We all nodded and headed for the front door. I was armed with a simple handgun while everyone else was marching in like this was the Battle of Little Bighorn. Coop was our unofficial team leader. We hadn’t really set up our team in an official capacity yet. Cap was uneasy about sending Coop out on a job until his issues with Victor Adams were resolved.
Coop took his job seriously, heading up the stairs and heading to the west wing of the estate. I hadn’t explored down here too much, but I knew that it wasn’t in the best condition. We were just entering the west wing when the lights flickered and went out. I could hear thunder outside and rain beating against the roof.
“Well that’s just fucking perfect. That should send everyone into a frenzy.”
I flicked on my flashlight, along with Coop and Tacos. We cleared two rooms before we entered one that even I had to admit was spooky as shit. There was a rocking chair in the corner of the room moving and the curtains on the window were moving slightly.
“Do you see that?” Tacos said, his voice pitched a little high. “Tell me I’m not the only one seeing this shit.”
“I see it,” Coop confirmed.
“Oh, for Christ’s sake,” I said, pushing past them. “It’s probably a draft. The whole fucking place has them.” I walked over to the window and pushed the curtain aside, feeling a slight draft, but it wasn’t enough to move the rocker. Confused, I looked around me, not sure where the second draft was coming from. I stepped back toward the center of the room and felt like I was being pushed. I tripped over the corner of the rug and heard a creaking noise under my feet. My gaze shot up to meet Coop and Tony’s just before the floor gave way.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Reed Security
Jules
“I’m picking up something on the EMF.” My eyes were wide as I stared at the reader in front of me. In truth, I didn’t know exactly what I was looking at, but the needle was going fucking crazy.
“I told you this shit would come in handy,” Ice said as he stepped into the next room. “God, this place gives me the fucking creeps.”
“I’m telling you, we shouldn’t be here in the first place,” Chris whispered. “The dead are meant to be left alone. We’re intruding on their territory.”
“Yeah, well, until Thunders can convince Jessica to give up this place, the dead are going to be disrupted.”
I pulled out the music box thingy and set it on the table. “Move back, guys. This thing lights up when a spirit comes by.”
“What’s the music for?” Chris asked as we moved across the room.
“The ghosts move it or their presence does. Hell, I’m not really sure, but if that thing starts-”
The light started flickering and the music started playing. I smacked at Ice’s chest repeatedly until he grabbed my hand and twisted it back.
“Would you stop fucking smacking me?”
“But… can you- I mean…holy shit. This is unbelievable.”
We all watched in stunned silence as the machine continued to play.
“This isn’t real,” Ice muttered. “This is all our imaginations, right?”
“Sure,” Chris nodded. “All three of us are imagining the same fucking thing.”
Suddenly, the curtains blew into the room, like the window was open and the gusting wind was pushing it inward. I swallowed hard and pulled my super soaker out. It was time to get down to business. Chris pulled out his gun, which would be fucking useless here. Ice just started toward the center of the room, holding out his arms wide.
“Come get me, motherfucker!”
The room creaked around us and the door slammed shut. I jumped and turned my super soaker in that direction, but the problem was, I couldn’t fucking see the ghost. Suddenly, Ice had his legs kicked out from under him and he fell on his back. Chris stumbled forward as if he was shoved and turned his gun on the wall behind us. I heard a groan and then the ceiling fell in. Yelling, I pumped the super soaker, covering something in foam.
“I got it! I got! Take that you cocksucker!”
The rug that fell through the ceiling started moving and I started panicking.
“I don’t have any more foam!”
“Doesn’t fucking matter anyway,” Ice shouted at me. “It’s not fucking killing the ghost. Why didn’t you think to bring a ghost booby trap?”
“I gave it to Storm!” I shouted back.
The thing rose up. It was a huge fucking beast, at least the same height as me. “What do we do?” I asked in a panic.
“Fucking run!” Ice shouted. We all ran for the door, but it wouldn’t open. “Kick it down.”
“Screw that,” Chris shouted, pulling his gun. He shot at the door, putting at least ten bullets in the door. I kicked at the door until it flung outward and broke off the hinges. I ran fucking screaming from the room until I hit the front door. I wasn’t sticking around to get killed by a ghost.
Storm Page 17
