Page 60 of Purrfectly Haunted

James jumps over the salt circle, dragging me along by the arm as I myself grab Shirley and Lana. As we cross the threshold, we take a look behind us. The ghost hasn’t given chase. She’s still wailing in the centre of the basement. The cats are running in circles around her. Then the house slams the door closed, cutting us off, and all sound dies out.

Shaking and breathless, I stare at the door.

“Showers, now,” James says. “We need to wash the spores from our skin and clothes. We don’t know how toxic it is.”

The three of us follow him dutifully as he runs upstairs.

Once we reach the communal showers, he turns on the water in four stalls and pushes us under the warm spray with our clothes on. The water shocks me, and I take raspy breaths. On my right, I can hear Lana and Shirley mumble curses behind their masks.

James, as level-headed as ever, finds a bottle of soap forgotten by a guest and pours a good amount in our hands. “Wash your hair. Then get rid of your clothes.”

We obey, looking defeated. He empties the bottle of soap in our hands again and we finish washing. This situation is weird, but we’re still reeling from what happened in the basement.

Then the four of us stand in our underwear, dripping water on the green tiles, chests heaving. We didn’t bring towels.

“Holy fucking shit on a stick,” Lana says at last, eyes on the floor.

Shirley lets out an humourless laugh.

I look at James, seeking comfort, and gasp when I notice a drop of blood on his upper lip. “James! Your nose! You’re bleeding.”

He turns to face the mirror and wipes the blood with his hand. “Looks like the spores aren’t harmless.”

My eyes sting and my throat feels sore. How much did I breathe?

“Shit,” Lana whispers. “Quick thinking with the showers, James. Are you alright?”

He nods. “My nose burns a little. I think my mask was crooked, but I feel fine. Come on. We look like drowned rats. Let's warm up first and get something to drink.”

Just like drowned rats, we scuttle through the hallways and stairs in our underwear, water dripping on the carpets, and I’m glad we don’t cross path with a soul. The house has a strange effect on guests, and they all sleep soundly during curfew.

Shirley grabs us four large towels from a storage room and we look like shivering caterpillars building a cocoon. As we enter the kitchen, the smell of baked bread and lavender welcomes us. The house’s way of saying thank you for your help, I’m guessing.

As Lana makes us tea, Shirley says, “Well, that went well.”

James chuckles. “A great success.” He pauses. “Something feels off about this whole ordeal. We’re missing something.”

I nod. “I agree.”

My eyes are burning. The spores did a number on us.

“Tomorrow we need to have a talk with our other ghost resident. She knows something we don’t.”

“The Lady in Red?” Shirley asks.

He nods. “It sounded like she knew something. We need to question her.”

“You know you’ll get distracted, right? She’ll just use her powers on you.”

He smiles. “That’s alright. We can manage.”

Her eyes widen, and she looks between us both. My face is on fire.

Lana cackles. “I told you! I knew it was matter of time before they got down to business!”

“Oh my god,” I whisper, hiding my face behind my hands.

Shirley sighs. “Why is everyone always having sex but me?”