Stepping away from the grave she looked down at the two sheets of paper. The world seemed to spin before her and darkness closed in. For a moment, she thought she would faint but she bit down on her lip and as her mouth filled with blood the pain brought her back to the present. Slowly, she read the rubbings off the gravestone
Victoria Pennyford
Born 1681
On the second sheet it read.
Died 1690
Buried here in unhallowed ground.
All she could see in her mind was the journal.
This Journal Belongs to Victoria Pennyford
Aged 9 Years
The Year of Our Lord 1690
If this was Victoria's grave, how did she end up here? Why was she buried in the unhallowed ground? What did it all mean?
Chapter 15
Suddenly, the woods darkened, the birdsong stopped and a feeling of oppression came over Jenny. Something was wrong. The trees were whispering to her but she couldn't make out the words. Maybe it was hurry.
Then she knew that Abby was in danger. It was simply an instinct, maybe a mother's instinct, but it was strong and she knew she must get back to the house. Turning from the grave she picked up the papers and ran.
"I'm coming, Abby," she called at the whispering trees as she stumbled along the track. It was darker now, as if the trees were menacing her but she would not stop. "You keep away from her, you bitch," she called as she raced back to the house.
Jenny burst in through the door shouting and calling out Abby's name.
"What is it?" Mason called as he ran from his office.
"I just have a feeling… A terrible feeling. That Abby is hurt."
Together they turned and ran to the stairs, as they passed the throw rug neither of them noticed the stain that had soaked through from the carpet.
They both reached the top of the stairs together, turned to the left and raced along the hallway. Jenny wanted to call out but she was desperate for breath. It seemed she wasn't fit enough for this so she simply ran as fast as she could. When they arrived at Abby's room the door was closed. As her hand touched the handle she felt a mild shock and pulled away quickly.
"What was it?" Mason asked, but before he waited for a reply he pushed her aside and grabbed the handle himself.
By the way he jumped, Jenny knew he felt it too. Something was trying to keep them from their daughter’s room and she prayed they were not too late.
Mason didn't hesitate, he squeezed the handle tighter and pushed the door. It gave slightly but then slammed back closed.
"Abby, what is going on?" Mason shouted.
"It's not Abby," Jenny said before she thought to stop yourself.
Fortunately, Mason wasn't listening to her and tried the handle again. This time he leaned into the door with all his strength. For a moment, she thought it would not give, that they would be locked outside of the room while Victoria devoured her child. Jenny could feel her breath coming faster and faster and knew she was beginning to panic. Once more she bit down on her lip, the pain steadied her.
"Help me," Mason said, and so Jenny added her weight while he tried to open the door. She could feel the pressure pushing back against them. It was way too much for one nine-year-old and then it gave. The door slammed back and bounced on the wall revealing the darkened room.
Jenny ran in. There was clutter all over the floor; books, pillows, a chair, and other things she could not recognize. Ignoring the mess she raced to the bed to find Abby lying there, her eyes closed. Jenny feared the worst for a moment. Was she too late? Was Abby already dead?
"What's going on in here?" Mason asked as he picked up things from the floor and pulled back the curtains.
The light should have flooded into the room and yet the gloom was hardly lifted. However, it gave enough of a glow for Jenny to see that Abby was breathing, albeit very shallowly. She put a hand to her forehead. It was cold and clammy. Gently, she shook Abby and saw her eyes open.
"Hey, baby, how you feeling?"
"My tummy hurts and my head is all like candy floss only painful," Abby's voice was little more than a whine.
"I think we should take you to the doctor’s." Jenny leaned down to pick her up but before she could the pressure in the room grew and she saw her breath misting before her.
"What's happening?" Mason barked. "How did it get so cold in here?"
Jenny stopped, not sure what to do. Would Victoria let them leave? Yet, as soon as she had the thought she knew she had to try. Abby was fading, she was very ill, somehow she knew that if she didn't get out of here that she would die. Moving as slowly as she could she put her arms around her. Before she could lift Abby a book flew from the floor and crashed into her shoulder. The pain was not as bad as the shock and the force that pushed her backward.
"What the…" Mason shouted, his eyes were wide and questioning. "How did that just happen?"
Jenny knew it was time to tell him but she also knew they didn't have the time.
"We have to get Abby out of here, Mason, help me."
She could see that Mason was unsure, that he wanted to question her, but maybe there was something in her expression which stopped him. Instead, he nodded and moved towards the bed. The table lamp shot off the bedside table and sailed through the air. Jenny kept expecting it to get caught on the cord and to pull up sharp, only it didn't. When it hit the cord it simply hesitated and then ripped it from the wall and carried on its journey before it smacked into Mason's head.
He staggered backward and was fighting off books, brushes, and glass ornaments. The ones with the snow scenes inside that Abby loved so much. They were all flying towards him. Bit by bit Mason was pushed out of the room in fear of his very life. Jenny reached down to grab Abby. The pressure in the room was getting worse and worse. It felt as if her lungs were bursting as if she couldn't draw air and yet she knew she must.
"Stop this!" she screamed. "Just stop this. We said we would look after you but only if you behave."
For a second, the pressure eased but then it was as if the wind whipped up inside the room. It grew and grew until it felt as if a tornado had landed there. The force of it pushed Jenny towards the door. Try as she might she could not resist it and she could see Abby further and further away as the undetectable force pushed her across the room. As well as the invisible wind, Jenny was getting battered with books, ornaments and debris. Though she fought to stay in the room, to stay close to her baby, she was gradually pressed out of the door. As she crossed the threshold she saw Mason. He was lying in the hallway, blood running from his head. Jenny turned to reach for him and the door slammed shut. Victoria had separated her from her baby. Now what was she going to do?
All Jenny wanted to do was scream but she knew she had to stay calm. Bending down she reached out to Mason and tried to find a pulse. His eyes opened and he pulled himself up to sit against the wall.
"What happened?" he asked and rubbed at the cut on his head.
"Abby is in the room with Victoria, we have to get her out of there."
Gently she touched his head. The wound had stopped bleeding and though it would cause quite a bruise it wasn't too bad. Mason was staring at her, he clearly did not understand.
"Who's Victoria… you mean the imaginary friend? Something was going on in there, something that wasn't our little girl."
Jenny put her hand on his cheek and looked into his eyes. As always the gesture calmed him, steadied him.
"I want you to listen to me. I don't know how much time we have and I don't know what to do. You need to listen to me and to try and keep an open mind."
Mason nodded.
Jenny swallowed, she was still gathering her breath and she did not know where to start. Panic was like a beast inside of her and if she let it, it would take control. Only she knew that would not help anyone, least of all Abby.
"I know this is hard to believe but I think Victoria is a spirit child. She wants Abby to come and live with her. Earlier, I fo
und Abby in the woods. There is a grave there. It belonged to Victoria and carved into the stone is the fact that she was buried in unhallowed ground. I do not know what that means but I know we need to do something."
Mason nodded and indicated for her to continue.
"I've been doing a little research."
"How long have you known about this?" Mason asked, and she could see his jaw was tensed, his eyes challenging her.
"The house has felt wrong to me since the day we arrived. At first I thought it was just stress but more and more things have happened. I don't have time to explain now but Victoria wants Abby to live with her. I think she means to kill her, to turn her into a ghost."
"What can we do?" Mason asked.
"Stay here and try to keep Victoria busy but be careful, she hates daddies."
"I don't know how," he said, and she could hear the fear in his voice.
Jenny wanted to scream, she wanted to scream at Victoria, at Mason, at the unfairness of all this and yet she knew there wasn't time.
"Just do something, I have an idea, maybe it will work, maybe it won't but it's all we have. Try and keep our baby safe until I get back." Jenny pulled his face towards her and kissed him on the lips, before turning and running down the hallway.
The fear inside her was like a living thing. Here she was, running from the house, not knowing if she would ever see her little girl again. Was she making the right decision?
Chapter 16
Jenny ran down the corridor to the sound of Abby screaming. It took every ounce of resolve she had to keep moving, to run away from her child.
"Victoria hates you, Daddy, she hates you, and she wants you to die. If you don't leave she will kill you."
Jenny sobbed at the words but she must keep running. She was no help here.
Grabbing her keys from the kitchen she raced to the door and then into the car. The engine revved as she gunned the pedal, the wheels slipped on the driveway. Though she knew she was panicking she could not ease up and pushed the pedal even harder. At last the wheels bit and the car tore away towards what she hoped would be their salvation. The roads were narrow and twisty and she knew she was driving too fast. As she approached a corner she suddenly realized where she was. The road turned back on itself at almost 180° and she was going way too fast. Her foot hit the break and she hauled on the steering wheel. The car leaned over, the tires screeched on the tarmac. For a moment she was on two wheels. Had she blown it? Would she end up dead in the dike while she left Mason and Abby to their fate?
The car seemed to hang in the air forever but it could only have been less than a second before the wheels touched the blacktop and they surged forwards. Jenny knew she needed to slow down, to be more careful. Crashing would help no one.
As she drove she tried to remember what she had read on the website. It was something about an exorcism. Was she crazy? Would anyone believe her, would he believe her? It didn't matter right now, he was her only hope and so she pushed the car as fast as she could and prayed that she would make it in time.
In less than 15 minutes she pulled up outside the small church and ran from the car. Before she knew it she was hammering on the door of the rectory and wishing with all her heart that the young priest would be here.
At last the door opened and she let out a gasp of relief. It was Luke Jones, the young priest. His eyebrows knitted together with concern as he reached out towards her.
"Mrs. Evans, Jenny, are you all right?"
"I… I don't know… I need your help. Abby, Abby, my daughter, is in danger and I don't know where else to turn."
"Come in and sit down. I will make some tea and you can tell me all about it." Gently, he put a hand on her arm and tried to lead her into the house. Jenny shook the hand away.
"We don't have time. I know you won't believe me but she is in grave danger. My beautiful little girl is in danger and you are my only hope."
Tears started to fall and Jenny knew she was close to hysteria. If she did not stop it then she would be a wreck and if that happened he would never believe her.
"What can I do for you?" he asked.
"I need you to come to Shadow Hill House. I need you to bring your Bible and holy water and I need you… I need you to exorcise a spirit."
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Evans. I'm truly sorry but we don't do that, not anymore."
"You believe in good?"
Luke nodded.
"Then you must believe in evil. I'm begging you, come with me even if you don't believe me... bring whatever you have and come with me and see what is happening. My little girl's life depends on it."
Luke stood for a moment thinking it over and then he smiled.
"You are right, that house does have a most unfortunate history, now just give me a second and I will come with you. I am not saying that I believe you but who knows, maybe I can help."
Jenny was flooded with relief and she started sobbing once more.
"There, there, don't you cry, now everything will be all right."
"Please hurry, I know you think I'm distraught but please, just hurry."
Soon, they were on the way back to the house, only this time Luke drove. Jenny was frustrated with the speed at which he was driving. For such a young man he was like an old lady behind the wheel and she found her knees were tapping and she was sighing and groaning constantly. The young priest took no notice and tried to keep her talking.
"Explain to me what happened," he said.
Jenny took a breath and tried to think of everything that had happened so far. It was not easy as many of the things were so small and insignificant that they wouldn't sound real and yet she had to try.
"It started the minute I arrived, this was my dream, and had been for years and yet the moment I walked into the house I felt that something was wrong." Then she explained about the imaginary friend, the house going cold, the pressure, the stains, the flying books and lamps, what Abby was saying and at last, she told him about the gravestone. "Why would a child be buried in unhallowed ground?"
"Usually, such a thing is reserved for criminals, and even then, it is normally those of the nastiest kind, usually killers."
"She's just a little girl, how could that be? How could she kill somebody?"
"There is another possibility, if it was thought that the child had committed suicide, then it is possible that the local church would not allow her to be buried in the churchyard. We don't do that anymore. Our Lord is a forgiving God"
At last, they arrived at the house and Jenny hoped that they were in time, what would she do if they were too late?
Chapter 17
The moment Luke walked into the house Jenny could see that he felt it, the presence, the ghost. Whatever it was that was causing these problems, the young priest picked up on it and she saw the expression on his face change. There was a seriousness she had never seen before and a determination that boded well.
"Take me to the child," he said.
Jenny nodded and led him into the house. As they started to walk up the stairs they could hear screaming and there was something else. Jenny started to run, it was Mason and he was in trouble. Without waiting for the priest she ran along the corridor and just hoped that he would follow. What she found almost dropped her to her knees. Lying on the floor his face blue, his eyes bulging was Mason. His hands clawed at his throat and he was gasping for breath.
"What is it?" she asked as she knelt down beside him.
Mason's mouth opened but no words came out and his hands scratched at his throat drawing blood. Tears were running from Jenny's eyes, she did not know what to do as she watched her man fading before her very eyes.
Luke arrived behind her and crossed himself. Opening his Bible he began to read. Jenny looked up at him her eyes desperate.
"Help him," she pleaded. "Please help him."
Luke nodded and carried on reading.
"PATER noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua,
sicut in caelo et in terra."
Jenny reached down to Mason's throat, though she could see nothing there when she touched his skin she could feel the coarse hemp of a rope. It was strong and tight around his neck. So tight it was strangling him. That was what he was clawing at, that was what he was trying to release.
As Luke continued to chant she felt the rope slacken.
"Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen."
Beneath her fingers it melted away and then it was gone. Mason drew in a deep breath and then began coughing. The coughs wracked his lungs and shook his body but she could see that his color was returning to normal. There was blood on his throat and on his fingers and a deep welt raised on the skin of his neck. It was only then that she became aware of Abby shouting in the other room.
"Victoria hates you, you must die. Men are evil, they are not welcome here, leave or die. Leave or die, leave or die."
Over and over again she shouted out the words but Jenny didn't care, for now, at least, Mason was safe.
The priest closed his Bible and helped Mason to his feet.
"Let's get him downstairs and away from the power of the spirit. Then we can talk and I will see what I can do for you."
The Haunting of Shadow Hill House Page 11