This is another horror story written for one of the BA assignments. It’s a little naive in its execution but I enjoyed the experience and especially the editing process. Thanks to the people who gave their professional opinions, particularly author Colin Davies, this story finished in a much more refined state than when it began.
I cannot emphasise how important the editing stage, on any writers journey, is. It is the point where you get the chance to take a step back and let your work loose on the world and discover things you may not have considered. Pace, character, voice, dialogue, continuity and so on. You will also learn about your reader and who you might market it to.
I hope you enjoy this little horror story.
Good Riddance
On cue, the loud creak of the door started to work on the imaginations of Mikey’s guests. It was old and bore the scars of years of neglect. Yet, every time Mikey came here, it performed consistently. His silver watch glinted in what little light there was as his hand pushed the door further open. Reflections from the watch bounced around the darkened room beyond.
Jack and Katie, who were both younger than twenty seven year old Mikey, followed him into the house. Mikey had spotted them on the pier walking hand in hand, marvelling at the rides, games, and amusements. Mikey disliked the pier it was always noisy. Loud music blasted from the Waltzers and the other fairground rides.
The bright lights gave him a headache if he stared at them for too long. Even when he closed his eyes he could still see the imprint they’d left on his retina. Mikey approached Jack and Katie offering them the ultimate thrill of visiting a genuine haunted house.
He had ‘the gift of the gab’, his mother would say. He didn’t know why but people always trusted him, he assumed he must have one of those faces. Whatever it was, Mikey was glad he had it.
Jack was eager to have a private tour of some old ‘spook’ house. Katie on the other hand needed some convincing. Jack thought this was a bit odd, as she seemed quite adventurous when they’d met a few days ago. She explained that she’d seen enough slasher movies to understand what happens to hapless teens that stray from the path. Mikey finally convinced her with his Blackpool Tourism identity card. The ID wasn’t fake, but Mikey didn’t work for the tourism board, one of his friends worked for the printing firm that produced the ID badges and had provided him with one. Jack paid for the supernatural tour experience once he and Mikey had convinced Katie that it was safe.
They followed Mikey to the house and entered the dusty hallway through the creaking door Mikey just opened.
The house in question had been built in 1892 by Aaron Kominski, a prominent London Barber seeking to escape the filth and smog of the city. Kominski died in 1919, he was survived by his cousin, John Christie, who took ownership of the property later that year. Christie died in 1952 and the house passed into the ownership of the Pawsons, who purchased the property at auction in 1971.
Four years later, in the May of 1975, Mabel and Frederick Pawson were discovered dead along with their three children. All had bullet wounds and the gun was found at the scene next to Mr Pawson. There was no sign of a break in or a struggle and there were no missing items. Mr Pawson’s safe was unopened, his wallet still full of cash. Mrs Pawson’s jewellery was all still in place, laid out neatly on the dressing table. All signs pointed to Mr Pawson shooting his children and wife before turning the gun on himself. There was no suicide note so the police were clueless as to a motive. The local newspaper report at the time called it, ‘A true mystery’, while the family’s neighbours regarded them as a ‘friendly family.’
Mikey moved slowly through the house with Katie and Jack close behind. He took them through the large ornate lounge, furniture looming in the darkness. A Steinway grand piano dominated the space in the large rounded, alcove window. They passed the six foot tall marble fireplace, the hearth still contained the ash from the last fire Frederick lit a breeze from the chimney washing over them as they passed. Katie shivered.
“It’s bloody cold in here,” she said, her breath producing wisps of water vapour as she spoke.
Jack placed his arm around her and pulled her in for a hug. “Don’t worry babe, I’ll keep you warm.” He looked at Mikey, “Hey mate, she’s right, it is really cold in here.”
Mikey smiled, his back to them, he’d heard countless people say the same thing. There was something about the construction of the house that caused a chilly draft to pass through the living room to the kitchen. Mikey used it to great effect, feeling cold enhanced his narrative.
“Yeah, it’s a cold spot. Been there since the family were discovered dead. Even in the summer it’s like a fridge right here.” Mikey then doubled down on the tension, “Are you OK? Do you want to continue?”
Katie didn’t look so sure, but Jack nodded enthusiastically, pulling her closer to him.
Mikey smiled, “Yeah? Your girlfriend doesn’t look too sure.”
Katie suddenly stood upright, brushing Jack’s arm off her shoulder.
“I’m absolutely fine, thank you.” She said, “I don’t need a man to tell me what I may or may not be feeling.” She grabbed the hem of her jacket and pulled it down before marching in front of Mikey. The two men looked at each other, Jack smiling. Mikey shook his head and chuckled, he fumbled with something in his pocket.
A deep low groan echoed off the walls. Katie stopped dead in her tracks, the two men looked in the direction of the cellar.
‘What the fuck was that?” Katie whispered.
Silence enveloped the room. A sense of dread feeding the tension. The quiet was broken as Mikey suddenly shouted, “I don’t know!”
“For fuck’s sake,” Jack yelled over Katie’s scream as she rushed back to Jack.
“Did you have be so loud?” Jack continued, as he clutched his chest and let out a long slow breath.
“That was unnecessary,” Katie narrowed her eyes at Milkey, “That sound was scary enough, without you being a prick. What was it?”
“I don’t know, I’ve never heard that before, but it sounded as though it came from the cellar.” He looked at them both, “Do you want to continue?”
Katie looked at Jack and shook her head, grabbing his arm. Jack took her hand gently and put his other arm around her.
“C’mon babe, it’ll be fine,” Jack said reassuringly. “It’s just the wind, that’s all. Besides, we’ve paid a fortune for this experience, and I want my money’s worth.” He pulled Katie close to him and whispered in her ear. “I’ll take care of you.”
Katie shook herself out of Jack’s grip, “I don’t need you to take care of me, Jack.” She looked at both of them, determined and in control. “Let’s find this stupid ghost and get out of here!”
Mikey looked at Jack with surprise, then to Katie, “Who wants to go first?” He asked.
Katie and Jack looked at each other, then back to Mikey and shook their heads. Mikey smiled and took the first tentative steps towards the cellar door. Mikey reached for the door handle with his right hand, his left remaining in his jacket pocket. As he softly grabbed the handle another moan emanated from the other side of the door.
Jack sensed Katie tense up beside him, “Don’t worry babe,” his voice starting in a whisper before increasing in volume, “It’s just another fairground attraction, there’ll be a speaker somewhere, this joke has a remote in his pocket. Isn’t that right mate?”
Mikey didn’t reply, his hand had tensed on the handle, the knuckles turning white. Jack reached out grabbing Mikey by the shoulder.
“You OK mate?”
Mikey didn’t move, not even taking a breath. Jack moved closer and noticed a tear rolling down the side of Mikey’s right cheek.
“Mate, C’mon.” Jack was trying to sound cheery, though his heart was almost beating out of his chest.
Mikey’s left hand emerged from his jacket pocket. Katie noticed there was a silver chain dangling from it. She tapped Jack on the back..
“Jesus Christ, Katie. Give me a warning will you!”
“Look,” she said, pointing to Mikey’s hand.
Jack let go of Mikeys shoulder and moved around him.
“What the fuck is that?” He tried to open Mikey’s hand to get a better look at the object.
Mikey turned quickly toward them. Jack took a startled step backward, almost knocking Katie over.
Mikey’s face was still familiar, but his eyes were wide, almost bulging out of their sockets, tears streaming down his cheeks. The tendons and veins on his neck had gone into some sort of spasm, sticking out as though they were trying to break through the skin. His mouth was wide and clenched. He spoke through his teeth like a deranged ventriloquist, his voice strained and high pitched.
“Run.” Jack was frozen to the spot as Mikey hissed again, “Get out, get out now.”
Mikey’s face suddenly changed again, falling into a dark, soulless, stare. His voice deep and raspy.
“Oh no you don’t Mikey, they’re mine.”
Before Jack had the chance to gather his thoughts a hammer appeared in Mikey’s hand, Mikey raised it and brought it down on Jack. Jack put up his hand to block the incoming weapon, but his reflexes weren’t fast enough, and the hammer made contact with his temple. A sickening thud and blood burst out of the impact area splattering the wall as Jack slumped forward. Mikey stepped out of the way and watched as Jack crumpled and hit the floor with a sickening thud. Anticipating a chase. Mikey turned toward Katie expecting her to be retreating to the front door. However, he was surprised to see her stood on the same spot, she hadn’t moved an inch. He looked at her and frowned, she was smiling.
“Hello Lamashtu.” Her eyes fixed on his. “I’ve been waiting for you to appear.”
Mikey looked at her quizzically not saying a word, he quickly raised the hammer but before he could swing it down to crush her skull, she spoke again.
“I don’t think so.”
His arm stopped mid swing, and despite his effort, he couldn’t move it.
“What the fuck!” Anger setting into his voice. “Who the fuck are you? And how?” His mind was suddenly curious as to how much she actually knew.
Katie didn’t take her eyes off him as she spoke softly, “Drop.”
Mikey’s arm dropped to his side, his hand releasing the hammer which thudded to the floor next to Jacks head. He looked at her with a malevolent stare, spittle flying from his mouth as spoke “How the fuck are you doing this?”
She stared back at him for a moment before reaching into her jacket pocket and removing a gold necklace, donning an ivory pendant. The pendant was engraved with a symbol in the form of a downward triangle with a cross attached to the tip. She dangled it in front of Mikey’s face. He stared at it for a moment before recognition spread across his face.
“Where the fuck did you get that?”.
She turned and headed back to the living room, “Follow me Lamashtu.”
“How the fuck do you know that name?”
“All in good time.” Katie’s response was almost flippant, “and do you have to swear so much?”
“Fuck you!” He spat, as he had no choice but to follow her, his legs moving without his input. “Spit it out you bitch. Who the fuck are you?”
Katie put the gold chain and pendant back in her pocket.
“It’s taken me a long time to find you Lamashtu. I’d almost given up.” She folded her arms and sighed. Mikey didn’t move or take his eyes of her.
Lamashtu now realised that Katie knew his demon name and that this body he occupied was no longer meat in disguise. “You do realise I’m going to gut you whilst you are still awake. I’ll make you experience every atrocity I’m going to do to your body. I’ll start with your tits, slice them off nice and slow.”
Katie didn’t react, she just smiled. This infuriated the demon further and he lunged at her. But even though his presence was able to push Mikey’s body beyond it’s normal strength, the foul entity was unable to reach its target. Some kind of protective warding repelled Lamashtu’s attack and the demon screamed in frustration.
“Give it up, you won’t be getting anywhere near me. In fact, you won’t be getting anywhere near anybody ever again. Your killing spree ends tonight.”
“How the fuck do you know who I am and what do you want?” Again, the demon attempted to use its human host to get close to her, banging his fists on thin air.
“You really don’t recognise me do you?” She took a step closer to Lamashtu, as she did the sphere of protection pushed the demon back. Katie looked disappointed at the lack of recognition in his eyes. “Take a closer look.”
Lamashtu stopped and studied her face closely. When he spoke, it was almost a whisper, “Little Katie Chapman.”
He had no idea how she was still alive, it was over a hundred years since he thought he’d killed her. Katie had been the youngest of five children and Lamashtu had possessed a travelling salesman called George, who entered her home under the guise of selling them the future of cleaning. He made her watch as he tortured and killed her parents and siblings. The ordeal had lasted hours, and he’d savoured every moment of it but ultimately even though he could push the body beyond its normal endurance, the human body had its limits. By the end of these gruelling deaths, he was exhausted. When he’d turned his attention to Katie she was a shell, nothing left of her humanity, she’d seen too much. Her eyes were fixed in a stare not seeing him. Lamashtu had intended her to be his glory kill, his pièce de résistance, but the flesh was drained and an elaborate drawn out execution was unfeasible.
“Can’t keep the bitch alive.”
Lamashtu picked up the hammer off the table and brought it swiftly down on the girls head. She slumped to the floor and started violently twitching. He loved it when they did that. A danse macabre. He lifted the hammer and brought it down on her head again and she lay still.
Katie broke the silence, snapping him out of his memory and into the present, “You really should have checked my pulse before you left. I awoke many hours later, confused at first, not recognising my surroundings nor the woman wiping my brow with a cold wet cloth and assuring me everything would be OK. It took six days before I was strong enough to sit up. The woman was a witch, she practised dark magic, and she told me about you, Lamashtu, and how she bound you to this pendant.”
She took it out of her pocket, holding out in front of him, “How you stole it in order to remain on earth. Jumping from body to body at will, collecting the souls of those you killed in the medallion.” Katie pointed to the chain the demon was still holding in its left hand.
Lamashtu tried to grab for the pendant again, but the protective warding was too strong.
“Enough!” Katie shouted. “Stay still. I haven’t finished.” His whole body went rigid, he couldn’t move.
Katie smiled, “You were very foolish to leave this lying around, I found it beside of one of your victims in Whitechapel. Elizabeth Stride I think was her name. You were sloppy that night, I’d come looking for you, but you must have heard my carriage and fled. I found her mutilated body and called for help. I searched the area for you. I knew you were close. An hour later you murdered another.”
Lamashtu gave a low chuckle, “Yes, Jack The Ripper they called me, a keen barber and surgeon. I had a soft spot for that one.”
Katie didn’t react, continuing, “Over the years I started to notice a pattern to certain murders.” She paused, allowing him a moment to comment. Lamashtu just smiled, so Katie carried on. “You have an M.O. Not in the way you kill, no. Some you cut up, others like in this house, you shoot. But there is a pattern to your victims, both the ones you kill, and the ones you possess. It’s how I was able to track you down. I couldn’t stop you. No, I had to be close to you to be able to control you. I recently heard about a couple of murders in this area, the victim profile was a fit and then I read about this house. So, I decided to come up here, find a holiday boyfriend and see if it was you.”
“How the fuck are you still alive after all this time?” Lamashtu spat, “I mean, you can’t be more than twenty years old.”
“Finally, you ask a good question. I haven’t aged a day since my nineteenth birthday. Patricia, the witch, placed a curse on me, at my request, that ensured my survival until I was able to find you and cast you down, and that will happen tonight.”
“You bitch, you stinking, rotten, fucking cunt. How did you know I was using this body?”
“Aren’t you listening, I’ve already explained. You have an M.O. And then there was this house and the murders. So, I waited and watched and saw you coming and going, and I followed you to the fairground and watched as you tried to get couples to come back here with you under the assumption it was a haunted house tour. Unsuccessfully I might add. But still, I couldn’t be sure it was you.”
She knelt down and picked up the hammer and moved over to sit at the piano. Lamashtu watched her before he made another futile attempt to lunge at her but was once again held at bay as she held up the pendant.
“Give it up, you won’t get anywhere near me or this pendant.”
She placed the hammer on top of the piano, putting the pendant next to the handle, before continuing.
“I spotted Jack a couple of nights ago. The perfect macho type, ideal for baiting the hook. A bit ruthless maybe, but I had to get your attention, which again, wasn’t difficult. Men are very easily manipulated. However, It wasn’t until you produced the hammer that I was sure. I knew you couldn’t hurt me. I only wish I’d been able to save Jack. And that now brings us to the end of your story.”
Standing, she picked up the hammer.
Lamashtu tried to move forward, but was unable, “Wait!” He implored. “Maybe we can cut a deal? Let me go and I’ll leave the UK, go to America.”, he was beginning to panic, sounding desperate, “I’ll vanish in amongst all the other gun-toting nut jobs and serial killers there. You’ll never hear from me again.”
Katie looked at him, hammer still in her right hand, “Are you fucking kidding me?” She wasn’t asking, “You think I’m going to let you inflict anymore pain on another family ever again? Get fucked!” She paused, looking at him. “Goodbye Lamashtu.”
His face turned to horror as she brought the hammer down, full force, onto the pendant, “Nooooooo!” He cried, as it shattered into a hundred pieces.
Mikey slumped to the floor before taking a raspy deep breath as though it was his first, “Holy fuck.” He said as he breathed out. “He’s gone, I’m back.” He tried to stand but flopped onto his backside.
Katie turned to look at him, hammer still in her hand. She could see in Mikey’s eyes that Lamashtu was gone. “Stay still for a moment, you’ll feel stronger soon.”
Mikey looked at her and frowned, “You’ve aged. I’m sure you’ve aged.” He tried to stand again but the dizziness overtook him, and he flopped back to the floor.
Katie went over to him and knelt beside him. “Yes, Yes I have. It will happen quickly now. Lamashtu is gone and the curse is broken. Good riddance”
Mikey sat up on the floor, back against the wall, legs out, much steadier this time and Katie placed her head on his lap, she was exhausted. He looked at her as she became an old woman, he wasn’t quite sure what to do. He slowly placed his hand on her head and gently stroked her hair.
“That’s nice,” she said, “It’s been such a long time since I’ve been able to properly rest. I’ve waited an age for this, and I’ve seen so many terrible things. Have a good life Mikey, don’t let it pass you by.”
Mikey looked down at her as she closed her eyes and took her last breath.