Being on Your Way

Before you could make your getaway and put as much distance between you and this nonsense, your new friend called out to you through the downpour. “Wait- you thought Ygor would leave you out in the rain?” When you spun around, the stranger was clamoring up the side of the rickety cart, clumsily waving you over. “No way! Let me repay your kindness, ya? I’ll take you to the manor!”

“Yes! I live in the manor!” Pausing to wipe the rain off his goggles, Ygor replied. “I wouldn’t just-“ Before he could finish his sentence, you were scrambling up the dry wood to take a seat next to him. “Wow…I can’t say the last time I saw a new face in Darkmoor...” 

“Well, my car broke down about a mile that way, so I guess it wasn’t totally of my own volition-“ You explained, gesturing to the slowly disappearing scenery behind you. “But I’ve been lookin’ fr’ somebody who could take a look at it.” I mean, it was worth a shot.

It seemed, however, that you were in luck. “Ah, Ygor take a look at it in the morning! No problem!” The relief that hit you was soon chased by a nagging thought that perhaps this was some great ploy on this man’s part to kidnap you- tie you up in some basement and hack your limbs off one by one. However,  you really didn’t have much time for second thoughts considering you were already lurching down the cobbled streets.

But random acts of kindness, especially in a town such as this, prove to be exceedingly rare. Besides, you were still cold and hungry, and this rich guy was offering you to stay in his house for the night! And what a house it was…

That crumbling manor of a bygone era was a fortress of dimly lit hallways and eclectically decorated rooms with indeterminable functions- of towering bookshelves and aging red velvet upholstery. The sitting room your new friend showed you to, the one with the fireplace full of smoldering newspapers, had something that drew your attention to the wall. “Woah…” Leaning against what you thought was an odd metal table, you examined the sepia-toned painting chronicling some sort of family tree. “Who’s she…?” The photo in the middle that caught your eye was-

“Ygor!” A hurried woman called from down the hall . “Did you get what I needed?”

Whipping your head around, you only caught a glimpse of your new friend’s panicked expression before the pair of hands on your back shoved you forward to topple face first into a closet! 

“O-of course, doctor!”

Was this it? Was this the moment you got hacked up into tiny little pieces? Heart rate increasing, limbs trembling, you were suddenly struck by the odd sensation of your palms sweating, which they’d never done up until this point. There was only a sliver of light that got in through the crack between the doors. Panicking, you looked down at your hands and caught this glimpse of something slick and burgundy on your palms. It was shiny.

Is that blood?

The woman’s voice was growing nearer now.

“Good.” 

Trailing the beam of gold up a white coat, your stomach sank when you read the name embroidered on the left chest pocket:

Dr. Frankenstein.

What just Happened?!