《Whatever It Takes | Rosekook ✓》11 :: the break-in pt. 2
Advertisement
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
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.
Advertisement
"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.
Advertisement
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.
Advertisement
- In Serial49 Chapters
An Infinite Recursion of Time
I always wanted to be taken to another world, and as they say, there are no atheists in the foxhole that we call real life. I prayed, and prayed, and prayed until one day, I opened my eyes to see my dream had come true. I also saw the axe of an orc bearing down on my skull. You win some, you lose some. A time-loop fantasy story written after getting into litRPGs a bit. I wondered what it would be like if I just went and wrote a story about all the things I liked in web fiction without holding back: time loops, RPG stats, certain character archetypes, and harems played straight. Please be warned of lewd descriptions and depraved sexualization. If nothing else, this will be a sincere work. Completed EPUB (exported directly from Royal Road with no changes; let me know if there's any problems): https://mega.nz/file/Kxg11CoB#2J-rZ7MKSnd4UpNwx257_mjecMQ0wpc8-ixjYIse_40
8 201 - In Serial13 Chapters
A Fractured Soul
A man that's trying to get rid of his worst self, against a world which demands it for his survival. Vali struggles to better himself, but every step he takes forward is two steps back. On his last day on Earth, his temper costs him his last friend. On his first day in the new world, it earns him a friend. Will the new world humanity has to live in, and the new normal it brings create a place for him to fit? Or will he still be his own worst enemy, even amidst monsters and humans alike ready to kill him at the first opportunity? - On a break indefinitely. I want to finish some other projects first before this. Here's the Discord server.
8 189 - In Serial18 Chapters
Champion Of Goddess Of Light
(This summary was edited by 'ThePaper'. I thank him for his efforts)Claire redfield, a Special Operative Of ATF ( Anti-Terrorist Force) dies in a mission. But After dying she gets a mission and this mission is from the Goddess Of Light in a new world. Meet Claire and take part in her journey to complete the mission of the Goddess Of Light…( I am a newbie and this is my First Novel which I am writing for Fun. Regular Updates may not be possible but I promise that I will try my best to complete the novel. Furthermore English is not my First language).Contain mature scenes please read at your own risk...
8 217 - In Serial711 Chapters
After the End: Serenity
We all want to believe we are heroes of our own story - unless we want to be the villain, of course. At the end of everything, the Final Reaper decided he hadn’t been a hero. Driven by a desire to right the wrongs he was subjected to, he killed everyone who wronged him or his people - which turned out to be everyone that wasn’t killed by someone else first. He'd won - but it was a hollow victory. Eventually, Order’s Voice found a way out. If the only existing being would agree to give up most of his power, the Voice could reset the multiverse to an earlier time with a few minor changes. Of course, the Voice couldn't ask it that way. It could only ask if the Final Reaper was willing to start over from when Earth was first brought into Order. It was an easy decision, and yet it wasn’t. Was he willing to go through eons of pain again to not be alone? Yes. In a heartbeat. Not that his heart beat anymore. Now it would. Perhaps he could even be a hero, this time. When he landed in his old body - more or less - on Earth, the Final Reaper once again became Thomas. He was both and neither. He needed a new name for a new life. Serenity. ------------------------------------------ While this is technically a System Apocalypse story, it's a System Apocalypse that is designed to have a large percentage of the population survive and prosper. There are a lot of problems that come with the appearance of the Voice, and it's entirely possible to lose. Earth has some special opportunities, but also special challenges. The first time around, Earth won the first round and lost the second. Serenity has ten years from when the Voice arrives to prevent that from happening. It will be a group effort; Serenity can't win alone - which is difficult for someone who's been alone for as long as he has. Of course, that's only his second priority. ------------------------------------------- Updates Daily A note on the nonhuman lead tag: He isn't human, and hasn't been human for a very, very long time (or maybe not long at all, depending on how you count it). He still thinks of himself as human, either way. The content warnings are mostly to give me room to write; this fiction is not intended to be edgy, but once in a while a character will swear or someone will get seriously injured. The cover image is a Chandra/Hubble composite image of VV 340 / Arp 302 / UGC 9618. While we're not going to space itself any time soon in the story, people from elsewhere are coming to Earth and Serenity will visit other planets. Plus, I like space imagery. [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]
8 505 - In Serial12 Chapters
A New Adventure
With the change came new limits for Earth. Follow our MC, Acott, as he navigates through the new Earth, exploring and adventuring.
8 128 - In Serial28 Chapters
Athanasia and the Fairy Tail Guild
Had enough of Claude favoring Jennette, Athanasia runs away from Obelia Kingdom and is teleported to an known place called Magnolia. Read as Athanasia starts her new life in this new world with a guild known as Fairy TailP.S. Athanasia replaces Lucy
8 116

