“Breakfast is on!” she yelled.
She heard rustling inside. “Alright,” Rachel croaked. “Give me a few minutes.”
She turned and walked back down the hallway, passing the bathroom door. Inside she could hear water running, and a quick image of Robert inside, naked, water pouring off his body, popped into her mind. She let it stay there while she returned to the kitchen and chatted with Granger until everyone was up and running.
Robert was out the door at ten to eight, saying he’d return before 8:15. Granger explained that the surplus shop wasn’t more than twenty blocks away.
Robert came back with a plain, square cardboard box. Eliza opened the top, seeing and smelling the rubber of the mask, with Rachel looking over her shoulder.
“Stinks,” Rachel muttered.
“Yeah,” Eliza said, closing the box. “I’d hate to have that on my head.”
They loaded into Granger’s tiny Fiat and made their way back to Pitmon House. The sun was starting to warm things up, but Eliza kept her jacket on, knowing there was no heat inside the residence. As they passed through the large iron gate, she was glad they had waited until daylight to proceed, even if the gas mask had forced the issue. At night the building looked much more terrifying. During the day, she hoped she’d be able to see more.
Once inside, Granger passed around the flask, encouraging them all to drink. They climbed the first flight of stairs, their flashlights off, and stopped on the landing.
Eliza looked across the sitting area to the far wall where the second story stairs continued up. It appeared empty. Is it there, just out of sight? she wondered.
They passed the door to Reid’s room and made their way around the landing until they were at the base of the stairs. This time, looking up, she could see light in the hallway beyond. They ascended.
“Easier over here,” Rachel said. “Not as much pressure.”
“We noticed that last night,” Granger replied. “Whatever’s causing it, it’s strong on the other side of the house.”
As they crested the stairs, a long hallway appeared in front of them. The carpet runner extended from the stairs right down the hall. At the far end Eliza thought it might be a dead end; noting how the carpet ran, she decided it was a T, and you could turn right or left. There were four or five doors on each side of the hallway before you got to that point; each of the doors looked exactly the same. A couple of them had transoms, which were closed.
“This is it,” Robert said, reaching for the handle to Agnes’ room and turning it. He pushed the door open, and they went inside.
It was brightly lit; large windows that faced the front yard of the house extended from waist height to the ceilings. Eliza expected the wood floorboards under her feet to creak as she walked, but they were rock-solid. She reminded herself of Keith’s Pitmon’s money, and how the craftsmanship involved in constructing the place meant it was likely to remain resistant to the decrepitude visited upon most old, unused houses.
Robert placed the cardboard box that contained the gas mask on the bed. “Agnes!” he called out, Granger having suggested that Robert should lead the attempt to contact her. “Agnes! We’ve brought protection for you! Now come out and speak to me. Speak to us. We want to talk to you. You’ve nothing to fear from us.”
Eliza noticed Robert dropping into the River, so she joined him. Once she was in the flow, she looked around the room, hoping to see the ghost. Nothing appeared.
Agnes! Robert asked again. I’ve done as you asked. Come and speak with me.
Eliza just happened to be looking at Robert when she saw the depression on his shirt, a hand pressing against his stomach, sliding downward. She glanced up to his face, and could tell by his expression he was being manhandled.
Come out, Agnes! Eliza said, jumping into the process, hoping that the presence of another woman in the room would cause Agnes to back off Robert. He looked at her, aware of what she was doing. He smiled.
The box flew from the bed, rising through the air as it went, slamming against the dresser. The gas mask spilled from the container and rolled on the floor, stopped by the tubing that extended from the mouth and terminated in a small filter cartridge. The box fell next to it, and Eliza watched as the box was flattened, stomped on by feet she couldn’t see.
It’s for you! Robert said. You wanted something to protect you, remember? I brought it for you!
Eliza saw the gas mask rise from the floor. An invisible hand slipped it over a head, and it sat suspended in the air at face height. It moved toward her, and Eliza stood her ground, waiting as the mask stopped just inches from her face and tilted slightly. She was being examined.
In a flash the mask moved to Rachel, looked her up and down, sliding behind her, checking her out from all angles. It moved quickly to Granger, and then rapidly back to Robert.
You see? Robert said. You’re safe now. You’re safe while you’re with us.
Eliza could sense the faintest fog of white appearing inside and around the mask. It was too vague to call a person, and it twisted and moved like wisps of smoke. The mask shifted until it was directly in front of Robert’s face, and Eliza could see the wisps moving toward him, reaching out at waist height, swirling around his groin. Robert inhaled a sudden gasp of air, and took a step back.
Now, now, Agnes! Robert said. We hardly know each other!
The mask moved to follow him, and Robert stepped back again.
What’s happening to him? Rachel asked Granger.
Robert turned to her. She’s…trying to stimulate me.
Rachel stepped forward. Listen, bitch! Back off!
The mask turned to Rachel, then retreated.
Is this your wife? Eliza heard, a weak, old voice, barely emanating from the voicemitter in the mask.
Yes, I’m his wife! Rachel said. Keep your bitch-ass hands to yourself!
The mask tilted down. No ring, Agnes observed.
Reid Pitmon, Robert said, trying to move the subject to their reason for being there. He told his father that you know a lot about other people here in the house. Is that true? Do you know a lot, Agnes?
The mask turned to look back up at Robert’s face. Reid? The frail voice said. A fussbudget. Speaks like he minds his own business, but he’s always up in everyone’s. I wouldn’t believe anything he told you.
Do you know Yessler? Robert asked. That’s who we really wanted to talk with you about.
Yessler? Agnes said. Oh, you mean Kendall! She laughed.
Is that who Yessler is? Robert asked. Kendall?
He called his sorry business Yessler Enterprises, Agnes replied. He had no head for business or money. He could have been called Rockefeller and he’d still have been a poor sod of a man. I feel sorry for him, I really do. No man should be cuckolded the way he has been. Shameful. Do you know what? I think he liked it! I think he liked their abuse! How perverted!
Kendall was married? Robert asked.
Marvin kept an eye on them, Agnes said. That’s how I know about their sex games, and the way Tena would make him masturbate while she had sex with Dominic, right in front of him! Can you imagine the humiliation? Beyond scandal, and going on right here in this house, with decent people living on either side of them! Tena was a disease, let me tell you! When she first moved here, she seemed normal enough, but the longer she associated with Dominic, the more twisted she became. They fed off each other’s perversion. Two peas in a pod.
Eliza noticed that the more Agnes talked, the more her personage began to take shape; instead of just wisps of white, she now had edges that defined her body.
Marvin told me all about it, Agnes continued. They became so wrapped up in their sick ways, they started abusing other people for pleasure, starting with Kendall. Imagine a man who wouldn’t stand up for himself, who actually likes being made fun of, being forced by his own wife and her lover! I think it’s depraved, don’t you?
Suddenly Agnes raised her hands to her throat, coughing and spitting, struggling
for air. She tore at the mask and ripped it from her head, tossing it to the ground where it landed with a thud. Then she froze, as though someone had pressed a pause button, and she slowly faded until she was gone.
Agnes! Robert called. Agnes! Are you there?
They waited, Robert calling, hoping the ghost would return. After ten minutes they gave up. Eliza dropped from the River and saw the gas mask lying on the floor.
“Not a lot to go on,” Granger said. “Come on, let’s get out of here while things are still quiet.”
They followed Granger from the room and down the stairs. Eliza kept looking back over her shoulder, wanting to be sure they weren’t being followed as they rounded the landing and made their way down the main staircase.
Once they reached the porch, Rachel said, “She sure seemed titillated.”
“I can see why Reid was concerned,” Robert said. “That’s some interesting family secrets to be spilling.”
“The problem is we need more than that,” Granger said. “If that’s her cycle, we’ve got to find a way to stop her going on about Tena and Dominic, so we can talk to her about Kendall before she asphyxiates again.”
“We did get names,” Robert said. “Kendall, Tena, and Dominic. And she mentioned Marvin, like Reid did.”
“It gives us other people to contact,” Granger said. “So it wasn’t entirely useless.”
“And you got a little thrill out of it!” Rachel said, giving Robert a smile.
“I propose we try one of them,” Granger said. “If none of them pan out, we can try again with Agnes.”
“Where do you want to do it?” Robert asked.
“Let’s try the landing,” Granger replied.
Chapter Thirteen
Eliza sat in the couch on the landing, looking at Robert sitting across from her. Behind him she had a view of the second story staircase.
“Are you sure we shouldn’t do this downstairs?” Rachel asked.
“Typically you want physical proximity,” Granger replied. “This is as close to the second floor as we can safely get without actually being on it.”
“I don’t like this, either,” Eliza said. “I know Nick indicated the second floor as the problem, but you were attacked here on the landing, Granger. I vote downstairs.”
“Alright,” Granger replied. “If both of you feel strongly about it, that’s what we’ll do.”
Eliza rose from the couch, relieved that they weren’t going to conduct the trance on the landing. They walked downstairs to the large entryway, and chose a collection of oversize chairs near the fireplace, dragging them together to form a circle. Eliza considered removing the dust cloth from her chair, then abandoned the idea and sat in it.
“A trance is sometimes a better way to go for reaching spirits that don’t want to be contacted,” Granger said. “After I drop into the River, I’ll construct a trance and try to contact one of the names Agnes gave us. It can take ten or fifteen minutes before I get deep enough, so be patient.”
“Which one first?” Robert asked.
“Might as well go for Kendall,” Eliza said. “He’s the one we really want to talk to.”
“Alright, Kendall it is,” Granger said. “It’s always a good idea to have one person stay out and keep an eye on our physical bodies.”
“I’ll do it,” Eliza offered. “You all know what you’re doing with the trance thing. I’d probably just slow you down.”
“That’s fine,” Granger replied. “Robert and Rachel, if I’m successful in contacting Kendall, I’ll open the trance to you, and you’ll be able to participate in the conversation — if he’s conversant. Eliza, if you need to revive us, drop into the River and warn us, and I’ll end the trance. Everyone good?”
They all nodded, and Granger lowered his chin to his chest. Eliza watched as Robert and Rachel closed their eyes. She knew they’d all dropped, leaving her on guard. She didn’t like how her chair was positioned; she was facing the fireplace instead of the staircase, and didn’t feel correctly oriented to watch for approaching danger, which she assumed would come from the stairs. She slowly and quietly pushed her chair back until it turned a little, offering a better view of the entryway and the staircase beyond. She considered standing so she could pace while the others participated in the trance, but thought it might distract them, so she decided against it.
After several minutes she noticed that Granger’s breathing had changed; it was slower and deeper. His head bobbed a little as he took in air and expelled it. She wondered what he was seeing, what he was trying to communicate to Kendall. As the moments passed, she made a routine of turning her head to check the stairwell. Everything remained quiet and still, except for the sound of Granger’s breathing.
It seemed like a half hour, although she supposed it was closer to ten or fifteen minutes, when Granger slowly raised his head and Robert and Rachel opened their eyes.
“Well?” Eliza sked.
“Nothing,” Robert replied.
“Either he’s in hiding and doesn’t want to talk,” Granger said, “or he moved on to the other side, and isn’t available.”
“Damn,” Eliza said, her hopes dropping.
“We can still try to contact Tena,” Robert said.
“Or the other name, what was it?” Rachel asked.
“Dominic,” Granger replied. “Let’s give that a shot. Tena first. You still good with watching over us, Eliza?”
“Completely good,” Eliza replied, standing up. “Do I have to sit? It’s driving me crazy.”
“As long as you’re quiet, it doesn’t matter,” Granger said.
Eliza stood and walked around to the back of the chair, resting her hands on it. “OK, I’ll be silent. Good luck.”
Granger lowered his head once again.
From her standing position, Eliza could see past the entryway and into the area beyond the fireplace. Large mounds of white were everywhere, furniture covered with dust cloths, looking like a silent zoo of stationary pale animals. She wondered what horror movie she’d seen in the past where the shapes moved when you weren’t watching them, and couldn’t remember the title.
She turned back to look at the staircase. Still nothing. She realized she’d been holding her breath, worried that something might come down; carefully she released the air, not wanting to disturb the others.
The minutes passed. Eliza split her attention between the shapes in the other room and the staircase. As Granger’s breath deepened in the same manner as his previous attempt, she began to feel alarmed; a prickling ran along the skin of her forearms. She looked down at them and saw the faint, translucent hairs rise a little.
Something’s happening, she thought.
She looked at the stairs; still nothing. Back to the shapes in the other room. No movement. Nothing had changed.
Then she felt the hair on the back of her neck rise, and she knew something was behind her.
She turned slowly. Whatever was there, it wasn’t visible. She looked for any kind of optical disturbance, something along the lines of the wisps she’d seen of Agnes, but whatever was there, it didn’t give itself away.
I should drop, she thought. I should enter the River and see what it is. If I need to warn the others, I need to be in the River.
She let herself slip into the flow, and as she did, all remaining hairs on her body stood on end. Floating in the air ten feet from her was the personage of a woman, dressed in a long white nightgown. The toes of her feet drug along the floor as her body moved to the right. Eliza looked up at her face, but didn’t make it all the way to her head before being stopped by the disturbing sight of her throat; its skin had been removed, exposing the interior of the trachea. She stopped moving, and Eliza tore her eyes away from the throat to look at her face. She knew it was Tena; she could sense it.
And she was angry. Very angry.
Her eyes were squinting and her eyebrows poked out. She looked furious.
Suddenly the personage began moving toward her,
and Eliza realized she needed to warn the others. As she turned, she saw something else, another apparition, at the base of the stairs. At first she wondered if it was the creature she’d seen before, but knew instantly it wasn’t; two red eyes watched her from a fog of darkness that was moving rapidly toward her. A puff of flame appeared in the center of the fog, like a lighter trying to ignite. It puffed again, and a third time.
She turned to the others. Do I yell at them? Shake them? she wondered. She tried both.
Robert and Rachel’s eyes opened at the same time. Robert shot to his feet and turned to examine the room. Once she saw that they’d come out of the trance, Eliza dropped from the River.
The woman was gone. No, Eliza thought. She’s not gone; she’s still there, I just can’t see her.
The dark cloud had disappeared from view as well, but Eliza sensed it was still present. She could hear the sound the flame made as it tried to burst to life.
“What?” Robert asked Eliza. Rachel rose from her seat.
“A woman,” Eliza said, pointing. “Over there. Floating. And a black fog that came from the stairs. There were two red eyes inside it. And it looked like…”
Flame burst forward, a quick plume of heat and light that erupted from a single point and grew to gigantic proportions. It wrapped around Rachel in an instant, igniting her hair and clothing. Rachel screamed.
Robert flew at Rachel, knocking her to the ground and rolling on top of her, trying to extinguish the flames. Eliza turned to help, but noticed Granger still out, his head fallen to one side. He appeared defenseless.
Eliza dropped into the River and approached Granger, trying to revive him. The black cloud had moved behind Granger; Eliza saw the red eyes, centered on the man, preparing for another attack. She knew if she didn’t do something, the next burst of flame would take him.
She dropped from the River and grabbed Granger by the lapels, pulling him out of the chair and onto the floor on top of her. As his weight landed on her, she saw the billow of flame roar overhead, narrowly missing them both.
The Haunting of Pitmon House Page 14