The Richmond Curse - {The Richmond Haunting 2}

Chapter Twenty-Six

Upon seeing Steven not moving, Fiona kept her mouth covered with both hands. She stared at the lifeless body; tried to speak, but seeing her husband dead on the floor made it impossible. It was clear she was in shock.

'What's happened to him? Is he breathing?'

'I don't know.'

Approaching the body, Jacob fell to his knees and felt Steven's neck.

A second.

Another second.

Then.

'He's still breathing.'

'Thank God for that.' Fiona said, trying to think straight, wondering why Steven was in the wardrobe.

'What was he doing in there?'

No answer sprung forth, only the sweet relief - he was still alive. And her eyes became filled with a mini-flood, dripping onto her cheeks.

Jacob, seeing the tears, came up to her. 'Hey, come on now, it's okay; he must have fainted.'

'What inside the wardrobe that makes no sense, and what was he doing there in the first place?'

Jacob had no answers to give, only the shaking of his head. The feeling of being followed had now completely gone, swept up in that question he had, the same as Fiona. Why would Steven be inside a wardrobe? It made no sense.

'You did say he's been acting funny?'

'I know, but.'

Fiona could hardly speak - she could only watch Jacob take charge.

'Steven, can you hear me? Steven?'

Steven opened his eyes and looked around the room, and he went to get up.

Jacob stopped him with both hands.

'Hey, not so fast. Do you know where you are?'

'Course I do; I'm home.' Steven said. His face was like a ghost and there was something different about it: the man looked older. His hair had specks of grey in the strand, his eyes were puffed out, and wrinkles coiled around them.

'What's happened to his face?' Fiona asked.

Jacob didn't have a clue what Fiona was talking about. That her husband looked different. He didn't live with Steven to grasp Fiona's frets.

Right now, steadying the man up - sitting him down on the bed was his focus, not to mention the cut to Steven's head.

'That's quite a nasty blow you got. Can you remember what happened?'

Steven sat on the bed and made a painful face; his head was banging. And at first, he didn't say anything - but trailed his eyes around the room.

'I don't remember; I just know I could hear people screaming; it was so wonderful to hear.'

Fiona took a step back - the words coming from Steven's mouth were frightening.

'Steven, do you feel okay?'

There was no answer, and Jacob stood up; walking away as it from the scene and facing the bedroom door, the priest drew a cross in the air.

'Foolish, priest man.'

'Who are you?'

There was no answer, only a deep bass chuckle.

And Jacob, now, began to see what Fiona had said about her husband, that he could be possessed.

But at this stage, it was too early to say whether Steven was that, and Jacob was only going by what he saw in the movies.

A dumb thing to do, but what else did he have? He wasn't an expert at this kind of thing. Haunted houses. Demonic possession.