The Haunting of Kilburn Manor

“In one room, in one house, and in only one place in the world, fear can hurt you. It was said that old three witches gathered in this house and built a spiritual nexus to the other realm. Some say they can actually hear the chants of the witches and the screams of their sacrificial humans. However, that is not real at all. This house is a good sturdy house for you and your family. Granted, it is old and it is away from all the other houses for a few miles, but, it’s cheap. Let’s take a little tour of the upstairs, okay?” Nancy, the realtor said.

“Wait; did you say something about witches?” Lea said. “I’m not sure if I want to buy a house that has weird things going on in it. I think I’ll look somewhere ele….”

“Oh, no no no. This house is very nice and quiet. I would buy it myself if it weren’t for the house I have about two miles up the road.” She gave a little giggle “Okay, well, the upstairs.”

“Well,” Lea sighed “Okay, come on kids, we’re going upstairs.”

From the front yard Jason and Mattie came running to the front door where there mother stood.

On the inside was a grand staircase leading upstairs. At the top it branched off into two separate stairways and into the hallway. A large crystal chandelier hanged from the highest point in the ceiling, cobwebs all over it.

“So,” Lea said, “How many rooms are there?”

“Well, from what I see on this chart it has five bedrooms, two bathrooms, and six other rooms to do whatever you’d like with.”

“Oh, that’s great” Lea said shocked.

“Well, onto the upstairs.”

“Just a minute”

Lea turned around and bent down to her knees digging through her large purse.

“Kids, stay down here, okay? Mommy is going to go upstairs and see the rest of the house. Here, take this coloring book, here’s some crayons too. Share and be nice to each other, I’ll only be a minute.

Mattie and Jason both grabbed the coloring book and each started pulling on it.

“Give it!” Mattie said.

“No, you!” Jason yelled

“Kids,” Lea yelled going up the stairs, “Just because I can’t see you doesn’t mean I can’t hear you.”

Jason and Mattie became quiet, still pulling on the book. They walked into the room adjacent of where they were told to stay in. The floor was made of old mahogany, the window was outlined in wood too. A white curtain was blowing outwards, the wind blowing in was nice from a humid day.

“I said give it!” Mattie pulled

“No, It’s my turn because I’m older!”

“Nuh-ugh, your only five, I’m six.” She said in a matter O’ factly voice.

The coloring book couldn’t take the strain and ripped right in half, pictures of pooh and tiger flew

everywhere.

“Look what you did!” Mattie yelled

“You did it!”

“This is my half, haha” Mattie sat down and took the blue crayon and started to scribble.

“You can’t color good, I’m leaving!”

“Fine.”

Jason went out of the room and into a hallway that led to another staircase. Slowly, he put his foot on the first step, and then another, and then another. Soon he was at the top. He looked backwards down the long set of stairs, and then, he saw a little light to his left.

It was like no light he’d ever seen before, it was floating and going really quickly. He grasped his black crayon and paper in his hand and tried to touch the light with the other. The light started to go slowly down the hall, luring him in deeper. He followed it to a door with a crystal knob. The light went straight through it. He giggled and reached for the knob when he heard a rumbling. The floor boards were shaking, he started to cry.

“Jason!” Lea yelled “Where are you?”

Lea followed the sound of his crying and when she came up the steps the floor boards stopped. She went right to him and spanked him, making him cry harder.

“I told you to stay in the front room, let’s go.”

Lea carried Jason back down into the living room and sat him in the light filled room with a nice breeze coming through the window.

“Now stay here.” Lea said.

“Is everything okay, Miss Kilburn?” Nancy asked.

“Oh, yeah, it was just Jason. I was starting to think it was one of those ghost things you told about in that story.” She laughed, “Do you mind if we see the bathrooms now?”

“Sure, this way.” Nancy started walking.

“Why did you leave, Jason?” Mattie questioned.

“I saw something really cool, and then the floor started moving.” Jason spurted out “I heard someone say my name too.”

“Who said your name?” Mattie asked

“I don’t know, it sounded like an old women.” Jason replied.

As they talked they could hear their mother talking about how the house was great and she thinks she could buy it. They started coloring again, but Jason flipped it over to the blank side of the paper. He took the white crayon and started coloring a circle on the tanned paper. He watched his sister as she scribbled outside of the lines of Pooh.

He grabbed the black and traced the circle, sticking out his tongue in concentration. He then grabbed the red, brown, and grey and went into the farthest corner in the room. He started to draw away and mumbling something that Mattie couldn’t hear, she didn’t care anyway.

They could both hear the thumps as their mother and Nancy were walking down the wooden staircase. They stood up to greet them.

“Well, I have to say that this house is quite a buy.” Lea said

“So, that means it’s sold?” Nancy question

Laughing, Lea replied, “Yes”

“Bless my eyes, I thought I’d never see the day!” Nancy said, “Just don’t believe any rumors about this house. When a house this old is abandoned for so long people make stories.”

“Don’t worry, I don’t believe in those such things.”

“Mommy, I drew you a picture, look” Jason handed the paper to her

She looked at it and gasped, “Jason!”

The drawing had the orb of light and a gallows pole with Lea on it. It read: Die trespasser! There was a pool of blood by the drawing’s feet too.

“Why did you draw this?” Lea demanded to know.

“I didn’t draw that, mommy” Jason looked confused.

“I’m just going to put this away and we’ll not talk of it again.”

“Okay.”

~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~

Moons rose and fell over the next few days; everything was put away and they were getting ready for bed.

Jason and Mattie had rooms right across from each other. In Jason’s room was a gray carpet that was a little frayed on the edges. His bed was neatly made and Lea went into his room to tell him good night.

“Alright, time for bed slugger.” Lea ruffled his hair.

“Can I sleep with you tonight?” Jason asked.

“No, you have to sleep in here.” She said

She started to walk from his room and he pulled his covers over his head. Lea cracked the door a little and told him good night. She crept across the cold wooden floor to Mattie’s room and Lea found that she already sleeping. She quietly pulled the door, leaving a crack too.

She sighed and started down the hallway. The hallway’s walls were bare. No pictures, paintings, or even crayon marks shown. She walked down the steps, each one creaking as she descended. Lea reached the bottom and started for the kitchen when a faint giggle could be heard.

“Jason, Mattie, go to bed!”

She was sure that they would listen and she headed to the kitchen to make a little snack. She opened the refrigerator and pulled out lunch meat and mayonnaise, she slapped it on bread and closed everything up. As she closed the door, a shadow quickly ran passed. Rain was pouring down and crashing into the windows, the wind was blowing and shaking the trees.

Lea looked around and said, “Jason, Mattie, where are you? I told you to get to bed!”

As she turned towards the hallway to check their rooms, the kitchen light went out. The wind screamed outside and threatened to blow through the wall. Lea turned around and said, “Who’s there?”

Another giggle could be heard in the darkness. Lea’s heart started to pound. However, she knew it must have been either Mattie or Jason who was messing with her.

She started to walk towards where the noise was and she said, “Now guys, come on.”

She inched closer, her heart beating even faster. She felt her way around the center counter and towards the kitchen’s corner.

“Kids, you’re supposed to be in your beds.” She said again

A quick flash of lightning burst through the clouds. A child’s face was right in front of Lea’s. It was distorted and its hands were mangled, and the demon jumped towards her.

She screamed and she could feel this thing on top of her, it was snarling and grimacing. Its teeth sank into her arm, she screamed again. It started to scratch her face. She took all of her strength and pulled it off of her. She scrambled to her feet and ran for the steps. She ran up the stairs and ran into Jason’s room, he wasn’t there.

She ran into Mattie’s room, she too was not in bed. Lea screamed out to them, “Mattie, Jason!”

She slammed Mattie’s door behind her and turned on the lights. She locked the door and panted. Thoughts ran through her head and she didn’t know what to do. A wave of relief washed over her as she saw the phone she had left in there the night before. She grasped a hold of it and called the only person she knew, Nancy.

As it rang she paced back and forth. Nancy answered and Lea was incoherent, “I-I n n need h-help, come h-here.”

“What, who is this” Nancy questioned.

“It’s L-Lea”

“What do you need? I can’t understand you.”

She took a breathe and said, “The children are missing, something, someone attacked me just now, I’m afraid.”

“Someone attacked you?” Nancy gasped

“I don’t know what it was, but, it took the children.” Lea said.

“I’ll be right over, hold on!”

Lea turned the phone off. She was too afraid to open the door. She started to reach for the door and she heard Mattie screaming. An overwhelming power surged through Lea and she slammed the door open. She ran to where she heard the scream and she found nothing.

“Mattie, Jason, where are you?” Lea yelled, “Tell mommy, come on, say something!”

Lea touched her face, she had forgotten that it was all scratched. She looked down to her arm and it was covered with blood, that’s when she knew this was all happening. She could hear the gravel crunching outside and headlights turning off. She ran down the steps, skipping every two. She ran to the door and unlocked it. She switched on the outside light and met Nancy on the porch. She dragged her inside and showed her face and arm to Nancy, but, she didn’t seem shocked.

“Nancy, we have to call the police, come on!” Lea said.

“Where are the kids?”

“I already told you, I don’t know!” Lea said.

She took the phone that was gripped in her hand and started dialing 911. Nancy smacked it from her hand and smiled, coming closer.

“What in the hell?” Lea screamed, going for the phone.

As Lea was bent down, Nancy grabbed her by her hair and slammed her face on the floor, knocking her out.

~~~~~~~~~~’~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The morning sun rose and Lea awoke to find herself strapped to a chair in the room that was just off from the front entrance. Her arms were tied behind her back with rope. The shades were open and the sun blinded her, she slowly opened her eyes. She let out a moan of pain as her arm and face throbbed.

Nancy walked into the room, and kneeled down next to Lea.

“What are you doing, Nancy?” Lea strained to talk.

“Oh, I’m just preparing a little dinner.” Nancy said.

“Where are my kids?” she yelled.

“Your kids?” Nancy laughed, “Well, they’re my children now.”

“Nancy, if I get out of this …” Lea said.

“Oh, but you won’t my dear, no, I’m afraid not.”

Nancy pulled out a thin blade from her pocket. It was silver and shining in the sunlight. Lea winced as she dragged it across her arm where the bite mark was. Lea let out a shriek of pain and started to weep.

"Why are you doing this, why?" She cried.

Nancy tilted her head, almost as if she wasn't understanding a word that cam out of her mouth. Nancy bent down next to Lea and licked the blood that was now running down her arm.

"Oh, where are my manners? I should let my children eat too." Nancy said. "Oh Jason, Mattie, come down and eat."

Lea's eyes widened. She heard foot steps coming down the hallway and more giggling.

Mattie and Jason appeared in the archway of the room. Mattie had her white nightgown on and it was stained with blood. Her jaw was broken and her mouth dangled, she had scratches all over her body. Jason's face was completely gone, only his eyes and teeth were left in place.

Lea let out a shriek of horror.

"I tried to tell you about the witches and the sacrifices, the screams and the people that went missing." Nancy gently said, smiling. "But, I guess you didn't listen, did you?"

Lea started weeping even harder now, she couldn't control herself.

"Well my children, it's time to eat." Nancy said.

She backed up to a wall and watched as Mattie and Jason came closer to Lea. They barred their teeth and their tongues hanged from their mouths.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Lea shouted, "I'm your mom!"

"It doesn't matter, they're possesed now, they're my souls." She smiled.

Jason grasp her arm and sank his teeth into Lea, Mattie reached for her eyes. Lea screamed and tried to get away but the ropes were too tight. Mattie ripped Lea's eye out and sank her teeth into it. Lea shrieked and still tried to get free. She screamed and yelled until she fainted from the pain. Jason and Mattie still feasted on her, riping her flesh with growls.

~~``~~``~~~`~~~``~`~~`````~~~~~~

From the end of the road, two children walked by and heard the screams coming from the house.

"See, I told you it was haunted or something."