Chapter 12

                                    

                                          
The rapid beeping continues as we all get inside the circle. We all search the room from within the boundary we created, looking for anything at all. All of the sudden a dripping sound breaks through all the noise.
"What's making that sound?"
I look at the walls and the ceiling to see what looks like blood spreading everywhere. I whimper in fear. I know you're supposed to keep your emotions at bay when near ghosts but I can't help it.
"Blood."
"It's not blood. It can't be. It's plasm."
"It sure looks like blood to me, George."
"It looks like blood, it smells like blood..."
"It'll ghost touch you, don't let it near."
Lockwood grabs me and pulls me toward him when the blood starts dripping into the center of the circle. I yelp.
"How'd it do that?"
"We've made the circle too big."
"There's a weak spot in the middle. Let's get out of here. Leave the kit. Head for the door."
Lockwood finishes my thought. As soon as me step out of the circle, the door slams shut. Ghosts can't do that.
"I thought you said you secured it?"
"I did!"
Lucy tries the door, but it won't budge.
"This isn't possible! It's locked. We're trapped!"
"We need to calm down."
The dripping sounds begin to increase it volume.
"It's kind of hard to do that right now, especially when all I can see, hear, and feel is death. I'm starting to really freak out now, Lockwood."
"Kat, you've got to calm down and focus. It'll feed off our panic."
He places his hand on my shoulder, before turning toward Lucy.
"Luce, we need another exit. Go to that place you found, see if there's something. Kat, go help her. George, we need to draw it out and distract it. It's time we stopped being so respectful of this thing."
I take a deep breath and quickly make my way toward Lucy, avoiding the dripping blood as I go. Once I reach her, I place my hand on the wall, feeling for echoes. I quickly pull my hand away at the shear strength of the echoes. Lockwood begins taunting the ghosts.
"Come on. Don't be shy."
"Luce and I have definitely got something here."
"Good. Keep looking."
Blood begins pouring down from the ceiling. Lucy and I keep feeling the wall, trying to find a way to open it. My hand suddenly runs over a bubble. I gasp. 
"Lucy, it's wallpaper. Help me."
"It's everywhere."
I begin clawing at the wall, trying to rip the paper, as Lockwood shouts.
"This is not just one ghost! Lucy, Kat, what have you found?"
"I'm not sure. We need time!"
"They're working together. Oh shit."
"Stay focused, George."
I unsheathe my rapier and slice at the wall. The paper rips, and Lucy and I begin frantically tearing it down. Soon enough, a door is revealed.
"Yes!"
"How are we supposed to fight that? Would one of you please tell me that's a door. I'd like to start running now!"
"It is, come on. Come on."
We all burst through the door, Lockwood entering last. He slams the door shut behind him and leans against it. We're all breathing heavily. I'm leaning against the wall opposite George and Lucy, trying to catch my breath.
"A poltergeist could shut a door. Only Changers can manifest as something as weird as blood."
"But never on that scale! Are we talking a new kind of Type Two?"
"I don't know, but this is starting to feel like a trick."
Lockwood shakes his head at George's previous statement. He clears his throat as he pushes himself off the door.
"That was just a regular Changer. No ghost can move that much heavy iron. Someone living did that."
"What? Who? Fairfax?"
"No, he wouldn't dare be back there to do that. Maybe Ellie still has some talent. Maybe we're being tested."
"What? You can't possibly imagine we're still gonna get something out of this. It's a deathtrap."
The thermometer beeps again and I groan, throwing my head back.
"Oh God. Temperature just got lower. Which means the Red Room isn't even the original haunting. It's just a secondary."
I hear a distinct thumping coming from the darkness ahead of us. I place my hand on the wall, feeling the dark energy emanating off of it.
"There's something else out there."
"It's way stronger, too. I can feel it in the walls."
A faint screech breaks through the silence. It takes everything in me not to slam my head against the wall to end my misery.
"What if there's no way out?"
We start making our way down the dark corridor, using what little light we have from George's torch.
"Well, then we're dead."
We make our way through a ton of spider webs. Lockwood uses his rapier to knock down some of the bigger ones. I'm not really a huge fan of spiders, seeing as my parents used to put them on me, so that I wouldn't be scared of them when looking for ghosts. Not really sure what made them think that would work.
"Why do spiders love ghosts so much?"
"I second that."
I jump when I see one get too close to my face. Lockwood pushes me slightly behind himself, so that he can clear the path for me.
"Who cares? They're excellent warnings. Case in point."
He points his rapier at a ghost a few meters ahead of us. I grab the back of Lockwood's coat. Already having had enough of this house.
"Oh shit."
"Sam Pandey."
The ghost of the former Fittes agent walks toward the darkness to what appears to be a staircase. He was so young. He looked to be about the age of twelve. It's sad that his life ended the way it did. By the looks of it, we're probably gonna end up the same way.
"Probably wanted to warn us not to go down there."
We continue walking forward toward the place Sam's ghost disappeared a second ago. George gives a resigned sigh.
"And now we're going down there."
I hear faint whispers floating up the steps. Lucy seems to hear the same.
"There's something waiting."