What Was the Point?

The insides of the mansion was structured similarly to the one Lukas had lived in. Though, of course, there hadn't been any dark scorch marks staining the walls or a strong sense of gloom in his former home. As was expected, the lights were not working and thick layers of cobwebs decorated the ceiling above them.

The originally rich, red carpet that lay at the entrance was now a faded pink. Its previous glamour nowhere to be seen. Portraits hung loosely on the wall, the figures no longer clear to the eye. Time had, indeed, done its worst to the mansion. It didn't help that it was supposed to be haunted by the wandering wife and victims' spirits either.

Walls, cracked and crumbling, were covered in an old wallpaper- one that you'd find in your grandparents' house. The wallpaper tore in places and the rest was burnt to ash.

The last eye-catching piece was the large staircase. It was located in the middle of the entrance hall and lead straight up to the next floor. The wooden planks clearly showed its wear and tear and bore a few cracks here and there. It was safe to say that it was a safety hazard.

The sound of footsteps bounced of the walls and echoed around the mansion.

Mike caught up to the others, already over what happened outside. He saw Lukas staring at the staircase cautiously. Thinking he was worried about its stability, Mike ran up and down the stairs and jumped on a few steps for good measure. His face glowed with reassurance.

"Hey, don't worry mate. It's as sturdy as ever. It won't fall in on you ok? Let's catch up with Tingting."

Mike smiled and headed up alone, leaving Lukas standing there slightly perplexed.

'With all that jumping, I'd be more surprised if it didn't collapse.'

Running his hand through his hair, Lukas walked upstairs, the other pale hand tightly gripping the banister. After what seemed like a lifetime, Lukas finally found himself at the top. Looking at the view presented to him made his heart pound. With clenched fists, he navigated himself to the other two.

...

He found Mike and Tingting hanging out in front of a conspicuously grand door. They seemed to be bickering about something or another. Lukas stood to the side patiently and studied the long corridor with disinterest. It was similar. Very similar. Four doors stood on each side of the corridor, making a grand total of eight rooms upstairs. The corridor didn't end there but turned instead. Lukas assumed that there were probably even more rooms around the corner. A bathroom... or perhaps a study...

He soon became painfully aware of the heated stares focused upon him. He looked at the perpetrators and sighed reluctantly.

"...What?"

Tingting opened her mouth first and pushed the gaping Mike aside.

"I think that we should open this door. If there are truly still bodies in here, we'll need rid of them. Aren't I right?"

'This... it's the master room, right?...' Lukas grumbled inwardly. Couldn't she just leave it alone? What was the point of opening it only to have yourself breaking down in fear?

It was Mike's turn to push someone aside. Moving into the spotlight, he added,

"She says that but she doesn't want to do it herself! Can you believe her? It's her idea yet she insists on making me do the dirty work. You'll find justice for me right?" Mike's eyes begged for Lukas to save him but instead, he received a cold statement.

"I don't care." In other words, it was too bothersome.

"..."

"..."

"Bro! Help me out here! I'm seriously no good with these kinds of things. Please?" Mike glared at Tingting as he said this, clearly blaming her for creating this situation in the first place.

"...Fine. Let's do this. We'll decide who has to go with Rock Paper Scissors. Fair right?" Lukas thought of the simplest, non-energy consuming method to deal with the two of them.

Mike nodded his head enthusiastically. Tingting... she had sneaked away at some point. When Mike realised this, he swore with rage.

"That little- Fine! Since she's not here, we don't have to go in right?" Mike's words sounded reasonable but his eyes gave away his true intentions. They shone with undisguised pleading.

"...You're going back on your word?" Lukas's voice was cold and the air around them seemed to freeze.

"It- It's not like I said I would..." Mike trailed off as he spotted the steely glint in Lukas's eyes.

"You're going back on it?" There was no pity in Lukas's gaze.

"But-"

"Aren't you a man?"

"It's becau-"

"Where's your pride?"

"I... Okay then bro! F*ck!"

There was seriously no compromising with this man was there? Mike gave up and readied himself. This was a turning point in his life. One wrong move would send him into the ghoul-infested hideout. He was getting shivers just thinking about it.

Lukas on the other hand, loosened up. If they didn't deal with this now, Tingting would pester him later. He didn't think he was nice enough to just take that without exploding. He was going to use this opportunity to ease his troubles and get a kick out of Mike's misfortune at the same time. Unbeknownst to him, a smirk had sneakily plastered itself onto his face, intimidating Mike into action.

The two boys locked eyes and shouted in unplanned unison.

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

Who won?

It was an obvious, inevitable outcome.

Lukas.

Mike stared at his hand, wondering whether he could cut it off and trade it for a different hand. Today of all days, it just had to malfunction on him like that? Out of all three moves, it just had to pick paper? it just had to be sliced to bit by a pair of cheap, pale scissors? He wouldn't accept this. With fire in his eyes, he challenged Lukas once more.

"One more!"

Lukas accepted the challenge readily, it would be quite entertaining to see the opponent crushed and devastated on the ground... wait, this was his new companion right?... Who cares. There would be no mercy for the enemy.

They played many rounds at Mike's insistence and the outcome was in the bounds of what Lukas had predicted.

"No way. I don't believe it. Let's do it again. You cheated right?"

Mike was in disbelief. He refused to accept the reality in front of him. He refused to. Though he refused to... every refusal cost a bit of his pride. He felt as if he lost weight from the intense brain strain. Wouldn't it be better to just give up?... No! This was something that he could not give into no matter what. He must win! With that determination, he raised his hands for yet another round.

The result?

...

"Ugh..."

Mike found himself standing in front of the door of doom. Lukas had positioned himself at the furthest end of the corridor, prepared to bolt at the slightest of sound. Trembling, Mike placed his hand on the doorknob and turned it. Tried to turn it.

'It won't move.'

Mike tried again and got the same result. The problem was not with the doorknob but with Mike himself. His right hand didn't seem to be responding properly. Every time his brain sent an order for it to move, the hand would just plug its ears and play the blind fool card. Eyes watering up, he turned to look at Lukas who continued to stand there, unmoving.

Eyes practically swimming in tears now, Mike called out in a pitiful voice, "Help me?"

Lukas sighed. He shifted his legs. He ran a hand through his hair. He shifted his legs. He ran a hand through his hair yet again. He shifted his legs... Fine. He had to give in. What was this? How could a human, let alone a male, look so weak and pitiful?

Lukas strode towards the trembling Mike and shoved him out the way. What exactly was the point of winning so many rounds of rock-paper-scissors if he was going to do it himself anyway?

He breathed in, then out. In, then out. He vowed to himself, that if he found something unspeakable in there, he would shut Mike in there for a whole day as revenge.

'One' Lukas twisted the handle.

'Two' He exerted a bit of force, confirming that the door could open with the creaking of its hinges.

'Three' Gathering his courage from who knows where, Lukas swung the door wide open...

Then pulled it shut again.