Soul Keeper

Chapter 2

Lilly was about to scream. She was about to go running through the place tearing the curtains down and punching the next person that asked why their bathroom doors won't open. The only ones in danger here were the employees losing their sanity.

Her eyes focused on the ancient door. She glared at it as if it was living and mocking her. She inhaled deeply, then placed her small hands on the dented doorknob. "Three, two, ONE!" Lilly shouted as she began pulling on the door and shaking it angrily. Right now, she wished she had an ax.

"Woah, easy," Jacob warned running up the hall. Lilly turned with a small strand of her blonde hair floating freely in front of her face. She shot daggers his way as he approached her. Jacob couldn't help but grin at her.

"Let me show you a quick trick on opening this door." Jacob towered over her and placed his hands over hers. Lilly's stomach churned as he instructed her on what to do. Why does this feel so wrong?

Shaking the thoughts from her head, she began listening. "You just twist it slowly until you hear a click, and then you pull. Don't twist it all the way." He finally let go of her hands, and she could breathe again. Lilly was trapped in her mind still, wondering why that was so awkward. He was just her friend; she didn't like him. No, it wasn't that kind of feeling. This was different.

Lilly felt nausea suddenly from thinking so much. She knew it was only her anxiety trying to get to her. "Are you ok, Smith?" She had drops of sweat rolling from her forehead, and she was gripping the doorknob tightly searching for something to let her know that she was ok, that this was only her imagination.

"Lilly, seriously, are you alright?" Jacob asked grabbing her shoulder shaking her easily. It seemed like when he did that; it broke her free from anxiety's grip. Lilly glanced up at Jacob and smiled reassuringly.

"I'm fine. I just got dizzy." She lied. Jacob sighed in relief. He ran his hand through his dark hair. He wrapped his arms around Lilly hugging her a little too tight.

"You should take a break. I'll take these clean towels to the room. I have another job I want you to do." He spoke releasing her from the hug. As bad as Lilly wanted to tackle him for making her do something else, she only sighed.

"Ok, what do I need to do?" Lilly asked. Jacob smiled and handed her a set of keys. She examined them in her hand noticing one old skeleton key on the ring. Her eyebrows furrowed together.

"Sophia wants one of us to go up to the attic and bring down an old box of curtains. And they aren't that heavy. I promise." He smiled reassuringly. She smiled and started her way down the hallway.

"Uh, Lilly. Do you know where the attic is?" He asked. Lilly stopped, and her cheeks heated up. 'Good job Lilly.'

"No, not really." She answered twirling around slightly embarrassed.

"Good job Smith. But you're going the wrong way." He said pointing down the opposite way smirking. She groaned and walked by him purposely bumping his shoulder. "It's also that creepy door at the end. You'll know which it is when you see it."

She threw her hand over her shoulder and made a peace sign. "That's pretty lame, Smith." She could feel him smile.

"Not as lame as you!" She shouted down the hall. She was glad that everybody had left their rooms for the day. She walked on down the hallway, and she was almost surprised by how right Jacob was. The door did look creepy. She examined it for a while. The doors paint was chipping, and there were chunks of wood missing and numerous scratches. She shrugged and pulled the keys out of her pocket. She tried a few times until finally, she came to the right key. She had been secretly wishing it to be the skeleton key, although she knew it wasn't possible for that type of lock. She heard a satisfying click, and the door came open along with some dust.

Lilly stood coughing for a few minutes. After the dust had settled, she made her way up the creaky stairs. She felt like she was in a movie, those lame ones that the teenagers would always run and hide in the most prominent spot they could. Except Lilly knew, she wouldn't be dumb like that. She would fight back with a spoon if she had to. She was simply too stubborn to die in such an annoying way.

Lilly reached the top of the steps and a faint light shined through a small dust-covered window. She frowned and searched for a light switch. It was way too dark in here for her to look for the box of curtains, even with the small beam of light shining in. Lilly pulled her phone out of her pocket and used her flashlight.

She shined the light everywhere until she walked into a string hanging from the ceiling. She jerked on the rope annoyed, then light flooded the room. She cheered silently. The room was cluttered with old decorations and furniture. Let's not forget about the boxes that were stacked taller than Lilly herself. She began searching the attic, sneezing every few minutes from wiping the dust away from some of the boxes to look at the label. She turned, and her eyes met a sheet covering a stack of boxes. Even though it looked like it was meant to be hidden, she ignored it. She didn't have time for secrets.

She tore the sheet off and examined the tower of boxes. She groaned loudly. 'Why didn't Jacob come and get the curtains? He knew where they were.' She reached for the top box and pulled it down only to have a smaller one slide off and hit her head and knock her down. She fell flat on her back. But on her, was curtains sprawled out all over her. She was going to cheer in victory, but her head hurt too bad. So she lifted herself off the dusty floor and looked for the small box that had hit her head.

She searched the ground and finally found the box. Not only did she locate the box, but she also found that that between the cracks of the box was a glowing blue light. Lilly closed her eyes and opened them again hoping that it was just where she had dropped it on her head. But sure enough, the glowing blue light was still there. She walked to the box slowly and bent down beside it. She picked it up quickly and winced expecting it to blow up. But it did nothing.

Lilly frowned. 'Maybe this was just a trick from Jacob and the other housekeepers.' She studied the box carefully and found a keyhole. The only key that would fit this was a skeleton key. Lilly gulped and dug the keys out of her pocket. Her curiosity was stronger than the fear inside her. She held the key tightly in her hand and set the box down on a dusty old table. She stuck the key in the keyhole and twisted it closing her eyes. Without warning, the lid to the box flew open and blue light erupted throughout the room and disappearing right after.

"Oh god, I just released a demon." She said aloud. She heard a groan behind her. She turned around and seen a transparent figure standing right behind her looking annoyed.

"I'm not a demon."