Purgatech: Jess' Horror

Chapter 15

If Jess wasn't a believer before, she sure as hell was now. The entity or ghost or whatever it was stood directly in front of her. She quickly lifted the Purgoggles to make sure what she was seeing was actually there...but there was no one there. When she slipped them back down over her eyes, the unmistakable shape of the girl was there.

It wasn't an orb, like Jess had read about so much. At first, she came through in a pale, white outline but then, as she seemed to gather strength, her image materialized, and it was like the girl was actually standing right in front of her.

Somehow, Jess mustered the courage to lean forward. She reached out and with one shaking hand, attempted to touch the figure in front of her. But her hand moved through her. There was no one there, no physical being anyway.

Jess looked at the logo again on the person's chest. She could see it more clearly now. There was no way to deny that it was the Purgatech logo.

"You work for Purgatech, right?" Her voice came out raspy and thin. Jess cleared her throat.

"I think you mean worked," Rob said from the end of the hall.

"Oh, you're real brave all the way over there," Jess said, unable to take her eyes off the figure in front of her. "If you don't like the way I'm running things, then maybe you should come over here and talk to her."

Rob didn't respond.

"Figures," jess aid. "You're all talk, Rob."

It was obvious he wasn't going to be any help. Jess glanced towards Grace, who stood off to the side with her mouth hanging open.

"What's your app saying now?" Jess said. She backed a few steps away from the figure toward Grace, who had cupped her device in her hands. She pulled it towards her chest as though she didn't want Jess to see it. When Jess reached for it again, Grace shoved her arm away forcefully.

"Get the hell away from me!"

When Grace looked up at her, she looked suddenly different, not like herself at all. It was like someone had slipped into her skin, someone with a dark aura, a sinister spirit that made Grace's soft features turn harsh, malicious.

"Uh, Grace? Grace, you okay?"

Grace let out a strangely guttural groan, but her expression remained unchanged.

"What the hell's gotten into her all of a sudden question" Rob asked.

"She's just... Scared is all."

Jess hoped that was all it was, but she didn't have time to worry about Grace. She pulled out her phone and checked the Purgatech app. The little pointer on the digital Ouija board was going crazy.

Jess spelled it out as the words came up on the screen. "W-A-Y-O-U-T-B-A-C-K-D-O-O-R."

"What does that mean?" Rob asked.

"I saw it! There was a door at the back of the house at the end of the hall. Supposedly it leads down to them servant's quarters. Maybe we can get out that way!"

"I'll sure as hell try anything right now. Let's go."

Rob turned and headed up the hallway before Jess could protest. The last thing she wanted was that guy leading them out of there but apparently she didn't have a choice in the matter. She turned to Grace and looked down at her, holding her hand out for her.

"Okay, Grace. We're going to get out of here now, alright?"

Jess tried not to freak out, not even when Grace looked up at her and her eyes glowed bright white.