Haunted House Tales

by Riley Amitrani

  Since Larry had done most of his “handiwork” in his place of business, and since many of the victims were never found, it was immediately passed off as a matter of fact among locals that Larry had been passing off the human meat as part of his regular offerings. From this basic premise, the locals were then off and running to create a story and legend most likely much more insidious and sinister than what actually might or might not have happened. As was mentioned previously, Yellow Sulfur was a small place, and this type of fable, true or not, often pervades small places like this to become generally accepted as truth. However, what did follow Larry’s death were a number of inexplicable and eerie sightings and sounds in and around the old shop.

  From time to time in Yellow Sulfur, odd sounds and eerie lights had been reported by various residents in town. The shop was officially closed after Larry’s suicide. He was the last of the Evans clan, and no one anywhere around was even mildly interested in continuing on with the business, despite very generous offers from various real estate agents in town. The history and legacy of Larry Evans were apparently too much for any of the locals to want to be associated with the business. As far as Yellow Sulfur was concerned, the shop was officially closed for good and no one seemed to be too upset. New players entered the butchering business close enough by to satisfy the locals. Though some, if you asked them, might have missed the quality of meats from The Virginia Meat Emporium, it was not such a hard loss to accept.

  However, the intermittent sights and sounds that still emanated from the old boarded-up establishment fueled a whole new round of rumor and innuendo. The most prevalent of the various tales that sprung up was that Larry still haunted his old place of business. That he had died angry and vindictive at having been thwarted in his psychopathic pastime there. The most far-fetched of the stories, but one that gained great traction just around Halloween, or when the older kids in town felt a need to terrorize their younger peers, was that Larry Evans made special efforts to lure unsuspecting passersby to the shop so he could continue on in his old ways. As the story went, it was most often visitors to the area, not well known to the locals, as their disappearance was not much noticed.

  In fact, the only time anyone went near the old shop was out of mere curiosity. Some locals, but more often out-of-towners who had heard the folklore about Larry and the Emporium and wanted to say they had been there or wanted a quick photo or two to show off to friends at home. Like a lot of so-called haunted places, it was just the call of the place to those interested in such things. And like many of these places, the claims from the curious were often more enhanced and exaggerated than the truth would actually bear out. One would wonder why the old place was never torn down so that a suitable replacement might be erected in its place based on the gruesome nature of its history and that no one anywhere seemed even mildly interested in re-opening the enterprise?

  This question has been posed to many elected town officials and chamber of commerce members over the years by various reporters who have come calling when doing human interest pieces on the old shop for various magazines and papers. And in all cases, the answer, given with a sly grin, and sometimes a laugh or two, is that the old place had become a tourist draw. Everyone realized that draw was a bit on the macabre and ghoulish side, but it was, they all said, bringing in visitors to Yellow Sulfur that might otherwise have just passed them by for other options in that part of the state. Yellow Sulfur remained just as unremarkable as ever, other than those coming to visit the resort of Yellow Sulfur Springs just up the road. But the publicity and notoriety that had come with the Larry Evans legend was a source of revenue they were not wanting to turn away.

  It was as the current mayor, Laurie Broadshank, told the most recent reporter who had interviewed her about it:

  “It may sound awful, but as a community, we are making more money now on the tourist traffic in and around Yellow Sulfur from the curious than Larry ever did as the proprietor of a supposedly simple butcher’s shop. Why would we want to stifle that source of revenue?”

  Josh and Kylie Come to Town

  Yellow Sulfur, Virginia

  May 15, 2005, 12 PM

  Josh Jackson and Kylie White had just finished their freshman year at Virginia Tech and neither was too keen on going back home for the summer. For Josh, a native Virginian, this meant Manassas, just outside of the Washington, D.C. area. His father was a career Army colonel and he had lived all over since he was very young. It had been unsettling growing up to have to pick up and move every year, sometimes multiple times within a year. It had been impossible to make friends of any substance and never a real chance to get adjusted to a new school before new orders came in for a new base in a new country. Col. Jackson’s latest gig at the Pentagon had lasted longer than most deployments, but as far as Manassas was concerned, Josh would have opted for being more transient.

  When he had first come to Virginia Tech out of high school, Josh had been amused at the barbs from his fellow classmates who had grown up in parts of Virginia that they proudly referred to as “the real Virginia”. This was often from the bucolic and scenic mountains of central Virginia where the Shenandoah National Park and Blue Ridge Parkway and other memorable charming environs were plentiful. Blacksburg, the home to Virginia Tech was no exception. After a few months there, Josh had to agree with his mates that northern Virginia was only geographically and technically in Virginia. When the spring semester ended, he had zero desire to return to Manassas for the summer.

  His new girlfriend, Kylie was in a similar boat. She was not a native Virginian, having come to Blacksburg from just south in Sparta, North Carolina. But traveling back to Sparta was hardly what Kylie had in mind either if she could avoid it. It was not that she had the same type of aversion to her hometown that Josh had for Manassas. Sparta was, in fact, just as attractive and alluring to the senses as the parts of Virginia Josh’s mates had been raised in. It was, however, for Kylie, anyway, not exactly a hotbed of excitement. And to top it off, she did not want to be away from Josh for the entire summer, having to rely only on phone calls, e-mail, and perhaps an occasional get together. They had talked it over and decided to try their hand at total self-reliance for the summer near the university.

  On one of many exploratory jaunts that the couple had taken since meeting back in the fall, they had come across the small town of Yellow Sulfur just eleven miles south of Virginia Tech. The town was quiet and close to the resort of Yellow Sulfur Springs. It was just the opposite of what Manassas held for Josh and eerily similar to where Kylie had grown up in Sparta. As the spring semester’s end was approaching, Kylie blew the idea of them spending the summer together there. There were certainly more employment opportunities in and around Blacksburg, but neither of them relished being stuck flipping burgers or some other such dreadful job. The proximity of the resort just south seemed intriguing, and Josh readily agreed to her proposal.

  On a final trip to Yellow Sulfur about a month before the semester ended, they felt this was the perfect choice to live until the fall semester cranked up. The cost of living was definitely much lower than in and around the university and it seemed as if procuring summer jobs would be a snap. After all, they would not be competing with thousands of other students in Blacksburg. Josh and Kylie were sure they would be the only ones from the university there. Somehow the striking similarity of Yellow Sulfur to Sparta was not bugging Kylie. With Josh around, she was sure it would be a completely different situation than if she returned home. They secured a small apartment for the summer during their most recent trip to town and headed south with great expectations of a summer together exploring, being together, and getting a real taste of true independence.

  Josh slowed his late model Subaru, packed to the gills with their dorm belongings, as they eased into Yellow Sulfur. Their apartment was located over the garage of Mrs. Edna Rogers, a retired researcher from the local library. It was small, but clean and airy and a perfect size for the couple. Edna had grown up in Yel
low Sulfur and welcomed the young pair with open arms. Since her husband, Peter, had passed away just the year before, Edna often found herself longing for company and renting out the space that sat over her double garage had helped fill this void. Her home sat on a short side street just off the main thoroughfare and was beautifully framed by towering maple and oak trees which made her place feel even more private then it was.

  Kylie loved its proximity to town, what little there was of it, while Josh was just thrilled to be somewhere much more rural in nature than what he might have faced by returning to the tract housing and planned communities and traffic and banality of northern Virginia. They unloaded the Outback and after a few trips up the narrow stairs that ran on the south side of the garage, they had successfully filled their summer place with all their stuff. Edna apologized for what they would surely see as a paucity of options in town for food and any other items they might need to fill out the apartment. Both Josh and Kylie waved off her apology and headed out to a small mall outlet they had passed on the way down for a major grocery run as well as some additional linens and cookware for the kitchen.

  They passed Edna as their landlord rocked contentedly on her wraparound front porch.

  “Any suggestions for a place to grab some lunch, Mrs. Rogers?” Josh asked.

  “Here in Yellow Sulfur that is easy…Yellow Sulfur Eatery…your one and only option, actually. And please call me Edna…”

  “The little café just around the corner?” Kylie asked.

  “The same. Ignore the outdated name…the food is great, it just has that off-putting moniker I am afraid. It has been a fixture here in town forever. I guess people here are not too crazy about change. It used to be a family-run joint, but when a new owner came in a few years back from outside the family, I guess she did not want to toss away any of the name recognition that had been built up over time. Even here in our little home, I guess that is important to some…”

  “Sounds wonderful, Edna,” Kylie replied. “Think we will stroll over and relax before heading out to stock the apartment.”

  “Just give me a shout if you need anything….”

  “One other thing, Edna…,” Josh said as they moved to the walk. “We will both be looking for some work for the summer. Any suggestions? Kylie was thinking of maybe checking over at the resort at Yellow Sulfur Springs…”

  “That is always an option here in the summer. It is about the only real draw in the area, and I am sure they will be looking for additional help for the next couple of months. But just poke around in town…you never know where or who might be interested…”

  Josh thanked her and headed off toward the café with Kylie. The day was warm, but both Josh and Kylie sensed that the real heat and humidity that this part of Virginia was famous for had not yet materialized. The streets were laid out in a simple arrangement and it was easy for them to get oriented within a few minutes. The dense tree cover from Edna’s house thinned out as they made the turn onto the main drag, but there was still a decent population that they were sure would be much appreciated as they got deeper into the summer. Just as Edna had described, they found the Yellow Sulfur Eatery easily and they took a small table that sat on a quiet patio just off the road. It was not fancy by any stretch of the imagination, but as advertised the food was good and it was nice to know there was an affordable place just around the corner from them if they did not want to cook one day.

  Kylie drained the last of her iced tea and sat back in her chair.

  “Want to take a look around town to scope out potential job options?”

  “Sounds good,” Josh replied as he stretched his arms high over his head, working the kinks out of his back after the drive down and the unloading of their stuff into the new apartment.

  They waved goodbye to Amanda, the new owner of the café, and headed down the same side of the street on which the café was located to explore. As they had remembered, Yellow Sulfur was sure no bustling enterprise. There were the few businesses that seemed to be common for most small towns, but as far as employment opportunities, there did not seem to be any real solid choices. Just as they were about to pack it in and re-think where else they might need to investigate, Josh spotted this old place just at the corner of Spruce and Larchmont, at the far end of town where the main thoroughfare seemed to really begin to peter out. He was not sure why the old wooden building had caught his eye but seeing as they had run out of other locations in which to inquire, he wandered over, pulling Kylie along by the hand.

  The closer they came to the structure, the more they could see it had seen better days. The wooden planks on the exterior were split and splintered, having taken a real beating from the weather apparently. The wood, in addition to being well-weathered, seemed to not have seen a decent coat of paint in quite a while either. But it was the large sign over the front door that intrigued Josh:

  He directed Kylie’s attention to the sign as he stared at a small, curling, yellowed piece of paper that was taped to the inner window that looked into the interior. Josh moved closer to look into the interior, but the room was dark and the window was too dirty and aged for him to get a clear view of anything.

  “Check out the note, Kylie…this might be something…”

  Kylie walked over to Josh to see what he was talking about:

  Paid Apprenticeship Available

  Call Larry at 703-493-9749 for details

  “You cannot be serious, Josh?”

  “Sure…why not?”

  “I mean…well…the place looks like it has not been operational in years. The building is so dilapidated and rundown. It’s not even open for business in the middle of the afternoon, either.”

  “Yeah, but maybe the guy does his selling in the morning and has other stuff to take care of now.”

  “What, like a seminar on the science of fileting a cow?”

  “Very funny. I have no idea. Maybe is out buying new stock or making deliveries or maybe he is just closed for the day for some other personal stuff.”

  “Or maybe buying some paint for the outside of the building?”

  “You are a regular comedian today, aren’t you…”

  Kylie just shrugged and laughed.

  “You really want to spend the summer learning the butchery business?”

  “I don’t know. It’s right here in town, and it would just be a summer gig anyway. Think of the great stories to take back to school in the fall…”

  “I suppose….”

  Josh jotted down Larry’s name and number so he could call him later. They made a U-turn and headed back the way they had come to the apartment so they could head over to the mall they had passed earlier to get the last few items they needed as well as groceries. With no other real promising options for Kylie for work, she figured she would check out the Yellow Sulfur Springs Resort. Certainly, she assumed, a resort would be in full swing in the summer months and was probably always on the lookout for waitresses or front desk personnel or some other opening. And if the butcher’s apprentice thing worked out for Josh, then she could use the car to get back and forth to a job at the resort.

  Everybody’s Working for the Weekend…Well, Almost Everyone

  Yellow Sulfur, Virginia

  May 15, 2005, 6 PM

  The stores at the mall were just a slight improvement from what was available in town, but Josh and Kylie were not high maintenance and picky and they found the last few bits and pieces that they would need to make it through the summer. Surprisingly, the grocery option was a vast step up from Yellow Sulfur’s very basic general store and they came home with a variety of options that they hoped would be budget friendly since neither of them had acquired a definite offer of employment yet. As they drove, Kylie found that the resort had lots of openings for the summer season, but that all applications had to be done online. Fortunately, the process was pretty basic and she was able to make inquiries for several options using her cell phone.

  After running a couple loads of laundry
for the new linens, etc. that they had purchased and put away all the perishable groceries and other staples, Josh borrowed Kylie’s phone to give Larry Evans a quick call to see if the apprenticeship at his shop was still available.

  “Virginia Meat Emporium…this is Larry…”

  “Hi, Mr. Evans…my name is Josh Jackson and I saw the sign on your shop window. I wanted to see if this was still available.”

  “Thanks for calling, Josh. Call me Larry…”

  “Sure, Larry…”

  “You ever done any butcher’s work before?”

  “No, but I am a student at Virginia Tech and this would really be a nice hands-on experience for my degree.”

  “Animal sciences?”

  “Yes.”

  “I see…just looking at something for just the summer then?”

  “That’s right. I have to be back on campus in the fall for my sophomore year. Were you looking for someone long term?”

  “Actually, no, Josh…I have other plans for the fall and winter, so that will be fine. You’re not squeamish over a little blood and gore, are you?”

  “Not at all, Larry…my Dad is a career army officer. We lived all over in both the US and Europe. I’ve been on lots of farms during all that, so I am used to the environment.”

  In fact, Josh had never been on a farm in his life, but he was really interested in the apprenticeship as a practical addendum to his degree. He was not at all bothered by the site of blood, and he figured a little white lie about farms could only make him a better candidate in Larry’s eyes.

  “Hard labor a problem?”

  “Not at all, Larry…”

  “OK, Josh…I like your style and enthusiasm. I think you will fit in just perfectly for my needs for the summer. Can you start tomorrow?”