Chapter 29: Screams in the Night (Part 2)

I didn't approach. It wasn't that I didn't want to leave. I did. Whether it was the show team or real ghosts, I didn't like being woken up that way. But nobody was hurt all day, until somebody that attacked the house. Based off that, I wasn't afraid, not really.

Then I saw the Professor started chanting. He stepped back, held his hand out in front of him, his fingers curled up into claws. His voice rang out before I could stop him, “Life begets life, death comes for everything, let things age to dust…”. He continued to chant showing the power of the spell he was about to unleash. He already started and while I thought about knocking the professor out, something in the back of my mind was screaming “don’t!”. I didn’t know why but I trusted my instincts. All I could do was to hurriedly grab at Janet and pull her out of the way.

I managed to move her between the sink and island. Because of how I did it we spun, and Janet was facing away, so she didn’t see the ghostly apparition that appeared behind the Professor. It was the same chubby woman I had seen earlier in the steam but the look on her face didn’t hold concern. She raised a long, sharp looking kitchen knife. Her eyes gleamed with malice as she swiped it across his neck. His eyes widened in shock as the knife cut into him.

As his blood spurted out, it didn’t hit the floor. It burst into a mist and outlined several figures that hadn’t been there a second ago. The blood covered figures moved, and I was glad Janet couldn’t see how they devoured him. He had time to only give one startled gurgle before he was gone. It had only taken seconds. They turned to us and winked out of existence one by one. Still, in that time I could make out their blood covered uniforms. Four young girls were wearing long angle length maid dresses while the chubby lady was wearing an apron. I was guessing she was the cook.

By the time Janet managed to turn around, not even a drop of blood was left. But even if she didn’t see it, she heard it, and I saw her face go pale. Without a word, she went limp in my arms. I struggled to hold up her up as her dead weight tried to take us both to the floor. But before I could cast my strength spell to help hold her up, she opened her eyes once again. Still, her legs seemed weak. I helped to stabilize her as we slowly moved to the music room. I picked that room because it was close and there weren’t any screams coming from it.

I wanted to go to the sitting room since it had a couch that Janet could sit on but was worried about what might happen going there. Still, the music room had a chair that faced a piano, as if a person could play to an audience of one. I placed her there and watched her curl up, as screams and moans echoed through the house. Some were light and throaty while others were blood curdling. Crashing and hurried footsteps joined the screams but no matter what was going on outside our room, nobody came in.

I looked around as I listen to the war going on outside. The piano was the center piece and drew my eyes but as I looked, I saw there was a flute placed haphazardly on of the shelves. It was lying next to a stack of sheet music. I saw other instruments like a lap harp and hand drum. There was even an instrument I have never seen before. I was weird, like somebody took a small four string guitar and then bolted a trumpet horn to the back of it. But after reading "Stroviols" on the neck of the instrument, I kept checking the room. I didn't even know why. It wasn't like I could see the ghosts I was looking for.

The night passed and by dawn, the house was quiet. We made our way out of the room with dark circles under our eyes. Janet and I had taken turns watching over each other but my sleep was restless, and every noise outside would wake me. I couldn't help thinking how naive I had been not believing that ghosts might be real in a world that had magic.

As we did, I saw half a dozen teenagers in the foyer trying to open the door. Like us, they looked exhausted and bedraggled. The small thirteen-year-old boy was trying to act bravely. His jaw was set, and I could hear him saying, "Why don't we try the windows" as we walked over. His voice was steady and if it wasn't for him gripping his sister's shirt, as if she'd disappear if he let go, I might have believed he was unaffected by last night's events.

I watched as his sister nod and went to see if they could get out through a window. Rodriguez watched them go and whispered into his friend's ear, "I already checked, and the windows won't open. While they are wasting time, let's find the treasure." His friend nodded and with a "We'll go check other windows", Rodriguez led his friend away.

I wasn’t the only one that heard him and as they disappeared up the stairs, the others began arguing on what to do next. It quickly became apparent that every adult was killed or missing. Even so, most wanted to search for a window to get out but the sassy girl that was in Lightning Johnson’s group cut in, “What are you, stupid? The doors and windows won’t open, and I think we all seen what happens whenever the house is attacked. We either wait to be saved or find a way to open the doors.”

While blunt, I agreed with her. So, I quickly said, “Why don’t we look around, carefully? Maybe we can find a clue on how to escape.” I looked at those that had wanted to keep looking for an open window and continued, “As we explore, we can keep looking for a way out.” I wanted to add that we’d be fine if we didn’t attack the house, but I didn’t know what people did last night. All I knew was that they were gone and couldn’t risk giving them false hope. What if they relaxed their guard and died because of it?

Janet backed me up by saying, “I think so too.” But then added, “Plus, Mary should still be around. She isn’t called Eternal for nothing. How many times did people think she was dead only for her to reappear when she was needed most.” Her eyes shone with fan girl fervor as she said the last part.

With three of us singing the same tune and because it didn’t interfere with the other’s desire to escape, we soon began looking around the house once again. We split into two groups. Janet, Pam, and Alice came were with me. Pam was the short pudgy girl that had been with Johnson. While Alice was her friend. She was only five' six with shoulder length sea green hair. She, out of everybody, seemed the least affected because as Pam told us, her stress outlet was to argue with others.

After debating on which room to search, we finally settled on the study. While it didn't have any windows, it seemed the most likely to hold clues on what was going on. It was just that others had been in the room before and unlike the other rooms, the tossed papers and books that lay on the floor were still there. The only thing that remained on the solid oak desk was the double brass ink well. And that was only because it was screwed on. Sighing, I began to sort through the loose papers, but they were just related to his business transactions and future plans.

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Bent over, I heard a click next to my ear. I looked up only to see Alice playing with the ink well. That wasn't what clicked though. Part of the desk leg had popped out a fraction of an inch. If I hadn't heard the click to look in that direction, I doubted I would have found it. What looked like a knot in the wood, was a small groove that would allow a person to use their fingertip to pull it open. It slid open smoothly revealing a small leather-bound journal.

I pulled it out as the others noticed my movements and gathered around. Flipping it open I began to read through the passages. It didn't take me long to know this was the lord of the manor's diary. I kept reading and whenever I found one that seemed relevant, I would read it out loud. It took over an hour to read it and it wasn't until close to the end that I found the most interesting entries.

In as neutral of a tone as I could manage, I flipped to the pages of interest and read, "Several days ago, I had met an injured man beside the road. To satisfy my youngest daughter, I have brought the man back and have sent for the doctor. Roi Glen had awoken three days prior and had awoken after only resting for a day. Our newest maid, that I had tending to him, had come to let me know that he wanted to personally thank me. After meeting, he has claimed to have the power of the heavens and could use it to bestow everlasting life to those that possess a pure heart. To be worthy and to be granted the gift, those who wanted it would be tested by the heavens. Unsure what to think, I have retired to my study."

         "Another day had passed and the wounds that would have felled most men had recovered as if it was never there. I have informed my dearest wife of his offer and after talking about it have decided to take him up on it. We have put Sir Glen in the new west wing and assigned a maid to see to his personal needs. Tomorrow he will begin the processes to grant us all everlasting life."

         "A month has passed, and my dearest wife has become a stranger to me. In the morning light, the lady of the manor is as a lady should be and her sweet voice fills the manor with joy and harmony. At night it is as if a demon has entered her body to tempt my own pure heart. On one moonlit night, I awoke to see her swallowing me. I almost fainted at such a sight fearing my desire for a male heir would be gone with the bite of her teeth. Yet, my conviction waivered as her tongue did things that enticed me to allow her to continue. Another night my lady did not lie prone but mounted me as if I were a horse and made noises as if I were to slay her. Her wailing had frightened the children to tears."

        "One of the maids has become with child and our butler has run away. I had been so blind and had not seen that a servant of fifteen years was such a man. My dearest and children are comforting her as I put my thoughts to paper."

        "Sir Glen has done his monthly ritual and I feel like a new man. My wife has returned to her younger days while my children are more energetic. But I have begun to hear a wailing in the night as if my manor is haunted. I am not the only one and the gardener has left my employ to seek new employ elsewhere. The wailing started near my eldest daughters’ quarters and was most frightening. I have firmed up my heart even though the wailing has spread throughout the house. The women of the manor don’t seem to hear the noises. I am sure it reflects their purity. But I fear mine is deficient for I have heard the banshees wail as I work late into the night. I am unsure if I should continue to employ Sir Glen, for without a pure heart one shall not be blessed with his divine power, and I find myself lacking."

         "The demon in my wife has continued to entice my faith. During the day, my wife has begun to have the needs of night. What is worse is that my husbandly duties have been employed in the open. The remaining staff has made themselves scarce while we are in the throes of passion, but I fear my youngest has been spying upon us as we try to conceive a younger brother for her."

        "My eldest has fallen ill this morning, due to winter weather I cannot send for our family doctor, but Sir Glen has offered his services to nurse her back to health."

        "My heart is not pure for my dreams have become carnal images of the women around me. Last night my eldest and youngest had invaded them. The feel of their smooth skin still haunts me, and I pen it here to purge it from my heart. I must regain my purity for Sir Glen says the time for immortality is close at hand and our final tests will be harder still."

         "It is only a month until Yule. Sir Roy said when we celebrate the Feast of Nativity our test will be complete. I am unsure what is dream and what is real. My tests have become stronger, and I have even had visions of Sir Glen entwined with my wife and maids. I have taken to praying in my study to purge my distrust, desire, and anger, but my impure heart cannot let me rest. Visions of my family and younger maids coming to me naked has become an everyday occurrence. I must try and resist but their gentle caresses pull me away from my prayers and into their arms until the wee hours of the night."

        "A nightmare, that is what this gift has become. My wife and children seem ripe with child, and I am unsure if it is truth or madness. I am unsure if I can last until tomorrow’s feast."

        "… My dearest wife and children are no more, and Glen has fled. I am unsure if my blow will fell such a demon, but I have done my best. The Feast of Nativity has become a feast for that demon. His offer for eternal youth came at the price of my families lives and they are but hollow husks. His claim was true for I feel their essences that he stripped from my loved ones is now coursing through my unworthy body. Their plight is even worse than death for they are neither alive nor dead. Their eyes plead with me to put them out of their misery, for their mouths have decayed and could no longer make sound."

        "I could not stand to see them suffering any longer and have run them through to grant them peace and have hidden all my wealth that Glen had demanded. Hopefully the purity of the gold and silver will soothe my family’s spirits and I will once again hear my sweetheart's voice fill this manor. Tomorrow I will once again try and join them. There must be a way, until then I just pray for their souls even though I am unworthy."

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