It's A Shame (24 page)

“Says this is the house. Let’s go round back, he said it’s round back.”
She said a little too loud.

She put her phone back in her jeans pocket and pulled me along.

“Wow, that was smooth.” I laughed at her expression. “You’re so smooth…you are…you are!”

I was rewarded with a
nother punch to my upper arm.

“Fuck
, Shelle that hurt.”

“No where near as bad as my foot will when I
kick you in your…” she shook her head, “just come on.” She pulled me along.

We walked down the cavernous
driveway glancing sideways, looking up into the windows of number 1724 and house next door. Thankfully, there were no signs of anyone being home. Both houses appeared dark, and from what we could tell, it didn’t appear that there were any lights on.

I
looked down and noticed the windows of ‘Pat’s’ house; the ones low to the ground—basement I guessed—were all painted black. The paint looked to be cracking and peeling in sections.

I shook involuntarily
as a chill slowly crept up my spine, causing the hairs on my arms and the back of my neck to stand up.

“Shelle…I got a bad feeling
,” I whispered.

“Stop
whispering
,” she said loudly.

Quite the mimic my little friend.

“No, I’m serious.” I said as I stepped over a puddle of water filling a tire rut in the driveway.

“I’m going to check the back door.  Follow my lead if anyone shows up.”

“Seriously?” I pulled at her arm. “You’re fucking joking right now, right?”

“Just follow my lead.”

“God help me.” I was totally taken aback, “What the hell…okay…okay, we are insane to do this.”

M
ichelle climbed the wooden steps up to the small landing. I noticed there were stacks of yellowed newspapers bundled, lining the floor. She banged loudly on the door with her fist, and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

“What are you doing?  Stop that!
” I climbed up the steps behind her.

“No answer.” She turned to look at me.

“Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea.”

“Listen
, I’m going to try the door, watch to see if anyone comes.”

“No… Fuck,
Michelle, NO!”

She twisted the knob and it wouldn’t give.

She grabbed the knob with both hands and tugged, using her weight to yank on it.

“No one’s home.”

We both jumped and spun around to find an old man and woman standing in
the neighboring backyard, behind their gate. I almost fainted.

“Yeah, we know.
” Michelle answered them confidently, but I could see her hand shaking slightly.

“He’s done something to her
,” the old woman said flatly.

“Excuse me?” Michelle asked.

“His mother, Ruthie, he’s done something to her, that no good bastard of a son.”

“Mind your own
, Tess,” the husband scolded her.

“NO…been minding my own too lo
ng, he’s done something to her.”

“
Ma’am, what do you mean…he’s
done
something to her.”

“Ruthie his mother,
she was too fat to do much. Sweet woman, but she don’t answer the door when I knock. I know she had no other family. He’s done something to her,” Tess said without emotion. “There’s a basement window over there that’s broken. One of you thin young girls can squeeze through it. I would if I wasn’t so old.” She looked imploringly at her husband. “He’s done something to her.”

“I’m not saying nothing
,” the old man said as he climbed his steps and disappeared into the house.

“Over on that side.”
She lifted her frail hand and pointed.

Michelle was down the steps in a flash
walking over to the opposite side of the house, disappearing as she rounded the corner.

I stood there not knowing what to do. If someone called the police
right now we would be in deep shit; orange is not my color, and I hate jumpsuits.

“Grace…” Michelle
stepped back into to the rear yard of the house and was waving her hands, gesturing me over.

I looked at Tess, the old woman, for her reaction.

“Go on honey. No one can see nothing. There’s nobody next door…visiting their son I think. I’ll stay here and wait for you.”

Without a word I walked to where Michelle had stood
a minute ago and looked around the building just in time to see her slipping into the opened basement window.

Holy shit
. I’m surrounded by two crazy women.

I ran back over to the rear of the house
where Tess stood shaking her head.

I quickly climbed the steps and
peered into the window of the door trying to see through the little opening of the dark, dirty curtain, covering the window. All I could make out in the darkness inside was the outline of a counter and some cabinets.

My heart was
pounding in my chest and I was dizzy with adrenaline. I jiggled the knob again, nothing.

Fuck Shelle…where are you…

Suddenly
, I thought this has got to be one of the stupidest ideas we have ever had…ever!

I walked back down the
wooden stairs, and was walking back over to the side of the house where I last saw Michelle shimmy through the window, what seemed like an hour ago.

“Oh…” I heard Tess sigh and
turned around.

Michelle stood at the opened rear door, her face pasty white…

“Shelle! What…what?” I ran back towards where she stood.

She shook h
er head, “Tess, call the police.” She looked at the old woman.

“What Shelle, what…what did you see?”

Tess quickly, surprisingly agile for a woman her age, walked up her steps and disappeared into the house.

“Grace…there is a dead woman, on the co
uch.” Michelle muttered, “and there is someone down in that basement. I heard moaning, I heard her.” She blinked back tears. “The smell was so bad, I just couldn’t. I didn’t want to go by myself…”

I stepped up to her and held her
.  She was shaking violently.

“Sit here,” I said as I pushed her down to sit on the steps. “I’ll be right back.”

I walked in the door and through the litter-strewn kitchen. It was cold as hell—freezing. I walked down the hall and peaked into the living area, the sight of the dead woman on the sofa caused the bile to rise in my throat. The air conditioner was blasting at full strength. It had to be sixty degrees. I spotted a door slightly open and pulled it back, seeing it was the door to the basement.  I flipped the switch on the wall…nothing. Pulling my cell out of my back pocket I opened the flashlight app, shining it down onto the worn wooden steps, and started down. I don’t know what got into me. I usually run in the opposite direction of anything remotely scary, but for some strange reason I was determined to press on.

Guess having a serial killer for a half-brother changes a person
a bit.

When I got to the bottom
of the steps, I proceeded to walk through a cleared path. It was like a valley surrounded by mounds of debris and old furniture. An old hospital bed lay on its side, a wheelchair missing the seat stood in front of it.

Looking
up from the floor, I spotted a door at the back of the large cavernous space, near the opened window Michelle disappeared through. The smell emanating from this area in the basement, pulled at the bowels of my stomach, and I dry heaved. The odor so noxious, I nearly turned and ran back up the stairs. But I forced myself to breathe through my mouth, and walked towards the room in the back.

I
took a deep breath and held it as I pulled the door. I was surprised at how easily it opened. Then I cautiously stepped inside looking left to right, waiting for something to jump out at me.

This was like a chamber of horrors, the likes I never thought I’d actually see
. It was like something from an old horror movie. The room was dark and I could smell the mildew, and something else. I think it was a combination of urine, feces, and, vomit, maybe. It smelt almost like a hospital, where everyone was dead…for a long while. I cringed. Even when breathing through my mouth, the odor nearly knocked me down. The high, squat windows were all blackened, and the sunlight trying to push through the peeling paint, making the eerie space all the more frightening.

I lifted my phone and slowly began to sweep the light from left to the right. What I saw caused my legs to give way under me
, and I slid right down to my knees. My phone skidded to the right of where I knelt, the strobe setting on the app triggered, and between flashes of light, I saw what looked very much like a torture chamber. There were sprays of what looked like dried blood, everywhere. The walls, and ceiling; there were even dried puddles on the floor.

I
quickly grabbed my phone and managed to turn off the flashing, even though my hands were shaking uncontrollably. With some serious trepidation, I stood and looked in front of me. The first thing I spotted was a large metal table on wheels, covered in dark substance, almost black. It looked to be dried out, almost flaking. A pair of large handled scissors lay on top, coated in the same dried substance.
Holy fuck, it is blood
!

I gasped and
almost bolted when I heard a moan. It was weak and pitiful. I turned my head in the direction of the sound and saw what looked like a hospital stretcher, but I couldn’t see anything else. I found an inner strength I didn’t know I possessed, and walked towards it, my legs shaking with the effort. I grabbed the wall next to me for support and straightened my body.

On the wall, under my hand, my fingers touched
what felt like a light switch. I quickly flipped it and a dull light flickered on, illuminating the slender form on the stretcher. It was a woman, tiny and frail. She started to weakly roll her head side to side. Her painful moaning caused a violent shudder within me, which ran from my head to my feet. The agonizing sound was heartbreaking. I forced myself to walk over to the stretcher where she lay, all the while looking from side to side. I finally saw her.

H
er hands, both fastened to the railing with duct tape and wire, were shaking spastically. Her right hand was missing fingers, two, I think.

“Oh my God.  Oh my God.” I heard my own voice over and over again
echoing.

She
slowly opened her eyes and weakly looked up at me, her gaze unfocused. If she was frightened, the only indicator was the weak trembling of her hands as they shook against their bindings.

“Don’t, don’t be scared. W
e’re going to get you out of here. The police are on the way.” I reached out and held her hand. Her body was literally vibrating. She was weak but alive…barely.

She closed her fingers around my
hand and held on with what little strength she had left. I took my other hand and brushed the dirty hair away from her face as I kept on reassuring her that help was coming. Her face pale and ashen was covered in layers of makeup. Black smudged streaks ran down her face, from her eyes to her ears. Her eyes, from what I could see of them, were bloodshot. She shook and her eyelashes fluttered.

“I’m not leaving you until the police get her.” I spoke slow and quietly.

She shook her head.

“I’m going to try to get this tape off your mouth. Don’t be scared. I’ll try not to hurt you.” I prayed I wouldn’t hurt her.

I peeled the tape slowly away from her mouth. It was stuck to her ears and her chin and wrapped around her hair. I wasn’t going to be able to get that off, I didn’t want to hurt or scare her anymore than she was already. 

I felt her flinch.

“It’s okay… we’re going to get you out of here. You’re going to be okay. I’m here. I’m not leaving you.” I squeezed her hand gently. “What’s your name?”

She said something, but her voice too low
, and I couldn’t hear what she said.

I leaned down closer to her mouth.

“Lily.” She breathed.

“Lily?” I looked into her eyes.

She nodded feebly.

“Hi Lily, my name is Grace. You’re going to be okay. W
e’re going get you out of here. He won’t hurt you again. We’re going get you out of here.”

I looked down at
her and she closed her eyes. I couldn’t tell if she was resting or had passed out. I was hoping for the latter for her sake.

After what seemed like an eternity, I heard walking above me. Then feet, several pairs from what I could tell, where running through the house.

“Down here… hurry… we’re down here!” I shouted.

I heard voices.

“Please, down here…hurry.” I shouted.