The House in the Woods, page 11
Clovis, Tom and Eve placed the little boxes about them in a circle just as Uncle Rufus had instructed. Boris was still intrigued by something in the darkest corner of the room. Whatever or whoever it was, obviously wasn’t causing Boris too much concern; he seemed more inquisitive than frightened.
Uncle Rufus then turned the board on. It lit up and made a short ringing tone, alerting everyone that it was ready to begin.
‘Right, Eve, do you want to start? Call out for someone to talk to us.’ Uncle Rufus nodded to his niece to begin.
Eve cleared her throat. She looked over at her two best friends and smiled nervously.
‘Hello, is there anybody there?’ Her voice was small and shaky. As if in answer, a small breeze whistled in from outside, sending a chill around the dark room.
‘Go on, ask again,’ said Clovis, looking over his shoulder nervously.
‘Hello.’ Eve’s voice was louder and more commanding this time. ‘Is there anybody here with us who would like to talk?’
Straight away the EMF meters all began to squawk loudly, buzzing and squealing. The different coloured lights on top of the boxes skipped and flashed brightly. Something had interfered with the atmosphere. Something was closing in on them.
Tom’s voice whispered in the eerie dancing light. ‘I feel as if someone’s walking around us, you know, like, checking us out.’
‘Yeah me too,’ agreed Clovis.
Suddenly a knocking noise seemed to be coming from under the floor. It was very quiet at first, soft thuds which quickly grew into loud knocks.
‘Who are you?’ asked Clovis. His face was a picture. Eyes wide, brow furrowed, mouth open in deep concentration, he stared hard at the board. Silence filled the room, no one moved a muscle. Everyone’s heads were bent down and they all stared at the board and listened out for a knock. Suddenly it came, loud and clear, one letter lit up.
F was the first character to be illuminated, accompanied by the bizarre computer voice. The letters kept coming and eventually the voice spelled out the name ‘Finlay’.
‘Hello, Finlay!’ whispered Uncle Rufus. Everyone huddled closer together.
‘Can you ask him to confirm that he died here?’ asked Tom but Rufus didn’t have a chance to direct the question to the board as it was already answering.
‘K.I.L.L.E.D H.E.R.E M.U.R.D.E.R.E.D.’ The computerised voice vocalised the letters one by one, then when the ghost had finished what he wanted to say, the words were spoken out together, forming a sentence. It all sounded very strange and creepy as the deadpan electronic voice echoed around the dark eerie house. The sound was deafening and truly terrifying.
No one spoke, the only sound that could be heard was the rain now pelting down outside. Again, a breeze blew in and made the room colder, if that was at all possible. Eve shook, she didn’t know if it was from fear or from the drop in temperature.
‘Finlay?’ whispered Eve. ‘Where is your body?’ She knew what the answer would be.
Sure enough, the computerised voice spelled out the word: ‘B.E.L.O.W.’
‘Do you want us to find your body, Finlay?’ asked Uncle Rufus.
Again, another loud silence filled the icy room. Eve had scrunched her eyes shut, as had Tom. Clovis was still staring hard and Uncle Rufus waited hopefully.
The knocking began again, the lights flashed, and the voice simply said ‘Y.E.S.’
‘Can you tell us how to get down there?’ asked Eve.
‘We’ve been all over what’s left of the house—’ Tom was interrupted by the voice of the computer spelling out more letters.
‘F.I.R.E.P.L.A.C.E.’
‘What!’ exclaimed Eve, standing up in excitement. She darted towards the fireplace and began to feel around it. ‘Do you think the fireplace is a secret doorway?’
Uncle Rufus put the communication board back in his bag and joined Eve.
‘It could very well be.’ He pointed his torch up inside the black chimney. An unexpected explosion of frenzied activity barraged out of the dark chasm. Multiple black-winged creatures flew out, emitting high-pitched screeching noises. The black shadows encircled everyone, diving and swooping and releasing a moment of mayhem.
Eve screamed, dropping her torch; it rolled about on the floor, causing the light to bounce around and creating more confusion. Tom squealed and Clovis screamed like a small child as he grabbed hold of Tom for security.
‘It’s all right, everyone,’ cried Uncle Rufus. ‘I’ve just disturbed some bats. They won’t harm you.’ He began to chuckle, sticking his head back up the chimney. ‘And I think if I just pull...’ His voice became muffled. He sounded as if he were struggling with something. ‘Aha!’ he cried, and then the noise of a metal object being pulled could be heard. Suddenly his head popped back out of the fireplace and something extraordinary happened. Slowly the whole wall and front of the fireplace began to move and swing open like a door, to reveal what looked like an old rusty cage.
‘Hey presto!’ shouted Uncle Rufus, a massive grin spread over his face.
The cage was just a bit taller than Uncle Rufus and large enough to accommodate about four people. Its door was a metal gate that slid to one side to let people in and out.
‘It’s an old elevator! Wow, this is incredible!’ exclaimed Clovis. He leaned in and began to examine the structure.
‘I don’t like this at all,’ said Eve. She was really worried now. This ghost hunt had started out as a simple, innocent adventure, but with each day that passed it was turning into a living nightmare – and now this! An elevator, leading to where? Eve wasn’t happy, wasn’t happy at all. She stood back from the rest of the group, not sure what to do.
‘Right, listen carefully,’ said Uncle Rufus. ‘This is up to you now. I totally understand if you don’t want to carry on, but if we don’t, I think Finlay may well continue his hauntings until he finds peace.’
‘Can’t we tell the police?’ asked Eve.
‘Not yet,’ replied her uncle. ‘We need some evidence. And right now, no disrespect to Finlay, no one would believe us.’
‘But we’ve been recording everything on our cameras and watches, surely we can take those to the police as evidence. And so far, Finlay has been right,’ said Clovis, pointing wildly at the newly discovered elevator.
‘Yes, we could, but we don’t know how good the recordings are yet, and as for the EVP on the watches, we won’t know what the quality will be like until we get home and plug them into Messenger One. The police will need more than just a dream that an old lady had about her dad. We need to get as much evidence as possible. Trust me, when I’ve passed on paranormal evidence to the police in the past, they are not the easiest people to convince. They need one hundred per cent proof before they can get involved.’ It was clear now that Uncle Rufus had been investigating haunting cases for quite some time, but just how involved he was with the police, the others had no idea.
It was obvious that he was determined to carry on. ‘If you like, I can continue on my own. I totally understand if you don’t want to come. It’s very scary. And if Finlay is right – as you’ve pointed out Clovis, he hasn’t been wrong so far – who knows what horrors may lie ahead. This job isn’t for the faint-hearted.’
‘Job?’ asked Eve.
‘I meant what we’re doing here tonight.’ Uncle Rufus shifted from one foot to the other. He looked down to his shoes as though something fascinating had caught his eye on the floor.
‘I don’t know,’ mumbled Tom, unsure.
‘Well, I’m with the professor,’ said Clovis. ‘How often do you get to have an adventure like this?’
Moments slipped by. The wind was getting stronger now, and it howled outside like an enraged animal while the rain pelted hard against the cracked grimy windows. Drops of water began to plop down from the ceiling into the room.
Eve went to her uncle; taking his hand, she whispered, ‘I’m in.’
‘So am I,’ said Tom. ‘Although we must be nuts,’ he added, smiling and shaking his head in amazement.
‘So, do you think this goes down to the Nazi war room?’ asked Clovis, peering inside nervously.
‘I have no idea, but shall we see if it works?’ Uncle Rufus said excitedly. He grabbed the handle and with great difficulty tried to slide the metal cage open. ‘It’s very rusty, come on everyone, let’s pull it together.’
Eve, Clovis and Tom scrambled forward and took a hold of the metal gate. After much huffing and puffing and teeth clenching, the stubborn old gate gave way. Eventually Uncle Rufus stepped cautiously inside. He shone the torch all around the little elevator to get a closer look. Two large white buttons sat next to each other on one side, on each of them a letter was written, one with the letter B and on the other, G. A mirror ran the whole length of the back of the elevator, obviously intended to make the small compartment seem much larger to passengers, and to top it off, a tiny chandelier hung down in the centre of the ceiling. It once would have been beautiful, now it drooped down, wilted, dirty and covered in cobwebs and dust.
Uncle Rufus walked in and began to jump up and down on the spot.
Eve gasped in shock. ‘Uncle, no!’
‘Don’t worry, Eve, I’m just testing to see if it’s secure.’ A mischievous smile spread across his lips. ‘Shall we take a ride and see where it goes?’
Boris needed no time to think about it; he shot inside and sat between his master’s legs. His tongue dangled, panting with excitement.
Eve, Clovis and Tom looked to each other. No one said a thing. Surprisingly it was Eve who walked in next, followed by Tom, then lastly Clovis squeezed in.
‘Slide the gate closed, dear boy,’ commanded Uncle Rufus.
Then Eve held her finger above the button that had a B on it. She looked to her uncle, who nodded. She pressed the button and closed her eyes.
Nothing happened. Everyone looked at each other nervously.
‘Well, I’m not surprised really, it needs electricity to work,’ said Clovis, who was squashed in tightly between Tom, a rucksack and Eve. His glasses were now steamed up and crushed across his face. The elevator was clearly made for two people to travel comfortably, not four and a flatulent dog.
Just as he said that, an electrical buzz resounded around them, and the dusty little chandelier flickered on and off. Then, without warning, and to everyone’s shock, the old elevator plunged straight down.
CHAPTER 17
A Ghostly Guard
After the initial stomach churning descent the old elevator thankfully slowed down. It began to rattle and moan like an angered beast waking from a long, deep sleep. Where they were going was a complete mystery. No one spoke, uncertainty and fear etched on their faces. The little crystal chandelier bounced about above their heads, projecting a dirty, dim orange glow and strange blinking lights over the frightened faces.
The journey seemed to go on for ever, falling down further and further into seemingly nowhere. After about a minute the elevator came to a sudden and dramatic stop. Everyone stood completely still, no one daring to move or speak. The only noise that could be heard was the tinkling of the chandelier. Its little teardrop crystals banged about, clashing into each other as if surprised at such unexpected movement. Then finally, one long, loud sound of electricity buzzed about them, shutting off their light source.
Uncle Rufus clicked his torch on and directed the beam upwards, bringing a welcome bright light into the small enclosed space.
‘Everyone all right?’ he asked.
‘Just about,’ breathed Eve. It was in fact the first time she had taken a breath since she had walked into the elevator.
‘I’m OK,’ whispered Tom, nibbling on his thumb.
‘Me too,’ added Clovis. ‘What I don’t get is that there didn’t seem to be any electricity in the house... so how come the elevator works? It must have another source.’
‘I think you’re right there, the electricity supply must come from down here,’ said Uncle Rufus, pointing the torch out of the front of the elevator.
‘Where is here? Where are we?’ whispered Eve.
‘That’s a very good question, my dear girl, and I think we are about to find out... Here, hold my torch, Tom.’ Uncle Rufus grabbed the handle of the elevator, pulled hard, and slid the metal cage door open. Taking back his torch, he walked slowly out of the enclosed space. The others followed, huddled together for security. Everyone clicked their torches on, bringing their new surroundings into light.
Cobwebs lit up like silver beads as the beams of light slid over them. They seemed to have arrived in someone’s front room. It was small and compact, with a metal door on the opposite side. They could make out furniture and pictures on the walls, though of what, they couldn’t tell, as everything was covered in thick dust. An overturned armchair, a smashed cup and saucer on a round table. A small wooden bed lay in the corner of the room, its blanket still crumpled as if someone had only just woken up.
‘Looks like someone left in a hurry,’ said Clovis, peering closely at the objects around him.
‘Look at this,’ whispered Eve. She was standing over an old black wireless set that sat on a side table in the corner of the room.
Uncle Rufus came over to inspect Eve’s find. ‘It’s a German wireless and it’s very rare, from the nineteen-thirties. In fact... this whole room looks like it’s been stopped in time.’ He went over to a big picture that hung over the mantelpiece. He wiped the glass quickly with his sleeve and found the dust came away easily. The face he uncovered took everyone’s breath away. There in the dark, staring straight at them, was a face that represented nothing but pure evil. It was the cruel and furious gaze of the dictator Adolf Hitler himself.
‘Oh my God!’ said Eve, stepping backwards. ‘They really made it, the Nazis actually got into this country.’
‘If Mr Mason could see this, he’d have a heart attack,’ said Clovis.
‘Well, your history teacher can never know. Remember, everyone, not a word.’ Uncle Rufus’s voice was serious and stern.
He moved around the small room, dusting down more pictures. Faces of German soldiers appeared on the walls one after the other, their silent smiles looking down on them all.
Tom had discovered an old newspaper on the floor. It was the London Herald. The black, bold headlines read BATTLE OF BRITAIN RAGES ACROSS SOUTHERN SKIES. ‘Look, this paper is dated nineteen-forty, so that ties in with when Finlay went missing.’ Tom folded the paper up carefully and put it in his rucksack.
Boris growled suddenly. The noise was menacing and scary. He started to walk backwards, his eyes fixed on something in the corner of the room.
‘Uh oh,’ said Eve, knowing that when Boris barked or growled, something spooky was imminent.
Suddenly the old wireless lit up like a small beacon, emitting a red glow around the small room. Then came the voice. A horrendous noise that no one would ever forget: a distinct man’s voice, shouting and growling in German. The hideous noise hissed and spat through the damp air. Louder and louder it went, sending shivers all over Eve’s body. Everyone stood still, stone-cold with fear. She snapped first, and screamed: ‘Turn it off!’
Uncle Rufus rushed to the radio and tried to do just that. He pressed every dial and button but nothing happened. He kneeled down to find the plug but there wasn’t one. Boris began barking continuously, his hackles up like little spikes.
The voice boomed loudly about them all. Eve and Tom had their hands over their ears. Remembering the similar incident with his own TV, Tom realised that if left alone the device would soon turn off.
‘It will stop on its own, Professor!’ he shouted.
Sure enough, the radio clicked off moments later. The voice disappeared and the eerie red light began to fade.
Everyone breathed out, except Boris, who was still looking in the opposite corner of the room.
‘Get your EMF meters out,’ instructed Uncle Rufus. ‘Someone is with us, and I don’t think it’s Finlay.’
Tom, Clovis and Eve brought out their little machines and passed them to the professor, who then laid them neatly on the floor close to the corner of the room where Boris was currently standing guard.
Straight away the meters began to screech with electricity, the lights on the top all flashing, letting everyone know that something was present that was not of this world. Boris stopped barking and sat down, but his eyes never moved from the corner.
‘It’s gone very cold all of a sudden,’ said Clovis, pointing a temperature gun into the corner. ‘In fact, in this part it’s minus four degrees but in the middle of the room it’s... fourteen degrees!’
‘Really? That’s very interesting, Clovis,’ replied Uncle Rufus. He took a deep breath and began moving towards the corner of the room. ‘Who are you? Who’s there?’ he asked, never taking his eyes off the dark, cold space in front of him.
‘Be careful, Uncle.’ Eve’s voice trembled, still shocked from the radio.
‘Did you hear that?’ asked Tom, looking about him nervously.
‘Hear what?’ answered Clovis.
Tom stood absolutely still, as if frozen in time. ‘There it is again, you sure you can’t hear that?’
‘What is it, Tom?’ asked Eve, feeling really anxious.
‘Shush, everyone... I can hear it too,’ whispered Uncle Rufus. ‘It’s a man’s voice, he’s saying one word over and over again. It’s here. It’s not coming from the radio, it’s coming from this corner.’ Uncle Rufus was stood facing the dark space, his hands outstretched to feel the drop in temperature. All of a sudden, his body doubled over as if someone had punched him in the stomach. He yelled out in pain and then to everyone’s horror they watched as his body lifted off the floor and fell backwards through the air.
‘Arghh!’ Yelling in pain, he landed on the ground with a thump.
Then a deep voice boomed around them clear and deep, so loud that everyone heard it this time. ‘NINE!’ Eve screamed and placed her hands over her ears.
Tom and Clovis rushed to Uncle Rufus’s side and helped him up.
‘Are you all right, Professor?’ Tom asked.
