The Haunting of Pitmon House (16 page)

Eliza sat in the couch on the landing, looking at Robert
sitting across from her. Behind him she had a view of the second story
staircase.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t do this downstairs?” Rachel asked.

“Typically you want physical proximity,” Granger replied.
“This is as close to the second floor as we can safely get without actually
being on it.”

“I don’t like this, either,” Eliza said. “I know Nick
indicated the second floor as the problem, but you were attacked here on the
landing, Granger. I vote downstairs.”

“Alright,” Granger replied. “If both of you feel strongly
about it, that’s what we’ll do.”

Eliza rose from the couch, relieved that they weren’t going
to conduct the trance on the landing. They walked downstairs to the large
entryway, and chose a collection of oversize chairs near the fireplace,
dragging them together to form a circle. Eliza considered removing the dust
cloth from her chair, then abandoned the idea and sat in it.

“A trance is sometimes a better way to go for reaching
spirits that don’t want to be contacted,” Granger said. “After I drop into the
River, I’ll construct a trance and try to contact one of the names Agnes gave
us. It can take ten or fifteen minutes before I get deep enough, so be
patient.”

“Which one first?” Robert asked.

“Might as well go for Kendall,” Eliza said. “He’s the one we
really want to talk to.”

“Alright, Kendall it is,” Granger said. “It’s always a good
idea to have one person stay out and keep an eye on our physical bodies.”

“I’ll do it,” Eliza offered. “You all know what you’re doing
with the trance thing. I’d probably just slow you down.”

“That’s fine,” Granger replied. “Robert and Rachel, if I’m successful
in contacting Kendall, I’ll open the trance to you, and you’ll be able to
participate in the conversation — if he’s conversant. Eliza, if you need to
revive us, drop into the River and warn us, and I’ll end the trance. Everyone
good?”

They all nodded, and Granger lowered his chin to his chest.
Eliza watched as Robert and Rachel closed their eyes. She knew they’d all
dropped, leaving her on guard. She didn’t like how her chair was positioned;
she was facing the fireplace instead of the staircase, and didn’t feel
correctly oriented to watch for approaching danger, which she assumed would
come from the stairs. She slowly and quietly pushed her chair back until it turned
a little, offering a better view of the entryway and the staircase beyond. She
considered standing so she could pace while the others participated in the
trance, but thought it might distract them, so she decided against it.

After several minutes she noticed that Granger’s breathing
had changed; it was slower and deeper. His head bobbed a little as he took in
air and expelled it. She wondered what he was seeing, what he was trying to
communicate to Kendall. As the moments passed, she made a routine of turning
her head to check the stairwell. Everything remained quiet and still, except for
the sound of Granger’s breathing.

It seemed like a half hour, although she supposed it was
closer to ten or fifteen minutes, when Granger slowly raised his head and
Robert and Rachel opened their eyes.

“Well?” Eliza sked.

“Nothing,” Robert replied.

“Either he’s in hiding and doesn’t want to talk,” Granger
said, “or he moved on to the other side, and isn’t available.”

“Damn,” Eliza said, her hopes dropping.

“We can still try to contact Tena,” Robert said.

“Or the other name, what was it?” Rachel asked.

“Dominic,” Granger replied. “Let’s give that a shot. Tena
first. You still good with watching over us, Eliza?”

“Completely good,” Eliza replied, standing up. “Do I have to
sit? It’s driving me crazy.”

“As long as you’re quiet, it doesn’t matter,” Granger said.

Eliza stood and walked around to the back of the chair,
resting her hands on it. “OK, I’ll be silent. Good luck.”

Granger lowered his head once again.

From her standing position, Eliza could see past the entryway
and into the area beyond the fireplace. Large mounds of white were everywhere,
furniture covered with dust cloths, looking like a silent zoo of stationary
pale animals. She wondered what horror movie she’d seen in the past where the
shapes moved when you weren’t watching them, and couldn’t remember the title.

She turned back to look at the staircase. Still nothing. She
realized she’d been holding her breath, worried that something might come down;
carefully she released the air, not wanting to disturb the others.

The minutes passed. Eliza split her attention between the
shapes in the other room and the staircase. As Granger’s breath deepened in the
same manner as his previous attempt, she began to feel alarmed; a prickling ran
along the skin of her forearms. She looked down at them and saw the faint,
translucent hairs rise a little.

Something’s happening,
she thought.

She looked at the stairs; still nothing. Back to the shapes
in the other room. No movement. Nothing had changed.

Then she felt the hair on the back of her neck rise, and she
knew something was behind her.

She turned slowly. Whatever was there, it wasn’t visible. She
looked for any kind of optical disturbance, something along the lines of the
wisps she’d seen of Agnes, but whatever was there, it didn’t give itself away.

I should drop,
she thought.
I should enter the River and see what it is.
If I need to warn the others, I need to be in the River.

She let herself slip into the flow, and as she did, all
remaining hairs on her body stood on end. Floating in the air ten feet from her
was the personage of a woman, dressed in a long white nightgown. The toes of
her feet drug along the floor as her body moved to the right. Eliza looked up
at her face, but didn’t make it all the way to her head before being stopped by
the disturbing sight of her throat; its skin had been removed, exposing the
interior of the trachea. She stopped moving, and Eliza tore her eyes away from
the throat to look at her face. She knew it was Tena; she could sense it.

And she was angry. Very angry.

Her eyes were squinting and her eyebrows poked out. She
looked furious.

Suddenly the personage began moving toward her, and Eliza
realized she needed to warn the others. As she turned, she saw something else,
another apparition, at the base of the stairs. At first she wondered if it was
the creature she’d seen before, but knew instantly it wasn’t; two red eyes
watched her from a fog of darkness that was moving rapidly toward her. A puff
of flame appeared in the center of the fog, like a lighter trying to ignite. It
puffed again, and a third time.

She turned to the others.
Do I yell at them? Shake them?
she wondered. She tried both.

Robert and Rachel’s eyes opened at the same time. Robert shot
to his feet and turned to examine the room. Once she saw that they’d come out
of the trance, Eliza dropped from the River.

The woman was gone.
No,
Eliza thought.
She’s not
gone; she’s still there, I just can’t see her.

The dark cloud had disappeared from view as well, but Eliza
sensed it was still present. She could hear the sound the flame made as it
tried to burst to life.

“What?” Robert asked Eliza. Rachel rose from her seat.

“A woman,” Eliza said, pointing. “Over there. Floating. And a
black fog that came from the stairs. There were two red eyes inside it. And it
looked like…”

Flame burst forward, a quick plume of heat and light that
erupted from a single point and grew to gigantic proportions. It wrapped around
Rachel in an instant, igniting her hair and clothing. Rachel screamed.

Robert flew at Rachel, knocking her to the ground and rolling
on top of her, trying to extinguish the flames. Eliza turned to help, but
noticed Granger still out, his head fallen to one side. He appeared
defenseless.

Eliza dropped into the River and approached Granger, trying
to revive him.  The black cloud had moved behind Granger; Eliza saw the red
eyes, centered on the man, preparing for another attack. She knew if she didn’t
do something, the next burst of flame would take him.

She dropped from the River and grabbed Granger by the lapels,
pulling him out of the chair and onto the floor on top of her. As his weight
landed on her, she saw the billow of flame roar overhead, narrowly missing them
both.

Granger came to his senses as he rolled off Eliza. “We’ve got
to get out of here,” he mumbled. “Where’s Robert? Rachel?”

They crawled on the floor to where Robert was still trying to
extinguish the flames on Rachel’s clothing. The acrid odor of burned hair
filled the room. Rachel was screaming and twisting under him. Eliza could see
small glowing specks where flame continued to eat at her hair; much of it was
gone, and bare skin exposed on her skull. Rachel was slapping at her head
repeatedly, trying to put it out.

Granger and Eliza knelt and assisted Robert, trying to
smother the remaining flames. As they helped, Robert quickly removed his jacket
and used it to eliminate the rest of the fire. Eliza looked over her shoulder
as she worked, worried that Tena or the flames might be sneaking up behind
them.

“Come on!” Granger said. “We’ve got to get her out of here!”

Robert reached under Rachel and lifted her. Rachel became
silent; Eliza could tell she had passed out. They ran to the door just as
another gigantic billow of flame erupted mid-air and raced toward them. Granger
had the door open quickly, and they all hurried out, Eliza pulling the door
closed behind her, feeling the heat of the flame.

Once they reached the front lawn Robert set Rachel down on
the grass. Smoke rose from her body.

“Is she alive?” Eliza asked, as Robert checked her.

“She’s alive,” he confirmed. “But these burns are bad. We’ve
got to get her to a hospital.”

“There’s one not more than a half mile from here,” Granger
said. “Let’s get her into the car and we’ll drive her there. It’ll be faster
than an ambulance.”

Robert lifted Rachel once again, and they made their way out
the metal gate and to Granger’s Fiat, where Robert lifted Rachel into the back
seat and slid in next to her. Eliza sat in the front passenger seat, and Granger
sped off.

●

It was hours before staff would let Eliza see Rachel. Robert
and Granger had left to bring back food when the nurse finally allowed her into
Rachel’s room.

She entered the hospital room and saw Rachel on the bed, her
head coated with thick layers of a shiny salve. Eliza felt tears forming in her
eyes.

“You’ve only got a moment, hon,” the nurse said, lightly
touching Eliza’s arm. “We’re going to set up an oxygen tent in a few minutes,
and you’ll have to leave for that.”

“Is she awake?” Eliza asked.

“She’s been given a medication for the pain,” the nurse
replied, “and she might be a little out of it, so don’t expect her to respond.”

“Of course,” Eliza replied, and walked closer to the bed. She
wanted to take Rachel’s hand, which appeared fine, but she was worried about
causing her friend any undue pain.

“Rachel?” Eliza asked, looking down. They had cut away
Rachel’s remaining hair. Under the gel she could see large red patches of skin,
some very dark.

“Eliza?” Rachel moaned. “Are you there?”

Eliza saw Rachel turn her eyes, but not her head. She moved
so that Rachel could see her better without having to adjust.

“I’m here,” she said. “I’m so sorry. We’re all so, so sorry.”

“You’ll talk to Lois for me?” Rachel asked. “I don’t think
I’ll be making my shift today.”

Eliza laughed a little, an uncontrollable release from the
horror she felt. “Of course, I’ll let her know everything. And I’ll cover for
you. I’ll pick up shifts if need be.”

Rachel smiled. The nurse reappeared along with two men who
wheeled a cart into the room.

“I have to go, but I’ll come back,” Eliza said.

“Eliza,” Rachel said. “I shouldn’t have encouraged you. I’m
sorry.”

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry about.”

“I’ll be very sorry if you die in that place,” Rachel
replied, “which is what will happen if you don’t stop.”

“Excuse me,” the nurse said. “We need to get started. Would
you step out, please?”

Eliza nodded. “I’ll come back soon,” she said to Rachel, and
turned to leave the room.

She found Granger and Robert in the waiting area, arriving
with bags of food.

“You just missed her,” Eliza said. “They let me in to see her
for a moment.”

“How is she?” Robert asked.

Eliza burst into tears. Robert set the food down and went to
her, steering her to a chair. He took her hands and held them until she gained
control and could speak.