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The Drake House

Welcome to Purgatory

By Dana CrandellPublished about a year ago Updated 9 months ago 6 min read
13
The Drake House
Photo by Peter Herrmann on Unsplash

The mirror showed a reflection that wasn't my own. I'd been poking around in this derelict of a home for over 2 hours and this was the first clue that there was anything here worth investigating. In fact, I was on my way to the front door when I realized the mirror was there, although I was sure I had walked by this wall.

It wouldn't have been the first wild goose chase I'd been on, although most of my audience would prefer the term, “witch hunt.” As a "paranormal investigator", a title that I hated, I was painfully aware that only a fraction of the leads I followed would bear fruit. Let's face it, a creaking hinge and a breeze are all it takes for some people's imaginations to spin out of control. I also knew that at least half of the calls I received were from skeptics that wanted nothing more than to prove that Jack Scott was a nutball.

Still, I somehow felt obligated to use my "gift" to help those in need. There was always a great sense of satisfaction when contact led to resolution. Some souls really did need help crossing over, and others simply needed their stories to be told, to comfort their loved ones left behind. I had seen enough hacks with their electronics and theatrics to believe that a sensitive like myself should at least make an attempt when a call came. I didn't need gadgets or gizmos; I just needed to open up.

With that in mind, I had agreed to research this abandoned property, after a demolition crew had reported strange sounds, voices, “vibes” and the usual phenomena that kept my show on the air.

The County Clerk had been very accommodating over the phone.

“Yes sir, Mister Scott! The old Drake place? We've been hoping you'd do a show about it! I can have you those ownership records to you by email in a couple of minutes! Oh, no, sir, we'll just waive the copy fee this time. Yes, sir! Our pleasure!”

The email had arrived in exactly 1 minute, 37 seconds. Being a celebrity has its perks.

A quick scan of the house's history had piqued my interest. It was the family home of the original founders of the town, which, as it turned out, was originally named for the family. Founded in the late 1900's, the name of "Drake" had been changed only a few years later, to “Purgatory.” There was obviously a backstory here, and I was determined to find it.

I'd called my camera crew and let them know I would be doing an initial walk through and would send for them if there was a story. With them officially on standby, I'd booked the first available flight the next morning and reserved a rental car.

After checking into the lone hotel, I'd dropped my bags in the room and stretched my legs with a short walk to City Hall. The mayor himself greeted me and handed me a city map on which he'd graciously marked the location of the Drake house. “It's not like you'd have to look very hard to find the place, but I thought this might help,” he chuckled. “Here's the key to the front door, so you don't have to go climbing in any broken windows. We'll have our Police Chief, Harry, park out front to keep the locals from pestering you.”

I had thanked His Honor sincerely and arranged to meet Harry there at two o'clock. I could have used a bit more rest, but I had hoped to complete the walk through early enough to get my crew on the way as soon as possible if the lead panned out. If I found nothing, the early start would allow me to get to bed early and drive back to the Prescott airport in time to catch the earliest flight out tomorrow.

The desk clerk greeted me cordially when I walked back into the hotel lobby, which consisted of a small checkout desk and an overstuffed couch. I inquired about a good place to have an early dinner and he recommended the cafe next door, where “Madge makes the best hot beef sandwich in the state and it's available from eleven 'til nine.” I said that sounded like the perfect meal, thanked him and went up the stairs to my room.

I'd dozed a bit while watching an old episode of Hogan's Heroes and then pushed myself out of the armchair to grab a shower and wake myself up for work. I found the house with no trouble, and Chief Harry's cruiser was parked across the street, as promised. I'd walked over to thank him and assure him that I didn't need his help inside, to which he took no offense. He ensured me again that I wouldn't be bothered by the locals. A few curtains had parted slightly in nearby windows, but I was pleased to see that no crowd had gathered. I was used to dealing with small mobs on my arrival, but this was a welcome change.

Now, after a long and uneventful inspection of the house, I was ready to head back to the hotel and let my crew know I wouldn't be needing them. But, there was the mirror, unnoticed until now, and the reflection in it was, in a word, wrong. It was definitely not my face, but more disturbing was the fact that it seemed to waver and change. Perhaps there was something here, after all.

Slowly suppressing my internal dialogue with a practiced effort, I blocked my coherent thoughts and opened myself to any entities. Approaching the mirror slowly, I was more certain of the faces materializing and fading, but no contact came. Curious, I spoke my standard lines, “I mean no harm. Is there someone here?” There was no response.

Finally, as I approached to within a foot of the mirror, an image suddenly snapped into focus. Looking back at me was an elderly, female face, wrinkled and stern, with sunken eyes. At the same instant, I sensed not just one entity, but a multitude of souls. Angry souls.

I felt the room filling behind me as one entity after another pushed through the barrier into the space. Slowly at first, then with increasing speed, I was forced against the wall, and soon, I was trapped with my face mere inches from the mirror, helpless. A pair of icy hands grasped the sides of my head, forcing me to stare directly into the lifeless eyes in front of mine.

A single spark glowed in each of those eyes for an instant then dimmed. The mirror suddenly cracked, long, curved lines across the surface distorting the image, while a calm, cold voice spoke from nowhere, “Just be still, Jack. Fighting will only make things worse.”

Before I could respond, a single, long shard of glass snapped upright, the base resting on the frame behind it, the needle-sharp point glinting, vibrating only an inch from my right eye. The unseen hands holding my head pressed forward. Unable to strike out, pinned firmly against the wall, I could only strain backward with my neck muscles, but the effort was futile. “No!” I screamed, "Harry! Help!" but panic had robbed me of my voice and the words were hoarse croaks. The disembodied voice spoke again, quietly, “Welcome, Jack. I'm Amanda Drake. We've been waiting a long time for you. You've meddled enough!”

The end was swift. The shard snapped away from the mirror and lurched forward. I felt a wet “pop” as it broke through to the vitreous humor, followed instantly by white-hot pain as it sliced through the optic nerve. Then, blackness...

***

I channeled my inner demons for this one. I mean, the genre is horror, right?

Thanks for reading!

fictionsupernatural
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About the Creator

Dana Crandell

Dad, Stedpad, Grandpa, Husband, lover of Nature and dogs.

Poet, Writer, Editor, Photographer, Artist and Tech/Internet nerd. Content writer by trade. Vocal Creator by choice.

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    The story invoked strong personal emotions

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Comments (8)

Sign in to comment
  • Max Russell12 months ago

    I enjoyed the paranormal noir! Thank you for sharing 🤠

  • Gerald Holmes12 months ago

    This had me on the edge of my seat, knowing something bad was going to happen. Your descriptions of the ending jumped off the page. This is great story-telling.

  • The Invisible Writerabout a year ago

    I enjoyed this one sorry karma Jack lol my kid use to watch these paranormal investigation shows endlessly haha

  • Holly Pheniabout a year ago

    Very chilling with a nicely done surprise ending!

  • Eye love the ending! See what eye did there? Lol 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I love your inner demons. You should write more horror stories! This was fantastic!

  • Dana Stewartabout a year ago

    Suspenseful, you had my undivided attention. Pacing was excellent too! Nice work, Dana! 😊

  • Cathy holmesabout a year ago

    This is great. Well done.

  • Babs Iversonabout a year ago

    Suspensful & Horrific!!! Bravo💕😊

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