Chapter Sixteen

Ben opened the door and went back into the hallway. This time, he moved normally through the corridor. Whatever force had been keeping him in place earlier was gone now. He sprinted back to room 501 and closed the door forcefully behind him.

The sound woke Cameron, who sat up in the bed and asked, “What time is it?”

“It’s time to go. Like, right now. We have to go. Get up, get dressed, let’s get the hell out of here.”

“What happened?”

Ben sat down on the bed. He was silent for a moment, contemplating how much to tell Cameron. “Well, I woke up earlier, and you were still sleeping. I went to the third floor to start the investigation alone. I saw the bride again, and this time, there was another spirit, a really tall guy who said ‘Get Out’ to me. I went up to the fourth floor, where I saw a construction worker and a woman with a baby. They both disappeared within seconds of me seeing them. So, I came up to the fifth floor. I saw the ghost of a soldier, who said, ‘You were warned’ and then that nurse attacked me, the same one who attacked you. Then, I got stuck in a- a time loop of sorts, but not really a time loop. I was running but wasn’t going anywhere. I was stuck in one place. And then, I discovered this hidden room. In the hidden room were these pentagrams, and government research into demonology. They summoned a demon who took over the house, and kills people and traps their spirits here. We gotta get out of here now!”

Ben realized he was rambling, but he didn’t care. His heart was beating faster, his adrenaline was pumping, and his breath was getting short.

“Okay, just calm down,” Cameron spoke slowly. “Before we go on the internet making accusations like this, against the government, we need some sort of evidence to present, right?”

“Right.” Ben’s breathing slowed, and he felt a little calmer.

“Okay. So, we need proof. Let’s go back to this room and get those papers. We’ll take pictures of the room, and then, we’ll leave. But first, we should tell Tara. If she’s in danger, we should warn her, too.”

“I forgot about Tara. I haven’t even seen her since we got here.”

“Me neither. It makes me wonder why she even came. I thought her job was to observe your investigation and write about it.”

“I thought so, too. But she’s been in her room the whole time. At least, I assume she’s in her room. For all I know, she’s left already.”

“We should go make sure.”

“Agreed.”

Ben stood slowly and timidly. He was hesitant to venture outside the relative safety of their room. They had already been attacked by ghosts. Ben’s instincts still screamed to get out of the house.

Cameron, noticing the worried expression on Ben’s face, said, “Relax. I’m here to protect you, remember?”

Ben was not reassured. What they were dealing with here was far beyond Cameron’s skillset. Protecting him from radical insurgents would be one thing, but these were supernatural forces, the definition of pure evil.

Ben shakily turned the doorknob and peered out into the hallway. It was empty, and there was no sign of activity. He quickly crossed the hall and knocked on the door to room 502. There was no answer. Cameron picked the lock and swung the door open. The room was empty and looked as if Tara had left in a hurry.

The drawers of the dresser were open partially, and the bed sheets were mussed. There were no personal belongings of any kind, and Ben noticed a salt-like substance on the floor. It formed the shape of a pentagram. Ben felt a chill down his spine.

“Do you think she did this?” Cameron asked, looking down at the five-pointed star on the floor.

“Either she did, and she summoned the spirits in the house, or she didn’t and the house did, which means she could be in trouble. We should go see if her car is still here.”

The two backed out of the room quickly and closed the door. “Wait.” Cameron stopped in the hallway. “We should go get those papers first. If she is gone, I don’t want any reasons for us to have to come back up here.”

“Good thinking,” Ben replied. They turned around and walked in the other direction. Ben stopped outside room 515. He looked for the door to the hidden room but could not find it. He tapped on the walls, listening for a hollow echo, but found nothing. It was as if the hidden room had disappeared.

Ben re-traced his steps, trying to recall exactly where he had seen the door to the hidden room. He had been stuck in the loop earlier when he found it the first time. Perhaps that was it. The door would only be visible from within the loop.

Still searching, Cameron gingerly opened the door to room 515. He jumped backwards, startled. Standing right before him was the apparition of the bride, grotesque and bloodied in her stained wedding gown. Ben knew that this was a bad sign. He had determined that the bride was a residual haunting, and as such, should be confined to the area where she had died. She should not have been present on the fifth floor of the mansion.

Ben had a terrible sense of dread, and fear overcame him as Cameron stepped backward and the spirit came closer. She opened her mouth and emitted an ear-piercing scream. Both Ben and Cameron turned to run. Cameron sprinted down the hallway, but Ben seemed frozen in place. He was in the loop again. As soon as he realized it, he stopped running. He looked to his left, and sure enough, there was the door. Ben turned the knob and dove inside, as the spirit of the bride moved closer to him.

Cameron sensed that Ben wasn’t running with him. He stopped and turned around in time to see Ben disappear from the hallway. Cameron shouted “BEN!” He started to run back toward Ben when the spirit of the nurse appeared. She shoved Cameron backwards and grabbed him by the arm. She twisted hard. Cameron felt his shoulder dislocate.

The pain was blinding. He screamed in agony as he fell to the floor. Survival instincts kicked in, and he fought through the pain. He stood, using his left arm for support, and started running again. He ran all the way back to room 501 and slammed the door behind him. His arm still throbbing in pain, Cameron picked up his cell phone, planning to call 9-1-1. No signal. He was trapped in room 501 with no way to call for help.