Page 11 of Chillingham Castle

“Man, that had to fuckin’ hurt,” Reaver muttered, checking it out. He yelped, and I spun back to him just in time to see the door slam shut with him inside.

“Reaver!” I yelled. I leapt at the iron maiden as there was a squeaking noise.

Reaver shouted and pounded the metal.

My heart slammed against my chest as I wrenched at the release.

In horror, I saw the wheel turn, and Reaver banged harder. His eyes gazed at me in fright as the wheel kept turning.

“Dive!” he bellowed.

“I’m trying,” I gasped, looking around. I spotted a crowbar, grabbed it, and forced the latch open. Reaver fell out, and I caught him as he stumbled.

“I was sucking my gut in,” he complained as we stared at the iron maiden. Beads of sweat decorated his head, and his hands slightly shook.

“Jesus Christ,” I muttered.

“Yeah.” Reaver didn’t need to say anything else. That one word summed it up.

Chapter Three.

Jack

I glanced around the Pink Room; for now, everything was calm. There’d been no sign of activity despite several call-out sessions. Considering this was a child, I’d brought the Spirit Draw Freddie had designed, and we were using a Spirit Bear, a teddy with an Ovilus inside. Reaver had also placed some Spirit Balls down.

“Hi, is the child named Blue Boy here?” I called out. It was nearing midnight when he was meant to be active.

“My name is Jack, and this is Reaver, Coffee, and Suga. They’re friendly even though they look mean. We want to talk or say hello to you,” I said.

Suga stiffened, his head cocking towards a wall.

“What is it?” I muttered.

“The mic is picking up scratching,” he murmured, and a chill ran down my spine.

“A mouse?” I suggested, and Suga shook his head. He slowly panned his camera to pinpoint the source, then walked closer to a wall.

“It’s originating from here,” he answered.

“Is that where…” Suga asked, but stopped.

“The boy was bricked up—allegedly so, yeah,” I replied.

We moved away from the wall. I glanced around at what was a pleasant room: pale walls, a large fireplace, a cosy armchair next to it. It appeared more fitting for a woman than a man, but it carried a calming aura. Pictures, several rugs, and the bed furnished the room. It was clear why the ghost kept appearing here.

No matter how hard I listened, I couldn’t detect any sounds, but Suga was focused on the wall. He made a chatting motion with his hand.

“Blue Boy, we can hear scratching. Is that you, my friend? Nobody means you harm. I can understand how scary it must be, but we want to talk. You can call me Jack if you like. If you’re here, see these balls; if you push them, they’ll light up and let me know where you are.” I crouched and pushed one of the spirit balls. They emitted a tinkling sound, and we all sensed something sharpen its focus.

Somebody was present who hadn’t been before.

“This is a cuddly bear,” I continued. “It’s soft and huggable, look.” I hugged the bear, and it made a noise. “If you’re frightened to talk to us, you can speak to this, and it will repeat your words. And this last piece is called a Spirit Draw. You can draw pictures on it.” I moved the knobs and drew some lines and circles.

Stepping back, I sat in the armchair. Suga remained in his corner while Reaver and Coffee watched carefully, their cameras aimed at the toys.

“There’s something here, but it’s shy,” Reaver said.

“Yes, I’m picking that up,” I replied as we waited patiently.