"It's not my card," he said. "My number's on the back."
She turned it over and saw a phone number scribbled in rough ink. She looked back at him. Everything about this man appeared very rough around the edges, and it almost seemed like he was the last man she would want to trust if they ever got into a bad situation. But still, she couldn't shake this feeling that he knew exactly what he was talking about.
"What's your name?" Jess asked.
"Simon," the man said.
She looked down at the card. "So I guess you're not a lawyer."
He shook his head.
"So what do you do?" she asked.
He chewed his waffle. "I take business on a client-by-client basis. People who experience things that most people don't think exist."
"You're a ghost hunter," she said, staring into his eyes.
Tyler laughed. "A ghost hunter... so ridiculous." He looked at the girls. "Come on, let's get out of here." He ushered Ashley out of the booth and he followed her. "Come on, Jess." He grabbed her arm.
She reluctantly stood up as Tyler led Ashley out of the diner with his pad of paper and pen he'd brought, and Jess shuffled slowly after them, lingering and looking over her shoulder at the man.
He gazed back at her. That intensity in his eyes was unmistakable, even behind the sheen of drunkenness. Simon sipped his drink, and it was the last look at him that Jess got before she slipped out the door.
Supply Run
They drove over to Tyler's house first and started packing up boxes and loading them in the back of his truck. His mom was working a shift at the hospital, and he knew she wouldn't be back anytime soon. He packed some high-powered flashlights and other odds and ends from his list, the girls helping him so they could get out of there quickly. When they got all the supplies they could out of his house, they all stood around the back of his truck.
Tyler pulled out his list and looked it over. "Okay, so we still need sleeping bags, food, all the stuff for your dog, candles, some books and games to pass the time, and a couple other small things." He looked at Ashley. "What can we get from your house?"
Her eyes widened. "Oh no, we're not going to my house. My parents would kill me if they found out what we're doing!"
"Okay then," Tyler said, drumming over the list. "We can probably pick up most of the rest of this stuff at Jess's house, and get anything else we need on the road."
Jess looked similarly apprehensive. "I figure this goes without saying, but you guys can never tell my parents what we're doing tonight," she said. "I mean never."
They both nodded.
"Of course, Jess," Ashley said. "Tonight will be all for you. We'll do everything at your pace and how you need it, okay?"
"Okay," she said, "but I don't want you treating me like I'm a little kid. I know how I've been in the past, and this is a big step for me, but take it with me as my friends, not my babysitters."
They agreed and got in the truck, and Tyler drove them back to Jess's house. Buddy jumped up and ran circles around them when they arrived, barking at their heels.
"Are you ready for an adventure, boy?" Tyler said excitedly as he knelt down and ruffled the dog's fur.
Buddy barked excitedly.
Tyler looked up at Jess. "You know, it'll also be good to have Buddy around, because animals are the first ones to sense if anything's wrong. If he starts barking, we'll know to get out of there."
This was something Jess hadn't considered, but the thought put her mind at ease tremendously. He was right; if Buddy was agitated, they could just get in Tyler's truck and leave. As daunting as the thought of returning to the house and especially staying the night in it was, she had to admit that there really didn't seem to be a downside or any risk to their plan.
Jess went around the house helping Tyler go over the list and pack up what they needed to take, then they loaded it up with Tyler's boxes in his truck. Jess made doubly sure that she had everything for Buddy, including all the food, water and blankets he would need, and then some toys, his leash, and other small things he might need. Tyler told her it was overkill, but she was very protective of Buddy. He had always truly been her best friend, and he was always there for her without judgment.
When they had everything packed up, Jess knelt down and gave her dog some love. She grabbed his collar and fastened it around his neck, then she attached the leash to it. "Okay Buddy, we're going to be staying somewhere else tonight," she said to him. "It might be a little scary and new, but we're going to be big and brave today, right boy?"
Buddy panted and stared happily at her with his big brown eyes.
"And if anything's wrong, you tell me, okay?"
The Golden Retriever gave a little bark and continued panting.
"Okay, boy." Jess patted him on his head and she led him to the door. When they were sure they had everything they needed, they got in the truck and left.
Buddy, the big suck that he was, stretched out across Jess's and Ashley's laps on the ride. He cozily rested his head down on Jess's leg like he was the king of the world sitting on his throne.
As they set off on their adventure, Jess found herself getting nervous. It started in the pit of her stomach and crept up into her chest. She tried to hold it at bay, but it was always there, under the surface. But she knew it was just something she would have to face, so she took a deep breath and stared out the window, trying to get lost in the passing scenery.
Tyler stopped at a hardware store on the way and picked up a battery-powered space heater, then he stopped for gas and filled up the tank before continuing on to the house.
As they got out of the city and headed for the wooded countryside, Jess felt that nervousness creep into her throat and build up to a pressure behind her eyes. Her head started to throb a little, and she massaged it.
She swallowed hard and pulled Simon's card out of her pocket, staring at the number on the back and mulling it over in her fingers.
Bloodmoon House
"Where the heck is this place?" Tyler asked, straining his eyes at the woods on the sides of the road.
Ashley looked down at the map spread open in her lap, tracing her finger along the road they were traveling on. "It looks like it's coming up just ahead." She looked up at the road, then her eyes widened and she pointed. "Oh, right there!"
It was hard to see from the angle they were at, but there was a narrow break in the trees with a little path breaking off from the road.
Jess's heart immediately started to beat faster. Flashbacks suddenly filled her mind, and she remembered that haunting night as if it were just yesterday. Suddenly she felt the rev of the Oldsmobile's engine as her uncle plowed the pedal with his lead foot.
Tyler slowed down and took the turned far more carefully, navigating the truck onto the path. "Jeez, I can tell no one's been here in a long time."
The whole driveway was completely overgrown with overhanging trees and tall weeds and shrubs lining the sides of it. Low-hanging branches brushed across the windshield, and Tyler crept forward slowly, being careful to look around and not hit anything.
Ashley glanced over at Jess. "Are you okay?" She put her hand on her arm.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Jess replied.
They continued to trek up the steep incline of the long and winding driveway leading to the house. Tyler was considerate, shifting his attention between the road and Jess, going slow and steady and making sure that she was okay.
Buddy was still stretched across their laps, now sound asleep. Jess absentmindedly rubbed him as she stared on ahead.
Even with the slight bends in the road that Tyler took very slowly, she felt her inertia thrown off in one direction or another, and suddenly she could smell the alcohol on her uncle's breath as he whipped around each corner. She found herself digging her hands into the truck's seat, just like she'd done before. She tried to focus on her breathing and calm herself down, but her pounding heart distracted her.
It seemed like they made the climb forever, bu
t finally the trees cleared and the house came into view.
The tall, two-story mansion loomed over them, no less sinister in the daytime. Its dark and grimy windows bore down on them, and they were the first things Jess's eyes shot to, remembering the dreams she'd been having lately and expecting to see something in them staring at her. But they were too dark to see what was inside, and the clearing around the house looked empty and peaceful. There were no other vehicles around, and no sign whatsoever that they had company.
Tyler slowly pulled the truck to a stop and put it in park. He glanced over at Jess, then he cut the engine. Silence poured over them and Jess could hear the ambience around them. But instead of spooky and nightmarish sounds, she heard the peaceful calls of distant birds and critters scampering through the woods. It threw her brain into a state of chaos as the peaceful serenity directly clashed with her terrible memories.
"Jess, are you okay?" Ashley asked again. "You look a little flush."
Jess momentarily took her eyes off the house to look at her friend. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just give me a second." Tyler and Ashley worriedly looked at her as she bent forward over the dog and drew in deep breaths. She didn't try to hide how rattled she was, but instead focused on what she needed to do to work through what could be a panic attack if she had let it take any more of a hold on her.
But with some careful attention, she got it under control. She sat up in her seat and looked over at her friends. "I'm okay," she reiterated. She stared out the window next to her and glanced down at the ground. She didn't know what she was looking for—maybe she was expecting to find some of her uncle's blood still on the loose gravel—but mostly she was just taking it all in. The scene still felt surreal to her, but she waited and gave herself some time for it all to soak in.
It was strange, but she could already feel some of her old memories fade a little. Her uncle standing in the headlights, bewildered and bleeding, flashed in her mind again, but then she looked to her left and saw her friends next to her, concerned, and her dog sitting in her lap and protecting her. And suddenly she realized that she didn't have a thing in the world to give a single care about.
Without any urging, Jess reached over and opened the door. Buddy roused from his sleep and stood up on their laps, shaking himself off and then hopping down into the footwell on the passenger side. Jess carefully climbed out of the truck and onto the ground, stretching her legs and staring out at the woods in front of her. Everything was lush and green, not at all how she remembered it from the previous time she was here. There was a certain vibrancy to everything, and her brain still had a hard time reconciling her memories with what she was seeing now. It was almost enough to convince her that what was in her memories hadn't happened to her at all, but she knew not to be that naïve.
Ashley slipped past Buddy and climbed out of the truck, and Tyler followed them on the other side. They both joined Jess's side as she stared up at the house again.
"Well... what does it feel like?" Ashley asked.
"I don't know," Jess said after a moment. "We'll have to see."
Ashley wanted to ask her if she was okay again, but she restrained herself, remembering that Jess asked her not to babysit.
Tyler leaned in the truck and reached behind the seat, pulling out his grandfather's rifle and slinging it over his shoulder. He wanted to prepare immediately and be ready to protect Jess if anything jumped out at them, but more than anything he just wanted to show her that she was safe.
"So we're going to go in there?" Jess asked, suddenly having a hard time believing that she agreed to this.
"We don't have to if you don't want," Ashley assured her.
Jess took another deep breath. "We can go check it out," she said as she stared off toward the spot in the woods where her uncle had wandered the night he died. "Let me just get Buddy."
She went over to the truck and grabbed his leash. He was sitting up on the seat, resting peacefully and staring at her with his brown eyes. "Okay Buddy, we're going to go on a little adventure. Are you up for it?"
She took his collar and tried to lead him out of the truck, but he wouldn't move.
"Buddy?"
The dog put his head down on the seat, and when she tried to pull him out again, he refused. He didn't make any noises or do anything alarming, but he seemed shyer than usual.
"What's wrong?" Tyler asked.
"Buddy doesn't want to come out," she said. "Maybe this isn't a good idea, guys."
"He's probably just not used to something new," he suggested. He moved around to the passenger side of the truck and helped her coax the dog out. It took a little bit of doing, but they finally got him to hop down onto the gravel.
Jess looked down and made a disapproving sound. "I don't like Buddy walking on this gravel," she said. "What if there's nails in it or something?" Her mind went back to her uncle smashing the vodka bottle on his car, and she was suddenly very conscious of any hidden dangers that lay in her dog's path.
"We'll be careful," Tyler said. "Are you ready?"
Jess looked back at the house. It was a bizarre sight in the daylight; the house frightened her just as much as last time, even though everything else around them seemed almost cheerful in the bright and warm sunlight. But there was no sign of anything in the house; no strange glows or other activity.
"Yeah, okay," she said. She took another deep breath and then she led Buddy toward the house. She and Tyler both walked in front of the dog, carefully inspecting the ground for anything that could injure his feet. They took it slowly, and Jess occasionally looked back up at the house looming over top of them.
She couldn't believe how monstrously large the house was the closer they got to it. It was definitely bigger than any house she'd seen, and she started to wonder exactly when it had been built, and the whole history behind it.
Ashley seemed to share the same thought, because she said "So what's the real story behind this house? I remember hearing a little about the people who built it and what happened to them, but I never heard much."
Tyler stared up at the balcony on the second floor high above their heads. "I remember my mom telling me about it when I was little. Some rich family built it, I think. I mean, well... obviously. But I think one of them went crazy one day. Something like he killed each person in his family, one by one. I think I heard that he trapped them all inside and killed one each day while the others tried to hide."
"No, those are just rumors that little kids used to whisper to each other," Ashley said. "Wasn't it that—"
As they approached the front steps leading up to the porch, Buddy suddenly dug his heels into the ground.
Jess stopped. "What's wrong, boy?"
He lowered his body to the ground and stared up at the front door, growling in a low voice.
Jess gave a little yank on his leash, but he refused to move, never taking his eyes off the house. "Guys, something's wrong," she said. "Buddy isn't usually like this."
Tyler looked down at the dog, worrying that Jess was going to change her mind. "I'm sure it's fine. He's probably just not used to seeing an old place like this."
But Buddy wouldn't stop growling. He let out a nasty bark, then went back to his low, guttural growl. His whole body was close to the ground, like he was ready to pounce.
Jess stared up at the house, and suddenly it seemed a lot more sinister than before. "No, I'm serious. Something's wrong. Buddy wouldn't act like this if it weren't. I don't think we should be here."
"Come on, Jess," Tyler urged. "We just got here."
She snapped at him. "You said if there was anything wrong, we could get in your truck and leave! Well Buddy's saying that something's wrong!"
Tyler took a breath and a calmer tone. "I'm sorry Jess, I didn't mean to upset you, and I don't know why Buddy's upset. But I was trying to say that everything seems okay; there's no one else here... it looks like the house is empty." He pulled the gun off his shoulder and cradled it in his arms. "I'm just saying that it might b
e worth taking a look inside first. We can keep Buddy in the truck or tie him up outside while we take a quick peek, and if it seems like anything's out of place, we'll grab your dog and leave."
"Tyler!" Ashley chastised. "Jess isn't comfortable with this!"
"It's okay, Ash," Jess said. "You're right, Tyler. I'm sorry. I'm just a little on edge. We can take a look around."
Her gut told her to run, but she was trying to tamp down her emotions and think logically for once. And her logic told her that there indeed didn't appear to be anyone else around, and that Tyler was armed. And if there was actually something going on with the house—if there was something unnatural in there that caused her uncle to harm himself—she knew she would turn around and run back to the truck immediately, Tyler or Ashley be damned.
"Do you want to put Buddy back in the truck?" Tyler asked.
Jess looked up at the sky. "No, it's too hot outside. Even with the windows down a little, he's gonna roast." She searched the outside of the house and found a water meter coming out of the façade away from the front steps. "We can tie him up there for now and take a quick look inside." She turned to Tyler with a stern look. "But I'm serious, if anything's amiss, we're leaving. Even if I have to drive your truck myself."
Tyler held his hand up. "You have my word."
Jess pulled Buddy away from the front steps and slowly led him over toward the water meter. "Okay boy, we're just going to tie you up out here for a little while and take a look inside. We won't be long." Buddy started to calm down as she dragged him away; he didn't seem too upset by the house itself, but rather by the prospect of going inside for some reason. Maybe Tyler was right and he just wasn't used to a creepy old house like this.
When he was tied up, Jess knelt and took some time to calm him down. She patted his head and snuggled him with kisses and reassuring words. He seemed to settle, and when she was sure he was okay, she turned back to her friends.
The Haunting of Bloodmoon House Page 6