The Haunting of Waverly Hall

by Michael Richan

  “Well, there’s the hall of course. If we pass through the gateways we could enter safely. But then…”

  “What?” Granger asked.

  “He said not to return without meat,” Eliza replied. “I wouldn’t want him to think you were the meat.” She saw Granger gulp.

  “No, I wouldn’t either,” Robert said. He finished with the desk and was checking other parts of the room.

  “The two houses of interest around the hall were the red brick store and the Grignon farm,” Eliza said. “You should see both of them before we head back, just so you get an idea of how things are laid out.”

  “Let’s do it,” Robert said as he stood up, his search complete. “Nothing else here.”

  They walked down stairs. Pam came in from the kitchen to meet them; Vicky remained in the living room, looking angry.

  “We’re headed out,” Eliza said. “If you see Rachel, would you give me a call? It’s important that we reach her.”

  “Sure,” Pam replied, and Eliza recited her phone number as Pam scribbled it onto a dry-erase board hung by the kitchen phone.

  Once they got to the car, Eliza directed them to the Grignon farm, not more than a minute down the road.

  “My god,” Robert said as the house came into view. “It looks just like yours, in Spring Green!”

  “I can’t imagine your place looking like this dump,” Granger said.

  “No, I know what he means,” she replied. “It’s the same style and the same layout. Almost exactly the same size, too.”

  The driveway became impassible halfway to the house, so Robert parked the car and they walked the rest of the way. When all three of them stepped on the porch, it moaned in protest.

  Eliza pushed open the door, and they walked inside.

  In the daylight, it didn’t look as spooky as it had the night before, when only Eliza’s flashlight had illuminated the broken walls and flooring. One side of the house had fared much better than the other; the southern exposure was falling apart more rapidly than the rest of the house. She guessed it was due to a lack of trees on that side, allowing the sun direct access.

  “The layout is just like your place,” Robert said, walking through the rooms on the ground floor. “Upstairs, too?”

  “Yes, the same,” Eliza replied. “Obviously the same blueprints.”

  “Probably dozens of farmhouses like this across the Midwest,” Granger replied.

  “Do you think Gloria Grignon is still here?” Robert asked.

  “I don’t know,” Eliza replied. “You can feel the power emanating from the threshold. That’s the gateway.”

  “I don’t feel it at all,” Granger replied. “Do you, son?”

  Robert walked closer to the front door. “No, it feels just like the rest of the place.” He turned to Eliza. “You feel something here?”

  “It’s a tug,” she replied. “I felt it at the red brick store, too. The second gateway is there.”

  “Huh,” Granger said, examining the doorway. “I must admit, you have some kind of special sense.”

  “He said that to me, in the basement at the hall,” Eliza muttered. “And something about me being more powerful.”

  “More powerful than what?” Granger asked.

  “Than who,” Eliza replied. “I think he was talking about Rachel.”

  “Look at this!” Robert said. He had the open diary in his hands, examining the pages. “Part of it is readable!”

  Eliza and Granger rushed to his side, looking at the book. “Well, I’ll be!” Granger said. “Perhaps standing in the place where she wrote it provided enough context!”

  “Not all of it,” Robert said, his fingers moving over the sentences. “Some is still gibberish, but a lot of it has cleared up.”

  “That means we read it here,” Eliza said.

  Robert stopped and flipped through the book. “There’s probably fifty written pages, the rest are blank. Want to read it together?”

  “No, you read it,” Eliza said. “When you’re done, give us the short version.”

  “OK,” Robert said, looking for a place to sit. He lowered himself against a wall in the corner where the sunlight was bright, and stretched out his legs.

  “What’ll you and I do, while he reads?” Eliza asked Granger.

  “Let’s explore the rest of the house,” Granger offered. They took off, leaving Robert alone with the diary.

  The house itself didn’t take long to search through, and soon Eliza found herself wandering into the yard from the kitchen door. Granger was behind her.

  “At my place, there’s an old garage right there,” she said, pointing to a spot fifty yards away, “in the same spot as this one. Mine is haunted.”

  “Oh?” Granger asked.

  “Yeah, hasn’t Robert told you about the old relative I’ve got hanging out in my garage?”

  “Come to think of it, he did mention something about it, but he didn’t say much.”

  “Robert’s never met the ghost; only I have. He was very upset that we buried that infected skull on the property.”

  “That must mean he’s buried somewhere on your property, too?” Granger asked.

  “Yes,” Eliza replied. “There are maybe twenty graves there, a small family cemetery. I haven’t figured out which one he is, yet.”

  “Why not? Is he not very communicative?”

  “He used to be,” Eliza said, walking around the exterior of the house. “He used to make a lot of noise when he had something to say. All he ever did was complain, so I told him to shut up, or I’d move the skull closer to the cemetery. I’ve only heard from him once or twice since then.”

  Granger chuckled. “At least he’s not angry, or violent.”

  “I’m not so sure,” Eliza replied. “He’s got these little creatures he keeps threatening me with.”

  “Sounds like hot air. If he’s afraid of the skull, you’ve got leverage over him.”

  They rounded the corner of the house and a large barn came into view.

  “Well, now,” Eliza said. “I had no idea this was here.”

  “The house hid it pretty well,” Granger said. “That, and the slope of the hill right here.” He walked toward it.

  “Wait,” Eliza said, stopping him. She could feel the tug again, pulling her toward the barn.

  “What?” Granger asked, turning to look at her.

  “Can’t you feel it?”

  Granger turned back to face the barn. “No, I don’t.”

  “There are people there. Dead people.”

  Granger turned back to her. “You can feel that, without dropping into the River?”

  “Yes,” she replied, perplexed that she could and Granger couldn’t. “They’re…” she paused, trying to examine her feelings. “They’re trapped.”

  “All ghosts are trapped, in a way,” Granger replied.

  Eliza began walking toward the barn. As she got closer, the looming structure cut off the sun, and she felt the afternoon heat leave her body. The doors to the barn weren’t bolted or chained; she pulled on them, and they swung out.

  It was dark inside, but her eyes quickly adjusted. “They’re over there, in the corner,” she said.

  Granger gave her a quick look, then observed the corner where she was pointing. She could sense him entering the River, so she dropped, joining him.

  A dozen bodies became visible, walking back and forth in a small area near the barn’s corner. Although she had more and more frequent interactions with ghosts in the past few months, their appearance still startled her and gave her a chill. She supposed it was her natural human defenses reacting to the abnormal sight.

  Huh, Granger said, moving closer to them. They seemed unaware of each other, each walking back and forth, stopping when they came to the walls or spots seven or eight feet from the corner, as though confined to the small space. Eliza could see the worried looks on their faces; something bad was coming, and they knew it. Eliza stepped up and watched as a woman approached
her. She didn’t seem to recognize Eliza or any of the others; she just stopped, her eyes staring forward, and then turned to walk back to the walls, as though she was pacing.

  Trapped, Eliza said. They’re all trapped here.

  But not at the same time, Granger replied. They don’t recognize or interact with each other. Each of them was here on their own.

  She saw Granger drop from the flow, so she left too. He was at his knees, examining the floor of the barn at the spot where the ghosts stopped and turned.

  “You see these holes, and these marks?” he said to Eliza. “Something was bolted to the floor here.” He followed the markings around the corner of the barn. “It ran the whole way.”

  “The framework for an enclosure?” she asked.

  “That’s what I think,” he replied. “Made of metal, bolted to the floor.”

  “A cage,” she said.

  “Precisely.”

  “Where she held one person at a time.”

  “Apparently.”

  “Do you think anyone could hear them if they yelled?” Eliza asked.

  “They weren’t yelling,” Granger replied. “You saw them. They just paced.”

  “I wonder why not. It’s a short walk to the nearest house, but still, they might have been heard by someone on the road.”

  “Maybe,” Granger replied.

  Eliza dropped back into the River, and watched as a man approached the marks on the ground, stopping just before he reached them. He looked desperate and anxious. There was fear in his eyes. It reminded her of the fear that she’d seen when parents lost track of their kids at House on the Rock, and were afraid they might never find them again. Of course, they always did find them, wandering aimlessly in one of the exhibit rooms, lost in the spectacle of the place, completely unaware that their parents were frantically searching for them. It was the fear of something impending, something horrible that might happen rather than something that had already occurred.

  The man stopped, his eyes scanning past her. She stood in front of him, trying to get his attention.

  Hello? she said. Hello?

  His eyes slowly turned to look at her, and the anxiousness turned to hope. Can you get me out of here?

  I don’t know, Eliza answered. Are you trapped?

  His face clouded with irritation. Can’t you see the bars? Are you working with her?

  Who? Eliza asked.

  Gloria, the man replied.

  Is that who put you here?

  She drugged me, the man said. Put something in the tea. Now she brings me water and nothing else. I haven’t eaten since yesterday!

  Why? Eliza asked. Why has she trapped you?

  How should I know? he replied, exasperated. Open the bars, will you? Let me out of here! She’s crazy. You can see it in her eyes. She plans on doing something horrible.

  He reached for her, and Eliza instinctually stepped back. He appeared stopped by something invisible, holding his body in place.

  Please! he said. If you don’t let me go, she’ll kill me!

  Eliza dropped from the River.

  “Meat for the creatures in the hall?” Granger said.

  “Seems like it,” Eliza muttered.

  ●

  “At first she felt trapped,” Robert said. “As time went on, she grew accustomed to it.”

  Eliza sat on the dirty floor in the living room, listening to Robert relate what he’d been able to glean from Gloria’s writings. Granger was pacing.

  “Can we backtrack for just a second?” Eliza asked. “I’d like to make sure we’re all piecing this together the same way.”

  “From what I see,” Robert replied, “Gloria kidnapped people and kept them here, in the barn. Then she’d take them to the hall as food for the thing — or things — that are there.”

  “It was more involved than that,” Eliza replied. “She didn’t just walk them into the hall. I think she took them to the red brick store first, and cut them up. Then she took pieces of them to the hall.”

  “Why?” Granger asked. “Why not just butcher them here?”

  “The red brick store is the second gateway,” Eliza replied. “Maybe it has something to do with that. I can tell you, what I saw upstairs there looked like a slaughterhouse.”

  “We need to see that place,” Granger said, then caught himself. “Not that I want to, mind you. Just to examine it.”

  “She took pieces of them from the store to the hall,” Eliza said. “She didn’t serve them a whole body at once; she kind of doled it out, over time. Made it last.”

  “Why did she do it?” Granger asked. “Was she forced into it, like they’re trying to do to you?”

  “The diary doesn’t say,” Robert replied. “She did try to get out of it. She looked for ways to escape. She mentioned talking to someone named Ben Smoke. Said he was working on ideas.”

  “Ben Smoke,” Granger repeated. “That name sounds familiar.”

  “What else did the diary say?” Eliza asked.

  “Not much else,” Robert replied. “She veiled most of her writing. I think she was worried if someone found the diary, it would implicate her. She does mention someone named Patrick a lot. Seemed like someone she was in love with.”

  “Wonder if he lived around here,” Granger said.

  “So many pieces to this puzzle,” Eliza said. “They’ve all got to fit together somehow.”

  Robert checked his watch. “It’s after five, and starting to get dark. We should think about heading back.”

  “I’m starving, too,” Granger replied. “Wouldn’t mind stopping for dinner.”

  “We should check out the red brick store before we leave town,” Eliza said. “You can see what I saw.”

  “Sure,” Robert replied. “Let’s go there next.”

  They left the Grignon farm and walked to the car. Robert backed out of the driveway and they took the short drive to the red brick store, Eliza pointing out the Erdmann place on the way.

  “Erdmann…that’s where Lee thought they’d let him shower,” Granger commented.

  “It’s got renters,” Eliza replied. “A couple. Between them and the Hockers, they’re the only people left in town.”

  “People who are alive,” Granger replied.

  “Yeah,” Eliza agreed.

  Another minute and a left turn took them to the red brick store. Robert parked in front and they got out.

  Eliza looked up at the middle window, and quickly dropped into the River. The pale image of a man appeared, staring out.

  She dropped from the River. “Check out the ghost in the upstairs window,” she said. She waited while Robert and Granger dropped and returned.

  “Interesting,” Granger replied. “He backed away from the window when he saw us.”

  “Yeah, I thought that at first, too,” Eliza said. “It’s not us he’s reacting to. There’s a way in around back, it’ll save me picking this padlock again.”

  She led them to the rear of the building and they entered through the window. “The man upstairs is named Peter. He’s watching someone else approaching the building,” Eliza told them. “He’s scared, and with good cause. Whoever came killed him.”

  She led them to the stairway and they ascended; once at the top she went to the middle room and dropped into the River, waiting for Granger and Robert to follow. The ghostly male figure was in the middle of pleading.

  This is insanity! he said, stepping forward, and suddenly clutched his chest, looking down. He faded.

  Watch the cycle, Eliza said to Robert and Granger. He’ll reappear at the window.

  Sure enough, within a few seconds the ghostly form materialized at the window, looking down. He stayed there for a moment, then backed away. She’s here! he said under his breath. He faded.

  Not much to go on, Granger said.

  There’s a second part, Eliza replied. Wait.

  After a few moments the ghost reappeared, farther from the window. Please, Gloria! Please! You’ve got to stop. It�
��s going to kill you. It’s going to kill us both.

  Eliza felt herself holding her breath, knowing the moment was coming again.

  This is insanity! You’re going to…

  They watched as he took a step forward, suddenly froze and looked down at himself. He disappeared.

  Gloria killed him? Robert asked.

  You can get in a question while he’s at the window, Eliza said, stepping forward, waiting for the man to rematerialize. After a minute, he came back into view.

  Peter? Eliza asked.

  The man turned his head to face her. Yes?

  You know Gloria? Gloria Grignon?

  Of course I do.

  Do you know Patrick?

  I am Patrick, he replied. That’s what she calls me.

  You and Gloria were lovers?

  Yes, he said, still looking out the window. Before the madness.

  Why does she kill you? Eliza asked.

  He turned to her. Kill me? He looked confused. He turned back to the window and his face changed as he recognized someone outside. She’s here! he said, taking a step back. He faded.

  I guess that means he didn’t know she was coming to kill him, Eliza said, walking back to Robert and Granger. Peter reappeared and pleaded with Gloria for a moment more before freezing and fading again, forever repeating his loop.

  They dropped from the River. “Do you want to see the room I mentioned?” Eliza asked.

  “Sure,” Robert replied.

  She led them into the hallway and to the last room. The door had locked when they shut it, so Eliza knelt to pick it once again.

  “I’m guessing that’s a skill you picked up from Aceveda,” Granger said.

  “You know she’d kill me if I said I did,” Eliza replied. “So I’ll just not say anything.”

  The lock clicked and Eliza stood. She opened the door and they walked inside.

  “I’ll let you drop,” Eliza said. “I have no desire to see it again.” She waited while they entered the River. Within a few moments they returned.

  “Nothing,” Robert said.

  “Nothing?” Eliza asked, surprised.

  “The room looks exactly the same,” Granger replied.

  “When I was here with Rachel, it was disgusting,” Eliza said. “Blood everywhere. Body parts.”