𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 26
3𝐫𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐯

— THE SPIRITS OF BRIAR MANOR
WERE STRONGEST between dusk and dawn, in the darkness they no longer needed to hide in the shadows, they lived alongside those with a beating heart, and their various powers were stronger as the moon lit the sky.

Some spirits, older spirits, were stronger than those who had passed recently, however still, he had to do whatever he could to protect his great nephew, even if all he could do was sit by his bedside as the blonde rolled restlessly beneath the blankets.

His eyes surveyed the room, most of the other Briar ghosts knew to leave him and this room alone. To be frank, most didn't care for the living guests much at all, though some were interested in their stories being told. But there were some spirits who would do anything to continue the legacy of Briar manor, the tragedy of it all. Julian often called them puppets, because that was about all they were: puppets of the dark spirit that roamed the house, hiding in the shadows even amongst other spirits, yet the thing seemed particularly interested in the Jett boy.

At one point, when he was still alive, Julian had done his research and discovered that his family's connections to this Manor ran far deeper than simply residing in the same town as the home. He had felt so intrigued by this house, confident he could find all the answers he desired and more within it's walls, and he supposed he had, however it came with a price, as most things did, only this price was his life.

Before Julian could be taken by the past, his eyes caught sight of a flicker of light in the hallway, he frowned. The rest of the livings were asleep already. He shuffled in his spot, resting idly in the chair by Jasper's bedside, but when the flickering of lights continued, growing faster and closer, he stood with a glance back at the sleeping figure and drifted into the hallway.

Behind him, Jasper slept restlessly, his face lit by the moonlight coming through the window while the rest of the room was overtaken by looming shadows.

✧˖*°࿐

JASPER woke on a dirt floor, covered by wilted leaves from seasons long past. His head felt heavy as he looked around, his brain foggy with sleep though as his eyes flicked around the surrounding area, he became uneasy and awake with fear.

He forced himself to his feet and brushed the dirt from his pajama pants, he was surrounded by large trees that towered over him and although he recognized the area as the forest behind the Briar Manor, he couldn't make out any path back to the Manor — back to safety. Or at least, an illusion of safety.

His eyes continued to survey the area until he noticed a forgotten path made from worn stones, though he could barely see the stones beneath the grass in the dark of the night, he decided it was his best bet and began to follow them as far as he could.

When they stopped, he found himself in a small cemetery, overtaken by fog and surrounded by trees. The lettering on the headstones were indecipherable and were no help in finding his way back, though he felt drawn to them as though he was safe here.

Jasper continued to wander until he noticed a figure kneeled in front of a headstone in the far corner of the cemetery. He took a step forward, a branch breaking beneath his feet as he opened his mouth to call out when the figure stood and turned. Though the man was a few inches shorter than him, his hair dark and shorter too, these were the only different traits.

It was startling to realize Jasper had began to get used to the eerie feeling of staring into a mirror and seeing something not totally right, like the cold, dead eyes staring back at him now, the same shade as his own eyes.

It was only as a gleam of light came through the branches of the trees that the lettering on the headstone caught his attention, he somewhat expected to see the name Jett engraved on it — what he didn't expect was to see his own name engraved beside it. Jasper's breath caught in his throat, he felt frozen and it seemed the figure (was it Julian or his own ghost staring back at him? He didn't know anymore) felt the same, but something seemed to catch his attention.

The figure stepped forward though it seemed more like he floated, his feet moving without ever touching the ground below. His eyes caught Jasper's, "You have to run. You have to leave this place and never, ever look back!" The figure caught his attention, his eyes more alive than Jasper had ever seen and filled with panic and desperation, "Please!"

Forcing himself into action, Jasper turned and ran in the direction he hoped would take him to the Manor, as he ran he became more and more aware of the eyes watching him, glowing from beneath the trees. The more he ran the more hopeless he felt, he was getting nowhere and he almost stopped, until he realized the eyes from the trees weren't just watching him — they were stalking him, like prey.

Adrenaline coursed through his body, pushing him forward and finally the manor came into sight, though something was off about it. The front door left open, he ran right in, oblivious to the red handprint on the front door.

"Sam!" He called, spinning in circles in search of his friends but the manor was dark, cold and seemingly empty, "Colby!"

"Please! Someone, anyone!!" He screamed into the darkness of the manor. Dread filled him as he came to a realization; The whole time he was running through the forest, he thought the manor would be his savior, instead it was his doom.

✧˖*°࿐

WAKING to the light filtering through the blinds of the window, Colby turned to bury his head in the pillow — hoping for just a little more sleep when a gut wrenching scream pierced his ears, filling him with terror as he jolted out of bed.

He tore the blankets from his body and ran to the door, "Jasper, Sam!" He called as he ran into the hallway, Sam was already there, seeming like he'd been woken by the same scream, his hair a mess and his eyes filled with panic, but Jasper was nowhere to be seen.

"Jasper!" Colby called again, rushing to Jasper's room, he tore the door open and found an empty bed, the bed disheveled and his blankets left on a pile on the floor.

Dread filled him as he turned and ran down the stairs with Sam following closely behind, he called out for Jasper as he hit the landing of the stairs when another scream came, this time he realized it was coming from outside. Rushing forward without a moment of hesitation, he tore the front door open and ran down the path.

He didn't know how long he ran for in search of Jasper, his best friend calling out to him as he ran, trying to catch up, but all Colby could think about was Jasper, alone and terrified and in danger.

The path into the woods came to an end just before a clearing, Colby felt hopeless, his steps falling short as Sam finally caught up to him. "We have to find him," Colby told his best friend desperately.

"I know, I—" Sam's words cut off as his eyes caught on something in the distance, he took off running, Colby followed him despite his confusion. Soon enough, they reached a small cemetery where they found a figure stood before a headstone.

While Sam paused uncertainly, Colby moved forward and just as he got close enough to see the figure properly though he still couldn't discern who it was as they faced away from him.

Suddenly, the figure wavered, collapsing into a pile on the ground. Colby ran, a name on the tip of his tongue that he couldn't get out till he was right in front of him, "Jasper," he called with a gasp as he caught sight of the figures familiar messy blonde hair, falling to his knees on the dirt floor in front of Jasper.

Everything around him seemed to blur though he realized distantly that Sam had moved forward, coming to stand beside him, before kneeling carefully. Sam was saying something, surely, but he couldn't hear any of it as he stared at Jasper's messy blonde hair and pale skin.

"He's breathing." Sam mumbled breathlessly, repeating the words a few times like a prayer. The words sent a sense of relief through Colby as he released a breath he didn't know he was holding and pulled the unconscious blond into his arms.

"He's breathing, he's okay." Sam repeated again, meeting Colby's eyes, "We have to go." Colby nodded, collecting Jasper in his arms and bracing himself as he pulled them both up, Jasper safely in his arms bridal style.

Sam stood beside him, eyeing the pair carefully with a sense of unease. Despite the sun starting to peak through the cover of trees, he didn't feel safe here. He repeated in a panic, "We have to go! Now!"

Colby didn't dare argue, following Sam as fast as he could with the added weight of Jasper in his arms, the three flee the forest, following the forgotten path back to the Manor, they could only hope they would all be safe inside of the Briar Manor.

✧˖*°࿐
𝟏,𝟔𝟏𝟎 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬

hey everyone! Thank yall so much
for the patience as my updates have been slower, school just started again
and I haven't had as much time to write due to other stuff.
This chapter went completely off the rails while writing so surprise!
There will be another part to chapter twenty six that maybe will come out soon (aka whenever I write it) so until then,
thank you for reading!