It was a loud night, one where the whispers of crickets could not be heard and the clouds smothered the moon and stars. The usual darkness was darker than the previous night as the clouds rumbled and shook the land of Bonelake.

A cloaked figure walked through the streets of the town, a hood covering his face and his body that was getting drenched in the rain. The hooded figure turned his head over his shoulders to see if there was anyone following him. Pulling out a pocket watch, he flipped it open to see the needle that was moving all over the place without settling on a single number that was marked on it. Snapping it close, he continued to walk until he reached a mansion that read outside ‘Adams’.

Merging with the shadows, he continued to move until he heard whispering that came from one of the corridors. Tilting his head closer in the direction where the whispers were coming from, he noticed two young men who stood in the corridor in the middle of the night. Both the men wore the clothes of a servant.

“Ouch!” whispered one man who had freckles on his face.

The other man pushed the one who just spoke, his voice slightly scratchy to listen to, “What were you thinking trying to eat all her soul! You fucking dimwit,” he knocked the first one’s head, “They are finally going to get the butler to work here and the person who is going to work is our own man. It would be easier to feast on the people then.”

“But I have been starving-” complained the first man to receive another smack on his head. At the same time, they heard someone knock on the front door.

“Get back to your room before someone finds you walking here. If not I will kill you myself,” he threatened, and both of them went back to their rooms.

The person who was standing behind the wall listening to them speak didn’t have to hear all the conversation to understand that they weren’t humans. Having one side of his lips pull up, he slipped back into the shadows.

After a few hours passed, the main bell of the mansion rung. One of the male servants quickly made his way towards the door, opening it to see a tall drenched man who stood at the foot of the entrance. The man had dark hair that stuck to his face and his eyes that looked darker than the abyss, his wet shirt stuck to his body. Even though he was a male, the servant gawked for a few seconds before asking,

“Who are you?” the man continued to stare.

The man replied, “I am here to fill the spot of butler,” the servant looked at him quizzically but then raised his eyebrows in acknowledgment and he quickly moved back to make way for the man.

“Welcome to Adams’ mansion. Please come in, we were uh, expecting you. You came quite suddenly?”

“I was asked to join as soon as I could. I was also told to let Mr. Adams know that Mr. Rufus had a change of plans as he decided to keep the first butler assigned in his mansion,” he placed a very polite smile on his face and when the servant turned around his back to him, the smile slipped away from his lips.

He walked through the long hallways of the mansion, following the servant who had opened the door for him. On either side of the walls, there were lanterns fixed to hold the light in them during the time of darkness which now appeared to have been exhausted after the long night.

“Stay here, I will be back,” the servant looked down at the new butler whose shoes were dirty and wet.

If he wasn’t wrong, the servant boy had gone to meet another servant to let him know that there was a sudden change in the butler but that was alright. Unless this so called Mr. Rufus himself decided to see that the butler had been assigned was there, which, of course, was unlikely to happen, and the creatures who had disguised themself as servant boys would have to follow the story he would spin.

When the servant left the man in the hall, the man instead of staying put in his place, walked towards the window to see if the creature that had been there outside a while ago was still there or if it had disappeared. Seeing no one outside, he looked at the sky to hear the clouds garble with sparks of lightning coming out of them. Though it was the time of the morning, the dark clouds made it appear as if the night was yet to pass.

The supposed butler turned around to look at the mansion he had stepped into.

Taking in a deep breath, his mind whispered ‘night creatures’. His dark, black eyes drank in his surroundings, noticing every detail when it came from the vases with the number of flowers that were put into it, to the way the hallways left to different sides of the mansion, and the portraits that hung on the other side of the wall.

His feet made their way to walk towards the portraits that were hung at the center of the wall where a man, woman, and a little girl were painted into it. Both the man and woman were seated on the magnificent doubled winged chair made of red cushions. The little girl wasn’t seated with them and with the way the moment was captured in the paint, it appeared that the little girl was having fun by standing next to her father with her feet twisted for fun with a sweet smile on her face.

Vampires. How strange, he thought. Out of all the houses, he had ended up in a vampire’s household. With the years that had come by and passed, he had noticed how humans and vampires who belonged to the high society often made sure to raise their children in a certain ‘normal’ way they believed was right.

The servant who had gone to get the lantern which was lit as the mansion was dark, he came back to see that the man was not where he had left him. Where did he go? Walking forward, he came to stand with the lantern raised in his hand and called,

“Mister?” when he heard a voice behind him.

“What?”

He jumped, almost having a heart attack! He had just passed through the passage looking for the man and this man had out of nowhere appeared to stand behind him.

Now that the luminous light of orange glow fell on the person’s face, the servant noticed how handsome the supposed butler was but at the same time, there was something very unnerving about him. His eyes looked like a hollowness pit of darkness that could suck anything in it and the servant quickly shook his head and lowered the lantern.

“The servant’s quarters are on the lower but other side of the mansion. Let me settle you in your room and you can meet the Adams once they come down for breakfast,” said the servant, leading the man away from the hallway as they walked straight and took a left at the far end before making some more turns.

Once they reached a series of doors that were closed and looked dull in appearance, they walked towards a comparatively better-looking door and the servant pulled out a bunch of keys and started to try unlocking them one after another as they jingled every time he tried to pick another one.

The mansion’s servant gave a queasy smile as he turned around to look at the man who had arrived to have his smile drop when he caught sight of the serious expression and he coughed, “It has been four months since we had a butler and the room hasn’t been opened during that span of time,” he said, picking the lock with another key.

The person picking the lock was a young man who looked as if he were in his late teenage. Brown hair, freckles covering near the bridge of his nose and below his eyes. He wore an old woolen sweater to keep himself warm from the weather of Bonelake.

Five minutes passed and the servant was still trying to pick the lock open through the help of the keys. As if it wasn’t enough, the servant continued to ramble to fill in the quiet space, “Mr. Rufus had mentioned about you coming a week later. We weren’t expecting you, I mean me,” he turned around hoping the new butler would respond back but he didn’t know why the man didn’t bother to speak but he did stare at him that had him talking again, “My name is Milo, some call me Miles. What is your name?”

“Lucas,” the man prompted the name and at the end of the man’s voice, Milo heard something similar to a whisper that strangely reminded him of smoke when the candle was blown out.

Milo heard the man named Lucas exhale softly before Lucas said, “Give me the keys.”

Turning around the servant boy handed the keys. Not because he knew he wouldn’t be able to open it, after all, the man didn’t live here but because of the shadow that fell on the butler’s face that made him appear to look as if he had come from hell. Not to forget the way he looked right now. Annoyed. The expression wasn’t evident but Milo could feel it. The boy stepped away, letting the man take over the lock, and in less than a second, the lock clicked open.

“I can tell you will be an excellent butler,” the boy praised the man to have the keys dropped in his hands. The boy had a look of suspicion on his face as he was expecting someone else and not this man in the mansion. Before the young boy could continue his rambling, Lucas asked,

“Is that all?” his words came out dull and uninterested.

“How did you come here, I mea-” the servant found himself unable to finish his words looking at the door as it was shut close.

Now alone in the room, Lucas looked at the room which was small. A bed, chair, desk, and a table with a mirror that was affixed on the wall. Walking towards it, he looked at his reflection and then looked down at his hands.

There were a few unsettled matters that needed to be looked at and until then he would pretend to be the butler who was supposed to work for this family. He would have to keep a watchful eye when the original butler would appear here. He would stay here for a few more weeks and then leave this mansion like the phantom he was.

Not bothering to stay in the room, he stepped out of the room, walking through the passage of the servant quarters as he passed the doors one after another where the servants were fast asleep. He walked up the curved stairs that were wide and long and he stepped on the floor, lightning flashing on the walls that came through the transparent glass windows. Walking close to the windows where water dripped down the windowpane, his black soulless looking eyes searched for any possible creatures who had caught on to him when he heard light footsteps on the floor.

Turning his eyes to the corner and then moving his head, he caught sight of the little girl who was painted in the family portrait.

She wore a white dress that reached below her knees. On one hand, she held a pillow that was being dragged across the floor, while on the other hand, she held a stuffed toy. A white rabbit to be specific that had long ears and had lost an eye.

The girl stopped walking when she caught sight of the man looking at her and she stared back at him, clutching her rabbit close to her chest.

They shared a good distance between each other, the man standing tall with his face turned towards the little girl who stared at him with a curious look on her face. He then turned his body and just then the lightning struck again from the clouds, the light falling on his face to showcase the skeleton bones on his face that had the girl widen her eyes. The man continued to look at her with an unmoving, inexpressive face whilst he saw her eyes and the stance of the little girl change immediately. Did she notice his appearance? It couldn’t be possible though, no one was able to see the mask that he had placed.

Her liquid like red eyes stared for a second more before she turned around and ran towards her supposed bedroom like the rabbit she appeared to be. When she went inside the room she had dropped the stuffed animal behind her without realization and shut the door. Walking towards it, he picked it up, looking at the little toy and when he went towards her room, the door suddenly opened with the little girl standing in front of him, her eyes still wide.

He raised his hand to bring the toy in front and when her eyes fell on it, she quickly grabbed the toy from his hand and closed the door shut.