Into The Darkness

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

When we awoke the next morning, everyone was calmer and eager to start the day. We couldn't wait for the cleaning crew to do their thing, so we could start unpacking at our new house. The girls wanted me to describe the layout and features of the house to them, though I could not ever come close to doing it justice, so I told them they needed to wait and see it for themselves.

"Hey dad, what kind of people would draw such things on the wall of an empty house? Also all the dead rats and such, that was disgusting, really who could do something like that?"

"Teenagers that don’t have respect for anybody or anything, for them it's a place to go and rebel, do what they want with no supervision and if they destroy it then no one will want it; they won't lose their hideout. It actually happens more than most people know."

Steph just kind of bit her lip, even though she grew up in Chicago we had still sheltered her from a lot that went on in the city. Some thought we were over protective, but we viewed it as our daughter wasn't into drinking, doing drugs, or out getting knocked up and she certainly was not out committing crimes and getting arrested, though she still caused us enough stress in any way she could.

My cell phone started to go off, so I quickly ran to answer it, "Hello?"

"Hey Mr. Riley, this is Daniel with the cleaning company, we're all done up here, everything is hospital clean but I got to say sir I can't charge you full price for our working today; really the place wasn’t that bad. There was a little dust and a few leaves blown around, probably tracked in during realtor showings, but that's it. I was lead to believe we were walking into the scene from the exorcist, we couldn't distinguish any foul smells at all sir and no dead animals or anything, but my brother in law is an exterminator so I took the liberty of calling him up, he went through the entire house and saw absolute nothing to indicate any sort of infestation. So I'm not sure what else we can do for you Mr. Riley, but you have a very beautiful home and I'll leave your key in the mail box if that's alright with you sir?"

"Daniel thanks for going up there right away but there must be something I didn't see, all that stuff last night, the odor was so foul. I couldn't walk in the door, my daughter saw everything else, I have never known her to lie but maybe her imagination got the best of her I guess but what about the smell? We all smelled it and it made Stephanie throw up, I was close behind and my wife just ran to the car.

"Well sir, we couldn't seem to find anything today; it's perfectly fine in here. The only thing I can come up with is maybe the sewer line was backed up and you had some sewer gasses seeping through but there is nothing I can do about that, if you would like though I can recommend some local plumbers that are great and reasonably priced."

“Yeah, that would be great, I guess it could have been sewer gases. Thanks again Daniel, you guys have a great day."

I hung up the phone and sat there for a moment trying to process what Daniel had said, I guess he could be right about the sewer gas but I didn’t think it smelled like any sewer gas I had ever encountered, it smelled like a dead body and what about all of the things Steph said she saw? I have never known her to lie before. On the other hand she was very against this move and losing her friends back in Chicago, maybe she was trying to, in her mind spin enough of a negative outlook on the place hoping we would just go ahead and go home; sounds like logical teenage thinking to me.

"Hey dad, was that the cleaning crew?"

"Yeah Steph, it was and I must say I am really disappointed in you, Daniel is the manager of the cleaning crew. I just spoke to him and he said the place was fine, they just did a little light cleaning, no weird signs on the wall, no dead animals, no get out or whatever wrote, no maggots; it was clear. The smell is gone now, Daniel said it must have been some backed up sewer gases, why would you lie about that stuff? Did you think it would freak your mom out enough to insist we move back to Chicago, cause were dedicated to this move whether you like it or not. I can’t believe you would lie to me like that, did you think you wouldn’t get caught?"

Steph started to cry, "dad wait, what are you talking about? I wasn’t lying all that stuff was there, the writing and symbols on the walls, dead rats and maggots and my god you smelled that foul odor yourself; how can you not believe me? I saw that stuff I am not lying, your freaking me out, either that Daniel guy is a liar or something is wrong with that house dad; I don’t like this!"

"John, Stephanie baby what’s going on, why are you crying?"

Stephanie just stomped off to the bathroom, I had never seen her so admit about anything but she couldn’t have seen all of that last night. There is no way anyone could have cleaned up a mess like she described before the cleaning crew got there first thing this morning, and why in the world would Daniel lie about something like that; I don’t buy it.

"Lisa I am concerned about Stephanie, Daniel said the place just needed some light cleaning; sweeping and dusting. Otherwise it was perfectly fine but Stephanie is admit on what she saw, so either she is lying to us on a very large scale or I think we should take her to see a doctor, either way I am really worried about our daughter."