"I'd like to."

"Okay!" Hup!

Hup!

And out into the hallway? 

Time to party!

Yeah! 

...Except the hallway they emerge into is subtly different from the one they left. 

It's longer, for one, and looks far more thoroughly - and professionally - decorated for Halloween, with rusty splatter-stains on the walls, the pictures hanging in scattered frames all gone black, very convincing decals of paint chipped away to reveal rotting wood, which softly glowing eyes flicker in the darkness beyond...

"I thought you said this wasn't a haunted house."

"It wasn't supposed to be!"

"...Surprise change of plans?"

"We weren't distracted for that long."

"And I would've heard all this."

"Okay, so... what happened?"

"...Dunno. Let's go find someone to ask."

Do the stairs still exist?

Seem to! Though the hallway stretches on, much longer than it should, and the floorboards moan and creak under them. 

Very spooky. Chanda is going to stick close to Ellie.

Anathema can take the lead, if Ellie and Chanda want to follow close behind her.

Best not to split up, according to all the literature.

Though the hallway isn't wide enough for them to all walk abreast - but they can all hold hands.

Sounds like a very good idea.

She'll take Chanda's other side. "We'll keep you safe."

"I appreciate that."

Onwards together then?

Yep.

The house moans as they walk, the floorboards cracking like bones under their feet, sounds echoing more than they should, almost like other pairs of footsteps walking alongside them... But they see only shadows when they turn to look. 

Pretty weighty shadows, though. Ones that the few lights don't seem to bother.