Misery County

Chapter 8 - Part 1

The sun was melting down the horizon, its pinkish-orange glow washing over the street, its lone house, and the woods behind it. The old-timers of Missouri County had many names for the decrepit house, all of which sounded like amusement park rides, but nonetheless, no one had dared to set foot in it in years, or so the stories went. As Cassie surveyed her surroundings, she wondered how much of that was due to it supposedly being haunted and how much was because it was a safety hazard in the middle of nowhere. The location was remote even by Missouri County standards.

Deciding to waste no time, she pulled herself out of her car, bag of tricks held closely to her side, and went to the front door. The steps to the porch creaked as Cassie climbed them, and she was sure that one of them would break at any moment. This is really living the stereotype as far as haunted houses go, Cassie thought. Maybe Eric was right. Maybe this place was all stories and no substance. Her nostrils flared as she thought about Eric. He was probably living it up, drinking champagne or whatever poncy drink that dirty whore had in her house.

Enough of that, Cassie had to tell herself. She was on the clock, and being miserable over something that didn't have anything to do with her would bring her no closer to her goal. Putting these thoughts to the side, Cassie tried to open the front door. It was no good. The door was locked, and who had the key to a house that hadn't been inhabited in decades was anyone's guess. She went over to the side to peer through the large front windows, but that was no good either. All she could see was spider webs and darkness. The sun was on the other side of the house, so no light was getting through.

Smashing the window to get in was tempting – it was certainly large enough – but it felt so base, so uncivilized. Although she might have to resort to something more forceful if nothing else worked out, Cassie figured she may as well check around the back of the house first. All of these old houses had back doors; why should this one be any different?

Sauntering around the side, Cassie could get a full view of the woods that the house backed into. They looked absolutely magical. Maybe it was just the juxtaposition to the crumbling house that made it seem that way, but she was transfixed by the lush grass and pretty flowers that seemed to carve a path going into and past the tree line. It was hard to see anything that deep into the woods in the low light, but fireflies seemed to be glowing between the trees. Had Cassie accidentally wandered into a fairy tale? I wish, she thought. Nice things like that never happen.

As if to spite her thoughts, the back door of the house greeted her while hanging open. It was almost too good to be true. Cassie examined the specimen. The hinges were still hanging in there, but the lock was busted out. It seemed like someone had taken the door down with a lot of force. She got a chill down her spine as she thought how hard that would have been for a human being to do, but how easy it would have been for... something else.

She swallowed hard before stepping over the threshold, eyes and ears on high alert just in case something was still there. The back of the house didn't have many windows facing west. That's not to say that there was enough light from the setting sun to illuminate the house whole, but any bit would have helped against the oppressive darkness that got worse the deeper into the house Cassie went. Not one to be defeated, she pulled out a flashlight from her purse and shone it down the hallway.

Goosebumps spread over her body from head to toe. The last time she had been in a haunted house, she hadn't been alone; the priest was with her. It seemed to make all the difference in the world. Excitement was the main feeling going through Cassie that time around, whereas now it was pure terror. Get a grip, she scolded herself. Nothing out of the ordinary had shown its face yet. Now more than ever, she was hoping that Eric's analysis was right and that the house was a dud. She hated to think it true, since a false haunting meant no progress in her investigation, but now that she was in the thick of it, her bravery was waning.

The sound of a rattling chain echoed through the house. Cassie jumped, pointing her flashlight erratically down every doorway and up the stairwell. There was nothing in sight, but she knew what she heard. Ghost or not, something was in the house with her.