Inside The House...

Rain slammed down on the roof of the Rothgars' spacious house. rain that had started as soon as Scott arrived at the house, cold rain in the middle of the summer, thunder and lightning so loud it shook the ground. A bad sign. Scott cautiously climbed out of his car. No lights were on inside- that wasn't right. and the power wasn't out because a street light was on... he slowly stepped over the puddles on the ground, fear pooling in his mind. Its just a quick meal... Scott said to himself. He knocked three times quickly. Suddenly, all the lights inside turned on at once, then a second later, the door swung opened. "come in, come in!" Mr. Rothger said with a half smile and a nod. "Thanks... thanks for having me". “Oh” Mr. Rothger waved his hand in dismission “were honored to have you with us”. A servant took off Scott's coat for him and Scott walked down the long corridor. The ceiling was so high,so endlessly high. It made him dizzy to look at it. So high. Scott looked back down, a nauseating feeling in his stomach. Mr. Rothger ran up behind Scott. “Oh I forgot to mention- we have other guests over today...”. Scott didn't reply, he just nodded and kept on walking. He rounded a corner, and saw a room full of people laughing. The Loud music playing in the background felt out-of-place in a house like this. “Have a seat” Mr. Rothger said. Scott pulled a seat out and sat down. He looked around at everyone laughing. Then he saw something. Something that scared him- shattered him, confused him. None of the people were smiling, just laughing. Their mouths were open- yes- but their lips were barely curved up at all. Mr. Rothger cleared his throat and the room quieted down. “Everybody, this is Scott, he will be joining us for dinner tonight”. Nobody was surprised, nobody was curious about who Scott was- it was eerie- as if someone from the future scripted the past so that everybody knew what to do and exactly when to do it. Just before there would have been an awkward silence, a waiter walked in with the food. Great mounds of potatoes and gravy. Juicy steaks, fresh salads. It seemed so over the top, and yet so fitting for everything that was happening in this house right now. The server poured Scott a glass of dark red wine. He ate in silence the house growing ever bigger in his imagination. He needed to get out of the house- to go home- to forget. Scott stood up and said, “could you show me where the restroom is?” “its right down that way” Mr. Rothger pointed down another hallway “here let me show you-”

“No it's fine I got it” Mark walked quickly down the hallway, frantically searching for a way out. He made a left, and then saw a sign saying ‘exit’. He quickly walked in that direction. The ornate wooden panels on the wall rushed past his head as he hurried around another corner- and then suddenly he was face to face with a tall thin man with a devilish grin. The man pointed back behind Scott. “Bathroom’s down that way” Scott let out a puff of air. “Right” he turned and walked back down the way he had come. He stepped back into the banquet hall, pausing to look around, then sat back down. He took a bite of bread, but he wasn't hungry. They were all laughing and talking again in that strange way. Once the meal was over, everyone quieted down. The silence held for a few seconds, then Mr Rothgar spoke. “Scott, you might be wondering why you're here.”

“Of course,” Scott replied. “Follow me,” Mr Rothgar said as walked into a closet and beckoned Scott to follow. Scott obeyed reluctantly this time. He furrowed his brow. Why did Mr. Rothgar want him to go into a coat closet? Mr. Rothgar closed the closet door and pushed a hidden button in the wall. The room suddenly dropped. Apparently it was an elevator. When the room stopped moving, Mr Rothgar opened the door again. Outside the closet there was a large room filled with all sorts of computers and tech. It looked like mission control or something. Finally, Mr. Rothgar spoke, “as you may have already seen, this house is not what it seems to be- I am not who I seem to be…” Mr. Rothgar pulled off his suit to reveal a dark hoodie that said W.C.H in big red letters. Scott licked his lips “We are a cult- a hacking cult- we are behind some of the biggest hacks in the country'' Scott Put his hand on his temple. “Why are you telling me this?” “Given your... background in technology, we think that you would be a good fit for the cult. Are you willing to join?” “I’m sorry but I don't think-” “Scott I must insist” “No” Scott turned around. “OK, Scott, I have no other choice.” all around the room people emerged from the shadows. They surrounded him, forming a circle that was closing in. A few of them pulled out knives, one man pulled out a pronged stick. “Scott, will you join?” “No” one man kicked Scott in the side. “Will you join!” Mr. Rothgar shouted. “No” Scott choked out blood. They began to chant as the crowd swarmed and writhed around him. The energy was bouncing through the air- bouncing at him- he turned in every direction blades and spears were pointed at him. He was totally alone- completely isolated and everyone was against him. The circle of people was getting smaller and smaller, almost crushing him. He felt a blade pierce his side and he flinched. The blade began to dig in until- “OK I'll join!” he shouted. Silence. “Very well then,” Mr Rothgar said. “From now on, you take orders from me” the crowd retreated back into the shadows as Mr. Rothgar led Scott over to a computer to begin his new life...