《Whatever It Takes | Rosekook ✓》11 :: the break-in pt. 2
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Roseanne paced in the living room for a few minutes before heading to her room and changing into dark jeans and a black sweatshirt. She grabbed her bag with her ghost hunting gear and quietly made her way out of her apartment.
A few minutes later, an Uber was picking her up and then dropping her off a block away from the Park Mansion. She slugged her backpack over her shoulder, careful not to push the small camcorder she and Mark used when they were filming ghost-hunting videos.
Tall, black gates surrounded the white-colored mansion. She looked up at the trees surrounding the property, noticing a few cameras aimed at the pond in the middle of the driveway. She looked around, making sure no one was around, before pulling herself up and climbing one of the trees leaning against the fence.
She cursed under breath, wishing she had spent more time working out than sitting in front of the computer watching videos.
Once she had reached the other side of the fence, she closed her eyes and jumped down, her knees hitting the gravel pavement.
Up ahead, she could see three luxury vehicles at the front of the driveway. That told her the place was being rented. Whoever threw the party must've rented the mansion for the full month.
Earlier that year, Mark and Roseanne stumbled across the Park mansion while looking up haunted houses to investigate. They discovered the mansion was for rent at one-hundred grand a month.
Roseanne swallowed her groan of discomfort as she pushed herself up.
She pulled out her camcorder and flipped the switch on. She recorded a few shots of the home before placing her camcorder back into her backpack. She knew there were cameras guarding the place but Roseanne doubted there was anyone watching them. She blew a kiss to one of the cameras before sprinting towards the front door.
Roseanne figured the door would be locked so she didn't bother to open it. Instead, she walked past the front door and towards the side of the mansion where she recalled seeing a trellis alongside the balcony. She pulled on the trellis decorated with roses, attempting to test its strength. She didn't want it to fall under her weight.
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"Here goes nothing," Roseanne muttered, placing the front of her foot in between the thin wood of the trellis.
The irony of her breaking and entering after reporting that someone had broken into her apartment was not lost on her. Unfortunately, her ghost-hunting was the only thing she could think of to distract herself from the night's events.
Her father used to tell her death was always a good distraction from your troubles. At the time, she thought her father was weird...or possibly drunk. Now, she understood. Escaping into her obsession of an existence after death was thrilling to her.
She grunted as sweat beaded on her forehead. Her fingers caught on a couple of thorns from the roses and she hissed in pain. Fat droplets of water fell into her and she grunted. She vaguely remembered Mark mentioning something about scattered showers. It was too late to turn back. The car had dropped her off and she was determined to get inside the Park mansion. Her last video had been cut short.
When she got on top of the trellis, she looked to the balcony on her right. She reached out until her hand touched the stone of the balcony. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to jump inside. The light sprinkles transformed into light rain.
Roseanne carefully swung her bag inside the balcony, sending a prayer upward. "Please don't let my camera break." Her bag landed inside the balcony and she grinned. She pushed a hand against her eyes, the water beginning to pound against her face.
"Now, it's my turn." She looked up. "Please don't let me fall and break my neck," a shiver of dread ran down her spine as she thought of Tzuyu, falling to her death.
She squeezed her eyes shut and pushed forward. Her right leg and arm were clutching the balcony's railing. She felt her body slipping against the wet railing. She heaved herself over, a groan escaping her mouth as she landed on her back.
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Roseanne opened her eyes, her arms outstretched as she stared at the dark sky. The stars were hidden behind the stormy clouds and she turned her head to avoid water in her mouth. She sat up and reached for her bag, wearing it so the straps were on her back and the bag was against her stomach. Her eyes stared at the French doors behind her. Growing up in foster care, she learned how to pick locks from a girl named Eunbi.
Her sweatshirt was plastered to her small frame as she pulled out a pick and rake, two lock-picking tools she kept in her bag for emergencies. She worked on the door for a few minutes as the rain continued pouring around her. Then she felt the lock click, she smiled and she pushed the door open.
Darkness greeted her as she stepped through, rain attempting to follow her inside like a stray dog. She shut the door behind her, the cold rain continuing to press against the door. Her hands tightened around the door handles and her hot breath clouded a pane of glass.
She turned her back to the door as a cackle of lighting lit the room. She was glad she made it in before the storm worsened. She reached into her bag and pulled out her cellphone. A few text messages were waiting for her. They were from Mark:
Where are you???
Did you go ghost hunting again?
Alone? In the middle of the night?
You're a crazy person! Where are you??? I'm worried.
Roseanne's fingers responded across the screen: I'm fine. Don't worry. Go to sleep.
She didn't wait for him to reply but switched on her flashlight application.
The space was so quiet she couldn't believe anyone was renting the place out. The strobe of light grazed over a white baby piano in the corner of the room. The left wall was lined with shelves of hard-back books. She wondered if anyone had ever read them. She pulled on the strap of her bag and took a step forward. She wanted to head back to the room where Park Jihyo had been murdered.
The door to the room opened with a creak and her breath hitched in her throat. Roseanne stood still, afraid to make another sound.
She slowly stuck her head out the door, looking to her right and then her left. She stepped into the hall, knowing she was on the second floor. She turned off her flashlight in fear it would cause attention to herself.
Roseanne took a few hesitant steps forward until she saw a staircase.
"I must be close by," she muttered, remembering she took the staircase the night of the party. Another text message from Mark came through.
Going out at night while it's raining is stupid? Come home!
Mark was right but the thrill of breaking into the mansion to seek Park Jihyo's ghost was making her forget her fear from earlier that night and the disappointment of the police being wrong about Tzuyu's death. Plus, tonight's adventure would make a great YouTube video. She could see the title of her video now — Breaking into a Haunted Mansion.
She stopped in front of one of the doors. She had to look inside if she ever wanted to find the room. Roseanne took a deep breath and opened the door. The smell of mildew assaulted her noise and she grimaced.
Her body flinched back, away from the stench. The back of her head hit something solid. Roseanne froze. Her heart pounded in her chest as she swallowed her fear.
A pair of string arms wrapped around her. Roseanne screamed as darkness swallowed her whole.
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