Page 22 of The Haunting
“Who fired?” Drake commanded, appearing.
“Me,” Nanci said shakily.
“Did someone attack you?” Inglorious demanded as he rubbed her back.
The others arrived, and there was a babble as everyone spoke over one another.
“There was a shape with red eyes,” I blurted out.
The uproar subsided, and everyone turned to face me.
“There was something, a shadow, it began forming a misshapen creature, and then two red glowing eyes appeared,” I continued.
Drake and the others looked bemused.
“Maybe you imagined it? This is a spooky house,” Lucian suggested carefully.
Chance glowered. “Clio isn’t prone to hysterics. And I saw it too.”
“You did?” Drake asked, sounding amused.
“Yeah, I did. Exactly as Rosie claims,” Chance snapped.
“We need to leave. Should someone go and check if one of the routes is drivable?” Maggie inquired, looking scared.
Lucian dragged her into his arms and held her tightly. “We can, but that rain hasn’t eased; it’s pouring down. The roads will doubtless be worse,” he mused.
“Drake!” Phoe’s scream pierced the air, and Drake nearly shoved Daniel over as he rushed towards her. We all ran behind him as we barrelled back into the entrance hall. Phoe stood there with Kate, a look of absolute horror on her face. Before our eyes, blood dripped down the wall covering the front door.
“That’s blood, real blood!” Phoe babbled. She began backing away, dragging Kate with her.
“Kate!” James yelled from the sitting room. He’d not been able to follow them, I guessed.
“James!” Kate sobbed and fled towards him.
Drake and Chance swapped dark looks, and Drake moved forward. He reached out a finger and touched it before bringing it to his nose.
“It’s real,” he whispered, staring in horror. The blood, which had been slowly but steadily dripping down the door, grew thicker, and I could smell the copper in the air.
Vladimir hissed beside us and pulled Emmaline away. “We need to leave. Now! This house is unsafe for everyone.”
Chance moved to open the door, an expression of distaste on his face.
I clung to Calamity. I didn’t understand any of this. Nothing made sense.
Then Chance reached out to take the handle, and a loud slam made us all jump. Shocked, I gaped as the shutters on the window next to the entrance closed abruptly.
“What the fuck?” Nanci demanded in shock. Nobody had been near enough to close them, and there’d been no wind.
The sense of dread I’d felt in the hallway returned, and my head twisted around trying to spot something, anything to explain it. A dark chuckle echoed as Chance squared his shoulders and moved towards the door handle again. Before our eyes, the drip of blood became a waterfall, and Chance backed away as it hit the ground and began crawling outwards.
“Somebody doesn’t want us to leave,” Daniel murmured, Sabine clinging to him in fright.
Another shutter slammed, making my hand fly to my chest, and we glanced towards the window on the other side of the door. The wooden shutters vibrated with the force with which they’d been closed.
“Drake!” Phoe whispered, fear in her voice.
“Chance, move,” Drake said and stomped forward. With a grimace, he shoved his arm through the pouring blood and groped for the handle. He withdrew after several moments and looked down at his arm in horror.
