These Walls

Mud tore through the gravel path leading to the once beautifully carved wooden door. Faces of angels, sitting on either side of the path, had faded to sad stone monsters watching helplessly from their cemented prison. Ivy clawed and climbed its way to the door, pushed it slightly ajar. A shiny new silver padlock hung off the cracked oak handles.

“You want to be a member of the Summerville Secret Society, you have to take something from the Holmes Estate, and bring it back to us. Rules are rules," stated Daniel.

The lock snapped off with a loud snap, the door swung open, and light blasted through the broken windows. Shadows of ivy and branches slithered across the floor, like fingers beckoning him to come inside. Sam stepped into the hallway and looked at the majestic staircase gone sour with neglect.

I can just see it now, idiot teen breaks his neck on decrepit stairs of a house he was trespassing in, no thank you.

He turned to his left and saw a narrow hallway square at the end with a massive oaken door.

I am going in there, I’ll show them how brave I am. No one will take my lunch money ever again.

A cloud of dust doused Sam as he pushed open the door. Inside was a large empty room.

Really what are the chances?

Sam noticed a small door about 3 feet high and 2 feet wide, with a deep maroon stain on the bottom.

I'm going through. I've come this far.

After crawling through what felt like death, he reached the other side. It opened to a huge operation room, medical books, and lab equipment. Sam drug his finger across the wall. A howling echoed through the halls, causing him to abruptly stop and call out nervously, “Hello.”

Yeah, scream hello because ghosts are real and going to answer you, idiot. Just grab something and get out.

Sam quickly scoured the room for a treasure he could bring back. Amid the books and equipment sat a beautiful black leather book. It was worn, and the pages yellowed.

Gaining his composure Sam tossed the book to Larry for peer approval.

“You would pick a book, you’re such a nerd,” laughed Larry, “but for a book it’s pretty sweet, there's even some Spanish in it," Larry said holding the book out for all to see.

The books binding was indented nearly halfway through, and pages were handwritten with various medical drawings. For being drawn by hand, each section detailed a part of human anatomy in near perfect detail. Meticulous notes were written on each piece of flesh, details of surgeries, where to make cuts of flesh.

Grabbing the book back, “It’s Latin, not Spanish” Sam said matter of fact.

“Nerd,” retorted Larry.

“Let me take it home, I bet I can translate some of it. Aren’t you curious what it says,” said Sam trying to hide his excitement with a calm tone.

“Where’d you find this?” asked Daniel.

Sam described the room as best he could. He left off the howling wind and nearly pissing himself.

“Alright. Go home and do your nerd stuff but we're coming back next week and you’re taking all of us into this room,” Larry continued.

Sam worked every day after school for a week on the book. The translations told a chilling and horrifying history of the Holmes family.

“He’s late,” stated Larry with annoyance. “I’m going in."

"Please come out of there. Please don't make me go back there," Sam pleaded.

"I'm coming hold your horses," shouted Daniel from the other end. "Larry come on we can come back, Sam sounds genuinely scared."

"What all do you guys know about the Holmes family, not urban legend bullshit, but real history?" asked Sam.

"They were doctors or something who ran a clinic out of their home, some kids went missing. Then the family was just gone, ran out of town I guess," replied Daniel.

"I'd feel a lot better having this conversation OUTSIDE of the house, can we go please?" begged Sam.

"Alright, Larry come on stop pissing around," said Daniel with authority.

"Larry listen to me we need to go. The book, it's a COOK BOOK. Those kids didn't go missing they ate them. Larry now!" shouted Sam.

"Larry , come on," stated Daniel.

"Sam, the door it's stuck," said Daniel with genuine fear.

The boys pounded on the door, pushed with their full strength, but it would not budge. They crumpled to the floor in defeat and sunk into the dust.

"I'm not taking any chances. I'm getting something to wedge this door open, don't move. Sam keep talking to me ok. Anything just so I hear your voice," said Daniel courageously.

"There is a jelly fish who is basically immortal can take itself back to an infancy stage, and relive it's whole life…Daniel is that you?... Daniel…Hello?" asked Sam cautiously.

A howl echoed through the house sending Sam scrambling towards the door. He crawled through the dirt, tears falling, soundless screams, then a sharp pain in his Achilles, searing heat. He saw a rusted-out meat hook. He tried to pull it, but more blood pooled the ground a deep red. The monster dragged his prey into the hollowed walls, leaving behind a stained blood and cloud of dust.

"You can call it a gift all you want but it's a test. You father gave me the 'I would have turned $20,000 into a million in 3 years in the market let's see what you can do William'...he knows it's Bill. it's those little undercutting, constantly inserting himself…" Bill said stopping before pissing off his new bride.

"Good thing I only married you to piss him off than huh," laughed Mae lightening the mood.

"Well he's going to be impressed when he sees how I turn this place around it's an estate getting it for $20,000 is an incredible bargain," stated Bill.

"You know they sold it cheap because of those missing kids in the 60s," said Mae flatly.

"Listen babe, you dig deep enough you find blood on any spot of land. They just didn't have to dig so deep to find it here. Plus people love spooky shit. Stay the night at the Holmes hotel, see a ghost woooo..." laughed Bill.

"You're an idiot, " laughed Mae.

"About to be a very rich idiot," Bill said laughing.

A soft howl was drowned out by the truck chugging down the dirt road.

"OK this place has legit potential if you look passed the creepy dead eyed angel gargoyles, the ivy breaking the windows, the dust a foot high, the smell…"said Mae only half joking.

"Sarcasm never flipped a house, Mae. I'll have the contractor come tomorrow to look it over. Until then let's get a good overview of the place, look at the bones Mae the bones of the house," replied Bill.

"You've seen this place right? I wouldn't be surprised if the house's bones were actual bones," said Mae.

"Mae, they're going to be here any minute. We can't have half open bottles of wine out at 11am. Sends the wrong message babe," said Bill as he cleaned before the contractor's arrival.

"Don't know what you're talking about love I haven't opened any wine in over a week. The table was totally cleared off ; I cleaned it after breakfast. I think you're so exhausted your imagining things. After they leave let's take the rest of the day off," Mae said smiling.

"There was a half open bottle on the table. I swear it was just here…" mumbled Bill confused by its sudden disappearance.

"Your specs are all off. There's extra feet off all of these rooms, unaccounted for spaces all over the house. I can't help you folks until you get the original blueprints. I called ahead, Julie at City Hall will have them ready," said Chris their contractor.

Mae began applying a fresh coat of paint, margarita in one hand paint brush in the other. The howl stunned her enough to drop the paint brush and chug the margarita.

Dead center on the kitchen table was a small black leather book. There were notes written in a child's handwriting down the side of the margins. Enough to make out why no one bought this house. She grabbed the book and ran out of the house. Sitting in the driveway, she looked at the house illuminated by the light of the moon. Shadows stretched out to her calling her back inside. She grasped the book tightly and waited for Bill.

Bill drove back in a daze, nearly running over Mae in the drive way.

Bill, they ate the children. The last chapter is about what happens to you over time after you eat the flesh of humans for so long you need it. The more you consume the more the hunger consumes you. There's plenty of words for what they are now but I think wendigo says it all. They are in the house Bill. Literally. They left the wine out to mess with us. They left this out to scare us, to play with us like a cat with a mouse. We are going in to get our things and we are leaving now," demanded Mae flinging the book to Bill.

"You think there are ancient evil monsters living our walls because 100s of years ago cannibal doctors lived in our house? There is a question I never thought I'd ask," said Bill desperate to lighten the mood.

"Give me the blueprints, I will prove to you we are not alone in the house. Once I do we leave here and never look back you understand me," said Mae while grabbing a sledge hammer out of the truck’s cab.

She pounded on a hollow spot near the kitchen until the wall crumbled revealing its hidden horrors.

"Fuck," said Bill taking it all in. The room was narrow but long. Bones scattered the ground there was a sickening crunch with every step you took. Chains with meat hooks hung from the walls, some with rib cages still attached. "Go. Call the cops!" Bill screamed as he scrambled backwards out of the room.

"Bill. Run" Mae yelled, shaking finger pointing to the fast-moving blur of flesh which was currently climbing the wall towards Bill. "Run" she took off with Bill right behind her for the door. The creature moved quickly its pale white skin stretched so tight over the bones beneath like a drum. Its eyes sat in hollow pits, glowing yellow in the dark of the house. It followed them outside in a fast low crawl. Skin tearing off its rotting body in clumps as it willed itself faster towards its next meal. Bill grabbed the sledgehammer from Mae and swung at its decrepit head, shattering bone aged over 100 years. Its skin turned to dust at the impact of the blow. It crumbled to the ground before them. Mae called the police as fast as her trembling hands would allow. Bill kept pounding away at the pile of bone and flesh in a rhythmic trance. He didn't hear the sirens until they were right on top of them.

"Listen folks I'm rightly sorry you had to go through all this here. The town, we, are grateful you have disposed of this thing over here" said Sheriff Collins pointing to the mess of flesh and bone. " We all pitched in and well we’re giving you back your $20,000, you put into the purchase. The best thing to do is to just burn the house to the ground. You'll never speak of any of this, of course. Wouldn't want you nice folks going to the looney bin on a count of this here incident." Sheriff Collins grabbed the book from Mae's hands. "I'll add this to the fire."