine walked down the hall into the kitchen, clutching her bloodied snout. “I’ll go clean up. Then, you can have your prize!”
You stood there for a while, trying to comprehend what you were hearing. Once you had escaped the haunted house, the canine’s entire demeanor had changed. Had she just been… acting? You were tempted to just leave while she wasn’t looking — the door had been ripped off its hinges, after all, so it wasn’t like they locked you in — but on the other hand, this might be an opportune moment to save your friends. “H-hello?” You said, cautiously approaching the two nude anthros on the couch, readying yourself to flee at any moment.
“Oh, hey! Congrats on making it through the maze! I was rooting for ya!” The cow smiled at you, looking up from her phone momentarily.
“Yeah, really impressive. I didn’t think anyone would make it, honestly,” the bear nodded in agreement.
“Y-yeah… thanks,” you said, rubbing your arm. “So… if all that was just for fun… do you think y-you could let my friends out now?”
“We already went over this. The house was fake, but the danger was real,” the bear sighed. “Besides, fair’s fair. You get a snack ‘cause you won, we get a snack ‘cause they lost.”
“T-then I’ll call someone! The police, maybe!” You say, a little more assertive now that you knew you weren’t stuck here. “Y-you’re not just going to get away with this!”
“They can’t get to Vampyre Lane. Don’t you understand that much, yet? This neighborhood’s not a physical place,” the bear grimaced. “It only even overlaps with your world once a year. Come midnight, it’ll disappear again.”
“Disappear?” You say. “What do you mean?”
“You’ll find yourself right back wherever you started, like you were never even here,” the bear replies. “That is, if you’re not already trapped inside somebody’s gut by then.”
You stare at the ground, overcome with the revelations. “So… there’s nothing I can do?” You say, a few tears falling down and soaking into the carpet before you even noticed you were crying again.
The bear paused, not wanting to see you cry. “Alright, listen. I’ll make you a deal,” he said, finally willing to throw you a bone. “If you can find some people to replace them, and lure them into the manor, we’ll let your friends out. How’s that?”
You considered it. Could you really doom somebody to suffer such a fate? Then, you realize… the bullies! Gary and Ron! They might’ve followed you to Vampyre Lane! If you could find them, they’d make the perfect replacements for your friends! You perk up, full of hope once again. There was a chance you might be able to save your friends after all! “Y-yes! Thank you so much!” You agree, almost crying tears of joy at the simple compromise. “I-I’ll get right on it!”
“... after you enjoy your prize!” The tall canine said as she emerged into the room, carrying a huge box full of all the candy you could imagine. She dropped it curtly on the ground in front of you, and you stared at your prize in awe. Of course, you couldn’t, in all good conscious, waste time on this… but judging by the expectant look on the canine’s face, she’d be upset if you didn’t eat anything. Surely, it wouldn’t hurt to try a few...
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