Satan's Gift

Chapter Five: Hometown

A very long journey home it seemed... or whatever that's left of it. Police patrol would increase my heart beat but a Dodge Challenger SRT isn't what they're looking for as of now. I was close to the restaurant when the fuel light turned on. Apparently, I didn't have much left on me to refuel its massive engine. It would be very stupid of me if I park it outside the cafe. So I parked it a kilometer away and walked to the cafe from there. I opened the door of the cafe to find that Xenette, who is usually late all the time, was actually there waiting. She looked at me and ran towards me to hug me. I haven't seen her this worried ever in my life.
"You have a lot of explaining to do, Ian," Xenette demanding.
She let go of me and we sat at one of the tables available and ordered coffee. After a long pause, I started to talk.
"Xen, the fire was my fault, but the murder of my parents was the doing of someone else... or something else, in fact," I explained.
"When I entered the house, I felt something demonic. Something that we felt before, Xenette," I could see Xenette getting goosebumps as she listens carefully.
"I'm trying to lay low because of the police. Just this morning I had to steal a car to get here. The police would find my car in a different city and they would be busy looking for me there for now. We have some time to do something while I'm here till they track me back. I want answers... I need your help to gather some information. I don't have much time to do it," I told Xenette.

"What information?" Xenette questions.
"I want you to find any information at all about the past of that house we tried going into that night. And also, any information that links that house or the forest behind it to the past of the town of Danville, somewhere south east of Portsmouth," I answered.
"Isn't that in England?" Xenette questioned once more.
"Wherever it may be, I want it, Xenette. Please," I requested once more.
"Alright. I'll get to it straight away. But what are you gonna do now?" Xenette asked.
"I am going to 67 James Street. This time, I want to go inside that house," I replied.

We took off in Xenette's car. It was out for repairs for a week prior to this.
"It's smooth, by the way, " I said while driving. Xenette was researching on her phone.
"What...?" She questioned.
"The car. They certainly did a good job with it," I answered.
She didn't say anything and continued with her research.
"You know, this is the third day of me being absent from school. I think you should come clean and tell the police everything. You're missing out," Xenette breaking the silence.
"And tell them what exactly?" I questioned with a furrow.
"That I have supernatural powers and I didn't kill my parents or burn the house?" I added.
"The theory will never be believed, Xenette. All I know is that I'll miss out on school either way because I'll be a lab rat if I go to the cops now," I continued.
Minutes later, we reached our destination. The house looking as scary as always, even in daylight. I got off the vehicle and Xenette followed, still looking at her phone as she walks.
"Be careful," I warned.
I was looking for a way in.
"I can't find anything relevant, Ian," Xenette said in frustration.
"Okay, leave that for now. Will you come in with me or would you wanna stay out here?" I asked her, knowing what the answer would be in advance.
"I ain't staying here. I'm coming," she replies.

We got in through breaking a window. I squeezed in and helped Xenette her way in. We looked around the living room- Dark, moldy, cobwebs, dust, broken glasses, awkwardly hanging portraits and an unrelenting feeling of an evil presence looking from the dark corners. The air was dry but the room itself was cold. I carefully walked further using my flashlight to guide me. Xenette follows. First thing we noticed were the portraits. It was paintings of a man. Man probably belonging to the early 19th century.
"Xenette, take photos of everything useful," I told.
While she was at it, I kept walking forward slowly. Xenette followed. There was a closed door, probably leading to a bedroom. It hadn't been opened for quite a number of years. I struggled to open it and got in eventually. I heard Xenette scream. I quickly turned back to find out that she got scared by a spider that jumped at her.
"I really wasn't expecting that from a girl like you," I teased.
"Oh, come on, Ian! The damn thing attacked me!" Xenette protested with annoyance.
I smiled and opened few drawers to find some photos and ID cards of the previous owner. Xenette clicked photos of it. Then we got out of the room and followed the hallway. We came across a ladder leading to the attic. I knew if I want old information, then something old must be in the attic. I climbed and tried pushing the trapdoor.
"Xenette, find me something heavy and hard that I can break this door with," I said.
There was a foul smell coming from the attic and I could hear flies. Xenette passed me a wrench from the other room. I broke open the door and climbed up while Xenette looked from beneath. There were cartons in the attic. Full of old stuffs from the past. I started passing the cartons to Xenette, one by one. Spiders, lizards and centipedes kept creeping out of the boxes.
As each had been cleared, I could slowly see why there were flies around and also that smell. There lay the skeleton of a human and few of the animals, probably cats or dogs. I immediately jumped down the attic. Brushed myself off of the dust and took the cartons in the living room and studied all the things in it. In the pile, I found some old document, passports, declaration forms and membership forms that dated back hundred years from now.
"Xenette, I think we got a lot. Try looking for this ship, and a man by the name Dick Hanks," I told Xenette.
Just as we were about to exit, a couch flew past us and covered the way we came in. I immediately looked opposite of it and saw a pair of eyes looking from the dark. Xenette immediately stood at the back of me and I instantly lit a fire on my right palm. I could see a black, red eyed, sharp clawed figure standing and smiling before it said, "I chose you..." in a demonic, ungodly voice.
A rampage of rage rushed through my veins and with my both arms I lit the figure with flames. To find out that it disappeared. We got out of the house immediately and got into the car. The passport we found was an English passport.
"Ian, the boat's called the Atlantis, and according to the passport year, it came from England in 1908," Xenette confirming her research.
"Funny... the passport of Dick Hanks says that he was from Portsmouth. I think we got ourselves a start," I replied.