Subj: Dare Story Chapter 5
Date: 8/19/01 7:45:50 AM Central Daylight Time
From: N.E. Collins

Willie reluctantly offered the uninvited guest some hospitality. Donna, Kim, Cindy, Carol, Scarlett, Connie and Jon were all treated to a vintage bottle of wine from the cellar. Willie had warmed up to the idea of hosting the party and he had even broken out the good crystal glasses. More candles had been lit in the drawing room and he had brought in a transistor radio to play some music for entertainment. He switched it on and one of the rocking tunes from The Blue Whale began to play. That got the groups attention and they realized how surreal and unreal everything around them was.

Connie was the first to ask Willie about the other two people in the house, Elaine and Aristede.

Willie gave her the most puzzled look. "There's nobody else in the house."

But Connie was insistent. "When we first got here we met them and Elaine ran up the stairs with a knife and Aristede ran off!"

Willie laughed at the thought and jokingly said to Connie, "Maybe you've had enough to drink."

Carol and Cindy spoke up on Connie's behalf. "No, it's true. We DID see those people and they ARE upstairs right now!"

"Maybe you and I should go see about them." Jon said. "The women can stay downstairs where they will be safe."

The women exploded! "What century are YOU from?" Donna exclaimed. "Why don't you stay downstairs where it is safe and I'll go upstairs with our host!"

Jon cringed under Donna's fury and apologized profusely.

Cindy gave him some comfort. "It's alright with me if you think I should stay downstairs, Jon. I don't want to meet up with that crazy woman with the knife again."

Donna and Willie and Scarlett took an assortment of weaponry and went in pursuit of the other intruders. Willie had a gun and Donna had a fireplace poker and Scarlett took a bat.

The others were getting really nervous and Kim had to speak up. "You know, this is just like a real episode of Dark Shadows. As the three heroes go upstairs to find the trouble they leave the less interested characters alone in the Old House, and all seems well, but suddenly..."

Kim never finished her sentence for just then a great howling of dogs came forth and they were moving closer and closer to the house.

"Barnabas is coming!" Carol burst out. "What are we gonna do?"

Jon moved over to the bookcase by the fireplace and tripped the contraption that opened the bookcase. "Quick! Everybody get in here! And be quiet! And grab your glasses!"

They all moved into the secret room as Jon had suggested. He closed the bookcase behind them and stood there with a lighted candle looking about. The room was bigger than it had appeared on the show, but it was still small. Connie asked the others, "What about Donna and Scarlett? They're still out there. What's gonna happen to them?"

Of course, no one had an answer for her and they all just stood there in terror as they heard the door of The Old House open and familiar footsteps echoed from the front hallway. And then they heard a voice that they all knew too well. "WILLIE! Willie where ARE you?"

Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.