Chapter 51

We had intentionally not used the tunnel to get to the mansion given that it already was an obvious route and we plan on sneaking up on the shadows, if that is even possible

We also needed to set as much on fire as possible and the tunnel will be our major route of escape but the moist weather in the forest area was going to be a problem so we switched to plan B

We head fast towards the mansion, the sun had just barely risen and the morning still had the flare of last night’s chill breeze. the mansion slowly comes into view

We excitedly hurry towards it but stop when we notice that the door was closed. We raise our weapon and point it towards the door

With slow calculated footsteps we stroll closer and closer to the door, when we get to the door, I gently push it and it strides open. Cool air hits my face and I freeze, aiming my spray can inside. I snap the lighter and slowly enter into the building

“Rose, you will wait out here, find the back door” I say and Rose nods and leaves

“I will light the house up… you need to be fast” Olivia says and I smile back at her

We enter the dark building which is now very cold, I light the fire lamp and Olivia gets the other lamps and spill the content on the floor around also heading to the rooms, I leave her to it, I get the lamp I lighted and head for the underground door, but it wouldn’t open. Anytime I attempt to open it, some cold breeze run over my body and the door wont just move

I get up and join Olivia “the door won’t open, we need to break through” I declare when she looked at me confused

“ok, but the rooms are completely empty” she responds

“lets go get something heavy but we will light up the rooms first” I say and we plunge into action, we trail the liquid in the lamp to the mouth of the both corridors

I light a fire lamp and drop it where the liquid trail meets, the glass shatters and flames erupts, travelling through the liquid into the corridors and to the rooms. Satisfied that the place was properly set and our countdown had began

We rush outside and look through the woods for fallen branches. The wind outside botched violently around us that we could barely see clearly yet we purged further, looking through the woods for any sign of a log of wood. no sign so I hurry back towards the mansion

“what is the plan Bell?” Olivia shouts after me trying to meet up with my pace. There is a table in the hall and we could use it to break the door. I burst into the building and the fire had picked up its burning rage. I cover my nose with a cloth I wet with water and hurry to the table but it is quite heavy

I grunt in pain trying to lift it. Olivia joins hands, she had covered her nose too, we both struggle with the table and move it towards the door

We wobble it backward with one point of the rectangle pointed towards the door. We move back and hurry forward hitting the table against the door but the door doesn’t react. We will definitely need more force for the door to bulge

We drop the table to catch our breath and Rose rushes in “time is ticking” she yells

“you –”

“I found it! I came in through that way but the flames will be all over it in minutes, we can only use the front door so we need to hurry”

We lift the table and Rose joins in, we swing the table again and hit the door, we hit again and again and again, before the door starts to yield and then it breaks into the narrow hall. We immediately drop the table and reach for the pieces of the door to get it out of the way,

“wait for us outside!” I say to Rose

“I want to come with!” she responds

“its dark and narrow!” Olivia warns

“I don’t want to be scared of the dark anymore and more so of ghosts” she says. we both look at her in awe “I know that Tony told you” she says and smile “Thelma is my friend too”

Something falls behind her and sparkles of flames erupts from the fallen object, we all rush into the narrow corridor, crawling through the corridor with nothing to sight – even though she struggles to keep it cool, I can hear Rose whimpering behind us. I light my lighter – like it was going to help but then that could help soothe her stress levels with the corridor

The wall of the tiny corridor weren’t smooth with the carvings all over it, next thing I know I fell into a small room, I grunt and force myself to my feet, rubbing my elbow which I had landed with

I look around the dark room “be careful, I just fell!” I shout to them. I blindly search for the lighter on the floor, until I found it

Olivia falls through and Rose follows suit. The room is so cold that I am shivering in the jacket I wore. The air is still but the whispers grew and faded in our ears with faint wailing after each whisper faded – they must be trying to do something but the heat and light above wouldn’t let them

“ooh, I can totally breath properly” Rose whimpers further

“here, hold my hand” Olivia offers. I turn back but I can only barely picture the outline of their bodies from the darkness in the room. I collect the lamp from Olivia

“its ok Rose, we are definitely not going anywhere” I say

I light the lighter again and turn back around, they follow my lead as I scavenge through the empty room. The walls have carvings too, I walk forward until I got to the edge of the room and there lies the circle. It is the exact size I imagined but instead of a candle light in the middle, there is a carved heart painted in red with something I hoped was not blood

“found it!” I laugh but stop before it reaches my eye, Harper is going to die the moment I lit this circle on fire, I suck in a breath – maybe there is a way we can flee without having to do this, there should be a way I can save Harper, there has always been a way, a loophole no matter what it was. I cannot just let him go like that right?

A huge blow sounds behind me, I gasp and the lamp holder leaves my hand and crashes in the middle of the circle, pouring out its liquid into the circle. Olivia whimpers and fall to the ground, I turn around but I cannot see anything “Rose? Olivia?”

“I am here” Rose says “I think something happ –” another blow interrupts Rose and she falls to the ground. I drop the lighter on the circle and the flame surges through bright enough so I can see my contender early enough to dodge the huge plank she swung in my direction

I stumbled away from the fire and watched the female figure try to stop the fire, I rush to her and jump on her back and we both fall away from the fire. A huge wail erupts through the room and into the corridor and she panics

“I thought only men planned all these” I joke flexing my hand, I might have not learned to fight but being who I was in high school I have slapped a fair share of girls and I kick ass too. The girl rushes to the flame again and I rush to her and drag her back with one hand and turn her to face me, then I slap her