Ririko crossed the dance floor, with Victor following behind her, and took the bar's back stairs down to the basement.
At the bottom of the stairs lay a spotless corridor, its walls and floor made of marble. Light seeped out from between the walls, and everything was eerily quiet.
She reached an oak door at the end of the stairway.
Ririko pushed the door open.
Beyond it was a decidedly eerie room, with mirrors scattered haphazardly everywhere: full-length mirrors, wall mirrors, mirrors set into picture frames...
Her face and Victor's appeared in the mirrors from different angles. Victorian-style dolls lay scattered between them, their porcelain heads set with glass eyes, their bodies dressed in colorful lace dresses.
Victor drew a dagger from behind his back and spun it between his fingers.
He warily scanned the mirrors and dolls, like a prowling snake ready to strike its prey at any moment.
"Jerome! Come out!" Ririko's voice echoed through the room. "I don't have time to play games with you!"
Suddenly, Victor threw his dagger, pinning down a porcelain-headed doll in a purple dress.
"It moved just now."
Victor examined the doll with an impassive expression and found a video camera and wires connected to its head.
"I'm going to follow these dolls," Ririko said.
She scanned the dolls around the room, heading toward whichever one moved.
They ventured deeper into the room. Beyond the jumble of mirrors and dolls stood a purple door.
Ririko stopped in front of it, suspecting it might be a trap.
She took a step back, letting Victor take her place.
Victor stepped forward. Rather than push the door, he raised his right foot and slammed his combat boot into it with a bang.
Dust showered down from the doorframe, and the door burst open.
Beyond the