By Chance & Misadventure

It stood majestically atop its hill looking down on the inferior trees that surrounded it.

"That's pretty cool." Said Jon, staring up at the structure before them.

"Is there a way in?" Pete asked looking hopefully at Lee.

"There's a door round the other side, but it doesn't open." Replied Lee, "I' ve tried to open it myself loads of times, but it's stuck solid and the bolt across it is rusted in place."

At that Matt's natural curiosity got the better of him "Come on lets go and have a look at this door and see if we can get it open." He set off at a jog, his enthusiasm making him oblivious to the complaints from his muscles after the climb up the hill. When the others caught up they found him stood motionless before an open door in the wall of the tower.

"Tell me you guys saw that?" whispered Matt.

"Saw what?" Said Jon, staring at the open portal.

"The Door," Matt said. "I came round the corner, and was just about to try the bolt, when the thing opened it's bloody self"

"Stop winding us up" Said Lee with a tinge of reprimand in his voice for what he was sure was Matt's attempt to spook them.

Matt didn't know what to do, "I swear on my mothers life, that god damned door just opened it's self." He looked at his friends' faces and could see they still needed further convincing. He knew what he had seen and was worried enough without having to be concerned with convincing his friends. Besides something about the doorway was distracting him, it was the smell. He couldn't place it but something smelt very bad and it was coming from that tower. He had smelt something similar once but could not recall where or when, but his mind was screaming at him that something was not right.

"Come on then" Said Pete, "Now we're here let's go and see what lies through Matt's Wooo Magic Door" the last words dripping with sarcasm.

"Go screw yourself Pete!" Matt retorted, "If you want to go in there, then off you go I'll be right behind you, but I'm not making it up, that door opened itself and the place smells rancid."

Jon was already peering into the doorway with his cigarette lighter in hand, trying to illuminate the tower's interior. "Hey guys, there's two staircases here" he said, "one goes up the tower but the other seems to go underneath it"

This was the point thought Matt, that if this was a film people would be sat there thinking "Don't do it, do not go in that tower, it's just stupid, you'll all die and you know it". But he also knew that built in foolhardy stupidity was going to ensure his friends were going in there and they were definitely going to choose to investigate the downward staircase first. For a split second he thought about turning around and leaving them to what ever the tower had in stall for them. That smell still had him worried but he knew that if he left them now, he would be on the receiving end of no end of taunts later on. Besides he was not the kind of man to leave his friends to face any trouble without him, and for some reason he knew that tower, particularly that staircase meant trouble.

Jon lit his cigarette lighter and thrust his arm down the descending staircase, Matt could see from the dim light that the staircase had not been used for some time, the dust lay thick and undisturbed across the rough stone steps.

"Which way then boys?" asked Pete "Up or Down?"

"I don't know about you, but I know where those stairs go." Said Jon signalling the upward staircase.