To that end, I’ve left my job and secured another one in another state. By the time you read this, I’ll probably be well on my way to my new home. I’ve disconnected my phone as well.
I’m sorry to disappear on you, but it has to be this way. If you knew how to contact me, you might ask me to stay. I don’t think I could tell you no, but that’s not what’s good or healthy for me.
I know that you’ll be alright. You’re a strong woman. You’re stronger than I’ll ever be. I’m sorry, Samantha.
Goodbye.
“He was never who I thought he was,” she said to Tut and scratched under the ginger cat’s chin. “If he was, he would never have done this.”
Sammy could hear the string quartet playing in the backyard. People were most likely filing into their chairs, waiting for her wedding to begin. John had slipped out in the night, and that day was supposed to be their wedding day.
Her dress suddenly felt too heavy and hot. Sammy looked through her closet for a pair of jeans and one of her favorite t-shirts. She’d lost her job and her fiancé within a year.
“At least he finished the renovations,” Sammy said to the cat, who was staring at her from his spot on the bed. “If he’d bailed on me before they were done, I’d have had to borrow more money from my parents. Then again, if he’d bailed before last night, perhaps they wouldn’t have had to spend so much money on this wedding.”
Tut just meowed at her and set to cleaning his ears. Sammy had to figure out what she was going to do. The ceremony was due to start in a few minutes. The photographer would be at the base of the stairs, waiting to take photographs as she emerged from her bedroom and made her way down to her new husband. He’d be standing in front of the spot where her mirror had hung.
Except there was no husband, and Sammy wasn’t wearing her makeup-stained five-thousand-dollar silk gown. Everyone would’ve known that something was wrong the second she stepped out of her room.
Perhaps she could’ve stuck her head out the door and called for one of her cousins. There had to be someone in her family who could break the news for her. The reception was already paid for, so everyone could’ve cleared out of the house and gone to the hall for free food and an open bar.
“Linette,” Sammy called out after she opened her door a bit. “Is Linette out there?”
“I’ll get her.” A random voice called from the living room.
“Sammy, are you okay?” Her mother’s voice sounded worried, and she could hear her coming toward the stairs. “It’s fine, Mom. I just need help with my dress. Could you send Linette up?”
“I can help you,” her mother answered.
“No, you’re supposed to be with the wedding planner right now. Go meet with her, and send Linette up. It will be fine.”
“Okay. Right. I’ve got to meet with Susan.” Sammy felt relief when she heard her mother walking away from the stairs.
A couple of minutes later, a soft knock came at the door. “Sammy, it’s Linette. Someone said you needed me.”
“Come in.”
Linette knew as soon as she’d stepped through the door and saw Sammy sitting on the bed in a t-shirt and jeans, with a note wadded up in her hand. “Oh honey,” was the first thing she said. “That good-for-nothing sack of sewer sausage.”
Linette and Sammy had been as close as sisters when they were very young, but Linette moved away when her father got a job in another state. They’d lost contact over the years, but Sammy felt a familiar comfort having her old friend by her side again.
“I’m going to go get everyone out of here,” Linette said. “I’ll send them all to the reception hall. Call me if you want me to come back or if you decide you want to say eff it and join the party.”
“My mom and dad are going to want to come up here. I don’t want to talk to anyone right now,” Sammy said.
“I can handle your parents. I’ll tell them that you’ll call them soon.”
“Thank you,” Sammy said.
Sammy locked the door to her room, just in case anyone decided that she needed them more than she needed to be alone, put in her headphones, and watched a movie on her laptop. Tut laid next to her, purring gently, and pretty soon, they were both asleep.
The sound of the credits rolling on her video roused Sammy from her nap. She looked out the window and saw that all of the cars were gone.
Cautiously, she walked over to the door and listened for stragglers. Other than the sound of Oatis happily running on his wheel, the house was silent.
Not sure what to do with herself, Sammy went to the bedroom next door. It had been John’s room, but it had become another empty bedroom ready for guests. Nothing of him was left in the room except his memory. Sammy couldn’t believe how much it felt like he’d died. In a way, he was a ghost. He’d ghosted her.
She went to the closet to have a look around. Unsurprisingly, it was completely empty. Well, there was one thing. A black shoe box sat in the back of the closet, cloaked in shadow. Sammy wondered if it was something he’d accidentally forgotten, or had John left it behind for her to find intentionally?
Either way, she had to get it out of the room before the first guests arrived. Just as she’d hoped for, every room in her house was booked out at least a few months from the day the bed-and-breakfast opened. She hadn’t checked yet that day because it was supposed to be her wedding, but new reservations had been coming in daily.
Sammy took the box downstairs. She touched the wall in the spot where the mirror had hung. It was something Sammy often did, but she had no idea why. The mirror was gone, but the gesture still soothed her. She tried not to imagine what would have become of her if she’d found the mirror after John left.
She took a seat at the dining table and opened the box. Inside were printouts of some of the online articles about the Overwatch House. There were also several flash drives.
“I should have brought my computer down,” Sammy said to no one.
It only took her a moment to run back upstairs and grab her laptop. She had to snag the cord too, because watching a movie had drained the battery some.
Once she was plugged in and ready to go, Sammy put the first thumb drive into the computer. It was a recording of YouTube videos about the house. The videos on that particular drive were all of different houses that people claimed were Overwatch House. It was nothing but YouTubers who wanted to capitalize on the popularity of her home, but they didn’t even bother to get footage of the actual house.
The next thumb drive was videos of religious people ranting and raving about how Sammy had opened a portal for the devil to come into the world. Some of them went so far as to say that Overwatch House would be the thing that brought about the second coming.
“If that’s the case, then why are they so mad?” Sammy asked the empty room. “Isn’t the rapture and all that what they really want?”
Sammy skipped through until she got to the last video. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized it was Cameron. He was giving a sermon in front of a massive audience in a dimly-lit church that looked more like a stadium than any church she’d ever seen.
Most of his sermon wasn’t relevant to Overwatch House, but at the end, some heckler called out a comment about him being in collusion with the “Overwatch Devil Woman” in the past. Several large security guards in immaculate black suits descended on the man who’d said it. Before they could remove him, Cameron asked them to wait.
“It’s true. Samantha Hainesly and I were once very close. But she is no devil woman. She’s had her share of problems, and there were things that she’d done that invited demonic activity into her life, but who here hasn’t made mistakes? Sammy has paid more than dearly for the indiscretions of her youth, but it was faith and good Christian prayer that saved her. I saw the power of God touch Sammy’s life. As God is my witness, an angel came down from heaven and beat back the devil that night.”
The entire church stadium erupted into cheering and applause. The worship band began to
play, and Sammy watched as Cameron sung and danced around the stage. His congregation was a mass of uplifted arms and vacillating bodies. The sound of praise, people speaking in tongues, and singing drowned out everything else.
Samantha was mesmerized by what she saw on the screen, and for a moment, her heart lifted a little. It’s not that she believed the same as Cameron, but there was something about his delivery that swept her off her feet.
That’s when she heard the upstairs bathroom door slam.
Chapter Three
The only explanation for the door slamming Sammy had was that she and John had messed up something during the remodel. It had happened several times over the last few days, but Sammy was home alone.
One time, she’d caught Tut in the bathroom behind the closed door and assumed that perhaps the cat had been up to his typical hijinks.
Sammy woke up the morning the bed-and-breakfast was supposed to open, feeling more hopeful than she had for a long time. The doorbell rang early, and it was the sign guys.
Hainsley Inn
It filled her with pride to see it. The first couple of days after John left, Sammy thought it would be too easy to give up. She wanted to crawl into bed and cry until the bank foreclosed on the house.
Instead, she’d allowed herself to wallow for three days, and when those three days were up, she pulled herself out of the funk and got on with life.
That had left her with two full days to shop for supplies and clean the house like mad. Several times, she would think there were footsteps in the hallway. At first, she thought it was Tut messing around, but when she’d look, Tut would be on the bed watching her clean.
“Okay,” she’d call out. “Save it for when the guests are here.”
It made her chuckle, and it was enough to make the phantom sounds stop for a while. If she’d really taken the time to think about what the steps could’ve meant, it might have driven Sammy mad with fear.
But she’d decided that nothing was going to stop her bed-and-breakfast. If she maintained a sense of humor about the growing activity, Sammy didn’t have to be afraid.
Besides, an old house like hers was bound to have a spirit or two hanging around. None of what had begun happening seemed particularly demonic. She thought that maybe they were friendly ghosts that were happy to be getting attention.
By check-in time on the inaugural night of the Hainsley Inn, Sammy had every room sparkling and smelling of lavender and lemon. There was white wine in the fridge chilling and red wine open on the counter breathing. She’d made some appetizers and small dessert bites to welcome the incoming guests as well.
Of course, the first group of people staying at the inn was a crew of ghost hunters. Sammy was informed by their publicist that they weren’t just amateurs either. The Boo Crew had a real chance at a cable television program.
“That’s not really the name of the group, is it?” Sammy asked with a chuckle. She thought the publicist was having a bit of fun with her clients’ chosen profession.
“Why, what’s wrong with it?” the woman asked in a completely deadpan voice.
“Oh, I was just checking to make sure they weren’t trying to remain anonymous until the deal was done.” Sammy thought her recovery was quite good.
The only other person who’d book a room for the night was a man named Zach Pitcher. He was unaffiliated with the ghost hunters. When he’d called her to personally confirm the reservation, Mr. Pitcher told her that he was an amateur historian that needed to get out of town for a weekend of relaxation.
“Oh, and I might be considering writing a book on haunted houses. Is that okay with you, Ms. Hainsley?” Zach had asked.
“Hey, I could use all of the publicity I can get. Just let me know if you need anything.”
“I’ve never been to your town before. Is there a place where I can acquire a case of grape soda?”
“Sure, we have several grocery stores, but I can have it here for you when you arrive.”
“That’s okay. Thank you for the offer. I’ll stop on my way to your establishment to pick it up.”
Sammy wondered who on earth would turn down free soda, but she let it go. Some people were particular about things, and it was up to her to cater to their needs, even if she didn’t understand them.
There were five members of The Boo Crew. Elliot Kennedy was the first to arrive. He was an equipment operator and a backup cameraman. When Sammy asked him what kind of equipment he used, she got a thorough lesson in modern ghost hunting.
“I do the standard stuff.” He took out a voice recorder. “This is what I use for EVP. Then I manipulate the audio files with computer software. Most times you can’t hear anything unless you speed up or slow down the sound. Sometimes you have to remove a great deal of background noise and audio clutter too.”
“I’ve heard a great deal about EVP,” Sammy said skeptically. “What else do you have? Give me something more intense,” Sammy said with a laugh.
“Oh. Okay.” Elliot said. “You’re ready for the deep dive.”
The next thing he pulled out of his gig bags was something that looked like a tiny television with a huge handle coming out of the bottom. The back of it had a black, rectangular funnel thing. The entire screen was surrounded by what appeared to be large Christmas lights.
“What’s that?” Sammy asked while giving him the side eye. She’d seen similar contraptions on ghost hunting shows, and she already had a good idea of what it was supposed to do.
“I haven’t thought of a name for this beauty yet, but perhaps you can help me with that. What it does is pick up ghost communication and images from the environment. It can pick up on changes in the atmosphere and turn them into either pictures, words, or the lights will move in patterns. Sometimes, if I’m really lucky, it will do all three.”
“You’re not serious,” Sammy said.
“As the grave,” Elliot replied and then laughed hysterically at his own joke for a solid minute. “Anyway, you don’t have to believe in any of it, but it does make for good television.”
She didn’t get the chance to ask him about the rest of his gear because the next member of The Boo Crew arrived. Rachel Sterling was one of the hosts of the proposed show. Sammy could immediately see why they wanted her on camera. In fact, Sam wasn’t quite sure why she was in the ghost hunting business instead of pursuing a career in acting or modeling.
All five feet ten inches of her stood in front of the small front desk Sammy had fashioned in the entryway. When she tossed her long, auburn hair to the side, Samantha thought for a moment that she was in for a long couple of days dealing with a diva. But then Rachel tripped over her own feet and kind of clawed at her face.
“Ow, ow. I’ve got a hair in my eye,” she said.
The hair flip was her attempt to get her hair out of her face, and despite the fact that Rachel was almost preternaturally beautiful, she was a complete klutz.
“Do you need any help?” Sammy asked.
“Nope, I think I got it,” Rachel said and a huge, warm smile spread across her face like melted butter. “Was Elliot here bothering you?”
“Nope,” Sammy said. “He was just showing me some of his gear.”
“Oh, did he show you the Christmas light megaphone yet?” she asked and laughed. Elliot’s face turned a bright shade of red.
“He did. That and his EVP recording stuff.”
“Ah, now EVP, that’s actually interesting. I wish he’d focus more on the old-school investigation techniques and less on the flashy garbage that’s just for the television cameras. What I wouldn’t give for a real investigation.”
“I’m standing right here,” Elliot said with a huff, but he didn’t raise his voice. “Besides, if you want to get on television, we have to do the flashy garbage. It’s just the way it is. There’s too much competition.”
“I know. I’m sorry, Elliot. I just wish we could do things the way we used to back before Jim decided we needed a TV deal.”
Jim
Cranson was the other host, and Sammy learned later that he was also Rachel’s ex-boyfriend. They were actually high school sweethearts, and from what Elliot told Sam, Jim hadn’t quite accepted that Rachel had moved on with her life.
When Jim arrived, it became apparent that he had a larger-than-life personality. He was good-looking in a way that made a person self-conscious all of the time, and he had big, booming voice that filled the entire house.
Once Elliot, Rachel, and Jim were all there, it became apparent that both men were in love with Rachel. She, on the other hand, was only interested in ghosts, Tut, and Oatis.
Apparently, her parents had never allowed her to have a guinea pig when she was little, and Rachel squealed so loudly when she saw him that it made Oatis jump. Then he squealed. “Oh my god, Sammy. Can I hold him? Please let me hold him?” she pleaded like a little kid.
“Okay. But you have to sit down. Oatis is pretty new, and he’s not that used to being held. Also, keep an eye on Tut. He was good with my last guinea pig, but you just never know with cats.”
Rachel sat in the living room playing with Oatis while Sammy checked the last two members of The Boo Crew into their rooms. Lance Springs and Jeremy Kincaid showed up within a couple of minutes of each other. They were both dressed in all black, and neither one of them was as outgoing as the other three Sammy had already met. They gave the rest of their team a curt nod, and then I showed them upstairs to their rooms.
Both of them sort of grunted at Sam when she told them to let her know if they needed anything. Eliott and Jim stayed in the living room with Rachel discussing the scariest things they’d ever seen. Sammy got the feeling that they were trying to one-up each other to impress Rachel, but she completely ignored them both. Samantha couldn’t help but chuckle at the dynamic.
The last person to arrive was Zach Pitcher. He was the one guest who wasn’t a part of The Boo Crew. “Would you mind if I took a look around?” he asked when Sammy showed him to his room.
“Sure, but please don’t go in the guest rooms or my room. All of the bedrooms are occupied, but there are lots of other places for you to explore.”
Dark Ends: A Horror Collection Page 33
