The House of Sorrows

Chapter 2: "Arrival"

Later that day, after George returned from the archives and Lockwood and Lucy had bought new supplies, they packed their bags and caught a cab to take them to Mrs. Graw's neighborhood. It was an older area, but the house in question was definitely the oldest, with half-rotten shingles on the roof and weather-stained bricks covering the exterior.
They knocked on the door, and Mrs. Graw answered, looking visibly distressed. The thought of being inside the house seemed to unsettle her deeply. She welcomed them in but quickly said goodbye, leaving them alone in the main room. It was 7:00 PM when they arrived, and by 7:30 PM, they had set up their chain circle and positioned their equipment for easy access. Afterward, they went to the kitchen to make a quick kettle of tea and ate some biscuits. Once they were ready, they returned to the sitting room where their protective gear and chains were set up.
"Well, so far, this night has been uneventful," Lucy said, breaking the silence in the room.
"Well, don't jinx us now," George replied with a mix of sarcasm and seriousness.
Lockwood snickered, and Lucy glanced his way. His face was lit up with a smile, his eyes glistening, and she found herself staring just a bit too long. He caught her looking, and she quickly looked down at her rapier, pretending it had suddenly become more interesting. She felt her cheeks flush slightly.
George interrupted the awkward silence with information he'd uncovered about the house's history. He explained that the owner of the house 64 years ago had taken his own life after struggling with depression. His wife had died, he had no other living family, and his financial situation was dire. Eventually, he had given up.
"Well, that's an ideal situation to make a visitor," Lucy remarked.
Lockwood and George both nodded, each of them alert and ready, trying not to let anything distract them or dull their edge. But as the night went on without disturbances, they started to relax a bit. Near midnight, however, the first disruption occurred. The temperature dropped by seven degrees, from 67°F to 60°F.
They all felt a creeping sense of fear and malaise, though they shook it off. Lucy handed out some mint gum, and after a brief discussion about their next steps, they decided to split up to search for death glows, sounds, or any other psychic disturbances.
Lucy went off on her own, eventually making her way upstairs, where the temperature dropped by another five degrees. She continued upward, stopping every few steps to measure the temperature and listen. At first, all she heard were her quiet footsteps. Then suddenly, she heard a gagging noise that abruptly stopped, followed by the faint creaking of a rope in the rafters.
After 20 minutes, they regrouped, and Lucy told Lockwood and George about the incident she'd experienced halfway up the stairs.
"It's pretty clear the ghost's source is upstairs," she said.
Lockwood nodded, and George walked toward a small gray and black journal lying on a chair inside the circle. He opened it, and his eyes lit up as he flipped through the pages before showing it to the others.
"The owner of the house died upstairs by hanging himself, which aligns with what Lucy heard," George said, pointing toward the area where the old attic used to be, right above the current stairs.
"So...who's going up there? I call not it," Lucy said with a smile, hoping to imply, "It's George's turn; don't make me go up there."
Lockwood looked at George, who shot Lucy a glare, clearly less than thrilled. But, as it was indeed his turn, George slowly began making his way up the stairs, with Lockwood and Lucy following right behind him. It was now 12:15 AM, and the temperature had dropped to 53°F
and was still falling. They continued to the top of the stairs, where a small room awaited. The dark oak door was cracked in multiple places, and its finish was worn away. A thin layer of dust on the handle suggested it hadn't been opened in quite some time. They stepped inside, George leading the way.