Poe Party (Rewritten) - Heliot

Chapter 4: A Descent Into the Maelström

"Bottoms up," Oscar chuckled. "Right?"

"You have got to be kidding me," Charlotte said exasperatedly.

~~

Ernest, Edgar and Annabel entered one of the upstairs rooms, a bedroom.

"Miss Lee," Ernest said. "have you ever enjoyed the final drops of a robust Rioja while taking in a golden Spanish sunset?" He winked and pointed to her. "If we ever get out of here alive-"

"Oh, put a sock in it, you drunk," Edgar interrupted. "We're supposed to be looking for clues."

"And I found one." Ernest's voice was smooth. "The only clue I need to the mystery of who I'm going to Spain with-" he straightened out the bedsheets "-after this nightmare is over, huh? Huh?" He winked at Annabel.

"Thank you, Ernest, but I actually have taken in a golden Spanish sunset quite recently. I found the whole experience rather overrated."

"You did? You went to Spain? With Eddie?" Edgar asked quickly.

"Yes," Ernest cut in. "Overrated. Exactly. Finally, someone who agrees with me. Can't stand the place? Sunsets? Might as well watch the paint dry. France, however-"

"I like Spain, I'll go to Spain."

"Poe, I don't think your complexion and that climate-"

"You know, you'd think I'd burn, but-"

Annabel slammed a book closed. "Excuse me. Three people have died tonight in this house, one of whom was very dear to me- VERY DEAR TO ME - and I will not have you bicker about vacation spots! I will scour this upstairs by myself if I must!" She walked out of the room.

Edgar and Ernest paused, and then Ernest flopped back down onto the bed, a cigarette hanging from his lips. "Oh, don't smoke. And don't litter!" Edgar snapped. "What is wrong with you?"

Ernest sat up and Edgar snatched the cigarette from him and picked up a piece of paper from the ground. Ernest rolled his eyes and then lunged for the paper. "Hey, hey, give that here!"

"This is an IOU to Eduardo Dantes."

"Look." Ernest's voice was soft but firm. "I owed the man for a sports bet, nothing more. He gave me extra time to pay up and- I was close to extinguishing my debt!!" He stood up. "I'm a man of my word."

Edgar looked at him. "Oh, I believe that."

Ernest's voice got softer. "Please. Don't tell the others." Don't tell Mary Ann.

Edgar scoffed. "That you're a liar, and a drunk, and a deadbeat?" Ernest took out another cigarette to steady his trembling hands but Edgar took that one, too. "Annabel was right. Oh, for crying out loud."

They stared at each other. "I'm going to explore the other bedrooms." He left the room and Ernest already had a third cigarette. He had his flask in the other hand and downed half of it and then sat on the bed again. "Fuck."

He hadn't meant to be so rude to the others. He hadn't meant to leave Mary Ann like that, hadn't meant to flirt with Annabel the way he did. Well, he had, but he didn't mean to continue.

Or maybe Mary Ann left him. He downed the rest of the alcohol and lay back on the bed staring at the ceiling. He whispered it again.

"Fuck."

~~

"So Frankenstein is not the name of the monster?" Oscar asked, holding up the lamp. It wasn't doing much to help them see but it was better than nothing.

Mary Ann struggled to put down the third body but let it flop to the floor. "Nope! He's just the doctor."

"So, what's the name of the monster?" Oscar asked impatiently.

"Uh, it was... pretty sure it was Karen."

"Oh, I had a cousin named Karen. She was so rude."

They came across some sort of box, about the size of a telephone booth. "Look..." Mary Ann switched the light on. "Oh! It's an elevator!" Oscar said excitedly.

Mary Ann got into it with Oscar right behind her. He slid the door closed and after a second it moved steadily upwards. They came out a proper door into-

"The kitchen!" They looked down at a squeaking and both screamed. "Bloody hell, it's a mouse!" Mary Ann squealed. They both quickly went back into the elevator and Mary Ann slammed the door behind them.

"This is by far the worst thing that has happened tonight!" Oscar said.

They both stood in the elevator crying and clinging to each other as it moved back down.

Oscar switched off the light and they stumbled out of the elevator to a cawing.

"Wait..." Mary Ann said quietly. "Oscar... do you hear that?"

"Oh, isn't this a portending portal?"

"Should we look around in here?" Mary Ann pushed through a door and it swung shut behind her, clicking. She tried the handle. "Well... that is not great."

"Mary Ann!" Oscar pounded on the door. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm- wait- Mary Ann? I'm- I don't- I- I'm not familiar with that name. I-"

"Ugh, stop it. What's in there?"

"I think it's- ooh! Ravens?"

"Hold on, I'm going to get a crowbar. Or- a raven-bar?"

"Oscar! Stop it."

"Oh, what about a cockatiel bar?"

"No, stop- Oh, I got one, I got one - a blue-footed booby bar! Stop! Stop."

"Oh, this is wonderful-"

"I am loving this gaiety, but- I-I- there is excrement all over me, please-"

"Oh, alright. I'll be back. Hold on."

~~

"Edgar? Ernest!"

They arrived at the same time. "Annabel. I came as soon as I heard."

"We-" Edgar sighed. "We both did." The two men looked at each other.

"Look what I found." They looked down at the tiny bottle in her hand.

"What gives, Poe? Very mysterious having vials of poison lying around." Ernest waved it in the other man's face and Edgar leaned back. "Who would just leave an incriminating piece of evidence out in the open?"

"Look closely," Annabel said softly.

"Whose blood is that?" Ernest whispered.

There was suddenly a scream and the trio ran as fast as they could to where it came from, leaving the vial of poison on the edge of the dumbwaiter.

They found the source of the scream in the study. "Charlotte! What is it?" Edgar asked her immediately.

Fyodor lay on the floor with blood pooled around his head and an axe on the carpet nearby.