The Rattler (Rattler Trilogy Book 1)

by P. A. Fielding

  “Well, we need something to warm us up!” replied Vana.

  “The Jack’s in the kitchen. You guys go into the lounge and make yourselves at home. And for God’s sake stick the fire on!”

  Zoe and Vana went into the kitchen. Zoe got the Jack Daniels out of the cupboard, whilst Vana found glasses and put them on a tray. “Where’s the Coke?”

  “Try the fridge. I think dad left one in there.”

  “Right, babe, what’s the plan?” asked Vana, mischievously.

  “What do you mean?”

  “For the remaining hours of the night.”

  “Vana, the house is well big enough for a sleep over.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “We’ll just wait and see how it pans out, that’s all my lips shall say.” Zoe picked up the Coke bottle. She knew Vana wouldn’t be happy until Zoe and Steven were making out in the front room. “Come on, Vana, you get the tray and follow me in.”

  “OK. Spoilsport.” Zoe had had a rough ride when it came to men, and Vana had made it her priority to try and sort it out.

  2

  The girls walked into the lounge where Steven was playing with the television’s Freeview Planner. “Before you say a word – I know! I miss Sky already!” laughed Zoe, placing the drinks on the table. “Tell me about it. You don’t miss something until you’ve not got access to it,” replied Matthew. Vana smiled. Steven glanced in Zoe’s direction. “There don’t seem to be any decent movies on. What Blu Rays have you got?” he asked.

  “Help me look through these,” invited Zoe, as she sat on the floor and opened up the cupboard containing the DVDs and Blu Rays. Steven didn’t need asking twice! Matthew and Vana started to fool around on the sofa.

  “Great!” exclaimed Steven, “we’ve got to watch this!”

  “What? The Patriot? Why?”

  “I’ve not seen it for ages. It’s great. Have you seen it?”

  “Nope, it’s one of dad’s, not mine, and no, I never got round to watching it.”

  “You’ve got to like Heath, though?”

  “Hell, yeah! Every girl liked him. OK then, you’re on. How much Jack do you guys want?”

  “Just pour it... that’s dandy. Thanks. I’ll do the Coke,” replied Vana. “Where are the crisps, hun?”

  “Crap! They’re in the cupboard.”

  “OK. I’ll get them. You stay exactly where you are.”

  Vana got up again from the sofa, and walked tipsily out towards the kitchen, swaying her hips from side to side and singing We can bonk the world as she went. She stopped as she opened the kitchen door. All the cupboard doors were wide open. The crisps and chocolate sat on the table, along with two small bowls. “Strange. This house never fails to impress me.” She thought nothing more of the incident, just picked up the goodies and went back into the lounge.

  3

  Matthew, in the meantime, had gone to the bathroom. He didn’t really need to but, being a bit of a hypochondriac, he wanted to see if there were any more signs of the blood. He walked upstairs. It was completely dark. “Great! Where the heck is the light?” he said, as he felt the wall for the switch. A cold blast of air flashed over his hand. “SHIT! What was that? No wonder this place remained empty for so long – bloody draughts everywhere!” He eventually found the switch but, as he put on the light, he felt a sharp pain on his hand. “What the fuck?”

  There were two long, deep, scratch marks along his fingers. “Where the hell have they come from? Guess the wall must be a bit rough.” Matthew found the bathroom, went in and closed the door behind him. He lifted the toilet seat and started to pee. “Great – no blood. What a relief that is!”

  Just as he had finished, the door opened, and the floorboards behind him creaked. Then he felt heavy breathing on the back of his neck. “Vana! I knew you couldn’t wait to get me on my own.”

  As he turned round, fully expecting to see his girlfriend standing there, his heart dropped. He was completely alone in the cold bathroom.

  23: A whisper of envy

  1

  Matthew bumped into Steven on the stairs. “Nice trick mate. A real nice trick. You almost had me convinced.”

  “What are you on about, mate? I’m just on my way for a waz,” replied Steven, somewhat puzzled by Matthew’s attitude. “You can’t fool me,” muttered Matthew. Steven shrugged his shoulders, not sure what his friend was talking about. “That’s the whiskey talking,” he said, shaking his head. He walked into the bathroom, noticed how cold it was in there, and started to relieve himself. “She’s certainly a keeper,” he said, as he thought about Zoe. Was it love at first sight? He wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he felt drawn to her – like a magnetic pull.

  “Who are you talking about, wedgie boy?” whispered a man’s voice in his ear. “What? Matthew? How on earth do you know about that?”

  “My name’s not Matthew,” replied the voice, menacingly. Wedgie boy brought back sad memories of Steven’s school days when he was bullied. His parents had moved him to a different school but, because of the small area, everyone knew everyone else. The name-calling continued well into his teens, when, eventually, he bulked-up and took up rowing. It was only then that he started to fight back, hard; the bullying stopped and the memories faded away. “Matthew, you’re actually funny, you really are.” As he turned round to wash his hands he saw that the room was empty.

  2

  When Steven returned to the lounge the movie had been paused. He found that the others had set up a drinking game which involved a bottle of Bourbon and a pack of playing cards. “Right,” said Matthew, “this is Bourbon Chase Run. Have you all played it?”

  “I haven’t,” said Zoe, “what’s it all about?”

  “It’s really simple. You just have to predict whether a turn of the cards will be higher or lower than the previous one. If you get five predictions right, you get a point. If not, you have to take a shot of Bourbon. The winner is the first player to reach a score of four.”

  Steven sat down on the floor next to Zoe. “It didn’t take you guys long to set this up.”

  “You’re not backing out, are you?” asked Zoe with a smile. “No way. Not this fella,” he smiled back; “the champ never quits!”

  A few games later and Vana was in the lead with three points. The others were getting more and more tipsy. As Vana was about to take her turn again, Matthew whispered suggestively in her ear, and they both laughed hysterically. They were soon stopped dead in their tracks by the sound of footsteps thudding across the floor in the room above. The friends looked at each other and giggled. There it was again, louder this time. “OK. What the fuck was that?” exclaimed Matthew, looking up at the ceiling. “THAT’S what I’ve been telling you about,” shouted Vana.

  “Come on, Steven, let’s check this out.”

  “Check what out, mate?”

  “That fucking thump! Stop dickin’ around and show some balls.”

  “Alright Matt!”

  The lads stood up and moved towards the door. Vana and Zoe got up from the floor and sat together on the sofa, anxiously looking at each other. “Guys, this could be Ellwood. Please be careful!” said Vana. “Keep this door closed ‘til we get back,” ordered Matthew, as he and Steven went out. Had the lads’ presence in the house upset something?

  3

  “Nice work in the bathroom, by the way,” said Steven, as they started towards the stairs. “Where are you going with this?” responded Matthew.

  “How did you know about wedgie boy?”

  “What are you chatting about?”

  “You, sneaking into the bathroom and calling me wedgie boy.”

  “What? How could I? I was downstairs with the girls. Look, mate, there’s no point in us arguing. But, if it wasn’t me, who the hell was it?”

  “OK, I think we both need to calm down,” said Steven. “Perhaps we’ve just had too much to drink.”

  “Get away – there’s definitely something going on here; you heard
the bangs just like I did. So, come on, let’s get it over with.” The lads went upstairs, not knowing what they were going to find. Just then, Matthew tripped and let out a scream, which was heard downstairs by the girls.

  “Shit! What was that?” cried Vana, as the girls huddled together, their nerves at breaking point. “We’re alright!” yelled Steven, “Matthew just tripped.”

  “Fuckin’ lads! They just enjoy fuckin’ us one way or the other!” said Vana, as she reached for the bottle to refill her empty glass. “Don’t have any more. Please,” whispered Zoe. “Just stick to Coke from now on.”

  “OK. Probably best I suppose.”

  4

  The lads reached the second floor landing. It was pitch-black and deathly quiet. “What do you reckon? Lights on or off?” asked Steven. “Are you actually taking the piss? On, of course, otherwise we’ll never see what’s causing the noise,” retorted Matthew. Steven switched on the light, and they started to check the rooms, one by one. Nothing. All of a sudden, tapping could be heard coming from the attic.

  “You hear that, Matt?”

  “Of course I did. You think I’m deaf?”

  “Matt, mate, we need to keep calm.”

  They slowly made their way up the stairs to the attic. The drumming noise continued – in tempo with their increased heartbeats. Steven slowly pushed open the attic door. The room was empty, and cold. Then they saw written on the floor, in red –

  They don’t belong to you... I’m the only man for them.

  The friends took a step back in disbelief. “What is going on?” said Matthew, nervously. He pointed at the floor. “Dude, is that blood?”

  “Don’t know, but I’m not touching it!”

  “Not sure I like this. Let’s photograph it and get back to the girls.”

  “I don’t like it either. And, besides, God only knows what’s happening to them while we’re up here.” Matthew took out his phone and took two photographs of the message on the floor.

  “Something bad, real bad, is happening here,” said Steven, as he walked around the room.

  “Why are you still here, Ellwood?” asked Matthew. His eyes scanned the room as he looked for any signs of a presence. No sooner had he spoken than he felt an intense pain in his nose. Matthew doubled over and fell to his knees.

  “What the hell is up with you?” shouted Steven. He turned round to find his friend on the floor, shaking and gasping for breath, with blood pouring from his nose and lip. Matthew found a tissue and tried to stem the flow.

  “Something hit me.”

  “How? What did? There’s only us two in here!”

  “All I’m saying is that it felt like a fucking punch. Shit! Look at that!” he said, pointing to a window. Written in the condensation was another message –

  Why do you keep calling me Ellwood?

  “What IS going on here?” Matthew struggled to his feet. He stumbled over to the window and took a photograph of the message. “Let’s get back down to the girls.”

  24: Who are you gonna call?

  1

  The girls were still on the sofa, huddled together. They hadn’t heard anything more from lads. Suddenly a beep from Zoe’s iPhone made them both jump. “Effin’ hell! Who’s that?” said Vana. Zoe picked up her phone and read the message – she laughed. “Jake, he’s so funny,” she replied, texting her reply.

  “He’s so deffo gay.”

  “Vana. You can’t say that.”

  “Yeah I can. Gorgeous, Adorable Yank!” The girls laughed. “Where on earth did you hear that?”

  “It’s new slang going around campus. It’s good fun!”

  “Sounds like it! Anyway, talk to me. I don’t like the quietness. Tell me, what are you reading now?” asked Zoe.

  “When I Find You. It’s written by a new self-published indie author.”

  “What’s it about?”

  “Well, it’s about a first-time novelist, and her struggles writing, but it all really kicks off when it’s finally published,” said Vana. She got a bit more comfortable on the sofa. “Why, what happens?” asked Zoe, picking up her drink. “She receives a one-star review, and is not a happy bunny. So, she decides to track down the reviewer.”

  “How does she do that?”

  “This is in America, darling! Internet search engines and all that! And, don’t forget, America is the home of the Bounty Hunter.”

  “Bounty Hunter?”

  “You know! Those people who track down felons. Come on Zoe, your dad’s a huge Clint Eastwood fan, surely you’ve watched, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, with him?”

  “No, but carry on.”

  “Anyway, she tracks him down and traces him to a small town called Balmorhea, in Texas. She then kidnaps the guy – and butchers him to death.”

  “Bloody hell, Vana! That sounds horrible! The things you read.” Just then, the lounge door opened, and the lads came in. “Oh my God! What’s happened to you?” cried Vana, seeing Matthew’s injuries and jumping up to give him a hug. “Your invisible mate did this,” replied Matthew, bitterly. “What? Hold on; what are you talking about?” asked Vana.

  “We checked everywhere on the second floor. Nothing. Then we went up into the attic because we heard strange noises from up there. The only thing up there was a message, on the floor, written in blood.” Matthew sounded exhausted.

  The girls could not comprehend any of this. “What on earth are you talking about? Slow down. You’re not making any sense.” Steven poured two stiff drinks, and handed one to Matthew, who gulped it down. “So, what did the message say?” asked Zoe. “It said you don’t belong to us and that he’s the only guy for you.”

  “Matthew, just show them the pictures. They need to see the messages for themselves.” Matthew took out his phone, and looked at the images. “I don’t believe it!” he said, handing the phone over to Vana. There were certainly no messages to be seen – just two wavy orange lines which covered the entire screen. Zoe and Steven looked over Vana’s shoulder. “What do you think has happened to them?” asked Vana. “Beats me,” said Steven. “What was the second picture of?” puzzled Vana, as she rubbed the screen. “Another message, this one written on the window. It asked why we kept calling him Ellwood,” replied Matthew.

  Many questions were running through Zoe’s head. These last two incidents had confused and scared her.

  2

  The girls went into the kitchen to find a first aid box. Zoe checked the cupboards, and Vana sat at the table. “What do you make of it, Zoe?”

  “I really don’t know, hun. It’s so bizarre.”

  “Do you think something wants to harm us? And why is he saying he’s not Ellwood?”

  “No idea, but I think we need to check this out. Once the guys have calmed down and we’ve patched Matthew up, I think we should all go up to the attic. What do you think?”

  “Not sure really, but I guess I would prefer to go with the guys than on our own after they’ve gone.” Zoe picked up the medication, and the girls went back to the lounge where the lads were starting to relax. Vana started to fuss around Matthew with the witch-hazel and cotton wool; Matthew suffered in silence. Zoe looked over to Steven. “You alright, hun?”

  “Yeah, not to worry, we’ll get to the bottom of this.” Zoe smiled at him but was thinking that, sometimes, things are actually out of one’s control, and being a macho man doesn’t always work!

  3

  The friends tentatively walked up the stairs; the girls held the lads’ hands tightly. They got to the attic door and opened it slowly. Matthew was the first to go in. “Right, let’s show you the messages. OH, FUCK OFF!” he shouted. The others followed him in, not knowing what to expect. There were no messages – neither on the floor nor on the window. “Are you sure you saw them?” asked Zoe as she walked around the room. “Of course we did. Why would we make it up?”

  “Well, you had been drinking quite a lot,” added Vana. “Vana! The git punched me and knocked me to the floor. He almost br
oke my fucking nose. We took pictures. We had proof. We’re telling the truth.” Matthew was getting more and more angry as he paced around the room.

  “I know, babe, but don’t lose your temper – we believe you. And anyway this is the effect he wants to have on you.” Matthew sat down on the floor. The others gathered round him. “This thing wants us to do something,” said Matthew.

  “Well, what more can we do? We’ve found the newspaper and the journal, and we know about Ellwood – where do we go from here?” replied Vana.

  “Well, if this guy isn’t Ellwood, it must be another spirit. So we need to find out who he is,” said Matthew. “We need to set up our mobiles and see if we can catch anything.”

  “I don’t know, guys.” Zoe was unconvinced. “I have to live here, remember. This thing attacked you – and I don’t think we should be messing with it.”

  “Well, how about we sit here and wait to see what happens. He has already left us messages. Perhaps he will give us another one. Once we’ve found out what he wants, we can ask him to leave,” said Matthew, as he tried his best to persuade them that this was the best way forward.

  “Dude, I’m not sure it works like that – and you’re no Ghost Buster!” smiled Steven, trying to relieve the tension in the room.

  “Come on. We’ve got to at least try,” stressed Matthew. “Are you with me guys?”

  “Well,” said Steven, “I think it’s got to be Zoe’s decision – after all she lives here. What do you think, hun?” Zoe thought for a minute, then slowly nodded in agreement. “OK, but if nothing happens – we stop and get help from somewhere.”

  “Right. Agreed. Let’s get ready!” said Matthew.

  25: Questions for the other side

  1

  Matthew placed his phone on the window ledge, and pointed it towards the group seated on the floor. “Right, now it’s recording. Steven, set yours to voice recording and then we’re ready to go.” Steven duly switched on his phone and placed it on the floor in the middle of the group. “What happens now?” asked Vana. Matthew re-joined the group. “Now we start asking it questions. Who wants to go first?”