The Ghosts of RedRise House

by Caroline Clark

  Placing the wooden toy on the ground, she spun it, faster, harder than this weakened child was able.

  His big eyes were wide in his face, and he clapped his hands with delight. Only there was no sound, and that seemed to make him sad. Picking up the top he nodded to her and then walked through the wall.

  Shelly's heart was beating so fast. Part of it was exhilaration, the thrill of meeting a spirit and the joy of seeing him smile. But another part of her was terrified for Jack, did the boy want her to follow him? Would he lead her to Jack or was this just another dead end?

  Quickly she got up and sprinted to the door, there he was in the corridor, fainter now. She could see the walls through him, could see the corridor behind him. And she noticed the air was getting warmer. Did that mean he was going? If he did, she’d better hurry.

  "Take me to Jack, please."

  He nodded and turned to walk toward the stairs. As he got to the top he turned again and smiled at her, then he beckoned with his hand and stepped onto the stairwell.

  There were about 15 feet between them, Shelly ran so that she could keep him in her view, but when she got there, he was gone. She spun around looking this way and that way. Down the corridors and then back down the stairs but he was nowhere to be found.

  "Where are you? Where did you go?"

  There was no answer just the empty corridor. Once more the lights dimmed. Going down so low that it was almost dark.

  Shelly's heart pounded against her chest, her knees were weak. Fatigue, worry, despair weighed down heavily on her, and once more she was unsure what to do. Then she heard a sound scraping along the corridor in front of her.

  Looking up she saw a young girl. The girl's head was down, long brown hair hung over her shoulders. It was dirty and tangled as was the apron that covered her dress. The hem was tatty around her ankles and showed her dirty bare feet. She had a stick that she was scraping along the floor.

  "I'm Shelly can you help me?"

  The girl looked up, she looked like she could be twelve years old, much older than the boy, but still thin and dirty. There was no smile on her face, and her eyes were cold and cynical. Much too bitter for one so young.

  This way, once more the words were in her head.

  The girl turned and walked down the corridor dragging her stick in the opposite direction that Shelly had been searching.

  Part of Shelly wanted to run down the stairs. To see if she could find the boy. He was much more welcoming, much less scary, and yet he had gone, and the girl was here. Knowing in her heart that time was limited she had to follow the girl.

  As she set off she watched the girl, she would walk so far scraping her stick alone the carpet and then she would flicker out of existence, appearing a little further down the corridor. Every now and then she turned and looked to check that Shelly was following, but there was no smile or warmth in her eyes and Shelly wondered if she was being led to her doom.

  The girl was gone again Shelly stopped. Should she follow? Her knees were weak her breath was coming in desperate gasps, and the sense of panic was growing stronger and stronger by the second. But if she didn't follow where would she go? There were still rooms downstairs to be searched, but there were still rooms up here, and on the next floor to be searched. In the end, it was quicker to search these first, so she walked down the corridor as confidently as she could.

  The girl flickered into existence right at the end, she turned and looked at one door, and then disappeared.

  Shelly followed, but the closer she got to the door the colder it became, and the air was filled with the stench of decay. This could not be good. She wanted to turn around but what if Jack was here? What if he needed her help?

  She stood before the door the girl had disappeared through. It was closed, she reached out to turn the handle. For a moment nothing happened, it was firm in her hand, and she couldn’t move it. She was so close to turning around, but with one more try the handle moved, and she pushed the door open.

  The air was fetid and cold, and it was even darker inside the room. But she stepped in without hesitation reaching for her phone to provide some light.

  The door slammed shut behind her.

  Shelly dropped the phone and turned to grab the handle. It was so dark. Something moved behind her. Footsteps, dragging across the wooden floor. They were close, too close.

  In panic, her hands flailed at the door. Searching for the handle but she couldn't find it. Her fingers scraped across the wood, breaking a nail and bruising the ends but she didn’t feel a thing. The thing behind her moved closer and closer.

  No matter how much she searched, she couldn’t find the handle. She was trapped here, trapped with whatever was hiding in the darkness.

  63

  Once outside of the secure hospital and with their phones back in their possession Jesse dialed the number that Shelly and Jack had left. The phone rang and rang before eventually going to voicemail.

  "You reached Shelly, leave me some love at the tone." The message was so upbeat it seemed surreal.

  "They're not answering, we will keep trying."

  Gail nodded, her shoulders were stiff, and she didn't look him in the eye. She was still angry.

  It didn't take them long to prepare. The Jeep was packed with everything they needed. All of it packed away neatly in its own compartment, and all ready to go.

  "I know you're angry with me," he said as he slammed the back door. "I really didn't think the house was a problem."

  Gail opened the passenger door and turned to look at him. "I understand, but you need to trust me more. We work together now, this is our business, and the decisions should be made as a team."

  Jesse nodded. "I know... I just thought... I thought you would think I was paranoid." He shrugged.

  Gail laughed and gave him a big smile that told him the argument was forgotten. "I know you're paranoid," she said with a wink before jumping into the car and closing the door.

  Jesse ran around to the driver’s side and climbed in with a big grin on his face. Though he knew they were going into danger, he was also stoked for the possibilities and for the good they could do. This was a real situation. The young Ghost Hunters needed them but more than that, so did the children, who were trapped there. How he wished they could have freed them before this happened, but then, hindsight was a wonderful thing.

  Turning the jeep away from the hospital they took the narrow roads a few miles to the roundabout and then they were on the A1. It would take them a couple of hours to get to the house, but they were on their way.

  After a while, they pulled up to eat.

  "Do we really have time for this?" Gail asked.

  Jesse knew she was in a hurry. Since she had believed in spirits and since she had been able to contact them, she had become hooked. Right now all she wanted to do was rush in and if he let her, she would. The problem was that could be dangerous.

  "I know you're in a hurry, but Rosie was trapped in that house for days. Unable to escape, unable to contact anyone. If that happens to us, we need a few supplies with us, and we want a decent meal inside of us. Though it seems like a waste of time, it is worth it."

  Gail nodded, and they entered the services. Quickly Jesse grabbed a few things from the shop. Crisps, chocolate, and drinks. They were all things that could be eating easily and would provide instant energy, even if they would also provide a sugar rush. It didn't matter, for what they were going into it would keep them going. Then they went to the restaurant and had a quick meal. This time they both chose something with plenty of protein. Within 20 minutes they were back on the road with Gail driving.

  “I know you feel guilty about Rosie,” Gail said.

  Jesse nodded but said nothing. He didn’t trust his voice. Of course, he felt guilty. They had freed her from the spirit but not in time. People had died, and she had ended up in a secure mental hospital probably for the rest of her life.

  “It wasn’t your fault,” Gail said.

&nbs
p; Jesse sighed. “I know, I just wish we could have stopped it sooner.”

  “We saved her life, we saved a lot of other lives. Suck it up and get over it.”

  Jesse laughed. “That actually helped.”

  “I know you.”

  Jesse nodded. She did, and she knew that flimsy condolences wouldn’t help. At the end of the day what was done couldn’t be changed, they had to look forward. There were new lives in danger, and he would fail if he were stuck in the past.

  “I’m gonna see who I can contact, you okay to drive?”

  “Yeah, you go ahead.”

  Jesse relaxed back and tried to contact his spirit guides. Something most people didn't know was that we all have them. They are there to help us in our time of need. Though some could be mischievous and others could even be dangerous. Jesse had three that he knew of, his grandmother Sylvia who had only just started communicating with him after years of ignoring him. An old man who used to haunt him as a child and who had helped on occasion. Jesse knew very little about him, and he still didn't trust the laughing ghost’s motives. And then there was the dog he had as a child. A big brindle boxer full of love and loyalty to the end and beyond. Rose was the easiest of his spirit guides to contact. In the past she had helped him and saved Gail's life, however, it was hard to communicate with her and even she at times deserted him.

  This time no one would contact him, not even the dog. It always worried him when this happened. Did it mean they thought he shouldn't go? Or, as Sylvia had once said to him, that he didn't need their help? She had also told him that if he relaxed and let go, he could be sensitive again. What she hadn't told him, was how to relax, and so far he hadn’t mastered it.

  The journey took longer than they expected and by the time they arrived at the house, it was well and truly dark. Gail pulled up alongside a blue Clio. Brambles and grass had grown all around the car. Some even snaked across the bonnet. It looked as if the vehicle had been dumped there months ago and yet they knew it was less than two days.

  They got out of the vehicle, and Jesse pulled his phone from his pocket and tried calling Shelly once more. This time his phone wouldn't connect, he looked at it to see that there was no signal. Of course, there was no signal, this could never be easy.

  "What should we take?" Gail asked as she came up beside him. "Meters, cameras, the EMF?"

  Jesse smiled and walked to the back of the vehicle he grabbed an EMF meter, though he doubted they would need it, and put it in a small rucksack with the food. Then he grabbed an extra bottle of Holy Water and an additional torch and handed those to Gail.

  "We don't need most of the stuff. We know there are spirits here, we know this is a hostile haunting. What we need is stuff to send these ghosts back, that's what I intend to do."

  Moonlight gave them some visibility and they looked up at RedRise House. Jesse felt a shiver run down his back. It was a big house, impressive and looked in reasonable condition but he knew that was just a front. Rosie had told them how the property had decayed once Matron left it. That meant there were strong spirits in there. Spirits that wanted to stay there for if it were just the children, the lost souls, then they wouldn't spend their energy on creating this mirage. Dark windows stared back at them like angry eyes determined to keep them out. The place had a presence, even he could feel it, and it was not a nice one.

  "What do you feel?" he asked.

  Gail shivered and looked at the house with apprehension. "I can't connect to anything but there is a darkness here that I'm really not keen on."

  "Way to underestimate." Jesse put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. "Don't try to connect to anyone or anything. Do you have your protection?"

  Gail showed him the necklace she was wearing. It was turquoise, imbued with white sage, orgonite and a silver tree of life. Very similar to the black bracelet he wore.

  Each week, he blessed them both and dipped them in Holy Water to cleanse their aura. They helped protect them against being enraptured by a spirit. It was not infallible, but it was a help.

  "Then we are ready." Gently he squeezed her shoulder one more time and ignored the feeling, the instinct that told him to run.

  They walked along the overgrown path. The weeds and the brambles snagged at their feet hampering their progress as they struggled to the front door of the property. Once there he tried the door. He hadn't been sure what he expected, would the property welcome them, would it want more souls? Or would it have defenses to keep them out? His hand touched the handle, a slight shock went through him. It was just like static and yet it told him all he needed. They wouldn’t be invited in.

  Taking out his Holy Water he sprinkled some on the handle and began to recite the Lord's Prayer. Once that was done he tried again. It was no use the door was sealed tight.

  "Should we shout out to them?" Gail asked.

  "I don't think it will help. If they won’t let us in, then they won't let them hear anything. There is one person who can help. I expected him to be here. To be waiting for us."

  "Nick." Gail spun around and closed her eyes.

  Jesse shook her shoulder. "Don't try and contact him... not that way, for you will let the others in."

  "Then what do we do." The frustration was clear in her voice and the way that her fists were clenched in front of her. He could almost imagine her stamping her feet. It lifted the mood despite the danger.

  "We call out to him in the normal way, we look for him. If we don't find him, then I'm sure I can get us in... it will just take longer."

  Gail nodded opened her mouth and yelled, "Nick where are you?"

  Jesse laughed and then they both shouted, called, and looked around the house but he was nowhere to be found.

  "This is taking too long," Gail said.

  Jesse couldn't deny she was right. His own stomach was filled with bile at the thought of the young Ghost Hunters inside that terrible house but what could he do? Then he remembered what Rosie had said. "Come on, I know where we can find him."

  Without waiting for her to acknowledge him Jesse turned and ran along the overgrown path. The weeds snagged at his trousers and almost pulled him to the ground, but, he shook his legs free and kept going. Time was getting short. Like sand in an hour glass, he could feel it trickling away, he only hoped it wasn't the life of Shelly and Jack emptying from that glass.

  "Where are we going?" Gail asked.

  "This way, it's just a little further."

  Jesse was running through the woods his torch lighting up the path before them. Soon he came out into a clearing. There amongst the long grass was an old and crumbling gravestone.

  Stood behind it was Nick Aubrey.

  "We need your help, Nick," Jesse said. "The house won’t let us in."

  Nick flickered and started to fade, Jesse wanted to shout and scream at him — don't you dare. Maybe he heard for he came back and moved closer to them.

  "I thought I needed to see this through," Nick said his voice whispery and encased in static. “But I am so very tired. I won't go in that house, not again."

  “We need your help,” Jesse said biting down his frustration. “We need you to get us in that house and to help us end this once and for all.”

  Nick faded until they could see straight through him. Frustrated, Jesse searched through his memory for a ritual to bind him there but Gail put a hand on his shoulder.

  “I feel your pain,” she said. “You have suffered so much. I understand how hard this is for you. The guilt you have felt all down the years and the failure. So many times you have tried to prevent this, to stop Matron and that house from taking souls and so many times you have failed.”

  Nick looked up at her, they could still see the clearing through him. He nodded, and the look on his face broke Jesse’s heart.

  “We should let him go,” Gail said, she was looking at Jesse.

  He wanted to agree with her, to allow the tortured priest his peace, but he couldn’t — not yet. Not when they needed him to
save lives and then it came to him. “Maybe this is your chance for redemption. Maybe this is how you find your peace. All these years you have learned things that no one else could know. Use that knowledge and help us save this couple then I promise you that we will let you find your peace. We will help you find it.”

  Nick wavered in the air and blinked out of existence. There was nothing but the dark clearing lit by only the moon. A soft breeze lifted Gail’s hair, he could see the tears in her eyes.

  “Has he gone?” Jesse asked.

  “No, he wants to go desperately. I think we should let him. I can feel his pain, his torment, it breaks my heart. The things he has had to watch. I don’t think he is strong enough to watch it again.”

  Jesse sighed and paced over to the grave. He put his hand on the hard, cold stone and tried to open his mind. Maybe if he let go of his own guilt, then he would feel the spirit’s vibration. Then he would understand and maybe he could use that to persuade Nick to help them. Only nothing came, no feeling, no insight, no nothing.

  “Dammit, we don’t have time for this.” He walked back to Gail. “If you want to spend time with Nick then you are on your own. I have to get into that house... it’s going to take some time. Let’s just hope that Shelly and Jack have that time.”

  “If you could feel his pain you would understand,” Gail said, but he could see in her eyes that she had her doubts. Thinking about the young couple’s death was a stark reminder of the stakes they were playing.

  “Maybe, but we need his help. Nick, damn you just get us into the house... if you can.”

  The words echoed in the air, the only sound in return was the rustling of the leaves and an owl hooted in the distance.

  “He won’t help, I have to go,” Jesse said and turned to leave the clearing.

  The sound of a scream echoed through the night, Jesse knew that their time had run out. They had to get into the house, and they had to do it now.