Dirk Gently and The Ghosts of Time

1941

When they arrived in 1941, they weren't in the pocket dimension anymore, they were back in the real house. Everything looked brand new. The peeling wood paneling now shiny and new. The floor in one piece. The double staircase freshly waxed and the chandelier above twinkling.

"Oh my god! This is so cool!" Tina jumped around when they heard a clicking, but it was too late to hide, a woman was right behind them.

But to their surprise, she didn't say anything. And to their surprise, even more, she walked right through them. Literally.

"What the hell?" Todd muttered. "Wait, that was the woman from my vision!" Farrah followed the woman, trying to keep up and look at her face. When she stood in front of her the woman passed right through to reveal Farah's shocked face.

Tina ran to her and hugged her, Farah's face remained unchanged. "What's wrong, baby?" Tina asked.

It took a moment for her to reply, "That's my great aunt. Lillian Black."

"Pardon my question but... she's white." Dirk pointed out.

"Her sister, my grandma, fell in love with a black man and moved to Seattle to marry. Lillian was always badass, she was..." Her mouth still wide open. "She never told me about this place, and she most certainly wouldn't kill little girls, she was always kind."

"Kill little girls?" Todd asked.

Tina responded, still holding still shocked Farah, "We met another ghost, she said that 'Headmistress Black' was the one who separated her. You texted us before we could ask more questions."

They all stood still, not knowing what to say. But a sudden scream, followed by many more, pulled their attention.

The woman turned around and began walking up the stairs. They followed her. Followed her up the stairs, through the halls, and followed her when she pulled down a ladder from the ceiling. Intrigued, they followed up the ladder to see the horror that awaited.

Blood, everywhere. Splattered on the cracked, aging walls, splattered on the floors, splattered on the hammocks, and splattered on the girls unlucky enough to be close to the 3 girls who lie dead. Cause of death? Abdomens ripped open, entrails spilling out.

"I'm gonna puke!" Tina backed down the ladder.

Another scream came, one girl flew into the air, surrounded by blue lightning as she screamed until she fell to the floor, dead.

Todd felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up, his eyes glued to the scene in front of him, visibly shaken by the last death.

"Where the hell did that lightning come from?!" He said.

"Lightning?" Dirk responded.

"That girl! You didn't see the lightning?! She flew up in the air and was electrocuted!"

"There wasn't any lightning, Todd," Farah said, her brows furrowed. "She just dropped dead for no reason."

"What a shame." Lillian Black sighed, clicking her tongue on the roof of her mouth as if she expected the events of the morning, not caring. "It is time for breakfast, I'll have this cleaned up."

Hyperventilating, a girl about 13 raised her hand, "Where is Ruth?"

"She..." the woman paused, thinking of the best way to explain it without raising suspicion. As if they weren't suspicious already. "She didn't follow the rules. Follow me."