Sight Unseen Complete Series Box Set

by James M Matheson

  As Katie was speaking to her she couldn't help but think how calm she looked. She wondered what was going on inside her head. Part of Katie envied how calm Diana was knowing that this place had weird activity going on.

  As Katie was sharing her story she was staring out the window and noticed the man walking slowly towards the house. He arrived at the door just as Katie was finishing off her final details of the dreams.

  Katie opened the door as the man arrived.

  The man looked old and frail. He stood about six-foot-two and had a balding head and a very weathered look. His clothing, unlike Diana's, was out of date. He reeked of smoke. That said, when he smiled he beamed a full set of yellowed teeth and seemed genuinely friendly.

  "Hello, I'm Frank. Nice to meet you. May I come in?"

  A gentleman, Katie thought. Definitely old school. He looked to be in his 80s and walked with a slight limp.

  Diana let out a big smile and properly introduced them both to each other. "Katie, this is Father Frank Marlin, a retired priest who specializes in demonology. Frank, this is Katie."

  "A demonologist? Oh my God. Do you think that I have demons in my house?" Katie said. She was extremely nervous.

  Diana laughed. "Don't let the title scare you. It just means he specializes in exorcisms, demons, evil spirits, that sort of thing. If we find anything in the house, Father Frank is the right guy for the job."

  Katie winced. That didn't exactly tell her much, and it certainly didn't do anything to calm her down. She was beginning to think that she was losing her mind. The other day I was a nonbeliever, and now I've got a demonologist in my house. I'm losing my mind, she thought.

  Diana pulled from her bag a small leather pouch. She opened the drawstring and pulled out a crystal with a long cord attached to it. "Please give me a moment to check the energy of the house with my pendulum."

  She held the cord by one end, between her thumb and first finger. Dangling down at the opposite end was the crystal, which sparkled in the sunlight. She closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths, and the pendulum started swinging. At first it was swinging in a straight line, and then, slowly, it started to swing in a counterclockwise circle.

  "You definitely have energy in this house," she said. The pendulum kept swinging and she added, "Actually, two...three... Oh my goodness, you have six entities in this house."

  Katie looked skeptical. Diane already knew this information.

  Father Frank had his eyes closed and seemed to be praying. "There is definitely a heaviness in this house," he said.

  Diana walked into the kitchen. She held the pendulum out, waited a moment and then placed the pendulum into her left hand. "One of the entities spends a lot of time the kitchen. The energy is very strong--"

  "And the most evil," Father Frank said.

  This caught Katie's attention. "Can I ask, would this energy do violent things in this room? Like move things around?"

  "Absolutely," Diana said. "It's definitely very frustrated, and feels ganged up on in here. Judged. Berated. Hard to put into words, but it does not like being in this kitchen."

  Katie stood silently, looking around to see if she could 'see' anything that these people were apparently seeing.

  "Can we go upstairs?" Diana asked.

  Katie was nervous. She gestured, "After you."

  Diana slowly made her way up the stairs. Father Frank was next, but seemed to have difficulty with either his leg or his hip, managing only one step at a time. He held firmly onto the handrail with his bony hands. He was definitely over six feet tall, Katie guessed, but couldn't have weighed more than 160 pounds. He looked gaunt and not well, and his breathing sounded off. But he was determined.

  "Oh my. My, my, my. I don't like this. I don't think I've ever felt energy this strong in all my life," Diana said.

  "You know, that's like going to a doctor and having the doctor faint when they look at a growth on your body. You're not exactly instilling confidence in me, Diana!" Katie said. She was trying to bring some humor to the situation, but she was quite disturbed by Diana's comment. And her habit of trying to be funny in bad situations wasn't working.

  Father Frank was wincing. It was hard to tell if it was because of his lowered lung capacity from coming up the stairs or from the energy he was feeling, but he now had the cross in his right hand and the Bible in his left. Katie was beginning to get nervous.

  "Let's begin at this end," Diana said. She headed towards the master bedroom. Her walk was determined and fearless. Katie followed after, with Father Frank walking behind. Diana stopped in the middle of the room.

  "Interesting! This room is completely clear. This room was a safe place for the strongest entity."

  "I'm not sure I understand. How can an evil spirit haunt a house but have a favorite place where he doesn't haunt it?" Katie asked. Her voice was agitated. She was confused.

  "Spirits are no different than us. They have places that they like and feel safe in, and places that they don't like and get angry in."

  Diana took an interest in the floor. "Look at that. They had two beds in this room, you can tell by the marks on the floor," she said. Diana was pointing to the faded wear marks where bedposts had rested against the wooden floor.

  "They slept in separate beds. That's old school. She resents him, and is angry at him. She is constantly punishing him. He comes to bed when she's asleep and gets up before she wakes. I can feel him in here. Strangely, he feels safe because he doesn't have to interact with her, even though she's in the room with him..." Diana said. She appeared to be in some sort of trance, which fascinated Katie.

  Father Frank was gripping the cross hard. So much so that she could see his knuckles turning white. It was as though he was worried something was going to jump out and attack him. This made Katie uncomfortable.

  Diana's eyes suddenly closed and her voice dropped deeply. "I hate my life. I hate this house. She wants to change it. I hate it. I want to move. She wants to stay. We can afford it. I hate this house. I hate my life. I want out..."

  Katie glanced at Father Frank. He was standing straight with his right arm extended and the cross pointed right towards Diana. His eyes were intense in his face, and they looked ghostly white.

  Diana's eyes popped open. "Interesting." She turned abruptly and walked into the hallway.

  Father Frank followed behind. It almost appeared as though he was Diana's bodyguard. In a way he was. What Katie didn't realize was that Father Frank was Diana's 'wing man.' His job was to help her if she got into trouble. He didn't say it out loud, but he too had never experienced energy anywhere else that was as strong as this.

  Diana stopped dead in her tracks only steps outside the door. "Hello. Who might you be?"

  Diana was looking straight ahead towards the other end of the hall outside of the unfinished bedroom. Katie couldn't see anything, but to be fair she was blocked by Frank and Diana. It struck Katie that it might be a good idea to perhaps take some pictures. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone, then turned it on and waited.

  "And what is your name, son?" Diana was asking an empty hallway.

  Diana stood in the hallway for a moment. Katie couldn't see it, but her eyes were closed. The person she was connecting with was not visible to the naked eye. But Diana could see him in the theater of her own mind.

  Diana stopped, turned around and said to Frank and Katie, "There is a young man in this hallway by the name of Daniel. He's very protective of his two sisters. I believe he's the middle boy. And–-"

  Diana turned back again towards the other end of the hallway. Katie couldn't see anything, but it seemed like she was having a conversation with somebody behind her.

  Diana started to laugh. "Bootleggers. Many years ago the family were bootleggers. There are secret doors and sliding panels in this house, he says."

  Katie said nothing. She tried her best to keep a poker face, and she didn't want to tell the psychic about the hidden cubbyhole in that room.
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  Diana turned towards the wall with a look of great fascination. She leaned down and started knocking on the wood paneling. At one part she placed her palm flat against the wood and pushed.

  Father Frank gave her a quizzical look, as did Katie. But all were surprised when the panel pushed in about two inches. She wiggled her hand slightly and all three were surprised when the panel slid open to reveal a very small, compact space.

  "My goodness, the boy's right. There's a small cask of booze sitting in there."

  Father Frank bent his gangly frame over and peered in. "Jesus!"

  Diana laughed. Katie move forward and was shocked to see a cask inside this hidden compartment.

  If this was some sort of elaborate hoax, it was a good one. There was no way anybody could have known about that hidden panel, and if they did they probably would've taken that cask out to look into it. It was completely covered in thick dust and there were no signs of anything having been in there in a long, long time. Katie was stunned.

  "We are not allowed to go upstairs," Diana said. "Daniel's father has forbidden them from going upstairs."

  Father Frank looked directly into Diana's eyes and paused. Diana nodded her head, as though she could read his mind. Diana turned, and headed up the staircase.

  "Wait. That's where the weird stuff happens with the mousetraps," Katie said. Her voice betrayed her fear.

  Father Frank turned to her. He looked afraid, yet calmly said, "Yes. And that's exactly why we must go there."

  Chapter 14

  "Oh," was all Diana said. She stood at the top of the stairs looking at the door. She was frozen.

  All of them froze as the door seemed to be moving on its own. At first, Katie strained her eyes. The staircase was dark, so seeing things easily wasn't going to happen. At first glance, it looked like a breeze was moving the door in and out slightly in its frame. Only the door was locked. Sure, there might have been a bit of give in the old frame, but not like this.

  No. The door appeared to be...breathing.

  Father Frank held the cross up towards the door, mumbling something under his breath. He startled Diana and Katie by blurting out, "Back away, Satan!"

  The door returned to normal, but not without a large and heavy knock, as though someone had banged it in protest.

  Diana turned to Frank. He nodded and she turned back and grabbed the doorknob. Suddenly, she yanked her hand back.

  "It's hot!"

  She quickly pulled her jacket sleeve over her left hand and deftly grabbed the handle and gave it a fast twist and push, causing the door to swing open. They were all blinded by the light of the room.

  Diana slowly walked in. For a brief moment, Katie admired her bravery. She wondered about Frank, though. He seemed to be only dragging along.

  As Katie was the last to step into the room, she touched the doorknob with her hand, partly in skepticism. It was very warm. Unusually warm. Her heart was pounding and her palms were clammy.

  "The traps are still--"

  The six mousetraps that lay in the center of the room suddenly flew across the floor in all directions--startlingly fast--as though the center trap had become a reverse-polarity magnet. The trap which was at the six o'clock position furiously slid across the floor, hitting Father Frank's foot before he could hop out of the way.

  Father Frank furiously threw his right hand containing the cross toward the center of the room. "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, I rebuke you! You shall not have power over us!"

  Katie dropped her phone and stood with her back against the wall nearest the door. Her heart was pounding like a freight train. Her left hand clawed into the wall behind her. All three were back against the wall, staring into the center of the empty attic.

  Katie glanced down and looked at her phone. She did a double-take when she noticed it was in camera mode and she saw something. Squatting down, she deftly grabbed it and slid with her back to an upright position as she held the phone in front of her.

  She glanced at the screen. The picture was taken at a severe angle but was clear. She must have accidentally pressed the camera button when she was walking into the room. There, in the photo, were the six traps neatly arranged, and hovering above them was a large black orb.

  The orb wasn't perfectly formed. It looked more like a circular cloud of smoke. The muscles in her face weakened and her jaw hung open. She quickly glanced up and could see nothing.

  Diana was breathing rapidly. Her eyes closed, she began talking. It didn't make sense at first but quickly became clear.

  "Mother. Mother. Ma... She lives here. Not well, quite ill. Angry. Jealous. Bitter..."

  Father Frank was mumbling prayers in such a way that Katie was having a hard time hearing what Diana was saying. She leaned in and strained to focus.

  "The origin of the evil. Angry with Johnny. Angry. Johnny has failed. You are a failure, Johnny. We lived like royalty, Johnny, and now you are bringing us all down..." Diana said. She was talking softer and softer, in a higher pitched voice. Diana's face was getting redder, and then it tightened.

  "Bastard! You bastard! You can't do anything right! You are an embarrassment to the family, to your family, to your children... I wish you were never born!"

  Diana had separated herself from the wall and moved two steps towards the center of the room. Father Frank was still against the wall, with his right hand extended and his Bible held up to his forehead, praying in a mumbled fashion.

  For some inexplicable reason--still filled with fear--Katie wondered if her camera could catch another orb pic. Taking a deep breath she raised up her phone and closed her eyes, taking a pic. She opened her eyes and looked at the camera.

  "Oh my God!" Katie blurted out. Diana and Frank didn't hear her fearful comment. She looked again at the camera and now, in the middle of the room, was a massive black orb. Or cloud. Or evil thing. Whatever it was, it was huge and terrifying.

  "Her anger is now in John. John has been possessed by her evil ways. She is practicing black magic! Dear God, she's put a curse on Johnny and the house...she wants us all...dead!"

  Father Frank was shaking. Mumbling prayers. His right hand started shaking violently.

  "Death to all who dare take this house from me!" Diana screamed. Tears were streaming down her face. "You have taken from me! I will take from you all!"

  Father Frank stepped forward. Diana opened her eyes and grabbed his left arm. "Be careful Frank!" He pulled away from her abruptly. She made the sign of the cross.

  A horrid smell filled the room. It smelled of death. Rotting flesh.

  Diana stepped back and with her right arm grabbed Katie's left forearm. "Don't move. We are protected by God's white light."

  It felt as though their feet were tingling. A tingling sensation that quickly changed to a shaking vibration.

  "Earthquake," Katie squealed.

  The house started shaking more. It felt as though the house was being dragged down a staircase. Sounds of banging, thuds and groans were heard.

  "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, I rebuke you and cast you out of this home. I rebuke you, Satan, and order you to leave immediately," Father Frank said. His words were staccato, wheezing in manner. He was shaking hard.

  Katie glanced at Diana and could see terror in her face. Her eyes were closed, but what she was seeing? It wasn't good.

  "Diana. Diana. What's going on?"

  "Pray. Pray. We need to pray. Quickly!"

  Katie prayed as best she could, "God, please help us get rid of this evil from the house. Please, God. Please..."

  Father Frank had his back to the women and was now in the center of the room. His body was shaking visibly from head to toe as he prayed loudly. He suddenly thrust his arms up in the air, his Bible in his left hand and his silver cross in his right.

  At that moment a blinding flash of white light appeared and then just as suddenly vanished. It was as though someone had shone a massive searchlight through the w
indow and then turned it off. So bright, it made Katie momentarily blind.

  Katie's heart was pounding violently. She tried to open her eyes, but the blindness was still subsiding.

  Diana had her right hand clamped to Katie's left forearm so much it actually hurt.

  "You okay, Diana?"

  "Yes. Yes. I'm good. I think... Frank? Are you okay?"

  Katie's vision was returning. Frank was slowly lowering his arms back to his sides.

  "It worked, Frank! You've cast out the demon! Great job, Fr--"

  Frank dropped both his Bible and cross and slowly slumped to the floor. He reached up with his right arm and grasped his chest.

  "FRANK!" Diana screamed. "Call 911, Katie!"

  "How much have you had to drink?" Mel demanded.

  "I just opened up my second bottle. Do you want some?"

  Mel poured herself a glass and ushered Katie into the living room. "What the hell happened? I dropped in to see Diana on the way home and she's an absolute basket case."

  "All hell broke loose," Katie said. Then she burst out laughing. All hell broke loose, I'll say! she thought. "You told me to bring them in, I did, and it turns out that Casper is not a very friendly ghost after all.”

  "Go on."

  "Apparently the house is a portal to her. Mother, that is. She poisoned her son. She's gone completely bonkers, and apparently drove him bonkers too. The only place he can hang out is in my bedroom. She promised to kill everybody that came in contact with the house. Do I have to disclose that if I sell it to somebody?"

  Katie was slurring her words, trying to be funny. The reality was that she had now come to fully realize that John Blackstone was very much alive, as far as spirits go, and was actively scaring the hell out of her. He was doing a great job of it too.

  "You can't go back there. We'll figure something out, but you can't go back there."