Page 31 of The Little Shop of Curiosities, The Music Box Part 2

“We need to find Harrison,” I tell him, my feet already moving towards the fox.

“Urgh, fine, but if we die, my boyfriend is going to be pissed.”

“He’s literally Death. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

Any other time I’d be amused, but I can’t focus on anything other than getting to Harrison right now, and if following a weird-looking fox inside a haunted house is what it takes, then so be it.

It’s freezing in this part of the house. I know it’s still winter and the heating hasn’t been on in the building since Viv died, but this is beyond cold. My fingers are turning numb as I follow the fox up the narrow, winding staircase, Chan a few paces behind me.

“Bloody hell, are we climbing fucking Everest?” Chan complains.

“What are you complaining about? You’re the one wearing genuine muppet skin.”

“It is very cosy,” he concedes as he strokes the furry coat with a hum of pleasure. “It’s just the rest of me that’s cold.”

We reach the top of the stairs and step onto plain wooden floorboards rather than threadbare carpet. There’s a damp, musty smell to the air.

It’s also pitch black.

“I really don’t think Prickles is going to be up here.” I can hear the distaste in Chan’s voice even if I can’t see his face.

“There must be a light switch around here somewhere.” I pull my phone from my pocket and hit the flashlight function, then skim the bright light over the nearby walls. Finally, I see an old-fashioned light switch and flip it on.

For a second, nothing happens, then the lights above us flicker on.

“Fuck me,” Chan mutters under his breath. “I don’t know whether to run screaming or call the Winchesters.”

The light is no more than a row of bare bulbs spaced at intervals down a narrow corridor, illuminating a handful of closed doors on either side of the hall. I can’t see past the end because, like the floor below, the corridor seems completely cast in shadow. I’m sure this shouldn’t be possible, not with a light source directly in front of it.

“What do you think this floor is?” Chan’s voice is oddly subdued for his vibrant personality. “I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little worried we might run into Miss Haversham up here.”

“I think these were the old servants’ rooms. This floor probably hasn’t been used for decades,” I mutter as my eyes land on the fox. It’s sitting halfway down the corridor, and I swear it wasn’t there before.

With a slow, graceful movement, the fox rises and turns, heading towards the deep shadows. I edge closer, and the strangest thing happens. The shadows move and shift like they are somehow alive. As the fox gets closer, they sink into the far wall and disappear, revealing a familiar-looking person with his back to us.

“Harrison!” I yell, and rush forward, but he doesn’t seem to hear me.

The fox winds around his legs, disappearing when I reach him, but my attention is all on Harrison rather than where the strange creature may have gone.

I grasp Harrison’s arm and can feel how cold he is through his sweater. He seems to be in some kind of daze, just standing and staring at the blank wall in front of him.

“Prickles.” I give him a shake and grasp his jaw, turning his face towards me.

His skin is unnaturally pale, making his freckles stand out in stark relief, and his lips are blue. I watch as he blinks slowly. His eyes, which had been unfocused, track to me, and I can see him gradually coming back to us.

“Sam?” he croaks and starts to shiver violently. “Why is it so cold?”

“Here, Prickles, take this.” Chan slides the fake fur coat off and wraps Harrison up in it tightly.

“I-I look l-like an o-orange Tic Tac,” Harrison mutters through chattering teeth. “It t-totally c-clashes with m-my hair.”

Chan laughs. “Honey, you’re the one trying to do his best impression of a penguin. What the hell are you doing up here?”

“I d-don’t even know where h-here is.” He frowns and I wrap my arms around him tightly, vigorously rubbing his arms and back to try and get some warmth into his body. “Where a-am I?”

“Oh, good. You found him.”

The three of us jolt in shock as Dusty suddenly materialises in the middle of our little rugby huddle.