The Caretaker - Part 4

'Dear Nate,

I'm sure by now you've gone and figured out that I didn't exactly tell you everything about that old shack. I noticed you feeling it when I brought you in. That feeling like the whole damn place is eyeing you all the time. And maybe if you were unlucky, there have been some more obvious signs. Well, I have an explanation for that, but I don't want to get ahead of myself.

Yes, that damn old manor is haunted. I found out within the year I was working there, and when I approached my employer about it, they told me they knew already. They had several others before me and none had stayed longer than I have out of fear. Well, being the penniless fool I was, I wasn't about to let some ghost or what have you chase me off.

So I stayed, for years and years, and most of what I experienced was rather tame and almost typical: doors opening and closing, footsteps upstairs or down the hall, lights flickering, voices, that kind of stuff. But this last year is when it started getting worse. I suddenly began to experience night terrors, things were flying off the shelves and tables at me, and I swear I was almost throttled in my sleep. I told my employers this, and they told me they had no way of handling that kind of situation.

It had been in their family for some time, but they said if I could find a way to deal with the haunting once and for all, I could have it. By this point, I've gotten old and fragile; I'm in no shape to fight ghosts. Besides, I have no desire to live in that old shack, not after all this time. So I suddenly thought of you, and your situation. I wanted to help you, and you're young and capable.

I'm sorry for manipulating you like this, but I know the kind of person you are. Please do this for me. Do it for yourself.

Sincerely, Uncle'



I honestly was not sure what to make of this letter. I had just been bombarded with information that I couldn't completely wrap my head around. He knew this place was haunted. Why didn't he just approach me honestly about this? Though he's right: I likely would have just wrote him off as finally gone crazy and declined. Maybe it was an impulse that he ran with. He and I are rather alike,  I suppose.

Evelyn was leaning over beside me and reading along. She remained silent, but I could feel her hand resting gently on my shoulder. She could tell I was confused, I'm sure; like I had no idea what to do from here. I would be willing to venture that she didn't either. Still, her reassurance was appreciated.

The idea of owning this place, though; that suddenly hit me. It's a real fixer-upper, but if I can get it then it'd be a major step in turning my life around. I started thinking about how I could make something of this situation. Suddenly, taking care of a haunting seemed like far less of a daunting task for the reward that it would entail. My change of heart must have shown on my face because Evelyn was now leaning forward and trying to catch my eye. I looked over to her with a wry grin.
"Well, Nate. What do you think?" she asked with uncertainty.
"I think it's at least worth looking into." I answered. "I'm not sure where to start, or even what I'm supposed to be looking for. But I like the idea of owning this place."

"That makes two of us, then." Evelyn said conclusively. She stood and stretched her arms. "If it matters to Clyde, then it matters to me. I'll help you out." I gave her an earnest smile. I didn't need to express my gratitude. I think she could tell. I followed her example and stood up. The light of the sun was really beginning to stream into the house now, and I'm willing to admit that it was easier feeling brave about this in the morning. As much as I'm sure we would both like to take a shower, I don't want to waste any time. So, we decided to search the house room by room as a start. We had no idea what to keep an eye out for, but we figured we would know once we saw it.

We were exceptionally thorough in our search. Since we had no idea what we were looking for, we made sure not to overlook anything in the manor. We started with the lounge and practically turned the place upside down. Under cushions, behind paintings, along windowsills, and even up the chimney we glanced. Because we were tearing the place apart anyway, we found ourselves taking particular care in arranging and cleaning the room up as we searched. It was strange how we both fell into the method, but I couldn't complain. I had been meaning to start cleaning the place anyway.

So from the lounge, to the kitchen, to the dining room, to even throughout the hall we searched. It's true that I said the manor was smaller than what I originally pictured, but it was still big. Searching every nook and cranny along the entire first floor took easily the entire morning and well into 1 o' clock. By that point, my feet were a little tired. So we took five in the game room. Evelyn seemed to be handling the search well, considering her wounds. She had to make sure not to twist around too much, but otherwise she was recovering fast. It made me glad.

She caught me watching, though, as I leaned against the billiards table, and she gave me a warm smile in return. I wasn't sure what to make of it. It was surprisingly genuine, unlike her earlier circumventional nature. I'm probably reading too deep into it. She probably just enjoys my company the way I do hers. Besides, there are far more important things going on right now. After our break, we moved upstairs and began searching through there. First the master bedroom, then the guest room, bathroom, the library (that one took the longest, easily), then we passed by the study. We didn't enter though. I recall back when I arrived, the way my uncle spoke of the room during the tour. 'I've only ever been in that room once.' he had said. 'Never again. I just don't want anything to do with what's in there. You'd do good to avoid it too, my boy. Not unless you absolutely have no other choice.'

Maybe he was lying then. Maybe he wasn't. But I understood exactly what he meant. The moment I stepped forward to grab the handle, my entire body felt frozen. I stiffened up. A chill rolled down my entire body and I suddenly felt a complete sense of dread. It's akin to the feeling you get when you're alone in a dark place and you suddenly feel as though you're being chased, and the instinct to run as fast as possible takes over your body. It's like that, but amplified so that I'm so terrified I cannot move at all. I immediately stepped back.

"We will be searching here last." I said definitively and began walking to the stairs that led to the attic. Evelyn followed without argument. So we ascended and entered the attic. It was strange coming back here after what happened last night. We both thought so, it seemed, as we shared a look. Nevertheless, we began searching. I was instantly surprised to find the gun that I had left here that night. Not because it was here at all, but because I could have sworn I left it back at the top of the stairs where the candle was.

During our search, I saw Evelyn pause over a spot on the floor, staring down at it. Thinking that she found something, I walked over to investigate. What I found were the stains of her own blood that we neglected to clean last night. I sighed, which seemed to surprise her just slightly. Looking up at me, she settled down and glanced back at the blood.

"I still feel bad about that, you know." I said, trying to meet her eyes. "I mean, I could have killed you. I expected you to hate me after that." She didn't say anything at first, but she adopted a small grin.

"I'm not going to tell you to not feel bad. Don't get me wrong, I was furious at first, and scared. Because you did make a mistake, and it could have ended a lot worse. But it didn't. It's in the past now, so I don't think I should really dwell on it." she explained, moving on to continue her search. "Besides, once I found out who you were, it was a lot easier to forgive you."

That last part confused me. "What do you mean by that?" I inquired, getting on with my own search of the attic.

"Well," she begins. "How long I've known about you, and who you are, and all that I've heard about you, when I found out that it was you, I instantly knew that you hadn't done it on purpose and were likely feeling absolutely torn up about it." This drew my gaze back to her, painted clearly with my confusion. "Imagine meeting a new person like that, but soon after you find out they're somebody you know about; somebody you know is a truly kind-hearted and gentle person, who you know would never have done something like that to you on purpose. Let's say they're someone you've admired for a long time because of that, and all you've heard about them." She turned to give that same warm smile from before. What has my uncle been telling this girl? "I mean, I'll admit, some of it may have been embellished. But from what I can tell so far, a lot of it wasn't far from the truth."
"Exactly how long has my uncle been telling you all that about me?" I asked.
"Let's put it this way," she says. "He used to tell me bed time stories about a heroic knight named Sir Nathan the Brash."
I had no words.

Her giggle was so sudden it almost startled me, like she was trying to hold it in. She had the slightest tinge of pink across her cheeks and she was still giggling. I didn't quite understand why, but I laughed too. Maybe it was at this ridiculous revelation, maybe it was at the entire situation of our meeting in general, or maybe it was just to have a good laugh, but we did. Our conversation fell back into idle chatter as we finished searching the attic. Still, we found nothing.

We came back down to the second floor and ended up in front of the study. By now, it was almost half past 6. The sun hovered over the horizon, not quite setting, and streamed in from the window down the hall, casting long shadows all along the walls and floor. That feeling from before, as though the house itself was watching closely every move I made, was gone. I got the same cold feeling of dread as before, reaching out for the doorknob. I froze like before. I tried to move but my body would not allow me. My brain screamed at me to back up and run the more I pushed forward. Though I felt I should be getting closer, I found my body had backed up. It was infuriating. Then I saw Evelyn's hand reach out and grasp mine softly, just enough to reassure me.

"Come on, Nate." was all she said, but somehow it helped. I still hesitated, but in one swift motion I was able to grab a hold of the doorknob and throw it open. Absolute deathly cold shot through my body like I had stepped out into a blizzard. My eyes could perceive nothing and I felt engulfed in clammy arms from the void. What I beheld would likely have drove me mad were Evelyn not there to anchor me back down to reality.

The image of the study formed in my vision. A desk at the opposite wall where the windows were. Bookshelves and filing cabinets on one wall, trophies and portraits on the other. The windows offered not the scene of an expansive countryside in the lazy afternoon, but one of a furious thunderstorm at midnight, not unlike the one from last night. In the chair before the desk before these windows, I saw a man. He was old with gray balding hair. He stood immediately upon my entrance and screamed at me. His aged face was contorted like a madman, but his words did not reach my ears; all I heard was thunder. I could not control myself, I stepped forward and reached out to him, calling words of reassurance and desire to help.

My calls were not heeded. He only screamed more, causing the thunder to crash in my ears. It rattled my mind and deafened me. I saw the man step forward and throw a solid punch directly into my face. I fell to the ground and grasped at my face. I felt the sting of the strike throbbing. All these things I had no control over. All this I saw through a haze, like a trance. Then I looked up just in time to see him grab what looked like a golf club. Again I was struck, in the head. Again, and again, and again, I felt the metal connect with my skull and the pain course through my body and cause me to writhe and scream.
I don't know how long it went, but eventually I found myself staring up at the ceiling. I saw it all dissolve into darkness, and then stars began to twinkle into existence. I could see the night sky alight with thousands of stars, save for a manor-shaped silhouette. Then I felt my body falling and crash at the bottom of some hole. The night seemed far more distant from here. The stars slowly disappeared one by one. I felt cold earth hit my face in chunks. Then as my vision became darker and darker, I suddenly came to with Evelyn hovering over me. I got a strange sense of déjà vu. Then it hit me. I sat straight up, effectively surprising Evelyn, who still seemed bug-eyed with worry.

"I get it now!" I exclaimed. "It was the victim. I saw the perspective of the victim."

"I don't understand, Nathan." Evelyn replied, shaking my shoulder with her hand. "You walked in here, then you started moving around all weird. You fell and started shaking, I couldn't snap you out of it."

"I had a vision, Evelyn. I just witnessed a murder, but through the victim's eyes." I explained. "It was disturbing, and painful, but now I think I have a lead." I jumped up to my feet, only to suddenly be overcome with lightheadedness. I nearly keeled over before Evelyn caught me and supported me.

"Whoa there, Nate. You need to sit for a moment, I'll take you back downstairs." She said, patting my back.
"It's fine, just put me in the desk chair." I said, pointing to the opposite wall.
"Huh? What desk chair?"
I turned my head too look at the opposite wall. There was nothing. Looking around, I saw that the entire room was completely stripped and desolate. No wallpaper, cloudy windows, and dull, rotten hardwood floors were all that made up this room. It was covered in a thick layer of dust save for where I stepped and fell over. "Nevermind." I said, allowing her to take me back to the lounge. I could really go for some tea right about now.