“He said there would be a message in clear view. He said we couldn’t miss it.”
“I must be mad!” Julie said unhappily. Nonetheless, she linked her arm through Terri’s and started walking.
Typically, the house they were looking for turned out to be right down the other end of the street, nestled amongst half a dozen equally dilapidated buildings that were waiting to be demolished. Terri pulled out the Polaroid and compared the image to the derelict building standing in front of them. There could be no doubts, this was the place.
She raised an eyebrow at her photographer. “Why couldn’t you have parked down this end of the street?”
“I was following your directions,” Julie replied defensively.
“Excuses, excuses.”
“But I –”
Terri held a hand out to silence her friend. “Julie, I’m just pulling your leg,” she said, smiling kindly.
“Oh.”
“Just trying to lighten the atmosphere,” Terri explained, realising her attempt at humour had backfired.
“Ah.”
The terraced house looked dark and foreboding, like something out of a sixties horror film. The street door and all the windows facing the street were boarded up. The wood appeared old, as if it had been there some time. The local yobs had decorated the lower panels with graffiti. Terri noticed there was a passageway between two of the houses, several doors along to their left. She nudged Julie’s arm. “Look, there’s a side entrance. Let’s check around the back first,” she whispered,
“Do we have to?” Julie asked, nervously.
“Yes, we bloody well do,” Teri snapped. “C’mon, and make sure your camera’s ready.” She grabbed hold of the photographer’s arm, dragging the reluctant woman after her.
They tiptoed through the dank passageway, ready to turn and run at the slightest sign of danger. Terri didn’t really know what she was hoping to achieve by doing this. Perhaps, she admitted, she was just trying to prolong the inevitable moment when they tried the front door.
There was hardly any fencing left at the rear, so they had a clear view into the back yards of several houses on either side of them. They were all pretty much identical: small, overgrown with weeds, a coal bunker at the far end and several steps leading up to the house’s rear door. A black cat sat on the bunker nearest them, eyeing them suspiciously. Julie pressed closer to Terri. “It’s spooky back here,” she whispered.
“Will you be quiet?” Terri scolded. She was trying to concentrate, and it was hard enough without having to endure stupid interruptions. “Okay, you win,” she eventually conceded, realising there was nothing to be gained by staying there. “Let’s go back to the front.”
Julie was more than happy to oblige, and a few seconds later they found themselves back outside the front door of the abandoned house.
“Oh well, I think we’ve put it off for as long as we can,” Terri said, as much to herself as to Julie. Taking a deep breath, she approached the door, steeling herself for whatever might come. From a distance, the door had appeared quite secure, but as they reached it Terri realised that it was slightly ajar. There were fresh indentations in the frame. Had the mysterious Jack forced it open during the night? A padlock and clasp had been discarded in the nearby gutter, which tended to suggest that he had.
Terri’s heart was pounding as she reached up to push the door. The hinges were stiff, and they creaked loudly, as though in pain.
“Hello….” Terri called meekly.
No response.
Clearing her throat, she tried again, louder this time. “Hello. Is anyone in here?” The words echoed back at her and then there was silence.
The two women exchanged worried looks. “Let’s call the police,” Julie suggested, and she tried to pull Terri away from the door.
Terri wrenched her arm free. “We’re going in,” she said firmly. Before Julie could argue the point further, she took a step into the darkened hall, dragging her friend with her. As soon as Terri let go of the door it swung shut, trapping them in stygian darkness.
The air inside was foul.
Julie whimpered.
Terri hushed her, feeling along the wall for a light switch. When she finally found one, it didn’t work. She cursed in silence. “Can you hear that?” the reporter asked as something deep inside the house started clanking. “What is it?”
“I don’t know,” Julie said, her voice quivering. “But whatever it is, I wish it would stop.”
“Wait there,” Terri said as she edged forward nervously, following the line of the wall towards the rear of the house. There had to be a light somewhere. The floorboards groaned and creaked with every step she took.
Something scuttled across the floor in the dark, something fast.
“Terri, where are you?” Julie called from beside the door; she was becoming more stressed with every miserable second they spent in the house.
“I’m over here,” Terri snapped, irritably.
“I can’t see you.”
“I’m looking for a light switch.” Teri was beginning to think that Julie had been right: they should never have entered this dreadful place.
Just then, Julie had a moment of inspiration. “Wait a minute, I’ve got a pencil torch in my camera bag,” she said, excitedly.
“Now she tells me,” Terri mumbled, angrily. She could hear Julie fumbling in her bag, but she seemed to be having trouble. “What’s happening?” she demanded.
“It’s caught in my camera strap and I can’t get it free,” Julie explained in a fluster.
“Bring it over here,” Terri snapped. Did she have to do everything herself?
“Okay,” Julie said, clearly not enthralled by the prospect. “Hang on, I’m coming over.” She moved into the interior, an arm outstretched to probe the blackness. “I think I’ve untangled it,” the photographer said, fighting her way through the darkness. As she pulled the torch free, her right foot collided with something heavy that had been left on the floor. She tripped, and her forward momentum sent her tumbling to the ground, where she landed with a thud.
“Julie! Julie, are you okay? Speak to me!” Terri called out in alarm. She envisioned all sorts
