LACUNA OBSCURA - A Horror Thriller

CHAPTER XI

The steps leading to the courtyards and main corridors of the castle were unusually cold when Amelia stepped onto them.

Being located in very interior of the castle, there was little to no sunlight here except in the rooms nested at the very top of the tower.

Zani watched the castle walls very closely as they walked upstairs.

"What are you looking for, Zani?" Amelia asked with curious eyes.

Zani shrugged his shoulders. He buried his hands in his trouser pockets and shook his head.

Amelia understood that Zani was unsure, so she tried to breathe some confidence into him.

"We're going to need every little detail to get out of this castle and survive the demoness' wrath.

She looked at Zani before continuing with her energetic rhetoric.

"Don't let the circumstances get you down, Zani, we can all get through this"

Zani nodded, absorbing the words as he gasped sporadically.

The corridor above the stairs was adorned with an ancient purple carpet.

Zani's eyes sparkled at the sight of the beautiful and large chandeliers that were hung throughout the corridor.

The rooms were not particularly well maintained, as every step Amelia took stirred up a small cloud of dust on the carpet below.

"Why is it so cold in here?" Amelia frowned and rubbed her palms over her raised arms for a few seconds

Zani fell silent again. His eyes narrowed.

It was indeed quite cold, the corridors were deserted and looked like a enormous, haunting mouth that wanted to devour everything in its path.

Amelia walked carefully across the carpet, trying to make as little noise as possible.

She was fascinated by the layout of the rooms.

She tugged at Zani's shirt and pointed to the room in front of them.

"Look at the size and intricate design of the sofa! It stretches along the walls of the room, like a huge cubicle"

Zani paused and laughed briefly before speaking

"This must be some kind of waiting room for royal guests. Look at the silver platters on the large table on the other side.

Or... maybe even an additional dining room..."

"But..."

Amelia looked at him.

"But what Zani"?

"Maybe it's just my own perception, but this room seems very clean compared to the others"

Amelia took a quick glance at the room and the chambers that surrounded it.

Zani's statement was pretty accurate. Compared to the broken cupboards and dusty, rotting furniture in the other rooms, this room seemed to have been cleaned and kept in reasonable shape.