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So far, Colby was having a pretty chill investigation. He was sure that Sam was having a worse time down in the cellar and that Seth might be having more success over in the Graveyard. So far he had only heard small creaks and noises that he chalked up to being the cats that he had just visited. He was pretty relaxed in all honesty. He did feel like he was being watched but he chalked it up to him knowing about the cats and subconsciously thinking they were following him. He decided to make his way back to Bernard's room considering that was where the door slammed on them earlier. He felt that if he was going to get any activity it would be there.
The feeling of being followed was still present as he slowly made his way to Bernard's room. It was unnerving, it felt like eyes were on him the entire time. He finally made it to the room and turned his EMF reader on. It did its normal calibrating spike to red before it went back to green. He slowly spun around the room and looked everywhere to make sure there was nothing lurking in the corner.
“Ok Bernard, I'm in your room. Can you give me a sign that you are here? Maybe make a sound or close this door in front of me? You did it earlier, can you do it again?” He waited, looking at the door to the servant's stairs. He gave it about 5 minutes before he turned away from the door and opened his mouth to talk again when he heard the door swing shut with a loud bang that made him jump and give a shout as he spun around to look at the door.
“Oh my God! I'm getting out of here.” He turned again to run out of the room when the main door slammed shut as well. The EMF reader started going off like crazy. Colby started to hyperventilate. He ran to the door and tried to pull it open. It was like someone had shoved something against the door with how stuck closed it was. He released the knob and worked on evening out his breathing. Looking around the room he noted that the room was much colder.
“Bernard, was that you? Are you trying to keep me hear?” Colby was trying to keep his breathing calm and not letting himself panic. That didn't last long as he started hearing something moving in the hall outside the room. Suddenly, the door to the hall shook as something slammed into it. He shouted and scrambled away from the door. He pressed himself against the window as the door continued to shake. He quickly grabbed his phone and pulled up Sam's phone number and pressed the call button. Sam quickly answered.
“Yo dude what up.”
“Something just locked me in Bernard's room and now the door is shaking.” Suddenly, there was a louder boom on the door as something sounded like it was chucked at the door.
“Dude whatever this is sounds pissed. Go get Seth and then come get me.”
“Ok, but I'm not hanging up.” Colby heard Sam running out of the cellar, yelling Seth's name as he turned his attention back to the room.
“Bernard, if you are trying to tell me something, can you spike this EMF reader to red. Colby had this thought because despite how scared he was, he was oddly calm, almost like something was keeping him calm. He watched as the EMF reader spiked all the way to red.
“Are you trying to keep what's out there from getting in?” Again, the reader spiked to red.
“Is it what made Andrew Bowers murder his wife and then make him kill himself.” Again, it went to red. Colby jumped as his phone went off. He grabbed it off the bed where he had thrown it and saw Sam was calling him.
“Hey, did you grab Seth?”
“Yeah but we can get in, something is in front of the door. Like a giant shelf or something. Did you hear anything move?”
“No the only thing I can hear is the door shaking. I think Bernard is keeping it closed or something like he is trying to keep me safe. Did you guys get anything during your investigations?”
“Dude, after I saw you in the window, the ovilus said homicide, maybe that's a connection,” He heard Seth respond.
“I picked up that hunted doll in the basement. Literally right after I did that, I heard something like blow in my ear. It freaked me out enough that I dropped the camera and broke it,” Sam added. Colby started thinking and then realized what might be happening.
“Bernard, is the thing trying to get me attached to the doll in the basement?” The EMF jumped to red instantly and started jumping rapidly from green to red, almost like Bernard was celebrating.
“Guys, Bernard is saying that the thing trying to get in is attached to the doll in the basement.” Colby quickly took the phone off speaker and put it to his ear. “What if you guys burn the doll? Maybe that will get rid of it. I can keep it distracted while you guys do that.”
He heard Sam talking to Seth. He could tell by the tone of his voice that neither of them liked this idea. They went back and forth for almost five minutes before they came to a decision.
“Ok, we will go with your plan. Neither of us like this idea though so you haul ass out of that room, got it,” Sam took a deep breath before he continued, “Be careful Colby.”
“I will”
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Colby started thinking again about how early calm he was being. Normally, he would be freaking out. He shook himself out of his thoughts and grabbed the EMF reader from where he stuck it in his back pocket.
“Ok, Bernard, Mary, or Andrew. Can one of you help me get out of this room fast?” He waited a minute before the EMF reader spiked to yellow.
“Does Yellow mean you can't or you can't? Spike it to yellow if you can and red if you can't.” The reader spiked to yellow and then a few seconds later it spiked to orange.
“Is it gonna be dangerous.” It spiked to red and Colby took a deep breath.
“Ok, where do you want me to go.” He had just gotten the words out of his mouth when the door to the servant's stairs slowly opened. Without hesitation, he quickly made his way to the stairs and made it all the way to the bottom before he heard the upstairs door break open. He sprinted down the last couple of steps and the door he just passed through slammed closed. Something slammed into it and it started to shake violently, much like the one upstairs so he could only assume that it was the thing currently chasing him.
“Ok where to next? You kinda backed me into a corner here.” He had just finished talking when a piece of wood fell from the wall, revealing a small crawl space. He could vaguely make out Sam's voice while he was performing the proper ritual to burn the doll. He saw the door start to splinter so without hesitation, he ran to the wall and got onto his stomach a started to crawl through the small passage. It seemed to go on for a short bit before it opened into what he assumed was a laundry shoot. He quickly crawled towards it as he heard the door finally give away. Without hesitation, he jumped down the laundry shoot. He didn't get much of a rest though as the floor gave out from under him and he fell through the floor. He didn't fall far though as he landed right next to Sam and Seth, who both screamed as Colby pushed himself to his feet.
“Come on, it's coming.” As he said this, they all heard an inhuman growl fill the room. They all booked it to the cellar entrance. They raced up the stairs and had almost made it to the top when Colby felt something grab his ankle and started to pull him down the stairs. Sam had felt him start to fall and whipped around and grabbed ahold of Colby before he could hit the stairs. There was a small game of tug of war between Sam and whatever was chasing them before Seth flung a handful of salt they had used in the ritual at the air behind Colby, and he felt whatever it was release his ankle as Sam hulled him to his feet.
The trio raced out of the Celler and didn't stop until they reached the road. The three of them turned to face the house. They didn't see anything until Seth pointed up to Bernard's room where he saw a shadow standing in the window. The calm he had been feeling quickly left him as Sam Ushered him to the car. He started to hyperventilate and shake as they drove away from the house. Somewhere along the way to their hotel, he had started crying and he heard Seth telling him he needed to breathe before he made himself sick. He could hear Sam telling him that everything was going to be ok. He barely remembers Sam and Seth ushering him up the stairs to their shared hotel room. He heard the bathtub start running as Sam made sure his phone was taken out of his pocket and he felt someone slowly uncurl his fingers from around the EMF reader. He heard Seth telling Sam he was gonna run to the Pharmacy and grab some first aid stuff. Colby sat still on the bed as Sam rummaged around the room and then make his way into the bathroom. He was starting to hyperventilate again when Sam came back and got him to stop again. He felt Sam unbutton his shirt and take it off. Sam got him to his feet and helped him take his pant and underwear off, and he felt his swim trunks get wrested onto his body. He was guided to the bathroom where the shower was running and a chair was placed in the tub. The floor was also covered in towels. Sam helped him get in and then got in behind him. He heard Sam talking while he lathered his shampoo into his hair. Seth got back as Sam was helping him out of the shower. He took the towel Sam offered him. He peeled off his swim trunks as Sam turned away from him. He finished toweling off and put on his Sleep pants. He made a noise to let Sam know he was done. The two made their way to the room where Seth was waiting with a first aid kit. Colby was sat on the bed as they cleaned up the cuts he had gotten from falling through the floor. He didn't notice when he started crying again but he noticed when Sam brushed his hand across his face whipping the tears away. He was handed a Gatorade and some Ibuprofen, which he quickly took. He finally started to calm down when he and Sam lay next to each other with Sam playing with his hair. He heard him and Seth talking as he drifted off to sleep.