Cursed

13. Sacrifice

"A ghost?" Louis whispered. The word wiped all color from her face.

"You believe him?" It was Louis' reaction that surprised Arthur more than Jason's answer did. He had an impression that Louis was getting stranger with time. Now he was certain.

Ignoring her assistant, Louis repeated, "A ghost?"

Jason nodded while Arthur clapped his palm on forehead.

"I'm not really sure, miss. It felt like a strange dream. But it felt real, very real," Jason said. He was himself in a dilemma what to trust, the dream or the tiny whisper of whatever sanity he was left with.

"Perhaps you sleepwalked. You did it once when you stayed at the facility." None of them noticed the old woman enter.

"I'm quite certain Ms Carter I wouldn't be able to walk so many miles without noticing," Jason said. "What if someone abducted me?"

"And what makes you think that?" Arthur was glad that the discussion had left the realm of the fictitious paranormal, and hence was in his reach.

"I honestly don't know. I mean ever since I met Amanda, I hardly poked my nose in other businesses. I don't know who'd hold such grudge against me. It's a very unnatural possibility," Jason said.

"Not as unnatural as ghost I suppose," Arthur remarked.

"Well, we'll talk about this once we get home. We can't stay all day here," Ms Carter said.

***

"Tell me what you saw," Louis said when they were back in the car. She had changed her seats with Ms Carter, who now sat beside Arthur.

"I don't think it's of much importance, miss. There has to be a more natural explanation," Jason said. He looked out of the window, only to avoid the soul-searching gaze of Louis.

"Amanda is possessed, Jason," Louis pronounced each word with such precision as if the information was fresh, and Jason knew nothing about it. "We ought to broaden our minds."

"She could be schizophrenic," Arthur offered. Louis acted as if she did not hear him.

"I didn't see much." Jason began after a moment. "I think I saw a girl."

"A girl?" Louis said. He now had her full attention. Even Arthur seemed to pay attention. Ms Carter, on other hand, believed more in the wonders of a nice nap than in the excitement of crazy dreams.

"Yes, a girl. A small girl, probably nine or ten. But she looked quite different from today's girls. She felt ancient, and her gaze, her gaze was simply powerful. I felt compelled to rise from my bed, and follow her."

"Follow her where?" Louis asked.

"At first I wasn't sure. I followed her down the stairs, out of the hostel. Every time I thought I was gaining on her, she was getting further and further away from me. I called her few times, who was she, and who were her parents and whether she was lost. But she spoke no word," he paused. "Well, hearing nothing would be wrong. I did hear something. It sounded like something between a whisper and a growl. But it must've been my imagination," he said wondering.

"Like the whole dream," Arthur said. He was again ignored.

"And where did she take you?" Louis said.

"I honestly don't know. I chased her until I got in the woods. I was about to return to the hostel, but I simply couldn't step in that direction. I couldn't see the girl, but I felt her presence. I looked at the woods, and suddenly I knew where to go."

Louis was so engaged in the conversation that she didn't notice the car coming to a halt.

"Miss Louis?" Arthur said. "Miss Louis?" he said again, trying hard to keep annoyance off his voice.