KNOW MY NAME | Anthony Lockwood

𝟏𝟕 ┆ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐗𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

.𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑢𝑖𝑡 𝑟𝑢𝑙𝑒.
.

Lockwood swings open the door for us to look inside a dark hallway. Certainly not that small of a home.

We walked inside the classy home looking around. Lockwood stepped back a little closing the door behind us making me turn around.

"You did not just close the door", I gasped at him. He turned to look at me. "Do I have to remind you what happened last time?", I whisper shouted at him.

I was not sure why I whispered but I could feel something angry in this home. "Well, do you want other visitors to come in? I'm sure some lurkers or shades would be happy to pay us a visit", he reasoned making me close my mouth.

"Wait, what happened last time?", Lucy turned around to face our serious faces with worry.

Lockwood paused looking at her then back at me. "Nothing for that matter", I mumbled trudging forwards brushing past Lucy and Lockwood.

"The heatings off", Lockwood observed while his hand brushed across the heating on the wall. "Better be. It's freezin'", Lucy shivered slightly turning around the corner looking at the stairs where I had stopped.

"Anything else?", Lockwood asked us both while my eyes fixated the stairs. "Yeah, think so", Lucy muttered looking at me I didn't acknowledge it.

"Shall we?", she asked us gesturing to the stairs. They both looked at me then at each other nodding placing down their bags next to mine.

Before they could even take a step on the staircase I held both my hands out in front of them to stop them. "Careful", I spoke in hushed tone they nodded briefly.

We took in deep breaths before closing out eyes. First there was silence. Then a light tapping could be heard while I grabbed onto the railing for support I slightly stumbled.

"Hear something?", Lockwood broke the silence his eyes glancing at me with worry. I opened my eyes losing focus on the tapping while his eyes burned into me. "You okay?", he mouthed not wanting to disturb Lucy.

"I'm fine", I mouthed back nodding then looking at Lucy.

"Yep", she answered Lockwoods asked question about hearing something. "Knocking. Very faint", she spoke. "Can't tell from where. You?", she asked him.

I looked him as he focused on a spot at the bottom of the stairs. Just now I noticed the light scar on his upper lip.

"Death-glow", he answered her while I nodded. "So bright I shouldn't have brought my sunglasses", I added for him.

Then I prepared for the death loop. Lucy didn't have time preparing as we probably both heard the thumping and the scream of a man falling down the stairs.

I winced from the impact on the bottom of the stairs while Lucy gasped in fear drawing her rapier panicking as she stumbled against the wall. I looked at Lockwood and then at her.

"First death loop?", I asked her with worry lacing my tone. She looked at me with wide eyes while Lockwood leaned against the opposite wall chuckling.

"It's not funny. I heard him falling. Sounded brutal", she defended her actions huffing at him. Then she looked at me. "How come you stayed calm?", she asked putting her rapier into its respective place on her hip.

"It's easy to prepare yourself if you sense it through your touch", I smiled explaining taking my hand away from the railing of the stairs.

Lockwood sighed looking down at his watch. "It's not even six. Tea?", he asked us. Lucy and I both nodded smiling at him, well I smiled.

She nodded trying to calm her breathing.

***

Lucy poured some tea in our cups while Lockwood looked through the forms that Mrs Hope had given him. "What does it say?", she asked while taking a sip from her cup.

"They moved here. Everything was fine. No manifestations", he began reading off of the papers in his hands. "Then suddenly he falls down the stairs and dies", he furrowed his eyebrows.

I sipped on my tea taking a second biscuit. "That's against the biscuit rule", Lockwood said not looking up from the papers.

"Bite me", I stuck my tongue out dipping the biscuit in my tea then taking a bite from it.

"She thinks he tripped going to get a glass of water", he continued smiling at me for a second then remaining serious.

"Hmm. Very credible", I mused looking down at my half eaten biscuit dipping it back into the tea.

"Sarcastic or ironic?", Lucy asked me and I smile looking up at her. "The cleverer one", I winked as she heaved one of the bags on top of the counter putting it next to the other ones.

"Do you think she pushed him?", Lockwood stood up asking Lucy while I finished my tea quickly. "Well, at least that'd be a motive", she answered while she opened the bag.

While Lockwood leaned against the counter I could hear something from above, very faint knocking. "Did she describe the apparition?", she asked him leaning onto the bag.

"It says she felt like something was looking for her, but couldn't find her. And the thought of it finding her was more than she could bear", he looked up briefly glancing at Lucy who was already looking at him.

"So it has a purpose", I proposed nodding next to Lucy. "Which suggests a type two", Lockwood concluded for me and I nodded confirming his idea.

The clock chimed signalling it was now six thirty and the beginning of a long night for us.

"Suns down", Lucy observed nodding. We looked at each other giving one nod each.

"How about we find ourselves a ghost?"