A/N

Hey guys, even though this is a fan fiction it consumes a lot of my time & energy. So, I'd really appreciate it if you guys leave a like or a comment :)

And if there's any corrections or errors, feel free to inform.

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Defences against ghosts:-

The three principle defenses, in order of effectiveness are silver, iron and salt.

All such defences were considered temporary. Used directly on an active ghost, they would generally succeed driving it back or causing it to temporarily dematerialise. However only containing or eliminating the ghost's source or eliminating their reason for remaining in the world of the living in the first place would truly banish their presence.

Silver is generally used by agencies as a chain net to subdue a source with. Presumably the relative rarity of silver prevented it from being used as a more widespread defense.

Iron is a strong and commonly used defense. Agents have iron rapiers and chains, while the public uses iron wards, in their homes as iron plates around their house and doorways, as well as a variety of other uses.

Salt is primarily used by agents in salt bombs or to scatter on a source.

Lavender's smell is effective against ghosts, mostly the weaker ones.

Other defenses include curfew and Ghost-lamps. Curfew is enforced by the British government, and begins shortly before nightfall. Agents conducting an active operation are exempted from curfew. Ghost-lamps are extremely bright street lamps installed in heavily-populated areas. Running water is also effective against ghosts.

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It was Valerie's first mission at the agency. George Karim was late so Anthony had suggested they go on without the boy.

They stood outside 62 Sheen Road. Mrs Hope the owner of the coral house appeared, "are you from the agency?"

"Mrs Hope, I'm Anthony Lockwood. This is my colleague Valerie Klein. We've come about your problem. Would you care to show us inside?"

"Oh no, I don't set foot in there. Not since my husband passed. The disturbances have been very persistent. I'm going to sell it but it needs fixing first," the old lady who looked like she was in her mid 80's explained.

"That is exactly what we do."  Anthony said confidently.

Mrs Hope looked at the two teenagers suspiciously, "shouldn't you have a supervisor? I thought an adult should be there supervising."

"The law states that an adult is only required if operatives are undergoing training, but we don't find it necessary."

Valerie lied. "Lockwood just turned eighteen, so he's practically an adult now."

Mrs Hope gazed at them for a while, maybe, she believed them, maybe she didn't. But she handed the key and an envelope to Anthony anyway. "Here's the form you sent. Tells you all you need to know. Now I have to go. It's almost curfew." She said walking away from the teenagers, she abruptly stopped on her tracks, turned back. "When I was your age, I was out chasing boys, having fun. It's terrible the world's come to this. I feel sorry for your generation."

Valerie didn't know life before the Problem, because she grew up surrounded by hauntings, visitors and 6pm curfews. But her grandmother had told her stories about a time when—the Problem didn't exist and the world was normal, there was no fear of Visitors or the dark. The girl couldn't even imagine, a world like that now. Because this was their normal; hunting ghosts and destroying them, protecting the masses and serving the community until their Talents wear off. And maybe, even if their Talents wear off, they might be able to help to mentor kids with Talents like their mentors.

They stepped inside. "Eighteen?" Anthony asked closing the door behind.

"She believed us didn't she? And why are you so scared of that number? You'll turn 18 one day."

"It's just..."

Valerie knew what the boy was thinking, with age Talents fades and maybe they'll lose their Talents by 18 or 20? Or maybe earlier than that because most of the agents loses their abilities at the ripe age of 18.

"You'll be Anthony Lockwood, with or without your Talents. Never let anyone take that away from you."

He smiled at her, and even though the house was freezing she felt her cheeks grow warm. She adjusted her muffler, "it's chilly ain't it?"

"Heatings off...and you're wearing a mini skirt."

"FYI. I'm wearing stockings."

A light smirk passed his pale face. "They're skin stockings."

Derry was warm unlike London, so she didn't think it'll be necessary to pack her winter wears and her duffel bag couldn't hold everything anyway. She ignored his smirk and concentrated on the mission. "I can hear knocking, very faintly...you?"

Valerie Klein has extremely powerful Hearing, which is often interconnected with her Touch. She has passable Sight, but Hearing and Touch are her strong side. On the other hand, Anthony Lockwood has exceptionally good Sight and a skilled fencer.

"Death glow. So bright, I should have brought my sunglasses." The boy nodded at the stairs, a bright translucent image of a dead man laid on the ground.

Valerie could hear and see Mr Hope falling down from the stairs seconds before his death. "He fell from the stairs."

Anthony pulled out the form, "they moved here. Everything was fine. No manifestations. Then, suddenly, he falls down the stairs and died."

"Do you think she pushed him?"

"Mrs Hope isn't you," Anthony joked.

"Don't give me ideas," she batted her lashes.

The boy cleared his throat and concentrated on the paper, "she says she felt something was looking for her, but couldn't find her. And the thought of it finding her was more that she could bear."

"So it has a purpose," she gave it a thought, "it suggest a Type Two."

"The sun is down." The boy checked his watch, "how about we find ourselves a ghost?"

They climbed up the stairs. This was their first mission together and Valerie had no idea how good or bad Anthony Lockwood was as an agent. Even though his good looks and charms were a super power of its own. Those qualities of his will only work with the living.

"The Knocking is back. Getting louder." Valerie informed as she walked behind the boy.

"Temperatures dropping." Anthony mentioned as the device in his hand bleeped.

"Let's check the rooms shall we?" She nodded to the left door, they entered an old office room filled with crates. "I can feel it. This is where the source is? Can't you feel it?"

A fading cry was heard outside.

"Don't let it get to you. Keep active. Make a circle. I'll check the other rooms."

"Filings or chains?" She asked the boy who was making his way out the door.

"Filings."

"You sure? It's still early, it's already strong." She furrowed her brows.

"It's not that strong, plus I forgot to bring the chains. George took them out to oil them. I didn't check he'd put them back, so...it's George's fault. Anyway we don't need them for a job like this. Filings will be just fine." He disappeared down the hallway.

Valerie huffed a breath of disbelief as she went downstairs to grab the bags, what has she gotten herself into? And where the hell was George?

When she climbed back up, a light at the end of the hallway caught her attention—it was heading towards her. The glow was forming a figure, slowly. It was a Visitor. A Type Two ghost.

"Lockwood?"

"Lockwood! It's urgent!"

"Lockwood."

She reached for her rapier. Where the hell was Anthony Lockwood, when she needed him?

Anthony appeared causally wondering why the girl was calling out his name, until the Visitor down the hallway caught his eyes. "Shit!" He cursed pulling his riaper out.

Valerie closed her eyes, she could hear a faint scream coming from the ghost. "She's in pain."

"Of course she is. She's dead."

"No, something's different." She said as she felt a feeling she'd never felt before, "she's reaching out..." in an instant the Visitor charged forward and Valerie was hanging for her dear life, dangling above the two storey staircase.

"Val!"

"I'm gonna fall." She yelled as Anthony fought the angry Visitor, "I'm slipping..."

So this is how she dies? She couldn't see Anthony nor the ghost but she could hear the menacing scream of the ghost as Anthony tried his best to fight it off. When she was finally about to give up, the boy reached for her hand and pulled her up, "did it touch you?"

"Course not. I'd be dead." She gasped, she could see the sweat on his perfect black brows.

"Thank goodness," he gave a sigh of relief. He nearly lost her didn't he? "Val, if you don't feel steady, we should just go home now."

"No, I'm fine." She took a step back from him. "It's just...when I connected with her, it was different. I saw how she used to be. I could feel what she was feeling."

"She's a ghost. She don't have feelings," he told her. Ghosts don't have feelings, they only haunt the living and kill people or in rare cases ghost lock them.

"No, this was like nothing I have ever felt before."

"You need to calm down. This is the ghost of a murder victim and she's gonna get back any second," he looked at her concerned, maybe, holding on to dear life had gotten to her. "So we've to go..."

"Show me where she went." She pressed on, whatever she felt was real and she knew it.

"Val..."

"Please...for me?"

The boy shrugged, he was choosing stupidity over common sense for a girl who'd just moved in two nights ago. Just because she's a powerful Listener or because of something else? He lead her towards the study room, "she faded before she reached the wall."

Valerie ran her fingers through her raven hair as she examined the green wallpapers. "Chimney breast, probably where the body is."

"Are you sure?" He turned to her amazed, by her appearance none could tell that she was not only a very gifted Listener but a brave agent as well. She looked so fragile like a porcelain doll.

"A hundred percent, let's get on with it." She said as she bent down to make a protective circle with black salt.

"This wall been replastered," Anthony commented as he hit the wall with a hammer.

"I told you so," Valerie agreed hitting the wall once more, dust particles were flying everywhere.

"You don't seem like the type to be holding a hammer and breaking a wall." He mentioned, she was full of unexpected surprises.

Valerie heard the knocking again. "She's near."

"Almost there." Anthony panted hitting the wall with all that he got.

"Hurry up." She said as she scanned the room, in the corner a glow caught her eyes.

Then with a loud bang the wall broke and Anthony fell on the wooden floor, breaking the salt circle. The ghost went straight for the boy, it floated above him, locking him. Anthony Lockwood was unable to move.

"Lockwood!" She screamed in horror. What if the ghost touches him? Or what if he gets ghost locked like Norah Johnson. In severe cases, ghost lock become a form of living death, the patient left hopelessly in a coma.

Valerie couldn't find her rapier. Shit! She'd dropped it down the stairs. She picked up a bomb that was within her reach without a second thought and threw it at the unexpected ghost. It made a screeching sound as it backed away but the particles from the spark fell on the books and it lit on fire.

Anthony was finally able to get up, "this is not good."

Valerie looked at the broken wall, behind it was the skeletal remains of a lady, "that's her."

"The body is the source, I'll hold her back. You get a net over it. In other word, plan F."

"That's not plan F." She looked at Anthony, who'd made plans A-F so that they could communicate quickly.

"I mean plan B."

"Plan B's salt bombs. She's too strong for that."

"I'll draw her off. You contain the source." Anthony said pointing at the bag where he stashed the silver net.

"That's plan E!"

"When this is over, we need to totally rework the lettering system."

"Speak for yourself," she told him as she grabbed the silver net, but the ring that was on the skeleton caught her eyes so she slipped it into her pocket and covered the skeleton with the net before the Visitor could attack them again.

The room was in flames now.

"Val!" Anthony came and grabbed her forearm, "we need to leave now."

They stood at the balcony, as the room burned behind them. It was becoming uncomfortably hot and the smoke was filling up their lungs.

"We should jump." Anthony suggested, they'd no other way out of the mess.

Valerie looked down, no way on earth was she going to jump. "Jump? You must be mad. We're way too high. We'll break our necks!"

"There's no other option left, is there?"

"Is this a death pack Lockwood?"

He grabbed hold of her hand. "Seems like it, ready?"

She shook her head, this can't be happening. She nearly fell down the two storey staircase like Mr Hope and now this. It was like death was calling unto her. "No!"

Then they jumped..

18. 02. 2023