EDITING, demi becoming part of lockwood & co had been a complete accident. after a bad incident at the fittes agency, she wanted to find a smaller, safer company to work for. that was not lockwood & co and yet, she ended up there anyway. no parents...
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━━ CHAPTER ELEVEN / house in flames episode one, part two.
The downstairs hadn't shown them anything new. When Demi touched anything outside of the hallway, there didn't seem to be anything attached to it. There wasn't even a feeling of it being haunted until she stepped back into the hallway. But, there was one exception to the non-feeling. And that was when she pressed her hand against the wall where the old chimney used to be. There was a horrifying shriek that ran through her head but she didn't say anything.
At first it was because it didn't seem important but the more that they checked around, the more she began to wonder whether it had been something more important than she initially thought. Not that she said a word, suddenly too embarrassed as the trio headed up the stairs. Lockwood was first, Demi followed behind and then Lucy last.
"Knocking's back. Getting louder," Lucy commented as they walked up the steps but as soon as she pressed her foot against the landing she added, "It stopped. Soon as I stepped onto the landing." Demi glanced around, shining her torch along the walls. Nothing overly significant and she reached out and pressed her hands against the banister.
The tumble of Mr Hope falling down the stairs was loud in her ear and she winced at the sound. That must have been what Lucy had heard. It was significantly duller for Demi but it almost felt like there was something else there. She could hear someone else breathing. Mrs Hope, probably.
"Temperature's dropping," Lockwood commented as the temperature gauge beeped. Demi looked over at him, shining her torch around. He looked calm enough and considering that they had no idea what they were about to walk into, he seemed as arrogant as always.
"Right, torch off. I need to tune in," Lucy said. Demi switched her torch off and slipped it into it's holder. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the gloom and she stood beside Lucy. The brunette glanced down at Demi and gave her a look. She almost looked scared but they knew that being scared was a bad thing. Spirits fed on fear.
"Pick a door, any door," Lockwood said. Not to either of the girls particularly but Demi didn't like choosing. It usually ended in disaster. Their cluster case had left her permanently scarred after she walked right into the murder room. The screaming had been intolerable.
"Go with the furthest," Lucy suggested. Lockwood looked down at her, raising an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"It's the scariest."
"It's only scary if you let it be," Demi commented as she stepped away from the pair. Her footsteps were cautious as she tried to compartmentalise. She hated the dark. She always had. There was always something lurking in it but she had long learnt to brave it. The anxiety that settled in her chest was just part of her process.
Each step she took was cautious and then she felt Anthony gently take her hand from behind her. He squeezed it and she glanced back at him, trying to give him a reassured smile. It wasn't very reassuring but they forged on. Lucy walked behind the pair and Demi was the one to gently push the door open.
