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House Of The Damned by Sam McCall

You curse the engine failure in your car that forced you to come out and look for help. It was already darkening when you left the safety of your vehicle, and now it must surely be close to midnight. The wolves began chasing you at eleven, and for nearly an hour you have been running. Soon, surely, you will collapse...

Hope! Through gaps in the trees you catch sight of a window, and in the gloom, can just make out the shape of a house. With a superhuman effort you reach the doorway, throwing it open, and once inside lean against it, panting. You hear the wolves bay outside, then the slow patter of paws as they slink away, defeated. You feel you have won.

If you had known what would befall you in that house of the damned, you'd have run back outside and prayed for the wolves to come back...Thunder rumbles ominously.

> x portrait
The portrait of a pretty young girl catches your eye: Cousin Marie, 1732 - commited suicide 1764. "All she wanted was a kiss." The rain continues to batter down.

> up
You move up. You are on the upstairs landing of the house. A chandelier above casts a creepy glow over the room, which is decorated in peeling green wallpaper and holds more portraits of the previous owners. Doorways go in three directions and stairs behind you lead downstairs. You can move east, west and down. Marie floats in from the west. The wind howls and you shiver.

> x portrait
A particularly compelling gaze catches your eye in one of the portraits - that of "Uncle Horace, 1746-1803. Motto: I WILL LIVE AGAIN" Marie drifts away to the east. A sudden crash of lightning makes you jump.

> east
You move east. The library is well-stocked with many books, most of no interest. The ticking of a grandfather clock adds the to dusty, timeless atmosphere. A large table dominates most of the room, the books being on shelves on the walls. Also here is black book. Cousin Marie is here, weeping silently. You can move south and west. Marie drifts away to the south. Thunder rumbles ominously.

> kiss marie
You lean forward and kiss Cousin Marie gently on the cheek. Though your lips pass through thin air, she appears to have acknowledged you for the first time: a smile spreads slowly across her grey face and she fades away, still smiling. When she is gone completely you feel an icy sensation on your lips, and feel something pressed into your hand - a gold-set emerald. The wind howls and you shiver.

> south
You move south. The guest bedroom has one large, four-poster bed and a small chest of drawers. A rung ladder leads up the east wall into a hole in the ceiling. A door to the bathroom is locked from the other side. You can move north and up. A sudden crash of lightning makes you jump.

> x drawers
The chest is drawers is fashioned from ancient oak. Chest of drawers is closed. Thunder rumbles ominously.

> open drawers
You open chest of drawers. Packet of weedkiller is inside chest of drawers. The rain continues to batter down.

> get weedkiller
You take packet of weedkiller from chest of drawers. The wind howls and you shiver.

> north
You move north. The library is well-stocked with many books, most of no interest. The ticking of a grandfather clock adds the to dusty, timeless atmosphere. A large table dominates most of the room, the books being on shelves on the walls. Also here is black book. You can move south and west. A sudden crash of lightning makes you jump.

> west
You move west. You are on the upstairs landing of the house. A chandelier above casts a creepy glow over the room, which is decorated in peeling green wallpaper and holds more portraits of the previous owners. Doorways go in three directions and stairs behind you lead downstairs. You can move east, west and down. Thunder rumbles ominously.

> down
You move down. You are in the hallway of this creepy house. There is little furniture but an umbrella stand and writing-desk. Portaits of long-dead residents of the house decorate the walls. You have the odd feeling that the eyes are watching you... You can move east, south and up. The rain continues to batter down.

> north
You move north. You are in the conservatory, which looks out through glass doors to the garden. The rain patters on the tin roof above. Occasionally through the windows you think you can see moving shapes - or is it your imagination? You can move north, south and west. A sudden crash of lightning makes you jump.

> north
You move north. The back garden is fairly well kept. The light of a full moon gives allows you to see that to the east is a shed, and a greenhouse to the north. A gate to the west leads to the family graveyard. At one side of the garden is a vegetable patch with a water tank in the middle. You can move north, south and west. Thunder rumbles ominously.

> put weedkiller in tank
You pour the grey powder into the water tank and swish it in with your finger. A few seconds later, an ear-piercing scream erupts from the greenhouse, and several windows are smashed as tendrils writhe within. The rain continues to batter down.

> north
You move north. The greenhouse is humid and steamy despite the cold of the night. The greenhouse now has several broken windows. The plant lies brown and shrivelled, along with all the other plants in the greenhouse. Also here is rusty key. You can only move south. The wind howls and you shiver.

> get key
You pick up rusty key. A sudden crash of lightning makes you jump.

> south
You move south. The back garden is fairly well kept. The light of a full moon gives allows you to see that to the east is a shed, and a greenhouse to the north. A gate to the west leads to the family graveyard. At one side of the garden is a vegetable patch with a water tank in the middle. You can move north, south and west. Thunder rumbles ominously.

> unlock shed
The toolshed door swings open. You discard the key. A sudden crash of lightning makes you jump.

> east
You move east. The tool shed is untidy and littered with all sorts of junk. Also here is iron hammer and folding ladder. You can only move west. Thunder rumbles ominously.

> get all
You pick up iron hammer and folding ladder. The rain continues to batter down.

> west
You move west. The back garden is fairly well kept. The light of a full moon gives allows you to see that to the east is a shed, and a greenhouse to the north. A gate to the west leads to the family graveyard. At one side of the garden is a vegetable patch with a water tank in the middle. You can move north, east, south and west. The wind howls and you shiver.

> south
You move south. You are in the conservatory, which looks out through glass doors to the garden. The rain patters on the tin roof above. Occasionally through the windows you think you can see moving shapes - or is it your imagination? You can move north, south and west. A sudden crash of lightning makes you jump.

> south
You move south. You are in the living room. Two armchairs are facing a fireplace, reminiscent perhaps of when this house was inhabited. A drinks cabinet is on the west wall. You can move north and west. Thunder rumbles ominously.

> west
You move west. You are in the hallway of this creepy house. There is little furniture but an umbrella stand and writing-desk. Portaits of long-dead residents of the house decorate the walls. You have the odd feeling that the eyes are watching you... You can move east, south and up. The rain continues to batter down.

> south
You move south. The front garden is unkempt and overgrown. You shiver as you think of the wolves that drove you to this place. Above you, light is showing from the bathroom window. You can only move north. Thunder rumbles ominously.

> use ladder with window
You lean the ladder against the open bathroom window, enabling you to climb up and go inside. The wind howls and you shiver. You see the glint of a wolf's eyes reflected in the light from the house! You must go back inside immediately!

> up
You move up. The bathroom is colder than the rest of the house. There is a toilet, sink and bath, all white and well-scrubbed. The window is still open, the curtains flapping in the breeze. There is a door to the east, locked with a bolt on this side. You can only move down. A sudden crash of lightning makes you jump.

> drink from toilet
You have a long, cool drink from that great-tasting toilet water. Ah, that really hits the spot...

> open door
You slide back the bolt from the door and open it. Thunder rumbles ominously.

> flush toilet
You pull the chain and the toilet flushes noisily. What fun! Wait... the gurgling water clears away to reveal something. A shiny key! The rain continues to batter down.

> get key
You take drinks cabinet key from porcelain toilet. The wind howls and you shiver.

> east
You move east. The guest bedroom has one large, four-poster bed and a small chest of drawers. A rung ladder leads up the east wall into a hole in the ceiling. The door to the bathroom is now open. You can move north, west and up. The rain continues to batter down.

> up
You move up. The attic is musty and dark. In the centre is a disembodied head, glowing faintly and dripping blood. Apart from the head, the attic is cold and bare. A head floats above the bed. It says, "I am the Oracle. I know all." You can only move down. The wind howls and you shiver.

> down
You move down. The guest bedroom has one large, four-poster bed and a small chest of drawers. A rung ladder leads up the east wall into a hole in the ceiling. The door to the bathroom is now open. You can move north, west and up. A sudden crash of lightning makes you jump.

> open cabinet
The drinks cabinet swings open. You discard the key. A sudden crash of lightning makes you jump.

> get whisky
You pick up bottle of whisky. Thunder rumbles ominously.

> drink whisky
You tip the all the whisky down your neck and throw away the bottle. You feel very lightheaded and dizzy, then vomit profusely onto the floor. Never again! The rain continues to batter down.

> get whisky
You pick up bottle of whisky. The wind howls and you shiver.

> west
You move west. The master bedroom is dominated by a grand, four-poster bed. A proud family crest is displayed on the south wall. Beside the bed is a table with a fishtank on it. You can only move east. The rain continues to batter down.

> pour liquid into fishtank
You pour the purple liquid into the fish tank... suddenly the piranha thrashes around madly, as if it is burning. Then it floats gently to the top of the water.

> mix whisky with fish
The fish disolves in the whisky! As it fizzes, you see the whisky take on a blue colour and a sweet smell. A sudden crash of lightning makes you jump.

> use emerald with crest
The crest, now completed, slowly slides back to reveal: nothing but a scrap of paper, which drifts to the floor. You are very disappointed. Thunder rumbles ominously.

> get paper
You pick up scrap of paper. The rain continues to batter down.

> read paper
The only words you can make out are: "NOTE: When the following symbols are shown to a member of the living dead, they are compelled to follow you! Most interesting. E. Wilmott" The rest is covered in a mass of unholy symbols. The wind howls and you shiver.

> east
You move east. You are on the upstairs landing of the house. A chandelier above casts a creepy glow over the room, which is decorated in peeling green wallpaper and holds more portraits of the previous owners. Doorways go in three directions and stairs behind you lead downstairs. You can move east, west and down. Thunder rumbles ominously.

> west
You move west. The kitchen is quite tidy and clean. A cupboard stands by the far wall, and a stove rests beside the window. You notice that one of the floortiles is loose. You can only move east. Thunder rumbles ominously.

> open cupboard
You open kitchen cupboard. Vial of liquid is inside kitchen cupboard. The rain continues to batter down.

> get vial
You take vial of liquid from kitchen cupboard. The wind howls and you shiver.

> hit tile with hammer
The tile smashes away, and foolishly you were standing on it when you did so. You fall a short distance and find yourself in a room. Eggbert has transformed this basement into a laboratory, full of weird potions and strange diagrams. It is the testament to an obsessed mind. The place is littered with sketches of the human body, some drawn horribly mangled yet still alive... A rung ladder leads back to the kitchen. A green mixture bubbles merrily in a flask over a bunsen burner. It has been fixed to the spot by screws. Eggbert obviously wants it to stay put. Also here is rusty cog. Eggbert is here. You can only move up.

> get cog
You pick up rusty cog.

> kiss eggbert
Eggbert blinks nervously behind his thick glasses. "Um, oh dear, er, thank you, erm, sorry," he says, blushing.

> up
You move up. The kitchen is quite tidy and clean. A cupboard stands by the far wall, and a stove rests beside the window. You notice that one of the floortiles is loose. The kitchen is quite tidy and clean. A cupboard stands by the far wall, and a stove rests beside the window. A hole in the ground leads down to the laboratory. You can move east and down. The rain continues to batter down.

> east
You move east. You are in the conservatory, which looks out through glass doors to the garden. The rain patters on the tin roof above. Occasionally through the windows you think you can see moving shapes - or is it your imagination? You can move north, south and west. The wind howls and you shiver.

> east
You move east. The library is well-stocked with many books, most of no interest. The ticking of a grandfather clock adds the to dusty, timeless atmosphere. A large table dominates most of the room, the books being on shelves on the walls. Also here is black book. You can move south and west. The wind howls and you shiver.

> put cog in clock
The cog fits perfectly, and the hands of the clock switch to 12:00 midnight. It begins to chime, but does not stop at 12. It seems the clock will keep chiming for ever... From downstairs, Eggbert shouts "What! I thought that clock was broken!" Then you hear a muffled footsteps approaching as he comes to investigate. A sudden crash of lightning makes you jump. You hear the chiming of the grandfather clock.

> east
You move east. You are in the living room. Two armchairs are facing a fireplace, reminiscent perhaps of when this house was inhabited. A drinks cabinet is on the west wall. Eggbert is here. You can move north and west. Eggbert runs off to the west. The wind howls and you shiver. You hear the chiming of the grandfather clock. You hear the chiming of the grandfather clock.

> west
You move west. The kitchen is quite tidy and clean. A cupboard stands by the far wall, and a stove rests beside the window. You notice that one of the floortiles is loose. The kitchen is quite tidy and clean. A cupboard stands by the far wall, and a stove rests beside the window. A hole in the ground leads down to the laboratory. You can move east and down. Thunder rumbles ominously. You hear the chiming of the grandfather clock. You hear the chiming of the grandfather clock.

> pour potion into mixture
Stealthily, you pour the blue potion into the green mixture. Your heart beats as the mixture writhes, and for a second you could be sure it is screaming. When the reaction is over, you are left with a black sludge, which you carefully scoop up and put into the whisky bottle where you stored the blue potion. You hear the chiming of the grandfather clock. You hear the chiming of the grandfather clock.

> west
You move west. The family graveyard is haunted by twisted trees. The wind is uncommonly cold. Rows of gravestones stand like broken teeth, glistening in the rain. A crow sits on the branch of a tree, fixing you with a beady eye. You can only move east. The wind howls and you shiver.

> pour sludge on gravestone
You pour the foul-smelling sludge onto Uncle Horace's grave. As it sinks in, the ground begins to churn and writhe... a bony, half-rotten hand bursts through the mud and you almost faint with fright. Uncle Horace (deceased) pulls himself out of the earth and stands dumbly, unblinking, before you. But after all this effort - what are you going to do with him? A sudden crash of lightning makes you jump.

> show paper to horace
The zombie's head turns slowly towards the paper. Still holding it out, you back away. It works! For every step you take, Horace now follows you. Thunder rumbles ominously.

> east
You move east. The back garden is fairly well kept. The light of a full moon gives allows you to see that to the east is a shed, and a greenhouse to the north. A gate to the west leads to the family graveyard. At one side of the garden is a vegetable patch with a water tank in the middle. You can move north, east, south and west. Horace lurches in from the west. The rain continues to batter down.

> west
You move west. The kitchen is quite tidy and clean. A cupboard stands by the far wall, and a stove rests beside the window. You notice that one of the floortiles is loose. The kitchen is quite tidy and clean. A cupboard stands by the far wall, and a stove rests beside the window. A hole in the ground leads down to the laboratory. You can move east and down. Horace lurches in from the east. Thunder rumbles ominously. You hear the chiming of the grandfather clock. You hear the chiming of the grandfather clock.

> down
You move down. Eggbert has transformed this basement into a laboratory, full of weird potions and strange diagrams. It is the testament to an obsessed mind. The place is littered with sketches of the human body, some drawn horribly mangled yet still alive... A rung ladder leads back to the kitchen. The flask that once held Eggbert's prized potion is now empty. You pray he doesn't notice for a while. Also here is bottle of whisky. Eggbert is here. You can only move up.

Horace lurches in from above. You drop down into the laboratory, Horace following you. Eggbert freezes, then drops the test tube he was carrying. Uncle Horace fixes Eggbert with a blank gaze, then lurches toward him, hands outstretched. Eggbert shrinks back into the wall and tries feebly to defend himself, but is powerless to stop the zombie from tearing out his eyes, before ripping open the top of his head and feasting on the brain inside.

Horace's movements knock over a bunsen burner, which then sets fire to the various spilled chemicals on the floor. As you leap out into the kitchen and head for the door, one thing is certain in your mind - Eggbert got more than he bargained for when he asked for eternal life...

You run through the garden as the house begins to burn. The full moon casts its eye over your fleeing body... and the wolves chasing it. Frantically you grab a branch and, using it as a club, hit the nearest one with all your strength. Surprisingly it yelps and falls to the ground, and you feel almost sorry for it as you realise you have knocked out two of its teeth. But you have no time for pity.

The pack are almost upon you as you reach your car and fire the engine. It starts first time - you cheer - and soon you have left the snarling creatures far behind. You decide to head for the nearest village, and find somewhere to stay. Your route takes you once more past the House of the Damned - and, as the flames lick the roof, you think you hear screams coming from the attic - the frantic shrieks of The Oracle, locked in his prison to burn alive.

The next day. You are in a pub, still shaken from the experience, and have just finished recounting it to the barman.

"What a load of crap," he expectorates, finally, and turns around to serve the next customer. You shrug - well, you didn't expect anyone to believe you. And you certainly can't blame the barman for being surly - he has a fresh, purple bruise covering his left cheek, and a couple of his teeth are missing...

Checklist - Did you:

* Sit on the toilet?

* Kiss Eggbert?

* Kiss Horace?

* Eat everything on the vegetable patch?

* Drink toilet water?

* Drink a whole bottle of whisky in one go?

* Get eaten by the wolves?

* Get bitten by the piranha?

* Have to start again because you were too slow when Eggbert went off to check out the clock?

* Get attacked by the plant?

* Get ripped to bits by Horace?

* Talk to the Oracle? About everything?

* Really annoy Eggbert?

* Kill yourself? With poison and weedkiller?

* Kill Eggbert with the hammer?

* Look at the bookshelves in the library?

* Find what was in the umbrella stand?

* Take off all your clothes? Your shoes, trousers, shirt, tie and underpants?

* Swear and be reprimanded by Campbell Wild?

NO? Better try again then...

NOTE: Marie tends to wander around so if she's not where she should be, just keep trying to kiss her until she shows up.