Hailie was walking from one side of the corridor to the other side. Bodyguards watching the security footage must have taken her for some kind of crazy, undecided girl, which she probably was. She was planning to leave, then she was coming back again. It was like an endless conflict of what to do. It seemed like a terrible idea, but it was her only idea. She needed to talk with somebody. She needed to calm down and have a break from the demonic world. Lost on a carousel of overthinking she finally stopped in front of the door.
He might not even be there, she thought, not sure if that was a better option or not. And what if he is there? What will I tell him?
She turned away from the door, but then she changed her mind again.
Okay, just knock, Hailie. Knock, knock.
She raised her hand, looking at the door like it was the most terrifying thing she has ever seen. But it was just a door. And a man being behind them.
"Are you planning to knock or have you changed your mind?"
Her eyes got wider as she slowly looked at the guy standing at the end of the corridor. Shane came closer with a big smile on his face. It was hard not to laugh. Hailie was too sweet.
"I-I, um, yes, but now I don't have to, because you're not inside actually, you're here. With a bag of groceries. You were out and I was here, but it's not like I was waiting, cause you know, I haven't knocked yet. But I planned to knock."
Is it already time to facepalm or should I wait and see what else will come out of my mouth?
"Okay, thanks for the explanation," he said, smirking. "How can I help you?" He took keys from his pocket and opened up the door for her. "Please, come inside."
"Thanks."
Shane's apartment looked too clean, just as if he wasn't spending here a lot of time. It had a spacious, modern kitchen, perfect for someone who likes to cook. The living room was comfortable, painted in basic colors and full of cushions laying on the couch and armchairs. Hailie thought that the apartment looked like it was empty, like Shane barely moved in. Did he spend all his time at the police station?
"Is it too neat?" he asked, just as if he knew what she was thinking about. "I like to keep it tidy. The last thing I want to see when I'm coming late from work is my stuff laying all over the place." He put bags with groceries on the kitchen table. "So, may I know what do I owe the pleasure to see you here? And with," he tilted his head, "new clothes? And is that a toothbrush?"
She looked at her own shopping. She bought everything that might be needed for staying overnight, but now it must have looked confusing. How was she supposed to ask?
Shane was the only person she could go to.
"I, um, it's stupid, but, how do I say it, may I, just," words were coming out of her mouth, sounding like a babble. She started nervously changing her weight from one foot to another.
"Hailie," he put his hand on her arm, trying to calm her down. With his other hand he took her bags and looked inside. The second thing he noticed, after the toothbrush, were pajamas. "Do you want to stay over?" he asked, not knowing what to think of that.
"Yes," she whispered, not daring to look into his eyes.
"Want to tell me what happened?"
He thought it was something about Lucien. In Shane's opinion he was nothing more than a trouble. He had to deal with his kind in the work several times.
"Not really."
That was the problem. She had nobody to talk with. What was she supposed to say?
I'm living with demons under the same roof. They can influence my thoughts, my feelings. Oh and by the way, Shane, if you're wondering about the missing students, they're already dead. Killed in my house. House full of blood and misery.
Obviously, she couldn't say such a thing. She didn't want to lie either, because it would hurt her only more.
"You're trembling," he noticed it right away.
And when he said it with his voice so caring and worried, she couldn't hold it any longer. She hugged into him and cried aloud. There was no point in pretending to be strong. She was just tired of all those lies and mysteries, and problems.
"I'm sorry, I just can't go back there, not tonight."
He instantly embraced her tightly and patted on the back, trying to calm her down. She wished to have an evening of relaxation. Watch a movie and eat sweets, while not thinking about demons, who might have been right beside her, invisible. She had no privacy in the house.
"You can stay here for as long as you want, Hailie," he said, wondering if he has a spare quilt and pillows. His heart beat suddenly became faster, now that he knew Hailie would be staying in the living room.
"It won't be a problem?" She wasn't sure if that was the right idea but coming back home was the last thing she wanted to do.
"How can you even think so? Of course, it won't be a problem. You're always welcomed here, Hailie." She was keeping her face hidden in his t-shirt, while all he wanted was to make her feel better. "Please, tell me what happened. Has Lucien hurt you?"
She shook her head, wiping tears into his shirt.
"It's the house," she mumbled and raised her chin. Shane noticed that her eyes seemed absent, like she was lost and troubled. "I can't go back there, I can't."
He slowly took her by the arm and led to the couch. She sat down, but her hands were still trembling out of nervousness.
"What about the house?" Shane took her hands into his. Hailie looked at him.
"It's haunted," she had to say it, even if he wouldn't believe her. "It really is."
He didn't try to make fun out of her. Deeply down he knew that she wasn't lying. Everybody in the town believed that this house was haunted by evil. Nobody could prove it, but people knew that the amount of death around there wasn't coincidental.
"Haunted as closing doors, creepy footsteps, shadows in the room and all that?"
"No," she laughed at his words, knowing that was the purpose of them. Shane knew that this house was haunted in a very different way than ghostly things shown in the movies. After this short moment of amusement, her face became serious again. "It's more than this. It's the aura of this house. It's making you do things, influencing your thoughts and changing you. You can't feel it, until it's too late. Until it's done."
What was true? She knew that demons wanted to help her that way, but she preferred not knowing about this. Otherwise, it became too horrible. Because if they could change her for better, could they also change her for worse? How much of it was actually her thoughts and emotions? She wanted to believe that something has changed in her life and that she managed to do it.
"I felt it too. This house, it's something else, isn't it? Honestly, I don't like being there. You can stay here as long as you want, until we figure out what to do next"
Her eyes got wider.
"It's only for this night," she said into the space, but that wasn't true. Once again, she looked like she was far away from here, buried deep down in her mind. "There's nothing to do next. This house, as much as it scares me... I cannot stay away from it for too long. It's like I was already bound to it, like I was a part of it. I don't think I could move out. Actually, I know I couldn't."
Her words made Shane feel uneasy. She said them without any emotion, just as if she was stating a fact. It freaked him out.
"Let me get you a blanket, okay?" he proposed, because she had goosebumps.
Shane quickly went to his bedroom and took a blue blanket, which was lying folded on the chair. He wrapped it around Hailie's body and kneeled in front of her, but she didn't even blink, looking at something behind him. He turned his head back, but there was nothing there.
"Don't worry, Shane. I'm safe there," she said.
"Maybe nothing happened now, but then again, people weren't dying in this house instantly. Sometimes it took them months or years before they became insane or dead."
He knew all the stories. Living in a town with a haunted house, it was obvious that everybody was curious about the history of this place. He believed that in the library there was a whole section about The Bloody Mansion.
"You don't understand. This house... It's like you having a friend. The most amazing friend, the true one. But then this friend does something really, really bad. And again, and again. And even if you know that the bad things won't stop, you can be sure that nothing is going to happen to you. Because it's a friend. A friend wouldn't hurt you."
She believed that she was safe there. Pride wouldn't let anybody kill her. Not even her demon buddies could do that.
Hailie wasn't scared of the house and demons living inside. She lived there a short time, but it was the best time of her life. But after finding out the truth, after knowing about the deaths that will continue, could she really still live there? And yet she couldn't imagine leaving this house. That was the problem. She could neither stay nor leave. Was she a bad person because of that? She couldn't stop demons from their evil methods of providing themselves fun, but still she was willing to live under the same roof as them. She was willing to talk to them and unfold more about their existence. At the same time Hailie wished to separate herself from everything connected to demons and the house. She was so lost in her thoughts, that it became blurry what she really wished for.
"Don't get me wrong, but I think that you need a break from the house. I'm glad you came to me."
He didn't want to say to Hailie that she sounded a little bit like a lunatic. He thought that she was holding on well, but it clearly wasn't the truth. Then, what else did he expect after someone living in The Bloody Mansion? Sooner or later this house was affecting everybody, who has ever set foot in there.
"I think I need a break to think by myself," she agreed.
"And you need to relax, so let me make you something to eat and we can watch a movie together? Sounds good?"
She sent him a weak smile. A movie was a good idea. And later she could go to sleep and forget for a moment about all those troublesome things.
"Sounds good. I can find something. Maybe an action movie?"
He laughed, surprised by her proposition.
"And there I thought I would be forced to watch a romance."
She looked into his bright, green eyes.
"I can still change my mind, so be careful."
"Is that a threat, miss?"
She shrugged and got in a mood for some provocation. The longer she was looking at Shane the more she wanted to hug into him again.
"And what if it is?"
He stood up, looking at Hailie from the top. His muscular figure made Hailie wondering how much he was practicing. Did police officers have everyday training? Could she watch?
"Then, I'm afraid," he smirked like he had an idea what to do with her, "I'll have to tickle you." He quickly fulfilled his threat, what made Hailie laugh loudly.
"I give up! I give up! No romance movies!"
Shane was still leaning over her. Their faces were so close to each other and the tension was growing. How easy it would be to kiss her now, to feel her smooth lips. He could make the first step, but then he noticed uncertainty in Hailie's eyes. He got a feeling she wasn't ready, and he couldn't blame her for that. After all the suffering because of Jayson's actions, it was nothing unusual that she didn't trust men. Even though Shane wanted to kiss Hailie so badly, he moved aside, giving her all the time and space she needed. She felt safe enough to come to his apartment in her moment of fear. He didn't want to ruin it by some reckless actions.
"So, I propose some popcorn and sandwiches for the movie, might be?"
She smiled gratefully.
"Yes, it's perfect."
***
Like the story so far?
Check out also my other book - "The Death's Game"!
It's set in the same universe ;)
With Love, Caroline ❤️
Ig: Caroline_Korlins