Haunted: A Lockwood & Co Story

Chapter Four: Rainbows and Unicorns

Charlotte woke up to being suspended in weightless water. It was murky and hard to see through but she was most intrigued by the glow coming from in front of her. The glow came in the form of a woman with fiery red hair and a beautiful flower patterned summer dress. The woman's hair moved out of her face and Charlotte could see the facial features which looked very similar to the ghost they just fought. In her hands she held a bouquet of daisies. There was a whisper starting to form in the agent's head.

"Let go of me." the voice said. Charlotte noticed the ring on the woman's finger. The exact same one that Charlotte had in her jacket pocket now. Charlotte reached out a hand right as the daisies started floating to her. "Let go of me!"

Charlotte burst up with a loud gasp. She was on the ground outside the burning house they had just jumped from. She started coughing from the amount of smoke in her lungs as she tried to sit up. She caught sight of the house first. It had almost completely burnt down by now. There was a ringing in Charlotte's ears that she started to recognise as the night ambulance's and DEPRAC vehicles. Her vision was blurry and she couldn't see very much at all. She stumbled to her feet. Then she realised. She had jumped from the building with Lockwood's hand in hers. His hand was not in hers now and she couldn't see him.

"Lockwood?" She called out faintly, her voice sore from the smoke. There was no response to her call so she tried again. "Lockwood?"

She kept coughing as the smoke rose from the house and was stuck in her lungs. She heard the faint voice of a DEPRAC officer but she was focused on finding Lockwood.

"Lockwood!" She yelled out. The flames from the fire were so bright and hurting her eyes which were starting to unblur.

"LOCKWOOD!" She screamed out. She was grabbed by two DEPRAC officers, dressed up with gas masks.

"We're with DEPRAC miss. Is there anyone else here?" One of them asked.

"LOCKWOOD!" She screamed out again. She couldn't lose anyone again. Not again. It was her fault. The first time and now again. She had killed Lockwood.

"Oh gosh I've killed him." Charlotte whispered. The two DEPRAC agents hadn't heard her and started to direct her to an ambulance. She pulled her arm out of their grips and started racing back to the house.
"Miss!" They called out starting to follow her.

"Lockwood!" She shouted out again, hoping and praying that he was alive.

"Charlotte!" And there it was. His voice. She spun around to where she heard his voice. He was starting to run towards her. She started running to him and they collided halfway. He wrapped his arms around the girl and she buried her face into his chest. "I'm okay, Char."

He had been in an ambulance when he heard her shouts. But he had been hooked up to a machine and told to wait till they could take it off before he could find Charlotte.

"I thought I lost you. Just like I lost them." She was yet to tell him about her old team so he was a little bit confused. Lockwood pulled away to see her face. It was covered in soot and remnants of smoke. She also looked like she had a cut just above her eyebrow.

"Char, they are gonna take you to the hospital okay?" He told her brushing the stray hair out of her eyes. "Just to do a check up and make sure you're okay."
"What about you?" She asked, her deep ocean blue eyes looking into his brown ones.

"I'm okay." He said to her.

"But your arm- you were holding it funny." Charlotte said, remembering how he was holding his arm.
"It's fine, just a little bruised. Nothing to be worried about, love." Lockwood said, the pet name slipping out. "I'll be right behind you okay?"