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

A Place of Nightmares - Chapter 9 First Night.

The clock struck midnight and my eyes fluttered open. Immediately my stomach dropped. We were all bedded down in the down stairs living area. Aiden had called on his spirit guide Maya after we had come inside and asked for her help and protection as we toured the house.

We explored the second floor first. There were many spirits residing here. Some were children, some were only shades. There was a time loop running of the Maygar children chasing each other up and down the halls. Then there were the sneaking black shadows of the mental patients that had perished here. Still as insane and murderous as they had been in life. They were kept in check by the heroic spirits of World War I soldiers, casualties of the War hospital that this place had also been.

But one pervasive spirit overshadowed the lot of them. The Woman in Black. They whispered about the 'dark lady'. They whispered she was coming for us. I tried to ignore them. The second floor had been noisy and disquieting indeed.

The Attic was off limits to me. I put one foot on the stairs and and pain exploded through my head, my back started aching and I feared I might throw up. Nausea rolled greasily through my stomach. Sweat popped out along my brow, I could barely breathe.

"Aide? I can't, she won't let me." I gasped.

Aiden grabbed me and took me to the window. He called upon the wind and it blew all around me cool and refreshing.

The O'Donnel's sat at my side, whilst Aiden, protected by Maya braved the attic. We sat in a tense silence awaiting his return. When he joined us again he was looking pale. When I asked him what happened he shook his head. "Not now." And looked pointedly at the O'Donnel's, something wicked indeed had taken place up there.

Next we returned to the downstairs. The living area seemed the most neutral of all the locations. The atmosphere was lighter, and there was no 'corner of the eye' phenomena. This meant Aide and I were not constantly seeing things slinking around corners and trying to dart out of our sight line.

The kitchen was creepy. The dumb waiter all but screamed closet monster. In fact, Aide went to work with brick dust render and painted a ghost trap on the door. Now whatever was in there couldn't just climb on out to terrorize the family whenever it saw fit.

There was however, an angry thumping whilst Aide blessed the space with Holy Water, then mixed it into the brick dust to make the render. He recited the Lord's Prayer as he made the mark.

A pained scream was heard from the Dumb Waiter as he finished, then whatever was in there fell silent. It was trapped.

We then toured the rest of the rooms, and all was quiet. We got to the stairs to the Wine Cellar, and Aide was shoved roughly backwards landing on his butt, air huffing out. And the door was rudely slammed in our faces. Martin O'Donnel moving protectively in front of his family.

Aide assured us it was okay. It had been Maya pushing him away and slamming the door.

This meant the cellar was off limits to ALL of us, Aide included. Aide told us Maya told him this had once been the domain of a powerful and evil witch. Long before the Manor was even built. It might even explain why all the bad things were drawn here. He even thought a priest might be needed. I hoped a call to the Vatican wouldn't be needed. They weren't too keen on this kind of thing.

And so it was the 'safe' zone of the house was established in the living area. We were all to sleep there, including Corky. No one was to be anywhere alone and adults only were to be in the kitchen. No one but Aiden was to approach the attic and the cellar was to be sealed by a priest and never opened again.

That night I helped Maggie with dinner, Aide and Martin watched over the kids and the dog.

We bedded down for the night. Aide and I established a salt ring right around the perimeter of the sleeping area, and lit six lamps which were to be kept on throughout the night. We smudged the room and occupants with White Sage and left incense burning as we turned in.

It was as I opened my eyes, disturbed by the chiming of the clock, my stomach dropped. All the lights were out. "Oh crap!" I whispered.

I sat quietly up and looked around. The O'Donnel's were sleeping. Macy was curled up with the dog. I saw immediately why something had been able to get in and switch the light's off. Moonlight shone through the French doors leading out to the court yard. Macy had rolled over in the night, her little leg kicking out and making a small gap in the salt line. Just enough to allow a trickster in.

I crawled silently over to Aide, and shook him awake. He came to quickly and started when he saw the lamps were out. He got up and I showed him where Macy had rolled over and kicked the salt line. We had to establish that whatever turned off the lights was not within the circle still. If we replaced the salt and it was still lurking it would be trapped in here with us.

"Wake them up Shan, we need them in the middle of the circle, Corky too." Aide said.

I nodded, we woke them up. All of them scared and panicky. Macy started to cry when she realized she and been the one who ruined the salt. But we assured her it was okay and just an accident.

Aide and I positioned ourselves at a lamp each and began invoking the protection spell again.

"Now!" Yelled Aiden and we flicked on the lights. Macy squealed as revealed in the lights were a ghostly pair of children. A girl, and a boy.

"McKinley!" Yelled Macy once she was over her shock.

"Who are you two?" I asked the kids.

The little boy stuck his thumb in his mouth, and hid behind the girl. She came to stand in front of me.

"My name is McKinley, this is Jimmy. We didn't mean to scare you."

"Nice to meet you two." I replied, "Did you turn off the lights?"

McKinley nodded.

"Why did you do that?" I asked her.

"Mrs Tweed, I was scared she would see the lights on after midnight and come in here. She would punish you. Like she punished us."

"Who is Mrs Tweed?" I asked.

"The lady in black. She took me and Jimmy to the attic. A bunch of others too. She did things to us up there, and then she put us in the walls."

"Why did she put you in the walls?"

"She was running out of room in the garden." The ghost girl replied. I shuddered.

"McKinley, did you die here? Did Mrs Tweed kill you in the attic?"

"Yes, Jimmy too. There are more. There are older people too."

"My God." Murmured Maggie, tears shining in her eyes.

"McKinely, you and Jimmy don't wish us harm do you?" I asked.

"No, we're trying to protect you. Mrs Tweed always comes after midnight." She replied.

"Are you guys still afraid of Mrs Tweed?"

McKinley nodded solemnly, Jimmy continued hiding behind her and made small sounds of fear.

"Would you like to stay in the salt circle with us? If I close it, she can't come in. We'd be in invisible to her."

McKinley nodded, "You must hurry, she's coming down."

Aide and I quickly poured more salt in the gap. McKinley bid us to turn off the lamps. The O'Donnel's were not too happy to be sharing the confined space with the spirits, but Macy assured her parents that McKinley was her friend. But then there was no time left to argue. Throughout the tour and the night so far Corky had been quietly laying on the floor. Suddenly he sprang to his feet, facing towards the door and staircase. He never attempted to cross the salt, but his hackles stood up all along his back and he growled low and deep in his throat. Teeth bared.

A few seconds later, the treads on the stairs creaked, and the unmistakable sound of descending footfalls could be heard. The atmosphere grew heavy, and I could almost have sworn the house itself was holding it's breath.

Someone or something was coming down the stairs. We also held our breath, and waited.