There's Something Lurking... (Alkaline & SketchyEquine)

[Alkaline]

The drive had already been longer, and a bit more painful than he expected, but thankfully Michael could see the roof of the house rising up over the hill now. Glancing to his right, his wife still sat with the blind fold covering her eyes, though it had taken more than a bit of coaxing to get her to put it on in the first place. Still, whatever frustration she was feeling now was sure to go away when she saw the new house, right? He'd been so sure of it just the other day, but the truth was he was starting to second guess that now.

They'd been together for over 5 years now, but he had to admit that 4 of those years had been some of the worst of his life. The pressure to have children had started almost immediately, something he was a little surprised by considering how much the in-laws seemed to despise him. But the prospects of grandchildren outweighed any of that hatred, apparently. Michael would have rather wait, but it turned out that didn't seem to matter in the end. Three years of trying, and zero children. When he found out it was because he was the primary culprit as well, the shame and disappointment only grew. It wasn't impossible, the doctor said, but he wouldn't count on it.

A few months later, and on top of that news, he was laid off from his job. Cost-cutting mandated by a stagnation in the company stock, and a CEO disappointed to only receive a couple million in his annual bonus. He thought it was rock bottom, and he'd admit now he hadn't done a great job climbing out of that pit. It was only rock bottom because he couldn't actually imagine that his wife would cheat on him. When he found that out, he'd practically broken down completely. He couldn't even blame her, in some ways. He hadn't been trying in work, or their relationship, but he still couldn't help but hold it against her a little bit. In the end, maybe it was a blessing in disguise, he thought.

It had at least inspired him. Inspired him to do something a little crazy, but he was desperate to save a marriage that was falling apart quicker than he could put the pieces back together. So he emptied the retirement account, and put a down payment on a fixer upper out in the country. It was the exactly what his wife had always dreamed of, just a few decades behind in the upkeep department. But he was raised by a handyman and he could fix it up himself. In no time she'd be living in an old Victorian mansion, with the sprawling property and gardens she'd always talked about wanting since she was a kid.

His confidence almost collapsed when he finally turned down that long dusty driveway, the imposing mansion on the hill now in full view and in front of him. He probably should have seen it in person, he realized, but the seller insisted that it had to be bought as is, and it was a screaming deal already. Somehow, everything felt darker as they approached though. The shade of the trees grew heavier, the clouds blotted out the sun more than usual. It was all just a figment of his imagination though. It had to be.

Once the car rolled to a halt, Michael jumped out and ran around to the drivers side door. He was a hair under six feet tall himself, with dark, neatly trimmed hair, and light, golden brown eyes. He wore a pain of dark blue jeans, and a black Henley style t-shirt with just the top few buttons open, exposing a few whispers of chest hair on his sternum. As he pulled to a stop, shoes skidded just a bit in the dirt, and he stumbled to catch himself on the car door before opening it. He took his wife by the hand, and slowly walked her a few steps forward, before stepping behind her and placing his hands on your shoulders.

"I know, you said I haven't been trying... well I hope this makes up for it. I promise I'll make it everything you ever wanted..." he whispered softly into her ear, before reaching up and pulling the blindfold away suddenly.

"Surprise!" he said, squeezing her shoulders again and beginning to pray that she would react like he hoped.

 

[Sketchyequine]

The house had been empty for years. It had switched between a few owners, but most of those scenarios ended up the same way. People, superstitious or not, came into the home and were met with unease. Things would build slowly. A few missing keys. Opened doors or cabinets residents had sworn they had closed. Bumps in the night. They were innocent things, things that Virginia was responsible for. It was the less innocent things that drove everyone off. Pets found slaughtered. Scratches found on arms and legs. Threats carved into the wall with claws or painted in blood. It was those things that scared people off. Rightfully so. Dead as she may be, even Virginia was afraid of the poltergeists that could be found in the mansion.

There was a long history of death that had taken place in this spot- most stories of which had not stood the test of time. There were no records to be found, little truth to be uncovered, and most of these spirits no longer had names. Virginia was the only one that could be looked up now, and the tabloids had made it look like some sort of accident.

Local twenty-something found dead at home by fiance- Ruled Suicide by local officials.

The headline came and went without much notice. The locals didn’t know, and certainly didn’t love, Virginia seeing as she was new in the area and chalked up to be some city folk who got depressed when she couldn't go out on the town to clubs and bars on the weekend to get her alcohol fix. It was so much easier to blame the dead girl than it was to investigate the local football star and heart throb of just about every woman who walked the local sidewalk. So… no one had even questioned Walker when he said he just found her like that and claimed she had been having dark and suicidal thoughts as of late. And when he left town, people just assumed he couldn’t live with the guilt of not being there to stop her from slitting her wrists. If only they knew what had really happened that day…

Virginia was plagued with the memory day after day as she stood in the main hall, looking out the largest window in the home to the gardens which, these days, mostly contained dead flowers and the prickly weeds that overtook the grounds. This window was her favorite. She spent most of her lifeless days standing here, before the large bay window that had once contained her favorite pillowtop bench, and wallowing in her own misfortune. It was difficult to see the positive side of things when you were dead. Dead and alone.

Sure, there were other spirits in the home. Most of which vengeful poltergeists. But the ghouls didn't interact with one another. They were on different energy planes all feeding from different sources so exist. They knew of each other, sure. Virginia had seen the others hurt the people who moved in and out of the home, but they were unable to communicate. The poltergeists lived off of fear, anger, and envy. Virginia existed only in her own pain and sorrow. She couldn't leave this plane of existence as her case had never been solved. She had never felt as though her business here was finished, and she probably wouldn’t unless Walker paid for what he had done… nearly 20 years ago now.

Something caught Virginia’s attention as she stood at the window. Dust was rising up in the distance. First she furrowed her brow then her eyes widened in realization. Someone was driving up the driveway. She placed her palm into the glass of the window as she leaned in for a better look. Last week the realtor had picked up the for sale sign that had been up front for close to three years, and Virginia had thought maybe they had just given up and decided to let this pile of wood and the ghosts within it just rot. Now… She was quickly thinking that wasn't the case as she watched the car park and the young couple pile out of it.

“No… turn back around…” She whispered before her apparition disappeared into a mere shadow behind the pane of glass.

***

When Michael pulled back the blindfold, Mary was left less than awestruck as the house came into view. She pushed her eyebrows together, glad he couldn’t see the look of disgust on her face as she took in the sights. Chipped paint, worn out wood, half of the windows were broken, and she swore she saw a shadow upstairs: was the house infested with vermin as well? It would be the icing on the cake.

“Oh honey…” Mary muttered. “...you shouldn’t have.” There was an ounce of truth to that. She genuinely wished he hadn't. How much of their savings had he dumped into this shit hole? They were supposed to be saving their extra income for alternative routes to pregnancy, not some shitty house out in the woods.

Not to mention… Mary hadn’t planned for moving. What was she going to tell Jack? (Her boss and the man who, contrary to what she had told Michael, she was still sleeping with even after having vowed not to cheat again.) He was going to be pissed if he lost his second in command as his side piece both in the same weekend. What did Michael even plan on doing with this shit hole anyway? He couldn’t possibly expect her to live here in these types of conditions… could he? Better to rip of that bandaid now, she supposed.

“Baby..” Mary turned to Michael and laid her hands on either side of his neck. “What exactly are you thinking here? You don’t expect me to just drop my job and run away with you to the middle of nowhere to live in a house that should have been torn down years ago, do you? You know that's not plausible… I’m the only one working now. We can't live on no income at all. So please, please for the love of god, don’t tell me that you bought this hunk of junk. And if, god forbid, you did, please don’t tell me you expect me to move in with you here. At least not while it looks like this.”

 

[Alkaline]

Michael could feel the blood draining from his face, and he swallowed nervously. He'd clearly made a rather dramatic mistake, quite the opposite of the miracle fix to his crumbling marriage he was hoping for. His eyes darted from Mary's and back to the house behind her, and he couldn't help but feel his confidence crumble more. The pictures had oversold it's "ready to remodel" state by quite a bit.

"Well... I mean, I thought maybe you'd want to. It's got good bones?" His voice raised a bit, questioning himself as his shoulders dropped dejectedly. He couldn't even bring himself to move from Mary's grip, just content to stand there and embrace his embarrassment.

So what now? Did he just admit defeat and head back to the city with his tail between his legs? Did he fight for her to stay, beg her to never leave him? There wasn't an easy way out of the mess, that was for certain.

"Look, you don't have to stay... I don't know what I was thinking. I just wanted to surprise you. I mean it's your dream home... Or it could be, right? It has the old Victorian flair, and the porch... Half of the porch you wanted. I can fix it up! I can make it our dream. Couldn't you just see yourself living here? Sipping tea on the porch as you watched the sunset?"

Turning around, he glanced back in the distance, at least thankful that the view was as good as he expected. His eyes anxiously found Mary again as he bit his lower lip. He could tell already she wouldn't be convinced.

I can't do that to Jack. He needs me too much for work. And he gets so cranky when I haven't sucked his cock dry before the end of the day.

It was a bit harsh, maybe, but he couldn't help but feel the bitterness swelling in his chest at the thought. His gaze tilted away from her again, catching a brief shadow moving in the upper window. Nothing but a trick of the light, he figured, but a good enough excuse as any to explore the new house.

Grabbing Mary's wrists, he sighed and pulled them off his neck, and pushed past her without looking back.

"Just wait in the car... You can take the car back home, just drop me off at the motel down the street first, okay?"

He didn't even try to hide the bitterness this time. No need to look back and see Mary's face turning red in anger either. It was all too familiar of an experience these days, and not one he cared to get into today, so he kept his eyes focused straight ahead, cutting through the overgrown front yard and up onto the creaky front porch.

"Just... Please don't be haunted..." he whispered to himself, as he pushed open the front door, the hinges letting out a whine of frustation as they were woken from their years long slumber. Stepping in, he was bombarded with dust and cobwebs, causing a brief cough as he swatted at the air. For as awful as the outside looked, he was surprised to see the interior was still in relatively good shape. Dusty and dirty, but far less work than he'd have expected.

 

[Sketchyequine]

“I dont know, baby. This house… it’s a lot.” Mary added even as Michael started to pull away. However, maybe all of this could be to her advantage. It’d give them some time away from one another. Maybe she’d stop loathing the man so much… and if not that at least it would give her and Jack an easier outlet for their regular flings. They could start fucking in her bedroom rather than the backseat of a car.

As Michael approached the house Mary called out before climbing into the car. “I’ll make you a deal honey, You fix up this house while I stay in the city and work so we can afford this project. And when it’s all good and ready I’ll move out here with you. How does that sound?”

She didn’t wait for a response as she climbed into the car and closed the door before pulling out her phone and dialing Jack’s number to tell him the good news.

Inside the home was dated floral wallpaper against warm wood tones and light streaming through the dusty windows tinted the entire foyer golden. It would have been warm and inviting if not for the built up dust and cobwebs which had been neglected for the better part of Virginia’s years haunting the establishment. A real estate agent had come through and cleaned the place shortly after Walker had fled, hoping to make a quick sale of it, but that had not been the case. A few tours took place in the home for a year or two following, but the house scared everyone off as they found the claw marks on the walls or the heaviness in the air… perhaps even a threatening whisper in their ear. The poltergeists preferred the house vacant, so they did everything in their power to scare off the living. This would, likely, be no different.

She stood at the top of the grand staircase looking down at the man as he entered. He couldn’t see her of course… this time there wasn’t even a shadow to be found but she could see him- clear as day. She wondered what kind of a man would walk into this house, and she was surprised by the answer. Everything about the man’s aura seemed weak and broken. He was in pain, and it resonated through him. He would be especially vulnerable to the bumps in the night that lived here. Virginia, while harmless, could even feel how easy he might be to scare and manipulate. He wouldn’t be safe here.

“Oh you poor thing…” Virginia whispered, but of course it was inaudible to the human realm.

She trodded down the stairs and approached the man, quietly circling him as she eyed him head to toe. Handsome. Young. Troubled. Probably the kind of man Virginia would have fallen for back in life. She scoffed to herself at the thought: Always going after the broken ones, aren’t you? She scolded herself. Luckily for the both of them, romance between a ghost girl and a human man was quite impossible. Such a thing was nonsense. So her heart was safe… aside from the fact it was no longer beating.

Nevertheless she felt sympathy for the man. He was in pain and this house was quite possibly the worst possible thing for him at this point. It would certainly bring him no relief if it didn’t cause him direct harm. A weak spirit wouldnt deal well with the happenings that could, and would, take place within these walls- it could drive a man to insanity. He had to get out of here.

His comment about ghosts was almost comical… to a ghost. But not only that- it gave Virginia an idea. Maybe she could scare him out of here and he’d be smart enough not to come back because of the obvious paranormal activity in the house. With that idea in her head, Virginia leaned in behind the stranger: her lifeless lips just inches from his ear and neck. From there Virginia had to muster up all of her energy just to complete the task.

“Get. Out.” Her voice projected from er realm into his and slithered past his ear almost too quiet to hear, but it was enough. He would hear it even though just barely. And any human in their right man… would go running.

Virginia could feel herself weakening after that- her aura faded. Interactions with the human realm required strength and energy that Virginia didn’t really have. She wasn’t practiced in such interactions, and certainly wasn’t strong enough to maintain them. Even from such a simple task, Virginia’s spirit became so weak that she dissipated completely.

 

[Alkaline]

As he took in the space around him, Michael took in a deep breath, holding it for a moment, before exhaling deeply. He tried to relax his shoulders, to release the tension, but it seemed an impossible task. His mind couldn't ignore Mary's excitement at the prospect of time apart. She was a bit too eager, and as he turned to peek out the window, he could see her already on the phone, talking with exaggerated hand motions to someone.

Oh God, it will be great! We can fuck in my actual bedroom. You can bend me over my kitchen counter and make me scream as loud as I wamt.

He wanted to believe it was just paranoia, that Mary meant it when she said it was a one time thing. A simple mistake because they got too drunk on a work trip. He was desperate to believe her, and for a few months he had truly convinced himself he did. The long nights at the office were growing frequent again, and she was continually returning home in far too good of a mood for someone on a 12 hour shift though.

"What's in worse shape, you or my marriage?" he asked the house in a whisper. He found himself wandering down one of the halls without a care, his fingers reaching out and brushing just the tips along the tops of the wooden baseboard moulding that rose halfway up the walls. The dust collected on his fingertips, some puffing off into a small cloud to settle down to the floor.

Wiping off the dust on his jeans, he reached out and pushed open another door, the hinges giving off another aching creak. Nothing a little WD-40 couldn't fix... Or so he thought. As his eyes scanned over the ruins of the old room, he began to realize he was in way over his head.

"Get. Out."

A chill shot up his spine, and he instinctively brushed his the side of his head, flicking at his ear as if he felt a bug crawling across it. The hair on his arms raised, and he gave a visible shudder before brushing off the whisper as nothing more than his imagination. It was just a coincidence, he told himself, a trick of the mind making more out of some wind sneaking into the house.

Taking another deep breath, he stepped into the room, eyes following the large, built in book shelves to the ceiling. An entire wall was filled with them, an an old ladder on wheels was still leaned against it. He gave it a soft push, surprised to see it still moved relatively well. He'd always loved books, but even he had to admit the idea of filling up this miniature library was intimidating. Still, as he turned around, he felt like he could see the room cleaning up and becoming the perfect study.

Maybe you'll get around to that book for real this time... No excuses now.

Michael had grown up expecting to be a successful novelist. Real life crushed those dreams relatively fast, but at least he'd found some work as a columnist for the local newspaper. Political opinions, the occasional coverage of high school sports, and even a fake advice column where he'd posed as a middle age woman. Not exactly his dream, but it paid the bills and even helped introduce him to Mary. In hindsight, he wasn't happy, but he didn't have the courage to quit. The move to online, and subsequent layoffs finally made that choice for him.

With a sigh, he turned back around, reluctantly heading back to his dear, loving wife. As he did, he made a checklist in his head of tasks to do. If he was ambitious, maybe he'd be able to ditch that local motel and move in within a week or so. The library itself would have been a cozy enough place to sleep at least, once it was cleaned up.

"Probably more likely I fix you up, than our marriage..." he said once he reached the front door again, turning back to look at the intimidating project before him. Truthfully, both felt impossible. But at least he had a chance of fixing the house. Not like it would try to fight him along the way like Mary would. Turning back, he closed the door just in time to see the car starting back up, Mary smiling in the front seat and anxiously ready to go.