The Fourth Mistress

Chapter 42 - Luring Of The Shadow

Music Recommendation: Haunted Halloween Mansion Fireplace with Thunder, Rain and Howling Wind

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It was midnight, and in the Reeds manor, the family members and the servants were fast asleep in their rooms. Deep in slumber, unknown of the entity that moved in the deserted corridors.

The candles that had been lit earlier had fizzled out, leaving smoke behind, and so did the fireplaces in most of the rooms in the manor. An eerie silence filled the place, even where the moonlight passed through the windows and fell on the walls and floor. 

Same as the others in the manor who were sound asleep, in the chamber that belonged to Senior Mr. and Mrs. Reed, the couple were fast asleep. The room's door slowly opened, and someone who was forgotten stepped into the room—slowly moving towards the bed while watching the older couple. It was the ghost that had been haunting them and seeking revenge. 

Its feet dragged across the floor and came to a stop at one side of the bed. The ghost looked nothing less than a shadow in the darkness of the room: hair that was long and the dress worn dirty. The ghost leaned forward towards Robert Reed's ear and breathed. 

As if something poked his subconscious, Robert abruptly woke up from his sleep with wide eyes. He sat up in his bed, turning to look at his wife, who was sleeping. Looking around the room, which was surrounded in silence. 

The room's door suddenly shut close, and he was quick to look at it. He was sure that before he and his wife had got into the bed, he had closed the door. With furrowed eyebrows, he stepped out of bed. Placing his feet on the ground, he made his way towards the door. Opening it, he stepped out and looked around, but he didn't find anyone. 

Was it the servants or someone else who had broken into the room? The frown on his forehead only increased, and he made his way through the corridor to check who the intruder was. 

Robert walked in the deserted halls of the manor, his eyes trying to catch the culprit. But while he did that, he failed to notice the shadow that had followed him since the very time he had left his room. The ghost followed him from behind. 

While walking past the dining room, he heard whisperings. The wind outside the manor had increased its velocity, trying to make its way into the manor through the scarce space. 

"Who is in there?" Robert demanded from the person who was causing unwanted mischief in the middle of the night. "Come out right this instant," he waited. 

The whisperings suddenly stopped, and silence fell around him. To check if anyone had entered the dining room, he stepped inside. Finding no one, he turned back to the door to step outside, but the door shut. He tried to open it but couldn't. 

"This is not funny! Unlock the door right now, else you will face consequences!" Robert banged on the door, and the sound echoed through the quiet corridor. But by the time the sound reached the rooms of the manor members, it almost fell on deaf ears. 

'Consequences,' came the whisper from the corner of the room where there was nothing but darkness. 

Robert, who had earlier checked, was surprised to hear someone speak in the room. He turned around, his back facing the door, and noticed a silhouette that came into view. 

"Who is it? This is no hour to be playing games," Robert turned back to the door. Holding the doorknobs, he shook it to get it open, but the door didn't budge as if someone had locked it. 

Robert decided to light the lantern that was usually kept on the dining table. But when he lit the lantern, he finally turned back, and his eyes fell on the person in the room. 

The man stumbled back in shock as if not expecting to see an unknown person in the room, especially not one who looked inhuman. 

"Who are you?!" demanded Robert, his eyes warily looking at the ghost. "Gilbert? Jonas? Philip? Is anyone out there!" he shouted. He quickly ran to the door with the burning lantern in his hand, this time banging the door harder with his hand turned into a fist. "Someone open the door!" 

'Sshh,' came the whisper from the ghost as if to silence him. 

When Robert turned around, the ghost had disappeared, and he heard a woman's laugh that echoed in the wide dining room. 

The laugh was spine chilling and cold to hear that soon turned as if someone was crying in the corner of the room. By this time, Robert was not just worried but also had turned scared after seeing the person who had been haunting. 

"Gilbert!" Mr. Reed continued to bang the door. 

After a few seconds, the crying stopped to leave the room quiet. Robert realized something was wrong. It was because the ghost had come to stand right behind him. He quickly turned around, and his eyes grew wider as if in realization. His mouth and throat went dry.

"You… Y-you. It is not possible! Get away from me!" he shouted from the top of his lungs. "Get away!!" he screamed. 

Amid the thunder striking in the sky, Mr. Reed screams seeped out and in the halls, echoing in the deserted corridor and finally disturbed the others' sleep. The room where Lady Viola's room was sleeping wasn't too far from the dining room, and she noticed the other side of her bed empty and called her husband, 

"Robert?" but she received no reply. 

Where was he? Asked Lady Viola to herself.  She quickly wore her robes and lit the candles.

Stepping out of the room, she looked around while wondering where her husband had disappeared in the middle of the night. As she walked, she looked at the grandfather's clock that showed four past eleven in the corridor. Lady Viola frowned but continued looking for her husband. When she came to where the dining room was located, she noticed light spilling out from the room with the door left ajar. 

She had made sure to tell the butler that after the servants cleaned everything and finished having dinner, they were supposed to go to their rooms and not roam the corridors. She wondered which servant dared to light up a lantern and spend time in the dining room. 

Walking towards the dining room, she pushed the door open.  When her eyes fell on her husband, who was sitting at the head of the table, Lady Viola's face turned pale and her lips trembled in shock. 

"AHH!!!" a loud shrill scream escaped Lady Viola's lips, and that was enough to wake the rest of the people in the manor. 

Louise, who had been wrapped in Graham's arms around her while he spooned her in the bed, her sleep was quick to break, and so was Graham's. It took a few seconds for them to try understanding what was happening. She asked, 

"Did you hear that?" 

Graham, who had woken up alarmed, said, "It must have come from the ground floor."