Crimson Shadows - 10. Chapter 10

It was late, much too late to be up; he knew it was, despite the fact that he had closed the curtains to his bed, blocking out the world. He could almost feel the darkness that pressed against the glass, on the outside of the house. He ignored it though, reading various articles about their newest job, looking at pictures and writing out questions that would need to be answered when it came time.

The history was so very dark that it was surprising that there hadn’t been more activity at the Reams home. He had a feeling that with each family, with each set of people that lived there, it would take its time getting up there in activity, before finally someone would end up hurt and the family would leave for good.

At least that was the pattern so far, even with the way the original family kept the house for so very long. Of course, sometimes, the house had been rented out when the ones to inherit it wouldn’t want to move from where they were. That had happened about six to seven times; no one was really sure on the numbers.

Either way it always happened the same way. The family would move in and settle down before things would start to disappear. First it would be small things like pens, fake jewelry, and other small items. Then it would progress into bigger items like expensive vases or articles of clothing. After the disappearing/reappearing items, came the sounds.

Voices, footsteps, scraping, digging. You named it; it was heard at least once. It also driving Kyle up a wall since most of the sounds came from the basements and from the giant hole in the ground that had been the original basement that just hadn’t been filled in over the years.

Phantom touches were felt along with the sounds. By then though, most of the people had either left or had the house blessed, suppressing what ever it was long enough for them to forget about it or leave. It was a cycle and the young male had to ask why did they stay and go through it again and again?

There was something about that house that drew a person in and held onto them tighter then a boa constrictor. It was amazing to him. But the information he had been told showed that something was different; things were happening differently then before.

Standing up from his bed, shoving a bit of hair back, he opened the curtain to his bedroom window and gazed out into the darkness. It was surprising to him that just beyond the window, just outside of the fence and the trees that surrounded them, there was a world that was filled with technology that just a dozen years ago was mere science fiction.

Shaking his head at the turn his thoughts had taken, Kyle moved to his bed, sitting down and pulled his net book back to him along with his ‘pad to look over the information and the questions again.

Looking at the small pile of laminated articles and copied journals, he sighed and picked up the first of many, losing himself in the world of the 18th century, a time where money was less then it was now. A time where scandals were the norm and were often sought after just to kill the boredom and the tediousness of trying to make a living off the land; where families mixed and mingled and knew who was who and what they had done during the last ball.

He worked his way through the copied journals and then through the articles, pausing only long enough to write something down.

At the end, all he could ask was why had they stayed during the torment and the feeling of hatred they got from most of the spirits?

Why had they put themselves through that darkness willingly?

It all reeked of something dark holding a spell over the land and the people who owned it. It wasn’t just the history of the wars that had come and gone, it wasn’t just the blood that had spilt upon the land and tainted it. It was more but he could find nothing on the area before a deed had been written out.

Groaning and falling back onto the bed, Kyle rubbed at his eyes a few times before finally giving in for the night and cleaning everything up, putting it away for the night.

Getting into his night clothes, he shivered at the feeling of someone walking over his grave as he looked out the window, wondering if he had been right in taking the case. Trying to shake off that feeling, Kyle got into bed, flipping off the lamp next to his bed, falling into a deep sleep quickly.

His dreams were haunted with screams and images of hatred, only to disappear with barely a whisper when he awoke.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

They were coming! Coming, coming, coming! He could feel Blood purr and bounce in his own way, feeling smug and happy all at once as he danced around the living room, his body passing through the furniture and walls as his cackling laugh filled the house, making the two out in the nasty, terrible shed shiver as the sound floated on the wind.

He had gotten used to not needing to use door ways and windows, to being able to slip through anything and take over everything without worrying about being sealed away. It was so nice to be free, to do what he wanted and he reveled in it. Licking his lips, he giggled softly, and idly stroked a hand over the butcher knives that sat in their slides on the block, wondering if his master would let him hurt the people again so soon after shoving the husband down the stairs.

They had let their guards down, just for a few minutes, and right after they had set up the time for the lovely investigation. They had felt so safe, so sure that everything would be fixed!

Well, they are so wrong. It was pathetic but he enjoyed the screams of pain and panic before he had to pout as they left the house to get the husband to the hospital. They came back but he wasn’t allowed to touch them, lest they leave and take their energy away from the Blood.

The Blood wouldn’t like that after all. That would mean he would end up punished again. He didn’t want to be punished again.