Into the Shadows

Chapter 15: The Guesthouse

I slept through the entire ride to Neidpath Castle and when I woke up, I was the only one in the car. The guys were nowhere to be seen, but the bags were all still around me. I decided that I didn't want to wander around at a haunted castle by myself while I was still not completely sober, so I stayed in the car. 

At some point I had fallen asleep again and when I woke up, I was alone. The light were off but I was laying down somewhere. I was confused and scared when I realized I was completely unable to control my body. I was stuck laying against what felt like a bed. 

"Sleep Paralysis..." I huffed frustrated.

Yelling for help wasn't worth it. I didn't know where the guys were, if they could hear me or not. I just sat there for a bit, thinking of what I should try first to get myself released. 

"St. Michael the Arch Angel might be a bit of overkill," I thought aloud, "maybe just a Hail Mary or a Salve Regina?" 

I heard a noise off to my left and despite my better judgement I looked at it and stared down the darkness. I knew this wouldn't scare whatever was there away, but maybe it would make it mad enough to confront me. Maybe then I would have a better grasp on what to do next. 

"Who are you?" I asked it. I knew it had to be a spirit of some sort. 

"Why would I tell you that? Why would I ever tell you anything?" It hissed from the corner, shuffling sounded as a figure drew closer. 

"Ghost or demon, it doesn't matter," I said, "I'll get rid of you if you so much as touch me!" 

"Threats, threats, all these empty threats," it morphed into a deep and masculine voice, "I'm the one holding you now, will you do anything about that?" 

"St. Michael or Mary, take your pick you, leech!" I fired back. 

The figure was leaning over me now and I could feel something drip down on my stomach. I stared the figure in the face. Even with blood dripping down its face from the eyes and the grey and purple marbled skin I could recognize the face. 

"Demon!" I yelled at him kicking my legs, but my arms and torso were still in its grasp. 

It did not take long to realize why my legs were released. Soon I felt fingers curling around my neck and I was helpless to stop it. Before the demon could squeeze my throat closed I screamed with all my might, hoping the boys were close enough to help me. 

"AHHH" It came out more like a high pitched shrill than a scream but I heard a thud from the next room. 

"Lia?" the door burst open and the boys were all standing there. 

I still couldn't move but I gasped and sputtered as I felt the hold on my throat release. It was only a few short seconds, but the panic made it feel like hours. 

I stared off at the corner where the demon had emerged from, terror quite obvious in my eyes as the boys followed my gaze. They didn't see it, they turned the lights on before they could see it. 

It shushed me. It didn't want me to tell them, but I had to, demonic consequences be damed. 

"Lia? Wake up!" I felt someone grab my shoulder and my whole body was released from the demon's hold. 

"Leave!" I screamed, jumping up out of the bed, into the corner where that demon had been standing. 

"Are you okay?" I think it was Colby who was behind me, but I wasn't sure.

"Leave!" I screamed banging on the wall the demon had leaned against, "Leave us! Don't you dare come back here like that! I kill you, you demonic piece of shit! Leave him out of this!" 

I nearly put my foot through the wall with the force I was kicking with, but then I felt someone pull me away from the wall. 

I felt the shakiness return as we left the room and I was sat down on the couch in the common room of the little house we were in. It didn't look much like a castle. 

"Lia?" Colby crouched in front of me, holding my hands as he tried to get me to look at him, but I couldn't do it. There was no way I could look at him when I was this messed up by a demon. Not after the church when I made it seem like I had control. 

I felt something on my face drip onto my shirt and I jerked out of Colby's grasp. I took a sharp inhale as I pulled my shirt away from my neck inspecting what had just dripped on it. Colby seemed to notice what I was looking at. 

"Lia, you're crying. It's just tears what did you think it-" he stopped and looked at a lower point on my shirt. The place the blood had dripped on me. 

"Are you hurt?" Sam asked, "Where's the first aid kit?"

"I'm fine!" my voice was hoarse and my throat burned, but I managed, "Its not mine."

"What the hell do you mean it isn't yours?! Who else's blood could that be?!" Corey seemed panicked. 

"The thing I was screaming at..." I didn't finish speaking. I couldn't. 

"That's impossible! A ghost can't do that!" Sam countered. 

"It wasn't."

"Then what was it? A demon?" Jake seemed skeptical. 

I didn't reply. 

"Lia, what happened to your throat?" Colby asked as he brushed my hair away from the dark red and purpling bruise.

"Jesus Christ!" Corey's eyes widened.

I knocked Colby's hand away and pulled the collar of my shirt up to hide it. There was no use, they'd all seen it now. 

"What happened?" Colby was more forceful now, "Was there a person in the room with you?"

"No..." I croaked as the familiar sting in my eyes brought the tears back, "the thing... it just grabbed my throat, I'm fine though. I just wasn't prepared because I was sleeping, otherwise I would have been perfectly fine and in control." 

"Who is he then?" Jake asked. 

"He?"Corey looked to Jake then to Colby and I. 

"Yeah..." Colby looked at me oddly, "When you were screaming at the wall, you told whatever it was to leave 'him' out of it. Who were you talking about?" 

"It has nothing to do with you!" I pushed him away and stood, storming off into the bathroom I had spotted around the corner. 

I flicked the light on and closed the door, leaning against it. I needed to be alone. I couldn't handle thinking about dad without crying right now. I didn't want to lose it in front of the guys again. 

"Lia?" I heard a soft knock on the door. It was Sam. 

I sniffed and replied, "what?" 

"I'm sorry I yelled at you yesterday. We looked over the tapes while we were in the car on the way here and the camera picked up the figure behind me even though the rest of us didn't see it. You were trying to help and I was just frustrated and took that out on you. I'm sorry."

"I know, it's okay." 

"Do you want to tell me what happened in there?" he asked, "The rest of the guys went to set up the stuff for our investigation in the castle later. It'll stay between us if you want to talk about it." 

"I don't..." I told him.

"That's okay, you don't have to. If you want to be alone though, come sit out here in the living room and we'll all give you some space. You don't have to lock yourself in the bathroom." he chuckled.

"I don't want to talk about it, but I have to tell you." I stood up and opened the door.

"You really don't have to," he raised an eyebrow at my disheveled appearance. 

"I do, it'll be important for whatever you guys do tonight," I sniffled and wiped my eyes with my sleeve, "You need to now what's here before you do something stupid."