A paranormal investigator's demon admirer

Chapter 5

All three of them had their eyes glued to the ceiling, looking for a feasible explanation for where the blood came from, but they were stupefied by the sight of a spotless ceiling with no blood on it whatsoever. Before anyone could recover from the state of shock they were in and utter a word, Lytton dashed out of the room. Duke and Leah took a long hard look at the ceiling before following him out of the room.

From the foyer, they entered the great hall that had an enormous, ornate curved staircase that led to the second floor. They didn’t find Lytton over there, so they walked into a hallway on the left of the great hall. There were scads of rooms in it, but they followed the sound of faint chattering that was coming out of a room situated at the very end of that hallway. Upon entering that room, they saw that everyone except Lytton was present there.

“Have you seen Mr. Lytton?” asked Leah.

“Yes, he is in the restroom,” answered Mr. Donald in his usual pleasant manner.

They all looked pretty calm and not at all bothered to have witnessed a man walk in with blood all over him, “Did you not notice anything strange about him?” asked Duke.

“Well, he did look a little alarmed and a bit strange,” answered Noah.

“But that’s just the usual look on his face keeping in mind the nature of his work and where...” began Hannah but was interrupted by the sudden entrance of Andrew Lytton in the room.

“Blood fell on me out of nowhere," said Andrew Lytton, and the entire room was dumbfounded. He paused for a while and got occupied in drying his hands and face with a handkerchief, “They didn’t notice the blood because I was covering my cheek. Also, my black clothing made the blood marks barely noticeable,” he spoke again, turning towards Duke and Leah.

“Are you okay?” asked Leah.

“Yes indeed,” answered Lytton as a corner of his mouth lifted, “Although it was barely an attack and more like a forewarning to flee or harm shall come that person's way. However, in comparison to what I have come up against in the past, this is scantly anything that would intimidate me.”

“I am glad that you are safe," said Mr. Donald, his eyes moved frantically around the room like he was in search of something, “A few people were called here before you to purify this estate, but something like that never happened to any of them.”

“It’s because demons primarily attack when they fear their lives might be in jeopardy,” spoke Lytton with an air of great importance, “They are sagacious creatures who can sense the powers one might possess. Usually, when they feel threatened by someone, they use scare tactics to drive that person away as soon as possible,” he finished by locking eyes with Hannah with a broad devilish grin on his face.

Leah had heard that Mr. Lytton was proficient in demonology, but to smile like a Cheshire cat all the time while bragging about being the main target of demonic entities made him look like a pompous maniac. That also reminded her of how overconfident he was during the first case they worked on together with him. Even though he had failed repeatedly, he was never downhearted and agreed to keep on trying as long as he was getting monetary compensation for it. They had heard rumors about him coming from a family of witches, so it made her wonder if there was some truth in that.

The housekeeper appeared perturbed by what Lytton had said, “I don’t know skilled you people are at what you do, but I am positive that masters of the house have not told you about the majority of the horrid things the spirits in this house have done to its occupants.”

Leah raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

“The owners of this estate deliberately only reveal a few ghost-related activities that they have experienced to the people they seek help from. Because when they gave away the full details, many declined to enter a foot on this estate, saying that they were incompetent for the task. The family is not evil but is just in dire need of help,” answered Mr. Donald.

“Wait,” said Lytton taking a few steps forward with a stern look, “Let me ask you one question first. Have there been any murders in this house that you are convinced are a deed of demons?”

“No, there have been no murders in this house, but many have suffered minor to critical physical harm, ” answered Mr. Donald.

“You should be grateful for not having bloodthirsty demons around,” said Lytton, “Because believe me, I have seen entities so barbarous that don't hesitate at all in taking a life. And if I am up against probable cold-blooded entities, that is where I draw the line.”

Leah was astounded by his response, "I don't think severe physical harm is something you should take lightly, Mr. Lytton. Many demons don’t kill, but they can be sadistic. If the family is truly hiding the worst parts of the haunting, we don't know enough to conclude to what extent of cruelty the spirits in this house are willing to go.”

“And I thought you were valorous and had faith in the power that you possess or at least that of the church. Maybe you guys never faced any real danger and were only clearing out houses that had unexplained movements of kitchenware,” said Lytton; the satire in his words and manner was brutal.

Leah scowled at him, “We have had our fair share of danger, Mr. Lytton, but I like to be aware of all the details of a case beforehand so I can be well prepared for it,” she looked away as her tone came out to be more aggressive than what she intended it to be.

“That is where I come in. You’re worried that you don't have a church official by your side if things go south. Despite not having confidence in my abilities, you chose to hire me anyway. So, let me tell you that what my unorthodox methods can do might surprise you all today. And if things escalate and become too overwhelming for you all, you have my permission to make a run for it,” said Lytton.

“Fine,” said Leah narrowing her eyes at him, “Can we now have the tour of the rest of the building?” she turned to the housekeeper.

“Of course,” answered the housekeeper, “However, I am afraid that the first floor is all that I can show you. You’re welcome to visit any part of the estate on your own, but all the stairs to the third floor have been permanently sealed. That was a necessary action because we found out by someone that the spirits were dwelling on that floor, and that is where some servants fell victim to vicious onslaughts.” his voice was trembling with fear that left no room for doubt.

“What did you experience there?” asked Hannah before anyone else could.

“It would take me hours to narrate every single incident, and I most certainly would, but my masters have asked me to take good care of you all," said the housekeeper, "Pardon me, but I shall be leaving soon because this estate is a nightmare after the sun sets. Although before I can depart for home. I am supposed to bring you back food and supplies for your night here."

“Of course, we’ll do some research of our own while you’re away,” said Lytton.

“We should split into groups and start setting up the cameras,” Noah addressed the group after the housekeeper was out of sight.

“I shall be working alone, and the rest of you can do you as you wish," said Lytton as he made his way to the door.

They agreed on dividing into two groups, Leah and Duke moved to the rooms on the very right of the great hall after taking camera equipment from Noah, while the other three took rooms to the left.

“So, Mason didn’t make it?” asked Duke after minutes of walking silently.

“Shoot!” exclaimed Leah and pulled out her phone so swiftly that it amazed Duke. She saw that there was another dozen messages and a few missed calls, also she noticed that her phone was on silent mode. She read some of those texts before moving her attention back to Duke, “Something came up he wouldn’t be able to come," she said.

“Well, to be honest, I am glad he is not coming," Relief brought a smile to Duke's lips, " After chatting with our friends for a while, I learned about how you spent this year ghost hunting with him. I began to fear if he has become something more than a friend to you,” he finished with a nervous giggle.

Leah wondered what her friends had revealed to him that aided Duke to make such an accurate assumption from. She was vexed at them but at the same time felt like she needed to tell him without fearing his response because he was just a friend to him and not someone she was romantically involved with. She gathered all her strength to speak up, but as soon as she opened her mouth, they heard a maniacal scream blaring through the estate.

They dashed towards the Great Hall, where everyone else was already present except Lytton. The screaming continued. They seemed to be coming from a distance, but as they grew louder, it became more apparent that the sound was coming from somewhere up. Perhaps the second floor!