The Ghost Hunter Chronicles - A Place of Nightmares Vol 1.

A Place of Nightmares - Chapter 4 The Girl in the Walls.

"Come on back Lucy, there's a girl!" Said a heavy Scottish accent.

Something fizzed and tingled beneath her nose and her eyes fluttered open.

"What happened? Who are you?" She asked the broad beaming face above her.

"I'm Dr McAllister, and you're Lucy. Your parents called me, said you'd had a wee bit of a turn."

Lucy was confused for a moment, then the still wet crotch of her shorts brought everything back with horrifying clarity. The dumb waiter, the door opening by itself that evil voice. Lucy shuddered, and was relieved to see her mother had the presence of mind to drape her with a light blanket. Being found passed out by a stranger Doctor or no, was embarrassing enough, but with a big wet patch on your shorts at sixteen? Mortifying.

"Can you tell me what happened before you passed out Lass?" The doctor asked her.

Lucy was about to tell him about the thing in the wall, but stopped. What if he thought she was crazy? She might end up locked up somewhere. Lucy had been scared in the kitchen, but being locked away in some strange place way from her family with who only knew what scared her more.

"I thought I heard a rat in the kitchen, and I opened the dumb waiter, and it jumped out and landed on me. I hate rats." Lucy lied.

The doctor chuckled heartily. "Oh aye! My own wee girl is terrible ascared of rats. If he jumped on you that would do it."

"So she's okay Doctor?" Asked Margaret wringing her hands, she looked worried and tired. Lucy was now feeling bad for scaring her mother.

"Och Aye! She'll be fine, just a wee bit of shock. Early to bed, lots of sweet tea. But if there are any more episodes like this, with no causation, you must bring her to see me." The Doctor informed them.

"Okay thank you Doctor." Said Martin, her dad.

Her parents left the room to see Dr McAllister out, asking Jay to stay with the girls. Macy got up and came over with Corky, turning to their brother, she asked, "Jay? Maybe you could get her that cup of tea, and I'd like some biscuits. Please."

"But mum said to stay with you guys." Jay reminded her.

"I'll come running if we need you." Macy countered.

Jay got up, "Okay, I could go for a snack myself, but this was your idea." He pointed out as he went to leave the living area.

As he passed by the couch Lucy was laying on, she grabbed his arm on the way by, "Be careful Jay."

He looked quizzically at her, "How big is this rat?" And went on his way.

When he was gone, Macy turned back to her sister. "It wasn't a rat was it?"

Lucy looked taken aback, Macy hadn't brought the rat story. Had she seen something too?

"What do you mean Mace?"

"You know what I mean, there's something living in the walls." Macy replied.

"W-what?" Stammered Lucy.

"There's a girl, her name is McKinley. She lives in the walls."

"Have you seen her?" Asked Lucy.

"Uh huh. She told me to watch out for Mrs Tweed. Said she puts kids in the walls, and they stay there forever."

Lucy shivered, that thing in the dumb waiter sure didn't sound like a little girl. If Macy had been an ordinary seven year old Lucy might have thought she was telling a fairy tale. However after her own terrifying experience in the kitchen, and knowing Macy wasn't the type of seven year old to make up stories, she totally believed her.

They had been living in the old Manor for just under a month, and Lucy had noticed a few strange things, but put it down to fatigue and trying to get used to a new house.

"Have you seen anything else?" Lucy asked Macy.

"Just McKinley, she's been trying to keep the others away. She's shown me where to hide, there are all kinds of tunnels and secret rooms. McKinley showed me where she stays."

"Does she ever play in the dumb waiter?" Lucy asked scared of the answer.

Macy shook her head vehemently her braids flying, "No, no, no!!! She said to stay away from there. The bad thing lives in there, that was what you saw."

Lucy felt the color draining from her face, that wet chuckle, and it knew her name.

"She said if the door ever starts to open to run and hide!"

Lucy gulped how could she ever go in the kitchen again? And where was Jay? He should be back by now. Lucy could feel panic trying to seize her by the throat, sure something nasty had happened to her brother, she was about to bolt off the couch to go check, when Jay returned, he'd made tea for everyone, and had the tray piled high with chocolate biscuits and Apple tea cake.

He took in Lucy's white face as he passed her a cup. "Must have been one hell of a rat sis."

Lucy smiled weakly and sipped her tea.

"Jay have you-" Lucy began, but Macy bumped her elbow almost sloshing tea on her, the smaller girl shook her head.

"Have I what?" Asked Jay.

"Got any honey? I wouldn't mind some in my tea."

"Slave driver!" He said getting up and ruffling her hair on the way by. When he was gone Lucy looked a question at Macy.

"He's eighteen Lucy, he hasn't seen anything, and he's too much of an adult to share this with."

"But we have to tell mum and dad!" Lucy said.

Macy shook her head, "We can't. They'd think we were nuts. We'd get into trouble, they'd think we were putting it on because of the move."

Her younger sister echoing her exact thought from a few minutes ago.

"We have to wait until they see something, and have each other's backs." Macy told her.

Lucy knew she was right, and they had no further opportunity to discuss it. Jay returned with the honey jar, and her parents returned from seeing off Dr McAllister.

Lucy felt a little safer with her family all around her, and Macy had confirmed she wasn't going crazy, but it did little to buoy her spirits any further. She couldn't avoid that damn kitchen forever, and if the little girl her sister spoke of could move through the walls of the Manor, other things could too. Lucy gripped her tea cup, trying to stave off a chill that was settling deep into her bones.