The Ruin

 

 

 All contents Copyright Charles Lankiwicz, 2019.

This is a work of fiction and any resemblence to any individuals or locations is accidental.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jim and Joan Latti pulled up in their car in front of the house that Jim had inherited from a distant relative. It was an old Victorian house in need of repair, but still basically sound. It had two stories, a widow’s walk, bay windows on the bottom floor and gables at the top. Gingerbread abounded on the porch, which had some badly warped boards. It sat in a clearing some two miles from the highway to Wayneville, Massachusetts, a small rural town. Dense forests surrounded it on all sides. The woods were dark, and dense and seemed to want to swallow up the house. Only at noon was it brightly lighted from the sun. The yard around the house had high grass and weeds.

“Well, what do you think honey?” said Jim. Jim was thirty two and lean. He was a writer working on his latest detective novel. His last book had brought in enough money for him to take his time on the next and quit his job at the advertising agency. He felt that a place in the country would be perfect for that reason.

Jane put her hands up in the air and said: “What do I think?

Why it’s a perfect dump. Why you would want this I cannot figure.”

Jane was also blond and quite attractive, though she was beginning to put on some weight.. Her occupation was that of a business consultant and she did much of her work on line, only occasionally needing to go into the office.

“Well we’re here–so let’s go in and check it out.”

They went up the steps which creaked loudly. Jane felt a sense of something almost trying to warn her, but shook it off.

“We’ll need some work, but it’ll be fine when I’m done,” said Jim. “It’ll be good to get some time in working with tools and seeing something happen instead of computers.”

They stopped at the door and Jim pulled out a set of keys given to him by the real estate agent who had taken over the place after the death of Hosea Dearborn, Jim’s distant uncle.

“I wonder why they would even need to bother locking it up,” said Jane. “Who would want to come here–there can’t be anything inside worth stealing.”

“You never know–there could be junkies needing a place to shoot up.”

“Out here–unlikely.”

The door unlocked with an ominous crack and something seemed to fall inside the house. They both looked at each other.

 

 

 

 

 

Jane felt a chill run up her spine. There was something about an abandoned house that was just spooky. But then she remembered getting an almost similar feeling when she had moved years ago and going back to the place to pick something up and experiencing a odd feeling looking at all the empty rooms, even though she had spent much time in them.

“Probably just something leaning up against the door,” said Jim as he opened it.

A dank smell issued from the dark interior, causing Jane to step back, holding her hand to her face.

“Phew, it smells as bad as it looks!”

“It just needs aired out a little–its gone now,” said Jim as he entered and turned on the light switch.

“Well, I’m glad that works, at least. Or maybe I shouldn’t be,” said Jane as she looked dubiously at the interior.

Old patterned wall paper hung in the hall, peeling off in spots. Above was an old fashioned light fixture with cobwebs hanging from it. Another odor infused the air.

“It’s still here!” said Jane.

Jim glanced up and said, “its dust on the light fixture. The bulbs heating it up–it’ll go away in a minute.”

They were in a hallway with two large double doors leading to left and right and a staircase leading upstairs. The rug was worn and holes existed in spots. The floral pattern wallpaper added to the gloom with its dark maroon color with yellow flowers.

“It’ll be OK honey. I’ll fix it up. I’ll have plenty of spare time to do so and I’ve always liked doing this kind of thing. Gives me a sense of accomplishment to brighten things up.”

“I think it’s a dump. We should just sell it.”

“Let’s give it a try Hon,” said Jim with that note in his voice that Jane knew meant he was determined on it. She knew that it would lead to an argument and she did not want that. In recent months they had been arguing increasingly often. Their relationship was undergoing a strain and she did not want to make things worse.

“OK then,” she said as she walked down the hall to something that had caught her eye. It was a wooden carving set into the wall with a demonic head having pointed, curved horns and long fangs. Also carved were cruel talons set into wings. It sent a chill through her just to look at it. The eyes seemed almost to be watching her.

“Well, well. What do we have here?” said Jim.

“Your uncle had some gross tastes in decoration–this is seriously weird!”

“OK honey. No problem. But this piece must have been here before he bought the place. Maybe it’s worth something. I’ll check at an antique store. You have to admit that the carving is good–somebody put a lot of effort into it and with skill.”

“Who would want to!” said Jane as she looked down at the floor and saw a narrow opening. “The walls need sealed. Look down there.”

“I see,” said Jim as he bent down to look, his hand brushing the carving.

Something went click and the carving receded into the wall.

Another blast of musty air came at them and they could see a small room with a single chair and table with books on the surrounding shelves. Jane coughed as Jim turned on the light switch. Revealing a single large book on the table. It was very old, bound in some kind of leather, and closed with iron clasps and an antique looking padlock. In the center of the book was a large ornate N.

“This could be a treasure trove! Some of these books look to be hundreds of years old and could be valuable,” said Jim.

“Well one thing I know for sure is that they’re damned dusty. If we look at them first without cleaning them, we’ll choke to death,” said Jane.

“We’ll look at them later–come on let’s see the rest of the house.”

On one side of the hall was a large living room, and on the other an equally large dining room. They went into the living room. Everything was coated in dust and very antique looking. A large portrait on one wall caught their eye. It was of a man dressed in clothing from about the time of the Revolutionary War. He appeared to be in his forties and had dark hair with particularly piercing eyes. The eyes seemed to stare right at them and follow them around the room as some portraits seem to do.

“He has to go!” said Jane. “I am not going to have him staring at me every time I come in here.”

“Granted. But let’s see who it is. If it’s somebody well known it could be worth something. It must date from about George Washington’s time.”

“Ebenezer Hadley. Well the name doesn’t ring a bell–still, it’s another item to check as an antique.”

Upstairs there were four bedrooms and Jane was glad to see another bathroom. Everything was dusty, but intact. No windows were broken.

“Well, we can live here for awhile at least,” said Jim. “Some of this old stuff is definitely worth checking out. If it’s valuable it may well be worth a good sum.”

Jane nodded reluctantly. She knew that she could never be comfortable here, but that Jim was determined and she would have to put up with it at least for awhile.

“We’ll have to get some cleaning supplies and...” said Jane.

“Wait. We still have to check out the basement,” said Jim.

Jane felt a chill go through her. If the top of this house was this creepy what would be down there. “I think we can skip that,” she said.

“Nonsense. We have to go down there at least to check the hot water tank and furnace as well as the water shut off valve.”

When they came to the cellar door. They found it secured by a large padlock.

“I wonder why anyone would bother to lock it from the inside,” said Jim as he pulled out the keys the real estate agent had given him.

The usual blast of musty air reached them when the door opened. But when Jim tried the light switch, it didn’t work”

“Damn! Let’s hope it’s just a bad bulb. I’ll check it out later with a flashlight.

Jane felt relieved that they would not be going down there.

They spent the rest of the day doing some cleaning and stocking the refrigerator with supplies they had bought in Wayneville. Both then set up their computer equipment. Before they went to bed they had a quick meal consisting of packaged sandwiches and cans of pop.

“Don’t look so down, Hon–it’ll work out. We’ve already made a good start setting up.”

“I still feel like I’m living in a mausoleum and that dank smell is still all over.”

“That’s because no one been here a long time. After awhile it’ll go away and there’s always air freshener.”

Jane smiled ruefully and said: “What is the theme of the book you’re now writing?”

“I haven’t decided on a title yet but it concerns this old house and it has a secret.”

“I can see why you like this place then.”

“It’s perfect. It’s why I brought us out here.”

 

Later that night Jane lay awake in their bed. Jim was fast asleep and it never seemed to bother him to do so in a strange bed. Jane always had a much harder time doing so. And today was no exception, even though she was tired from their work.

Then she heard a sound like a faint creak, like a door opening. She froze and her breath stopped momentarily. She felt like awakening Jim. But she did not want to do so unnecessarily. If there was nothing wrong, he would be kidding her endlessly about it.

Another sound came, like a skittering, something moving. She clutched the bed covers tightly. It seemed to be coming from downstairs. She started to reach her hand over to Jim, but stopped, thinking. Maybe its just rats. This house is old and we just brought food in. Another thing is that old houses shift on their foundations, so maybe the other sound was due to that.

I’ll have to get some rat traps in town she thought and what I’d like to do is get a cat. But I’d only do that if we were going to stay here.

Then another thought struck her forcibly, what if it wasn’t rats but people–home invaders! She remembered terrible accounts of what had happened to people when they where isolated and attacked by criminals. Living out in the country gave peace, no noise, pollution or annoying neighbors. But it also gave criminals an opportunity to commit crime without witnesses . At the very least they should try to get some good lighting outside and maybe set up some cameras. Possibly even a gun. Even if they had one they didn’t know how to use it. Neither of them had done any shooting in their lives. But if they were attacked out here, how would they defend themselves?

The sounds weren’t repeated and eventually she fell asleep.

 

The next morning she told Jim about the sounds. He replied: “It’s just an old house–you’ll hear noises like that all the time. About home invaders, I wouldn’t worry too much. In this part of the country we’re well away from the big cities and junkies committing burglaries to get money for their stuff.”

“I’ve heard account of things happening even in isolated communities, like the Amish. Sick people are everywhere, not just in the big cities.”

“You’ve got a point. But I wouldn’t get paranoid about it–it’s just one of the things we’ll have to look at later. Look I’m going to spend the day fixing a few things and maybe you could do some cleaning. It’ll all work out Hon.”

Joan did some housework that morning and thought of the secret room they had found. With some trepidation she entered it with a dust mop. She looked at the large book on the table with the N on its cover. It was moldering with age, its leather cover cracked in many places. Running her fingers over it, she thought that it had a curious feel, not like any other leather she had ever handled. I wonder what kind it is, from what kind of animal she thought. A curious thought came to her: could it be human skin? It was kind of smooth. But she rejected the thought immediately. The she opened the book.

And gasped. It was full of grotesque illustrations of a demonic nature and some of the images depicted....she did not want to look too closely. And it was written in Latin. She could only understand enough, about one word in ten to know it was Latin. Who would want to read such a horrid book, she thought. Was Jim’s relative a madman. It he wasn’t then he probably would be if he read enough of this. It he could read Latin, what kind of text could accompany the terrifying images?

She closed the book with a snap and then noticed some papers beneath it. Pulling them out she could see that it was some hand written correspondence from Jim’s relative. She started to read the first one:

At last I’ve found it! A copy of the Necronomicon . This is great good fortune and I’m sure it will aid my quest to find the Tower of Zareel. I purchased this house knowing that it had to be somewhere nearby. But my efforts to locate it have been futile. Ebenezer Hadley had it cleverly hidden inside a secret compartment. This should contain the key I need.

I have contacted M De Massey and he advises caution. He tells me that it is dangerous to use any of the contents in the book. Dangerous to the user and also that something may be summoned which would be extremely evil. He also mentions that the fate of Ebenezer Hadley is unknown and that he could have come to grief at the hands of evil forces. But I am confidant that I will be safe. I will take extreme precautions.

Some of the things I have had to do have disturbed me, but if I can locate the Tower it will all be worth it.

At last I have found the key! Tomorrow I will seek it out and success will be at hand.

Joan noticed that the date of the letter was several years ago and nothing had been heard of Jim’s relative since then. Again she felt a chill run through her. Everything about this place seems to be so...creepy to say the least. What had happened to him? Why did he disappear? She resolved to discuss the matter at dinner.

 

Jim decided to check out the cellar and, flashlight in hand went down the dark steps. It was cold and damp, the ray of light lanced into the dark showing a myriad of cobwebs, some of which stuck to him. Shaking them off he turned towards the door and noticed scratch marks. Looking closer, he saw that they were long and deep. Rats? But they must be pretty big ones to make marks like this. He went down to the bottom of the steps and found the light fixture. There was no bulb in it as he suspected and he put one in. As soon as he did so it lit up, but the cellar was huge and the light did not reach into all the corners. He saw piles of junk covered with cobwebs. There was damp down here and anything material would be damaged by it.

Then he looked at the ground and saw the tracks. They were about five inches long and sharply clawed. Looking closer he thought that it looked like whatever had made them walked on two feet. What could it be? Some kind of animal. He looked at the distant piles of junk with a chill. Could it be dangerous?

He would have to do more than set some rat traps. He would have to call an exterminator. He hated to tell Joan about this, considering her feelings about the house. But he had no choice. He did not want her to wander down here and get bitten by something. He went to the top of the steps and firmly closed the door, locking it securely.

 

At dinner that day he told Joan about the tracks. Her eyes widened and she turned away saying “This place is getting weirder and weirder...”

Jim grimaced and said: “Hon–give it some time. Please!”

“You’re starting to sound like a broken record with that expression! To make matters worse about this house, let me tell you what I found out in the hidden room.”

Joan explained what she had found and in particular the contents of the letter. Jim looked dubious then began to frown as she continued.

“Really, Hon, I don’t know anything about the guy and what he was doing here. I didn’t even know that he existed until I got the letter from his lawyer earlier this year. This sounds like he was into some kind of New Age stuff or other. I’m sure that it was a harmless interest–probably just an infatuation with some idea he picked up. I remember that even Conan Doyle, the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, became obsessed with the idea of Fairies existing and even wrote about it in his old age.”

“Harmless! The guy just disappeared. Whatever he was involved in must have been dangerous.”

“We don’t know why he disappeared Hon. People disappear all the time. The guy was up in years and maybe had some issues with senility.”

Joan stared at him with her mouth a thin straight line and brows furrowed. Jim signed and said. “Look, we’ve done too much work already on this place. We’ve got to stay here at least awhile. Let’s give it a month anyway.”

Joan shook her head and slowly nodded. But she felt a gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach, a feeling of intense anxiety, like something was closing in on them. However, she did’ t want to appear to be a frightened female getting over sensitive to trifles. Perhaps she was just too sensitive to her feelings. She resolved to let the matter keep for awhile.

 

The next day at 8:00 AM she got into their SUV and drove to Wayneville for supplies. She could not help but notice the difference in her mood as soon as she left the house. The world suddenly seemed bright and cheery again as the warm July sun filtered through the trees, birds chirped, and she smelled the scent of the trees. Her fears seemed to melt away. The turns in the road however were quite sharp and the trees encroached right up against it. She would not like to come down this at night and if someone where to make a wide bend, their could be a head-on collision. She shook herself and thought: I’m getting too paranoid anymore; it must be that house.

Wayneville was a very small town. Consisting of just a few blocks of businesses that catered to the farmers in the vicinity. It had an old fashioned look, but was quite charming. The buildings were all well kept up. She stopped in front of a store with the title: Sam’s General Store.

She saw a matronly looking woman behind the counter who gave her a warm smile, and said: “What can I do for you, Deary?”

Joan gave her a list of supplies and the woman began to gather the items. Looking at the store she felt as if she were transported back in time, with the barrels full of flour and feed, and the smell of sawdust. On the wall she saw some advertisements that looked to go back to the 50's especially a Large Pepsi sign designed like an overlarge bottle cap.

“My but this is a lot of stuff. You must have just moved in somewhere? If you don’t mind my asking where about is it?”

“At the Hosea Dearborn place. My husband is a relative and he inherited the property. We’re going to stay there for awhile.”

The expression on the woman’s face instantly changed to that of a frown and she stopped what she was doing and stared intently at Joan.

“If I were you, I’d not stay in that house. Bad things have happened around there.”

Again Joan felt a shiver run up her spine and she asked: “What do you mean?”

“It goes back to the Manawata Indians that used to live around here hundreds of years ago. They had a legend that a powerful demon lived in the woods in a tower. But they’ve been gone a long time. Ever since Ebenezer Hadley built that house sometime in the 1600's.”

Joan recognized the name from the portrait in the house. She said: “I’ve seen a portrait of him in the house.”

The woman shook her head and said: “He was a bad man. Folk began to disappear around here at that time. Some blamed the Indians but others noticed the lights in the woods.”

“Lights in the woods?”

“Just that. Weird flashes of blueish light that flitted about. They all seemed to be centered around Hadley’s house.

When folks began to disappear. The town Sheriff organized a posse and they went to the house to arrest him, to accuse him of witchcraft. But when they arrived he was gone, along with the Indians. After that the place was abandoned until a few years ago when Hosea Dearborn took it over.”

“Did anything happen when he did.”

“Frankly nothing that people could verify. The only thing was Dono, the half-wit, who claimed he saw some lights in the woods. He had a habit of wandering about at night. But no one took him seriously.

Joan was stunned and thoughts whirled through her mind. She would have to think this over and discuss it with Jim. She said: “ Thank you for telling me all this. It’s certainly interesting and I’ll have to discuss it with my husband.”

“If you’ll forgive my presumption, I’d advise you to leave that place.”

Joan concluded her business and drove out of town. The sun was beginning to set and dark shadows formed in the trees. She began to look at them with a different feeling than she had earlier. Could something evil exist in them? The woods were dense as only woods not trodden by man can be. Between the trunks was tangled vegetation that was almost like a jungle.

She shook herself, thinking that her letting her imagination run riot, and drove on.

 

At dinner, she told Jim what she had heard at the store.

Jim looked thoughtful, then a slight smile started at his mouth. He replied: “These backwoods people have a lot of stories. They just get handed down from generation to generation and have little or no basis in fact. I remember when I was a kid there was talk of a “Green Man” in the nearby township. It turned out that he was the victim of a bad electrical fire that had disfigured him. He went out at night so people could not see what he looked like–except for a few kids fooling around.”

“But you’ll admit that there is usually at least some factual basis for people’s belief’s.”

“The basis here is possibly Swamp Fire, something caused by gases that glow under the right conditions.”

“Still people did disappear as well as see lights.”

Jim held his hand to his head and said: “Hon, let’s just drop this subject.” Then he went on to tell her of the work he had done on the house that day.

 

That night Joan woke up. Something just didn’t seem right. After the first night she hadn’t heard any more noises. But she felt a tension now. Her breathing was faster. She looked towards the window in the dark room and thought she saw flashes.

Instantly, she got up and went to the window. At first she saw nothing then she began to notice faint flashes of blue, like someone turning a flashlight on and off quickly. She recalled what the women had told her about people seeing lights and evidently this was it. She resisted an impulse to wake Jim up. She wanted to be absolutely sure before she did. The lights would sometimes stay on for a minute then go off again for another minute. Now they were coming closer to the house.

She didn’t hesitate and went to Jim shaking him.

“Jim! Get up! There’s something outside–it’s the lights!”

“Wha..What,” he said, as he stumbled out of bed and went to the window. Looking out he could see nothing. Everything was pitch dark; it was a moonless night.

“I don’t see a thing–it’s pitch dark out there.”

“I tell you I did! There were flashing blue lights!”

“Well there not there now and I need some sleep,” with that he went back to bed.

Joan stood at the window feeling both foolish and frustrated . She had looked like an idiot. But she had seen lights! Tomorrow she would find out for sure what was going on.

 

The next day dawned and the sky was a brilliant blue.Jim had gone into town to get some hardware. She was determined to find the source of the lights she had seen and confront him with evidence.

As she went into the woods the underbrush was formidable and she soon became deep within it. Looking back she could barely make out the house even though she had gone only a hundred yards or so. Guess I’m no girl scout–it’s not going to do for me to get lost in these woods. She had read that people in woods tended to go in circles, always tending to the right until they did so. She hesitated. Maybe I’d better get a compass, or even forget about this.

As she did so, she noticed a difference in the view ahead. It seemed lighter, less dense. Carefully she walked towards it, seeing it gradually become more open, then she stopped at the edge of a barren patch of woods. Everything was grayish, the ground and the gnarled trunks of bare limbed trees. Visibility was poor; she could only see about a hundred yards or so. Nothing moved. There were no birds or even insects. She thought, was this a recent forest fire or perhaps a diseased area where the plants and trees had been affected?

She felt tense. A voice inside her seemed to be saying, don’t go any further. Forget about it. She started to turn back when she remembered the book. It had made reference to a tower of some kind. She decided to walk on.

The ground was spongy and left impressions of her feet so she would be able to retrace her steps. Also if there was a tower it would be a landmark, even in this fog.

As she trod on she occasionally looked back. Was something following her? But she shook it off to her imagination. What could possibly be out here. Even an animal would find nothing of interest here.

Then something did appear ahead. At first it was a vague impression of a darker area in the mist. Then it became gradually clearer as she approached.

It was indeed a tower of some kind. It reached about seventy feet high and about fifty wide. But of curious construction. She couldn’t identify it as being of any civilization she was familiar with, not Egyptian, Roman, Gothic or anything else. It had odd looking angles and the few windows appeared to be of a triangular shape. Though vines clung to it and dirt was piled around it. It still seemed to be intact. She touched the tower and felt not stone but some kind of material that seemed warm and with a faint throb going through it.

A curious hum was in the air; something just on the edge of hearing, almost like a dog whistle, not quite in the range of human hearing, but she could sense it, nonetheless.

There seemed to be no opening, and she walked around to the other side of it. Now she could see curious tracks that led to a hole in the ground right next to the tower. She walked over to it and peered into the hole. It was about ten feet wide and it seemed to go in deep. Now for the first time she noticed a foul smell that made her put her hand over her face.

Was it an animal? If so, she could not dare to go in there. What if something came out at me she thought. She quickly backed away from the tower and walked back towards the house.

Her mind was awhirl as she went trough the woods. What had she found? The book indicated that evil was associated with it. Perhaps she should just forget about it. But it would be very satisfying to tell Jim that her ideas had a basis in fact.

At dinner she told him about the tower. His eyes lit up with interest as he listened.

“Well now, that’s something! We’ll have to check it out tomorrow. We may have found a major archaeological discovery here. Our names will be in the papers and on CNN.”

“But from what I read and the talk in town, it would be an evil place. Maybe we should avoid it.”

“No way. We’re going there tomorrow, and I’ll see that we’re equipped to explore.”

With that he pulled out a handgun and put it on the table.

Joan frowned. She did not like guns and never had anything to do with them.

“Hon, we need this. We’re out here in the woods and if anyone started any trouble here it’d take a hell of a long time for the law to arrive.”

“You don’t even know how to use it.”

“I know how to aim and pull a trigger. Besides I hope that I never have to use it. Just showing it may be enough to ward off trouble.”

 

She was looking at a blood red sky shoot trough with black clouds. It was dark and she was running, running from something. It was getting closer and closer. She could feel something touch her back.

Joan woke up with a scream getting Jim up as well.

“Hon it’s all right–you just had a bad dream. Just go back to bed.”

Joan’s breathing was fast and her face was covered with sweat. “But it was so real!”

“I think you’re just letting this place get to you. Once we get everything organized it’ll be all right.”

 

The next day they where at the back of the house. Both had sturdy clothes on for going through the woods. The sky was heavily overcast and low, giving a gray look to everything.

Joan said, “It looks like it may rain. Maybe we should call it off.”

“I’ve got to see this tower. It’s been on my mind ever since you mentioned it. Besides, we won’t be gone that long.”

With that they went into the woods, which started a hundred yards away from the house. Today they looked even darker and dense then they had the day before.

“You better lead, Hon. You know the way.”

Joan felt indecisive; a part of her wanted to turn away. But she went forward.

“Maybe, we’ll have a picnic out here later,” said Jim.

“Not in these woods,” answered Joan.

 

They went through the dense woods until they came to the barren area. Again a low fog hid everything past a hundred yards.

“Something bad must have happened here,” said Jim. “Looks like some kind of pollution must have reached here and killed everything off.”

“But there’s no industry in this area. The nearest power plant is at least 50 miles away.”

“Air currents can be pretty strong; even stuff from Japan can cross the Pacific to reach us here...Hey I see what you mean about the tower.”

A darker area appeared just ahead that gradually became clearer as they walked towards it. Joan felt a sense of dread that wanted her to cry out: No, don’t do this. Let’s go home and forget about this. But she did not want to appear ridiculous to Jim.

It looked the same as it did yesterday when they came to it. Jim stood with his hands on his hips looking up at it.

“I can’t figure out who could have built it,” he said. “It’s certainly not modern but it looks like nothing I’ve ever seen in books or documentaries. Whew! What’s that smell?”

Jim walked around the tower to the source of the smell. As he did so he looked at the ground. He saw the tracks. They look familiar he thought, as he bent down to examine them. They looked upon closer examination similar to the tracks he had seen in the basement. He felt a sense of unease.

“They were there yesterday,” said Joan.

“Well let’s see were they lead to,” said Jim as he followed them to the opening. Here the smell was extremely pungent.

“Something must be living down there, something foul,” said Joan.

Jim pulled out his flashlight and the pistol and started to enter the opening.

“Are you crazy! You could be attacked by something!”

Jim glanced back and hesitated thinking, she’s probably right. But I have the pistol and flashlight. Whatever is down here can’t be very big. If I call the authorities, they’ll likely seal the area off and we’ll be out of it. This could be something big and I want us to be part of it. And I want to find out just what kind of vermin I’m dealing with. Whatever is in here is also in the house–I’m going in.

“It’ll be alright Hon. I don’t think this could be very deep and I’ve got a light and gun.” With that he disappeared into the opening.

Joan pursed her lips and folded her arms tightly. Once Jim got an idea, there was no stopping him. She could just wait and see what happened.

Joan waited for what seemed like an interminable time but was only a few minutes. Once Jim had went inside she had heard nothing from him. Then she heard a faint sound, just on the edge of hearing. She could not make out what it was.

“Jim! Jim are you all right? Answer me!”

But she heard nothing more. A cold feeling came in her stomach and she began breathing faster. This is too long. I’m going down, she thought.

She entered the tunnel, using her own flashlight. The smell was stronger her, almost unbearable. She shined the light ahead but the beam faded out in the distance. The tunnel was about 20 feet wide at this point and consisted of hard packed earth. A part of her wonder why it was so symmetrical, like it was deliberately made.

“Jim answer me! Jim I’m getting worried. Where are you?”

She glanced back at the opening, now some distance behind her. She had never liked closed in spaces. It brought back unpleasant memories of when she had locked herself in a closet as a young girl, and could not find the light switch. She’d have never enter this if it hadn’t been for Jim.

But there was no answer to her calls. Thoughts of a cave-in entered her mind. Maybe she should go for help. But that would possibly make it too late for Jim. She forged ahead, casting the light. Now the ceiling was coming lower as she shined the light upwards, occasionally plant roots came through. On the floor of the tunnel the tracks had been replaced with curious long curved marks in the soil. A chill went trough her–could it be snakes?

The she noticed looking at the tunnel that it appeared convoluted with coil like objects. She stopped, breathing hard. She looked at them but they did not move. Where they alive or natural rock formations?

Everything in her wanted to turn back and leave. Her breath came fast and she felt a tremor in her limbs. This didn’t look good. Then shining the light ahead, she saw something on the floor of the tunnel. It was a shapeless mass. She crawled forward and saw that it was Jim, laying unconscious.

What had happened to him she though. Maybe he just slipped and knocked himself out on the tunnel floor. She crawled ahead and fearfully touched him.

He was still breathing and appeared unharmed.

A vast sense of relief flooded through her and she said: “Jim! Jim!–wake up! Let’s get out of here!’

But he did not respond. She thought I can’t just leave him here–I’ve got to get him out.

She pulled on him and it was dead weight. Jim was a big man and she herself, while not petite, would have a huge challenge to get him outside.

The she noticed something just up ahead that shined in the darkness. She shone her light there and saw what looked like a circular molding on the wall the same width as the tunnel. It was covered with curious carving of intertwined forms, that reminded her of the forms she had seen on the tunnel walls. In the center was a raised projection.

She put it out of her mind as she dragged Jim outside. It took all her strength to do so, and she had to pause numerous times before they reached the tunnel entrance.

When they did, she sat down panting, glad beyond words to be out in the light again and with Jim outside.

The clearer air outside seemed to revive Jim and he stirred, opening his eyes, saying, “ What happened?”

“You were unconscious and I had to come and get you. What happened to you?”

Jim looked confused and held his hand to the side of his neck. “I don’t know. Suddenly I felt this odd sensation and then everything went black. Maybe I slipped and hit my head on the ground.”

“Well whatever happened let’s get back to the house and away from this.”

On the way back Jim was oddly quite, Joan noticed and made no comments about what they had both seen. She didn’t press him, being glad that he was out of the dark tunnel.

When they reached the house, he said, “I don’t feel hungry, Hon–I’ll just go up to bed. I feel so tired.”

Joan looked at him with concern. He wasn’t himself. Hopefully when he woke up everything would be alright. Then she noticed something on his neck.

“Jim, there’s something on your neck–let me look at it!”

It was a circular spot about the size of a fifty cent piece and had a curious pattern of whorls embedded into his skin like a brand. Joan thought it looked a little like the pattern she had seen on the tunnel walls. She touched it.”

“Ahhh!” said Jim as he went down on his knees to the floor, holding the spot.

“Hon, I didn’t mean to hurt you I just touched that curious spot on your neck–you must have got it from the fall somehow.”

Jim continued to rub the spot but it didn’t seem to bother him like when Joan had.

“I feel it–probably its something I fell against when I hit the ground, left an imprint somehow. I’m going upstairs.”

He went up the steps slowly, almost woodenly. Joan stared after him. Something wasn’t right. He was different somehow. Well maybe he’ll be alright tomorrow.

All the rest of that day Jim did not come down. Joan went up to check on him. He lay on the bed fully clothed arms outstretched breathing shallowly. For a moment she thought something had happened  then decided that he was just exhausted.

When she went to bed later, he was still in the same position. She fell into an uneasy sleep. A dream came that she was running from something chasing her and getting closer and closer. She got up with a start and saw that Jim was gone. Looking at the night clock she saw that it was 2:35. I guess he must be in the bathroom, she thought and went back to sleep.

She woke up again later and saw that Jim was still gone. Looking at the clock she saw that it was now 4:55. She got up and called, “Jim where are you!”

But there was no answer. A cold feeling came to her stomach and she went into the hall calling again. But there was no answer. She went downstairs still calling but there was still no answer.

Something caught her attention a flash at the window.

The blue flashes were again visible. She went to the window and looked at them. This time there was more of a pattern. It seemed to be following a path through the woods to the house. She tensed. What was this thing. Where was Jim? What was going on?

The lights suddenly stopped. Then she heard a sound in the kitchen. It was a door opening.

Jim appeared and stood in the kitchen doorway looking at her with dull eyes.

“Where have you been? I’ve been looking all over the house for you?”

Jim looked confused and said, “I just felt that I needed some air.”

“At this time of night–in the dark?”

Jim just shook his head and went up the stairs to the bedroom. She watched him noting that he seemed to go up very slowly and hesitantly.

She sat down and thought, it must be his injury; he’s still feeling the effects from it. He’s definitely not himself. Maybe this will clear up. If it doesn’t she intended to get him to see a doctor. With that she went up to bed.

 

The next day Jim just lay in bed. Joan tried to get him to eat but he said he wasn’t hungry. She didn’t know what to do. Give it one more day she thought–then he’s going to the doctor’s.

That night she again got up at 3:00 in the morning to find Jim gone. A surge of fear went through her and she went to the windows. This time there were no lights but there was still no Jim. She resolved to stay awake until he came back. But sleep claimed her.

She woke up to see Jim staring at her with an intent look, one she had not seen in him before, almost or even predatory.

“I suppose you again needed some fresh air last night!”

“Yes...Yes I did.”

Then she notice something on his sleeve a spot. When she went over to it she saw that it was blood.

“What’s this–blood! What have you been doing? This is it! You’re going to see a doctor–today!”

“No I’ m not!” said Jim with a glare in his eye.

“For a moment Joan thought that he was going to attack her.

“Honey it’s for your own good. You haven’t been right since that you went into that tunnel.”

“I’m OK. It’s you that’s worrying too much.”

With that he turned around and walked up the steps to the bedroom.

Joan sat down and put her head in her hands. Then she heard a thump on the porch. It was the district’s daily paper, The Country News. Normally she got her news on the internet but it seemed appropriate to get a newspaper out here. She went to retrieve it.

One item on the front page caught her eye:

Missing Farmer.

Jonas Fernan was listed as missing by his wife

this morning. When he went outside late to

attend to the cows in his barn he did not return.

She mentioned that she saw strange lights in

the woods that night.

Anyone that can provide any information

should contact the County Sheriff’s Office

 

Joan could not help but think of what the woman in the general store had said about lights and disappearances. She too had seen strange lights and just where was Jim going at night?

 

At dinner Jim reluctantly came down and toyed with his food. He seemed abstracted and barely noticed her.

“I read in the paper that there was a disappearance of a farmer last night.”

Jim looked up at stared at her, saying “Well what of it?”

“There was also mention of strange lights in the woods. I seen some lights outside myself.”

Jim got up and said, “You’re sounding like an old woman! Lights!” With that he left the table, leaving his food barely touched.

Joan put her head in her hands and thought. Something is going on here, and I’ve got to find out just what it is.

 

That night she pretended to sleep and waited. About 11:30, Jim got up and left the bedroom. Carefully she got up too. She had slept with her clothes on and had only to put on her shoes.

She heard him go down the steps. Waited until he reached the bottom and opened the back door. She went quickly down and went towards the door. She was torn between fear of him hearing her and fear of losing him.

Once outside she could barely make him out in the darkness. There was no moon and she dared not shine a light. She still went forward despairingly, thinking that this was a bad idea if she could not find him in the dark. Still she kept on, as she could hear him tramping through the shrubbery. She fell forward as she tripped on a root and barely suppressed a cry. How could Jim move so confidently through the woods. He should be having the same trouble as she was.

Then she noticed the lights. At first it was a bare flickering just at the edge of consciousness then it became stronger, even strong enough to give some light in the woods. Joan stopped. What was this? Was she and Jim in danger? But Jim still walked forward the same as before. The lights did not seem to bother him any. A part of her wanted to call out and ask him to come back, but she knew it would be useless. With grim determination she still followed him through the woods. Then they came to the barren area.

 

It looked even more spectral at night with the blue lights flashing, barren trees and spongy soil. Dimly ahead, she could see Jim going towards the ruin. The ruin itself seemed to be lit up from within with a strange blue glow that seemed to be the source of the traveling lights. Joan hesitated; this was seriously weird. What was going on? But Jim just continued ahead to the ruin. She repressed a desire to call him and tell him to come back. I must see this through, she thought, whatever it is.

Jim came to the tunnel and went inside. She carefully followed forty feet behind him. When she came to it, she also entered. The interior of the tunnel was lit up with a strange pulsating red glow. It throbbed as it alive. The strange shapes on the walls seemed almost alive, they seemed to be subtly moving. But she dismissed the thought.

Up ahead she could see Jim still moving forward. The carving that she had seen before, that looked like a door was now open. From it issued the reddish light. A curious odor came from it, unlike anything she had ever smelled before, as well as a surging sound. Then he was through the door. Joan stood still, unable to comprehend what was happening or what to do.

As she did so she came close to the wall and nearly touched it. Looking closer, she saw that the convoluted shapes were indeed pulsing and a red light was circulating through them, almost she thought like blood through veins. Something told her not to touch it and she moved away.

By now, Jim had disappeared through the opening. She followed and stood stock still at the scene she was seeing.

The sky was purple with ragged clouds. She was at the shore of a sea that was red as blood. Waves lapped ashore on a beach which was the source of the sound she heard. But the beach was not sand. Where it was not stony, strange growths projected from the ground, stalks with tendrils at the ends that seemed to want to grasp her, as it they were aware of her. But strangest of all was a weird building at the end of a causeway that stretched to it from shore.

It was all weird angles and shapes. Strange projections jutted from it and it was not square or rectangular or round but some indistinct shape. From what she could see it had a leathery surfaces, cracked, almost like it had a skin. It was of large size, projecting some hundreds of feet in the air and nearly as wide at the base. There appeared to be an opening of some kind and Jim was walking towards it.

She stood stock still at stared at the strange tableau. Was she dreaming? If so it was a nightmare of some kind; what was happening here? Jim disappeared into the opening.

She hesitated. A large part of her wanted to turn back and run back to the house, away from this madness. Another part of her was concerned with Jim.

He disappeared into the opening and Joan started to follow him on the causeway. The plants reached out towards her, the tendrils on the ends of the stalks questing. The air had a foul smell that made her want to cough. The frightening thought came that maybe it was poisonous. But Jim had obviously been here before and it had not effected him.

The causeway to the entrance was about a hundred feet long and twenty or so wide. The red sea came right up to it. Looking at it she saw that it was thick, almost like heavy oil rather than water. She heard a splash behind her and quickly looked there, to see a...something...disappear into the sea. She shivered and thought I wouldn’t want to be in that for anything. Looking up all she saw was a storm wracked sky with dark purple clouds moving quickly from powerful winds. Where was this place? It was too strange to be Earth, but where else could it be? She had read in fiction and some books on Quantum Theory about alternate universes; this must be one then. Somehow the ruin had acted as a gate to this.

She now came to the entrance. It had appeared from shore to be jet black, but now that she was there a dim red glow appeared within. And a throbbing vibration surged throughout the building and made the ground tremble at her feet. Vaguely, looking ahead she saw a vast open chamber.

As she stepped forward, she noticed that the walls of the interior were ribbed similar to the ones in the tunnel, but these were much more defined and articulated. The surging red light flowed through them, again like blood going through arteries and veins. But what most struck her was what she saw in the middle of the room.

A large stone block stood there on a dias. On it was a bound figure, and beside it was Jim holding his hands up and wide.

Joan started and put her hands to her mouth. What was this? Who was the other person here? Looking closer she saw that it was a big man in his fifties, clad in overalls. He was unconscious, arms hanging limply at his sides. Was this the missing farmer she had read about that morning?

Then Jim began to yell in a loud voice strange incomprehensible phrases in a language that she had never heard before. What was he saying? What...

Then a electrical charge seemed to surge through the room.

Something formed over the altar, seeming to phase in and out with terrifying glimpses of tentacles, eyes, horns and other shapes. It was huge, about twenty feet in diameter, and began to descend onto the altar. An evil sounding hum arose from it starting from barely audible to excruciatingly loud.

Joan stood transfixed as the shape covered the altar and then suddenly it was gone and so was the farmer!

For a long second she just stared, her heart beating. Then she ran to Jim yelling, “Jim! What’s going on? What are you doing?”

She stopped as she looked at his face. His eyes were now red and his skin had a purplish mottled appearance with yellow veins running through it. He grabbed her painfully with awful strength and she screamed.

She tore away from him leaving part of her blouse in his hands and ran. Something had happened to him, something terrible. She heard his footfalls behind her as she ran out of the entrance and onto the causeway. Ahead loomed the opening and she ran towards it. Once she stumbled and almost fell but righted herself at the last minute. Now the door was nearer and she was close to it, another twenty feet or so. She felt something brush against her shoulder and she ran even harder, her breath coming in great gasps. Her legs began to feel leaden; she wanted so much to stop. But she knew that if she did it would be the end. Now that she was almost at the door she saw that it was closing, slowly but surely. It was now halfway closed.

With a burst of speed she dove to the ground and crawled forward. She felt the weight of the door on her back. Then she was through.

Gasping she rested unable to move further. She became aware of a red light in the tunnel and looking up she saw that the shapes on the wall had come loose and were now hanging down and questing for her with feelers on their ends. It was like entering a snake pit. She felt horror and despair. How was she going to get past this.

Being on the floor of the tunnel she could see that there was a space of about two feet beneath the tentacles. If she could crawl forward she could get past them. But if they touched her...

Then she remembered the mark on Jim’s neck. Had this been how he had gotten it. Had these things been active when he had entered the tunnel alone?

She had no choice and slowly carefully went forward under them. The floor of the tunnel brushed against her and she could hear a murmuring sound above her, as if the tentacles were calling reaching out to her.

Then she came to a high spot in the tunnel. There was less clearance here. Then could touch her if she went under there. But there was no way around.

She came to it and grabbed it with her hands. It was loose and soft and she began to move it aside. The spot went down and she was just about ready to move forward when she heard another sound behind her, a whoosh.

She jerked forward and then suddenly the tentacles were behind her. Ahead loomed the opening to the tunnel and she could see the trunks of some trees. She got up and raced forward and out of the tunnel.

Then she was outside gasping and sobbing, holding her head in her hands. What was she to do? What had happened to Jim? She walked slowly towards the house, arms hanging at her side and her head bowed. Who would believe her if she tried to explain? She could call the county police and they would search the tunnel but what would they find. The plants or whatever they were would be dormant again and the door closed. All they would see is an empty tunnel and a strange carving on the wall were the door was.

Another thing was that she would have to implicate Jim as at least an accessory to murder. Somehow he must have been involved with the kidnaping of that farmer. It must have happened that night when he was out. But why would he do such a thing? His face when he looked at her was terrible and it was not him.``````

Thoughts raced through her mind tumbling one after the other in a frenzied order. She realized that the only thing that was saving her sanity was that what was happening was so unbelievable that a good part of her mind just refused to accept it. She would need time to think things over. Maybe something would resolve itself. She shook her head and walked on through the woods until the house loomed up ahead. Fortunately the moon had come out since they had entered the tunnel and she had at least a little light to move and see by.

She froze as she saw something on the porch. It was a tall figure with a long coat and a floppy hat that hid its face. Oh no, she thought, just what I need! Who would come calling at this time of night out here. Was this a home invasion? She felt herself start shaking all over having almost lost control of her limbs. The figure stepped off the porch and walked towards her.

She was helpless to move, simply paralyzed with terror. It was too much.

Then the figure was in front of her, towering over her. She still could not make out its face.

“Ms Latti, I presume?” said the figure in a low but strong voice.

Joan fainted falling to the ground.

 

 

She woke up in her living room sitting in an armchair. Thoughts crowded through her mind of what had happened, Jim, the other world, the stranger... She saw him sitting across from her on the couch staring intently at her.

She could now see what he looked like. A man in his thirties, with a strong face and extremely light blue eyes that seemed to penetrate into her. He was well and heavily built, clad in a black coat and wearing a hat with a wide brim.

Joan felt an impulse to run, but realized that if he was going to do anything he had plenty of time before to have done it. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

“My name is Adam Arcane,” he answered in a strong voice. “As to your other question, it will not be as easy to answer. “I am a crusader of sorts. It is my business to hunt down and destroy evil where I find it. As to how this happened to be, that is a long story for another time. I also have means of detecting the presence of evil and I have detected it here. By your condition, I know that you have encountered it. Please explain to me what has recently happened to you?”

“Why should I trust you? You come out of the blue and ask me all these questions.”

“You don’t have a choice. No one else will believe what you say. They will think you insane. I will not and I can help you. Please trust me.”

Joan sat in a daze of indecision. So much so strange had happened. Was this all a bad dream? But he was right. No one would believe her to be other than unbalanced. If she called the law they would probably have her committed for observation, and that could not help Jim in any way. She decided to trust the man and told him about the recent events.

“As I feared, a gate has been opened into a netherworld. I could read the signs. Evidently your husband inadvertently activated it when he entered the tunnel. Unfortunately he is now in control of an evil entity. The beings of the netherworld thrive on the essence, souls if you will, of people in this dimension. But they need assistants on this side to feed this craving, someone to capture and deliver victims to them.”

Joan realized with a sick feeling that this is what had happened to the farmer in the other dimension, Jim had kidnaped him and delivered him for sacrifice.

“Is there any hope for my husband? Can he be helped from his condition?”

“It is not impossible but very unlikely. I can sense that the previous occupant of this house also came under evil influence. It is dangerous to read the Books Of Evil. For one can fall under their spell and be corrupted.”

“What can we do?”

Adam pulled out an object from his coat and held it out to show her. It fit the palm of his hand and was about the size of an egg, green with yellow veins flowing through it. It seemed to pulse as if alive with energy.

“This is an Arcet. Delivered to the right place at the right time it can close off a gate to the netherworld.”

“Will it help Jim?”

“One can only hope that with the beings influence gone, your husband will return to his normal self.”

“When do we start?”

“Tonight. The evil has just commenced and if we get it now it will be easier. Later, it may be impossible.”

 

That night they both stood outside the house.

“It is a good night for us. The moon is full and it will guide our way. Lead on Joan.”

She steped forward with Adam beside her. Thought ran through her mind of Jim, of Adam of the ruin. She felt as if she was walking in a dream. A bad dream that she could not wake up from.

Soon they were through the forest and into the barren zone. Tonight it seemed even more malignant than before, more oppressive and evil.

“This is a blasted land,” said Adam. “The evil here has settled into the ground and tainted the soil. Nothing will grow here until it has been cleansed.”

As they came to the ruin, it seemed to be charged with energy. There was a pulsating glow about it that made it almost alive.

“It is a remnant of the Ancient Evil Ones,” said Adam. “This dates back to an untold time, perhaps millions of years ago.”

“How could it have lasted so long. Surely the effects of time would have decayed it,” said Joan.

“It is not made of material that we have knowledge of and is not subject to decay.”

They came to the tunnel and Adam held up a hand, saying,”Those whorls on the wall are wards designed to both protect the portal and also to infect victims–to make them servants of the Evil One.”

“That must have been what happened to Jim,” said Joan.

Adam nodded and held his hands up, speaking an incantation of something that Joan could not understand.”

“They are harmless now but we must haste inside and open the portal.”

They entered and went down the tunnel. Joan noticed that the wall now seemed completely dormant, whereas before it had pulsed with a malignant energy. They came to the door, which stood stark in the light cast by Joan’s flashlight.

“A door to the netherworld,” said Adam. “It opens only to those that belong on the other side or those recruited. But I can open it.” With that, he spoke another incantation and Joan saw the portal open slowly at first then quickly.

A howling wind pushed at them, almost enough to bowl them over. The plant things seemed agitated and thunder cracked yellow slashes in the sky overhead. The blood red sea was also agitated and huge waves crashed on the beach and causeway.

“It senses our presence and tries to stop us. But we must reach the temple and get inside, so I can use the Arcet. You should stay here.”

“I will not abandon Jim!”

“Very well then. Let us go!”

They surged ahead through the grasping plants and buffeting wind. Joan almost fell but Adam grabbed her as they entered the causeway. Waves of foul smelling water lashed against it and they could see creatures just below the surface thrashing wildly. They stopped; it seemed impossible to go onwards. But Adam invoked a spell and the pressure subsided a little. Enough for them to go onward. Sweat shined on his face and he had a grim determined expression.

Now they reached the entrance and the uproar outside subsided a little but the walls her were agitated and threatened to tear at them. The whorls were much like those in the tunnel but much larger and more malignant looking.

Just ahead Joan could see the altar and Jim beside it. Overhead the Entity was swirling and lashing. Jim ran forward screeching attacking Adam. Adam, with the Arcet in his hand was unable to fight him.

Joan dashed at Jim yelling, “Jim stop! He’s trying to help you!”

She grabbed Jim by the arm and tried to pull him off Adam. But she didn’t have the strength. Overhead the Entity swirled closer, coming down at them, ready to engulf them. Joan made a decision.

She gouged at his eyes and bit his ear. Howling, Jim momentarily let go of Adam. She hated to do that but it was necessary.

Free of Jim, Adam rushed to the altar and placed the Arcet on it. Immediately a brilliant flash occurred blinding Joan. When she opened her eyes, the Entity was gone. Jim stood stock still, a bewildered look on his face. The temple began to shake as if in an earthquake.

“Quickly! We must leave–now!” shouted Adam.

They ran back towards the tunnel entrance, Joan leading a dazed Jim. Adam was casting spells to ward off the plants and the sea creatures. The wind was so powerful that it almost knocked them down. Joan felt a sense of hopelessness and she felt herself tiring, her breath coming fast in her lungs.

Then somehow they were at the tunnel and gate opening. It was closing of its own accord. Adam stretched his arms wide and made an incantation, his arms trembling.

“Run!” he said. “I cannot hold it back long!”

Then they were through the gate which slammed shut behind them with a clang that echoed through the tunnel. The tunnel was shaking and clods of earth were falling on them. Huge cracks began to appear in the walls.

“Hurry! We must get outside at once!” said Adam.

Joan ran forward, still dragging Jim, and felt dirt pelt her on the head and back. Then she was outside and feeling the cold night air.

Just as they were all out, the ruin gave a blue glow and shook as flashes of blue lightening burned through it. Then it was gone as if it had never existed. Even the tunnel was filled in.

Jim held his hand to his head and said, “ What happened? One minute I’m going through the tunnel and now I’m here.”

He looked at Adam and said, “Who are you?”

Adam said, “A friend.” He then looked at Jane and said, “I think it would be best if you just tried to forget what happened here and get on with your life. Treat it as a nightmare. The house should be alright to live in now if you desire to do so.”

With that Adam walked off and soon disappeared into the night. Jim looked at both him and Joan and said, “I think I deserve an explanation.”

Joan thought of what Adam had said and what had happened. Horrible as it was it now all seemed like a bad dream. A man had been killed but Jim was not responsible being under control of the Entity, and how would she explain this to anyone including Jim.

“Jim, honey, you fell down out here and were unconscious. That man was a passing stranger who tried to help. Let’s go back to the house and get some food, drink and rest.”

Adam watched them go as he stood in the trees. Another battle has been fought with the Other World but there will be more.

 

The End

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Impressum

Texte: Charles Lankiwicz
Bildmaterialien: Charles Lankiwicz
Cover: Charles Lankiwicz
Satz: Charles Lankiwicz
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 16.01.2019

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