If Coral were to describe what just happened, she wouldn’t have said ‘interesting.’ Perhaps Moonflower Inn lacked the usual entertainment for guests, however she hadn’t planned on housing clients until she had procured the most basic of necessities – A plentiful supply of alcohol. She was working on that already.
“There really isn’t much to tell.” She said honestly. She wiped her bloody nose with the back of her hand.
Caspian watched her expectantly.
“I want to know as well,” Pearl demanded.
Coral was unsure of what to do. She had inadvertently found herself at a crossroads. One option was to pretend nothing serious had happened. Despite the very obvious incident that had just happened.
The other option was accepting Mr. Acherons request. Which would sit easier in her stomach. She didn’t like lying.
She had seen the ghostly figures flitting throughout, and purposely brushed them away with a dismissive wave. This was an old place. Coral didn’t want to have to deal with ghosts, and it had been easier to blatantly ignore the odd creaks and bumps she had heard. It was reasonable to expect these things in a dilapidated manor.
If she revealed the truth, it could be disastrous for the reputation of her Inn before it even begun.
Regardless of what Mr. Acheron had said, people avoided haunted places. It was much too dangerous. Of course, some ghosts could be gentle and friendly in their approach, but their spirit had been trapped in a single location. That was wearing even on the kindest of souls. Eventually as time moved on, the dead would grow desperate to move on to their final rest. Most resorted to more aggressive means to encourage people to work out how to fix their problems.
If she told, could she trust Caspian Acheron to keep the secret?
“If this is your request,” Coral said slowly, watching carefully for his reaction. She wasn’t particularly good at reading people. Or perhaps that was reading the body language of nobility who all had learnt to hide their habits. “Regardless of my answer, know that the Inn’s doors were not open to clientele when a room was offered to you. We are still in the very early stages for renovation work.”
“Of course. However, what better way to test your facilities than by firsthand judgements. By all accounts, opinions from your guests should be taken into consideration. It is of my greatest concern that Inn’s are all the same. Unless you have something unique and exciting to offer.” Caspian said.
Coral couldn’t detect any sense of insincerity. He kept his focus straight on her as he spoke. There was no twinge of a finger, or slight adjustment of his body. Though, sometimes if one emphasised their statements even harder, Coral had found they weren’t being completely truthful.
She must have looked uncertain, as Caspian hurriedly said, “My opinion would not be harsh. On the contrary, I would find Moonflower Inn to be interesting at the very least. At worst, you will find guests like myself both satisfyingly fed, rested, and wholly bored.”
“I’m hesitant to accept that your taste in entertainment is the general standard. Personally, I would avoid any establishment if I knew it was haunted.” Coral said.
“Then at the very least you could satisfy your single guests’ peculiarities,” Mr. Acheron said. There was that gentle nudge again against Coral’s consciousness.
Coral took a moment to assess Caspian Acheron. The people in Direwood were most peculiar. The men here seemed to thirst for excitement. Although, Coral had only met a handful of people. In general, they were vastly different from city folk. Except for sour Mr. Norwood. His type could be found everywhere.
Coral had her own suspicions of Caspian Acheron. People did come in all types and for now, Coral chose to ignore this flaw of ludicrous excitement over a haunting. She couldn’t ignore however the deep red eyes and alabaster complexion. His white hair was most complimentary with his pallor, and the pointed teeth in an almost perfect smile. Or, the way his words affected Coral. She was certain Mr. Acheron – Caspian, was a vampire.
Strictly speaking, announcing your race or species in civilised society simply wasn’t done. It was considered the height of rudeness to be asked ‘What are you’.
Mostly people had to rely on outward characteristics to identify if someone could possibly be more than just human. Witches were easy to identify from their aura. Vampires burned in the sun, and mermaids very obviously had fins. Whether one was a vampire, fae, or werewolf, all were welcome in most reasonably educated social constructs, that was, if respect was given unto law and order.
Naturally, it would be foolish to not be weary around such people. Most races came with a deadly set of skills. Coral would not like to find herself subjected to their ire.
Caspian Acheron was a dangerous individual. Of course he was pleasant and charming too, if one were to ask Pearl. Perhaps the reason Caspian was intrigued by a somewhat dangerous situation was because he posed just as much of a threat himself.
His last words had settled over her like a warm blanket, filling Coral with certainty the more she contemplated accepting his request.
Why was she even questioning him? Of course, Caspian was correct, it would be better to gain insights from her first guest.
“If it were a question of providing the hospitality you would find entertaining, I can see I don’t have a choice. Let me clean up first, then I’ll tell you what’s been happening.” Coral said.
Instead of heading to her room, Coral picked up her torn and dirtied skirt and descended the stairs to the ground floor. Pearl and Mr Acheron walked with her, both taking up a place on either side. Pearl looped her arm through Coral’s for comfort, and she was unsure if it was more for her sake or her sisters.
Caspian opened the Winter Salon doors and stepped aside to allow Coral and Pearl to enter first. Coral stepped into the warmth quickly and took the seat closest to the fire. She caught her reflection in the large mirror at the far end of the room.
Oh, she was a terrible mess. Blood had smeared along her cheeks and chin where she had wiped it with her hand. It had also dripped and stained the front of her dress, where the frills once reminiscent of a flower, looked more like a trampled weed, smeared with dark stains. The dress was a minor loss, perhaps she could save it yet.
“You don’t seem to be having much luck today,” Pearl said. She poured out a measure of water from a silver pitcher on the table and used a napkin to dab into the cup before passing it to Coral.
Coral gently wiped at her cheek, the napkin coming away dark with blood and dirt. Her whole face was throbbing fiercely, and it was with a sinking feeling that she recalled that Pearl had used the last of the pain medicine. Coral was going to have to take a trip to the Widow’s Poison.
“No,” Coral mumbled beneath the cloth as she wiped at her face again. “This is the second time I’ve gotten soaked.”
“Your dress is ruined. Look, it’s torn down the skirt here.” Pearl dropped into the seat beside Coral and pointing out the three-inch-long tear at her ankle. It was only possible to see it through the mass of frills by the drape of the dress.
“I don’t even know how that happened.” Coral said grumpily. “I’m unconcerned with that. What I am concerned with, is that I can’t return to my bathroom just now. I’ll have to use yours Pearl.” Coral pulled the cloth away from her nose, wincing. “We should probably restore a communal bathroom.”
“Why?” Pearl asked, her tone all sorts of suspicion.
“That is where I was first accosted. I’ll not change or sleep in that room again.”
Pearls eyes went wide. “You told me there was a mouse.”
“I did,” Coral sucked in a breath. She had prodded her nose a little too hard. “I’m sorry for lying. I didn’t want to scare you.”
Pearl looked particularly annoyed. “You don’t need to keep protecting me. I can look after myself, and you know I can’t stand being left out of things. We moved here to start anew, and I don’t want you to shoulder everything on your own again.”
Coral stared at the soiled cloth in her hands, unable to look at her sister. She felt an odd mixture of guilt, and still, an overwhelming need to keep Pearl safe.
“I know. Old habits are hard to break.” Coral said quietly.
“Well break them.” Pearl crossed her arms and scowled at her. Even irritated, Pearl was about as threatening as a daisy.
“I’ll do my best.” Coral assured her.
This was enough of a promise that Pearl dropped her arms into her lap and let the irritation melt away from her face. “Thank you. Now, tell us what happened.”
Caspian sat awkwardly on the lounge opposite them. He had politely looked away during Pearl and Coral’s brief exchange, feigning deafness. At Pearl’s prompting for Coral to explain herself, he turned his attention back to them.
In between cleaning up her nose and drying her dirty skirt, Coral summarised the visit she had first encountered in the bathroom, glossing over how she had been bathing, and the unpleasant experience just in the last hour before.
“Why do they want you to go to the basement?” Pearl asked. Coral had expected her sister to be terrified. Instead, she just looked thoughtful.
“I don’t know. I’m not keen to discover why either.” Coral fluffed out her skirt so that the wettest parts of the dress were exposed to the warmth of the fire. She couldn’t wait to be out of the wretched thing. She should turn it into a pair of silken trousers, not a frill left in sight.
“It’s too dark to go now. Exploring the basement at this time of the evening is silly.”
"You have a lantern.” Caspian said.
“Yes, one lantern. There are three of us, and we all can’t explore in the darkness.”
“Then use a candle.” Caspian pointedly said, angling his head slightly at one of the candelabras housing several beeswax candles.
“You’re certainly eager to go exploring at this time of night. When ghosts are most active.” Coral said. She was not eager at all.
“I fear if you don’t go tonight, you may find yourself at their mercy again.” Caspian warned.
Coral watched the flames flicker in the hearth, contemplating Caspian’s words. “I want whatever spirit that resides in my manor to be removed as soon as possible. For that reason alone, I’ll go to the basement.”
She had also agreed when they were holding her hostage. If she didn’t follow along with her agreement, Coral hated to think what they would do next.
They remained in the warmth long enough for Coral’s dress to dry. Having collected a lantern and a candle for each person from the kitchen on their way, they stood side by side in the hallway as they examined the door that led down into the basement. It was in an adjoining cold room from the kitchen, where access to the cooler temperature was ideal for storing vegetables. If more people other than Coral and Pearl resided in the manor, she had considered using it to keep said goods. Mostly it was cluttered with haphazardly placed bottles of cheap wine. Maybe they could all do with a little bit of that delicious, liquid courage. Her nose gave a particularly strong throb that made the rest of Coral’s head ache. She decided against it. One terrible, bad-luck hangover was enough. If she started to drink now, she’d probably gulp down more than strictly necessary.
“Maybe we should get another lantern,” Pearl offered.
Coral would have loved to jump at the opportunity to delay going down into that dark, creepy basement. She also didn’t want to face having to go outside, where it was just as eerie. “The other lanterns are in the greenhouse,” she said.
“Oh, well. Maybe the candle will do.” Pearl said quietly, she too just as reluctant to return outside in the dark.
Coral swapped the lantern she held with Pearls candle. “Here. The lantern provides the most light, so you can stand back and Mr. Acheron-”
“Caspian,” Caspian interrupted.
“Yes, sorry, Caspian and I will look around.”
Pearl nodded, her eyes wide and frightened, but her shoulders were stubbornly set with determination.
“Let’s go before you lose your nerve,” Caspian said in his silvery tone.
If Coral wasn’t so nervous, she would have had to refrain from rolling her eyes at the look he had just given her sister. These two were over the top in their flirtations.
Caspian walked forward, opened the door and waited. When neither Coral nor Pearl stepped forward, he turned back to the door and entered the blackened corridor. A moment later, Coral forced herself to walk forward. Pearl scurried along beside her.
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
Her candle was pitiful against the darkness that enveloped them. Pearl’s lantern provided a small halo of light that permeated about ten feet before them. The corridor quickly led down to a set of stone steps, the walls changing to large blocks of granite. At the end of the stairs, they entered a vast room, the walls hidden in the void of darkness.
Cluttered here and there was old shelving and wooden boxed. Large wine barrels lined one side of the wall. They were so big that Coral could have gone swimming in them. Twice as round as she was tall, and all with taps. On the very brief inspection when Coral had first poked her head into the basement, she had been sorely disappointed that none held any wine. Or Ale. Or any kind of liquid at all. There was still that very subtle smell that she couldn’t identify, somehow sickly sweet but pungent with rot.
“It smells like something has died in here,” Caspian said. “I can’t pick up where it’s coming from.” He held his candle higher, leaving their sphere of light to follow his nose.
“It’s probably a dead rat. This was an abandoned house, there’s bound to be something that has scuttled in and died.” Coral said, deciding on exploring the wall closest to her left. There were some empty crates piled in the corner, but otherwise there was mostly cobwebs and years’ worth of dust.
Whomever had commissioned and designed the manor spared no expense. The ceiling was ornamented with intricate carvings set into the stonework in a scalloped design. Archway pillars were spaced evenly throughout the open area, also accented with the sculpting to a fine degree. Most places rarely went with this type of decoration in quarters meant for the hired help. Coral had to hand it to the benefactor, they too seemed to have a fine appreciation of wine. Oak barrels of this quality deserved to reside in such a fine place while their contents matured.
Once the ghosts were gone, Coral was going to make use of this space. One day she might be able to fill those barrels with a fine mead, or delicious red wine. When that day hopefully comes, she will ensure that light filled every inch of this space.
Near her head was an empty sconce that she made a note of for when she was down here next. Preferably, Coral wanted to use magelight for all the lighting in the manor. It activated on movement, so there was none of this fussing with electricity switches or wires. However, it was significantly more expensive than electricity, even when compared to the cost of labour and materials to install electrical wiring to a manor such as hers. Not to mention the cost of repairing and damage inflicted in the walls from installation.
Magelight was elegant in both application and design. A simple sigil set in the heart of a crystal to amplify the light. Lamplight couldn’t replicate the ethereal glow and luxury of magelight.
Coral searched the walls, which were blank, and moved on to glancing at the floor before taking the next couple of steps. Slowly Coral crept her way forward, Pearls feet scuffing on the flagstone several feet behind her.
“Have you found anything yet?” she asked in a hushed tone. The light bloom came closer as Pearl came over to her, and Coral shook her head.
“No. You?” Coral said.
“Nothing,” Pearl whispered. “I half expected a ghost to appear. It’s very cold in here, like you said when they were around you.”
“It’s cold, but not as icy as that. Maybe I should have announced my intention before coming down here. Then they could have led us right to whatever it is they wanted us down here for.” Coral pushed aside a dusty bottle. As far as she could see, which was very little, there was nothing here. At the very least the ghosts could have told her what they wanted instead of sending her on a wild chase through the bowels of her home.
“They’ve only approached you when you are alone. Maybe our presence is deterring them.” Caspian suggested. He moved along the far wall on the other side of the room, his candle illuminating a small section as he held it aloft and inspected the wall like Coral had been doing.
“What ever it is they want; I hope they don’t show up.” Pearl said quietly. “I’d much rather find something down here without them. Have you much experience with the dead Caspian?”
“Some. I once came upon a haunted town, which was fascinating. The majority of people were trying to discover what the hauntings were about. It is hard to decipher messages of the dead. Especially during the day. The cover of night seems to make it easier for them to appear, penetrating the veil that keeps the physical and metaphysical realms separate.”
“What kind of messages?” Coral asked, hoping that it could lead to some clue other than the scratching’s of ‘BASEMENT’ in her walls and furniture.’
“Some were like your experiences, Coral.” Caspian said, now turning so that his voice could be heard clearer as he inspected a pillar. “Messages left in odd places, and some were thrown about the room. It wasn’t isolated incidents either, sometimes multiple things happened around the same time. That’s when it was discovered it was more than one spirit they were dealing with. A gentleman lost an eye at one point, another fell down a well and died.”
Caspian rapt his knuckles over a chunk of missing stone on a pillar, then moved on. Coral studied the pillars near her, all mostly smooth except for small scuff marks.
"Did they discover what it was they wanted?” Pearl asked. Her voice quivered a little, and she edged closer to Coral.
“No,” Caspian said, clearly disappointed. “The village got together and paid for some adventurers to exercise the dead from the village. Of course, the mass grave they found not long after explained why the ghosts had shown up suddenly. It was a family of traders.”
“Oh, that’s terrible.” Pearl said.
“So, really, whoever is haunting this place could be anyone?” Coral said. “And they don’t want to lead me to some hidden treasure.”
“If only,” Caspian smirked. “More would be encouraged to follow along with the dead’s attempts to communicate if there was a pile of gold waiting for them. It’s unfinished business or resentment that keeps them stuck. Whoever is remaining here could be anyone. Who knows. It could be a wandering vagabond who took up shelter in the manor and died of a cold.”
He paused for a moment, pushing aside a shelf, the wood scraping against the stone and echoed through the room. “I vaguely remember that there was a family here once, and the children were killed in one of the very first few undead risings.”
“Can we talk about this when we’re in daylight, instead of this dungeon.” Pearl asked. She was keeping close to Coral who had moved to the centre of the room, searching the pillars.
Pearl tripped forward and squeaked; her foot having caught on something. She caught herself before she hit the ground.
Caspian crossed the room quickly to her, his candle flickering then sputtered out as he reached her. “Are you alright?”
Pearl spun back to look at what she tripped on. “Oh. I don’t know. I don’t like this.” She whimpered.
“Calm down, it was just a stone.” Coral said gently as Pearl’s breath hitched up in pace.
Caspian bent to peer at the notched floor. He brushed his fingers along the surface and flicked the piece that was raised slightly. “This has something scribed on it.” He said, inching closer to the floor.
How he could see that much detail in this dim light, Coral didn’t know. Then again, being a suspected vampire, he would have better eyesight than they did.
Caspian let out a deep hum, then muttered. “No, surely not.”
“What?” Pearl gasped.
“Step back,” Caspian said, thrusting his uninjured hand out at Pearl.
Pearl quickly took several paces back, dragging Coral along with her.
Confused, Coral searched the floor, trying to see what it was. Her heart beat hard in her chest. All she could see was uneven flagstones, and her mind filled in the gaps of nothingness by conjuring up images in her mind’s eye of the floor opening beneath them from a hidden door. Or a ghostly shadow reaching out of the floor, clawing its way to them.
“What is it,” Pearl asked, clutching at Coral’s arm and half hiding behind her.
Caspian looked up at them from beneath his lashes, his face hard as stone. “It’s a spell to trip beautiful women.” He said, flashing them a smile from where he crouched.
Coral groaned.
Really, that was the line he went with. The fear that had been building in her chest was replaced quickly with annoyance and relief. Mostly, annoyance.
Caspian’s joke had worked on Pearl. She let go of Coral’s arm and clenched her hands into fists. “Caspian!” Pearl cried indignantly.
He grinned back unrepentant. “There’s nothing to fear with me here.”
Oh, for goodness’ sake. Could he at least keep these displays for when Coral was not present? She did not want to be witness to their entanglements. She was going to have to make herself some chocolate cake just to nurse her own woebegone love life.
“There’s nothing to find here to begin with,” Coral said, stepping haughtily away from the two. Some distance might be good for her, surely their whispered sweet nothings won’t reach her from the corner of the room they hadn’t explored.
There was no way she was jealous. Not at all.
“Now is not the time to be making jokes,” Pearl admonished, her voice hushed as though she too felt Coral’s embarrassment.
“You aren’t scared now, are you.” Caspian stated.
“I. Well. A little. But,” Pearl spluttered, her voice getting louder in her frustration at being teased.
Coral walked to the farthest reach of the basement, her candle only exposing more stone and the odd wooden box or shelving. She walked past the last wine barrel, possibly the biggest in the basement. Her candle flickered, and she felt a gentle shift in the air. She turned, and instead of more blank wall like she had expected, the stonework had crumbled away, revealing a large, ragged hole. The barrel had hidden the debris that littered the floor. The candle flame flickered again.
“I found something,” Coral called out, but her voice had lost its pitch. Her words were barely louder than a whisper.
They hadn’t heard her.
Was this what the ghosts had wanted her to see?
Coral stepped over the mess, stooped, then plunged her hand with the candle into the hole. A dark stone lined corridor led deep into more darkness. Cautiously, Coral reached in a little further, trying to see how far the it went. She listened hard, but all she could hear was the teasing, silvery tone from Caspian and the rising pitch of Coral’s voice.
Coral pulled her arm back, unwilling to stick her head through, and came out from behind the barrel.
“Caspian. Pearl,” She called. They were too involved in their teasing that they didn’t hear her.
Well, that was nice for some people.
The candle flickered, then almost went out as she felt a gust of air flow from the opening. She cupped a hand around the candle, and the flame bloomed back to like. The flame was too close to her face, and the light blinded her, burning a bright spot in her vision. She held the candle above her head and blinked repeatedly to adjust to the dark room.
“Excuse me,” Coral raised her voice, her words carried clear and strong. If they hadn’t heard the annoyance laced in her words, she was sure her face certainly expressed it. Not that they could particularly see it.
Caspian and Pearl turned towards her; their own faces bathed in shadows.
“I think I’ve found something,” Coral told them. “Come look. There’s a great big hole here. I think there might be a room on the other side. It’s been bricked up.”
Caspian and Pearl started their way over to her, and it was then that she realised just how far this room was. They were at least walked over 80 feet away. The basement must stretch out below the whole front wing of the house. The wine barrel beside her creaked. She started a little, jumping at the noise and turned back around to look for the noise.
“Is that you?” Coral whispered to the darkness, dreading the moment the ghosts were to show themselves again. There was a putrid, rotting smell that wafted around her. She wrinkled her nose in disgust, then winced.
There was no response, but she was sure she had heard movement.
Pearl’s lantern reached her first, revealing more of the space between the barrel and the hole. The stones that had fallen away was only four bricks high, hip height if Coral were to stand beside it. There was just enough room to squeeze through. Coral didn’t relish that idea. If the ghosts had wanted her to go to the basement, this was likely the reason why. She was going to have to go in there.
“What do you think, Caspian. Eager to follow through with the dead’s clues? You can go first if it pleases you.” Coral asked.
Pearl looked aghast.
Caspian took a step closer, then a dark mass dropped from atop the wine barrel, slamming hard into him.
Leathery and snapping, it latched on to Caspian, and he crumpled under the weight and fell back into the darkness.
Pearl spun, the lantern illuminating the creature heaving above Caspian. Long claws puncturing his already injured arm, tearing through skin and muscle. Canine maws snapping inches from his face.
Caspian held it back with one arm, the other trapped in its sling. In a lithe, twisting movement, he kicked. The monster flew. It smashed a moment later into a shelf, the wood crumbling over the creature. Too fast for Coral to see, Caspian was on his feet again, facing the creature and his back to them.
The creature got to all fours and snarled, it’s face emaciated and pale. Coral recognised it then for what it was, a creature straight from a nightmare. A Ghoul.
It was almost nothing but skin and bones, except for a bloated stomach from a fresh kill. It must have eaten recently, as fresh blood coated its rubbery skin. Its hooves clapped against the flagstone as it crouched low, legs coiling beneath.
Pearl and Coral screamed.
The ghoul lunged.
Caspian caught it, his hand pressed hard against its throat. It scrabbled against him, slashing with bloodied claws and screeching. His shirt tore open, and a great tear of flesh stripped away from Caspian’s shoulder to elbow. He let out a hiss of pain. Caspian threw the creature aside like it was made of nothing.
It landed heavily against a pillar with a sickening thump. The ghoul was down for barely a second before it was running at them again.
It leapt, and again Caspian shielded them with his own body. He caught it, then used its momentum to toss it away. Its claws tore into his back in the move, slicing deep. In the darkness there was a clatter of wood.
“Get out. Don’t just stand there!” Caspian snarled.
Coral’s fear had frozen her in place. Caspian’s anger urged her into action. She threw her candle in the direction of the Ghoul, grabbed Pearl and raced towards the basement door. Her feet slapping against the stone floor and the screeching behind her pushing her to run as fast as she could. She was blind in the darkness, the disorientating flashes of light from Pearl’s lantern kept her from plunging straight into a pillar. Why was this room so big.
“We can’t leave him!” Pearl cried, though she didn’t pull away when Coral forced her forward with a terrified yank.
“We’ll die if we fight it,” Coral huffed. A loud scream filled the room, and Coral looked back. Somehow her candle had remained lit, having rolled and stopped in a mess of wooden shelving. In the limited light, Coral could see the Ghoul on Caspian. His bad arm was free of the sling and was using both hands to hold the monster from biting his neck. Its hang above him talons gouging into his back. Blood dripped from Caspian’s arms.
Caspian threw the creature to the ground. The movement forcing the Ghouls claws to shred along his back. A second later Caspian had the ghouls hoof in his hands, gripping hard and snarling. He twisted violently. There was a sickening crunch, and the leg buckled at the knee. He let go and the leg fell in the wrong direction, flailing as the ghoul thrashed, screeching in pain or anger. Coral couldn’t tell.
What was she doing? She couldn’t just leave someone to fend off a ghoul on their own. Caspian was strong and fast, even when injured. Fighting a ghoul meant almost certain death. They were notoriously deadly and their tough hide made them hard to kill. Removing limbs wasn’t enough. Their skin was smothered in disease, poisoning its prey as they ripped into them.
Coral couldn’t just leave him.
She couldn’t let it get Pearl either.
Coral’s foot went out from under her, and she landed hard on a fallen shelf. She scrabbled back to her feet, prying up a bit of the wood to use just in case the ghoul came after them.
Just a bit further, they were almost to the stairs of the basement. Her legs worked harder than they ever had before, her lungs burning. She dashed past a pillar, screeching and Caspian’s yells filling her ears.
Coral made it to the stairs first, Pearl still feet behind her and gasping. She forced Pearl to go up before her, shoving her to keep her moving as fast as possible.
Pearl burst through the open door, hitting it with her arm as she ran. It swung out, knocking against the wall hard. Coral snatched the lantern from Pearls hands and reached for the door handle. She slammed it closed in front of her, then wedged the piece of wood under the door handle.
Coral stood back, chest heaving. She stared at the door. The screeching hadn’t stopped.
She couldn’t leave someone to die like that. Not unarmed. Coral spun and bolted for the kitchen. This time she wasn’t inhibited and found the knives quickly.
It wasn’t much, but it was something.
If they didn’t kill it, the ghoul would come through that door at some point. Now that it knew fresh prey lived upstairs, it wouldn’t be long.
They couldn’t risk the run in the dark through the forest to Direwood. There were massive wolves out there. Coral and Pearl would be marked as prey. The footing alone would be hard in the dark. They couldn’t hide in the manor; the ghoul would scent them out.
Coral couldn’t leave someone to die like that.
She turned back, down the connecting corridor and towards the basement door, hands shaking as she gripped as many knives as she could. Pearl was dragging a box along the floor and was about to brace it against the basement door. She stepped away at Coral’s approach.
She knew. Pearl couldn’t leave someone to die like that either.
“Brace the door behind me.” Coral told her.
“Don’t go down there.” Pearl said, taking in a shuddering breath. “Just. Just throw the knives.”
“Do you want him to live or not,” Coral snapped. “He’s at the far end of the room. He hasn’t got a weapon, and he’s our best chance of killing this thing.”
This might be the stupidest thing she has ever done. If she didn’t do something, then she was as good as dead anyway.
Coral unstuck the door, collected her knives, and faced the screeching below.