Chapter 9

Medium: The Origins finds a young man setting out to avenge the death of a beloved family member and to recover forgotten memories, only to find himself with a new case and a unknown assailant on him.

Chapter 9

 

          I check my jacket pocket. Damn, I don’t have the files with me. For an old lady, I don’t expect to see someone over about 100 years old to live alone in a haystack like house. Everything seem so ancient here. There are incense sticks under books and on tables, the bookshelf is made out of branches, there’s a fireplace in a middle of a living room, and her chair is made out of hays and sticks. The only things in this house that looks like it’s store brought are books and the beeds she was wearing.

          There is something odd about the old lady. When I saw her at the house she said my name, and she knew I was at the house. It’s like she can predict the future. Have I seen this old lady before? What is the reason she has brought me here? She sits on her chair and we begin our discussion.

          “How did you know my name?” I ask.

“Let’s just say I know of your situation, I’ve been in it multiple times and it’s still what I do. I can help you.” She reply.

“I’ve just only met you, why would you want to help me out?”

“Because what you face now is no joke, it’s a serious problem.”

“It’s a problem I’ve been facing alone, I’ve been trending very carefully so nothing happens to me.”

“You cannot do everything alone, let me help you.”

“How do I know I can trust you?”

“You have to, otherwise you won’t have time to live very long to solve your problem. Your problem may end up killing you.” I decide to not say anything. I’ll have to put my trust in her. “Now you don’t know who I am, nor what I’m doing, but like I’ve said, I’ve been in your shoes multiple times. But it’s been long since I’ve done this and I don’t have much energy to conduct what I’ve been doing. I know what to do, but I don’t have enough energy to execute it, that’s why I brought you here. You’re the only one who can stop it. Do you have anything to say?” I nod my head sideways. “Then why don’t we discuss the matter. I believe you’ve heard stories about this house.”

“I’ve only dealt with strange events, and I figured it had to do with that house. I’ve never really known the story until recently. Researching on its history is how I got to this house in the first place.”

“What were you hoping to find there?”

“Answers, to some of the strangest problems I face as of now. I don’t know how I got myself into this mess but there’s something about that house that I can’t just let go of.”

“No one knows what they’re doing. Sometimes that’s just part of life son. You start without knowing anything and then you understand your situation better after you’ve found a solution. No one can really control the circumstances given to them.”

“I think I understand my situation, I don’t think I’ve found a solution yet. Strange events in the house started after a woman named Marlene was dead. There were other deaths following hers, almost all of them with no logical explanation. They only explained they were at the house during that time. They kept saying that the house is haunted haunted haunted, and now I believe it is, but I can’t wrap my head around it. How would something like this even work?”

“You need to look at things from a supernatural perspective boy. Ever heard of the expression that what’s outside is just for show but what’s inside matters? In this case it also matters. The body may be battered but not the spirit. The spirit would take its place within the environment of their deaths. Once set in place, it becomes their domain. The spirits can control what’s within their reach. That’s how they kill, and they will continue to do so if we don’t drive the force away from this world.”

“What…the…hell? They sound unstoppable. How do you manage to retain hope after knowing that?”

“I can’t explain that. It’s just how it is. It’s how it is with everything. You don’t lose hope, despite what you go through.”

“D****t, what else is there…Do curses expand their reaching limits to kill more?”

“What do you mean?”

“You said the spirits can kill as long as there are living people who would enter the house. I’ve encountered other people who have entered the house. One of them had a camcorder. In the recording, they were at the house looking around, and they ran out alive, but they died at other places. I saw the veined eyes of Marlene, and she was also at other places where they died.”

“So what you’re saying is they were killed by the curse, but not inside the house?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Then they must’ve made contact with a curse in a way that it follows them around.”

“So if they entered the house, they made contact with the curse?”

“No, they only entered a territory of death. When I was in good condition to work, I noticed that even when you entered a haunted section you still had a chance to stay alive by getting out of there. What you should know is that when the spirit is set in place at their death place, the belongings within that environment is cursed. If they took anything with them, that means they have taken the curse everywhere they go. In that scenario the spirit can strike.” I was wondering, hmmm…. “Is something wrong?”

“I’ve encountered her in my dreams, and I even caught her eyes following me around. I…I think I got something of that house, but I don’t even know what. I’m certain today was the first time I went inside the house, but even before that it follows me around.”

“Are you saying the curse is following you around before you went inside the house?”

“Yes, I might have something that belongs to the curse.”

“But you said today was your first time in the house, are you sure it was your first time.”

“I’m really sure this is my first time.”

“This doesn’t make any sense at all, how would the curse follow you if you had no…” Suddenly, she couldn’t finish her sentence. Did something happen to her.

“Had no what?” I ask. What’s preventing her from finishing her sentence? She then quickly skims through her stuff.

“Listen, the only way to prevent further killings is by driving the force into the afterlife.” She hands an old ripped but ancient looking book, and an ancient looking necklace shaped like a cross in a circle. “I can’t explain much, but this book will tell you how. Take the necklace with you, it’ll come of good use.” I grab the book and the necklace. I wonder what text will show me how to get out of my problem.

“What about the fact the ghost follows me without my contact with the house? You were saying something bef…”

Before I can finish my sentence, the strange wind blows the fire out. It takes away our sights. I take my phone out and use the flashlight app to look around. I flash it towards the old lady and a seemingly strange figure behind her. Oh no! That’s Marlene behind her. At the sight of veined eyes the light suddenly dims down completely. I hear crackling noises getting louder. All of a sudden, it stops. I turn the flashlight app back on, and I find the old lady lying on her back with a terrifying look on her face. It is too late. Marlene already got to her. Marlene was just here, she could’ve had the chance to kill me. Is she just toying with me? If she is then she’ll have no use for me once she’s done. I’ll be done for if it ever comes to that. I open the book and flip through some pages. One of the passages reads:

To banish the evils hence from this world, one must conduct the ceremony at the home of spirits.

Author's Note

Medium: The Origins finds a young man setting out to avenge the death of a beloved family member and to recover forgotten memories. He shuns himself from having a normal social life for the sake of vengeance. Just when he thought he ran out of leads, he was involved in an incident which leads him to start a new case. This particular investigation changes him greatly while he is being hunted by an unknown assailant whose victims never got to see before they met their doom.

Note: This is my first book and I plan to write more. Criticism, praise, or any feedback of some sorts are welcome.
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