━━ CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO / erin hampton
episode three, part five.

Despite the thoughts that swirled through Demi's head, she knew that they would be fine. Nobody really knew but if this was a trap - as she suspected - and the ghosts were supposed to kill them - as Demi presumed - then she had a weapon. Something that would hopefully not burn down the house but could destroy any ghosts or sources that they came across. It was all a guessing game but as she mentally mapped out how everything was going to go, it calmed her.

And so as they headed out of the SUV and into Combe Carey Hall, she walked with complete confidence. The anxiety lingered in the pit of her stomach but it would be fine. Lockwood would make sure it was fine even if he should have listened to her at the station. It was too late now and she had resigned herself to whatever fate lay ahead.

She never hesitated over a doorway and walked into Combe Carey Hall with complete confidence but when she glanced back, Erin seemed to hesitate. A look of concern and worry had spread over her face as she stepped slowly.

"Hampton, don't freeze at the doorway," Demi warned. Her words were a soft warning but there was a clear undertone of concern and mild annoyance.

"That's like rule one of ghost-hunting," George added as he glanced between the girls. The group had come to a stop in the entranceway. Demi's rucksack over her shoulders still and her left hand holding one of her kit bags.

"Right, sorry. It's just-," Erin had moved away from the doorway now but rather than being able to finish, Lucy interjected.

"Feels weird? I feel it too," There was a softness to Lucy's tone and she gave Erin a reassuring look. It was an attempt to calm her down but everyone knew that this place wasn't what they had signed up for. It felt off from the get-go and they all knew that.

The group were silent for a moment and Erin had moved towards Demi. Stood between her and Lucy, a little awkwardly as they waited for Ellie to come forward with Fairfax. But in an attempt to ease the mood, Erin said, "You can call me Erin, by the way. I think we've met enough times for it not to be weird." Demi smiled softly and met her gaze, nodding shortly. It was still odd for Demi. This was a Hampton. Even if it was a Hampton that was hidden from the public because she didn't seem to have talent, it was still a Hampton and it felt wrong to call them by their first name. But Demi knew that it was fine.

"Welcome to Combe Carey Hall. You're late," Fairfax's voice interrupted the silence and Demi's head snapped towards him. The way he spoke and held himself just made Demi inwardly cringe. She knew not to trust him. She didn't trust him and yet there was nothing she could do but sit here and see what happened. She had the flare and that was all she could do to protect those around her, "Why is the Snyder assistant still here?" He asked as he looked around the group. Lockwood - as always - took the liberty of answering.

"We believed she could help us," He responded. His tone was as diplomatic as ever but it was all a lie. Lockwood had challenged Erin to get her here and now she could die at the hand of their agency. It was only another stressor to add to Demi's already chaotic thoughts.

"So be it. Drop your bags and hurry up. The sun's going down." There wasn't much of a fight which Demi found surprising but she didn't question it. She dropped her kitbag with everyone else's in the corner and then pulled her backpack off.

"Are you alright?" Lockwood asked, surprising Demi. But it didn't show and instead, she nodded and smiled as she dropped her backpack to the floor.

"Fine. Just as long as we don't kill Hampton," Demi responded. There was a little shrug to the end of her words and Lockwood nodded. Demi glanced around the entrance way. The walls were tall, obnoxious and seemed to be part of the original build. Everything in the house looked old, worn and used.

"You still have time to leave if you're scared," Lockwood had turned on Erin now and was watching as she looked around.

"Honestly, both options I have right now are shit. I either die here or face the consequences of Chase," Erin retorted and Demi opened her mouth to say something. Even just the mention of Chase made her blood boil but Lockwood gave her a little shake of his head, telling her to drop it. She turned away from him and Erin, not saying a word. Even if she wanted to tell Erin just how shitty of a man Chase Snyder really was.

The group then head into the main entranceway, led by George who was turning his map around. He had managed to print out a map of the official floorplan in London which he was now using and hoping it would help. But judging by the look on his face, they wouldn't be so lucky.

"I can't figure this place out. Nothing's where it should be," George explained as they moved into the main foyer. There were tables littered across the room. The whole area lit up by the sun that was slowly beginning to set behind them.

"It's an old house. It must have been remodelled half a dozen time," She stated though it was more of a question. Her gaze flickering to Lockwood and then back to George for some reassurance but neither of their faces indicate anything. Her hands were resting awkwardly in the pockets of her jacket and the anxiety began to claw at her chest again. This house felt wrong.

"This is the gallery," Fairfax spoke, ending the speculation, "The original priory was destroyed after the monks decided to commit mass suicide. You had to make your own fun in those days," He continued and the casual way he spoke about it made Demi's stomach twist. It wasn't just people having fun. It was a cult, indoctrination and it shouldn't have been spoken about so lightly but she held her tongue, "The modern house was built on the ruins. So, it's a bit of a Frankenstein." That made sense considering the sudden shifts in architectural style.

But before Fairfax could continue, the voice of Ellie joined the conversation. Demi had noticed that she had gone to search their bags, "Mr Lockwood broke the deal. He brought a bomb flare." Demi's body visibly relaxed at the use of 'bomb flare'. She glanced back at Lockwood but her lack of surprise was evident. Erin groaned and Lucy looked confused and a little annoyed. George looked completely baffled.

"Oh dear. I asked Ellie to go through your bags." Everything that Fairfax had said just gave Demi a bad feeling. It was like all of this was what he had expected or what he wanted. She didn't know and it scared her.

"You did what?" George asked at the same time as Demi went, "So much for trusting us..." Fairfax had this frown on his face, like a disappointed uncle.

"Well then you've broke the rules of the deal too, by searching our bags," Lockwood responded and Demi turned to look at him, cocking an eyebrow. Even she knew that was a stupid line of argument and even his charm couldn't help them now.

"As far as I recall, there's nothing in our agreement that prevents me making sure you won't burn my house down." Demi had to give him that. That was fair but she tried to ignore the even vaguely positive emotions she felt towards the man. He was an arsehole and she already had decided that. No matter how much Anthony loved him, "You do have form, after all, so let's call it quits." That was far from what Demi had expected. Part of her had wished that Fairfax would send them home then and there and they had to sort out the fine another way. But the universe was not on their side so, they were stuck, "Well, time is ticking. The sun's nearly down."

Demi wasn't really paying attention to Erin, George and Lockwood's whisperings as she looked around the room. Her eyes scrutinised every detail she could make in the sunlight. Her hand moved to tuck her hair behind her ear as she tried to get a feel for everything. It was already strong. Whatever was in the house, she could feel it. The sun wasn't down and there was no way the Source was in this room but she could feel how bad the house was. How dangerous it was even now. Demi didn't want to think about what it would be like when the sun dropped below the horizon.

"We'll leave you to work. It's a little late for us to be in this house safely. Through there, you'll find the screaming staircase," Fairfax explained as he gestured towards the massive staircase to their right. Demi glanced over at it. She would be the judge of that, "It'll take you round to the Red Room which is the most likely site of the primary source. We'll be back in the morning. I trust you have everything you need to take it from here?" Fairfax asked. Demi nodded and glanced at Lockwood who smiled that same charming boy-ish smile at Fairfax.

"I'm sure we'll be fine," Lockwood said simply. Fairfax nodded and moved past them towards the entrance. The last words he spoke were a hars 'Good luck' which Demi ignored as she crossed over to the tables where Fairfax had been stood. Her hands ran over the table cloth and the images hit her thick and fast.

The sound of laughter and joy, giggling, champagne-drunk guests, a few faces. A woman with short blonde hair tied up in an intricate braid with sparkling blue eyes. And then the sounds of pain. Not screaming, just pain. There were so many things all at once but something bad had happened here. Things had turned sour very quickly.

"Just standing here is making me feel nauseous," Demi commented as she moved her hand away from the table. Those flashes of life had been her last straw. The smell, the cold, all of it was making her want to be sick and she was glad that she hadn't eaten any proper dinner now.

"I'm not surprised," George mumbled as he walked towards the girl. They exchanged cautious looks as they looked over the map and then back around the room. George was right. None of this made any sense at all.

"I know I'm new and all but shouldn't we start doing something?" Erin asked curiously as she glanced between the group. Lockwood was looking around, taking in the area while Demi and George tried to make out anything with the floor plan.

"I want my backpack," Demi said, pulling away from George. The floor plan made no sense so she needed her backpack. It had everything she needed in it and so she headed towards the entrance and Lockwood was quick to add, "I'll check the entrance." He sauntered off behind the girl and Demi glanced back, seeing him walk behind her as they headed into the entryway.

Lockwood went straight past the pile of supplies and glanced out the window, checking that Fairfax and Ellie were gone. The SUV wasn't in sight which was good so he opened the window. Demi watched him for a moment, narrowing her eyes before she shrugged it off and knelt down to grab her backpack.

She searched through it, checking that everything was as it should be - it was - and the relief flooded her system again. She zipped it up and slipped it over her shoulders again, watching Lockwood again as he seemed to be struggling to get something.

"What are you doing?" Demi asked curiously. Lockwood didn't break away from his task as he seemed to pull on a wire.

"Giving us an out," Lockwood responded. Demi sighed and she turned away. Part of her wanted to press him for more but she didn't have the energy. He usually listened to her but he had been ignoring her since this Fairfax business had started. Even lying in bed together, he had talked about how exciting it was and raved somewhat about Fairfax. Demi's worried had been mostly discarded except his one promise. His promise that he would keep her safe.

Once Demi had her backpack, she moved back into the main room and George was walking around, holding the thermometer out. The sun had set now, leaving them all in darkness and Demi switched her torch on, chucking the other one she had picked up to George. Lucy had hers on her belt and switched it on, shining it around.

"This whole place is freezing up and it's hard to map a source because the rooms don't fight together properly. I think something's hidden away. It feels like we're going in blind," George rambled as Demi walked around the room. Her attention on the walls as she let her fingers skim across them. It gave her a sense of the room and other than the nausea that racked through her body in dizzying waves, there was nothing to indicate a Source. And she was good at finding a Source, "Erin's sketches from her agency didn't provide any different insights either," George added. Demi turned around and let her fingers run across the tables again. No images, just sounds and feelings this time. Joy turned to pain. Happiness turned to immense sorrow that burrowed beneath Demi's skin for the briefest moment.

"I don't think the Source is in here. I don't feel anything," She said after a moment. George nodded and he glanced around, moving his torch from the map and around the area.

"What can you feel?" He asked. He had noticed her touching along the walls and the tables. Typical behaviour when they were on case.

"Nothing of significance. I feel sick and there's a bad taste in my mouth but that's... usual," Demi explained as she pulled against one of the chairs. The sick feeling seemed to double as she squeezed her eyes shut against the images that flashed through her mind, "The Source isn't in this room but bad things happened here. The tables have bad... things attached to them. I can see some of it but I don't really know what happened." There was too much going on that the images weren't clear enough to sort out. There was only one time that this had happened before and that was her last case with Fittes. She hated this.

"If something has happened in a room where the Source isn't located... Should we even be standing in this building?" Erin asked as she looked around at the group. Demi simply shrugged. The answer was no. They shouldn't be anywhere near this house but they didn't exactly have a choice.

"Are we sure we wanna do this?" George asked as he looked around at the trio still in the room. Demi shrugged, adjusting the straps on her shoulders.

"I'm not. Lockwood!" Lucy called as she glanced from Erin to the entryway where Lockwood was still.

"What are you still doing out there?" Demi asked as she walked over towards the archway. Lockwood appeared with a grin on his face and something wrapped in brown parcel paper. Demi scrutinised it and it only took her a moment to realise what it was. That had to be a flare of some kind.

"Just a spot of fishing. Hopefully this will relax you all a bit. I came here yesterday after Satchell's to do a bit of recon and stashed this outside," Lockwood explained as he began to unwrap the bomb flare, dropping the paper to the floor.

"So that's why you were gone all day," Demi said and Lockwood nodded. He flashed her that charming smile and it nearly made her melt right there on the spot but the anxiety and nausea was still clawing at her. Nothing could make her forget that. Not even the objectively gorgeous man in front of her.

"Well, Fairfax being who he is, was gonna search our bags and me being me, I was gonna smuggle flares in. We don't have our usual kit but we do have this bomb flare. Industrial strength. Better be. Cost enough," He explained as the group all came around towards her. Demi tilted her head, reading the label before she grinned. And she slipped her backpack off her shoulder and twisted it so the bag was in front of her. She unzipped it and reached her hands in for the pack of biscuits.

"Now is not the time for biscuits," George said as he watched Demi pull it from her bag but she didn't even give him a second look.

"It's always time for biscuits," There was almost a wry smile on her face. Her feigned calmness seemed somewhat genuine for a bit as she offered out the biscuits towards Lockwood, "Want one?" She asked. He took it cautiously but the second he had it in his hand, he grinned.

"I'm sorry, what the heck is that?" Erin asked as she looked down at the biscuit packet that wasn't a biscuit packet at all. Lockwood passed it back to Demi, a proud smile spreading across his face as he looked into her eyes.

"A bomb flare from our very own Demi Campbell." There was a sense of deja vu to that moment but Demi tried her best to ignore it as she turned over the bomb flare in her hand.

"It's stronger than DEPRAC regulations allow but not enough to hurt any of us if we throw it," Demi shrugged a little. The sense of pride bloomed across her chest and George picked it up, feeling its weight and turning it over, examining it.

"You're a genius," He said softly. Demi grinned and when she glanced at Lockwood, he was still smiling proudly at her. That moment was the best Demi would feel for the rest of the day, completely unaware of the chaos that would ensue the longer that the Agency lingered in the old house.

"Why didn't you two tell us?" Lucy asked, a small frown in her face. Demi took the bomb flare back from George and pushed it into the pocket of her jacket. It just about managed to fit snugly and she zipped it up, keeping it in place.

"What and deny us all this beautiful moment? Come on, Luce. I'm not a monster," There was a cocky grin on Lockwood's face and Demi gave him a slight nudge in response. He merely looked down at her with that same smile which she couldn't help but return.

"Let other people decide that opinion of you, Tony," Erin responded. Though it was an entirely lighthearted comment. It eased the tension that had been created from Lucy's question and it seemed to put them all at somewhat ease.

"Touche Hammy. Well, shall we?" Lockwood asked, gesturing towards the 'screaming staircase'. Demi had touched the first step and heard exactly no screaming. This house would have more to it. She just knew.

"I'm going to stay here. Sort out images and locations, see if I can pick up on anything that can help us," Erin explained as she gestured towards the main gallery. Demi nodded and followed Lockwood and George as they headed towards the stairs. But Lucy stayed in the main room for the moment, a small frown appearing on her lips.

"Do you want me to stay?" She asked softly. Erin shook her head.

"It's alright. Don't worry. I'll scream if I need you." Demi glanced back at them and the way that they were looking at each other was so obvious that they felt something. But as she always did, she kept her mouth shut and ignored the way that Lockwood reached out for her hand to pull her upstairs.

"Don't catch all the ghosts while we're gone then," Lockwood said as he tugged Demi up the stairs. He gave Erin a teasing wink before the four headed upstairs, hoping to find the 'Red Room' that Fairfax had spoken of.

-

NOTE

i just wanted to get this update out for all of you so pls excuse any mistakes since i didn't proofread <3 ily all and ty for the support (it means the world) and the next chapter might be a bit of a chonkier one (probably 5k+ words (this chapter was 3.4k words)) so it might take a little longer to write but i'll try to get it up asap <3