Sailor (1) | JJ Maybank UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Crain House

"That's a stone wall, all right." 

Pope looked up at the old wall Bailee had spoken about. She had given them directions to a favorite spot of hers to play ghost in the graveyard with Sarah when she was little - the Crain House. The five sat in the van as John B stopped the engine and stared at the falling apart house. Bailee hopped out of the car while the others stayed staring at it. It was almost blended into the background because of the hundreds of plants and uncut grass that surrounded the wall and the house. It looked like a jungle exploded right in front of them.

"Seriously? You're scared of a house but not people shooting point-blank at you? Get a move on, guys. I've heard this story already." Bailee waited for the others to slowly get out of the van and walk over to her before she grabbed JJ's hand and walked towards the house.

"Are you kidding me?" Kie took off after them cautiously, not wanting to be murdered.

"Worst-case scenario." Pope looked to John B before following Kie with him hot on his trail. "Why'd it have to be here?"

"I heard that Mrs. Crain buried her husband's head on the property." Bailee says jokingly, wiggling her fingers in the group's direction and giggling. JJ kept looking behind him as they walked. "She chopped up her husband, maybe she'll chop us up, too."

The group continued moving through the plants as the house loomed over them. Each step was an unsure one. Bailee continued leading slowly to the house while she moved plants and swatted bugs.

"C'mon, guys. Even if she was a murderer, which she most likely was, she's gotta be, like, one hundred now. There's no way she could kill me." Bailee tried to reason with everyone. "I've been here a bunch of times and I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"Bailee, you and JJ are cockroaches. Nothing could kill you if it tried." Kie stepped forwards before letting out a small shriek at the movement she thought she saw in the grass.

"Honestly, I don't really believe the stories of this place." John B spoke up. His cast lay limp at his side while he followed Pope.

"Shh." Pope stopped to quiet John B before continuing.

JJ gripped Bailee's hand and tugged her closer to him, whispering into her ear just loud enough for everyone to hear him. "Which stories did you hear?"

"The one that she killed her husband with an ax and she's been holed up ever since." Kie quietly said back. "When the moon is full, you can see her shadow through the window."

Kiara wiggled her hands in JJ's face, spinning and gasping loudly to scare him. She laughed at his face when he heard what was said, Bailee joining in her shenanigans. 

"Keep saying that to convince yourself, B. It's all real. Jeez!" JJ threw his hands up at a statue that came into vision in defense, almost hitting Kie and making Bailee hold in a laugh. "I swear guys, I knew Hollis."

"Wait." Pope interrupted. "You knew Hollis Crain?" The group stopped and crowded around JJ as Bailee looked at the statute.

"Yeah, dude," JJ answered as the three stared at him with wide eyes.

"Dude, how do you know Hollis Crain?" Pope got closer to JJ, grabbing his shirt and bringing him closer to John B, Kie, and himself.

"She was my babysitter, man. She told me all about it." He looked to each as he spoke, making intense eye contact with them. "She told me the truth... about her mother and what happened in this house. So, as a kid, Hollis heard all the stories that her mother killed her father, and she was a murderer and all. Hollis didn't believe it. Until that night."

"What night?" John B asked slowly. JJ looked for Bailee to answer.

Since she was resting her arm upwards around John B's shoulder, Bailee used that hand to push John B's face in her direction, making him look at her as she spoke creepily with no emotion showing.