❝I'll walk an other mile
to chase the thought of you. ❞

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FOURTEEN | PROMISES TO THE DEAD

"Damn it," Josh said to me as he slowly climbed the steps to the foyer, "it's freezing in here," I heard him mutter under his breath, rubbing his hands together.

I tried to stay close to him all the time, so whoever saw him -either Lucille or Thomas- would know he was with me. Josh stood at the door to the kitchen, talking about how 'insane and amazing' the place was. I looked up at the archway, which had the family crest on it, I read the 'Mors vincit Omnia' again and again, this time it wasn't only an inscription in a piece of wood, I began to think if that inscription would come true. The sound of the old elevator made me return to reality.

"Josh?!" I called, rushing to the elevator, fearing something bad had happened to him.

"Hey, you didn't say anything about an elevator," I sighed when I heard him and waited for the elevator to then join Josh in the mines, "it's pretty amazing how everything works, despite all these years," he said, I got in the elevator and Josh helped me to open the door when I got down there.

"Thanks- wait, my laces are undone." I said, crouching down to lace them up. Josh stood by me looking at his surroundings. My boots were stained with clay and it didn't seem like it would be easy to clean up; I had to stop bringing good stuff to that place.

"Hmm?" Josh hummed.

"What?"

"Nothing . . ." he said, walking to one of the vats. I dusted my clothes and made my way towards him, "Is this the clay?" He asked.

"Yeah," I saw the pencil I used to touch the clay the first time I had come to the mines and did the same with it. I slowly dipped it into the red substance, "how deep do you think these vats are?"

"I don't know," I gave him the pencil and he touched the clay as I bent over to see it closer, "look at that one," he said, pointing and walking towards another vat, it was empty, "I think that answers your question-" he suddenly stood straight and put the pencil on the edge of the vet, "alright, will you stop?"

"Stop what?"

"Oh, come on, you don't have to speak in whispers to make me believe in ghosts-" he hadn't finished the sentence when he jerked, turning his back at me and taking a step back, pushing me into the vat and making me scream his name as I tried to grab hold of his arm.

"Adeline!" He cried out and reached out to take my hand, but I went all the way down the vat, hitting the fairly hardened clay, "Adeline, are you okay?" He shouted. Slowly, I sat up, wincing in pain as I touched my arm and looked for injuries, "Adeline, talk to me!"

"I'm fine!" I managed out in a trembling voice and I heard him muttering something I couldn't quite understand with the echo.

"There's a rope in the car, I'll be right back, you heard me?"

"No!" I said immediately. I couldn't let him walk around the house alone, "Uhm, I'm sure you'll find something here-"

"There's nothing I can use to get you out of there-"

"Just try!" I cried out. I saw him disappearing up there and I continued to examine my arm, which had a bruise now, nothing really serious. I took a step back and I heard something cracking under my boot. I pulled out my phone and used it as a torch, since my own shadow obstructed the poor light coming from above. A high pitched scream left my lips and my back hit the wall.

"Adeline?!" I heard Josh's voice echoing in the empty vat as I stared at the figure on the ground, "Ad?"

"I'm okay," I said, "did you find something?"

"There's a chain at the back of the elevator, I think it'll work, wait a second." He said and left again. I knelt down by the skeleton covered and preserved in red clay.

"Oh, God . . ." I muttered under my breath and wondered if it was one of the many brides they killed or if it was one of the people from the town who came and never returned. I was sure that Lucille had enjoyed killing them and, what better way to get rid of the bodies than throwing them into the clay, buried, never found and perhaps forgotten. The chain that Josh found touched the bottom of the vat and I made my way out.

I was a little lost in thought when I got out, I kept thinking of what I had seen down there. As soon as I left the vat, Josh made sure I wasn't hurt.

"You okay?" I nodded and he hugged me, "I'm so sorry." He said softly and I wrapped my arms around him, "Adeline, I never meant to push you, I heard someone calling my name, I swear." I didn't say anything, I knew he said the truth.

"We have to go now," I said, breaking the hug and I began to walk, thinking one single thing: to keep him safe.

"What?" Josh asked and followed me to the elevator and a couple of minutes later we were up in the kitchen. The doors to the foyer were locked so we had to walk through the great hall to get to the foyer, "And let me guess, I'll leave and you'll stay? No, we both leave right now or we both stay here." I stopped by the large couch in the middle of the room while Josh stood by the piano.

"You can't stay here any longer, they don't know you."

"But you can't stay here alone and I'm not leaving without you." He said, crossing his arms over his chest and I cursed under my breath. Josh knew how to be stubborn when he wanted to.

"Josh-"

"You heard what I said." He said firmly. I took a deep breath and rubbed my forehead. Josh's fingers curiously played with some of the keys in the piano, the slow and attempted beginning of a melody filled the room. I began to think how to get him out of there, it had been a bad idea to take him with me and I knew it when I heard how the melody trailed off, finally coming to a halt, making me look up at him.

"No!" I shouted when I saw him staring at the ring on his hands, "Throw it away!" I tried to run towards him, but in the fraction of a second Lucille's ghostly frame had appeared by Josh, who looked puzzled at me. Everything happened so fast that I couldn't even utter a word, when I realised, Lucille had pushed Josh and he had hit the old and dusty wall with a loud thud.

"The ring is mine!" She growled.

"No, Lucille, stop!" I cried out, running and standing before Josh with the hope that she wouldn't hurt him anymore. Instead, she raised her hand, ready to get me out of her way; the rage and hate were visible in her eyes, I knew what would come next. I couldn't bear to look her in the eyes, so I closed mine, "Please." I begged in a tiny voice, a voice I hadn't heard coming from my mouth since I was a kid. I heard Lucille's hand making contact with skin, the cracking sound echoed in the great hall and I waited for the hot and sharp pain to run all over my face, but that didn't happen.

"Thomas!" She said alarmed, surprised by her bother's actions. I opened my eyes and saw the Baronet standing before me, still, his head tilted to a side and a few locks of his dark hair resting on his face. Lucille covered her mouth and took a step back, but then, she reached for her brother's face, combing his hair back and placing her hand where she hit him.

"You promised that you wouldn't hurt her," Thomas uttered, slowly straightening himself. Lucille's face broke and tears formed in her eyes. I didn't pay too much attention to what happened between them, I turned around and knelt by Josh.

"Josh, wake up," I said softly, shaking his shoulder a bit, "please, wake up!" It took him a moment but he finally opened his eyes and I couldn't help but smile. He slowly sat up, wincing a bit. By this time, Lucille had disappeared and only Thomas had stayed in the great hall, he stood by the fireplace and observed us from afar, "See what happens when you touch stuff that isn't yours?" I asked, trying to make the situation a little less stressful.

"Was that the woman you told me about?" He said wearily, I nodded, "Now I believe you."

"We have to leave now-"

"Is that . . ." He trailed off and I looked where his finger pointed at.

"Yes, he won't hurt you," I said, "we need to leave, Josh, can you get up?" He nodded. I helped him but never took my eyes off Thomas, he had this pained expression on his face again. It wasn't his fault that his psychotic sister had tried to kill me and my friend yet he looked so pained.

"I'm okay," Josh said softly once he got on his feet. We walked to the main door ready to leave. Thomas followed us all the time, but Josh didn't notice, I assumed the spirit didn't want to be seen by Josh. I felt the cold air that always accompanied the Baronet at my side before stepping out of the house.

"Forgive me. . ."

The whisper said, "It's not your fault," I said to thin air, Thomas wouldn't let me see him either. I only could feel that he was there, right across from me, "I'll come back soon."

"You are not coming back, that I know."

"What? Thomas, I promised."

"I cannot leave if she stays here."

"I don't understand." I said shaking my head and glancing at Josh outside.

"Lucille has to leave first."

"Thomas, what do you mean?" I waited for an answer, "Thomas?"

"Help me."

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AUTHOR'S NOTE :

they'll be surprised when they get home! but that's for the next chapter :3 thanks for reading, voting and commenting!