ONE NIGHT IN THE CABIN HOUSE (Completed...)

10

“You are scaring me.“ Claire shook a bit and glanced on the walls.
“How did you know that she wasn't buried.“ Justine asked her.
“You don't want to know.“ Gracia said quietly.
“Of course I would want to know. Even though it's going to be frightening, it's okay. This place alone is terrifying.“
“I can't.“ Gracia didn't want to show them what her eyes had caught. She knew that it would definitely scare them out and might make them lose any hope of surviving.
“Why.“ Claire came to her and touched her arm. “Why don't you want to tell us.“
“No, I don't want to.“ Gracia shook her head and covered her eyes. She felt like she might die any moment. Her stomach shook hardly.
“If you don't want to talk to us how are we going to survive all of this.“ Justine snapped in frustration.
“I'm doing this for you both. It will ruin your—” she stopped halfway.
“Tell us. We should know. Come on, why aren't you saying anything!“
“Stop shouting.“ Claire said to Justine, and turned to Gracia, with a calm tune she said. “what's wrong, Gray.“
Gracia sighed deeply with her heart beating widely. “Look forward.“ She only said and the two girls had their eyes gazing to the front.
“I don't see anything.“ Claire said.
It took a while before Gracia uttered. “By the side of the cupboard.“
Claire was pointing the flashlight to the big standing cupboard covered with layers of dust. It was where She'd seen the curtain that they used in wrapping Bate's body, folded and dropped on top. Their eyes were scrutinizing the side of the cupboard until, “Oh my god.“ Justine had seen it. Her hands were on her mouth. A frisson of shudder shot through her.
“Why haven't I seen any—” Claire stopped abruptly, and the torch dropped from her hand. “Is that a skull?“ She cried. Her head couldn't contain the level of fear shooting inside of her.
“I tried to warn you.“ Gracia wiped her eyes and picked up the rolling electric lamp.
“What happened here years ago?“ Claire was still for a moment before she spoke up. Her voice sounded light.
“I am trying to imagine how she was killed.“ Gracia said.
“We could die like her and our skull, just like that.“ Justine was worried.
“Don't think so. She was murdered by a person. No one is going to jump at us now to kill us. I don't think there's anyone else in this place and forest. Yeah, ghosts are, but definitely not humans.“
“And Bate?“ Justine spoke. “He was killed.“
“By a ghost.“ Gracia said.
“How does that matter?“ Justine was saying. “He is dead. Ghost, human. He is gone. And we could die like him and then our skull would be on the floor just like that.“
Gracia was quiet and started walking ahead.
“What're you doing?“ Justine spoke up.
“Trying to see if there's any thing other than the skull.“ Gracia paused and turned to gaze at them. She hoped that she was doing the right thing. With some more strides, she was almost close to the cupboard. Her eyes were glaring at it. “like I'd thought.“ Gracia says and the two girls paid attention. “Bones.“ She said, and began moving backwards. She'd bravely let her gaze to the other side of the cupboard. The bones of someone that had once lived on earth was laying disjointed on the floor behind the thick wooden furniture. She wondered how many more things was there to find.
“Do you want to go have a look?“ Gracia said as she came to them.
“Hell no. I'm okay with the one i've seen.“ Justine shook her head. Her eyes went to the wrapped body laying at a distance. “I don't want to die.“ She whispered the words loud enough for the girls to hear.
“No one else is.“ Gracia had seen her gaze pointing at Bateman. She came at her left shoulder. “We only need to figure the way out of here by daylight and we are on our way to Townfriday.“
“Maybe you're just saying.“ Justine said. “I can sense my time is near.“
“What do you mean?“
“I might be the next to die.“ Justine looks at them and wished she hadn't said those words.
“Don't ever say that again. No one is going to die. You're not going to die!“ Claire came to face her and scolded. Her face had become flushed with anger. Justine was able to notice the fear lingering in her eyes.
“I promise I won't say it again.“ Justine said. She didn't want to believe that she would no longer be alive, at least not now. Her dream of owning a casino will be ruined if she was no more. It was as though Claire read her mind when she said. “You should never. You haven't accomplished possessing a casino yet.“ And Justine nodded.
“This happened many years ago.“ Gracia said. Her fixed stare at the cupboard.
“I know.“ Claire told her. “300 years is such a very long time.“
Gracia going through the hardcover that she'd being keeping a firm hold on. Some pages were empty while some were ripped off. “I wonder what had been written here and why it was torn.“ She was observing the writing on the side of the paper that was pulled out.
“Should be something someone didn't want anyone else to know.“ Justine said, and Gracia in some unspecified manner was glad that she said so.
“Yeah.“ She agreed, and flipped over some more. Gracia chanced upon a picture placed inside of the book. It was Marylou smiling gaily in the photograph. The bracelet she'd found was seen on the lady's wrist and Gracia straightway recognized the jacket she was dressed in. It was the woolen pink coat. Marylou was standing close to an old vehicle with a pose. She was looking much younger than she was on the photo laying in the bedroom floor. The year 1678 was printed at the side.
“This is stating facts that Marylou is the true owner of this place. First the record book and this picture inside of the book.“ Justine was holding the photo. 
“What about Sarah.“ Claire asked.
“Of course Sarah once lived here.“ Justine said.
“Is it possible that the person that loaned her money could be responsible for her death? Perhaps she'd failed to settle the bills and that brought out the devil in the loaner.“ Justine was returning with the documents she'd picked on the tuffet. She gave Claire the papers.
“6th of June 1689.“ Claire says to herself.
“It's three years before she died.“ Gracia said. She was studying every piece information of the two women. She thought for a second that she might want it in the near future.
“Three signatures.“ Claire's eyes ran allover the sheet. “Who loaned her money and what amount?“ She reasoned.
“Is that necessary.“ Justine asked.
“It is, if we must know all the details regarding Marylou.“ Gracia said to her.
"Well I don't. I don't care. I just want to go home."
“First Lee scream, then Bate's dead body, the noise on the door, the picture, the voice from the wall and then that.“ Justine referred to the skull. “What is next?“
“Praying it's not death.“ Gracia said.
“Look at this.“ Claire says after going through the worn out notebook Justine had discovered. She'd taken hold of the piece of paper that fell out of it. “She's an ex-convict. What more do we not know about her.“ She twirls the paper.
“Marylou Bellamy had murdered her husband by stabbing him in the chest.“ Gracia summarized the details.
“What?“ Claire was surprised by what Gracia said.
“You should read the whole information and not only the heading.“ Gracia told her.
“I didn't see the need to.“ Claire was taking the rumbled sheet. It looked like it had been wringed and later reopened. This time, Claire was reading the write up.
“Why would she stab her own husband?“ Justine said.
“It says here that she pleaded guilty to the charges charged against her.“ Claire uttered.
“Seems like she didn't regret killing him.“ Gracia touched her jawline.
“He must've done something very bad to her to make her stab his chest. Purr, so cruel.“ Justine said.
“Arrested on a friday night. 12 March 1692. It's the same year that she died when trying to escape the mental hospital. It's two months before her death.“ Gracia calculated.
“Is it possible that she'd pretended to be mad? I mean just to leave prison.“ It was Claire.
“That makes sense.“ Gracia nods.
“Why is this here?“ After a minute of thought, Justine said. She referred to the slip of paper.
“I know, right. It shouldn't be here. Someone must've kept the paper in there.“ Claire says.
“Definitely it wasn't Marylou Bellamy. She'd died on the road accident.“ Gracia set the reminder.
“Sarah?“ Claire let out.
“Should be.“
“Then she was possessed by her and died in agony. Look, is what we're doing not risky. What if Marylou gets angry that we are knowing too much about her, just like Sarah, and starts tormenting us.“ Justine voiced.
“You might be right.“ Claire was agreeing.
“No. Marylou can't possess us.“ Gracia had thought before uttering.
“How are you so sure.“ Justine asked.
“She can't. Susan must have been related to her.“ Gracia said.
“Related to her. What do you mean?“
“I remember when I was 10, I read a lot of ghost books at that age. Sneaking to my mom's computer to look up to what life being a ghost is. My mom never knew. I was very careful.“
“Did you do all that because of your father.“ Claire asked.
Gracia nodded slowly. “Growing up knowing that your father died at your 3rd birthday was very painful. I saw him on pictures and videos with me when I was a baby. I really wanted to talk to him. That was my only wish as at that time and even now. I desired to ask him how he is. Tell him that I love him even though I didn't get the chance to know him and communicate with him.“ The tears were forcing their way down from her eyes. “My Mum will always say. Your daddy is alive and watching you from heaven. But at 10 I was so smart. Dad was dead which means he was now a spirit. My childish self.“ Gracia said.
“I'm so sorry.“ Claire comforted.
They waited for her to come over the memory. “Number 6, the line 12 says,” Gracia was forcing herself to remember. She didn't know that she would need the words on that book she'd read someday. “you can only be possessed by a demon if you trouble them in their domain. Line 13, you must have some kind of hereditary race with a ghost before they can be able possess you.“
“There's this resemblance Sarah has with Marylou. The eyes.“ Gracia verbalized.
“Are you speculating that Marylou is Sarah's ancestor.“ Justine utters.
“Yes.“ Gracia was going over to the other room to view Sarah's picture. It was under the pillow exactly where she'd kept it. “This is the story, I hope I'm correct. Sarah must have sought to know her family's history. A search for knowledge. She must have consulted a medium and stumbled on the name Marylou Bellamy, and then began a search on who she was. Unfortunately, Sarah had disturbed Marylou's spirit and it resulted to the possession.“
“Sounds real.“ Justine nods. “But we aren't sure it is.“
“You'd seen a pale face with no mouth and eyes and I saw one with an eye shedding blood.“ Gracia said after awhile. “You saw Marylou Bellamy's ghost and I'd seen Sarah Michigan's.“
“Oh wow.“ Justine said almost immediately.
“There's something that is for certain.“ Claire and Justine waited for her, “Marylou's spirit living in there.“ She pointed to the inner room. “Yes.“ Gracia said, when she saw their stupefied faces. “I read an article that the ghost of someone continues to live at the place that he or she was murdered. Marylou was murdered inside there and so her spirit is very much alive right there. Marylou is responsible for Bate's death.“
Claire gazed at her. “i—i don't understand.“ She was getting more frightened.
“You saw her face on the mirror. That clearly signifies that she is there and must have seen us cover Bate with the curtain, and seen us discover her bones.“ She glanced at the frightened girls and inhales sharply before saying, “We must do something quickly before someone else dies, and the only way to leave here without harm is to destroy Marylou's ghost.“
“How are we going to do that?“ Claire was scared.
“The first book I read about ghosts, I learnt that they only come out when you seek them.“ Gracia said.
  “I still don't understand.“
“When I say seek them, I mean using any of what they'd left behind. Not their clothes. Something that would attract them to you. More of something compelling.“
“Okay?“
“I know this is hard but to get to her we would use her skull or bones.“ Gracia said.
“There's no way we're going to do that.“ Claire shook her head in disapproval.
“We must, if we must live.“