11. Important questions are asked #3
We laugh all the way back to the room, ready to snuggle in bed together. But when I’m about to open the door and push Ewan inside, a sudden quake shakes the entire house. Dust rains from the ceiling, and we both freeze.
Ewan’s eyes widen. “What—”
Boom. The building shakes again, as if a giant fist is hitting the street.
Somewhere in the dark, a cat yowls. I pull Ewan to me just as a third powerful quake almost makes us fall.
Boom. The lights flicker all around us in alarm, as if the house itself is having a fit. That, more than anything, worries me.
It looks like something—someone—is trying to bring the building down.
BOOM.
Ewan’s hand is clutched in mine.
“Shit,” I say, letting him go regretfully. “We need to do something before the whole house crumbles.”
I take off running downstairs. I have an inkling of where the impacts are coming from.
Ewan is right behind me. Our ragged breaths sound incredibly loud in the empty hallways, our feet slapping the carpets with urgency.
Again, I’m surprised by the lack of reactions from the guests staying at the hostel.
I think the house is protecting them, containing the quakes and noise outside of the dormitories.
They all sleep, unaware of the evil ghost trying to bring the whole place down.
The cats yowl and run between our legs as we fly down the grand staircase. The lights are flickering maddeningly in the massive crystal chandelier above the entrance hall, like a dozen dying fireflies.
“James,” Ewan warns as I skid on the marble floors and take a turn towards the door leading to the basement.
The stale air coming from below us tickle my nose. The stone steps are wet from humidity, and at the bottom of the stairs, under the bright light bulb, stands Lana in her dusty pink nightgown, slippers on her feet and red hair braided.
“Lana?" I call.
She startles and looks at us, eyes wide with fright. “You—”
BOOM. We’re so close to the point of origin now that the impact make my teeth rattle. Ewan steadies us against the wall.
“What's going on?” I shout to Lana.
She shakes her head nervously. “I’m not sure. The house won’t let me in, and I’m too scared to break the door down.”
She raises a hand to us, and Ewan immediately grabs it and he pulls her away from the accursed door.
I shake her by the shoulders. “What’s in the basement, Lana?”
“No—nothing,” she stammers. “Useless stuff. Boxes, dusty bottles of wine, furniture... And a lot of mould. But... I could have sworn...”
“What?” I squeeze her shoulders.
“Sometimes when I went down there, it felt like something was watching me from the dark.” She’s shaking like a leaf.
“Sometimes I was sure I heard whispers. I hated it, so I was just glad the mould gave me an excuse to lock the door and forbid the others to go down here. The people I hired couldn’t find a leak, and the mould seems to stop here.
” The iron doorframe is blackened with rust and something dark that is probably the mould spreading outward on the concrete.
“I thought maybe it was the house I could feel... but...”
“But it doesn’t feel like the house,” Ewan says, eyes locked on the closed door.
Lana shakes her head. “No. The house is like an old friend now. This is different...” She gestures at the basement.
“And whatever is in the basement is trying to bring the house down,” I say, finally letting her go. I walk down the last few steps and face the door.
“James...” Ewan murmurs. “I don’t like this...”
“If it’s another ghost, we need to know. This is what we’re here for.” I put my hand on the brass handle. It’s freezing to the touch. I push down, but the lock is in place. “Do you have a key?” I ask Lana over my shoulder.
“No... I never did. The door was just open.”
I look at the ceiling and the bright light bulb.
“Could you please let me in?” I say to the spirit of the house.
“I know you’re trying to protect us, but we’re also here to protect you.
And whatever is on the other side of this door wants to bring you down.
We need to know what we’re dealing with so we can banish it. ”
For a long moment, nothing happens. But then the light flickers and seconds later there's an audible click. A cat hisses behind us, up the stairs, followed by another sad yowl.
“Thank you,” I say.
Lana comes to stand on my left, her flashlight raised like a weapon even though her hand is trembling, and Ewan is on my right, grabbing the back of my shirt.
Without saying another word, I push the door open. It groans plaintively. A chasm of darkness spreads before us, cold and musty. I grab Lana’s flashlight and aim it through the oily dark. It’s even denser than the last time, and I can barely make sense of shapes.
“Who is haunting this place?” I say loud and clear. “And why are you attacking the house?”
BOOM. Lana stumbles under the impact, hitting my back, and Ewan keep us both on our feet.
I swear, glaring at the dark. “Show yourself, motherfucker!”
And then the spirit appears, and the house trembles.