The Ghosts of RedRise House

by Caroline Clark

  “What’s funny?” Jack passed her a sleeping bag and a couple of pillows.

  “Those two were pretty weird.”

  “I think they were hiding something, don’t you?”

  Shelly wondered about that. Maybe he was right and that’s all it was. “I bet they just need the money. They’re likely trying to give the house an air of mystery, but really they’re scared that we will leave and then this house will be just a drain once more.”

  “Did you have to pay them?”

  Shelly cursed her own stupidity. She had been careful to keep that part of the arrangement to herself, but she should have known it would come out eventually. “Yes.”

  “How much?”

  “Five hundred pounds.” She held her breath waiting for him to shout at her. It was the money she had saved for next term’s books. Without it, she would be in trouble. But her idea was that she could make that money back by selling their story, either to the press, or her favorite idea was to write a book and just sell the first few chapters to the press. “Don’t be mad at me.”

  “I couldn’t do that. And maybe you’re right. They just tried to make it all mysterious but instead made it super creepy.” He grabbed a couple more bags and nodded toward the door. “Or maybe they’re hiding the dastardly deeds that have played out here. Hiding all the ghosts they know are here. Hiding the death in which this house is shrouded.”

  Shelly laughed. It was exactly what she had hoped to find, and yet the thought of it sent a chill down her back and left her stomach rolling as if in cold grease. Then she remembered that the old man had said: no children had died here. If that was right then how did Rosie see all the ghosts of children?

  "They didn't even show us where our rooms are," Jack said, his arms still full of cushions and bags from the car.

  Shelly hardly heard him. There was something about this place that didn't feel right. It didn't feel how she’d expected. What she wanted was excitement, a glimpse into another world with the chance to change things and to help others. What she felt was desolation and despair. Instead of exciting her it scared her, and that was something she had never come across before.

  Jack put a hand on her shoulder.

  Shelly jumped.

  "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, but I have to admit this place gives me the willies."

  Shelly nodded and tried to calm her racing heart. "I guess it should. It is a big ass haunted house, after all." She raised her eyebrows and mocked him a little. "The big bad ghost hunter scared of an empty house?"

  Jack shrugged his shoulders. "Yes, a little." He winked, and it sent a different kind of shiver through her. "I guess I am a bit nervous but at least I’ve got you here to protect me."

  He was mocking now and it lightened the mood. They both relaxed and felt more at ease.

  "Why don't we get settled in and order some food," Jack said. "Now, where was our room again?"

  "This way." Shelly grabbed a handful of gear and walked across the hardwood floor. Her footsteps echoed. The further she walked, the louder it got. The sound mocked her and conveyed to her how alone they really were. She wouldn't let this foolish weakness of hers destroy their chance to learn more. Finding out about ghosts, finding out how to communicate with them had been an obsession with her for years now. It was the most important thing in her life, and just a dark empty house wasn't gonna scare her away.

  Behind her, she could hear Jack hurrying along, his footsteps shuffling across the floor. She could sense the fear he felt and was determined not to let it bother her, so she made her own steps confident. Tap, tap, tap, the sound of her heels echoed around the house and floated across the ether on and on and on, endlessly echoing.

  Turning past the stairs the air felt colder, but she shrugged it off. It was a big house and there were bound to be drafts. The corridor leading away from them was lit by two small wall sconces. One was just at the start and the other halfway down the hallway. Beyond that was darkness. It gave the impression that the corridor went on forever. Ignoring the optical illusion, she walked along the hallway to the first door. It was on her right: a beautifully carved solid mahogany door. Turning the handle, she stepped inside. The room was pitch black. She had expected the light from the hallway to filter in and give her some view. Darkness surrounded her, as if the door had closed her in a tomb. Her breath caught in her throat, her heart pounded and for a moment she couldn’t move. Dropping the gear, she turned and ran straight into Jack.

  Jack let go of everything and grabbed hold of Shelly. “Hey, hey, you’re okay,” he whispered.

  “It’s so dark. I hate the dark.” She really did. Things could hide in the dark… things that wanted to hurt you. She never knew where these thoughts came from... she had always been afraid of the dark, especially after what had happened before. But now she was acting stupid. She had to get a grip and control her emotions. After all, this was her dream. This was a job she had agreed to do and she was going to do it, no matter what the darkness held in store.

  Light flooded the room and she was staring at Jack’s smiling face. He raised his eyebrows and gave her a smile. “You are going to like this,” he said.

  Shelly nodded and stayed within the safety of his arms. Part of her wanted to stay there forever, but it was Jack who moved back and turned her around.

  The room was magnificent. Romantic. Opulent. Sumptuous. “OMG, it’s... it’s amazing.”

  Before them was a huge room dominated by a four-poster bed. It was draped in the deepest crimson and finished with a heavy crimson comforter. Part of her wanted to squeal with delight. This was the sort of room that she had always dreamed of staying in and suddenly color touched her cheeks. This was the perfect room for a romantic getaway, just her and Jack, but that was not why they were here.

  “This is amazing,” she said again and turned around, being careful not to trip over their gear. Shelly was always tripping up, always getting lost, and always going places too quickly. But everything had brought her here. Suddenly the house felt right and all her fears were forgotten, for now.

  As she turned she noticed the walls were a dark cream. The floor was mainly the same hardwood as the rest of the house, covered with a bright red shaggy rug. Blood red came to mind but she pushed the thought aside.

  “There’s only one bed,” Jack said. “Did you mention... we’re not a couple?”

  Shelly wanted to shout, why not, but instead she shrugged. “I did. It doesn’t matter. We’ve shared a room before. Sleeping bags.” To push home the point, she picked one of the bags up and threw it onto the bed.

  “Maybe that’s another bedroom.”

  Shelly turned to see Jack was pointing at a door across the room on the left.

  “Or that one.” Jack pointed in the opposite direction.

  Shelly hadn’t noticed the doors when she turned around, but now they were as obvious as... doors.

  “Let’s explore.” Stepping over their gear, she headed to the door on the right first. The handle was brass and cold to the touch. When she turned it there was resistance, and for a moment she imagined someone was holding the handle on the other side. Letting go, she gasped and stepped back.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s cold. Made me jump,” she said quickly.

  “Here, let me.” Jack stepped forward and turned the handle. “It’s cold and stiff. Maybe it’s swollen with the damp?”

  He grunted and turned the handle and pushed the door open.

  Once more the room was black inside, like a black hole that had sucked all the light from the universe and wouldn’t let anymore enter. Why was she having such foolish thoughts? It was just a room with the light off.

  Jack stepped in and fumbled in the darkness. She heard him pull a cord and a dull yellow light flickered for a few moments before brightening to the strength of a candle on a foggy day.

  Shelly stepped into the somber looking room. It was small but lovely. The walls were half wood-paneled and pai
nted in battleship gray. The floor was covered in gray quarry tiles. The main feature was a cast iron roll-top bath which stood on claw feet in the center of the room.

  An antique sink stood below a round, cracked mirror next to the bath. The matching toilet stood on the other side of the bath. Then there were two matching white racks of white towels.

  “Well, I’m looking forward to trying that out. It’s huge,” Jack said before turning and leaving the room.

  Shelly found herself looking in the mirror. It showed a reflection of gray. Nothing but gray. And something about it disturbed her.

  When Shelly turned, Jack was already at the other door. She wanted to shout, to warn him not to open it, but she couldn’t. Her mouth opened but her throat was dry and no words came out. Why was she behaving like a school girl frightened of her own shadow?

  Jack turned the handle and stepped into the other room. It was as if he had simply vanished. She raced across the bedroom to find him standing in a study. It was also a beautiful and luxurious room. She imagined sitting in it and looking over the notes and videos they would make. Feeling much better about things, she walked into the room and stared in awe.

  It was an extravagant room with a large hardwood desk and an old-fashioned captain’s chair. On the desk was a cream blotter in a leather frame and an antique ink pen rested on its own stand.

  Looking around, she could see the walls were painted in a deep russet. It should have appeared dark and depressing. Instead, it made the room look big and grand. The drapes were an even stronger orange-brown. They deeply complemented the walls. Ignoring the urge to run her fingers over the curtains, she took in the four chairs upholstered in velvet that matched the curtains, they were arranged around the room. On the hardwood floor there was a pale ochre shag pile rug that she had the sudden urge to stand on in her bare feet and wiggle her toes. It would no doubt feel wonderful.

  “No bed, so it looks like we’re sharing,” she said and turned to see Jack flush crimson. Ignoring him, she went back into the bedroom and started sorting out their gear. “Let’s put this lot away and then we can order some food. While we’re waiting we can set up the cameras.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Jack said from behind her.

  Quickly she arranged her sleeping bag on the right side of the bed. She always slept on that side. She knew she had her quirks and this was one of them. She had to sleep on her left side and liked to sleep closest to the edge of the bed and, if possible, facing the door. So, she chose the side with two doors hoping that Jack would guard the other one for her.

  Grabbing her pillows, she placed them on the bed only to find that Jack was laying his sleeping bag down on the floor.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  A blush chased across his cheeks, and he lowered his head and cleared his throat. These were all signs of discomfort and she hated to see him like this.

  “Jack, we shared a bed all through the trial with no difficulties. There is a separate bathroom, so what is the problem?”

  He cleared his throat again and looked up at her. “I think it’s better if I stay down here. The bed... well that bed...”

  Shelly understood what he meant. The bed was designed for romance. Still, she was annoyed.

  An uneasy silence grew between them as they packed away their gear. Once it was done they stood facing each other, the silence growing.

  This was ridiculous. Shelly pulled out her phone. “What are we eating?”

  Jack laughed, relieved. They were back on easy ground. “I could manage with just a foo yung, but knowing how hungry you always are... should we share a set meal for three?”

  Shelly nodded and clicked the stored number.

  “I just don’t know where you put it. You’re like a bottomless pit.”

  “Thanks,” she said, wishing he would think of her in other terms, but before she could say anything the restaurant answered.

  Shelly ordered the meal. “What’s the address for delivery?” the young girl asked.

  “RedRise House, it’s...”

  “We know where it is. I’m not sure the driver will go out there.”

  Now what? Shelly thought. “Is it too far?”

  “No...”

  Silence mocked her. “Hello, are you still there?”

  “Yes... the house has a reputation. Most of the locals are afraid of it. You shouldn’t be there.”

  “Oh, don’t worry. We’re professional ghost hunters. We know what we’re doing.” Even though she sounded confident, Shelly was disturbed by the warning. But why? She knew this house was haunted. That was their whole reason for coming here.

  “Let me check with the driver. He’s just come in.”

  Shelly heard her put the phone down and raised her eyebrows at Jack. He was standing there looking like a lost puppy. Maybe he had realized how insulting his bottomless pit and stick insect analogies were, but he couldn’t say anything yet to make her feel better.

  “Hello. Yes, the driver says he will deliver, but it will be an extra fiver. Is that okay?”

  Shelly thought about it; they could probably drive and collect the meal cheaper, but if she left the house would she dare come back in? “That’s fine.”

  “Great. It will be about an hour.”

  “Thanks.” The phone had already gone dead, so she popped her own phone back in her pocket and turned to Jack. “About an hour.”

  “Lovely. I... I... look I didn’t mean you were like a bottomless pit or a stick insect as I said earlier. You are beautiful and a real woman... I just meant... well I wanted to say...”

  “I know what you meant and I’m just torturing you. I’ve always needed to eat loads to keep at this weight. Most of the time it’s great, but occasionally I just wish I could eat a little less. It would be a bit easier on the food budget.”

  “I never thought I’d hear someone say that,” Jack laughed.

  Shelly nodded and laughed with him. The awkwardness had gone. “Let’s set up the laptop in the office and then some cameras around the house.”

  Jack nodded and followed her into the office. Shelly moved the blotter, but as she did it caught the light and she saw the indentations of what had previously been written on it. For a moment she was intrigued. “Look!”

  Jack took it from her. “I see. Do you have a pencil? We can do a rubbing.” He placed the blotter down and made the motions with his hand.

  Shelly wanted to laugh but she knew he would be upset. He could be so sensitive at times. It was one of the things she loved about him. So, she turned quickly, grabbed her bag and pulled out a pencil.

  Jack lightly rubbed the pencil across the paper and let out a gasp. He dropped the pencil and stepped back.

  Shelly peered over his shoulder and felt her blood turn to ice.

  54

  Her eyes narrowed, and the words swam in and out of focus. Surely she couldn’t be seeing this, surely it was a mistake. “J... Jack is that what you see?”

  “I see it,” he said. “Though I wish I didn’t.”

  Showing white against the gray of the pencil was Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die. Over and over again.

  Shelly picked up the pencil and traced more lead across the rest of the page. Sure enough, the words continued. Some were small, some large, some in capitals but all down the page was just that one word.

  Die, Die, Die, DIE, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, Die, Die, Die, Die, die, Die, Die, die, DIE, Die, Die, die, Die, Die, Die, die, Die, Die, Die, Die, Die, DIE.

  Then it dawned on her. “This has to be the Duncan’s they have done this to scare us. At least they didn’t write all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

  Shelly was laughing now, she had almost convinced herself that was the truth.

  Jack looked less convinced.

  “We could always leave.”

&
nbsp; “No way, miss out on all that lovely Chinese.”

  Jack shrugged. “It was just a thought, so you really think it was that creepy old couple? That they would have enough of a sense of humor to do this?”

  “Not the sense of humor, they probably don’t even see the significance, they have probably never watched The Shining, but they did this.”

  “What if they didn’t?”

  Shelly’s heart missed a beat, but she laughed. “Isn’t that why we’re here?”

  Jack nodded.

  Shelly grabbed the cameras and recording equipment they had. It wasn’t much. She had borrowed a bit from the university, without asking, and had an old camcorder. Then she had got some webcams that she was going to set up wirelessly. She reckoned she could cover the hallway, maybe some of the upstairs rooms, the kitchen and one or two in here. All she had to decide was where to start.

  The problem was they hadn’t covered anything like this in her course, and she was lost. Dithering on the spot, she started to wonder if Jack was right. No, fear was stupid.

  “So, where do we start?” Jack asked.

  “We will set a couple up in these rooms and then find the kitchen.”

  “Nice to see you have your priorities sorted.”

  Shelly nodded and soon they had one camera set up to cover the office and entrance to the bedroom. The other one covered some of the bedroom and some of the bathroom. She checked they were linked to the laptop and then set off back down the hall.

  “Slow down,” Jack called as he hurried after her.

  Shelly peered over her shoulder and laughed but kept going. If she slowed down the incessant tap, tap, tap of her footsteps would drive her insane.

  Crossing the entrance hall, it got even worse. The tap, tap seemed to surround her. It was as if an army of footsteps were converging on her location. Ignoring the hallway opposite them, she crossed to the door which had to be the kitchen.

  Opening the door, she scrabbled for a light switch. The wall felt cold, damp and she wanted to pull her hand away but she couldn’t, just as panic was taking over, she found the switch and clicked it on.