The Haunting Of Hastings House

Chapter 24

By
Brynn Morgan

Copyright © 2023 by – Brynn Morgan – All Rights Reserved.
It is not legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited.

Chapter 24

"What is it?" Emily queried.

Lainie flipped through the pages. "It's a journal that Clara kept," she responded.

Emily left Lainie with the book and continued to search for the room, moving over to the twin bed and lifting the yellow-stained pillow. She then looked under the old, tattered blanket at the foot of the bed but did not see anything.

Climbing onto the mattress, Emily peered behind the headboard and found something crumbling in a heap, but she could not reach it. She asked Davis for help, and he complied, dropping the shackles he had been investigating and walking over to where Emily knelt on the bed.

Moving over, Davis reached down and pulled out a long satin dress that was faded pink -- neat stitching and lace pearl buttons along its back, neck, and cuffs showed this had once belonged to a young lady.

Lainie got down on the floor and shone Clarrisa's cell phone light under the bed to investigate further.

Cobwebs thickly coated the underside of the mattress, no doubt spiders waiting for prey hidden among them. But they also discovered a collection of other items: stuffed animals and more dresses. Penelope had stockpiled these things from her half-sister Elizabeth, as mentioned in one of Elizabeth's journal entries.

Emily and Lainie stuffed the things from Clara's bag into an old potato sack, with Lainie tucking the book in as well. No sooner had she turned to leave the room than she was violently thrown against the wall. The others saw her shoved by something they could not see, and Lainie screamed in pain. Moaning, she dropped the bag on the dusty floor before gripping her forehead. Clarrisa noticed the red blood seeping through Lainie's fingers and shouted for someone to get towels. Claude dashed out of the room and grabbed some white towels from the bathroom, racing back to give them to Davis.

Lainie trembled as Davis took a towel and lowered her hands away from her head; he spoke soothingly as he examined the injury, finding a small hole where blood freely gushed out. He applied direct pressure while Emily looked around the area where Lainie had been thrust—and saw a long nail sticking out of the wall. It was then that Emily realized this was not just an accident; somebody meant to hurt—or even kill—Lainie. Penelope? Clara? Whatever the case, they needed to get out of there.

Emily gently suggested, "The nail is rusted, so you should go to the hospital."

Lainie's face conveyed her fear. Davis commanded, "We are done here, for now, everyone. Let's regroup."

They lent a hand to help Lainie off the bed, and Emily grabbed the potato sack, not wanting to leave it behind before she had read about Clara. As they slowly walked away from the room, each door slammed shut with a loud bang in succession, drenching the hallway in darkness. Clarrisa spoke calmly, "We won't cause any harm. We just want to help."

Suddenly, they heard a commotion coming from the staircase. In a panic, they rushed towards the stairs and saw the massive chandelier swinging back and forth, its many bulbs flashing rapidly as if struggling under the weight of the fixture.

"Hurry! It is going to fall!" Davis shouted.

They raced down the steps, trying to avoid stepping on family portraits that had fallen from earlier in the day. Emily suddenly felt an intense push, causing her to stumble forward and miss a step; she was hurtling downwards until Davis caught her just before her head smacked into the marble floor. Trembling, he held her securely as Maureen yelled from the doorway of the hall, "I warned you all!" Her gaze was fixed on the crown of light above them that was protesting in pain.
"She wants to kill you both! You have made her so mad!" Fear saturated her words.