Purgatech: Jess' Horror

Chapter 18

Even though his team was working like a well-oiled machine, Dylan didn't feel like any of this was a win. Whatever they had unleashed was keeping Jess and the others in that house and somehow, he was going to have to get them out of there.

"Where are we with the security team?" Dylan asked.

"They're standing by," Lisa said.

Dylan nodded, not taking his eyes off the screen. Jess, Rob, and Grace were holed up in the small mud room at the back of the house again after the onslaught they'd faced in the front hallway.

Dylan was happy to see they were finally working together but that didn't mean that they were any safer than they were if they had never gone into that house. Something was keeping them in there. Something unseen, something that Dylan had not encountered up to this point with any of the other trial groups.

The infrared camera in the attic was still picking up the strange swirling orbs that had been up there for the last few hours. It was like something had been unleashed and was simultaneously trying to get them out of the house while leading them to an exit that was completely blocked up.

"It doesn't make any sense," Noah said, as though he could and he could sense what Dylan was thinking.

"What? What is it? Dylan asked

"Whatever – or whoever is leading them around that house sent them right to a room with there's no escape. And yet, whatever's upstairs is trying to get them out. I mean, we got the data here."

Noah held up his scratch pad where he'd been writing down the messages that were coming up on the Purgaware app.

"Something's trying to get them out of there what the same time it's trying to keep them in there, too."

"So, we really do have two entities. But who are they?"

"Well, we know one of them is Renee," Beth said quietly behind Dylan.

Dylan turned to her. "Have you been any other messages from her? I mean, any that actually prove that it's her talking?"

Beth quickly shook her head.

"Well, the message about it being my house has to be from Sarah Ridgely, right?" Noah said.

"I would guess so," Dylan said. "But if that other entity isn't Renee, then who is it?"

Everyone was quiet, watching the feeds, trying to absorb everything that they were witnessing. Dylan knew it was so much for all of them. They had been working on this 24-7 for the last few days and none of them had gone home or taken any kind of breaks. It was starting to take a toll on them, he could see it from their tired eyes and the way they were mainlining coffee and energy drinks. He was worried about them but he knew as well as they did that there was no way that any of them could take a break. Not while those people were still in that house.

Dylan studied each of the displays, trying to find some sort of clue as to what was going on. Jess and the others were still in the mudroom. There was no one in the corridor or up the hallway. The only other one in the house with them was Erica.

"Oh my God," Dylan said. He immediately clamped his hand over his mouth.

Noah spun in his chair, looking up at him. "What? What is it? What did you see?"

Dylan lunged forward and planted his hands on the desk, leaning forward as though he would be able to see the screen better.

"Can you bring up the attic feed? Full-screen?"

Noah spun in his seat and with a few clicks, had the feed pulled up on the screen. "What are you thinking?"

Dylan swallowed hard. He couldn't say it out loud. He didn't even want to think it but he had to know one way or another.