House of Despair

2 college couples, on their way to the beach, blow a tire along a deserted road. While the boys are attempting to put on a spare, and old man shows up and leads them to an old abandoned house nearby where they search for shelter and tools, but instead fi

 

From out of ashes,

ruins regurgitated from the Earth,

a house consumed by vengeful fire rebuilt.

Upon bended brow lay a curse lasting

the duration of the house’ subsistence.

A monument to Usher.

 

 

            The sun dipped below the horizon as Sean turned the car down the dirt road leading to State Road 31. In the passenger seat Kim stared uneasily as shadows sought to bury them in semi-darkness. She disapproved of this short-cut that left them isolated from the outside world, but Sean insisted the side-road shortened their trip by two hours and Seth and Jamie, sitting in the back seat, agreed readily with him.

After finishing up summer classes, Kim and Jamie needed a break before fall classes started and so Sean suggested they head to the beach for the weekend. Besides the relaxation, Kim looked at the trip as an opportunity to cement her relationship with Sean. They had gone out several times over the past month, but biology kept her in the library for most of July so they had spent little time getting to know each other up to this point.  A weekend trip seemed a good way to grow their relationship. 

As they became more enmeshed in the woods and the sky steadily darkened, Kim found herself wishing she had put up more of a resistance to this shortcut. Overhead, storm clouds blotted out the stars with the threat of rain. Trees towered along either side of the road, obscuring their surroundings as the four drove towards 31. Once the sun disappeared completely the night temperature steadily dropped, forcing them to turn on the heater.

Jamie shivered and cuddled up closer to Seth. He glanced at her with a smile, his deep brown eyes conveying warmth, and wrapped his arms around her.

“Cold?” he asked.

“A little,” she replied, wriggling a little closer. He kissed her gently and then rubbed the sides of her arms to warm her.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be there soon enough.”

            As they drove on, the headlights suddenly shone upon an old man trudging along the road, seemingly oblivious to the car traveling behind him. He wondered briefly how the old man saw the road in the darkness, but since he took no notice of the light cast upon him by the car, and since Kim was already timorous about this stretch of road he sped past without a second thought. Why get trapped into giving the man a ride? He just wanted to get to the beach.

Once they passed him, the darkness re-enveloped the old man, which only caused Kim’s anxiety to grow. She longed to see the headlights of other cars. She imagined a train of taillights stretching towards the horizon, and thought there could not be a more welcome sight at this particular moment.

            Suddenly a loud Pop! startled Kim from her thoughts and the car lurched to the right, making her grasp the door handle and stiff arm the dashboard in fear.  Sean slammed his foot on the break pedal and fought the steering, attempting to keep the car from careening into the trees impeding diversion. After a few nerve-racking seconds of swerving back and forth across the dividing line, Sean regained control of the steering enough to pull the car to the side of the road and park it.

“S**t!  I didn’t think I’d be able to stop the damn thing,” said Sean, chest heaving from adrenaline. 

“What happened?” gasped Jamie, pulse racing in shock.

“Pretty sure we blew a damn tire,” he replied. “Seth, help me check it out.”

Sean withdrew a flashlight from under his seat, clambered out the driver’s side door, and hurried around the front of the car to get a look at the right front tire. A jagged line gaped through the bottom of the tire. Seth joined him a second later to stare at it in annoyance.  

“You have a spare?” Seth asked in a tone that assumed he did.

“Yeah, in the trunk,” he replied, pointing towards the rear of the car.  “S**t! So much for gettin’ to the beach quicker!”

The two retreated to the trunk to fetch the spare tire and jack. Meanwhile, the girls sat idly in the car worrying over the portents of this omen, neither of them wanting to proceed further down this dusty road.

Sean grabbed the spare tire and hauled it out of the car. “Girls you’re gonna have to get out for us to change the tire,” he said, clearly annoyed they had not already done so. The girls joined them reluctantly. Seth found the jack and searched around for some other tools. 

“Do you have a wrench back here?” asked Seth.

“There should be one in the bag with the jack,” replied Sean as he placed the tire on the ground next to the flat.

“There isn’t,” Seth said, continuing the search.

“I thought the arm on a jack usually doubled as a wrench,” said Jamie questioningly.

“Most do,” said Sean with a frown. “-but that piece of crap doesn’t. It’s gotta be back there somewhere Seth.” Sean marched back to help Seth look for the wrench while the girls huddled closer together, shivering in the cold. 

“This is an unfortunate predicament you’re in,” said an unfamiliar voice. All four jumped with fright and spun simultaneously towards the voice, flashlight illuminating the old man they’d seen traveling behind them. Hearts raced as they stared at the old man. Shorter than either of the boys, he resembled a Jew straight out of a Nazi prison camp, all bones and no flesh. A long, dirty-white beard hung from his chin as if he had never seen a razor in his life.

            “S**t man,” swore Sean, looking warily at the old man. “You scared the hell out of me!”

            “Sorry…but unavoidable I’m afraid,” replied the old man. “I see you have a flat. Need any help?”

            “Actually, we need a wrench,” said Seth. “We can’t find ours and haven’t picked up a cell phone signal for a while.”

            “I don’t carry wrenches with me, but I know of an old house a little ways up the road from here,” replied the old man. “It’s abandoned, but you might find some old tools in the shed. I’ll be happy to show you the way. You can push the car along after me, and fix the tire at the house.”

            “How do you know there’s a house around here?” asked Jamie suspiciously. After all, they were a little too remote for hitchhikers.

            “I used to live in the town a little ways back,” replied the old man. He smiled warmly, but his piercing blue eyes were all Kim saw of his face. Those eyes contained secrets.

            “What little town? We didn’t see any town on our way here,” she told him, suspicion growing.

            “There used to be a town in these parts; it burned down when I was a young man,” he answered matter-of-factly.

            “Why are you traveling alone out here in the middle of nowhere?” asked Kim nervously.

            “It’s not far,”  he promised, turning to resume his journey along the narrow road.

            “We won’t get anywhere sitting here,” said Sean with a shrug. “Might as well follow him. Seth, help me push. Kim you steer us. Jamie hold the flashlight.”

“I don’t like this,” whispered Kim timidly. “This old man scares me.”

“We have no choice,” replied Sean angrily, then sarcastically.  “Would you prefer to sit here and hope someone else drives along?”

“I told you we this shortcut was a bad idea,” she said, making her way to the front door and dropping into the driver’s seat. She held the wheel steady as Sean and Seth heaved, putting all their strength into pushing the car. It crept forward behind the old man.  His re-entrance unnerved her, though it made perfect sense.  They had passed him mere moments before the tire blew. The car rolled along slowly, which Kim reasoned as resistance to following the old man. The car did not stop altogether however. It rolled after the old man as he trudged forward. The boys pushed and grunted for about fifteen minutes before coming upon a side road stretching off into the woods.

            “We have to turn down this road,” said the old man turning back to them. “The house is this way. We are almost there.” 

Kim turned the wheel to the right, and the two young men exerted more effort into pushing the car forward. After another five minutes of exertion, a house arose out of the shadows, looming before them. 

Though at a loss to explain why, the sight of the house perturbed Kim more than the old man. As the car rolled up in front, Kim took in the house standing before her. It was a nice two-story estate, probably belonging to a rich couple at one time, but now worn with age. Cobwebs lined every window, holes dotted the roof where water had eroded away its strength, and glass, from shattered windows, lie in shards on the sills and ground.

            “Let’s search the shed first,” said Sean. “We’ll have to go together.  We have only one flashlight.”

            “Ok,” replied the other three in unison, no one desiring to be left alone in the darkness.

“I’ll wait here on the steps,” said the old man. Sean headed towards the shed, the other three following on his heels. In the shed they found more cobwebs, dirt, and a few rats scurrying from the light. The girls faltered at the movement, but the boys plunged in and they were forced to follow or lose the light. On a bench to their left hung a hammer, saw, and several gardening tools, but found nothing to change a tire with.
            “Wait a minute,” said Sean. “I think my dad might’ve put the wrench in the glove compartment. He helped me work on the car last week, and he used to keep his wrench there in his own car.” 

The four rushed back to the car and found the old man perched up on the steps as promised. Sean opened the passenger door, fumbled around in the glove compartment, and then held up the wrench triumphantly.

“I found it,” he said and just then thunder roared in the sky overhead and it began to sprinkle. “We better hurry, before it rains any harder.” 

The two boys immediately began work on the tire. Seth jacked up the right side, and Sean unbolted the tire. Once he finished removing the lug nuts, he removed the flat and Seth slipped the spare into place as another thunderous clap rumbled overhead and the rain started pouring down. They were quickly soaked through and the boys worked rapidly to finish. 

Sean tightened the last bolt on the tire when lightning lit up the countryside, and the clouds covering the sky dumped their moisture upon the group in torrents. They ran for the cover provided by the porch, and then stared out at the thunderstorm delaying their trip.

“I’m completely soaked,” complained Kim.

“Let’s look inside for something to dry off with,” suggested Sean.

“Great idea,” replied Kim sarcastically. “I hope this is better than your short-cut idea.”

“How was I to know the tire would blow?” asked Sean exasperatedly. 

“Your shortcut down that unpaved road increased our chances,” replied Kim.

“Alright, it’s entirely my fault,” Sean said resignedly. “Let’s just go inside and see what we find.” 

They filed into the house soberly. The door led into an expansive living room with a staircase to the left and a couple of doorways on the right, and a fireplace on the back wall. A couple of couches and several chairs were situated around the living room, every bit of it layered in a thick coat of dust.  Water pouring in through the broken windows or leaking in through the holes in the roof had damaged much of the furniture as well.

“The kitchen will probably have some candles,” suggested Jamie as she stared into the first doorway, presumably the kitchen.

They found the kitchen as furnished as the living room. It appeared as though the inhabitants had suddenly left one day, leaving all their belongings when they went. Seth checked the pantry, and Sean looked in the cabinets. Jamie and Kim started rummaging through the drawers.

“I found some candles,” said Kim after a few minutes poking around.

“There are some matches up here,” said Sean. Seth walked over with some candle-holders he found on the table, and they quickly lit several candles.

“Hey, where did the old man go?” asked Jamie looking around her. They surveyed the room, but found no sign of him. They filed back to the living room, but the old man had disappeared. 

“That old man is creepy,” said Kim apprehensively. “He keeps appearing and disappearing. I don’t like it.” 

Jamie nodded in agreement and the girls made their way over to a couch and sat down. Sean, noticing a grate with firewood, started building a fire. Shortly a fire burned brightly, flames leaping and casting flickering shadows around the room.

“That’s a little better,” said Sean triumphantly and they moved closer to the fire to warm themselves. They longed to remove their damp clothing, but none of them had the courage yet to wander through the rest of the house to search for dry clothes. Instead, they huddled around the fire.

Over the fireplace Kim noticed a picture of a young couple sitting by a river. The young man wore a fancy button-down shirt, what appeared to be long shorts, and socks that ran up his calves almost to his knees. The young woman wore a pretty green dress. The young man searched the river, a determined expression upon his face, but the girl looked as though something troubled her. She appeared sad, and that sadness conveyed itself upon Kim.

“What a melancholy picture to have over the fireplace,” Kim remarked.

“They were the last owners of the house,” said a voice behind them. As before, the four jumped in fright and whipped around to see the old man had returned.

“You’ve got to stop that,” said Seth exasperatedly.

“I thought I was going to die you scared me so bad,” heaved Kim.

“Stop being overdramatic,” shot Sean, giving her a dark look.

“As I said, those two were the last owners of this house,” continued the old man. “Actually, they are rumored to still inhabit the house. Those who know of the place believe it to be haunted. At least, the people in the town I grew up in thought so. Would you like to hear the story?” Overhead thunder roared, and the rain continued to pour down in an unending flood.

“We aren’t leaving right now,” said Sean. “We might as well hear the story.” He hoped the distraction might distract Kim from their surroundings and present condition. The others stared silently into the fire. They wanted to leave this eerie house and the impermanent old man, but they were hesitant to brave the storm outside, especially on an isolated road with no lights and likely no other shelter.

“The young girl grew up in my town some years before I was born. Her parents named her Julie. The older townsfolk described her as a beautiful young girl with brown hair that hung in tresses upon her shoulders.  She had a fair complexion and emerald green eyes. 

Her father was the town preacher, and she had an older brother and a younger sister. Her mother, a seamstress, made clothing for most of the villages’ inhabitants. When Julie was old enough, she helped her mother, and most assumed she would one day replace her mother, as her mother had replaced her grandmother.

Julie was courted by a young man named Gregory. Gregory’s father owned the town goods store, and Gregory worked for his father, hoping one day to replace his father as owner. Gregory wasn’t the best looking boy in town. A tall and gangly boy, he had short sandy-colored hair and too many freckles. Gregory was a very intelligent young man however. His father did well as the owner of the store, and therefore afforded his son a fairly good education by the town’s standards. Gregory was the only child in town to have a private tutor hired to teach him. Like the other boys in town, Gregory longed for Julie’s attention.  He used all of his education and any money his father gave him to win her over. As there were few boys in the town to choose from, Julie finally allowed Gregory to court her. Gregory spent every free moment with Julie, doing his best to dazzle her with his knowledge, and spending everything he had on gifts to please her. Gregory fell deeply in love with her, and though she never returned his affections with his level of enthusiasm, he assumed that was her temperament; she was simply more restrained in the display of her emotions. 

After a year of courting, Gregory became more prominent in his role at his father’s shop, and he felt it would soon be in a position to propose to Julie.

Around this time however, a young man named Jake moved to the town. Actually, he moved to this very house we’re in this evening. Jake’s father inherited the house when his uncle died. Since Jake’s older brother stood to inherit the family business, Jake decided to set out on his own and his father gave him the house. 

From the moment Jake arrived, he fell in love with Julie. He thought her the most enchanting creature he had ever seen, and he put all his efforts into winning her affections. At first, Julie seemed disconcerted about Jake’s pursuance, but Jake’s natural good looks and earnestness gave her pause to consider his words. She knew she possessed no real love for Gregory, and the passion she felt around Jake overwhelmed her.

Gregory fought desperately to ward off Jake’s advances, but his efforts were in vain. Julie soon favored Jake’s entreaties, leaving Gregory to lament his loss in solitude.

Within a few months, Jake and Julie married in the town chapel, and she moved into this house. The town adored the young couple, perceiving their relationship as a fairy tale come to life; as if Paris and Helen had suddenly dropped down into their lives. Gregory regrettably grew to hate Jake, though he never let on to anyone. He spuriously feigned to love them as much as anyone, but everyday he jealously watched Jake with the girl that belonged to him, powerless to win her back. His knowledge and wealth, by the town’s standards, availed him nothing. He bid his time silently, hoping for an opportunity to avenge himself upon the illustrious thief..

A year migrated south and the happy couple had a son, whom they named Stacy. The boy’s birth proved arduous for Julie, nearly claiming her life. The doctor told her another pregnancy might very well kill her so the two contented themselves with raising their only son. The little family blossomed in the town, and before they knew it, five years had passed.

One black tempestuous evening Gregory snuck out to this house, no longer willing to sit by while Jake enjoyed the life owed to him. He had even begun to hate Julie for abandoning him in favor of Jake.  He arrived with a bottle of wine, dissembling desire for the warmth of their company on such a turbulent night. The pair happily welcomed him in to their home. 

Before leaving the store for their house, Gregory had slipped laudanum into the wine. Jake and Julie drank liberally from the bottle, unaware Gregory’s glass never emptied. After a short time of spirited conversation, the laudanum dropped them into a deep slumber. 

Gregory took advantage of their unconscious state to drag them to their bed, arranging them as if they had retired for the evening. He leaned over Julie’s sleeping form once tucked away in the bed and whispered, “I still love you,” before gently kissing her on the lips. Gregory lurched back to his feet and rushed down to the living room where the fire blazed in the hearth. Using the little ash shovel, he scooped up a couple of small embers and placed them on the bearskin rug in front of the fireplace. He blew frenziedly on the embers until they lit the rug. He stood back and observed morosely as the fire rapidly enveloped the rug and began to spread, and then fled the house.

The next morning, Julie’s parents traveled out to the house. Little Stacy had spent the night with them, and they were bringing him home. The sight that greeted them was horrific. Ash and rubble lay where their once proud home stood.”

“Wait a minute,” interrupted Kim. “This house isn’t burned down.”

“If you’ll be patient,” said the old man. “-it will be explained to you. May I continue?”

“Yes,” said Jamie eagerly. She loved these kinds of stories. “I want to see how this turns out.”

“Thank you,” answered the old man graciously. “As I was saying, Stacy and his grandparents found only rubble. Once the fire spread throughout the house, the rain was ineffectual to squelch its fury. The bodies were found in bed and people assumed, as Gregory intended, that the house caught fire while they slept and the smoke asphyxiated them.

Stacy was devastated. He had lived a sheltered, happy childhood and after their death he withdrew into himself. His grandparents strove to repair his broken heart, but he held little interest for anyone. He refused all attempts at friendship, preferring to spend his time consumed in one book or another, reading make-believe stories and fantasizing about another life.

When Stacy had grown into a young man, his father appeared to him in a dream. Angrily he shared with Stacy what Gregory had done, how he had shattered their family. Jake demanded his son avenge them and set out the plan he had devised for his son.

Stacy began by rebuilding the house his parents lived in, the house you are resting in at this moment. It took him nearly a year to build it, and everyone in the town aided him in whatever way available to them. Once he completed the house, Stacy moved back in and started planning his revenge. 

Stacy waited until Gregory went out hunting for deer. He followed Gregory into the woods, and when Gregory took up a spot to wait, he stealthily crept up behind Gregory and shot him. He carried the body back to the house and buried it in the cellar underneath the house. Before he buried the body though, he placed a curse upon Gregory’s remains. This curse bound Gregory’s spirit to the house. As long as it stood, Gregory’s spirit remained trapt to this house, abandoned for its duration. Stacy however, not realizing his parents remains were buried under the house among the ashes from the fire, cursed their souls as well.

The townsfolk used to claim their souls inhabit the painting over the fireplace. Jake looks for Gregory to ensure the curse remains intact. Julie on the other hand, looks sad. She regrets how deeply her abandonment hurt Gregory. She also sorrows for her husband, who labored in the grave to exact vengeance upon their killer, and in so doing doomed them all to this eternal unrest. Finally she grieves for her son, whose childhood was stolen by Gregory, and then lead to such injustice by his father. As for Gregory, he is rumored to wander the house and surrounding hills, hoping for the destruction of the house which releases him from his torment.”

“That’s some love triangle,” exclaimed Seth. “You don’t have any crazy former lovers like that, do you Jamie?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Jamie replied coolly, then smiling winsomely. “No one for you to worry about!”  She moved over in front of him and he wrapped his arms around her.

“What a tragic story,” said Kim somberly. “The poor couple drugged and killed, and their son having to grow up without really knowing his parents.”

“Jake had it coming to him after what he did to Gregory,” disagreed Sean. “He stole the man’s girl.”

“You’re condoning their murder?” gasped Kim!

“Well, maybe not murder,” stammered Sean. “-but he definitely should’ve whipped Jake’s tail when he first started after Julie.”

“What about Julie’s feelings?” protested Kim. “She didn’t love Gregory.”

“Doesn’t matter,” declared Sean.  “If she wanted to break up with Gregory she would have. Jake deserved to be punished for what he did.”

“Gregory took Jake and Julie’s lives when he killed them,” the old man offered despondently. “The punishment grossly exceeded the crime.”

“It did,” agreed Jamie. “On the other hand, so did Jake’s revenge. Jake had no right to curse Gregory’s soul, nor burden his son’s soul with such an atrocious act of revenge.”

“How many others suffered, like Stacy and his grandparents, for Gregory’s actions?” asked the old man mournfully.

“Doesn’t matter,” replied Jamie sternly. “He deserved to be punished for what he did, but to curse his soul upon the Earth, assuming such a thing were possible. No person living or dead has the right to cast such a punishment on another.”

“I’m really freaked by this whole discussion,” declared Kim wide-eyed. “I think leaving might be a good idea.”

“There’s no ghost,” said Sean condescendingly with a look of disgust. “We’re perfectly fine.”

“Perfectly fine?” she retorted. “Did you hear what he said? A body is buried in the cellar. There is nothing fine about this place.”

“It is only a story,” he remarked snidely, rolling his eyes. “And even if the bones of some guy were buried in the cellar, you won’t see them. We’re not traveling in this storm so we might as well try to find some warm clothes to change into. We can sleep here in the living room together, and leave first thing in the morning.”

“So much for this short-cut,” complained Kim to no one in particular. Sean rolled his eyes as he headed towards the staircase, the other three in tow. At the top of the stairs they entered the doorway on their left. It led into the master bedroom. A nice four-poster bed stretched out from the back wall.

“Hmm, do you want to sleep here?” asked Sean slyly to Kim. “It’ll give us a little privacy to enjoy our vacation.”

“Not a chance,” replied Kim briskly. “I’m sleeping downstairs with everyone. I won’t feel safe ’til we’re out of this house and the more people around me the better.”

Sean shrugged his shoulders, regretful at wasting the opportunity, and strolled over to the dresser to rummage through the drawers. 

“Let’s see what’s in the closet,” said Kim, pulling Jamie after her. She carefully pulled open the door and the two peered inside. The dim outline of shoes and clothes lined the closet, coming into focus when Jamie held out the candle. Their eyes were immediately drawn to an ordinary wooden chest lying unobtrusively in the right corner. It reminded Kim of the chest her grandmother used to keep in her room. Jamie used to go with Kim when she visited her grandmother when they were little girls and they spent hours playing with the dresses and combs and other little keepsakes locked inside.

“It looks just like Grandma Jean’s,” stated Kim dazzled.

“I know,” breathed Jamie excitedly. Both girls dashed forward, plopped before the chest, and lifted the lid to examine its contents. The top of the chest contained dresses.

“Oh, they’re so pretty,” said Kim delightedly as she picked up a light green one with a black sash tied around the waist. 

“I bet these belonged to Julie,” she remarked as she held the dress to her own waist, seeing if it came close to her size.

“Her house burned down,” said Jamie dryly. “Everything destroyed remember.”

“Maybe this chest survived,” replied Kim hopefully. “It’s the only thing of Julie’s that survived.” 

The girls sifted through the other dresses in the chest, “oohing” at each before setting them aside with great care in order to see the next.  In the bottom they found a large, navy blue book, which Kim lifted out reverently. The title on the front read, The True Account of My Parents, Jake and Julie Matheson, by Stacy Matheson. The letters printed in gold. The fragile book looked ready to fall apart under Kim’s handling, but she gently opened the book. Attached to the first page was a clipping from an unknown newspaper.  The title read, Disaster in Opal County.

“We found clothes for everyone,” announced Sean. He held a couple pairs of pants from a dresser drawer and handed a pair to Seth. “Put it away Kim. Let’s change, and head downstairs to get some sleep.” 

Kim reluctantly placed the book back in the chest and stood up to retrieve the clothes Sean had tossed on the bed for her. They changed quickly into the clothes, and headed back downstairs.

“Wait a second,” said Jamie in surprise as they paraded down the stairs. “The old man’s gone again. Where’s he keep disappearing to?”

“Don’t worry,” assured Seth calmly. “He’s probably roaming around the house somewhere. He’s harmless.”

“I don’t care,” asserted Jamie tartly. “I’m not sleeping if we don’t know where he is.”

Sean sighed in annoyance, casting Seth a look that communicated “the things we do for women.” Seth caught the message, but made no reply, either with his tongue or his eyes.

“Seth and I’ll keep watch,” offered Sean soothingly, though he clearly wished to do nothing of the sort. “One of us’ll watch while the others sleep. We’ll take turns.”

“Fine,” allowed Jamie crossly. “But you better not fall asleep.”

“I’ll take the first watch,” offered Sean. 

Seth and Jamie curled up together on the floor to sleep. He wrapped a blanket he found upstairs under the bed over them and used his arm as a pillow. Jamie used his other arm. Sean took a seat on the couch, and Kim lay down next to him, her head resting in his lap. As she drifted off to sleep, Sean ran his fingers through her hair.  Her alarm at their present situation irritated him.  The bed upstairs would have been much more comfortable to sleep in and he saw no reason for her refusal, but bore his vexation silently. No need to spoil the rest of their trip. Girls tended to get moody when you pointed out the silliness of their fears. Besides, he’d have plenty of opportunities to get her alone at the beach, and if she remained reticent then...well, there were other girls at the beach to sneak off with.

 

 

-           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -

 

 

 

Kim fell back into consciousness when Sean moved her head and stood up to tend to the fire. A small flame smoldered in the fireplace, but as Sean added a few more logs to the fire, the flames surged forth again; caressing the fuel of its passions as it licked the air above.

Kim’s eyes were drawn once more to the picture over the mantelpiece. Jake continued to glare straight head, but Julie’s eyes drew her attention this time. The eyes stared right at her. They were still filled with deep sorrow and pity, but now it seemed as though Julie’s sorrow and pity were directed at her.  The look unsettled her, but she shrugged it off. 

It’s only a trick of the light, she rationalized to herself. Julie’s not really there looking at me. Nonetheless, Kim suddenly felt the need to escape its gaze.

“Sean, let’s go back upstairs,” Kim asked. “I want to see the book again.”

            “So go look at it,” replied Sean disinterestedly. “You don’t need my help.”

            “I want you to come with me,” she answered timidly, unable to disguise the dismay she felt at the prospect of wandering anywhere in the house alone. “I don’t want to go alone.”

Without waiting for his response, Kim started towards the stairs. Sean thought briefly about ignoring her plea, but decided to avoid causing a fight right now. Instead he sighed, stabbed at the fire a couple more times, and stalked after her.  

Kim reentered the master bedroom and quickly traversed the room and into the closet where she plopped back down in front of the chest. The dresses they removed from the chest still lay in a neat stack to her left, but were forgotten now. Behind her Sean had entered the room and begun to once more search the room for anything of interest. Kim raised the lid cautiously, unwilling to damage the antique chest and retrieved the book from its bottom, carefully handling the book lest the pages spill out from the cover. For a moment she sat motionless, mesmerized by the book. Gently, she brushed her fingers over the lettering on the front of the book and then opened the cover.

            “Seth, what the hell are you doing?” yelled Jamie from downstairs. “Stop!” 

Kim awoke from her reverie, jumping up as Sean burst out of the room. Kim ran after him, stopping at the rail to stare down uncomprehendingly at the bizarre scene below.  Seth brandished a torch and dashed about, setting the house ablaze. He lit curtains, couches, and paintings – anything within reach. He grasped a chair and smashed it against the wall tossing the pieces into the flames. For a couple of seconds the two stood transfixed, unable to process what was happening or react. Then, as if instinct took over, Sean hustled down the stairs to stop Seth.

            “Seth, what’re you doing?” exclaimed Sean as he paused to measure Seth’s mindless rampage. “Why are you setting the place on fire?” 

Seth, heedless of Sean’s queries, continued destroying everything in sight. He grabbed another chair and turned to hurl it into the wall. As he did so Sean saw into his eyes. An icy blue gaze glared through him. All of the life and recognition Sean normally saw was absent, replaced by intense hatred. Without wasting another moment he charged Seth to tackle him. Seth seemed unaware of Sean and made no move to stop him, instead focusing on an undamaged lamp table.  Sean hit him, carrying the latter off his feet and they sprawled to the floor. Seth’s head thudded off the wall, leaving him momentarily stunned.

Behind the two, the girls wailed in terror as the fire quickly spread through the house. The flames raced up curtains and across furniture, rapidly consuming everything within the house..

            “Sean, we have to get out of here,” screamed Jamie as he stood staring down on Seth’s unconscious body. “The fire is out of control. We have to go now.”

            Jamie’s words jarred Sean from his examination and thoughts of Seth, and he glanced around the room. All forms of escape were quickly deteriorating with the house. Smoke filled the room, forcing the girls to stumble towards the front door, leaving Sean to bring Seth. He leaned down to pick up his unconscious friend, placed him over his shoulders, and moved toward the front door, struggling to breathe. The girls were already outside. He traipsed slowly to the door, half pushed half fell through the screen, hobbled down the steps, and dropped Seth against the side of the car. His chest heaved from the exertion.

            Next to him, Kim and Jamie stared at the house silently as flames enveloped every inch of it, and he leaned back against the car to support him and watch it as well. What little rain still fell did little to quench the conflagration roaring into the sky. The house was beyond saving, not that any of them had the slightest inclination to try. By morning a smoking pile of ruins would be all that remained of the place.

            “What happened to the house?” asked Seth curiously from below. The three jumped in fright. “How did it catch fire?”

            “What the hell do you mean?” cried Jamie in outrage. “You started the fire you idiot. You ruined the house and nearly killed us all.”

            “What are you talking about?” asked Seth in shock at the accusation. “I didn’t set a fire. I went to sleep with you and when I wake up, I’m lying outside against the car.”

            “We all saw you starting the fire,” answered Jamie, anger flaring across her countenance. Seth appealed to his friends whose faces confirmed her accusations.

            “We all saw you do it,” said Sean, but his voice lacked accusation. “-when I saw your eyes though, you weren’t there. You looked straight at me and without recognition. It creeped me out.”

            “And you claimed there was nothing wrong with this place,” accused Kim fearfully. “We shouldn’t have come here. Let’s go!”

None of them argued with her plea.  They swiftly reclaimed their places in the car. Sean slammed the key in the ignition and jerked it forward, the engine roaring to life in response. After shifting into drive, he gunned the engine and floored the accelerator as the car back towards the dirt road leading from the house with no intention of letting up until they saw lights from other cars.

            “You still have that book?” asked Sean disdainfully when he saw it resting in Kim’s lap. “Why are you taking it with us?”

            “I want to read the rest of it,” she replied defensively. “I’m curious what this book says compared with the story the old man told us. I want to know the real story.” 

It sat untouched in her lap as they drove though. For the moment her only concern was escape from the house, really from the entire detour. Behind them the inferno lit up the sky, though none of them were brave enough to even look back and see it. They feared what they might see traveling behind them.

            They drove in silence for a good fifteen to twenty miles before Sean eased up on the accelerator, dropping down to a more normal speed. Ahead lay an intersecting road, plenty of cars headed along it.

            Feeling her fear slowly drain away, Kim flipped on the overhead light, once again reaching for the cover of the blue book. Attached to the first page was the newspaper article, very old and creased. Looking at the article she read silently.

            “Disaster in Opal County. October 13, 1874. The lives of Jake and Julie Matheson were tragically brought to a close last night when their house caught fire. Local authorities believe the fire started from an improperly doused fireplace. The leftover coals caught a rug on fire, which quickly spread to the rest of the house. The couple died in their sleep, presumably from smoke inhalation. The house was found the next morning by Mr. & Mrs. Williams, Julie Matheson’s parents, who were bringing young Stacy Matheson home. The funeral will be held Monday morning.” 

Kim turned the page and found pictures of the young couple. On the left page were two separate portraits of the young couple, the first of them in their wedding clothes, the second of them standing in front of their home. On the right page she found a reprint of the picture from over the fireplace. In this picture however, the couple gaily stared into each other’s eyes as though they were the only two who existed in the whole world. She tried to imagine Sean and herself in their place; tried placing the two of them sitting in that meadow overlooking the river, but the image escaped her, as if Sean did not belong in such an idyllic setting, which troubled her. Perhaps they just needed more time together. Perhaps he would transform into the Jake that swept Julie off her feet with the force of his love.

She glanced wistfully at the pictures for a few minutes before turning the page to sift through the rest of the book.  The next page however, jolted her from daydreams. She paled as she stared at the picture glued to the page.

            “What’s wrong Kim?” asked Jamie, sensing and then seeing Kim’s alarm. “What do you see?” 

Kim held the book up for the rest of them to see. A young man glared at them from the page, eyes full of rage. Despite the difference in age and the immense beard, the old man clearly resembled the young one in the photograph. An inscription was written beneath the picture. Tibult Gregory Boothe. Taken shortly before he disappeared February 22, 1894.

Reviews

[BattleAxePirate]

I'm not sure if you were inspired by a movie or another piece of writing, but aside from the few spelling errors this was almost perfect. I really enjoyed it. I will do my best to have other readers I know take a look at it!