The Haunting of Blackwood Mansion

Ethan Blackwood's eyes narrowed as he watched the red cord fly from his hand. The material, thin and snake-like, coiled mid-air, undulating toward the ghost without a straight trajectory. It moved with eerie grace, a serpent striking its prey. The ghost didn't seem to notice its approach until the cord wrapped around its ethereal body. Ethan's eyes glimmered with an unsettling darkness as he clasped his hands together, murmuring an incantation:

"With a flicker of light, a spirit is bound; let none escape, nor make a sound. The righteous shall pass, the wicked shall fall. By Heaven's decree, I command you all."

The red cord flared brightly, binding the ghost like a tightly wrapped package. It tumbled to the ground, sprawling at Daniel's feet, who stood gasping for breath, his clothes torn from the struggle. Ethan was already moving swiftly, pulling out a yellow charm from his coat pocket. He slapped it onto the ghost's forehead, which instantly froze, glaring up at them with bloodshot eyes, yet now helpless.

Daniel took a moment to catch his breath, then angrily kicked the ghost. "Where the hell were you, Ethan? We were supposed to take care of this together! I nearly got my throat ripped out by this stupid thing!"

He wasn't exaggerating. Just minutes earlier, Daniel had been locked in a life-or-death struggle with the phantom, and if Ethan had arrived any later, things could've ended very differently.

Ethan chuckled, completely unfazed by the accusations. "Don't worry, mate. I've been watching from the shadows the whole time. I wasn't gonna let you get hurt." He flashed a mischievous grin and tossed another red cord into the air, wrapping it around his fingers. With a quick flick, it shot towards the doorway.

Daniel turned his head in time to see a woman in glasses trying to sneak away. She let out a scream as the cord tightened around her wrists, binding her as effectively as the ghost.

"Nice try," Ethan muttered as he approached her. "But you're not getting out of here." In a matter of moments, the woman and another one of the haunted team members were incapacitated, yellow charms slapped onto their foreheads as well.

Daniel looked at the scene in front of him, a ghost, and two possessed people now under control. He rubbed his face in disbelief. "I've been fighting for my life all night, and you come in here and clean house in two seconds. What's the point of me even being here?"

Ethan raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Well, let's be honest. These ghosts are tricky. I needed you as bait. They wouldn't have shown themselves otherwise. Don't worry, you weren't in any real danger."

"Bait?!" Daniel looked incredulous. "I could have died! And now we've got to deal with these two possessed people. We can't just leave them like this."

"Ah, don't stress. The hard part's over." Ethan waved off Daniel's concerns. "I've sealed the spirits inside them for now. They won't cause any trouble. We can decide what to do next—whether we exorcise them, let them go, or... handle it another way. Whatever you want."

Before Daniel could respond, the woman in glasses, her voice suddenly high-pitched and desperate, interrupted them. "Please! Please don't kill me! I was only trying to protect myself. I had no choice! I'm not an evil ghost—I was forced into this!"

Daniel hesitated. The ghost's tone, now pleading, was reminiscent of another encounter they'd had recently with a similar spirit. He looked at Ethan, hoping for some guidance, but Ethan was already pulling out a small gourd-shaped talisman from his coat.

The woman flinched. "No! Please, no! I was just trying to survive!"

"I've heard enough." Ethan stepped forward, his boot pressing down on her back to stop her from struggling.

"Wait!" Daniel stepped between them. "Let's hear her out. She's not the first spirit we've met that's pleaded for help. If she's been trapped here, it might not be her fault."

Ethan paused, raising an eyebrow. "You believe her?"

Daniel shrugged. "I don't know, but I've heard it before. There's something more to this. Look at this mansion—something is keeping them here. We might be dealing with more than just angry ghosts. Maybe we need to figure out the bigger story before we start exorcising everyone."

Ethan sighed and backed off, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. "Alright, have at it. I'll let you play the hero for now."

Daniel knelt next to the woman. "What happened here? Why are you trapped in Blackwood Mansion?"

Her eyes filled with pain and regret. "My name is Rose. I was once a servant... sold to the Blackwood family. My father had no choice—he couldn't feed me, so I was sent to marry the Blackwood heir. But he was... not right in the head. Violent, unstable... I was trapped here, beaten every day."

Daniel's expression softened. "And how did you die?"

Rose took a shaky breath. "One night, during the autumn festival, some of Blackwood's enemies attacked. There was a fight, a bloodbath. I was shot in the crossfire. I never left this place... my anger, my sorrow, they keep me bound here."

For a moment, Daniel felt genuine pity for her. "You've suffered so much..."

But then, from the shadows, another voice boomed out. "Don't believe her lies!"

Both Daniel and Ethan turned sharply to see another figure step out from the darkness. A man, tall and imposing, with eyes glowing an eerie red. "She's no victim! She's a con artist! She orchestrated the entire downfall of my family!"

Ethan didn't seem surprised. "And you are...?"

The man sneered. "I am Carter, the rightful heir of Blackwood. I was trapped here after my family was slaughtered because of her greed. She tricked us all, using her position in the household to plot our deaths."

Daniel stared between them, bewildered. "Is that true, Rose?"

The ghost's expression faltered. "He's lying! I was just trying to survive—"

Carter interrupted her with a growl. "She plotted with bandits to rob my family! She wanted the estate for herself. But she didn't count on me surviving. I was a soldier; I fought back, and now I'm stuck here because of her!"

Daniel looked at Ethan, who shrugged. "Looks like we're in the middle of a family feud. What do you want to do?"

Daniel's mind raced. If Rose was telling the truth, she was a victim, but if Carter was right, she was far from innocent. Either way, both spirits were trapped here because of their own unfinished business.

"You know," Ethan said, exhaling smoke, "we could just exorcise them both. Problem solved."

Daniel shook his head. "No, we need to know the truth. Rose, if what you say is true, why did you stay here? Why didn't you move on?"

Rose hesitated. "I... I couldn't. My anger, my hatred... it tied me here."

"And you, Carter?" Daniel asked, turning to the other ghost. "Why didn't you leave?"

Carter's face twisted in fury. "Because of her! I can't rest until she pays for what she did."

Ethan sighed, looking at Daniel. "You know how these things go. Ghosts never tell the whole story. Maybe both of them are guilty of something, or maybe neither. But they're both stuck here, and that's what matters."

Daniel rubbed his temples. "We need to make a decision. We can't just leave them here like this."

Ethan flicked his cigarette to the ground and crushed it under his boot. "Well, it's up to you, mate. You want to be the righteous one. So what's it gonna be?"

Daniel stared at the two ghosts, torn between sympathy and suspicion. Could he trust Rose's tale of tragedy? Or was Carter's version of events closer to the truth? Either way, their souls were tied to this mansion, and Daniel knew he had to choose a course of action—one that would finally set both spirits free, for better or worse.

As the silence stretched, Daniel made up his mind. He looked at Ethan and nodded. "Let's give them the chance to move on. We'll let justice sort itself out."

Ethan grinned. "Fair enough." With a flick of his hand, the red cords began to glow again, and the spirits braced themselves for whatever fate awaited them next.