[ Glow ] ~ Anthony Lockwood x OC

XVIII - Drip Drop

As soon as they stepped onto the staircase Mr. Fairfax had claimed was the screaming staircase, something felt wrong. Sure, it was cold, but where in a haunted house wouldn't be after dark? Even as she focused in, Daniel couldn't feel anything. There were no random pains, creeping icy feelings, no overwhelming dread. Nothing. There was also definitely no screaming, and if what Mr. Fairfax said was true, the stairs themselves should be emitting the wretched sound. 

"Sense anything?" Lockwood asked the group, his left hand rested on his rapier. 

"If this is a screaming staircase, it's being very quiet." Lucy murmured.

"There's nothing, this can't be it." Daniel agreed, shaking her head. 

"Maybe it's taken the night off." George offered up.

"Unlikely." Daniel denied, leaning too far to her left and bumping Lockwood's shoulder. 

"Like we should have done." Lucy responded to George's words. 

Once they got to the top of the stairs with no signs or feelings, a shudder ran down Daniel's spine. This entire place made her uneasy, a queasy feeling settled deep in her gut. She moved to lace her hand with Lockwood's out of instinct. Sure, she was annoyed at him, but he still made her feel safe and secure. So intertwining their fingers and knowing that he wasn't going anywhere, even if just for while they walked, felt nice. 

The floorboards creaked under their weight as they walked through the upper hall, flashlights angled in front of their steps so they could properly see. The entire place was dusty with cobwebs and gave off an eerie feeling that planted harsh against Daniel's chest. "Everyone ready?" Lockwood asked as they stopped outside of what should be the Red Room. They gave curt nods, none of the three uttering a word. 

The large doorway opened with a creak as Lockwood pushed the heavy wood into the room. He stepped through first, Daniel pressed close against him. As soon as Daniel stepped in, her heart stopped a beat. The room was large and empty, making the moonlight that trickled in reflect off the metal surfaces and the icy air seemed to radiate from the tiles. But the moon wasn't the only light, death glows scattered every corner making the room seem too bright. Daniel pulled away from Anthony as he stepped further into the room, instead making her way to the wall and resting the palms of both hands to it. Her entire body felt drained as the room seemed to suck all the power from her, growing stronger with each passing second she kept her skin on the cool surface. Something deep rumbled through Daniel's ears as complete silence seemed to suck any other noise from her hearing. "There's bad energy in these walls." George said. Daniel hadn't even noticed, but he was stood just beside her with his right hand pressed next to hers. "A lot of bad energy." 

"That's an understatement." Daniel grumbled as she pulled away. She closed her eyes to tune in to her hearing. It wasn't great, but it was still there. And in the back of her mind she could almost make out groans of fear, screams maybe. 

"There's screaming." Lucy breathed out, she wasn't even tuning in and she could already tell. But her words just confirmed Daniel's thoughts. "Chaos. There's too many voices." 

Daniel pulled out the magnesium flare she'd tucked away, ready to uncap it if needed. 

"It's not very red though, is it?" George questioned. It wasn't, the walls were white and gold with a wooden mantle piece centered on one side of the room and a wooden door on the wall across from them that matched the one they'd just walked through. 

"Luce, help me with the chain." Lockwood's words were airy, like his chest was tight. Daniel wouldn't blame him if it were, this room felt heavy. "George, secure our retreat. Dani, see where the source is." He demanded. They did just that. George planted a heavy metal blocker in front of the door to hold it wide, laying filings along the entrance so no spirit could follow them out. Lockwood and Lucy laid out the chain in a large circle, probably too large but Daniel didn't bother to say anything. And Daniel started walking around with her hand to the wall. It hurt, her entire body ached as her energy felt like it was draining from her body once again. George's thermometer beeped, grabbing Daniel's attention toward the boy.