bARRY’S lODGE
a
HAUNTING
AN ABSOLUTELY GRIPPING GHOST THRILLER
Annie walters
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental
Copyright © 2017 Annie Walters
5th edition
Dedicated to all those who told me it wasn’t possible
Description:
Alfred, a washed-up author plagued by failures can’t believe his luck when his father in-law Frank provides him with a chance that he direly craved for:
Seven days alone in an isolated Motel with the task of finishing his upcoming book!
But little does he know about the Motel’s unsavory history. Hidden in the copse of trees and about 400 miles away from his home, it is a two-storey façade located in the dark forest of Skiddaw. With no WI-FI, poor signals and weird set of rules, the dark atmosphere soon turns his seemingly idyllic trip into a living nightmare. Apart from the usual creaks, groans and moans of the motel, he soon finds himself face to face with an entity. An urban legend that is lurking in the woods long before the motel found its existing foundations.
The Motel’s dark and deadly history quickly becomes tangled with Alfred’s life as he frantically searches for answers. Barry, the caretaker, is hiding something. But what is it? Is there someone else living in the motel besides him? Or is Barry not what he seemingly appears?
Alfred rapidly begins to lose his tenuous grip on reality as he sinks further and further into an intricately designed game of deceit and lies that might put his life in danger! Or is he a threat to himself and everybody around him?
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1: The Usual Things
Chapter 2: Frank’s Offer
Chapter 3: At Barry’s Lodge
Chapter 4: Settling In
Chapter 5: A Bad Dream?
Chapter 6: Raising Questions
Chapter 7: Finding Answers
Chapter 8: Barry’s Tale
Chapter 9: Gerald’s Institute for Mentally Insane and Handicapped
Chapter 10: Plight and Flight
Chapter 11: A Game of Monopoly
Chapter 12: A Killer Among Us
Chapter 13: LOCKED IN
Chapter 14: The Half- Naked Man
Epilogue
THE END
Author’s note
About the Author
Prologue
“Hurry!” a woman called out from behind the tree.
“I’m COMING,” a man growled back from the other side of the road. He waited impatiently for the car to pass and then panting and limping, he began to cross it, hissing savagely, “Nearly got me killed- you damn leg.”
A few minutes later, they were standing with their backs against the willow tree. Every inch of their bodies burned and ached, relating the details of the horrendous expedition. The harsh, raspy breaths plumed in front of their faces as they tried to expel the anoxic air out of their lungs. Glistening, cold beads of sweat trickled down their red, puffy faces. The salty trail teased their warm chests as the beads rolled over each rib before settling into the sickly white fabric.
The night was crisp and bleak, yet they were drenched in the salty perspiration.
It had taken them more than a year to craft their perfect plan. And after months of revising, analyzing and practicing every move - they had not only managed to escape but were fortunate enough to be still alive!
“I don’t believe it. Wedid it!” said the woman, punching the air in delight. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
The air was thick with the smell of damp earth.
Sweet and acrid!
“Believe it or not. We’re out of that sick place for good, if you ask me,” the man sighed.
The broad moon played hide and seek in the thickest of the clouds, throwing its intermittent, lambent light on their glowing faces. They exchanged jaunty glances and then before they knew, they were holding one another in a tight embrace, feeling the thrill of each other’s overly jubilant hearts.
“What do we do now?” the woman asked, brushing away the loose tangle of hair from her eyes as she broke apart.
“First, we need to find a place to spend the night,” said the man as he straightened his left leg, “The cops will be all over area like rabid dogs. They will realize sooner or later that we weren’t exactly heading north as they would’ve speculated. Are you sure that the warden heard you loud enough?” he added, throwing her a worried glance.
“Yes…yes, I’m pretty sure that the brute heard it. Got ears better than a sly wolf, I should say. By the way, what took you so long to get out of there? God…I was so worried about you. I thought maybe—”
The man groaned as he slouched forward and took off his shoes. Heaving a sigh, he settled near the base of the tree. He could feel the damp, cold earth slowly absorbing the stabbing pain in his gluteal muscles.
“What kept you?” she asked again but this time more emphatically.
The man stuttered over a few inaudible sounds and slowly, pulled out a gun from behind his back. The woman straightened as a tiny flutter of excitement escaped her throat.
“No you didn’t?” she hissed, her eyes narrowing on the glimmering black metal.
“Stole it from his office. I made a deal with old Bill…told him— I’d pay him fifty pounds if he allowed me to sneak into his room. Old fool, eh? Thought that I really had some cash on me. You should’ve seen his face when I pointed this at his temple.”
The woman eyed him for a minute, looking thoroughly impressed.
“You don’t think we’ll make the news tonight, do you?” she asked after a small pause.
“I don’t know,” he said uneasily. “We can and we can’t. It all depends on how long they’ll search on their own. My best bet would be early morning. That’s when they’ll give up and start thinking about involving higher authorities, but it’s only going to happen if they don’t manage to find us tonight.”
“They won’t be able to find us,” she said firmly.
“Not if we keep moving forward and hoping that your false alarm worked like a charm.”
She tore her eyes away from him to the maze of tall, black woods ahead.
“We aren’t going through them, are we?”
“Yes. We are, my darling. Don’t have a lot of choices, do we?” grunted the man, as he quickly worked his feet back into the battered looking shoes. “Come on, we are late already—it’s going to be fine,” Catching the look on her face, he added hastily and got up.
“But we can get the car. We’re on the highway and we have the gun. It would be easier that way,” she grumbled in protest.
“I know, honey. Now please, don’t make me go all over it again? Look- we both know that taking the road will be way too risky. Remember what they did to poor Jeffrey? He couldn’t last a day on the highway. And possibly, they might’ve warned the public over the radio. So let’s follow the plan. All right?
T
he woman nodded uncertainly.
He took her hand and said:
“Trust me. We’ll make it through this together. I promise.”
Squeezing her fingers rather coarsely, he smiled at her and began to walk towards the silent forest. His limp gave way to a purposeful, energetic gait. Leaves and twigs crunched noisily, announcing their arrival to the inhabitants of the woodland.
Sighing heavily, she followed after him. Extremely wary of potholes on the grim soil, she placed each step cautiously, making sure there was nothing underfoot that might slide, roll or snap.
Few birds screeched and escaped the tree tops, shooting upwards in a spiral towards the dark sky.
“Keep walking,” the man called back firmly over his shoulder. The woman who seemed to have stopped due to the sudden upheaval in the trees, cursed under her breath and scampered after him, trying to keep pace with his long strides.
“Slow down, will you?” she hissed angrily, but he continued at the same pace, paying very little attention to her gripes and bickering.
The ground soon became uneven, and the forest began to grow thick with vines snaking down tall trees, twisting around their trunks as if suffocating them. A bellowing howl of animals penetrated the air. The man did not stop to investigate but seemed to have picked up more speed. The woman was nearly running now to keep up with him. Wet leaves and branches brushed against her cold, clammy skin as she swept past the mossy boulders, and the sound of running water hit her ears.
There must be a stream nearby!
She needed to quench her thirst and have some rest but her partner was going deeper and deeper inside the woods, showing no sign of stopping. And if she didn’t keep pace with him, she would definitely loose him in the thickets of tangled weed and trees.
She felt dizzy, and her lips were numb. She wanted to tell him that she needed to catch her breath. But her throat was now so dry and itchy that not even the faintest of the sounds escaped her vocal cords.
And then suddenly, after a dozen grizzly scratches and loud rants, the man stopped abruptly in his tracks. Clutching her chest, she kneeled down and peered at him. He seemed to be observing something in distance.
He paused for a moment and then with hurried steps, walked up to her.
“Are you all right?” he whispered, patting her genially on the back.
“YOU—BLOODY—GIT—I—Was—about—to—pass—out,” she spat indignantly, slapping him hard on his arm.
“I’m sorry,” the man mumbled, as he bent down and stroked the sweat off her brow. “We’ve found ourselves a perfect place. It’s all good now. No worries.”
A loud hoot was followed by a slither of something on the dead leaves.
“Look, please. Get up, now. It’s never safe to stop in the forest,” he pleaded in distress.
Fear overwhelmed her anger, and she rushed to her feet.
“Don’t you ever do that again,” she mumbled, brushing the grime off her clothes.
The man ran his fingers through her bushy hair apologetically, and then grabbing her hand abruptly, he dragged her away from their resting point.
“Look, that’s the place,” he pointed between the two thick trees.
A two-storey dwelling with smoke issuing from one of the chimneys, stared emptily back at them. They could appreciate the saffron light which stole its way through some of the windows, appearing as distant blobs, but otherwise the building sat dark and silent. An old mini-van stood calmly near the front.
“Are you sure?” the woman asked, raising her eyebrows at him. “I can see the lights which means that there are going to be people inside. I don’t think—”
“We’ve to find out. Can’t spend the night in the woods. I’ve no freaking idea where this forest ends.”
“But — what are we going to say?”
“Oh, the usual talk. Don’t tell me, you’ve forgotten it all—Ahem! -- Oh, hello…we’re both husband and wife…our car broke down in the middle of the forest…err...and we had to travel on foot to get here. Would you be kind enough to provide us with a room for a night? We’ll be long gone before you wake up,” the man scoffed, making an innocent face.
“We’re not hurting anyone. All right?”
The man lowered his gaze and began to trample a wild weed with his shoes.
“Are you even listening?” she said frantically as she gave him a sharp poke on the head.
“Ouch…okay…okay. What’s got into you?”
“I want you to promise.”
“No, I can’t,” said the man furiously, “Those people …they…they might be armed in there. What do you want me to do, huh? Lay my gun. And then what? We’re back inside that hell.”
“No— I don’t want you to surrender the gun. If they fire, we fire back but not to hurt them. Just…just to frighten them. That’s all I’m saying. Is that okay?”
“Oh God! Sometimes I wonder if you’re same woman I met twenty years ago,” the man mumbled.
“What did you say?” she huffed, rolling her eyes threateningly.
“All right…I promise. No harm will be done. We just need the place to rest. If they’re willing to provide it— well and good. If not, we’re out of here. Are you happy now?”
“Yes!” she said promptly, not taking her eyes off his face.
“And then don’t you get fussy if we’ve to spend the night in the forest. I won’t be able to help any of us then. Okay? Be careful now! It’s slippery here. ”
Taking care not to slide and fall, they could feel the ground sink with each step as the incline became steeper. Clenching each other hands tightly, they began to pick up speed and ran down the last few meters, in hope that they won’t fall over.
They came to an abrupt halt as something cold and wet fell on their heads.
“It’s about to rain, hurry!” said the man restlessly, “I’ll check the van. We might not feel the need to ask their favor if we’re able to get it. Let’s just hope that the keys are still inside. Say what?”
“Good idea,” said the woman as her eyes darted from the entrance door to the van, making a mental note of the distance between them.
“You wait here…” he whispered and hurtled forward.
She watched him as he began to creep towards the bushes leading to the van. With his back stooped low enough, he soon disappeared from view.
Her fingernails dug deep inside the palms. She could make out someone moving behind the dimly lit windows and felt immediately grateful that she was at least well hidden.
Hearing a fluttering sound above, she looked up and saw the top of the cedar trees swaying slightly. She couldn’t make out anything that might have caused them to move.
Something prickled her neck, and she swirled around the spot.
There was nothing!
The night was still and cold.
Her heart began to race as her eyes scanned the van in front.
Where is he?
A sharp flapping noise made her look up once again.
Her jaw dropped open in surprise and fear. A swirling flurry of bats shot out of the nearby tree, heading straight towards the heavens. The vehement, restless beating of the wings made her take a startled step away from the towering tree.
“You’re not welcome here!”
A sharp, cold voice broke out from behind her and a faint scream escaped her lungs. She flopped backwards and spun around at the same time. Her left foot stuck on a stone, and she fell, face forward, smacking her head on the damp earth. Scrambling to her feet and trembling all over, her eyes quickly moved to the place where she’d heard the noise. All she could make out were the dark trees, swaying slowly under the spell of the avid wind.
She felt a strange and awkward feeling that she was being watched.
Something touched her shoulder, and her stomach gave a horrible jolt as she twirled around once more, her fists ready to strike.
But it was her husband.
“Will you keep it down?”
“I heard
a woman’s voice,” she whispered fearfully and sank into his open arms.
“What woman?” he asked, looking bewildered. “Out here?”
“Yes. And there were bats. Thousands of them on that tree.”
There was an uncomfortable pause.
“Honey, are you all right? You sure you took your medicines before leaving.”
“I know what I saw,” she said hysterically as she pulled away from him. “Let’s leave it. There’s no point discussing it. Did you check the car?”
“It’s locked. I’m afraid we’ve to ask them,” he said glumly.
The woman bit her lip.
Something was wrong with this place. She could sense it. But the prospect of spending the night out in the woods was far more unsettling than asking for a room.
Her eyes scanned their clothes. They didn’t look too shabby. She was glad that they’d changed their usual off-white robes before leaving, otherwise their chances of getting a room would have been very grim indeed.
“So, what do you suggest?” asked the man, squinting at her with a suspicious frown. “We spend the night in or out?”
“In, I guess,” she said at once with a nervous quiver in her voice.
“All right. I think it’d be better if you talk to them, honey. I’ll stay put in case they look through us. You okay with that?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
“Do I have to repeat myself?” the woman frowned at him.
“Ok… off we go then. I’ll follow you. And try to be polite.”
“Oh— please. Stop it, will you?”
The two hurried past the van and headed straight towards the stony steps.
“I’m not wearing my glasses. What does it say?” she asked, pointing at the overhead billboard.
The man strained his neck as he read the sign:
“It says ‘Barry’s Lodge’. I guess we’re at the right place, then,” he added with a warm smile.
The woman swallowed with difficulty as she felt her husband’s hand on her back, ushering her forward towards the door.
The Haunting At Barry's Lodge (Gripping Paranormal Private Investigator Suspense Novel): Unexplained Eerie Story of the Supernatural and A Dark Disturbing Psychological Thriller with a Killer Twist Page 1
