12. The dark has teeth #4
“Showers, now,” James says. “We need to wash the spores from our skin and clothes. We don’t know how toxic it is.”
The three of us follow him dutifully as he runs upstairs.
Once we reach the communal showers, he turns on the water in four stalls and pushes us under the warm spray with our clothes on. The water shocks me, and I take raspy breaths. On my right, I can hear Lana and Shirley mumble curses behind their masks.
James, as level-headed as ever, finds a bottle of soap forgotten by a guest and pours a good amount in our hands. “Wash your hair. Then get rid of your clothes.”
We obey, looking defeated. He empties the bottle of soap in our hands again and we finish washing. This situation is weird, but we’re still reeling from what happened in the basement.
Then the four of us stand in our underwear, dripping water on the green tiles, chests heaving. We didn’t bring towels.
“Holy fucking shit on a stick,” Lana says at last, eyes on the floor.
Shirley lets out an humourless laugh.
I look at James, seeking comfort, and gasp when I notice a drop of blood on his upper lip. “James! Your nose! You’re bleeding.”
He turns to face the mirror and wipes the blood with his hand. “Looks like the spores aren’t harmless.”
My eyes sting and my throat feels sore. How much did I breathe?
“Shit,” Lana whispers. “Quick thinking with the showers, James. Are you alright?”
He nods. “My nose burns a little. I think my mask was crooked, but I feel fine. Come on. We look like drowned rats. Let's warm up first and get something to drink.”
Just like drowned rats, we scuttle through the hallways and stairs in our underwear, water dripping on the carpets, and I’m glad we don’t cross path with a soul. The house has a strange effect on guests, and they all sleep soundly during curfew.
Shirley grabs us four large towels from a storage room and we look like shivering caterpillars building a cocoon. As we enter the kitchen, the smell of baked bread and lavender welcomes us. The house’s way of saying thank you for your help, I’m guessing.
As Lana makes us tea, Shirley says, “Well, that went well.”
James chuckles. “A great success.” He pauses. “Something feels off about this whole ordeal. We’re missing something.”
I nod. “I agree.”
My eyes are burning. The spores did a number on us.
“Tomorrow we need to have a talk with our other ghost resident. She knows something we don’t.”
“The Lady in Red?” Shirley asks.
He nods. “It sounded like she knew something. We need to question her.”
“You know you’ll get distracted, right? She’ll just use her powers on you.”
He smiles. “That’s alright. We can manage.”
Her eyes widen, and she looks between us both. My face is on fire.
Lana cackles. “I told you! I knew it was matter of time before they got down to business!”
“Oh my god,” I whisper, hiding my face behind my hands.
Shirley sighs. “Why is everyone always having sex but me?”
James snorts. “Just ask Emma, Luigi, and Noah. I’m sure they’ll let you join their little menagerie.”
She makes a face. “No thanks. A foursome sounds exhausting, and they’re already having arguments. Emma and Luigi are fighting over Noah’s attention. And I don’t really like to share.”
“You and me both, then,” he says, grinning. “I like having my lover all to myself.” His smouldering eyes land on me.
Lover? My heart skips a beat. No. No. No. Don’t get excited, heart. It doesn’t mean what you think it means. We’re not anything.
Lana hands me a mug of tea and I stir it with purpose, keeping my eyes down.
“Can I borrow a laptop?” James asks after a moment. “I want to research mould before bed.”
“Stachybotrys chartarum, also known as black mould, is commonly found in water-damaged buildings,” he says half an hour later.
Lana shakes her head. “There no water down there. I had experts check everything.”
“And it says this toxic type of mould only grows on cellulose-rich materials,” he continues. “Like wood products, paper, drywall... This is an old stone building.”
“I think we’ve established it’s paranormal activity,” Shirley adds. “Have you seen the glowing spores? It was trippy. Do you think it’s because she was poisoned, and it’s her revenge on the living to spit out toxic spores?”
“But she’s not spitting out spores, is she?” I say, and the four of them look at me. I’ve been quiet so far. “The spores are in the basement. I think... I think the mould is here to weaken the house.”
Lana blinks a few times, then she whispers, “Oh shit.”
“Did you notice how the mould stops at the door?” I continue. “The house is keeping it contained to protect us all, but she's unable to make it go away.”
“She needs our help,” James says, eyes gleaming with determination. “Let’s rest, and tomorrow we have a talk with the Lady in Red.”
We all nod tiredly and make our way to bed. The cats come and find us, and three of them jump in bed with us. Lucifer, Lupin, and Pearl. To my surprise, James doesn’t complain and he even pets their little heads. I fall asleep with my face in the crook of his neck and the cats purring around us.