Wicked

Wicked is the first in a series, it is a horror-based story but also has elements of Fantasy..

This story shall take place roughly a year after the events of the short introductory story entitled Wicked - The Beginning.

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Chapter 1
It had been a year since the car crash that claimed the lives of eight-year old Edward Smith's parents and only now had his uncle acted on his promise to move him back to the Brisby Manor alongside his own teenage daughter and wife, Edward was not looking forward to the inevitable arrival at the old Manor, yet could do little to avoid it as he sat in the back of the large family car.

"Don't worry Edward, we'll get through this - I promise.." Mr. Smith said, driving up the road leading to the Manor - Edward's eyes instantly looked up at a window on the second floor and for a brief moment he swore he saw the outline of a small figure, quickly disappearing from sight.

Edward's heart began to race, memories of the recent past flooding back - it must of shown because his uncle's wife soon commented:

"Oh dear, he's awful pale.. I hope he's not sick again.."

"Nonsense, Martha, he just needs some rest.. we all do.." Mr. Smith replied, the car finally coming to a stop as Edward reluctantly got out of the car alongside the others, as a small briefcase was held out to him the reality of the situation seemed to sink in more as Edward accepted his fate in silence.. nowhere to run.. nowhere to hide..

Unseen by the new arrivals, a little girl- not much older than Edward- watched from the very same window Edward had earlier glanced up at. Her skin was deathly pale, and her eyes a brilliant ruby-red. She ducked out of sight and disappeared into the mansion as they approached the front doors.

Edward held his briefcase and continued to stare at the window with a sense of dread as Mr. and Mrs. Smith entered the manor - however he was rudely shaken from his trance when his cousin shoved him forward, causing him to stumble.

"I swear Ed, stop being such a little freak and get in.. it's your fault we have to move to this place anyway.." she snapped, clearly not impressed but keeping her voice just low enough her parents couldn't hear.

From deep within the house came a heavy crash.

"What was that?" Mrs. Smith asked, looking around - though after a brief look of surprise Mr. Smith shrugged it off.

"It's nothing - come on.." Mr. Smith stated.

Sure enough it was only a few moments until Mr. and Mrs. Smith had got Edward up the stairs and put him in the second floor room.

"Get ready for dinner, Edward - we're just down the hall if you need anything.." Mrs. Smith said, closing the door behind her as Edward stood in silence with his briefcase.

Moments passed in silence, suddenly broken by a young girl who peeked out from a curtain. "Um...hello?"

Edward froze in place and stared at the girl, he began to shake a little and dropped his briefcase on the ground - going as pale as a ghost as he seemed halfway between running away and fainting in fear.

"Don't be scared. Please," said the girl. "Is this your house?"

Edward just stared for a moment, wide-eyed, he eventually spoke in a whisper "..n-no.. it's my dad's house.. I mean.. it was..".

The girl smiled, revealing a pair of small, pointed teeth. "Oh. I'm sorry- I didn't know anybody was living here..."

Edward noticed the pointed teeth but seemed more concerned about something else as he looked the girl over "..how did you get here? nobody was meant to be here after the accident..".

"Huh...that's an odd question," said the girl. "I just...walked in, I guess...I had nowhere else to go..."

Edward was about to say something else when a third voice suddenly spoke, alerting the pair to a small creature that was sitting on the single bed as if it had always been there - only now visible: it was a strange, inhuman thing covered in fur and having two arms and legs as well as a mouth so wide it seemed to stretch into an impossible grin from ear to ear, feline-like eyes stared out as the creature wiggled a small nosepad akin to a cat or dog.

"Poppy missed you, Edward, but Poppy glad you brought friends to play this time..".

"Er, hi," said the girl, trembling with unease. For one split second, she swayed, staggering back. From the corner of his eye, Edward could see a dark shape flickering over her, like an aura- but it was gone in an instant. "Do you live here too?" she asked.

"Poppy lives where Poppy needs to.. Poppy has stayed here for a while now.. it not Poppy's home though.. Poppy's home is far away, beyond the stars, where angels die and gods weep.. Poppy's home is very big yet oh so small.. you walk on it without noticing, yet you carry it everyday afterwards.."  Poppy grins, looking to the girl.

Edward just trembled uncontrollably and went to the door as if to open it, yet the room started to change, vines growing out of the wall with impossible speed and moonlight shining in from the windows, which began to split and twist as the area became like an ancient forest, with only the bed Poppy sat on reminding them of the room they once stood in:

"..Poppy remembers long ago, when life was short and cruel - men did not know if they would have enough to eat and wild animals would kill those who strayed too far.. women and children had to hide away from those who would harm them and rulers were often picked not for their leadership but for their brutality in war.. Poppy remembers when children would come to play, Poppy would teach them so many things.. we'd dance in the woods, late at night.. when morning came, the dance would end.. Poppy remembers this.. do you remember? no, because you can not remember what you have not seen.. Poppy can..".

"Why are you here?" asked the girl, regaining her composure.

"Poppy is here to play with his friend - but Edward doesn't want to play with Poppy anymore.. so Poppy has to make sure Edward can't run away.." Poppy replies, remaining seated on the bed as Edward suddenly burst into a run, attempting to flee but stumbling over a branch, tumbling down a hillside into thick bushes.

Violet backed away from Poppy, before tearing her eyes from the creature and running to help Edward up. "Get up," she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him to his feet. Her voice was panicked. "Get up and run."

"Why run from Poppy?" Poppy asks, then disappears like a ghost - the bed shattering into pieces as the pair are now left stranded in the midst of the ancient forest.

Edward gets up and looks around, then gasps "..where do we go? what do we do?..".

"I...I don't know..." said Violet, equally panicked. "There's got to be a way back..."

"I'm afraid that simply isn't possible, my young lady - you see Poppy has brought you here on behalf of his brothers and sisters.. he did request you not to run and for good reason.." a dark voice notes from the shadows, like a gentleman but tainted with bloodlust and cruelty.

Soon the shadows part and what the pair see makes Edward cling to Violet, shaking in wide-eyed horror:

a pale man atop a dark war-horse, a woman resembling the mythical Medusa in appearance, a hideous blob of living slime that towered over the rest and an equally horrifying mushroom-like creature staring from the forest around them.

Yet most horrific of all is the source of the voice, a human-sized paw landing atop Violet and Edward's shoulders as a vaguely humanoid rat's face leaned close, between the pair:

"..it's such a nasty world after all, don't you agree?".

Chapter 2
Violet's body went rigid; the dark shape that had flickered around her appeared once more. A cloud of black mist collected around her feet as if coming from her shadow.

"Go away," she said through grit teeth, trembling slightly.

"Don't worry, little ones - you won't be harmed.. Poppy has made sure of that.. you really must listen to why we brought you here though.. we went through all this trouble, after all.." the rat said, stepping in front of the pair before moving back to stand with the other demons.

"..P-Poppy isn't real.. y-you aren't real.." Edward began, still trembling as he stayed close to Violet.

"They're real, Edward," said Violet, shaking with something other than fear. Her fists clenched and her brow formed a sharp V. "Demons and fiends...they're as real as we are..."

"Clever girl" the rat notes, then looks her over as the Medusa-like woman speaks.

"Your friend is not what she seems, Edward.. yet she may be your best hope - if such a thing can exist.. you see, this Manor has a darker past than you could understand.. it has claimed far more souls than just your beloved parents..".

Edward continues to tremble, looking like he would pass out as he tried to look away but found himself trapped in a waking nightmare - his heart racing as a familiar voice suddenly spoke from a branch of a tree nearby, a fuzzy humanoid leaning back against said branch with glowing eyes and a mouth stretched in an eternal grin, tiny hands idly playing with a ragdoll that had many pins stuck into its torn-up body.

"Poppy bring his friends here but Poppy not let you scare them away, you go now.. Poppy will explain..".

"Keep your focus," said Violet quietly to Edward, although she herself looked pale and shaken.

"You don't understand, Poppy, we have to explain to these children everything - we must work together or the Truth may set them free.." the Medusa-like woman begins.

"Now, let us be reasonable.." the rat interrupts, stepping forward once more and raising a hand "..the Truth values free-will, thus we must simply ask the children who they would prefer to listen to.. what say you two? which of us would you see fit to explain this situation to you?".

"Does it matter? Either way you'll simply feed us lies...that's all demons do, right?" asked Violet, emphasizing her last word in an accusatory tone.

"It matters more than you think, besides you lied to the boy - you are not fully human.. are you Violet? in the end neither of you can leave this place without hearing about the past of this Manor.. we are giving you the choice of deciding which of us you would rather tolerate, for a little while.." the rat replies.

"I never told him I was a human," snarled Violet.

Edward closed his eyes and began to remember an old prayer his mother told him before bed, her voice echoing in his mind:

"Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, If I should die before I wake, Bless me Lord my soul to take."

Poppy's voice broke Edward's concentration however as he opened his eyes with a start, "..Poppy thinks you all scare Poppy's friends.. if you leave then Poppy can speak with friends, Poppy not an evil being.. Poppy just alone, is all..".

"I don't trust any of you," said Violet. "But since you have us here, we have no choice but to listen...so we might as well do just that. But decide among yourselves who should tell us. I don't care to choose between liars."

The rat looked ready to reply when suddenly everything seemed to freeze, Edward still hearing the prayer in his head as he began to wish to be free of the whole nightmare.. to wake up..

"There is always a choice.." a voice spoke out, then suddenly a white light faded over both Violet and Edward as the voice continued "..they shall come for you again but I shall give you a chance to learn for yourselves, seek out those who came before you.. at the heart of the Manor..".

Sure enough in moments the light faded and both Edward and Violet found themselves standing in the room they had been spirited away from - Edward finally opening his eyes as he gasped, looking to Violet:

"w-what happened?".

Violet looked around. "Did you hear that voice?" she asked.

"..I.. don't know.." Edward began, then grew wide-eyed as the door to the room opened abruptly and his cousin entered the room.

"Ed, mom and dad want to know what's taking you so long.. are you crying again? I swear.." she began, only to stop.

"H-hello...you live here too?" asked Violet, breaking the awkward silence.

"Shit! who the fuck is this!? MOM! DAD!" the girl yells, turning around and calling down the hall.

"Sara, wait -!" Edward began, only to watch as a large wardrobe suddenly moves across the room, slamming Sara outside as the door shuts and locks.

"See? Poppy always helping friends.." a familiar voice says from the bedside, Edward doesn't look over however as he spots a small hole in the wall where the wardrobe used to stand and rushes towards it.

"Violet! come on!" he calls, clambering on all fours to fit into the hole - surprisingly quick to do so but probably not fully thinking as he simply tries to get out of the room. Violet followed.

"Edward, careful...this could be a trap," she said.

"D-doesn't matter.. we have to get away.." Edward replied, continuing down the tunnel even though he already began to regret his decision - yet with Violet behind him he has no choice but to continue down the dark tunnel on all fours until eventually the pair come to a dead-end, a crack of light seeming to come from above as the tunnel leads into a small room, just big enough for the pair to wriggle into and stand.. if barely.

"See anything?" asked Violet.

"..I'm not sure.." Edward began, moving forward and pushing against a wall, which soon crumbled to reveal a strange hallway that was concealed in darkness - stumbling forward Edward looked around despite the fact he couldn't see anything.

"W-where are we?" Edward asked, as if expecting Violet to know - the hallway eerily silent and covered in dust and cobwebs.

"I have no idea," said Violet, dusting off her dress.

Edward continued to look around, blinking as he tried to adjust to the darkness "..what are we going to do?" he finally asks, the hallway remaining silent and the darkness remaining as oppressive as ever.

"We've got to go somewhere...feel around for a wall, or something..."

Edward does as requested and feels around, eventually his hand brushes against a switch on a wall and the hallway finally lights up with haunting lamps that hang from the ceiling - obviously very old but running on some sort of electricity.

"Better," said Violet, looking around the hallway, "and this more my style." She coughed, waving away a dust cloud. "Could use some serious dusting, though...you've never been down here?"

Edward shakes his head, looking around "..I haven't been here since my parents died.." he admits, still a little frightened but seeming to calm down as Violet's presence comforted him a little.

"Oh," said Violet, faltering slightly at Edward's comment. She looked away with an inscrutable gaze, silent for a moment. "I'm sorry."

Edward keeps quiet for a moment, then asks the inevitable "..what are you? you aren't like Poppy.." - beginning to fear that Violet may be another illusion, memories of his past still playing back every now and then.

"Well, that's an odd question," said Violet. "I'm a girl, aren't I?"

Edward lowered his head, "..I just want to make sure you're real and not a ghost or something.. last time I was here, Poppy showed me a box.. he said many children existed before me.. I don't know what happened to them.. my mom and dad said I was dreaming.. that it wasn't real.. now.. I don't know what to do..".

"We'll do the only thing we can do for now," said Violet. "We'll try to find a way out. But not back. Just out." She paused. "And incidentally, I do know a few ghosts...they're nice, really they are...I'll take you to meet them if you want, if we, well, you know, survive this."

Edward just kept his head low and walked down the hall, eventually the pair find their way to an old wooden door - "..so you're not human.. not a ghost.. some sort of monster? like Poppy?.." he continues.

"Hey, that's rude," scoffed Violet. "I'm a vampire, not a...an m-word."

Edward's eyes grew wide again and he clutched his neck a little "..that means you suck people's blood, like in the movies..".

"Well, I don't drink people blood...wait, how'd you know about the bloodsucking thing?" asked Violet, a note of fear creeping into her voice.

Edward gave Violet a look, then began "..I watched a movie about Dracula once, though mom told me not to.. they were all "I vant to drink your blood! bleh! bleh!" " - he makes an exaggerated motion and stereotypical accent before he continues - "..lived in a big castle on a mountain and turned into a  bat and stuff..".

As Edward talks a soft chuckle is heard from the hallway and a small shadow betrays the presence of Poppy, though he keeps a distance from the pair:

"She's not of this world, little Edward.. Poppy understands her but you can't.. too young.. yes.. stay away from that door, you not want to go beyond it..".

Indeed the pair are alerted to the wooden door, which seems to be their only real escape from the hall, the lights flickering in Poppy's presence.

"You don't understand me!" shouted Violet back, her tone suddenly growing angry, and slightly scared.

"Poppy understands more than you think.. this Manor older than you think.. not as old as Poppy though.. Poppy not have to follow you anymore.. you both learn now.. tried to warn you.." Poppy declares, staying eerily still.

Sure enough, Edward instinctively opens the door and tumbles, grabbing at Violet in an attempt to balance himself - yet failing as the door slams shut behind the pair as they are sent falling down a small stairway..

Chapter 3
"..Ugh.. V-Violet.." Edward began as he stirred, the room they had fallen into resembling a strange cellar with hanging light-bulbs that flickered on mysteriously as the pair landed on a floor that was covered in a thin layer of dirty water, the walls of the room covered in strange symbols.

"..I.. I want to go home.." Edward began, it was clear he was beginning to lose it - all the things happening would shake an adult and at nine-years of age he simply couldn't deal with it, yet despite revealing herself as a vampire Violet seemed to be becoming his anchor.

Violet's body lay unmoving on the floor near him. A dark shape, like a malignant fog, seemed to gather over her, barely discernable in the flickering light. Suddenly, a pair of eyes seemed to flash from the shape- two hellish sockets that seemed to burn like hot coals, gazing at Edward. Then, as quickly as they had appeared, they were gone, as Violet stirred.

"Ugh...where...Edward...are you okay?"

Edward remained on his back and closed his eyes, as if to try and shut out things "..I.. I'm scared.. too much.. V-Violet.. h-how did you get here? t-the house.. where did you come from?" - the light above flickered and the room remained deadly silent, the pair completely alone save for the strange symbols all over the walls.

Violet was silent for a moment. "I ran away from home," she said, curtly. "I found this place and decided to hide here."

"Why'd you run away?" Edward asked, staying on his back and opening his eyes - the room remaining almost still, save for the shapes caused by the flickering light above.

"There was no reason for me to be there."

"Won't anyone be worried? don't vampires have families?" Edward asked.