Halton Cray (Shadows of the World Book 1)

by N. B. Roberts

  ‘How convenient you know so much about it all.’

  ‘I should know since I live here, Doreen.’

  ‘Please address me properly, as only my friends may use my Christian name.’

  I tutted in her direction knowing nothing would stop her. I wanted to pinch her!

  ‘Just know this,’ she continued, ‘you can’t get away with anything in here. We’ll all bear witness!’

  ‘Doreen!’ Frances’s voice broke in. ‘That’s an awful thing to say!’

  It was not a minute after this that the familiar banging noises revisited the Cray. With nowhere to fix our eyes for reassurance, it was all too easy to let our imaginations run wild.

  ‘Will someone please put their phone on!’ begged Amy. ‘Ours got wet so we left them in the car to dry out.’

  ‘Considering what Thom told us about the phone lines,’ said Frances, ‘if we’re here all night, we may need our mobiles later.’

  With a backing track of wind and heavy rain, I could only suppose what sort of dread Stacey was currently under. She surprised me by calling out –

  ‘Thom, are you there? Dan said you’ve got a key to the De Morgan Gallery.’

  ‘That’s correct.’

  ‘Would you lock that door please?’

  ‘Why’s that?’

  ‘Because it’ll make me feel better. I don’t know what it was earlier, but I’d just feel better if it was locked.’

  Silence.

  ‘Please? Please lock that door!’

  Silence.

  I knew he wouldn’t mock her in her current state, but he didn’t stir. Perhaps he was thinking. Perhaps he’d already left the room, shod with velvet, to lock up the ghost.

  ‘What was in there earlier?’ asked Jan.

  ‘Thom?’ she called out again.

  ‘Give me a moment.’ His voice arrived from the hallway.

  It was a few minutes before we all clearly heard the closing of a heavy wooden door. It was much louder than I expected for that gallery. Perhaps the removal of our eyesight just made our hearing more acute. We heard a bolt drawn and the key grate in the lock.

  ‘It’s done – all locked!’ he said on his return.

  ‘Thank you!’ Stacey sighed with relief.

  ‘Will someone tell me why doors are being locked? What are we afraid of exactly?’

  ‘The girl had a fright,’ snapped Evans. ‘Thought she saw a ghost. Nothing to worry about.’

  When the banging noises went on in the daytime I could never tell where they came from, even as they grew louder, which may have indicated they were closer. Suddenly we all knew where it was coming from. It became clearer in the darkness and more menacing than before. My heart thumped hard in my chest. It was certainly coming from the fireplace in the Great Hall. Perhaps it came from under the hearth. Everyone was muttering –

  ‘What is it?’ – ‘It’s getting closer!’

  Then the moaning began; a man’s voice, just as Stacey had described. It was wailing distantly and echoing.

  ‘Oh, Mike,’ said Amy. ‘I don’t like that, it’s awful. What is it? Other people who work here, what is that noise?’

  ‘Thom?’ gulped Frances. ‘Do you know who or what that is?’

  In a listless accent Thom replied, ‘Sorry. I can’t help.’

  ‘It’s okay, Stacey, don’t panic!’ Darren tried to pacify her, as she was likely climbing the walls.

  It very suddenly stopped and went silent. Even Stacey stopped her noise to listen, with the occasional sniff.

  A faint glow pushed back the darkness. ‘Is that the fireplace then?’ asked Lee, barely able to reach the huge carved mantelpiece with his phone light. He then began using it to identify each of us by face.

  ‘Shall I video it too? We could upload it to YouTube. They might find our bodies–’

  ‘Oh, shut up!’ cried Stacey.

  He laughed and continued beaming his light round, probably in an attempt to mask his own fears. I could see everyone except Thom when the light passed between us. Abruptly his light went out and the sound of plastic crashed to the floor. ‘My phone! It was knocked out my hand!’ He proceeded to swear his head off. ‘It’s all over the floor! Mind where ya treading! Can someone shine a light here, please?’

  ‘Here you go,’ said Courtney, using her phone. ‘There’s a bit down there, and there –.’

  Suddenly the thumping started up again, accompanied by a loud groan. It sounded from the fireplace, followed by footsteps running across the floorboards in the room with us.

  ‘I’m not staying here!’ Stacey cried. ‘Let me go!’

  ‘Where are you going?’ Darren called. ‘Stacey!’

  ‘Stace?’

  ‘Stacey, don’t run off in the dark!’ Frances yelled. ‘You might hurt yourself!’

  ‘Courtney, gimme your phone!’ demanded Darren.

  Stacey wasn’t answering our pleas. We could only hear her sobs waning distantly. Then we heard her piercing scream! It went right through me. An image entered my mind of a murderous psychopath dragging her away. Darren was trying to move after her but fell over a chair. There was a crash of metal to the floor before Courtney’s phone went spinning across the boards, until the light was lost. Darren moaned aloud in pain.

  ‘Are you alright?’ Mike asked out.

  ‘Yeah, I’m okay. Just bruised my knee. – Stacey?’

  ‘What about my phone!’ yelled Courtney. ‘Where did it go?’

  Everyone talked in a panic, but hesitated to find Stacey in the dark. Nobody knew how to act. We called out to her but she didn’t respond. After some seconds, we heard her crying and intermittently screaming at a lower volume.

  Frances was whispering something, and to this Terry responded, ‘No. I’m not wasting my battery.’

  ‘Someone will have to get her,’ whispered Su.

  ‘Don’t!’ snapped Lee. ‘Everyone splits up in horrors, and then they all get killed off one by one!’

  ‘I’ll go,’ I volunteered, rising from my seat.

  ‘It’s okay.’ Thom clutched my arm to hold me back. ‘Wait here. I’ll get her.’

  Stacey then re-entered the Great Hall by herself. We knew because she began yelling forcefully –

  ‘We’re locked in! The front door’s locked! It’s that thing! It’s locked us in and we’re trapped!’

  ‘What?’ cried Evans.

  ‘Oh my God!’ Amy screeched, which set Stacey off crying even more. ‘This is an actual horror movie! The ghosts have locked us in and will drag us away one by one! Oh Jesus!’

  ‘No, they can’t be locked!’ exclaimed Mike.

  ‘She’s probably just confused,’ said Evans. ‘It’s not difficult.’

  ‘They are! I tried them over and over!’

  ‘Oh, Jesus, we’re all going to die in here!’

  ‘Some one shut her up!’

  ‘Who said that?’

  ‘I did!’ shouted Courtney.

  ‘I’ll do it!’ cried Lee. ‘If I can find her.’

  ‘Touch her and you’re dead!’ yelled Mike.

  ‘Oh, what about Geoffrey?’ sobbed Jan. ‘He’s somewhere in the house alone.’

  ‘Oh no!’

  ‘Doreen?’

  ‘I’ve got frozen meat in the staffroom freezer! It’s not going to be any good now!’

  Everyone fell silent for half a minute. All we could hear in that time was drumming, which had softened a little. That and the pitiful moans from inside the walls. Heavy breathing increased in the room. Several of us made sharp movements.

  ‘Listen everyone,’ said Terry, ‘we all need to keep calm and behave rationally. Can anyone think of anything in this place that creates light? Torches, candles, matches?’

  ‘I have matches,’ cried Evans. ‘But it is strictly prohibited to light them within this establishment.’

  ‘We’re in a blackout, Mrs!’ he snapped. ‘In strange circumstances! Perhaps a change of attitude is in order!’

  ‘“A
change of attitude!”’ she quoted heatedly. ‘Are you an imbecile? This house is over five hundred years old and surrounds us with timber. Do you think I’ll risk burning it down? To top that off, if we are locked in, which I seriously doubt, would it be wise to start lighting fires?’

  ‘Nobody said anything about starting fires, you stupid woman!’

  ‘How dare you!’

  ‘Stop!’ cried Frances. ‘Does anyone else have their mobile phone? Mine’s in my coat, so… anyone?’

  ‘I’ll use mine,’ said Dan. ‘Forget the light though, we can call for help! Wait a minute– I can’t find it. I had it a minute ago!’ He spoke in utter disbelief.

  ‘It’s that thing!’ screamed Stacey. ‘It’s taken our phones!’

  ‘No, Stace,’ said Darren. ‘Terry still has his. He just won’t use it. And I’ve got mine here, but it’s out of power.’

  ‘Terry, please use yours,’ Frances pleaded.

  ‘We might need it later! And I haven’t got much power left as it is!’

  ‘We should just call the police!’ shouted Courtney.

  ‘What’s the point in that?’ questioned Mike with a wobble on his vocal cords, owing no doubt to being cold. ‘Even if we called the council, who would come out in this weather? We’ll just get told to sit tight until it’s over.’

  ‘But the doors!’ yelled Stacey. ‘They have to come get the doors open! We can’t stay in here all night! We won’t tell them it was ghosts or anything. But they have to get us out. They can use axes or something!’

  ‘For heaven’s sake!’ sighed Evans. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. This is a Grade 1 Listed building. No one is axing those doors! –Oh, just a moment!’ she exclaimed. ‘I know where there are some torches!’

  ‘Where?’ demanded a tearful Stacey.

  ‘Come along! Let’s all make our way to the shop.’ She began shuffling away. ‘I’ll find the torches. Then I shall go to the staffroom and get my phone. I’ll call the authorities to find out about this blackout. Is everyone coming?’

  Jan’s shoes jingled as she went forth. Many voices sounded in the affirmative, but I didn’t hear Thom’s.

  ‘Thom, are you coming?’ I asked the darkness.

  ‘No,’ he said decidedly. ‘But it’s a good idea that you all go together.’

  ‘Leave him be, Alex,’ said Evans coldly. ‘Come on, everybody to the shop and stay together. Feel your way to the wall, and round…’

  ‘But Thom?’ I whispered softly, before hardening my voice. ‘What about Carla-Louise?’

  ‘Don’t worry about her, Alex. She’s not worrying about you. – It’s all right. Go with Mrs Evans and the others.’

  He pressed his hand to the small of my back and guided me forward.

  ‘Why won’t you come with us?’

  ‘Because, ma dame, I’m allergic to celluloid and other cheap plastic crap. It brings me out in a rash.’

  ‘Don’t joke around, Thom. Please come with us?’

  His hand vanished from my back.

  ‘Thom?’ I called out. ‘Thom!’

  ‘Here –’ he said, placing his own jacket about my shoulders. ‘You’re cold.’ He got close to me and rubbed the tops of my arms.

  ‘How did you know?’

  ‘You usually are in this house.’

  Without another word he took hold of my hands and chafed them in his.

  ‘Please let me go with you, sir?’ I whispered.

  He gently squeezed my hands. ‘Trust me?’

  ‘I do.’

  ‘Go to the shop. I’ll come back for you in less than ten minutes.’ His hand cupped my face as his thumb caressed my cheek. ‘Just give me that?’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  I went silently with the others, now enveloped in his scent. Their footsteps moved in unison and their voices echoed through the hallway, as they called for one another, and seemed to move in pairs.

  Eighteen

  A STAB IN THE DARK

  ‘Stars, hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires.’

  – William Shakespeare, Macbeth

  Once in the shop Evans frequently moaned she was ‘Dying for a ciggy’ while conducting a headcount.

  ‘Right, the little torches are for sale in here,’ she continued. ‘So I’ll find them and hand them out. They’re not very big, and the light is green, but they’re better than nothing! Plus, they’re those wind up ones, so we don’t need batteries. Frances, could you come over to the till area a moment? Oh, is this you?’

  ‘Me? No.’

  ‘Who is it then? Who am I touching?’

  No one answered.

  ‘Thomas?’

  No one answered.

  I knew it couldn’t be Thom. It just wasn’t like him to be that mean. Besides, he never came in the shop.

  ‘Doreen, are you okay? I’m still finding my way to you.’ Frances gulped loudly.

  ‘I’m fine,’ replied old Evans, nervously (who wouldn’t be?) ‘I must have touched the curtain and– and pushed it back. Right, here you are?’

  ‘Yes, this is me,’ said Frances.

  ‘I need to get to a basket down here. Where is it? Ah, here we are, they should be in here. For once I don’t need to find my glasses! Oh, I think I’ve found one! Where’s the wind up bit? Ah, here it is. What a noisy business winding these up. There!’

  She shone it round the room, including behind her, and then into all our faces.

  ‘Are there any more?’ fished Stacey desperately.

  ‘I’m looking. They’re in this basket of mixed toys. I can’t see any. Ah, here is another one I think. Yes, it is. That’s for you Stacey, since you asked first. Here is another, and it seems to be the last one. Here, Frances, you can use this one.’

  ‘Shhh! Did you hear that?’

  ‘What?’

  We all listened. There was a creak on the floorboards. It came from the hallway. Then another creak. Evans pointed the green light straight at the door. The torch lit up the wood panelling across the hallway under its faint speckled glow. Certainly someone was out there.

  ‘Hell-ooo?’ it called out, rather nervously.

  ‘Geoffrey? Geoffrey, is that you?’

  He wandered into the light. ‘Jan? Frances? Are you all in here?’

  There was no need to put his hand up in front of his face, as he soon found; the green light wasn’t bright at all.

  ‘Yes, we’re here! We didn’t know where you were.’

  ‘I’ve been searching high and low for a torch. Then I heard you all screaming and yelling! It took me such a while to get from one end of the house to the stairs. And I couldn’t get down them in a hurry. I went to the front door, but that’s locked!’

  ‘See, I told you it was locked!’ cried Stacey. ‘We’re all trapped in this place!’

  ‘Come on now,’ said Geoffrey, ‘don’t let all this scare you silly. I only just remembered I have a key to the caretaker’s shed, where I know he keeps a flashlight. I can’t get to it now, but all the better, considering the rain. I’d rather be dry in the dark than wet in the light.’ He took a few steps into the shop.

  Just as he stopped moving, something ran behind him. We all jumped back en masse at the sight of it in the green glow. I heard everyone in that room make a vocal noise of surprise, and the soles of their shoes tread down. Jan’s jingled.

  ‘What was that?’ whispered Amy. ‘What the hell was that!’

  ‘I don’t know,’ muttered Evans. ‘I don’t…’

  ‘Oh, Geoffrey, come here please!’ begged his wife.

  The torchlight was shaking a little on Geoffrey. He was turning about in the quivering glow.

  ‘What– what did you see?’

  ‘I don’t mean to scare you, Geoffrey, or anyone,’ said Evans in a bit of a daze. ‘But something just ran behind you. It looked like a half-naked man!’

  Everyone was talking at once. Evans began questioning all the men in the room, determining which out of them it could be playing a sick j
oke. They all forcefully denied it. Stacey began crying and intermittently screaming, despite Darren’s pleas. Amy was just as hysterical. Evans kept her light shining on the doorway, however nervously.

  ‘Whatever it was, it’s still in here.’ Her voice dropped an octave. ‘It’s got to be one of you messing about!’

  She accused Lee directly who insisted it wasn’t him.

  ‘Oh! There it is again!’ cried Frances. ‘Did you see it?’

  ‘I saw it,’ muttered Evans. ‘It went in the same direction, like it circled us!’

  ‘Terry?’

  ‘Hang on – I can’t find my phone!’

  ‘We need to get out of here, please!’ begged Stacey.

  ‘Well I’m not going first!’ exclaimed Evans. ‘There! I’ll keep my light on the doorway, so you can see where you’re going. Who’s going first then? – Alex, pick up Stacey’s torch, she’s dropped it!’

  I grabbed it and started searching the room with it.

  ‘Obviously no one wants to be the first to walk to the door!’

  ‘Who else is in the house?’ asked Geoffrey, a little cynically, because he was the only one who didn’t see it.

  ‘Thomas is in the house somewhere,’ said Evans. ‘It sure as hell wasn’t him. He’s much taller!’

  ‘What else?’ Geoffrey asked curiously. ‘What did this person look like exactly?’

  ‘Person? More like a creature!’ insisted Evans.

  ‘Of small to medium build,’ recalled Frances.

  ‘Yes, that’s right,’ Evans agreed. ‘Its skin was bare, as if it had ripped its clothes off! – Who’s shining their torch to the right?’ she cried out. ‘It went to the left. Look to the left of the room! Whose torch is dimming?’

  ‘My one,’ I replied. ‘I’ve tried winding it up again, but it’s jammed! Useless! I’ll have to make do with what’s left.’

  I used the waning light to check people, as they begged me to do – that is, shining it on them to ascertain the creature, as they termed it, didn’t stand behind them. Frances joined me in doing this until Evans told us to stop. She complained that we should be looking about the room. We shone our torches round the floor again, looking for where the creature crouched or stood. If we couldn’t see its feet, then it couldn’t be there, right?