Vintage Misery: Part Two (complete)

I just wanted to get out of this town. If Officer Pitbull had any say in the matter, I was the primary suspect in a double homicide, and this held the possibility of him unearthing a slurry of unsavory facts about my family. Facts he could use to connect me to the murder of these two girls, or at least provide character evidence indicating my likely guilt.

Beth took me to a twenty-four hour diner so we could talk. It was quiet, filled with exhausted university students, a few truck drivers, and the two waitresses on shift. I ordered coffee and waffles, but only because Beth was paying. My bus had already left, I would have to wait another day to leave.

“There’s not much on her I can read,” Neil sat beside Beth at the booth, going through her pockets and small bag. “Just some loose cash and a student ID.”

I was looking at my coffee while he spoke. Beth could see the creature going into the window last night, but not Neil. It seemed strange.

“I know who you are,” Beth finally said. Her songbird voice was warbly and timid. “I’ve read the books your parents have written.”

I swallowed hard, pressing my tongue against my teeth. “Is that why I’m here, then? You’re a fan of my parents?”

Beth shook her head. “No, I’m genuinely asking for your help. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen this creature around campus. And you might know something about it. Your parents have been all over. The Wakefield house, the Seamstress murders…”

I set down the coffee mug a bit too hard on the table. “I know what my parents have done. That was them. Not me.”

Beth’s eyes widened. “But your card says you perform exorcisms and paranormal investigations, just like they do.”

“Go back to what you said before,” I said. “You’ve seen the creature around campus before? Why have you not told anyone?”

“I’ve tried, but my sisters call me crazy. But your parents’ books claim that all sorts of phenomena can occur. I suspect this could be some sort of demon, or even a poltergeist.”

I shake my head. “Demons aren’t so subtle, and poltergeists don’t let themselves get seen. Is this the only strange thing you’ve ever seen? Or has this happened to you before?”

Beth shook her head. “Not that I could recall. Have you seen anything like this?”

I was seven years old when I experienced my first real paranormal phenomenon. My parents were good about keeping me away from their work, and the museum they kept close to the house. My mom talked about a lockbox or something too, but I never knew what that was. Fed up with my parents’ constant reticence and absence, I snuck into their museum, where I was never allowed to go, a treasure trove of artifacts and trophies from their past jobs. I was clutching my teddy bear, the one that I would later equate Neil with. Next thing I knew my dad was dragging me out, my mom was screaming inside, and I didn’t see that teddy bear again until years later, when I discovered it locked into a glass box like a fire extinguisher. I didn’t remember what transpired in the museum, but afterwards it became apparent to my parents I had a gift - I was able to attract ghosts in a way they hadn’t seen before.

I sighed, pushing my plate aside as Neil looked at it hungrily. “I missed my bus for this. I need something more concrete to go off of. Your friends were murdered, and I know you’re shaken. But I don’t deal with murder in the present tense. I deal with the aftereffects, the residual anger so powerful it lingers for centuries. I’m not quite sure what you’re asking me to do, or even to look for.”

Beth stared at me, frustrated almost to tears. “But what about this creature?”

“Call animal control. Wrap yourselves in garlic, hang crosses over every opening in the house. Call a priest, but don’t call me.”

I tried to stand up, but Beth used one of her crutches to hit me in the leg. “Could you tell if something was there if you went to the house?” she asked.

“Maybe, but it’s a crime scene. And the top dog in charge already resents me. I don’t exactly want to give him ammo.” I had already been inside that house, and there was nothing there. I didn’t need to go back to know that.

“I can get you in. No one will be there tonight. There wasn’t even anyone there when I came to get you.” Beth sounded so hopeful. Perhaps if I gave in and went with her, I could convince her there was nothing and leave it at that. Whatever got to those girls wasn’t a ghost, because I’d never heard of a ghost rending flesh like that.

“Fine,” I sighed. “But this will cost you extra.”

Beth nodded, so determined to see this to the end. “That’s fine with me.”

She took me back to the campus, which had been partially closed down. The girls in the sorority house had all gone home by now, and the area around the sorority itself had been cordoned off with police tape. Leading the way on her crutches, Beth guided me to the back of the house. All the doors should have been locked, but the back door opened with relative ease. “I’ll stay here and keep watch,” Beth said. “Be safe, okay?”

I nodded and went inside. As Beth closed the door behind me, I waited for Neil to materialize. “There’s nothing,” he said.

“Nothing at all?” I asked. “Did you check their rooms?”

Neil shook his head. “I wouldn’t dare go in there.”

“You’re a ghost, Neil,” I scoffed. I stepped from the kitchen into the foyer. I had been here before, but everything felt so different. I took a deep breath, smelling the air for any sort of changes. I was starting up the stairs when Neil grabbed me and held me back. I huffed. “What are you doing?”

“I don’t think you should go up there. It could be dangerous.” Neil’s bloodshot eyes stared into me. “Please.”

“There are no ghosts here.” I yanked my arm back and continued to walk up. “So stop acting like a…” The stair under me opened up. I can’t say exactly how it happened, but it almost felt like it was pulled out from under my feet. I grabbed hold just before I plummeted, and dangled there in the darkness before my grip completely failed me. I plunged through the darkness before I fell into water.

“Al!” Neil screamed from above.

I panicked. Unable to find anything solid, I splashed and kicked wildly. I screamed for help, hoping Beth could hear me. My voice echoed off something, so there must have been walls nearby, at least. “Neil!” I cried out.

His hand clasped around mine, pulling me above water and guiding me to something solid. I heaved myself out of the water, gasping for breath and shuddering all over. I reached into my pocket, praying that my lighter still worked. “Are you okay?” Neil asked.

The lighter sparked and squeaked as I tried to get it to light. “No, I’m not fucking okay.” It sparked to life, and the tiny flame cast a small circle of light around me. I stood up on a patch of bare earth. “What the fuck is this?”

“The basement?” Neil chirped.

I shook my head. “There’s no way. A cistern under an old house? Does that make sense?”

“It’s cold down here,” Neil whispered.

“How would you…” A chill cut through my body, and I wished it was because I was soaking wet. I stretched out my arm, moving closer to the edge of the water. I could see things on the surface, floating near the bank. “Are those…” Something clung to the small patch of land that I was on. The water lapped against it, rocking it gently against the dirt. It looked like tattered clothes and rope.

“This isn’t good, Al,” Neil whimpered. “We need to find a way out.”

“Yeah, no shit.” I moved back again. “I need something to light. I can’t keep this lit forever.” I felt across the dirt. “You start looking for a way out.”

“Are you sure you want to be left alone?” Neil asked.

“What else do I have going for me? Just go.” I kept looking, hoping to find something to illuminate better than a solitary lighter. Eventually I found what looked like an old flashlight, and by some miracle it still worked. I turned it on, shining the light over the water. That’s when I saw it. I switched the light off and held my breath.

“Al, I think I found something!”

“Show me.” My voice cracked.

“It’s over this way.” Neil touched me. “Did you find a flashlight?”

“Neil,” I swallowed hard. “It’s bad. It’s really bad.”

“Well, sure. That’s a given.”

I shook my head. “No. It’s worse than that.” I closed my eyes, turned on the flashlight, and shone it out over the lake. Neil screamed, and I turned it off again. I didn’t need to open my eyes to see the skeletons, the bodies, draped over the patches of earth against the stone walls.

“What the fuck is that? What the fuck? What is…” Niel was beginning to panic. After all, this looked vaguely similar to the mass grave he was left in.

I grabbed him. “The exit, Neil! We need to get out!”

“It’s a murder house! What is happening?” Neil was still babbling as he tried to come to grips with what he saw.

“That’s why we need to go!” I yanked Niel hard, hopefully snapping him back into his senses. He ran, pulling me along behind him. I had to move through the water, stepping on things that felt like bones, but we eventually made it to a door. There was a grate covering it, but the grate buckled easily when force was applied. I stepped out onto the marshy wetlands behind the campus, under an overpass where I could hear cars driving by.

I took deep breaths as I looked around, shaking all over. “Okay.” I breathed. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Neil snapped. “What was that in there?”

“I don’t know.” I started walking around with my fists clenched. “But we’re leaving, that’s for damn sure. I don’t care if Beth begs me to stay. I’m not going back.”

“Are you not going to tell anyone?” Neil quickly ran up beside me.

“No, of course not! I’m not telling anybody about a mass grave! Not until I’m a thousand miles away and can leave an anonymous tip at some phone booth in New York.” I trudged through the sludge until we reached dry land, and it took me a moment to realize we’d wound up in someone’s backyard. “I just want to get out of here.” I started walking across the lawn, hoping it was too late in the evening for anyone to notice me. “Get my fucking things and go.”

The back door of the nearby house opened. Light flooded my vision, and the sound of a gun cocking deafened me. “Don’t move!”

I stood still, quickly throwing my arms up into the air.

“Ms. Young?”

I squinted through the light until I could focus. There was a young man on the porch wearing a shirt and boxer shorts. “Mercy?”

He lowered his gun and stared at me in confusion. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“That’s my question.”

“You’re soaked.” He lowered his gun to his side and waved at me. “Come in.”

I shook my head. “No. I really should go. I need to go.” I turned to continue making my getaway when I tripped over a hose hidden in the grass and fell face-first into a rock.

Needless to say, I was pulled inside by Officer Mercy, who gave me ice for my black eye and even offered me dry clothes. Then he sat down at the table across from me. “I’m sorry about what happened at the station today. I didn’t think Gradings would go off like that on you.”

Seeing him like this, he didn't seem like a police officer, just some baby-faced guy. “I’m sure he’s perfectly nice when coeds haven’t been brutally murdered.”

Mercy shook his head. “No.”

I sighed. “I see.”

“Tell him,” Neil hissed.

I shooed him away like I was swatting a fly. “Is this the first murder around here?” I asked. “I mean, like… gruesome as it is.”

“We’ve dealt with a lot of missing persons reports,” Mercy said. “But nothing like this.” His eyes drifted away into nothing as he rubbed his hand over his jaw and mouth.

I furrowed my brow. “Missing persons?”

“It’s a college town. Kids run away, join cults, bands, lovers, you name it. Most of them turn up, or we’re told they got home.” He shrugged. “I mean, I heard stories that before the college was built here, there were some shady businesses around. But that’s just rumors.”

I lifted the ice bag away from my face. “What kind of shady business?”

“Oh man, that looks bad.” Mercy stood up and approached me. “You’ll probably have a shiner in the morning. I’ll get you some aspirin.”

I scowled. “I’m not going to stay. I really should be going.”

Mercy made me hold the ice back over my eye. “Look, the buses don't run again until the morning, so you might as well stay the night. Whatever you were doing out there, it can wait too, can’t it?”

“Some cop,” I huffed.

“I don’t think you’re guilty. I felt bad even waking you up this morning, but Gradings was dead-set on it. Especially when he found your card on one of the… the girls.” He couldn’t even bring himself to say ‘corpses’.

“You’ve probably had a bad day too,” I muttered. “You saw right?”

Mercy’s skin grew pale and clammy.

“Look, take it from an old hat, there was nothing you could have done. But you can work hard to see that it doesn’t happen again.” I took the ice away from my eye again. “I’ll sleep on your couch.”

“Why don’t you tell him?” Neil snapped at me.

Mercy gave me a curious look. “Old hat?”

I stood up from the kitchen table. “I deal with ghosts, remember? I see death in a different way, but it’s still death.”

That seemed to be enough for Mercy. “Oh, right.” He led me into the living room. “If you need another blanket, just ask.”

I saw an open book on the recliner, along with half a beer. “Can’t sleep?”

Mercy avoided the question by pretending he didn’t hear me. He turned off the light then the one in the kitchen. “You need to tell him,” Neil snapped at me.

“How the fuck do I tell him?” I scoffed. “I told you, I’ll give an anonymous tip once I’m out of here. There’s no sense in putting myself into this drama.”

“You were literally dumped into the middle of it, Al!” Neil hissed. “Something is going on! Those poor girls could be part of it. You could have been, too! The stair didn’t just give way for no reason.”

I put an old throw pillow over my face to try and drown Niel out. “This has nothing to do with ghosts!” I snapped.

Neil threw the pillow across the room. “You’re an idiot,” he snarled into my ear.

I lay there, staring out into the shadows. Everytime I closed my eyes, I saw the bodies in the flashlight beam. I had to stay awake to keep that image out of my head.

I got up as soon as there was light out, and when I did I noticed Mercy sitting in his kitchen, already in uniform and with my dry clothes laid out on the table. “You’re awake.” he said simply.

“So are you.” I took my clothes. “I’ll go change and get out of your hair.”

“How’s your eye?” he asked.

I touched my face. “Sore. How does it look?”

A slight smile appeared on Mercy’s lips, and he looked almost handsome. “Not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Did you use my phone last night?”

I clenched my fist around my clothes. Mercy had done this at the hotel, too. “No. Why do you ask?”

“Because I thought I heard you talking to someone last night.” He shrugged. “Sorry. Must have been a figment of my imagination.”

“Yeah, there wasn’t any talking.” I went and changed, folding up the things I’d slept in and laying them aside. I looked back into the mirror and saw Neil standing behind me. “You really almost got me in trouble.”

“I did?” He laughed. “You and I must remember yesterday very differently.”

“Shut up,” I hissed. I left the bathroom quickly, exited the house, crossed the street and kept going. I could see signs for the campus in the distance. Once I got there, I’d be able to find my way back to the bus station, but that Beth girl had my stuff. I needed to find her first.

I turned back around to see Mercy getting into his patrol car, and I went back across the street and leaned over into his window. “Those Harvey girls,” I started. “Do you know where they are?”

“The Harvey girls?” Mercy asked, taking off his sunglasses. “I think they said they were staying somewhere off campus. But they’ve probably left with everyone else.”

“Just tell me where they are, please.”

Mercy motioned to the car door, a slight smile on his face. “Get in and I can take you there.”

I sighed and hopped in. He drove in silence for a while, seeming to want to say something. “How did you know…” Mercy hesitated.

“About your… medical condition?” I shrugged. “I don’t know. Just did.”

Neil scoffed from the back seat.

“It’s pretty amazing. Being able to see things like that about people.” Mercy said. “I wish I knew stuff like that sometimes, without having to speak.” I noticed the way he was rubbing his fingers along the steering wheel, like he was trying to comfort himself.

“It’s not amazing,” I sighed. “It’s a problem.”

He nodded. “I see.” He started slowing down. “This should be it.”

The house was old, and looked like it should have been part of the campus. I stepped out of the car and looked up at the windows, which were all closed and shuttered.

“Do you want me to wait for you?” Mercy asked.

Then I saw my bag, sitting on a chair on the porch. I went up and grabbed it, putting it over my shoulder, then noticed there was a note and a key under the bag. “I don’t know what happened to you last night. But if you come inside you can wait until your bus has to leave. I can take you to the station and pay you for the trouble. - Beth”.

I wanted to leave and wait at the station. But I felt I owed an explanation to Beth, or at least to let her know I was alive. I shook my head at Mercy. “No, just go. Get to work.”

I used the key to open the front door, finding the house  dark and quiet. “At least it’s not a death lake,” Neil whispered.

“Shut up. Everyone must still be asleep.” I walked inside, hearing the click-clack of the grandfather clock by the stairs.  There was a sitting room just to the right of the entrance, and I sank into a chair, feeling drowsy.

“Should I go and look around?” Neil asked.

“No. Just stay put,” I grumbled. I went through my bag to make sure everything was there. Luckily, it all was. I stood up just to look outside and make sure Officer Mercy had driven off.

“Oh, good, you’re here.” I turned around, and there was Beth standing there.

I stepped away from the windows. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“I was actually just making my way to bed,” she chuckled. “I was up a bit too late doing schoolwork, and then I thought I heard you come in.”

“Go to sleep,” I said. “I can rest here on the sofa.”

Beth then tilted her head. “You look awful. What happened to you last night?” She approached me and stood very close, and one hand left her crutch and took hold of mine.

“I was…” My voice cracked. “It’s hard to explain. I was trying to find your creature, and I got a bit sidetracked.”

“Liar,” Neil grumbled.

She smiled at me. “Why don’t you take a shower, and then you can get some rest before you have to go. I’ll even get a bed made up for you.”

I felt drowsier than before, and I let her lead me away. As I walked down the hallway, I saw one of the other girls through an open door. She was standing by her bed, but when I walked by her head turned. It seemed to twist much farther than it should be able, and her eyes looked red. But I was exhausted. I probably wasn’t thinking right.