by TM Watkins
“She will. I have assurances that I will not be asked to move before Evie has completed her schooling.”
“I guess that means that Hades will be getting a few mobile phone towers. We’ve always had poor reception.”
The conversation continued, Brad lapping up the attention. I noted the lack of bling on her fingers. Either she was unmarried or not into rings. It was highly likely that the attention starved freak beside me had noticed that as well.
I tuned out, letting my mind wander as I stared at the bland white cinder block walls. Behind Maria’s desk was a bookshelf stacked with colourful folders and a few trinkets that looked like they’d been made by a kid. Maybe they were from her kids, maybe they came from someone in this school that she was close to. I didn’t know nor cared to find out, merely floating through the thoughts until my uncle stopped flirting with her.
His phone started ringing, snapping me back into the world. Maria offered her usual warm smile while my uncle fumbled to switch it off.
“Sorry,” He murmured.
“It’s alright, Brad. I’m surprised it was actually working, to be honest. Usually, this office is a dead spot for all mobile phones. Anyway, I think we’re done here. We’ve got Evie’s files from her last school so we’ll formulate a timetable for the term and it will be ready for her Monday morning. Evie, if you come into the office, Jane will have it ready for you.”
“Sure.”
Maria stood and walked to the door, guiding us back to the reception area. The kid with purple eyes was gone.
Once he was done with his over the top goodbye, Brad urged me through the main door like he thought the place was on fire.
“What is wrong with you?” I snapped.
“I have no idea, but that woman just had a really creepy vibe to her.”
I stopped, feeling the harsh glare of the sun beating down on me. I didn’t care at the moment, too stunned by what Brad had said.
“Wait,” I drawled out. “You weren’t flirting with her?”
Brad spluttered with shock.
“Seriously? No way in hell. I was trying to get through that very painful situation. Did she strike you as odd?”
“Good Lord, Bradley. When did you become so forgetful? I have said for the past week that this place is odd. Did you see the kid’s purple eyes?”
“No.”
Briskly we walked to the car. Brad had the engine on before he returned the call that he’d discarded in the meeting. It was the real estate agent.
“At this point in time, I’d like to reiterate my reluctance to remain in this town,” I grumbled as I adjusted the air conditioning vent.
Hades, the town that had not stopped raining in the week that we’d been here and right up until we walked into the building half an hour ago, had, in fact, stopped raining. There was not a cloud in the sky, not even a hint that it had been relentless for a week. The ground was dry, it was a bright and sunny summer’s day.
“Yeah, I know. A part of me wants to join you in that reluctance, but you know how this works. If I don’t work, if I leave the town I’m assigned to, I lose my job. When that happens, we’ll be on the street by the week’s end.”
“You need to start a savings plan. I’m sick of this rubbish. Freaky town with freaky people. Why can’t they send us somewhere normal?”
“We had normal Evie, and this place is normal, it’s just a few weird things and people.”
He stopped, I looked at Brad as a smile appeared.
“Hi, it’s Brad Newton, I missed a call.”
Seconds passed, and the smile on his face increased. I sighed as I turned to look out the window. We’d gotten the place. Knowing Brad, he’d sign a lease for twelve months to ensure that his boss complied with the promise to keep us here. As much as his employer paid for us to move between locations, I knew that they did not like to pay for us to break the lease.
That meant that we were definitely staying in Hades for the next year.
Chapter 3
Brad sighed as he dumped the box on the floor. It was the last of the things that we’d had with us in the bed and breakfast. We were waiting for a removal company to bring our furniture.
“I’m glad the rain stopped.”
“Yeah, it’s great.”
“Evie,” He chided.
I rolled my eyes and lifted my legs onto the bay window seat that I was sitting on.
“You’ve got to make the best of the situation. I don’t like moving all the time, but the positive thing is that I get to visit lots of great towns, meet new people. What positives can you find?”
He sat down next to my feet, shooting a bright and happy smile at me.
“How about new friends?”
“Sure.”
I wanted to say that I’d tried to make friends in the past, but I now saw it as a waste of time. The first school I was in after moving in with Brad, I’d made a lot of friends and it broke my heart to say goodbye. We’d promised to write to each other, which we did for a few months. Then after a while, the emails stopped.
School after school, I left a trail of sadness and diminishing contact. By the time I was getting close to my seventeenth birthday, I’d given up. Brad suggested that we do something fun for it, I told him not to bother because I didn’t know anyone that would want to turn up. He seemed a little puzzled by the statement, pushed me for information, and once I’d relented, he then urged me into socialisation groups. It was one of many failures. So, with those events in mind, I decided that I would not make friends.
By the time this year was up, I would be eighteen and could remain here if I wanted, but there was something strangely familiar about Brad. It had only been three years but we’d created a bond. It was odd but it was us. We were family and we were all that we had in this world. I would not remain in this town without him and that is why I will not make any friends. In a year, we would not be living here and I did not want the disappointment of saying goodbye yet again.
We heard the squealing of brakes long before the truck appeared at the end of the driveway. One of the drivers got out to assess it, Brad was on his feet and out the door with record speed. After a quick conversation, Brad turned back and began to climb the driveway. I don’t think they wanted to carry the furniture up the steep slope but getting that truck up the driveway while avoiding the large trees would not be easy.
They were determined. Clearly destroying a few branches was better than lugging the furniture up the driveway. Brad narrowed his eyes at me.
“Don’t,” He grumbled. “They’d be blocking the street if they stayed out there. This is for the best.”
“Sure.”
Brad helped me move the boxes to one corner. We didn’t have a lot of furniture, just a few essential pieces that followed us from town to town.
I hated packing. I despised my life being in a box for several weeks while we moved, then tried to find a place. There was no plan, no searching the internet to find a place before we arrived in the town. Brad was not the kind of guy to dive into a situation like that, but the lack of information and timelines from his employer made him like this.
“Try to get the washing machine and dryer off first. If we can get it set up, I can put our bedsheets in and have them ready for tonight.”
“Good idea. Let’s hope they packed the truck the way that the storage shed had been.”
Brad sauntered out of the house while I searched for the box that had our linen in it. We had a set each and I’d stuffed the linen into the box at the last minute. I’d wanted to wash everything so that it would be clean, but we ran out of time and Brad’s boss was getting antsy at every minute we were delayed.
The worn out boxes were all labelled from the first move. We kept the boxes knowing that they would be used again and to make life less complicated, I used them for the same items. The linen was in the box marked last minute, which meant that it was all the stuff that I’d crammed into the box at the last minute.
Dumping t
he linen onto the bay window seat, I looked out the window and saw Brad talking to the driver. It was a three man team, the other two were starting to unload the truck. Brad didn’t seem overly impressed, turning back to the house with a heavy frown.
Something was wrong. I walked to the door to meet him as he stepped up the few steps to the front porch.
“Why aren’t they bringing that stuff into the house?”
“They’re refusing because there is some local legend that says this place is haunted. No wonder we got it so cheap.”
Stepping past Brad, I walked to the men who stopped when I approached.
“Haunted as in how exactly?”
“The original owner disappeared, no trace of him was ever found. He didn’t have any family, so the fate of this place fell to the town founder who decided that the place would be rented until the body turned up. The first tenants complained that the house wailed, they moved out after one night. Since then, it’s been a long list of people who treat this place like it’s an unfurnished hotel.”
The last of our stuff was put onto the driveway, one of the men pulled one side of the door shut.
“We expect that you will call tomorrow to come and collect your stuff, but we don’t work on Sundays.”
With a firm nod, he turned back to the front of the truck as the other door was shut and locked. The other worker looked at me, giving a vague smile before following his co-worker to the front of the truck.
“You could at least take it to the living room,” I yelled.
They ignored me. They also started the engine and drove down the driveway without so much as thanks for the business.
“Do you want to know something crazy?” Brad asked as he stopped beside me.
“Sure. Why not?”
It would only add to the rest of this craziness.
“They were supposed to collect payment.”
“Pfft. If you decide to pay them when they call, only pay half because they’ve only done half a job.”
We turned and looked at the house. It was pretty, a little old and the chances of it being haunted were high.
“Okay, you start with the smaller stuff while I get the washing machine into the basement.”
“How are you going to do that? Those jerks didn’t leave the trolley for you.”
“Good point. How about I go to the hardware and see what they’ve got? I’ll even buy lunch while I’m out.”
“Great. Something fattening thanks.”
Brad chuckled. He was searching his pockets when the real estate agent turned up. A pickup truck stopped behind him, both men getting out of their vehicles.
“Good morning, Brad and Evie,” The agent said with an eager smile.
It was far too ghastly for my liking.
“This is Ryan, our handyman. You don’t mind if he takes a look at the stairs and that crack?”
“Sure. Can he help me get the washing machine and dryer down there as well?”
Ryan gave him a nod.
“Once I check that the stairs will take the weight.”
“Then go right ahead.”
The agent and the handyman wandered into the house; Brad turned with a smug smile.
“Looks like I saved a few bucks.”
“Yeah but what about my greasy lunch?”
“Alright, how about dinner? We can slave for a few hours and get this stuff inside. Then we’ll explore the town and see what’s available.”
“Yeah, sure. Sounds great.”
We’d been here a week, and so far, we hadn’t ventured beyond the bed and breakfast and a few shops on the same street. Our time was either spent searching for a place or being stuck in that room while Brad worked.
When everything was inside, I helped Brad lift the washing machine and the dryer to the front porch so that if it rained, they’d be undercover. It was still sunny, but now there were clouds in the sky. The seconds were ticking over before Hades returned to the doom and gloom that had been our first week here.
Brad ventured down to the basement, I sat at the top of the stairs and listened to them discussing the crack. It had gotten bigger since yesterday and Ryan was concerned that moisture might be the issue. Ryan then suggested that he underpinned the area in case there was subsidence. He’d have to investigate it further, and while he did that, Ryan wanted the owners to authorise rectification works.
“The movers said this place didn’t have owners.”
The three men turned and looked at me.
“Technically, the owner is long dead, regardless of what happened to him. At the time the council decided to wait for relatives to appear and claim ownership, but that has not happened so its fate was voted by the townsfolk. Now it is owned by the heritage trust. Hopefully, they won’t drag out the approval process.”
Chapter 4
Brad and Tom, the real estate agent, were upstairs discussing things that were not interesting at all. I took a pile of washing and went to the basement.
After I loaded it and set it going, I turned to the stairs. The crack was large, a hole had appeared. It was small, but it was enough to cause problems. Pressing my hand to the wall, I could still feel the warmth. The area on either side of the warmth was brutally cold. It was a space no larger than me but at least a head taller.
“You shouldn’t go near the wall, kid.”
Ryan walked down the stairs with his toolbox in hand. I gave a disinterested shrug and stepped back.
“How come it’s so warm in one spot?”
He looked at me like I was weird.
“There’s no heat to it.”
“Yes, there is, right here.”
After showing him one of the spots, Ryan put his hand to the brick then shook his head.
“Cold. Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”
“I guess not.” I murmured. “Do you think this place is haunted?”
“No. Your uncle told me about the removalists leaving you high and dry. Don’t worry about those fools.”
He looked up at the top of the stairs.
“Sounds like your uncle is calling you.”
“He is?”
With a frown, I turned to the stairs. I could not hear Brad calling me.
Searching for him, I found Brad and Tom in the backyard looking at the forest. At the edge of it, the trees were sparse, and I could see for some distance into the woods. I don’t know how deep the forest went. All I knew is that Brad would lose his mind if I said that I wanted to explore it.
“Hey, were you calling me?”
Brad shook his head, then flicked his head at a long line of dark trees.
“You know what I’m thinking, right?”
“Yes. You want me to find you some wild mushrooms.”
“No. Try again.”
The real estate agent was amused.
“Right, okay. Firewood for that awesome fireplace. I’ve got you covered.”
“The trees are part of the forest which is protected. You cannot remove wood from it without permission which we will not be getting. Firewood can be bought from the hardware. I hope that you are listening to me, Evelyn, because you are not to go into the forest. Is that clear?”
“As clear as the sky is blue.”
Brad looked up and saw the ominous clouds had returned. With a heavy frown and a soft growl, Brad narrowed his eyes at me.
“Yes, I won’t go in there. Sheesh, you’re so paranoid.”
“That’s because I know how great your sense of direction is.”
“I got us lost one time.”
Leaving Brad to continue his discussion with Tom about the crack, I returned to the house and in particular, the basement. Ryan was still there, doing something that clearly required him to be alone. I might have been fooled into leaving the basement, but I was not blind to what he wanted.
The door was left open, hooked onto the latch to stop it from slamming shut. I quietly tiptoed to the door and listened, hearing nothing. Peering around the corner, I could see
Ryan’s legs. He was next to the wall, but the toolbox was shut.
That was curious.
The scent of something odd filtered up the stairs. My nose twitched, unable to detect what Ryan was spraying.
Hearing Brad and Tom approach, I stepped back and pretended that I was looking for something in a nearby box. They were being so noisy that I knew that Ryan would hear them.
Following them to the basement, I noted that the toolbox was now open and Ryan had a meter reader out, pressed to the wall.
“Well, I don’t think there’s a water leak. It’s highly likely that the ground has just shifted with the recent rain. I might come back in a week to check on it, and once the ground has dried, we can fix the wall. How does that sound?”
“Wonderful,” Tom said with his patented cheery smile.
I gave Brad a look that the other two could not see. He frowned, then when Tom turned, Brad gave a smile. As they discussed the weather, the three of them wandered up the stairs.
My eyes narrowed as my lips twisted derisively. The handyman had done something, and I know that the crack in the wall had nothing to do with the rain or moving earth.
Sitting on the dryer was the box of storm supplies. In it was a torch. Flicking it on, I moved back to the wall.
“Evie,” Brad called out.
With a huff, I flicked off the torch and left it on the stairs. Brad was a pest, and it was like he knew when I was up to no good.
Chapter 5
Brad was at the front door, talking to Ryan when I emerged from the basement. Tom was not here anymore. I don’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
“Ryan was just telling me about the original owner of the house.”
“He was a bad person,” Ryan murmured. “Not surprising that he went missing. Probably taken out by someone who was annoyed at something he did. Back then, they were known for an instant, corporal punishment. The worse the crime, the bigger the vigilante mob. If it was a minor crime, I’m sure they would have buried him somewhere and made a notation. The fact that there is no evidence means that he was a monster.”
