Nightmare Ink Presents Issue 3

Chapter IV of our story is here, and I know it’s almost two hours later than usual but I had some bumps in the road but I made it!

It’s also a bit longer than usual because the story got a life on its own and ran away from my fingers.

I won’t take any more time from you and I’ll let you read the story.

The Haunting of Blackwood Manor Chapter IV: Meetings

Mark roamed Evergreen Essential’s, Cedar Falls general store, aisles looking for the materials he needed to start some renovations to the house, but his mind was miles away. He had been scolding himself for quite some time regarding the conversation he had had with Emily when she had come clean to him about the last two nights at the house.

“You’re a fucking moron you know that, Mark Smith?” he thought as drove to the store.  “Oh no doubt of that,” he thought as he waved to Alex, who had come with him, as his son crossed the street to go on another errand. “Your daughter, your precious little daughter confides in you that she’s afraid that there’s something in the walls of your long-abandoned house and that it seems like a horror movie and your fucking answer is It’s probably rats?” he thought as he passed the young blond girl, probably her daughter’s age, at the checkout counter. “Have you ever heard a more horror movie answer?”

He kept going through the aisles dropping supplies into the basket he pulled behind him and was now perusing through a series of paint remover cans when he heard someone's voice directed at him.

“I’ll be damned if it isn’t Mark fucking Smith,” the voice was rough but friendly. It was followed by a loud throaty laughter.

Still lost in his thoughts Mark took a little time to register everything. When he finally looked at the person who spoke, a tall, bearded man, roughly his age in appearance, with a growing beer belly, it took him a while to recognize the man moving closer to him.

“No,” Mark let out. “It can’t be.”

“Ah, but it is!” the man said as he engulfed Mark in a bear hug.

“Ollie Evergreen! Man, is it good to see you,” he told the other man when he let him out of the embrace. “You look different. Almost didn’t recognize you because of the beard.”

“Yeah, yeah, trying to say it wasn’t because of the belly, are you?” He laughed out loud again. “Damn,” he continued putting a hand on Mark’s shoulder. “And hadn’t had no one call me Ollie in years, now it’s mostly Mr. Evergreen. ‘cept for Emma, she’s the only one who calls me Ollie. You remember Emma? You met her the last time you vacationed here,” he paused, catching his breath. “But here I am talking about me. What about you? I couldn’t believe it when Rosie told me she had sold the old house, and I couldn't believe even less when he told me who he sold it to. But here you are!”

Rosie full name was Armand Rosenberg, the realtor who had taken care of all the legalities concerning the buy of Blackwood by the Smiths and who it seems had already spread the news of the sale through the small town. It hadn’t been a secret, but Mark wished the family could have a bit of rest before being overwhelmed with visits from other community members.

“So, are you moving in definitively or just for the season? I can direct you to some nice folks who can take care of that house until you get back.”

They had been walking through the store picking the stuff that Mark had gone to buy.

“No need for that, we are definitely in it for the long haul. The city life was becoming too stressful and as both me and Sarah can work from home we are good,” he replied to Ollie, the man would always be Ollie to him. “And it’ll be good for the kids too. Always hard to adapt to change but I remember how things were here, and they need the quiet.”

“Kids, uh? Got one of those myself,” he took the basket out of Mark’s hand and moved to the checkout register. “Marky, meet Lily. My most precious treasure. Lily, meet Mark Smith, a friend from another life.”

The girl sitting at the cash register looked bored and glanced up from her cell phone.

“Daaaad…” the girl started to say. “Stop with that,” both Lily and Ollie said at the same time.

“Go,” Ollie continued. “You are free of your servitude for today.”

The girl almost jumped from the chair and was out of the door before her father could change his mind only a byedadloveyoupleasuretomeetyoumistersmith left in her wake. She crossed the street running and disappeared from view.

“Kids, right?” Ollie said. “How old are yours?”

“Alex and Em are both 17. Fraternal twins. A boy and a girl.”

“And I thought I had a rough time with one…” he started checking the items from the bag. When he looked up he looked serious. “Have the troubles started already?

“What do you mean?” Mark looked startled at the question. And Ollie caught up with the reaction.

“Just lots of DIY stuff in here, Matty,” his jovial visage had returned. “Old houses always start giving troubles sooner or later. I can lend a hand if you need some help.”

“I’m good for now. Thanks anyway, man. You’ll be the first one on my mind if I need it.”

“Good. That’s what friends are for, Matty.”

Ollie helped take the bags to the car. While they waited, they saw Alex getting out of the comic book store followed by what looked like a pissed-off Lily.

“Alex?” Ollie asked.

“Yeah!”

“Guess he already met Lily.”

“She doesn’t look happy.”

“That’s normal to her.”

The kids got to the car and Matt questioned Alex about what had happened. Before he could answer Lily cut him off.
“He didn’t do nothing it was Ethan Hayes, that asshole- “

“Liliana Marie! Language.”

“Well, he is! And you know it. Everyone knows it. They just gloss it over because of him being the big star football player. Well, he sucks.”

As soon as Alex and his father got out of the car, they both went their different ways, his father had entered the general store in front of which they had parked, and he had crossed the road to go to the bookstore to see if he could find something cool for his sister. Alex knew she was barely holding on, and he felt a bit bad about picking on her. So, he had decided to surprise her with a book.  But Cedar Books and Curios was closed so he decided on the next best thing the comic book shop.

In honesty, Alex didn’t even think Cedar Falls would have a comic store. Maybe some Marvel or DC at the general store but not a full store dedicated to the subject. But there it was. Its blue and red logo proclaiming its name in true splendor. ComicScape. What they would sell was another question.

As Alex entered, he was welcomed by the fresh air conditioning and a ding from the bell above the door. The store had the usual layout he had come to know. The latest issues displayed on the shelves on the wall near the counter, rows of back issues in the middle of the store, spinning racks of TPBs. For a guy who made his school career on the track, this was home even if it wasn’t the home he was used to.

He was brought back from his thoughts by a voice.

A man who looked barely older than him had come out from a door behind the counter and was now making his way to him.

“Hey! You’re new here. Name’s Pete,” he extended a hand. “And you are?”

“Alex. I just moved here.”

“I don’t recall…” he stopped. “Wait. You the family who moved to the Manor?”

“Guess so. Me, my parents, and my sister. She’s the reason I came here. Mostly.”

“I still can’t… THE manor? The manor?”

“I know I just met you, but you sound like a scratched cd. It’s just a house.”

“Man, you don’t know what you are saying. But I know the right person to tell you.”

“Let me guess. The right person is named Pete and works at the comic store?”

“Exactly. And I’ll have the pleasure of telling you all the juicy bits of history about your new house. But first business. What can I get you?”

The way Pete had said history sounded more like when that conversation happened it would be more like an episode of Lore. But Pete was nice, and he found himself enjoying his company and the store. Maybe this could become home.

Pete showed some of the latest comics that had arrived but when Alex mentioned his sister’s love for horror, he knew exactly what he was looking for.

“She’ll go crazy with this, believe me,” he was rummaging in a rack looking for something. “This guy is amazing. He writes and draws. And he’s great at both. Here,” Pete handed him a square-bound comic named Blood, Love, Ghosts, and a Deadly Spell. “He’s from Argentina. We’ll have more of his stuff coming soon. Man, she’ll love You Promised Me Darkness. It’s superpowers with a dark twist. Hell, you’d love it too.”

Alex was giving the book a look over when a girl entered the store and Pete went to talk with her at the counter.

“What did you think?” Pete asked him.

“I think she’ll like it. I’ll take it.”

“And for you? Oh, where are my manners? Lily, this is Alex…”

“Smith. Alex Smith.”

“Alex Smith, this is Lily. Our most loyal customer.”

“Stuff it, Pete. Pleasure, Alex. I think I just met your father at the store. Seems my father and yours know each other from when they were our age.”

“Pleasure,” Alex said. “He didn’t say anything about knowing anyone here. Just that he used to come here in the summer when he was a kid.”

“Oh, the plot thickens… Ouch!” Lily smacked Pete’s arm with her hand, he then proceeded to put the comic in a bag.

“Guess he forgot? Or maybe he thought he didn’t know anyone anymore?”

The ding of the doorbell interrupted her, and the three looked at the door.

Three teenagers with varsity jackets entered and one of them motioned to Lily.

“I told you guys,” the boy at the front said. “I thought I smelled flowers. How are you, Lilypad?”

“Told you to not call me that, Ethan. Ever.”

“But Lily, are you sure? I remember you being so happy when I invited you to the dance.”

The two other boys with Ethan started laughing. Alex was starting to move but Pete stopped him, glancing at Lily already in motion.

In a flash, Lily’s knee was connecting with Ethan’s crotch. Ethan went down to his knees. His friends started to move in Lily’s direction but a look at her face made them decide that taking care of their friend was a better option. Lily started going out the door.

Alex paid for his book and followed her.

“Hope to see you again soon, Matty. Meet the rest of the family.”

Matt and Alex were already inside the car. Lily had gone inside the store when she saw Ethan and his friends coming out of the comic store. “They aren’t bad kids,” Ollie had offered. “But I wish I could bash some good sense into them.”

“Yeah, I hope so too. Although from what I saw if Lily and Em join forces we are doomed,” both he and Ollie laughed.

“The world is doomed if that happens,” Alex muttered under his breath as he looked through the window and into the general store. None of the adults had heard him.

“Don’t forget my offer. If troubles start at the house give me a call.”

“Don’t worry, I will.”

“Oh, one more thing I was forgetting. Dr. Morrison, he’s the local librarian slash historian, told me to give you a message. He said that you should contact him. That he had some interesting stuff to share with you.”

“That so? Probably about the house history and to not make too many alterations.”

“He said it was time-sensitive,” he paused. “He told me to tell you something if you seemed reluctant. But… It’s strange.”

It was the first time Matt had seen Ollie lost for words.

“Spill it out, man.”

“He told me to tell you that it’s not rats.”

Hope you have enjoyed this chapter and as always can’t wait to hear from you!

See you next week.

M.

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