m_findlow

Title: Haunted
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack, Gwen, Ianto, OCs
Author: m_findlow
Rating: M
Length: 50,847 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for spook_me 2020 Prompt - Ghost
Summary: The team investigate rumours of a haunted house in rural Wales.

Gwen was as awake and alert as it was possible to be. It was a programmed response these days. The adrenaline kicked in well before any action, bringing all of her senses alive. She could feel the chill hanging in the air, smell the dust that clung to every surface and feel the way the air moved differently behind her just from having Ianto following in her wake. On top of that she could hear every creak and groan the floorboards made beneath the carpet as they moved from the landing and around into the hallway of the west wing of the house.

There was a scratching sound, but she couldn't quite tell where it was coming from. Somewhere further down the hall, or perhaps from within the walls themselves. It was impossible to tell, brief as it was.

‘If they're after stuff they'll go for the bedroom,’ she whispered. ‘That's where people keep their valuables.’ Not that she thought there was anything much of value in there, unless you liked old stuff.

‘I keep mine in the bottom of the box of cornflakes in the kitchen cupboard.’

‘Yes, well you would,’ she hissed back. Bad enough Rhys shoved their car keys inside a pair of his socks when they went on holidays. Even though they were clean, she could swear her key fob smelled like a whole team of rugby players for weeks afterwards.

‘Of course the wad of emergency cash is separate. I keep that in the-’

Gwen held up a fist, ending his train of conversation. Though it was dark, she could just make out the outlines of the walls and furniture in what night sky filtered through the windows. There it was again. A sound she couldn't put her finger on. Not quite footsteps but…

Gwen could feel Ianto's breath on her neck. ‘Times like this I wouldn't consider being armed with a frying pan quite so cliché.’

She couldn't help but smirk. ‘Should have grabbed those pokers from the fireplace.’ If she got desperate she was prepared to grab anything, even if all it was good for was as something to be thrown.

She tiptoed down the hallway, past the doorway of the master bedroom. The sound was further down the hall but the only thing beyond that was a large and rather grubby bathroom, complete with a giant bathtub on ornate feet. It seemed ridiculous that anyone would be down there.

‘This is the police,’ Gwen called out in a loud firm voice.

Ianto grabbed her arm and was about to say something. She shushed him before he could with a sharp look and the quietest hissing shh! she could manage. ‘Come out now and I'm sure we can come to some kind of arrangement.’

There was a pregnant pause as she waited for whoever it was to come out and show themselves. The floor groaned in protest at some movement, but there was no surrender.

‘Look, I can't be arsed with the paperwork of arresting somebody. We both know this is private property. Just come out now and we can have a quick chat and be on our way. How's that sound?’ She prayed that common sense would prevail and that their would be burglars would simply give themselves up.

There was a smashing sound of something falling off one of the cluttered sideboards, hitting the gap between the wall and the floor where the hall runner wasn't wide enough to cover the entire width. The lack of carpeted floor caused the item to break into what sounded like a hundred pieces, echoing back down the hall and bouncing off the narrow walls.

Gwen whipped her head around to curse Ianto for being so clumsy but he was only a step behind her and the sound had come from much further down back the way they'd already been. There was no sound of pounding footsteps, meaning they hadn't made a run for it back towards the landing. Shit. She pushed past Ianto. The bedroom. They must have darted in there to hide. There was nowhere else to go.

She bolted down the hall, almost missing the doorway in the dark and grabbing its edge at the last second, throwing herself into the room. It was easier to see in here. The heavy drapes covering the large western facing windows hung open letting in whatever night light there was. The large furniture cast huge shadows across the room and it was these spots she focused her eyes on. Anything could have been hiding in those patches of darkness.

The door slammed hard behind her, rattling on its hinges and Gwen jumped in alarm at the sudden deafening sound.

She swallowed down the momentary panic. Get a grip, Gwen, the door didn't shut itself. Just a breeze coming through the window probably pushed it. She looked across the room at the window. It was a clear moonless night but the shadows cast by the curtains draped either side of the large glass panels weren't moving in the slightest. None of the windows were open.

She paced back towards the door and grabbed the handle, finding it stuck. Her original anxiety set back in.

‘Ianto? The door is stuck!’ she yelled out. She jiggled the doorknob hard but it wouldn't budge. She brushed a hand over it and the area surrounding the handle but there was no lock mechanism. It couldn't have been locked from the outside. It was just stuck. 'Ianto!' she called out again. Why wasn't he responding? He'd only been a few steps behind her. He wouldn't have shut it on her. Not unless he was now in pursuit of whoever had. She pounded a fist on the door several times. ‘Ianto!’

‘Bollocks,’ she swore, rattling the door hard one last time before giving up on it.

Her hand brushed the peeling wallpaper, searching for the bulbous light switch near the door. She found it, the plastic cold under her fingers but something stayed her hand from flicking it on. There was a sound, heavy breathing, almost a snorting, snoring kind of sound. She swallowed hard and strained to hear anything other than the sound of her own blood rushing in her ears. Her thumb flipped the light switch but nothing happened. The sound came again, low, growling and threatening.

Something was in here with her and it didn't sound human.

Next chapter...