Haunted: A Lockwood & Co Story

Chapter Fourteen: The Golden Blade

Lockwood let out a few shaky breaths and Charlotte saw the DEPRAC officer subtly shake his head. Winkman turned and looked at the undercover agent.

"Do you know them?" Winkman asked the agent. He shook his head.

"No, boss."
"You sure about that?"
"Yes, boss."

"Convince me." Winkman said, pointing at the two teenage agents.

"What?" Charlotte asked. The agent, who had been looking at Winkman, turned to look at the two agents. He took a few steps forward, holding out the axe that was in his hands. Lockwood took a few steps backwards, protecting Charlotte. Charlotte's breathing became panicked. This was it. She was going to die. All she wanted to do was say she was sorry for yelling at Lockwood earlier in the night. She just wanted to hold him. The man yelled and lunged forward. Charlotte screamed and ducked out of the way against the wall. She stopped screaming when she realised that she wasn't in pain. She opened her eyes to see that the officer had cut the padlock on the door, allowing them to go. Charlotte quickly pushed the door open and pulled it shut behind Lockwood.

"I knew it, you snake!" She heard Winkman yell.

"Stay back! I'm a DEPRAC officer. This place is surrounded. Lay down your weapons." Charlotte's eyes went wide as she heard what he was saying. He was going to sacrifice himself for them. Charlotte quickly pushed through the next door and then started to run down the hall. She reached the elevator where she pressed the button several times. When she turned around, Lockwood was still at the door. She ran back down the hall.

"Lockwood! We have to go!" She said, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him through the open elevator doors. She took her rapier from him and sheathed it. The two stood against the back of the wall. Charlotte was breathing heavily but Lockwood was starting to hyperventalate a little bit. Charlotte stepped forwards and pressed the button for the highest level. There one escape had been locked and so they needed a new exit. Charlotte turned and grabbed the radio from off of Lockwood's belt, ignoring his current state.

"George? We really need help." She said into the radio. She let go of the speak button but all that came through was the static from before. "George! Come on."

Charlotte looked up as the elevator lights singled they would be stopping two floors up.

"Crap! They've radioed up! They're stopping the lift at four! They know we're coming." Charlotte exclaimed. "We need to get out of here now!"

Charlotte pressed the emergency stop button and the lift clanked to a stop. The doors opened and Charlotte grabbed Lockwood's arm and dragged him out of the lift. She paused him as they stopped just outside the doors.

"Where are the other sources?" She asked him, hurriedly. He didn't respond to her but she just opened the bag and dug through until she felt something other than the bone glass. She grabbed out what looked like a cigarette case and then threw it into the lift. The doors closed as Charlotte saw the apparition of a soldier rise from the case.

"Go, go!" Charlotte said, pushing Lockwood down the dark hallway. They made it to the stairs that led further up the building, and Charlotte had to keep one hand in Lockwood's to keep him going. She heard a ghost screeching and then yelling as they reached level four. Charlotte pushed Lockwood up the next flight of stairs. They reached a door, and Lockwood had pushed himself against the wall, still struggling for air. Charlotte turned to the tall boy.

"Lockwood, snap out of it!" Charlotte said, tugging on his hand. Then it dawned on her. She had only ever seen one person acting like this. Felicity whenever she had an anxiety attack or a panic attack.

"They just killed him like that." Lockwood finally said.
"I know. I know, darling. But we have to go." Charlotte told him, the pet name slipping out.