Ronald Lee
920 Meadowbrook Road
Sumter, SC 29150
1 (803) 295-0077
rlwrite@rocketmail.com
TO LIVE AGAIN
by
Ronald E. Lee


Chapter One
Carlos Montego stood watching the electromagnetic meter dance wildly from side to side. The indicator light was steady on bright green.
“This is it!” He whispered excitedly into a microphone headset to his wife Susan. The forty-two year old Sumter resident ran a sweaty brown hand over his blue jeans then over his purple Clemson Tiger shirt. “Are we rolling?” he asked.
“Be careful honey,” his black haired green eyed wife said back. She was watching the events unfold through a computer screen in the couples black Ford cargo van parked outside the three story Rineheat estate located in Sumter South Carolina.
“I’m rolling now,” Sue announced her strong Irish accent coming through. “It’s 1:40 AM eastern standard time.” Sue reported softly watching the audio graph bounce up and down as the program captured the live audio and video feed.
“Carlos is investigating the former estate of Doctor Richard Rineheat in Sumter South Carolina. This is case number sixty-nine.” Sue quickly cut from the feed of her husband’s head cam to a wireless remote camera set up on a tripod just outside the van. It had a perfect view of the gargoyles, large front door, hedges, and dark shadows of the concrete mansion just off highway 378. “Built in 1802 by Doctor Rineheat this house has been reported as the sight of forty murders. All the murders were part of experiments the Doctor conducted do to his obsession with the subject of life after death.”
“Is Fay Childer’s here?’ Carlos interrupted. Sue quickly clicked back to a standing camera in the room where her husband formally from El Salvador stood. “If you are can you make your presence known to me? I mean you no harm.”
“Fay Childer’s is reportedly one of the last of Doctor Rinheat’s victims. Doctor Rinheat later died at the state mental hospital in Columbia South Carolina, but only after being tried and found guilty of those murders by reason of criminal insanity.” Sue said softly.
Mrs. Montego stopped to catch her breath. Even though she was dressed in blue jean shorts, pink t-shirt, and flip flops she was drenched in sweat sitting in the back of the cargo van. It was mid July and the low for the night was only going to be seventy-two degrees. The humidity clung to her soaking her skin and furthering her anxiety.
“Is anyone here?” Carlos asked reaching out to the unseen spirits around him. Susan hated this little side business her husband started up, but she promised to support him no matter what so here they were trying to talk to dead people.
“Is the electromagnetic microphone picking up anything?” Carlos asked his wife. Sue looked at the image of her husband standing in the dining room looking back at her through one of several cameras they set up earlier.
“No,” Sue reported looking at the flat green line below her voice over.
“I don’t get it,” Carlos said. “The needle on the EM meter is dancing like a stripper at hundred dollar night.”
“Maybe you’re in a place where nothing bad happened,” Sue suggested.
“Well, the meter’s telling us there’s paranormal activity in this house. This room.” Carlos countered. He looked up at the lavish chandelier then the twelve seat dinner table and tall black fireplace ahead in the center of the room. A look at the thick red curtains showed them blowing slightly in the breeze.
“I’m going dark to give anyone on the other side some energy to talk to us,” Carlos announced and cut off the EM meter. Sue got extremely nervous. It was one thing to try to talk to the undead through different means, but now her husband was going to try to strengthen them to talk back.
“I’m taking the batteries out and placing them on the table,” Carlos announced. It was a technique he felt would work because so many paranormal investigators reported the loss of battery power just before encounters. Sue watched and licked her lips. “I’m hooking up the voltage meter to these ordinary C batteries,” Carlos explained. “You can see the voltage reading is showing the batteries are fully charged.”
Sue flipped back to Carlos’ headset where he held it up for view. A green light was blinking and a sliver meter was bouncing slightly at six volts.
“He’s a genius,” Sue thought to herself. That’s what first attracted her to him at the university. He was a good looking tall, brown skinned black eyed male. Sue thought he wouldn’t have given her the time of day when she first saw him in the computer class. His major was computer science and hers was culinary. But he did fall for her and by their senior year the El Salvador and Ireland natives were married. They were drawn together by their common interest and strong Catholic faith.
“Honey are you getting this?” Carlos asked interrupting Sue’s trip down memory lane.
“Uh,” Susan checked the computer screen and stared in amazement. “Oh my God,” she exclaimed and made the Catholic motions of the cross as she watched the meter drop from six volts down to zero and the light go from green to red to dark.
“Doctor Richard Rineheat are you with me?” Carlos asked causing Sue to jump.
“Damn it honey, how about warn someone before you call on the chief spook!” Sue complained.
“Sorry,” Carolos replied. “I think I need to go somewhere else. I believe I’d do better in the laboratory.”
“Okay,” Sue said although she didn’t like the idea at all. “The laboratory is where the majority of the murders reportedly happened.” Sue whispered into the microphone.
The Irish woman watched her husband weave through the white covered furniture of the dining room to a large black oak door beside the fireplace. Carlos opened the door which groaned slowly with age and willingly walk to the site of nineteen murders.


Chapter Two

When the tall black oak door stood opened wide it revealed a long narrow corridor lined with old family photos. It ended at a flight of stairs the ascended to the upper levels of the home and descended to the in house laboratory and infirmary of Doctor Rineheat. There were four doorways in the hall. The first to Carlos’ left led to a billiard and trophy room he had investigated earlier. Across from that was the kitchen. The next door beyond the billiard room was a library and across from it the servant’s quarters.
Sue heard Carlos gag as he reached the flight of stairs.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” Sue asked fearfully.
“Sorry,” Carlos said pulling his arm up to his mouth. “As if the dust and mildew smell wasn’t bad enough I’m getting, I don’t know. I think I’m smelling embalming fluid, ammonia, or something.”
That statement didn’t help Sue relax. She had helped Carlos set up all the cameras and never smelt anything when they were in the lab.
“Honey, I don’t think this is a really good idea.” Sue said nervously tapping her long pink finger nails on the metal counter top welded to the van wall.
“It’ll be alright honey,” Carlos said reassuringly although he himself was skeptical about the sincerity of the statement. “Nothing living is down there or in this house.”
“That’s what I mean.” Sue countered. “This is the most activity we’ve seen since we’ve been ghost hunting.” Sue paused the recordings. “Besides, I got to go pee.” She whispered.
Carlos took off the head cam and turned it so his wfe could see his face.
“Look honey I love you. If you really want I’ll come back out and we’ll go home.” He offered.
“Really?” Sue asked.
“True. If you want run use the bathroom and I’ll start out.” Carlos smiled at his wife who grabbed a roll of toilet paper and opened the sliding door of the van. She was greeted by a blast of humid night air filled with smell of pine and sound of crickets, frogs, and owls. A whippoorwill sang in the distance.
Sue stepped down onto the gravel driveway and stretched. A look at the two AM sky revealed nothing but stars and crescent moon that just reached its zenith. In front of her was a tall pine forest that hid the mansion from Highway 378 on lookers, although Sue couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to look at the decaying monster.
The three story mansion loomed above her and the driveway. The crevasses, corners, and doorway shadows seemed to willfully resist the moonlight’s feeble attempts to penetrate the house. Sue shuddered for some unknown reason and stepped into the edge of the forest guided by the aid of flashlight. While his wife relieved herself, Carlos let his tenacity get the better of him. If Doctor Rineheat was in that laboratory then Carlos had to make contact. Sixty eight worthless attempts at finding true paranormal activity had come up empty. As the El Salvadoran computer programmer, and builder made his way down the narrow flight of steps he reviewed the couples reasons for getting into the business.
It was a simple matter. Since Carlos grew up in El Salvador and had strong Catholic ties, he had deep belief in the supernatural. The idea of ghost went against everything he had been taught about purgatory and the afterlife. Although his computer repair and programming business and Sue’s Catering business had the couple financially set a paranormal show sold to one of the cable network channels would have them set for life. Carlos stopped on the last wooden step before entering the foreboding laboratory. Even when they were in this room during the day setting up equipment it was a strange place to be.
The walls were blue green tile. The floor was waxed cement. A long metal exam table with one of those surgical lights hanging over it stood in the center of the room. Off to the left several cots were set up with old mattresses. A long row of shelves filled with old brown bottles covered the rest of the walls. Carlos could still smell the embalming fluid or ammonia. He pointed his flashlight around the room stopping on each surreal feature wanting to go in but hesitating.
Suddenly an image flashed in Carlos’ mind. He was looking at the exam table and saw dead bodies. A naked red haired female, then a blond haired man appeared. Several others each covered in blood staring blankly at the light. Carlos shook his head and looked at the table again. It was as before, untouched.
“Doctor Richard Rineheat, are you here?” Carlos asked out loud.
Sue finished using the bathroom and started back to the van. She stopped suddenly as an unexpected rush of cool air blew across her. The Irish woman looked nervously around then rubbed her shoulders and continued to the van. Sue decided she would treat Carlos extra special when they got home for agreeing to leave this house, and if she were lucky he’d forget this nonsense. Sue stepped into the van expecting to see her husband’s cam on the front door.
“Damn it Carlos!” Sue exclaimed as she saw the laboratory image on the computer screen instead. Anger flew over her.
“What are you doing down there?” She asked grabbing her headset. There was no answer.
“Carlos Montego what are you doing in the laboratory?” Sue repeated. Silence was her only response. Sue’s anger quickly gave way to fear.
“Carlos?” She called accidently hitting the resume button.
She sat at the computer screen and started to go to her husband when she heard him speak through his head cam.
“Sorry honey. I’m alright.”
“What happened? I thought we were going home.” Sue fussed.
“We are baby, I just had to check this out.” Carlos explained.
Sue sat reluctantly in front of the computer screen.
“Well, since you’re down there what are you getting?” She asked her accent shinning through.
“Can you see the EM meter?” Carlos asked holding it up to the head cam.
“My God!” Sue exclaimed as she saw the needle buried to the right. “It looks like your stripper’s getting lucky. AHHHH!” Sue screamed.
“What’s wrong?” Carlos asked hurriedly. “I’m on my way!” He shouted and started running up the stairs.
“No! Wait!” Sue called out. “I’m okay I just saw the image of someone on the computer screen.”
“What did it look like?” Carlos asked stopping half way up the steps.
“I’m not sure,” Sue said. “It was the face of a pretty young pale white woman. I guess she was in her mid thirties. She had red hair and looked at me so angrily.” Sue shook with fright.
“All righty then,” Carlos started. “I saw that woman lying on the exam table thirty seconds ago. I’m outta here.”
“Yeah, that’s a great idea!” Sue agreed.
“He’s too late,” a female voice said in Sue’s head.
“Carlos?” Sue started. She looked through her husband’s head cam as he neared the top of the stairs. She saw his brown hand reaching for the door.
“The doctor has him now,” the female thought whispered in Sue’s mind again. Sue turned away from the computer but no one else was in the van. When her green eyes focused again on the computer screen she watched in horror as her husband’s hand flung up in the air and the image fell down the steps head over heal!


Chapter Three

Carlos felt the first two violent blows to the back of his head as he fell down the flight of steps. His attempts to grab the railings ended in futility, along with his efforts to stop his fall. When his head hit the concrete floor the Carolos lost consciousness, and his body slid across the floor propelled by his momentum until he came to rest at the base of the exam table. It seemed like an eternity he floated in utter blackness. Until he felt an icy had grip his and another grab his shoulder to help him stand. He dared to open his eyes as he heard a older southern accented voice say: “Up you go my boy.”
“Thanks mister,” The El Salvadorian investigator said. He looked and saw a black fog about four foot thick now covered the floor of the room and everything had a grayish tent to it. He looked in the direction of the voice and jumped slightly at the sight of a tall lanky man with wild busy gray hair and dark black eyes. His teeth were jagged and his breath stank but he looked at Carlos smiling. He looked down at himself and Carlos.
“I must be quite the sight eh?” he said. “You might want to step over here,” Carlos’ benefactor offered pointing beside himself. Carlos obeyed and stared wide eyed as a four foot wide hole opened up in the fog. Carlos grimaced as he smelled sulfur and brimstone and heard the screams of the dammed.
“That my boy is a portal to hell,” the mysterious man said to Carlos as the hole slowly closed.
“It opens every thirty minutes or so to take a fresh soul to the holding cell of the dammed. It’s like God’s playing a cruel game of cat and mouse with us.” The man moved to Carlos’ body covered from view by the fog.
“You mean I’m dead?” Carlos asked fearfully.
“No not yet. But close enough to be on this side of reality.” The man said sitting down.
“Hey what are you doing?” Carlos asked as he realized the man was sitting on Carlos’ chest.
“Hold him my children!” The man said, and Carlos found himself suddenly struggling to brake free of dozens of arms and hands coming out of the shadows and fog.
“Doctor Richard Rineheat I presume?” Carlos said angrily. The doctor smiled.
“I’ve been watching you and your or should I say my wife since you arrived. Pretty brilliant plan wouldn’t you say my boy.” The doctor bragged.
“Carlos!” Susan screamed racing down the stairs. She had called the paramedics when she saw her husband fall and now led them downstairs.
“That’s my cue,” the doctor said and laid back. “I’ll be back to help you all cross over my children.” He promised and disappeared in the fog.
“Sue,” Carlos yelled as his wife and the paramedics raced through him to the possessed body lying on the floor. Carlos watched angrily as his wife stood by watching the MT’s check her husband. “Let me go!” Carlos yelled and struggled in vain against the ghastly looking arms and hands.
“Sue I’m right here!” Carlos screamed desperately as the paramedics lifted the body onto the stretcher and started up the stairs with Sue fearfully following behind them. Carlos watched them pleading for them to notice him as they headed up the stairs to carry his body to Tuomey hospital.
“Let him go!” a female voice said from the darkness and the hands released Carlos. Carlos raced up the stairs to see the ambulance with his wife and body disappearing down the driveway.
“It’s no use,” the female voice said again. Carlos whirled around to see the red headed female sitting on one of the two stone lions that flanked the entrance to the Rineheat estate.
“Who are you?” Carlos demanded.
“Fay Childers,” The ghost answered. “Welcome to deadville.” She joked extending her hand.
Carlos glared at her.
“Don’t catch a ‘tude with me,” The ghost said standing. “I tried to warn you.”
“What do you mean?” Carlos asked throwing his hands in the air.
“That little do hicky of yours. The snack you gave me. I tried to speak to your wife too. I’m sorry but she’s really in for it now.”
“I got to get to the hospital,” Carlos declared.
“It’s not going to be easy,” The female ghost said. “You better come in with me and let me explain what’s going on.” The spirit walked to the top of steps that led to the front entrance of the estate. “Are you coming or not?” She asked.
Carlos looked desperately at the now black driveway and the suddenly menacing forest then followed Fay Childers back into the mansion.
“No offence, but you do realize you’ve been dead for centuries.” Carlos said as he and the specter passed through the foyer of the mansion through the house to the billiard room.
“And you’ve been dead for

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Texte: RL Write Publication Copywrite 2010
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 14.02.2010

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