One day after school into the late fall afternoon, Daniel stopped his bike around the block, slowly parking it as his eyes fixed on the run-down but imposing home before him: the Manchester family home. The mansion was upon the largest in the block, the rich part, if you will. But also the oldest, perhaps _the_ oldest house in the entire neighborhood.

You’d think it would have quite the extensive history from records, but no. The house, along with the family, was shrouded in even more mystery. From several decades, a large and influential family had once lived there, but in more recent times, each member had either died or gone off the record, with the last remaining descendants left being well into their senior years, too old and unbothered to claim what would´ve been Great Uncle Patrick’s home or whomever this place had belonged to.

For as long as the boy could remember, that house had always been boarded up and closed off from the rest. Other kids in the neighborhood would start rumors aboput there being ghosts, a monster, even a mummy of one of the family members. These would last until the teens either forgot or grew too busy to care. He never truly believed any of them, finding them unlikely and silly. But he was always curious on what couldve been in there. He’d always been curious.

His parents had always warned him not to explore abandoned buildings, but he had never found anything concerning. So why worry now? He wanted to find and keep something cool to show off at school.

The blond’s eyes traveled from the overgrown front yard, filled with blades of grass so tall he could barely see the cracked entrance door. Rusty windows packed with so much dust from the inside, he could even see what was behind the glass. The once pristine white walls had peeled down to the point to which there was mostly wood visible from underneath, possibly infested with termites or gone soft from humidty. Imagine all the bugs in there. "Gross,” he cringed, but he brushed it off. Getting off from his bike, he looked around once, then twice, before taking out a wire cutter from his backpack. “Sorry dad,” he muttered, knowing he had borrowed (aka swiped) it from his father’s toolbox. He knew this was technically illegal, but even if he was caught there would technically be no one to press charges. Still, he had to be careful.

_Snap, snap, snap…_

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With each click of the wire cutting through the metal, his curiosity and excitement grew. “I shouldn’t do this, but what do I have to lose?” The phrase repeated in his head like a mantra, like a prayer so he wouldnt get caught red-handed. But as the last twang of metal rang out, he was left with an almost eerie silence, the wind moaning its way up north towards the house, as if beckoning him further inside.

Grabbing his backpack and throwing it across his shoulder, he pushed the mesh fence to reveal the small space he had cut into it, crouching below the gap just enough so he’d be past the fence. “Agh!” Of course, without not scratching his palm in the process. He sighed, digging into the front pockets of his backpack to find a bandaid. “Dammit…”

Daniel quickly slapped the bandaid over the reddened line in his palm, stopping the crimson dots that were already seeping out of the cut. His path continued, and he could notice all the pebbles and bugs, and as he drew closer to the door, he made out even more details.

Not only had the grass reached the porch, but there were also little patches of mold and moss on some corners. Cracked columns, an abandoned hornet nest, and even a broken chime on the grass, claimed by rust and time. Even the door’s knocker had rusted over what looked like a lion’s head.

He gently tried to push the door open, but it was awfully sturdy even after so long. Maybe pulling it would work? He pulled hard, and he felt how it budged just a little. He strained, pulling the knob even more. “Come on…” He grunted, before he heard a crack and the door suddenly felt lighter. All his force came back to him, knocking Daniel off his feet. “Shit!” He cursed, rubbing his smarting hip. But once he realized the volume of his startled profanity, he took a slow glance at his surroundings.

For such a typical evening, no cars or people had passed by. His head turned back to the dark insides of the household, slowly standing from the cracked wood.

Digging into his bag once again, he grabbed his flashlight and clicked it on, a faint but sufficient enough light revealing what lay ahead.

What he saw inside was pretty much what one would expect, it was incredibly dusty inside, dark shadows loomed over all furniture that hasnt been covered in dirty white sheets that looked more yellowed than anything. Withe each step he took, the wooden floors creaked and moaned under his sneakers, lifting lazy clouds of dust around his soles.

He saw old paintings of the previous owners and members, their eyes casting a sense of unease in his chest. But he swallowed it down and went on, pointing at the main hall’s ceiling to find a dusty and large chandelier right above him, the sight settling his nerves. “Cool,” he whispered, an awed grin creeping up his face. He walked through the large manor, finding an ornate fireplace, a grand piano sitting in the corner, black paint chipped and some keys cracked. But even with that, he could imagine the large home filled with music and chatter, holding grand balls for the bourgoisie.

He took a few steps closer, blowing off a cloud of dust from the top, making him cough. “Yikes.” Daniel muttered, staring down at the worn ivory keys. His fingers hovered above them, curious as to how a hundred-years-old piano could sound.

But before he could even touch them and attempt to play a small tune, a loud creak rang out from what he discovered was a huge spiral staircase, the dim light of his flashlight not enough to reveal what had caused it.

He froze, his stomach leaping in a twist. He remained still, listening intently for the cause of the sound. A rat? A raccoon? His grip on the flashlight tightened, waiting, mind racing.

His heart stuttered in his ears when he heard something else again. A step. Closer.

Something emerged from the corner just above the stair’s balcony. The dark mass moved, letting out a growl that shook the floor more than Daniel’s ears. With its presence now revealed, the air suddenly felt tight and heavy. It towered over everything, even from the distance where Daniel was standing from, who was slowly crouching beneath the piano.

Its head was ung low, and its movements were slow, heavy. Covered in matted black fur, its head turned towards the light from Daniel’s flashlight, revealing a face he could barely register.

Its head was oddly shaped, what he had thought to be a turned head had been a flat face, owl like in structure with a curved tip as a nose of sorts. Its large eyes pierced through his soul despite not meeting his, looking hollow yet shining a bright coral as they reflected the light. Godammit, he was lucky to be hidden. And another growl rung out, a sound that he felt to a primal level, deep like a whale’s cry. It brought his attention to its chattering teeth, jagged and so thick its mouth couldn’t close around them, forming a grimace-like shape to it.

… What the hell was this thing? He had never seen or heard of an animal of myth that looked like this. Chimeras, harpies, nothing came close to how this thing was like. He shouldn’t have come here, he should’ve stayed curious. He should’ve listened-

The beast moved down the stairs, the thumps of each leg stepping onto the wooden stairs knocking him into a sense of urgency and dread. The closer it got the more suffocating the air became. Each step was more jarring than the last, slow, graceful, and unsettling all at once. The wood groaned from underneath, singing an awful omen.

As the amalgamation grew to a halt, Daniel could feel his heart drumming in his ears. Right in front of the flashlight he had dropped, it stood mighty and brutal. It lowered its head, eyes solely focused on the artifact before it. It curiously nudged the handle, causing it to spin and making it growl defesnively. This was it, a perfect escape opportunity! Daniel carefully rolled his way out of the safety that was remaining underneath the piano, crawling towards what he thought was the safest path toward the back door, which gave way to the backyard. Not optimal, but that huge thing was basically blocking his way from reaching the main entrance. He was safely shrouded in the darkness, while this monster was getting increasigly aggravated with the moving flashlight, attempting to catch it with its huge claws, each try making a thump on the floor and causing it to shake.

Suddenly, at a particularly rough nudge, the flashlight stopped right in front of him, casting a harsh light over him. Daniel froze, stomach dropping. And the creature slowly lifted its head to see what had blocked the light, inhuman eyes meeting blue. It began a low growl, stalking closer to the teen with a hostile gaze. The beast huffed heavily, its breath hot, heavy. Utterly _putrid._ Whatever it fed on, had rotten inside of it.

His face grew pale with dread. "Oh god.“ The growl grew louder, turning into a deafening snarl as the beast suddenly charged, claws ready to impale and hunt the intruder down until he was nothing but a pile of flesh. Daniel ducked, kneeing himself in the chin in his desperation to get up and run for his life. A surge of adrenaline shot through him like a race gun, yelling at him to run. He bolted away, staggering before he gained more speed.

The beast roared, the entire manor shaking, vibrating with each step it took as it chased Daniel down the narrow halls. Daniel couldn’t look back, even past the looming paintings and the random curiosities quickly growing smaller behind his legs. He could feel its presence closing in, hungry jaws trying to gain on him by snapping at his ankles, causing him to stumble once, then twice- but he couldn’t stop running. He pased rotting doorways, slamming furniture behind him yet, it didn’t slow it down. It felt like that only made the beast faster, hungrier, _angrier._

Daniel’s legs were burning, his throat was so tight it felt like his lungs had caught fire. “Shit, shit,_shit!” _But the primal urge to live kept nagging at him to keep moving, as fast as he can, no matter what. This was it, almost there. The creature grew more desperate and hostile, knowing they were almost nearing the end of the household. Daniel slammed a door to its face, running deeper into the maze that was the manor, rooms connected to the halls that would lead to his freedom. The beast let out an ungodly screech, claws scratchng wildly at the door, slamming its body weight against the wood until it gave way with a powerful crack. Daniel stopped for a second, watching the door come flying off its hinges, the beast roaring angrily as their eyes met once again.

With one last desperate surge of adrenaline, Daniel ran down the entrance hall, throwing himself out the door as the monster screeched, too large to go through the doorway. He sprinted past his bike, forgetting it completely as he ran all the way home.

Daniel would never be the same after.