"Um, come again? Because I'm pretty sure I just heard you say there is a demon in one of the back bedrooms." Lizzy sputtered.
The ghost raised an eyebrow. "I don't know what you mean."
Lizzy blinked and shook her head. "What do you mean you don't know what I mean? You just said a demon was in one of the back bedrooms. It's a little hard to believe, after all."
"You're talking to a ghost, and you find it hard to believe that there is a demon in one of the back bedrooms?" Ruth shook her head, but she looked at Lizzy like she should know better, of all people.
Dolores tittered and shifted in her seat. "Mama. You know he's dangerous. It's a bad idea to tell her about him. It might tempt her to go see him."
Ruth frowned at her daughter. "I'm telling her exactly so she doesn't go back there and get herself killed seeking it out. There is nothing for you here, Lizzy. Nothing good. Go home." She shook her head and sighed, moving to pick up a needlework box sitting next to her chair. Her fingers wafted through the handle, and she glared at the item, her frustration palpable. "Now."
Lizzy stood from her seat and considered her options for several seconds. Hannah and her minions were still waiting for her outside the house and probably would for a while, or at least until dusk fell. It wasn't like she could leave any time soon.
She could explore some of the house instead. All the rooms seemed to be filled with gorgeous furniture and she was sure Ruth could give her a great history of the place. Ghosts always knew the juiciest gossip and information.
'Or I could totally go see what a demon looks like,' she thought to herself. 'You know, just to make sure it's really there.'
Glancing between Ruth and Dolores, a huge smile spread across her face. "I know you just said I shouldn't," Lizzy ignored the look Ruth shared with Dolores, "But, yeah, I definitely want to go see the demon." She jumped to her feet. "I am assuming 'back bedroom' means this floor."
Ruth shook her head, but smiled. "All right, but if you get hurt, it is your fault."
Dolores followed Lizzy, wringing her sweater between her fists. "Well, it's not like she'll see the door anyhow. It has an enchantment hiding it."
"Except the enchantments seem to be failing," Ruth replied. She eyed a patch of mold on the foyer walls.
Lizzy entered the kitchen and looked around. She was surprised to find the kitchen well stocked with appliances and furniture. Though they resembled something from the early twentieth-century, they were in remarkably good condition.
Running her hand over the stove, she glanced at Ruth. "When was this house built?"
"Construction finished in 1917, but Mr. Creston didn't move here until 1921. Even then, he was rarely in residence, flitting from one gathering to another. However, he made sure to outfit the house with the newest and best of everything." Ruth shuffled from the stove, to a counter, to the sink, and the icebox, mimicking the task of cooking. "I do miss keeping the house. I made the best cherry pies this side of the Sound."
Lizzy moved to the table, looking at the dishes. The patterns were pretty, but nothing special. She sighed, her curiosity piqued. "What happened to him?"
"Mr. Creston?" Ruth shook her head. "He was never here long enough for anyone to get to know him. He spent most of his time at the city club and with the ladies. Rumor has it that he had a few mistresses, but none of them stayed very long. Well, except the last one. But that isn't my story to tell."
Lizzy's eyes widened. "Wait, there was someone else who lived here?"
Ruth nodded. "The last owner. She was a lovely woman. She spent more time here than Mr. Creston did. The house was built for her, so she had plenty of room to entertain guests. She loved to have parties."
Lizzy chuckled and kept exploring the room. There was something off about it she couldn't quite put her finger on. Frowning, she walked back into the main hallway, then returned to the kitchen. "Something is off. It's almost like a hallway is missing." She thought for a moment and considered the layout of the house.
She noticed Ruth and Dolores sharing yet another look as she explored the hallway to the left. It seemed there was an old and thankfully empty pantry, as well as several tiny rooms she assumed were for house staff. A double set of doors at the end led to a formal dining room. A quick glance out the large bay windows revealed Hannah and her friends still lurking outside.
Once again, she entered the kitchen. This time, a shiver ran down her neck. Something was glittering on the far wall, the one that would lead to the right side of the house.
Squinting, she walked over to it and passed her hand over the area. Where she expected to feel paint and plaster, her hand instead encountered the wood of a set of doors. She explored further and found the handles.
"Holy shit," she whispered.
"Lizzy," Ruth said, right behind her shoulder.
She screamed and twirled, placing her hand over her chest. After taking several deep breaths to calm her racing heart, she said, "Don't do that to me!"
"Lizzy, we implore you not to go in there. Once you open this door, the enchantment hiding it will be broken and anyone could come behind you and let the demon out. It's evil. It lies. It will promise you things to convince you to free it, and then it will kill you once you do," Dolores said, standing in the center of the kitchen, her hand wringing in overdrive.
"So, it's not behind this door then?"
"Not immediately. The demon is locked in a bedroom at the end of the hallway," Ruth said. "And for good reason."
"Right. So, aside from lifting whatever thing keeps this door hidden, there really is no consequence to opening it."
"Mama, was I this stupid when I was alive?" Dolores asked.
Ruth chuckled and crossed her arms over her chest. "Obviously, we cannot stop you. Do what you will." There was a glint in her eye that made Lizzy hesitate. Were the ghosts setting her up? But she also really wanted to know what was on the other side of that door.
Lizzy placed her hands on the double knobs and twisted. The locking mechanism on the door groaned and ground together, as if it was trying to offer one last warning of resistance before popping apart. The doors swung inward. She held her breath.
Nothing. The light from the kitchen illuminated a dim hallway with three more doors on one side and a set of double doors at the end. Just like the hallway on the other side of the house. "Well, that was uneventful."
A loud thump reverberated down the hallway, as if something large fell to the floor on the other side. "What was that?" She didn't know if she was asking the ghosts, herself, or whatever could be on the other side of the door at the end of the hall.
Slowly, she made her way toward the far right wall. When she reached the corner, she peered around it and saw a short flight of stairs leading down into darkness. The walls were covered in an old, dark wood paneling that matched the trim on the rest of the house.
Slowly, she made her way down the hall. Her heart beat rapidly in her ears. The air reeked of dust and mold. Sunbeams fought for dominance against the shadows, dancing between the slats of wood covering the windows.
When she reached the halfway mark, she heard Ruth call after her, "Don't get too close! It has a further reach than you would expect."
"What?" She paused and glanced down. The hair on the back of her arms stood straight up. A chill ran through her body. Was it colder than it had been a few moments ago? And what was that smell? She sniffed but couldn't place it, though it reminded her of standing in the middle of the chemistry lab at school.
She looked at the door again. Black tendrils crept through a four-inch slot in the bottom of the wood. They twisted and wove, climbing higher and higher until they disappeared behind the top of the door.
They made her think of black silk floating in water, seeking further and further, searching for something. Cracks spread across the surface of the door. The entire thing shuddered.
A loud bang echoed through Creston House, followed by a screech that caused Lizzy to jump.
Lizzy jumped back, shuddering, and ran her hands over her arms as if trying to warm them. "Ok, you are right, that is fucking creepy."
"Who," a raspy voice on the other side of the door started. It cleared its throat and started again in a masculine baritone. "Who are you talking to?"
"Ruth. One of the ghosts in the house."
The dark tendrils retreated into the room, as if they were being sucked in like spaghetti, to reveal a very normal looking set of men's hands. The demon tapped his fingers on the wooden floor. "Don't listen to her. She is a servant of the bitch who trapped me here. You can't trust them. Not a single one of them."
"Funny, that's the same thing they said about you."
"I'm sure they did. Look girl," he paused. "I assume you are a girl, since you sound like one."
Lizzy grunted in the affirmative.
"Let me out of here. I've been trapped for a very long time. No one deserves that."
"Why?"
"Why what? Why am I trapped or why should you let me out? Kid, I'm not above begging at this point."
Lizzy laughed, then tempered it down. "Why are you trapped in this room, and how did it happen?"
She heard a long sigh from the other side of the door and the hands retreated. "It's a story as old as time. I met a woman. I started to fall for her. I found out she wasn't actually interested in me so much as what I could do for her. I confronted her. She got pissed. And then I found myself in here. Kid, mistakes were made, alright? But I've paid my time and then some. So, please, for the love of all that is... I don't even know. Just let me out!"
The man's voice cracked, and he took a deep breath before continuing. He cleared his throat again. "I need your help. Let me out. Please."
Lizzy bit her lip as she thought over the situation.
"It is a liar! It will play your emotions against you to convince you to do its bidding," Ruth hissed behind her.
Lizzy glanced back at the woman and frowned. Her face was twisted into a mask of hatred and anger. Agitated ghosts were never a good thing.
"I assume the ghost lady is running my good name through the mud," the demon said. Lizzy bit her lip to keep from laughing.
"They were probably right. I shouldn't be here." She turned to leave, but spotted a flash of pink outside the grimy windows. "Still? Seriously, don't they have anything better to do?"
Lizzy growled in frustration and sank to the floor, her back against the wall with the doors so she could glance outside every now and then.
"Alright, I'll bite. What's outside?"
Hesitating, she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. "Some girls I go to school with. They, uh, they think they are the shit and rule the world." She sniffed and continued, "I guess, in a way, they do. Well, our world, at least."
The demon chuckled. He cleared his throat again.
"Do you need some water?" Lizzy teased. "You sound like a frog."
She heard the demon snort on the other side of the door. "Water I have, but I wouldn't say no to something else. Anything else."
Lizzy laughed and looked up at the ceiling. She blew out a breath and closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again.
"What is it that you want?" she asked.
"Tell me everything. How does it make you feel?"
Lizzy narrowed her eyes at his tone. She couldn't tell if he was serious or being patronizing.
"How does what make me feel?"
"When they do this, how do you react? When they talk about you? Do you laugh? Are you angry? Tell me."
"Well, last time they caught me alone with no one inside screaming distance, they beat the shit out of me until I passed out. I woke up a few hours later covered in blood and bruises. They made sure to tell me they didn't care if I lived or died, then left me there to die. Fun times. I guess."
"Why?" The demon seemed surprised.
"Are you just pretending to care so I will let you out?"
He laughed again. It was a deep, hearty sound that warmed Lizzy's soul. "Shit! Was I that obvious? Tell me anyway."
Lizzy looked at her hands in her lap and pressed her lips together so she wouldn't smile. "I don't know. Because they're assholes. And I'm different. Do they need more than that?"
The demon laughed. His voice was melodic.
"Is that all? They're assholes because you're different?"
Lizzy rolled her eyes. "No, of course not. They are assholes because they can be. But... I guess, yeah, I am different. I mean, how many people can see and talk to actual ghosts?"
"Not many," the demon agreed.
Lizzy sighed and dropped her head into her hands.
"Huh," he grunted.
"What?"
"I'm pretty sure I've been in here for a while. Part of me hoped humanity would have evolved a bit since then."
Lizzy snorted. "According to the news, we've devolved. Lost our family values. Don't beat kids enough and all of that."
"Funny, that's what they said in my time, too."
Lizzy shook her head and pulled her knees up against her chest. She leaned back against the wall and watched the light from outside play across the floorboards.
They sat in silence for several minutes. Lizzy wondered what must be going through his head. "Am I the first person you've talked to in all this time? When were you locked in there?"
"No! I have visitors every day. In fact, Jane should be on her way over now. You should go, wouldn't want it to be awkward if she shows up. Jealous one, she is."
Lizzy rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I can see why they locked you in there. I would lock you in there too if you weren't already... well, locked in there."
He laughed. It was a deep, throaty sound that made her cheeks tingle and her stomach flutter. She turned her face away so he wouldn't see her blush and wondered if he could even see out the space under the door. Unfortunately, that meant she was staring at Ruth, who was wearing a sour and very disapproving glare.
"I could take care of them for you. You know, make sure they don't bother you anymore."
Lizzy glanced in his direction. "Don't tempt me."
The demon laughed again. He had such an easy laugh. One that made her feel like everything would be okay. That maybe things didn't have to be so hard.
She looked back at the floorboards and focused on keeping her breathing steady. She could hear him shifting, moving around, but she couldn't tell what he was doing from her position.
"That's exactly what it does! It tempts innocent people into making horrible deals with it!" Ruth's shrill declaration rang through her mind.
Grimacing at the volume, Lizzy glanced up at her. "Hey, the verdict is still out on you too, lady!"
Ruth gasped and placed her hand on her chest. "Why, I never! After I scared those horrible little girls out of the house for you and everything!"
"Yeah, thanks for that," Lizzy said. She tried her best to give the woman what she considered a disarming smile. "I really appreciate it."
"What's she saying?" the demon asked. "No, wait, she's going on again about how horrible I am."
"Are you sure you can't hear her?"
There was a soft chuckle from the other side of the door. "I imagine she hasn't changed much from when she was alive."
Ruth hmphed and crossed her arms tighter across her chest.
"You knew her? I thought you said she was a servant of your ex-girlfriend. Well, I guess that would make sense. If she was here with your ex, after all."
"I do remember that she makes fantastic pies," he commented. Lizzy glanced at Ruth and saw her arms loosen slightly. Her expression dropped two or three levels of severity. "So, about those girls."