Anna

The children had laid down on their bedrolls, some scared, some excited, but every little kid way too active by half to actually fall asleep. Despite all this, though, they remained silent for the most part: they weren't the most sociable kids, nor very spirited in the first place.

They heard the sounds of thunder, and it was as though the whole manor had been brought to life by the storm; above, the whole manor was creaking, as if crumbling down, though they could only hear it faintly through the thick layers of stone that stood vigil between the levels. The door was a different matter. If you pressed your ear against it, you could hear the commotion upstairs quite well. It was horrifying. For now, it didn't seem like the manor was falling apart entirely, however. That was a relief.

Anna found Hailey talking with James by the largest of the tables. James was groping his hair, she noticed, though his back was to her. When she caught Hailey's attention, she could see a fearful expression in her eyes.

"Just calm down," Hailey said, frustrated. "You're waking the whole household, and what you're saying doesn't help either. Calm down."

"The whole household's already awake, they can't sleep because of the storm. And they can't hear the other sounds either, but I can. I heard them while taking my supper in that corner table. Like someone was dragging a body!"

Hailey was silent, shocked. Anna stopped where she was and looked at James with new eyes, suddenly doubtful.

"It's bloody crazy," he continued. "Look, I'm trying to calm down, but it's crazy, so crazy it's driving me crazy as well... just hear me out, listen, hear me out, and... do what you want, I guess."

Hailey had recovered enough of herself to answer faintly: "Go on, then."

"As I said, I was dining by the corner table over there, taking spoonfuls of that soup Henry cooked up... I was savoring the taste of pork on my tongue, when I heard it. Right behind the wall, I heard something that sounded like something was being dragged away. It didn't had a hard sound to it, but... well, it sounded just like a body. A dead body, limp and rotten."

He paused, as if thinking hard. Both of the women were transfixed by his voice, though more due to horror than interest. Before they knew it, James was on it again.

"Then I heard a voice. Don't ask why, but when I heard it, I thought of a grave being opened. It said something, but I couldn't understand it all. I think it was part in English and part in...well, as I said, I couldn't understand the other part. The English part, as far as I can remember, went: 'The dead' or 'Death'. I'm not sure. I don't know. Maybe it was something completely different. Maybe I didn't hear it at all."

He didn't sound very convinced, but Hailey smiled in relief. "Then it was nothing. Drop it out of your head, James. The storm makes all sorts of noises: perhaps the dragging was one of them."

 

James relaxed. "The storm, yeah. I think it was the storm. What else?"

His last words hung ominously in the air as he returned to finish his meal.

Anna looked at his receding until it had settled onto a chair. Then she walked closer to Hailey, who by the look on her face didn't like James' imaginary noises.

"I swear one day he'll cause more traumas for one of those kids. Why did I take him here in the first place?"

Anna smiled. "Because he had a good voice. Because he seemed formidable. And because he loved children."

"I suppose that's true. But he's careless."

They were silent awhile.

"I'm asking about the door," Anna finally said. She pointed at the wooden door, which was the only thing that stood between them and the dark tunnels of Hailey's catacomb. It hadn't seemed important to her before, though after what James had said she found herself revering it to some extent. Now that she thought about it, it was the only thing separating them from eternal darkness.

"Is the door locked? The kids could wander out... you don't know what they'll do. They're scarred and reckless."

Hailey smiled sadly. "It's not the kids who I'm worried about."

"Who?"

"I don't want others trying to find the source of these "sounds". It's stupid and dangerous besides."

Anna found herself quickly agreeing. "Yes, but is it locked?"

"No."

"But you have the key?"

"No."

Anna resumed her shocked silence.

"The last time I was in there, I was a kid as little as one of ours. I don't remember where my dad placed it. It's probably upstairs. I didn't remember to bring it down here."

"What? But you always remember the details."

Hailey blushed, but did not relent.

"This time I didn't."

Anna's questions were finally spent. She shrugged and paid her goodnights to Hailey. She must've had a horrible day. Some sleep, and it'll be better tomorrow. The problems end here. She laid down on her sleep roll, drowsy. When she finally closed her eyes to sleep, she felt someone slip past her. But before she could think of looking who it was, she had already passed out.

Author's Note

Final version! Finally edited fully.

Changed into viewpoint of Anna. Next up, a character you probably want to see more of...

Reviews

[Nienor Niniel]

Yay, final version finished. I like the changes made. It makes the catacombs seem more threatening.

[Mikael Malmberg]

Thanks!

Promise to write follow-up as quickly as possible.

[Nienor Niniel]

I finally got a chance to read this in its entirety. :)

Nice job, the ending seems to be building up to some threat.

[CreativeStroke]

Intriguing! I like the sudden use of 3rd person here... gives me a more in depth look at Michael's character.
Please let me know when you finish up this chapter.

[Mikael Malmberg]

I shall let you know.

[Felicity's Eve]

I can't wait for the whole thing! I love it already! :)