Through the Dark 1.23

As other planets and stars pass by, Derrick spent his days in the streets of the planet Zanderinia. As a result of his dad's death, his mom took on a second job and he turned to a life of crime. A near death experience of his own and almost losing his mom caused Derrick to take another look at everything. After he enrolls in a university, Derrick feels as though he finally turned his life around. That was until he receives an unmarked envelope. [[Open the envelope.]]

As he grips the folded sheets of paper and pulls them out, the envelope disappears into thin air. After a quick gaze around for it, Derrick unfolds them. As his eyes skim over the papers, he pulls some key words out of the letter about a castle. This castle has been in his family for centuries. As the realization that he inherited the castile, a gleam appears in his eyes. "Holy shit," he says outloud, as the reality kicks in. In the letter it states that he is to arrive at the castle within a hour of reading the letter. [[Ask Derrick's mom about the castle.]] [[Head over to the castle.]]

He searches the house and finds his mom in the den. Behind the computer, she types frantically. He walks over and stands beside the desk before dropping the papers on it. "So, mom. Do you know anything about this?" She looks over at them without a word. His curiosity as to what she knows grows the longer she is silent, which adds to his anticipation about what's awaiting him. [[Pressure mom into opening up.]] [[Give up and head out.]]

He exits the house, walks down the drive-way, and gets in his car. His mind wraps around the anticipation as to his inheritance. As he drives across town, nerves kick in causing him to remove a hand from the wheel before placing it on his stomach. With one hand on the wheel, the car begins to swerve causing him to return the other hand. Gripping the wheel with both hands, he regains control of the car. Pink tinge enters the sky, as the sun slowly sets. After approaching, he drives down a winding drive-way through a grotesque forest. At the end, he approaches a large stone structure. He parks the car and gets out. A drawbridge lowers, granting him access. After entering, he walks across the courtyard and approaches a gothic style door. [[Enter.]] [[Turn around.]]

He paces, as he becomes frustrated. He tightens his fists causing the knuckles to become white. As she keeps her mouth shut, she looks up at him. He peers over at her, as he stops pacing. His eyes stays on her, as his hands set on the desk. Her eyes fall on the computer monitor. "You know something, mom." He scowls at her causing her to type more. Her typing increases in pace, the longer he stares at her. He lifts his hands and slams them down on the desk. "Fine!" He raises his hands and walks away. [[Punch the door.]] [[Exit the den.]]

Her silence tell everything. Even though she knows a lot, she refuses to tell anything. As the frustration builds up, he exits the den. "What dark secret is mom hiding from me?" After crossing the house, he enters the living room and sits down on the couch. As his anger rises, he places his face in his hands and his ears ring. After a bit of ringing, he raises his head. As he looks around, the ringing stops. [[Get up off the couch.]] [[Lay down on the couch.]]

He steps across the threshold and peers around at the stone walls. Red crushed velvet drapes dangle down the wall. Slight sunlight enters the windows and hits them causing bright red tinges in spots. A few more steps forward, the door slams shut. He jumps slightly before a ball of light glides toward him. Mid-flight, the light changes shape before turning into a dark figure. Standing there, the figures red eyes glare at Derrick causing him to back up against the door. It motions toward him, as he turns his head away while closing his eyes. As the figure steps in front of him, a cloud of smoke escapes it before the figure evaporates. Derrick opens his eyes and gazes around to see that he is alone again. Anticipating that the figure will reappear, he steps forward. "Hello. Anyone there?" Without an answer, he steps forward to view three doors. [[Choose red door.]] [[Choose blue door.]] [[Choose black door.]]

Heart racing he rethinks accepting his inheritance, as beads of sweat flow down his face falling to the ground. Breath hitches in the back of his throat, as he shifts his weight. He turns around and runs across the courtyard. He approaches the drawbridge, as his breathing and heart rate returns to normal. As he raises his foot, the drawbridge rises and slams shut. The realization of being trapped sets in, causing him to panic. After searching for a lever to lower the drawbridge and not being successful, Derrick turns back around and stares at the castle. [[Go back to searching for a lever.]] [[Cross the courtyard again.]]

Wood splinters, as his fist goes through the den door. His mom jumps and looks up, as Derrick's fist crashes through the door a second time. A growl rises from his throat, as he pulls his fist from inside the door. He places his hand on the door knob. A sigh comes from behind him, as he slowly turns the knob. "Don't be like this," his mom says, as she gets up out of the chair. "Be like what?" He growls again before opening the door. [[Exit the den.]] [[Stand still.]]

After giving his mom time to talk about the castle, Derrick walks out of the room. He stomps down the hallway before he enters the living room. He walks across the room and sits down on the couch. He reaches onto the coffee table and picks up the remote. After turning on the television he switches through channels. He stops on a channel and places the remote back on the coffee table. He leans against the back of the couch. [[Lay down on the couch.]]

As thoughts about his inheritance plays in his mind, he thinks about what will be required from him to accept it. Since he never seen this castle nor knew about it, he begins to think about it's appearance. Then his thought goes back to the envelope he received. With it unmarked, he wonders who sent the envelope. With those thoughts, he begins to think he has more family left than what his mom is telling. As he stands there, he thinks about his choices. [[Head over to the castle.]]

His head rests against the arm of the couch, as he thinks back to his mom's silence. All different thoughts race through his head based off that. He starts to think that the family abandoned the castle. He dozes off, as the thoughts race through his mind. As he rolls over toward the back of the couch, images of fog over a moat appears in his mind. Beyond the moat was a curved siloutte with a wooden entrance. The deeper in slumber he gets, the more of the structure he envisions. Just as the wooden entrance starts lowering, Derrick wakes up. He stares at the back of the couch before rolling back over.Noticing that it's still light out, he realizes that he still has to make decisions about his inheritance. [[Get up off the couch.]]

He walks over to the red door and opens it on a dimly lit room. The stench of stagnate blood escapes the area. He covers his nose and enters before placing his hand on the wall to his left. As he feels his way along the wall, his hand brushes over a round piece of wood. A step forward and he hits something sticky. As his right hand gets stuck, panic takes over. "What the?" With his one hand still on the piece of wood, he feels a bit of shaking. He looks up to notice that he's stuck in a giant spider web. Coming toward him is a Huntsman Spider. [[Struggle to free arm.]] [[Calm down and fight spider.]]

Walk over and open the door onto a dimly lit room. The stench of rotten meat escapes and hits Derrick in the face. He gags before covering his nose and enters. Derrick places his left hand on the wall and feels his way forward. As his hand hits a round piece of wood, he loses his footing and falls through a hole. He comes crashing to the floor before falling back flat. Pain rushes through his back as he rolls over to grip it. "Seriously?" As he sits up, hissing catches his attention. He looks up to notice Inland Taipans slithering toward him. He backs up toward a wall. As he gets closer to it, a sharp edge pokes him in the back. He winces before he stands up. [[Stomp on the snakes.]] [[Look for a way out of the pit.]]

Derrick walks over and opens the door revealing a dimly lit room. He is hit in the face with the stench of rotten flesh. He throws up some before covering his nose and entering. He places his left hand on the wall and feels along it. His hand brushes over a round piece of wood. As he gets further in, he encounters Emperor scorpions. He stops and gazes at them, as they step toward him. "Don't come any closer." They continue to move toward him, as he panics some. His hand stays on the wood piece. [[Exit the room and castle.]] [[Find a way around the scorpions.]]

As fear sets in, Derrick's breathing hitches some. He looks across the courtyard at the castle before turning his focus on the overgrown grass near the stone wall. Using his feet to move grass to the side, he reaches in and feels for any type of lever. "I need a way out of this." He moves closer to the drawbridge as he keeps feeling through the grass. As he gets closer to the drawbridge, his hand crashes into a metal rod. [[Pull the rod.]]

After time to calm down, he decides to try again. He's intrigued by the castle. There is something about the castle that keeps pulling him in. He wants to find out what is inside. He turns away from the drawbridge and strides across the courtyard again. His heart rate raises a little, as he gets closer to the gothic door. He takes a deep breath, as he stops in front of it. "This is it." He pushes on the door. [[Enter.]]

As he gathers his thoughts, Derrick gazes out of the den. He wants to give his mom some time to talk if she is willing to tell him everything about the castle. Behind him legs of the chair scrap across the floor. A high pitch screech causes Derrick to shudder some. His eyes move around, as he takes in everything in other rooms. Footsteps behind him slowly approach him. A tap on his left shoulder startles him before he turns around. His mom looks into his face, but remains silent. "What is there about this castle that you can't tell me, mom?" "A lot." His eyes scan her face before he turns back around. [[Give up and head out.]]

As the spider gets closer, Derrick starts to pull his arm away from the web. It continues to move closer to his arm, as he keeps attempting to release it. Just as the spider is about to bite, Derrick frees his arm from the web. He backs up and pulls a torch off the wall. He gazes at the torch before moving back toward the web. He waves it side to side, as gets closer to the web. As the spider and web burns, he keeps walking forward. [[Move forward in the room.]]

As the spider continues it's descend down the web, Derrick keeps his sights on it. He controls his breathing, as he waits for the spider to get closer. The spider creeps closer and closer, as he tilts his back more. As it prepares to jump at Derrick, he pulls the torch off the wall and waves it at the spider. As it catches fire, Derrick pulls his arm free. He catches the web on fire . [[Move forward in the room.]]

Derrick steps forward as the snakes get closer. His eyes shift from one snake to the next and so on. He takes deep breaths and waits for them to get closer. The snakes slither along toward him, making Derrick think that they are going to attack at once. As they line up in front of him, he leaps up. When he comes down he lands on their heads, pushing them deep in the dirt floor. Their bodies wither, as he pushes them deeper in the floor. [[Look for a way out of the pit.]]

After crushing the snakes, Derrick looks in the direction the snakes came from. His eyes fall on a ladder at the opening. He climbs the ladder through the hole and steps on the landing. He looks back down through the hole at the snakes bodies before pulling the ladder out of the hole. [[Proceed forward.]]

The stench is too much for Derrick to handle. As his stomach continues to turn, he leaves the room and heads back to the front door. When he reaches the front door, he opens it and looks out. A faint laugh behind him catches his attention. He turns his head and looks over his shoulder to see no one behind him. He turns his head back around and runs out of the castle. The door slams behind him as he starts to run across the courtyard. A loud laugh from inside the castle causes him to run faster and trip. He stands back up and continues to run across the courtyard. [[Go back to searching for a lever.]]

Derrick stands his ground, as the scorpions get closer. Sweat soaks his shirt, as fear sinks in. He slowly backs up some, as they get even closer. When they are inches away, Derrick pulls the torch off the wall. They raise their stingers and get ready to sting him. He moves to the right and waves the torch between him and the scorpions causing them to move toward the wall. He steps forward, as he continues to wave the torches between him and them. [[Move forward.]]

His hand runs up the rod before reaching the top. A bit of rust on it makes some rough patches raise. He pulls on the rod, but it barely budges. He places his other hand on the rod. As he slowly gets it to move, the drawbridge begins to lower. He keeps pulling hard on it. As the rod slams into the ground, the drawbridge rapidly lowers. It crashes into the ground and Derrick runs across it. End game.

As he moves further into the room, a trap door opens up. To avoid falling through it, Derrick jumps over it gathering gems. He gets further in the room, as the smell of stagnant blood gets strong. He gags and moves forward before entering a bigger room. Inside the room, it is overtaken by the smell of stagnant blood that causes him to throw up. He pushes forward in the room before he gets closer to a coffin in the middle of the room. He stops in his tracks, as the grinding sound of stones rubbing together radiates through the room. The coffin lid moves across it and fog escapes. Through the fog a figure is seen. When it clears, there is a vampire standing. The ruffles on it's shirt flap as the air cools off. The vampire raises off the floor and floats toward Derrick. He moves to the side, as the vampire passes him. [[Attempt to escape.]] [[Look for weapon.]]

As he moves further into the room, a trap door opens up. To avoid falling through it, Derrick jumps over it gathering gems. He gets further in the room, as the smell of rotten flesh gets strong. He gags and moves forward before entering a bigger room. Inside the room, it is overtaken by the smell of rotten flesh that causes him to throw up. He pushes forward in the room before he gets closer to a body in the middle of the room. He stops in his tracks, as the moaning comes from another part of the room. The moaning gets louder as the shuffling of feet gets closer. As the shuffling and moaning stops, a lumbering figure appears. Derrick looks up into the feverish eyes of the zombie standing near the body. It tilts it's head and gazes blankly in Derrick's direction. It sniffs some before lurking towards him. [[Look for weapon.]] [[Attempt to escape.]]

As fear kicks in again and it appears that the monsters are distracted, Derrick attempts to make a run for the exit. As he runs toward the exit, the monsters catch up with him and attack him killing him off. Game over. Go back to start.

As each monster gets closer again, Derrick rushes to the one side of the room. He searches rapidly as he hears footsteps on the floor behind him. The footsteps get closer, as something shiny catches his attention. He darts in the direction of the shining. When he approaches it, he notices the black holder. Lifting it up, he notices that it's a samurai sword. [[Attack the vampire.]] [[Attack the werewolf.]] [[Attack the zombie.]]

With the holder of the samuari sword in his hands, Derrick turns around as the vampire approaches. He unsheaths the sword and brings it up in front of his face. He gazes at the vampire around the blade, as it gets closer. When it gets arms length away, Derrick swings around the sword in the vampires direction. [[Hit the vampire.]] [[Miss the vampire.]]

With the holder of the samuari sword in his hands, Derrick turns around as the werewolf approaches. He unsheaths the sword and brings it up in front of his face. He gazes at the werewolf around the blade, as it gets closer. When it gets arms length away, Derrick swings around the sword in the werewolf direction. [[Hit the werewolf.]] [[Miss the werewolf.]]

With the holder of the samuari sword in his hands, Derrick turns around as the zombie approaches. He unsheaths the sword and brings it up in front of his face. He gazes at the zombie around the blade, as it gets closer. When it gets arms length away, Derrick swings around the sword in the zombie direction. [[Hit the zombie.]] [[Miss the zombie.]]

With a swing of the sword, it slices through the vampires neck. A slight hiss before the head falls from the body. The head rolls across the room, as it's body hits the floor. Black gunk flows from the body. With a sigh, Derrick turns around toward a door in the back corner. He walks over and opens it. He peers into a bare, well lit room. [[Enter the room.]]

As he swings the sword, Derrick closes his eyes. A loud hiss rings out before something comes crashing into his body. Derrick opens his eyes to find himself on his back with the vampire on top of him. It moves his head to the side exposing his neck. Sheer pain goes through his body, as the vampire sinks it's fangs into his neck. His body convulses some before going still. Game over. Go back to start.

With a swing of the sword, it slices through the werewolf's neck. A slight howl before the head falls from the body. The head rolls across the room, as it's body hits the floor. Blood flows from the body. With a sigh, Derrick turns around toward a door in the back corner. He walks over and opens it. He peers into a bare, well lit room. [[Enter the room.]]

As he swings the sword, Derrick closes his eyes. A loud howl rings out before something comes crashing into his body. Derrick opens his eyes to find himself on his back with the werewolf on top of him. It raises it's paw and projects the claws. Sheer pain goes through his body, as the claws rip through his torso. His body convulses some before going still. Game over. Go back to start.

With a swing of the sword, it slices through the zombie's neck. A slight moan before the head falls from the body. The head rolls across the room, as it's body hits the floor. Blood flows from the body. With a sigh, Derrick turns around toward a door in the back corner. He walks over and opens it. He peers into a bare, well lit room. [[Enter the room.]]

As he swings the sword, Derrick closes his eyes. A loud moan rings out before something comes crashing into his body. Derrick opens his eyes to find himself on his back with the zombie on top of him. It leans over and starts biting into his head. Sheer pain goes through his body, as the fangs rip through his skull. His body convulses some before going still. Game over. Go back to start.

Derrick peers around to notice nothing in the room with him. Across from him is another door. As he wonders what is behind the door in front of him, the door behind him closes. As he steps forward, a sliding sound rings out from above him. He looks up to see part of the ceiling shifting. After it's fully open, a valkyrie drops down. Derrick stumbles back against the door, as she moves toward him. As she is about to attack him, he raises the sword and swings it slightly connecting with the valkyrie. [[Destroy the valkyrie.]] [[Lose to the valkyrie.]]

He rapidly swings the sword, hitting the valkyrie with each one. She screeches as the sword connects with her body. A few more swings connect with her neck, sliding half way through it. One last loud screech rings out before she evaporates. Derrick leans over and takes a few deep breaths. He stands up straight and looks forward. In the spot where the valkyrie was, is a rotating unmarked envelope. Behind it, the other door opens exposing slight sunlight. [[Escape the castle.]]

He continues to swing the sword, occasionally hitting the valkyrie. With every attack from the valkyrie, Derrick becomes tired. She rushes him and sucks the last bit of breath out of him, killing him. Game over. Go back to start.

Derrick slips past the rotating envelope and runs toward the door. He sighs as he approaches the door. As he slips outside, the door slowly closes behind him. He turns around to see the rotating envelope disappear behind the door. Game over.