What Lies Beneath

Chapter Forty-Six: The Beginning of the End

John slammed on his horn as cars flung themselves out of his way. His worry soon developed into full blown panic. The world could not take another tragedy from that land. He had spent his life devoted to keeping humanity safe from the fate that tended to befall any and all who dared step foot on that cursed property. Still, no matter how hard he tried, he always found his efforts lacking.

There was no way for a human man like himself to guard against whatever supernatural force was obviously at play. Even so, he could not simply lie down and give up. There was so much more that needed to be done.

He had been in the midst of a normal day when his two unexpected guests arrived at his estate. He recognized Joe instantly, though he would never admit that to his passengers. He was an eccentric man by necessity. He had no need for all the frivolous things he encased himself with. It was his barrier. He needed those he came in contact with the write him off. It was for their protection as much as his. His life didn't permit people to get close to him as he was tasked for a much larger obligation. He was supposed to stop the house from claiming more victims.

Through the years he had come to memorize all the faces that littered the halls of his home. His father told him the stories of the land and how his ancestors had perished upon it. There were many shamans and witches consulted to try and lift the curse to no avail. The living world simply had no way to dispel the curse of death.

The house fed on all those it came to know. It would give them blessings so grand and bountiful but take them away in equally cruel ways. There was no escaping the deal you made with the devil for a place to stay. Many had learned this lesson the hard way. It wasn't as if he blamed those who came before, there was no way for them to have known. Yet, for such a place to come into existence- he found he had many questions about how it all began.

Who were the first settlers who stumbled upon the horrendous land? What was it that caused it to become cursed? He figured that it must have been something truly awful for it to have morphed into what it was today. Perhaps he would never know the answers to these questions, but the least he could do was stop it from claiming anymore lives prematurely.

Joe found that he preferred driving over being a passenger. John whipped the car through traffic like he was being chased by the feds. Normally he would feel the most at ease when sitting in a vehicle, but he knew what they were facing. The unknown was like a nightmare you couldn't shake. It stuck with you for the rest of your life. The urgency that existed within the small metal car was palpable. There was no escaping the dread that settled upon all three of them as they grew closer to the house.

The need to slam his eyes shut washed over him once again as John narrowly swerved to avoid yet another pedestrian. It wasn't going to help anything if they got arrested for vehicular manslaughter before they could save those kids. Joe was about to say something when their driver wrenched the steering wheel off to the side sending the car spinning through the intersection.

It was as if gravity did not apply to them as the vehicle spun continuously through traffic. Joe and Bobby's bodies smashed themselves up against the interior of the doors as John clung helplessly to the wheel. Everything felt as though it were passing in slow motion and at warp speed all at once. Instead of resisting the urge to close his eyes, Joe pressed his lashes together and prayed to whatever god was out there in the cosmos.

The sound of crunching metal and squealing penetrated the still air around them. Opening his eyes slowly, Joe found that they were now upside down off to the side of the road. Out the window he could hear screams muffled by horns as they blared. The loss of control resulted a major pile up and those witnessing and participating were not happy.