Complete (Haunting Ground)

Complete

The grounds of Belli Castle were eerily silent as the sole heir, a young college student, slept soundly in one of the many bedrooms. Her body was cradled by the soft mattress and her quiet snores could be heard. How Fiona was able to sleep in such a creepy atmosphere was a mystery. However, her peaceful slumber would be cut short by a sudden and immense pressure to her lower abdomen. Fiona woke with a start, her gaze was met by the castle's very own mentally unstable maid. Daniella gave the young mistress a glare before gliding along the floor to the glass window. She turned her gaze to Fiona once more.

"I am not complete," spoke Daniella before she began slamming her head violently into the glass window. Her strange and erratic episode coming to a stop as she grasped onto a long glass shard from the now shattered window. Daniella made long strides towards the bed, her eyes were filled with a new purpose. Kill the young mistress and extract the Azoth from inside her.

Fiona desperately retreated from her place on the bed. Her previous victory against the castle's handyman had given her a false sense of security. She now knew one thing was certain, she was not and will never be safe for as long as she remains in this hellish castle. Fiona sped out the door with Hewie, her canine companion, following behind her. She'd gotten a head start but Daniella was already hot on their trail.

"Hewie!" Fiona cried out desperately for the aid of her loyal canine. A feeling of impending doom washed over her already never ending reign of anxiety as the maid with lilac hair came closer and closer. Her knees started to buckle from sheer exhaustion. Just mere hours ago she'd fought off, Debilitas, the hulking homunculus and learned the tragic news of her parents. Now Fiona was being chased by Belli Castle's mentally unstable maid, Daniella.

"Azoth..." whispered the strange maid as she licked her lips hungrily. The desire to taste, to touch, to feel anything were almost within reach. Daniella's grip on the long glass shard tightened as she drew closer and closer to the damsel in distress.

"Azoth? What Azoth? I don't even know what that is!" cried Fiona. She felt chills radiate all over her body. She knew if she was caught that the extracting of said "Azoth" would likely not be pleasant.

'Maybe this is all just a terrible dream. Yes, a dream! I'll wake up in the car with mum and dad, we'll have a good laugh, and talk about my studies,' she thought. However, deep down Fiona knew what she was experiencing was real. Her parents were dead, no one was coming her rescue, and she was on her own in this demented castle of psychopaths. As she continued her descent down the winding maze of hallways she spots a curtain. Quickly she pulls it back and to reveal a framed mirror. 'Odd place for a mirror but it's worth a shot!' thought Fiona as she continued down the long hallway, the sound of Daniella's screams echoed in the distance. With haste, Fiona and Hewie found a couch to hide under as the deranged maid was once again in hot pursuit, her fast-paced footsteps resounded against the tiled floor. The Belli heir held her breath as a black pair of Mary Janes stand mere inches away from her head.

"Miss?" Daniella's question lingered in the air. Before the poor girl knew what to do next, Daniella kneeled to the ground and peered under the couch. Fiona gasped in alarm as she was forcefully yanked from her hiding spot by the arm. A struggle ensued as she tried to pull her arm out of the maid's grasp. Hewie sunk his teeth into Daniella's ankle but, regardless of their efforts, she wasn't letting go. Before long, Fiona grew weak and tired from running and struggling and Daniella gained the upper hand. The Belli Castle maid plunged the long glass shard into the young woman's abdomen, effectively killing her. Fiona Belli was now dead and the Azoth was finally here for the taking. Daniella laughed manically and began the process of ripping open the deceased girl's pelvis to extract what she so desired. However, when she did so, she found nothing. There was nothing and she still didn't feel anything. After all her efforts and struggles, she'd gained nothing. Nothing, a word that spoke volumes and a word that acted as the very definition of her life.

"No... No! It's gotta be here! The Azoth! Essence of life! Of w-woman!" she cracked as bloody tears cascaded down her cheeks. Although she'd never felt anything, one thing was certain, her disappointment. All her life she could never feel a thing. She couldn't taste, experience pleasure, or feel pain. She thought this was her one chance to be complete and it was all for naught.

"Daniella!" shouted a familiar voice. It was Riccardo, a clone of the head of the castle. He caught sight of the Belli heir's discarded corpse and scowled. "What did you do?! She was supposed to be kept alive you miserable wench!" Ricardo slapped her across the face. The sound was loud enough to bounce off the castle walls. Daniella wore her typical emotionless visage despite his abuse.

"Bring her to my laboratory, perhaps I can still salvage this," he spoke before taking one last glance at the body. Daniella responded with a curt bow as he left the room. As he disappeared out of sight, she reached up to touch her cheek. This tingling sensation? Was this pain? Had she finally felt something? Did she finally understand what it was like to be human? Time could only tell. Daniella smiled a genuine smile with a newfound twinkle in her eye. She finally felt she had a purpose other than cleaning. Perhaps it wasn't all for nothing after all.

Acta est fabula.