I turned on my camera with my other hand and let Dex lead me away from the fresh air and freedom, toward the monstrous uncertainty that was waiting for us further inside.
CHAPTER FOUR
Dex and I passed under the doorway as thin strands of cobwebs reached for us from above. We walked slowly to the staircase, listening for further noises from whatever was upstairs.
The stairs weren’t rickety like I thought they’d be but were slick with mold and seepage. The walls of the circular staircase were also wet and dark, fulgent in the sharp camera light, and there was no railing to hold on to. I followed Dex onto the first step and my foot immediately began to slide out from under me. Luckily, my Docs were fairly new and could grip like no one’s business. I was able to steady myself without having to touch the icky walls.
“You OK?” Dex whispered, his grip tightening.
I nodded, then made the notion for him to be quiet, even though whatever was upstairs already knew we were coming.
We rounded the corner. I was glad Dex was in front, though I doubted his slight frame had the ability to protect me.
But alas, when we reached the floor and shone our lights around there was nary an axe-murderer to be found. Couldn’t say I was disappointed.
There were two shut doors in front of us: One that led into the building like the locked one below us and the other, I assumed, would take you into a circular room overlooking the sea. Neither door had external locks on them, but I had no desire to see if they were open. The doorknobs looked wet and gross.
Dex looked perplexed, not relieved.
Suddenly, the door to the circular room swung open and banged against the wall loudly.
My heart leaped into my throat and I nearly jumped out of my skin.
“Jesus!” I exclaimed.
Dex didn’t seem too bothered. He let go of my hand and walked into the room. This man definitely had balls, if not brains.
I saw the camera light shining around the walls and then he came out again.
He gestured to the door. “Just a door.”
“What?”
“Making the noise. False alarm.”
“But I heard footsteps. Just like when you were up here.”
He shrugged. “I know. I thought I heard that too. But there’s nothing here, just like there wasn’t anything here earlier.”
He shined his light up the staircase. “I never made it up there, though. I bet that’s where he is.”
“He?” I asked, my chest tightening. Who the hell was he?
“Old Roddy,” Dex said simply and started for the stairs.
I reached out and grabbed his arm firmly. It felt nice. There was muscle under there after all.
“Who the hell is Old Roddy?” I said angrily. I was sick of feeling like I wasn’t being told the whole story.
Dex was silent. I shined my light in his face, causing him to squint harshly.
“If you don’t know then I don’t have time to explain,” he sneered in the brightness. He eyed my hand on his bicep. I didn’t let go.
“Make time,” I said.
Then, from above, another thump. This time much louder than before. It definitely was not the sound of a door banging in the wind.
Dex stiffened at the sound. He looked at me intently, then relaxed. I let go of his arm.
He leaned in and pointed above.
“Old Roddy is the lighthouse keeper.”
I didn’t get it.
“There is no lighthouse keeper here. My uncle doesn’t employ anyone, there isn’t even a damn light up there,” I said.
“Yeah, well, rumor has it that Old Roddy’s been here all this time.”
“All this time? How long is that?”
“About eighty years, maybe more, maybe less.”
“That’s impossible,” I scoffed.
“I know. Like I said, that’s why I’m here.”
I took in a slow, deep breath. Whatever Dex was saying wasn’t making any sense to me, and even worse, the more I tried to make sense of it, the more I felt dizzy and disoriented. This situation, this Dex guy, it was all too much for me to process. And unfortunately, when my mind couldn’t properly process what was going on around me, my panic attacks start to kick in and weird shit happens.
“I need to go lie down,” I said quietly.
He cocked his head, curious, and reached out for my hand.
He didn’t give it a comforting squeeze, though, which any normal person would have done. He just pulled me closer to him and led me up the next flight of stairs until we were now on the floor above, where the last few thumps had come from.
With my breath and heart stuck in my throat, Dex illuminated the level. It looked exactly like the one below it, save for a desk in the corner. The doors were also closed. And no lighthouse keeper was to be found.
Suffice to say, I had a bad feeling about all of this. Whether it was due to the creepiness of the whole situation or that I should probably head back before people started to worry about me, I couldn’t say.
Plus, I was starting to question the sanity of Dex and his quest for some lighthouse keeper who clearly didn’t exist.
“You know—,” I started to say.
I was interrupted by the door, which blasted open (by itself again) and swung back and forth wildly on its hinges, connecting against the wall with a BANG.
“What the f**k?” I yelled above the noise. It was literally the only thought I had in my head.
Dex took a curious step towards the animated door, the breeze from its steady swinging movement ruffling his hair.
He aimed the camera on the door for a few moments, the eerie glow adding to the mystery, and then shone it on me.
“What do you make of it?” he asked.
The light was blinding me.
“Are you seriously filming me?” I yelled.
BANG!
The same sound of doors flying open and shut came from downstairs. The noise was overbearing and within seconds the whole lighthouse was vibrating sonically. I immediately put my hands over my ears. I could feel it in my fillings.
I took a shaky step towards Dex hoping for some comfort in a beyond-terrifying situation. The only thing he did was aim the camera back on the door, which was still flying open and closed as if some invisible angry teenager was slamming it. He took my hand off my ear and placed my own camera in it.
“You might want to film this!” he bellowed above the din.
Though filming was the last thing on my mind, I did what he said.