━━ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍!
❪ the sky full of death ❫

( warning: major gore scenes in this chapter, specific descriptions of a stabbing (the method of a shovel instead of a knife)/subtle gutting to the chest area; please be careful. you have been warned )

⋆        𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗡𝗔𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗦 kept running, even if they didn't know the safe places. They headed inside the manor, thinking it might be a good idea, a haven. They all started to slow down, attempting to catch their breath, but they kept their walking pace.

"Should we put these keys in the holes? We haven't been doing a good job at placing them in," Abby whispered as William held the door for the pair as they turned towards the hallway, leaning towards the ballroom. "I mean, to be fair, we have been running for our lives so that I wouldn't blame us," Abby continued with a chuckle that quickly died.

"Do you think that they were nice ghosts? Like... Like Samuel. I mean, he didn't attack Will at all; there has to be something we are missing here," Vanya said as she questioned the others as the three walked down, their eyes darting across from the ornate wallpaper to the dark oak furniture that decorated the halls. All William replied with was a soft sigh. He wasn't sure how to phrase it, but it felt like Samuel was still human ━ even if William knew that was never possible.

"I mean, it could work; we can't rule that out too quickly," Abby said as she looked down towards the end of the hall, seeing if she could see a glimpse of the ghosts, ensuring their safety. She hoped the three could survive the night, but it was just her desperately manifesting that hope.

As they near the area where the keyholes were, William stopped in his tracks, his knee halting his body upright. The others looked at him, confused but concerned about why he stopped. William then raised his finger to his mouth slowly, not to make any sudden movements, signalling to them that there was a strange noise and it was getting louder.

"Shit... Hide, hide, hide━" Vanya started to speak, but then the windows shattered, and the three of them couldn't help but scream as the surprised visitors started to walk towards them, trapping them in the centre of the room.

"We're surrounded; how are we supposed to get the fuck out of this now?" Abby panicked as William bit his lip, walking around in circles, trying to keep an eye on the ghosts, sensing familiarity with them.

The three could recognise who some of the ghosts were, and they suddenly had revenge boiling in their blood, the pits of their stomach igniting a flame. Ernest was one of those ghosts, and Abby was upset by the memory of Darling's death. The three girls who were in charge of the death of Samuel also stepped into the light, and William's fists curled.

"You bastards really decided to show up here," Vanya said as she huffed and gained eye contact with Ernest. Abby grabbed Vanya's arm, not wanting her to get hurt. On the other hand, William was limping behind, trying to get out of the way.

"There's only one way━" William started to speak, and the others looked at him. William nodded before grabbing the closest object, a broken lamp stand from the earlier encounter, and sighed. "━we fight."

━━━━━━

⋆        𝗜𝗩𝗔𝗡 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗗𝗡'𝗧 𝗕𝗘𝗔𝗥 to look over at Jamie, who was walking to him slowly. To know that his friend, who he loved once ━ loves still ━ is going to attack him? It was something that tore Ivan apart. He also noticed the other ghosts approaching him from different directions, closely behind. He started to move his hands quickly, trying to weave the straws together.

As he stood up to stand the scarecrow, he felt chains wrap around his leg, causing him to slip downwards. He fell to his knees, grabbing the rock and attempting to destroy the chains. His breath quickened as he felt his hands starting to bleed, but he didn't stop.

"Quick, Ivan! Jamie's coming close behind you!" Ivan could hear Eleanor scream out, and Ivan's heart stopped. He never knew he would see him on the other side, but he continued, knowing that Jamie wouldn't want him to give up. Despite the bloody hands that started to sting, he grabbed the hay and stuffed the mangled clothes, eventually shaping it into a scarecrow.

Ivan could hear the two girls starting to panic as the ghostly forms of Jamie and Rosalee came into the glow of the lanterns. No one knew where Claira went, and Ivan didn't want to waste time to figure out where she was. Ignoring the dangers, Ivan started stitching the clothing with the wire he was given. Although it pained his hands to do so, he didn't care. He wanted to survive the night; he had to, even if it meant scars on his hands as a constant reminder.

"Yes!" Ivan said as he finished the scarecrow, standing it on the wooden pole, the scarecrow standing tall, towering over him. Ivan's eyes tilted up and then down to the waistline, catching a glimpse of the ghosts nearing him. He felt his legs give out before he could grab the lantern to smash onto the scarecrow to release the flames. Ivan turned around quickly to see that Claira had grabbed him.

"I'm sorry for this, Ivan," Claira said as she dragged him against the earth. Ivan struggled as he tossed and turned, trying to get out of her tight restraints. He knew that time was running out, and he had to do something to survive. Ivan bit his lip as he kicked Claira in the stomach, which made her lose her balance. Ivan quickly stumbled onto his legs to get his footing as he returned to the lantern resting on the haybale.

"No!" Claira said in a growl as she went after Ivan. Sedona started to scream for Ivan to pick up the pace as Claira was on his heels. Ivan didn't care as he grabbed the lantern and raised it above his head, smashing it onto the ground. Ivan's shoulder lunged forth, but the grip faded away. He wasn't sure whether he had succeeded, but his eyes tilted to the broken glass and a letter now resting against the haybale.

"Ivan! Run! Jamie's after you," Sedona screamed as loudly as she could as Ivan turned around to meet face━to━face with an old friend. Jamie looked different than the last time he had seen him, but his eyes no longer held that kindness, but instead, wrath. Ivan understood nonetheless.

"I'm sorry, buddy," Ivan said as he bent down to grab the letter before it became devoured by the flames, the blood on his hands dripping down onto the envelope. He picked up the pace and headed towards where the others were standing. He approached a small hill and continued fast, trying not to slip as he felt Jamie's presence behind him.

He stopped to turn around to see if he was being followed. His eyes glowed as the flames ahead of him rose, catching fire onto the hay bales that Ivan didn't use. He could see Jamie standing there, almost as if he had no remorse. Ivan knew that he had lost Jamie again. And he had to leave him once more.

━━━━━━

⋆        𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗔𝗠 𝗦𝗪𝗨𝗡𝗚 𝗛𝗜𝗦 weapon towards Violet, who killed Samuel. William didn't understand the rage throughout his body, but all he knew was that they were pointed towards the ghosts of this manor. After all, they were the ones who killed his friends, but his hatred of Violet specifically was murderous.

"You are just as weak as he was," Violet scowled and reached for William, slightly shoving him forward to weaken his stance, knowing his knee was in a bad state. William groaned as he fell to the ground, clutching in pain, dropping his weapon away from him.

Vanya and Abby looked towards William, but he ignored their glances as he started to place his hands on the ground, pushing himself up as he tried to stand. William grabbed the copper lamp on the side table and threw it hard towards Violet's head. Violet didn't expect the lamp to have a hard impact on her, especially for something that is of material not from her world. The lamp made contact with her head, the blunt force causing Violet's eyes to roll to the back of her head as she collapsed to the ground, her spirit diminishing.

"Watch out, Will!" Abby yelled out as William got up, and both Elizabeth and Charlotte went after him, their rage focusing on the man who just killed their sister's spirit. William tried to think quickly on his feet as he ran around the couch, hoping to get them at a disadvantage. Abby grabbed a broken curtain bar and swung as hard as she could, somehow hitting Charlotte in the face.

However, Vanya was having the most trouble as she was facing Ernest, who seemed like a little boy. But secrets were revealed, and his body started to become disformed, bones cracking out of place as he grew. His mouth hung open, his jaw falling apart. His eyes were striking green as the scars on his body turned into marks of the beast. "Uh, a little help here..." She said as she backed up a little, her body stopped by the wall.

William looked around quickly for a weapon as Elizabeth walked towards William angrily. His eyes landed on a sword in a glass case above the keyholes on top of a fireplace shelf, and William ran for the sword. Abby noticed William was gunning for it, so she decided to help Vanya defeat Ernest.

"Vay! Try to get the curtain, and we can wrap it around his feet to trip him over!" Abby said as she pointed to the curtains. Both girls ran for the curtains, grabbing the fabric and pulling on it. Meanwhile, William reached the glass casing, and he grabbed it as he shattered it on the ground. Glass shards were everywhere as he bent down and grabbed it before he turned around to face Elizabeth.

"You were supposed to die━" Elizabeth started to speak, but William wasn't allowing himself to be distracted by her cunningness. William knew he was in a tough spot and backed up slowly. "━but no... Your dear friend had to take the fall instead."

"Shut the fuck up, you don't know him," William said as he scowled, exhaling sharply as he stood straighter, trying to make him appear as though he wasn't afraid, but his nerves were getting the best of him.

"Well, if he hadn't cheated for you, he would still be here now. Maybe he would have had a chance to prove his worth... But no, he was a fool, and he fell for you," Elizabeth said as her eyes darkened. William panicked as his eyes glanced over to Abby and Vanya, who were working well on trapping Ernest.

"No... No, Samuel knew what he was getting himself into. I━ I never wanted him to die," William said, his voice starting to choke itself out, incapable of finishing his words.

"And yet you let him die? What kind of person does that to someone that they love?" Elizabeth said as she took a couple of steps closer. "And now he's no longer going to help you━" Elizabeth said, and suddenly, with a flash of his eyes, Elizabeth's neck slapped clean off. William flinched, unaware of what was happening, before looking up and gazing into familiar eyes. Even if Samuel was meant to be on the other side, he couldn't go against William.

"Til death do us part..." Samuel whispered, the words croaking out of his throat. Tears formed in William's eyes as Samuel looked over to Darling, standing near the doorway, her eyes set on the big beast left standing.

"Samu..." William said as he whispered, his voice barely audible, as Samuel looked back to William. He walked a little forward as William stood there, not knowing what he was doing. Samuel stood face to face, his eyes no longer having the same warmth, yet there was a tiny light in his eyes that William knew was still there.

William was confused about Samuel's intentions, but Samuel's hand caressed William's cheek, his fingertips cold. Yet, it was just enough warmth for William to crave and reminisce the feeling again. William hesitated but soon raised his hand to place on top of Samuel's. Samuel's hand dropped to the side before slowly reaching for the sword that William held in his opposite hand. William looked into Samuel's eyes again, a tear dropping as he swallowed his fear and pride. Samuel raised his hand to wipe the tear away before nodding and facing Darling.

"Darling..." Samuel croaked out again before the pair inhumanly darted towards Ernest, who had managed to overpower the two girls, with Abby suddenly falling backwards on her feet, tangling herself in the ropes of the curtains, at risk of getting hurt.

Darling grabbed the opposite side of the ropes and threw them around Ernest's feet while Samuel jumped onto the dining table. Ignoring the sharp pain in his heart and his leg, William rushed towards Abby to untangle her from the ropes. Samuel looked at William one more time, their eyes meeting one another. William knew what Samuel had to do, but it meant he would disappear along with the other ghosts, and he wasn't sure he was ready to say goodbye for the second time.

And yet, William nodded slowly, closing his eyes as he thought of Samuel once last time.

Samuel jumped with the sword, landing it squarely into Ernest's back, and the howls were the only sound that filled the room until there was silence.

━━━━━━

⋆        "𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗚𝗘 is down to you, Sedona..." Eleanor said as Sedona sighed and nodded. The three ran to the last location to escape danger and keep their headstart. Eleanor's hand were still shaking and numb from the acid, and Ivan could see that her hand was starting to eat itself, attempting to heal but remaining scarred.

"What do I have to do, does it say?" Sedona said as she looked over to Ivan, who opened the letter. He wasn't sure what the last challenge would happen for Sedona, but he hoped she could get through it quickly so they could all escape this hellhole. "Well, what is it?" Sedona said as she noticed that Ivan's eyes widened.

"Kill... Kill the Gravedigger," Ivan whispered, making Sedona stop walking. Eleanor gasped as she looked over to Sedona with worry in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I have to do what━" Sedona started to speak, but the crows' cries distracted them. The three looked around, thinking they were in danger, worried they had caught up to them for vengeance. Sedona sighed, worried that paranoia was hunting her down like a deer. "Fine. Fucking━ okay, does it say anywhere on that letter on how to find him?"

"There's nothing, well, I mean, there's a weird chess symbol on the top, so maybe that's a clue?" Ivan said as he scanned the letter. Sedona tried to think, and Ivan was slumped, but Eleanor exclaimed as she started to pick up the pace.

"Hey, wait up! Do you know where it is?" Sedona called out as she ran after Eleanor, with Ivan following behind as he kept watch from behind. Eleanor nodded as she grabbed Sedona's hand while holding her acid━covered hand close to her chest.

"It's the chess table at the patio. I think the challenge has something to do with that, like winning a chess game against him. If you lose, you die, but if he loses, he dies. A life for a life," Eleanor explained as Sedona took a deep breath, attempting to disguise her rising panic. Eleanor noticed the silence from Sedona, and she sighed, squeezing Sedona's hand for a sense of comfort amid the darkness.

As the three arrived at the patio, they could see a familiar man, and Sedona frowned, her fists shaking with buried rage. However, Ivan's hand on Sedona's shoulder allowed her to channel it in, knowing that if she screamed her words, it would be time wasted. She didn't want to deal with this, but if it meant she survived, then so be it. She didn't want to lose Abby ━ especially if there were words that she wished to say to her.

"Ah, I see you've arrived."

"Yeah, asshole, we're here. Let's play," Sedona said as she approached the empty stone seat before him. They sat opposite each other, the chess table in front of them. The little figures were detailed, and Sedona glanced at the board, regret starting to sink in and plague her skin. The Gravedigger grinned strangely, his teeth pointed as he tilted his head, allowing Sedona to see him. His eyes glowed in the darkness of his face, and Sedona couldn't make out the rest of his facial expression, making him almost uncanny.

"So, I'm sure you know the rules by now. So, let's get started..." The Gravedigger said in a tone that scared Sedona. She sighed as she nodded and looked over to Ivan and Eleanor. At the same time, the Gravedigger followed her gaze, looking at the pair. "If your friends try to step in the way... They will be killed as well," he spoke in a low tone, and Sedona blinked, trying to nod as she breathed slowly.

"You make the first move," Sedona said, and the Gravedigger smiled as he grabbed the pawn chess piece and moved it.

━━━━━━

⋆        𝗔 𝗙𝗘𝗪 𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗦 of silence passed, and the three friends stood close before William took several steps. William stood near the window, trying to comprehend what to do next. His feelings, his emotions, and his thoughts all merged into an incoherent thought in his brain, and it was becoming all too much for him to deal with.

"Will, we have to go..." Vanya said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. William paused momentarily before he nodded, letting out a soft sigh. Tears were starting to form again, but there weren't enough to have a moment.

Before Vanya could speak, quiet voices came from outside the window where William stood. He looked at the others, eyebrows raised with curiosity as they slowly approached the door leading outside. They quickly headed to the trim hedges to remain hidden from the voices, unsure who it was, still holding their weapons from the previous encounter.

As they continued moving in the shadows, Vanya paused, catching a hint of Ivan's brown hair, gasping as she grabbed others. They peeked over to see what was happening before accidentally stepping on a weak stone, creaking it beneath their feet. Ivan turned around immediately, his heart pounding against his chest, before slowly down as he caught notice of Vanya. The three walked towards Ivan, who halted them from walking past the line.

"Don't, they're in a game... We can't cross the line. Otherwise, you'll get killed," Ivan whispered as they stood by Ivan, glancing over to Sedona and the Gravedigger. They nodded, understanding the process.

Vanya's eyes tilted to Eleanor, gasping softly when she noticed her burnt hand. Vanya grabbed them gently, Eleanor wincing but not pulling away from her touch, craving her gentle touch. Ivan noticed William's pain in his eyes and stepped forth a bit, not knowing what to do. Nonetheless, William made the first move, pulling Ivan into a hug, arms tight around Ivan's, who returned the favour. They were surprised, knowing they would never have hugged outside of these walls. Yet, this house changes things. Lastly, Abby's eyes teared up as she noticed that Sedona was in the game, becoming worried, not wanting to lose her.

"Sedona..." Abby whispered, which caught Sedona off guard. Sedona gave a sharp inhale as she looked up, meeting her gaze.

"Oh... How sweet. Young love," the Gravedigger spoke slowly, his tone low and croaky. Abby cringed, shivers up her spine, while Sedona gritted her teeth as she made her next move on the chess board. "But you must understand... That young love can get in the way. Young love can make someone make the wrong moves..." The Gravedigger said as he grinned, slowly getting up, knees creaking.

"Wait... No, no━" Abby yelled, her voice increasing. Ivan glanced at the board, watching the Gravedigger move a piece towards the queen, an impossible escape. He gasped, looking over to Sedona, who had also stood up. Checkmate. "No! Sedona━" Abby panicked as she noticed the Gravedigger gripping his hands around the shovel, noticing that the edges were sharpened to kill. Sedona screamed as she raised her arms to protect herself, but she felt nothing.

Sedona opened her eyes, only to see Eleanor fighting against the Gravedigger, shoving him to the ground. Grunted screams as she panted heavily, holding her burnt hand close to her chest, ignoring the sharp pain. The Gravedigger's eyes deepened with rage as Eleanor backed up slightly, pushing Sedona towards the group. Before she turned around to face off the man, she gasped as her body shook. She looked down, seeing the shovel inside her chest, the pain━numbing at first before air touched the wound, and she inhaled, feeling the blood splutter up her throat. The Gravedigger pushed the shovel deep into Eleanor's chest, finalising Eleanor's blood in her throat out, dripping down her mouth.

"Ellie!" Vanya sobbed out as her knees collapsed to the ground, with Ivan holding her back. William screamed as he gripped the sword that Samuel left on the table after defeating Ernest, running towards the Gravedigger.

"This is for taking my friends━" William yelled as he raised the sword, stabbing him in the back. The Gravedigger screamed out, groaning as he stumbled forward from the impact. "━and that's for killing Eleanor!" William growled as he pushed the sword more deeply into the Gravedigger's chest, making him fall to his knees and then eventually falling onto his stomach, lying lifeless.

"Ellie..." Vanya said as she started to cry, tears rolling down as she rushed over to Eleanor, who had fallen to the ground previously, as she placed Eleanor's head onto her lap. Eleanor started to choke as she gasped for breath, blood slowly dripping out from the corner of her mouth.

"Vay... The stars, they're so pretty tonight," Eleanor whispered, choking out her words as the group surrounded her, looking up at the sky. The stars were beautiful, and the manor had no light pollution, so there was total exposure to the stars' beauty on display.

"I know... Ellie, I know... Please━" Vanya said as she sniffed, tears dropping onto Eleanor's face as she wiped them away. She sniffed as she exhaled heavily and brought Eleanor close, kissing her forehead. Eleanor's hand went up to Vanya's cheek, her hands bloodied from holding her wounds. Vanya pulled away slowly as she looked at Eleanor's eyes one last time.

"You can close your eyes, Ellie... It's time... You can be at peace; be away from this place now..." Vanya said as she whispered. Eleanor sighed as she breathed for one last time, her chest slowly heaving into stillness. The stars twinkled above their heads, and the group never noticed that another star appeared amongst the rest, twinkling down above them.

𝐓𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐒!
✶ so, how are we feeling!!! this made me sad </3 but we are getting to the last stretch of this book, so things had to be done, and deaths had to begin :( also, yes, i'm back from my writing hiatus, as i am now focused on getting this done, because we are officially (yes i can say this now!!!) at FIVE CHAPTERS left of escape the night!! we have already an official confirmation of the second book, so i can't wait hehe, but i hope you enjoy this x

𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚!