Page 17 of Chillingham Castle

“You were attacked. Jesus, Haunt; seems like you had a wild night of fuckin’,” Trunk stated.

“Wouldn’t have minded if I had.” Haunt chuckled, still looking pale.

Lucky taped them up to keep them clean, and I shoved a plate of food at Haunt.

“Eat,” I ordered, and he nodded. Half an hour later, Haunt remained drained and went to lie down for our swap over. Jack added Ghoul to his team and put Lich in charge. We wanted safety in numbers. Everything in this castle felt dark and frightening.

“Everyone okay with this?” I checked, looking at my crew.

“Yeah, we’ve got protections and holy water,” Jack replied.

“I’m worried about the corridors,” I stated.

“We’re aware of what we’re searching for, and I’m sure we’ll be fine. The entity’s actions used a load of energy. If it recovers that fast…” Jack broke off and shrugged.

“Yup.”

Jack didn’t need to elaborate, but he turned to me with a nod.

“Don’t take risks,” I ordered.

“Never. Believe me, I know how a haunting can turn bad. Seen too many of them.” Jack looked sincere, thinking I’d still been talking to him.

“Go on. At the first sign of trouble, don’t fuckin’ film or try to interact; get the hell out,” I stated, and Lich nodded.

“We’ve confirmed it moves about the castle and isn’t locked in one place,” Ghoul said.

“That’s what worries me,” I muttered, and we all looked grim.

The easy solution would be to pack up and say bye; this ain’t our problem. That wasn’t going to happen. We’d started this, and we’d finish it. It wasn’t in our mandate to walk away and leave someone in difficulty, and trust me, the inhabitants of Chillingham Castle were in dire trouble.

Jack

The corridors were quiet, too quiet. Something was watching, and I hoped after the display that it wasn’t the entity.

“Lady Mary, I can sense you. Would you like to say anything?” I called. “You can call me Jack.”

“Jack.” The spirit box I was holding spoke.

“Yup, Jack. Thank you for talking to us. Are you okay from what happened earlier?” I asked.

“Yes. Haunt?”

“Haunt is fine. He is resting,” I replied as Reaver looked surprised. “Thanks for your concern.”

“Darkness. Castle.”

“Yes, there is a wickedness present. Lady Mary, are you aware of other spirits being here?”

“Inconsiderate,” the spirit box spat, and then we heard a faint chuckle. That question had amused Lady Mary.

“I suppose that was rude, but are you?”

“Yes. So. Much. Sadness.”

“Who is the evil? The evil ghost haunting Chillingham.”

“John. Sage.”