16: The Condemned

“Ok, so let’s hear it,” Jill said folding her arms into her chest. “The real deal behind the lore and the reason you still haunt this place.”

“Of course, but I need one thing from you first.”

“What’s that?”

“A body to jump.” When no one offered he laughed producing that hollowed sound again and causing it to reverb around the small room. “It was a joke. You’ve heard too many ghost stories.”

“Right, we’ve been through enough the last two weeks, we’d much rather just hear what you have to say about this place and what we should be concerned about,” Karima said refocusing him.

He straightened up and began pacing the room. “What do you know about this place? I mean really know,” he asked directing his question towards Daijah.

“I know that it is a center for a lot of supernatural haunts, or so I was told by a few of the locals. It was a main attraction on a haunted cruise I took with my sister last year. They were pretty adamant about all the horror stories this place produced and I made a comment to her that it would be a great place for a Halloween party. She backed out on me at the last minute. She's kind of a chicken.”

“Did they also happen to mention what was buried beneath the house?”

She shook her head no and he continued.

“This house is built on an ancient Indian burial ground. It was said that the chief slaughtered his people to keep a great secret buried with their race; a secret that could lead any man, or woman, to their wildest riches and dreams. My wife was a believer in that and she wanted it for herself.”

“I never gave any stock to the rumors but that didn’t stop her from trying to get anyone she could in on her little scheme. It was my apprentice Marcus she convinced into helping her. She told him that together they could make off with the treasure and live happily ever after.”

“But that of course would have meant that I would have to die. See everyone believed she was killed because of some lover’s quarrel or because I caught her cheating on me. What they don’t know is for weeks I’d known she was planning to do me in first; sacrifice me to raise the tribe and learn what they knew. I killed her and her lover before they had the chance to kill me. It was what I was told to do.”

“Told? Told by who?” Lizzy asked.

“The voices. If you haven’t heard them yet you will. They whisper at night, they come into your dreams and they tell you everything you think is real isn’t and they make you see things that aren’t really there. A week before my wife died I started hearing them. A lot of strange things started happening around the house. It got so bad I didn't know what was real and what wasn't.

“Is this the reason you were committed? Because hearing voices and going into a murderous blind rage would make anyone believe you’re mental.”

“Perhaps. It doesn’t change the fact that what I am telling you is true. Not only does the house seem to have a mind of its own, the spirits resting beneath it don’t take kindly to strangers. If you haven’t seen them yet, you will and trust me if my presence scared you, you haven’t seen nothing yet!”

“Wait, how many people are buried beneath us? And how exactly do we fend them off?”

“An entire tribe, those killed within these walls, with the exception of my wife and her lover, I’ve taken care of them.

“Is that why you’re still here?”

“I’ve stuck around to warn everyone that I could. I don’t like that it was my wife that tried to release the spirits and it was because of her so many have died here. I’ve stopped what I could and trust me had it not been for me there would have been many more deaths.”

“Great! Now can we get off this island?”

“There is but one ferry and it won’t be around for a while,” Everett said confirming Daijah’s earlier words. “I wouldn’t fear anything as long as you don’t go poking around places you shouldn’t. You could easily ride out the next few weeks.”

“Or we could all be roasted alive once the spirits beneath us decide they want to play. Is there no hotel or anything on this island?”

Daijah shook her head no and Everett moved closer behind her.

“So what is it that you told them to gather them all here?”

“It was simply for a party, I had no idea about the burial ground I just love being scared on Halloween. But if it is your wish to leave, I will do what I can to get everyone back home.”

“In the meantime I suggest you girls stick together. I think this house may have called to you whether you knew it or not which could only mean it wanted you here right now.”

“Ok so we’ve seen a few ghosts, been harassed by a caretaker, are currently residing in a house that is built on top of some ancient burial ground, there’s a cemetery out back, dead bodies in the attic and bedroom and unfriendly neighbors. Now the only thing we need to worry about is staying alive and not upsetting the spirits in this place.”

“The only thing?” Everett smirked. “I wouldn’t say that exactly.”

This prison sat quiet on the hill left abandoned, empty but not vacant

the spirits of the men imprisoned haunt it bound and awakened
The bodies of the faceless sat within those cold bars
lonely and forgotten and laid waste to their horrors

their crimes against man was not for the weak
silently they waited but these men weren’t meek
The guards fled that place leaving them all there to rot
killers, rapists, burglars no one cared for the lot

It wasn’t society that discarded these criminal men
it was the nature of their beast that finally did them in
they starved and they stewed and were left to die alone
ignored and neglected as time dusted down their bone

Their fates had been chosen, but are they victims left to hang by decree?
If you pass by at night you can still hear them cry: “I’m innocent, set me free.”
Waiting for the day their souls can rest and release them from their bind
but as judgment comes, salvation does not and condemned is all they’ll find


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