The House on the Hill

Chapter 12: Meeting The Spirit

Ava backed up slowly as she felt the room get colder. She felt a presence in the room, but she knew she was the only one left in the house.

So you think you can go through my personal stuff, do you?

A chill voice filled the air. Ava looked around to see a handsome young man walking down the staircase in front of Ava, carrying the red journal.

    "You think it's okay to read other people's personal things?" he repeated, his voice more defined and more direct.
Ava gasped and backed away slowly.
     "Y-You're the old man!! You're D-Darryl Kevin Denver," Ava said, wide eyed. The man laughed loudly.
    "Yes I am. Or at least I used to be," he smirked as he reached the last stair.
     "How are you...so young?" she asked hesitantly.
     "Young? Oh, you'll find out soon enough..." he chuckled.
     "W-Why have you been haunting my family??" Ava said, her voice quivering with fear. Darryl simply laughed and stuffed his journal inside his coat.
     "Do you really want to know, Ava?"
     "Yes! I want my family back!" she cried desperately. He looked down at Ava and shook his head.
     "Poor girl. I'll show you where your family is," he said lightly. Suddenly his face grew stern and he raised his voice violently. "I'll show you where they are and I'll make sure you see the looks on their faces as you see them die in front of you!" He yelled between sharp, ragged breaths. "And I'll show you how it felt for me when all my family died in front of me. I'll show you what it feels like to loose everything you've ever loved," he said, grabbing Ava's face so that they were only inches away. His hand felt like ice on her skin. Ava winced and whimpered as Darryl looked at her with a crazed glint in his eye.
     "You'll share my pain, my misery and my trust," he whispered roughly. He let go of Ava's face and pushed her down. She fell hard on her back as Darryl floated in the air above her.
     "Maybe you don't believe me. Oh, but you will. You're family is still alive, but you will never save them," he chuckled. Ava looked up at him helplessly. He floated gracefully to the wall, pushed off and sat perfectly on the top of the chandelier as if it were a chair. He looked at his nails as he swung his legs back and forth like a teenage girl.
     "You won't keep them from me," Ava said weakly. "I'll save them. And you won't take me."
Darryl looked down at Ava.
     "Oh really?" he smiled wickedly as he kicked off the chandelier and lunged at her.
     "AHHHH!" Ava screamed as she held up her arm in defense. Darryl stopped right in front of her and tilted his head sideways with his creep smile plastered on his face.
     "You think I'm not capable of things?" he asked, a hint of anger in his voice. "How dare you doubt my power."
He reached out his hand and looked at Ava.
     "What are you going to do?" Ava challenged. Darryl smiled as his eyes turned a sickening red.
     "This."
Clear goo shot out of his hand like a laser and hit the room with all his action figures. For a second, Ava thought that was all he was going to do, and she sighed in relief. But then, all of a sudden, all the action figures' eyes turned a deep red and they started jumping off the shelves. Ava gasped and tried to move but tripped on her own feet. Darryl chuckled as he motioned to the action figures with his hand towards Ava. The action figures ran towards Ava, who scrambled and got on her feet.
"You see Ava, since I am so powerful, I have the ability to posses things. To control them," he said. One action figure with a sword brought his weapon down on Ava's hand as she was getting up, another one hit her in the face with a shield.
     "AAAH!!" she winced in pain as she began running, the action figures following. Three spider people figures began climbing her back and yanked at her hair. She screamed with fear as she tried to shake the spiders off. She felt a jarring pain on the back of her calf, and she noticed a small Indian with a crossbow shooting flaming arrows at her legs. Another one had found its way to the top of her head, where he slid down her face with metal football cleats. Ava screamed in pain and agony as she swatted at the stupid action figures away. Blood ran down her face and dripped down her chin. Another action figure with a bottle of shampoo and a shower cap on her hair had made its way to her head and she squirted shampoo in Ava's eyes.
     "GAaahhhhh!!" Ava screamed as she fell to her knees and brought her hands to her face. She rubbed her eyes furiously, fighting the stinging sensation burning in her eyes.
"It hurts, doesn't it?" Darryl asked as he feigned sympathy.

She looked up and saw the room to the bathroom open. She kicked off a vampire bat action figure from her shoe and ran in the bathroom shutting the door quickly behind her. She heard all the action figures banging on the door, trying to get in. She covered her head with her arms and curled into a ball while shutting her eyes tightly.
     "JUST GO AWAY!!" she yelled as she hit the door with her palm.
     "You want them to go away?" Darryl's asked, with a hint of amusement. "I'll make them go away. But you have to tell me....you'll never question my powers again. Understand?"
     "Okay, okay I understand!" Ava said as she picked out some flaming arrows rom the back of her leg. "Ow!"
     "Good. You can come out now."
She heard the banging on the door stop and she unlocked the door. As she stepped out, Darryl smiled and gestured to the action figures that were walking back to their room and climbing back onto their shelves.
     "Just a little taste of what I can do," he said.
"Why are you doing this!! Where is my family!" Ava demanded as she wiped the blood off her face and arms.
"You're family is safe, but not for long."
"Show me where you're keeping them!"
"Well, if you insist," Darryl sighed. "Follow me."

He led Ava up the stairs to the room at the end of the hallway. He stopped in front of the mirror.
     "They're in there," he pointed to the mirror.
     "What?"
     "C'mon!!" He said as he grabbed Ava's hand and pulled her inside the mirror. She felt as though she had been sucked through a vacuum. She fell and landed on her side in cold, dark room. She rubbed her head and slowly got up.
"Secret room," he announced proudly. Built it myself. Only way in is through."
"If I'm not dead, how did I get through?"
"I pulled you in. If I'm touching something, it'll come with me through the passageway."
"Clever...."
"Mmmm," Darryl hummed as he took a few steps back. The only light on in the room was emanating from Darryl's silhouette.
"You asked me how I stay so young even though I died old..." he said as he kicked off the ground and floated toward the ceiling. "I feed."

Ava felt her stomach lurch as she realized what he meant.
"Y-you feed on...on humans?"
"That's right. That is why I stole your family. I need to eat their souls in order to stay young."
"Oh my gosh..." Ava nearly gagged as she covered her mouth with her hand.
"Don't worry, I haven't started feeding yet, I just wanted you to be there to see it," he scolded.
"Y-you're crazy!" Ava yelled. "You're sick!"
"So I've been told," he smiled. "I wasn't planning on capturing you. But then your stupid little brother Will saw me sitting in that chair while I was observing you and your family."
"H-how come none of us saw you? Why did only Will see you?" Ava asked, backing up slowly.
"There is always something with younger kids. When your younger you can see things older people can't. But when you become a teenager, well, you loose that ability. I was foolish and didn't realize there was a little kid in the house," he said, levitating in the air. "The only reason you can see me right now is because I can let you see me."
"Once you called the Paranormal Inc., I knew I couldn't let you guys get out of here. You'd call for backup and I'd be caught. They'd send me back to the afterlife..."
"Why don't you want to go to the afterlife?" Ava asked fearfully.
"The afterlife...?" he laughed. "You think it's a good thing? Well let me tell you something that I learned the hard way. There is no Heaven. There is only Hell. And it's called the afterlife. When I died, I thought it would be all over, but NOOOO. I got sent to Hell. I managed to escape and here I am. But if I get caught, they'll send me back and I won't be able to escape. I'll be powerless."
"That's why you have to get rid of us.." Ava realized. "You eat the souls of everyone who find out about you because you don't want to be sent back to the afterlife!"
"That's right."
"Well, you said you'd take me to my family. Where are they?" Ava asked impatiently.
"Right here," he said as he extended his arm towards the ceiling. A spark of light emanated from his open palm and flew up into the chandelier above his head. As soon as the spark hit the light bulb, the whole room lit up. Ava gasped at the sight before her.

It was a big room with old furniture lined with cobwebs and dust. Ancient swords and armor hung from the wall. The paint from the walls was peeling off. There was one single painting on the wall, and it was the picture of the old man Nick, James and Harry saw in the basement. But Ava wasn't looking at the walls, the furniture, or the paintings. She was looking straight ahead of her. Will, Riley, Brain, Nick, Harry, James, Stacey and Quinn were trapped in giant glass cases, their hands, waist, and feet all bound by iron chains.
"You'll never get them out of there," Darryl laughed maniacally. "This glass is bulletproof and six inches thick!"