Redstone: Sanctuaries
Chapter 20: Assistance

The choking sound appeared again, it sounded even further than the previous sound, but it also became clearer. Jose tightened the coat collar to ward off the wind. The air temperature dropped so fast, the joints of his bones became stiff. The flashlight twitched like it was running out of power.

"Boris," call Jose cheerfully. He turned to his workers for instructions, but his eyes caught something else.

A shadow.

The woman is black. Totally black. Jose knew that all he saw was women because the figure was wearing a long canal skirt. The way it walked was so strange, like a leaf blown by the wind. Shake here, sway there. Everything was done without sound.

"Eh, don't look!" stop Jose quickly when Blake and Boris both want to turn around to see what's behind them. My hair is goosebumps. "Change of plans, brothers. Boris, you're heading right while Mr. Krucher to the left. I don't want to be disputed, Mr. Krucher," he said quickly as soon as Blake was about to open his mouth. His eyes narrowed, trying to stare at the dark figure in front of him more clearly. "There's a former excavation ground. Or landfill. You will find it when you see the broken wheat grove. Once you find it, find the rope hanger. Hurry along! It should be around here."

Jose gave the order in a cheerful voice as if explaining the most pleasant thing in the world, but Blake could see the man's face paled, so he guessed this was serious. Whatever they were looking for clearly had something to do with the ambush chill just now. He wants to look back, but he can control himself.

Submissively, Blake and Boris immediately worked out what was requested.

"Well," Jose heaved a sigh of relief. He walked back carefully so as not to fall. His eyes were still staring forward, towards the strange shadow that was fluttering as if breathing. "Have you called me since?" whispers lirih. His stomach felt like it was being squeezed. "You ... imitate my wife's voice?"

The figure approached. With his arrival, the cold swirled through the grain sidelines and the scenery around Jose began to change color, disappearing. The wind blew fiercely from the direction of the rock mountain range, making his coat flutter wildly to the side slapping a calf. Dried wheat flakes slapped on the cheeks, at first glance looking like torn skin.

Illusion, Jose thought with his hands on his head, holding back his pet hat from flying. But he just attacked me?

His breath was getting white. Just a moment of silence, Jose was sure he would turn into an ice sculpture.

"Hello, Boris!" call him full of tone. The fear would worsen the mood, so he tried as hard as he could to stay calm, holding back his teeth from grinding as he spoke. "Mrs. Krucher! Are you still looking?"

"Still, Master!" exclaim Boris hastily. Blake did not answer. The two people did not seem to be affected by the cold or illusory attacks.

Sayup-sayup, Jose heard the sound of a car door thumping faintly. Weston's on the car. Devon is safe.

But he himself is not safe. Jose can solve the illusion of calling Boris just now, but the trick is definitely not going to work. It seemed like the figure in front of him began to get angry if judging from the choking sound that was getting farther away. It felt like someone was struggling to catch their breath, tormented.

Jose can feel it. The woman was terrified, panicked, wanting to escape. The pain strikes his neck, directly to the head, to the base of the nose. Not being able to breathe is painful. His body was too light, making him tormented for longer in a rope snare that sliced through the skin.

Jose quickly took a deep breath, preventing himself from being sucked in the memory fragment. His eyes were hot and wet from not blinking. Now the excruciating voices he heard were getting louder.

The farther away the ghost sounds, usually means the closer the ghost is. That's the myth at Redstone. The one in front of him right now was clearly a ghost. The angry ghost.

Jose was still inching backwards, his eyes unable to escape the figure that moved like a kite. The shadow is getting bigger.

"Is this what you're looking for?" Blake exclaimed from the left. The young man got up and raised one hand, revealing a silhouette of a porous mine rope.

"Good!" Jose exclaimed in relief.

Oops, he thought sorry. He turned his eyes away from the shadow. A mistake.

***

Mary walked leading the way across the courtyard. The door of the house is not locked. He opened it slowly, peered out of the doorway, then tiptoed in without a sound. Devon followed behind.

"Listen," Mary whispered as she dragged Devon over the wall, glaring with a dark shadow. This place was still the same as the last Mary left it: cold, sepia-colored filled the room, as if they were in an old photograph. "I saw a strange shadow from outside."

"What shadow?" Devon circulated his gaze around with an anxious creaking face. "Why is your house horrible, anyway?"

"This is not my home, it's just similar!" hiss Maria. "There's a shadow in my room. Maybe the creature that was chasing me was there."

"Info interesting. So now we're out again?"

"Of course not!" Mary crossed her arms in front of her chest to warm herself up. His feet hurt and his knees trembled with coldness. She really misses her warm room. "I just told you to be careful. The thing is, the room where the relic is is next to mine."

Devon groaned slowly. "Why did you get out of this house without bringing the relics?"

"I'll push you later if the creature comes," said Maria calmly. "Let me see if you can think clearly if you're being chased like that."

The seriousness of his tone made Devon chuckle, and the man's laughter calmed Maria down, reminding her that he was not alone in this place.

"Alright, My Lady. This Devon will be your life's shield" he said. "What do you call it? The squire? Knight?"

"Knight." Maria nodded, again leading the way towards the second floor. The floor felt as cold as ice until it became hot piercing. Mary bit her lips, pricked herself so as not to scream pain. He will complain when he reaches his real home. He would complain in front of Jose, not another man.

Maria stopped walking once they reached the long corridor that led to the main hall. He took a slow breath. The ends of his toes were curved, clutching the ice floor. "My room is there" he whispered softly. "The door is in gold. Next to her was another smaller room for my ladies. I remember they kept the jar there."

There's no response.

Maria looked. On his side was only a flower pot filled with roses. The color is tanned because of the influence of color on this house. "Mrs. Devon?" call slowly. He twisted his body, peering out the corridor. There is only a stretch of carpet as cold as ice with silent walls.

Devon is gone. Even the sound of his breathing was gone.

"Where is he?" Mary looked in all directions. This place is familiar, but it scares her. A chill crept down his back slowly, making him shudder, reminding him immediately of the salt jar in the room.

Remember priorities! Mary rebuked herself.

He had to get the Ghost Relic first, only after that look for Devon. Maria made up her mind.

***