Midnight Creek Tales

#4. The Duchess' Lost Portrait / Chapter 7

"Someone open the door now! Please, I AM BEGGING YOU!" I was meters away from it when it fully closed. The light that illuminated the halls were now only seen from little cracks and wedges at the sides and bottom of the wooden door. The voice began to get deeper and deeper. It's horrid and deafening sounds rung through my ears like church bells. Reaching the door, I started to pound my fist on it and screamed, "HELP! STARKEY! RADCLIFFE! BROWN! TERRY! SOMEBODY GET ME THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" I could feel my movements starting to get slow and shaky. I turned back to look, hoping it would be my imagination. But behind me, was something that rattled me to the core.

A decaying girl in her 20's was stumbling and trudging towards me. As she came forward, I could see her wide-open eyes. I couldn't make out a pupil; it seemed as if she was possessed. Blood ran down her white but now rotting wedding dress. Her body had bruises and scratches on it, and her throat seemed to be slit, blood still grazing and gushing from the wound. Her dress was somewhat ripped and torn as if in a struggle, and her hair now resembled thin strands of string! Her mouth oozed blood, and her teeth clenched together so hard they were cracking against each other!

It then hit me; the curse was real! I turned back in a flash now screaming, "OPEN THE BLOODY DOOR! SOMEBODY FUCKING HELP ME!" My fist began to hurt, and the more I banged, the faster she stumbled... But suddenly I could faintly hear the sound of footsteps from the corners of my ear.

"Is that you Cole?" Starkey's voice called out from the other side.

"QUICK OPEN THE DOOR!" I looked behind myself to see where the duchess was. She was approaching fast, now at an uncomfortable distance from me.

Everything in my body tensed up, and I felt seasick and dizzy. "HURRY UP!" I said shouting losing all the breath in my lungs.

I could see his footsteps from underneath the door as they came to a complete stop. "QUICK THE DUCHESS IS COMING!" She was now getting closer, and I was pressing against the door trying to bring it down.

"The Duchess?! Oh God, I have to leave! You bought the evil painting; now you can deal with her!"

"What are you talking about Starkey?!"

"I can't help you; I'm sorry old chap."

"STARKEY WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE I'M GOING TO RIP OFF EVERY PART OF YOUR BODY AND MANTLE IT ONTO MY FIREPLACE! NOW HELP ME!"

"I'm sorry Cole, if I help you, she'll get me. And I don't want to be a part of this, but best of luck to ya!" His feet began to run away from the door, and soon their shadows weren't visible. Starkey had left me to die.

I needed something quick to get myself out of this mess; I turned back to stare into the eyes of death that were hurdling towards me. My pupils scattered violently around trying to find something that I could use to protect myself. I felt through my pockets in despair and then felt something metal. The Duchess was getting closer, "UHHHhhhh!" She levitated towards me tripping repeatedly, and even though she was a ghost she was not transparent! Her mouth began to outpour more blood, and her blank eyes started to pop out of their sockets!

She now was coming at me like a bullet from a gun and leaped forward! I screamed and raised the crucifix to her face, "UHHHHH!"

I pushed the cross into her forehead, and it began to burn directly into her mushy decaying skin like wax melting on a candle! She gave out a manly devilish howl, "AWOOOOO!" She fell back down the steps in pain and kept wailing and moaning. I got back up in a cold sweat and continued to press on the door! The Duchess let out another demonic growl! And then laughing ensued... but it was an eerie laugh... A manly laugh, that quickly changed into little girl's laugh... "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" She continued, and as a minute passed her voice kept lowering and lowering... I turned around in terror realizing that she had disappeared into thin air...

After she had vanished, I kicked my foot into the door with disparity. It swung wide open and the hallway light shined on me. I immediately closed the door to the cellar and ran back to the parlor room. I didn't know if anyone was going to be there, but if anyone were especially Starkey, they wouldn't live to tell this tale...

"Starkey? Somebody? Anyone there?" I said as I cautiously stepped into the parlor. Before entering, I tucked the gun under my suit and then peeked my head into the room to see what transpired.

The fire was crackling with a roar that would make a lion look like a kitten. It seemed somewhat eerie in the room. From peeking upon in, I couldn't see if it was empty or if it was just my imagination.

I couldn't hear anyone, so I decided to slowly walk in and peek on what had occurred from the time I left for the wine cellar.

Coming in, three of them were soundly sleeping. Radcliffe was in my armchair, Brown laid across the sofa, and Terry was outstretched on the carpet. Starkey wasn't with them; he probably had left by now.

Before I could take another step, I wondered if they were even breathing. Maybe the Duchess got to them while I was in the cellar and they didn't have the crucifixes to defend themselves. Also, there was the possibility that they could be possessed by her... so I needed to be extremely careful when taking a look at them.

I started to tiptoe and maneuver myself towards Brown on the couch, turning my head now and then to make sure I wasn't being watched. When I got close to him, I proceeded to tap his slung over shoulders as his arms were slain across the head of the sofa; it looked like he buzzed out. As I tapped him, I decided to get a little nearer to make it easier for myself.

I picked up my foot to walk, moving it closer until I suddenly heard the floorboards creek in such a fashion that it could've woken anybody up, "Who goes there!" Brown mumbled in a drunken state while sitting up.

"Brown! Is that you old chap!?"

He took a while to answer but plainly followed my question, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Look we need to get out of here!"

"Why? Everything seems fine to me; I don't understand any of the ruckus Cole? What's going on?"

"Look you guys were right! The duchess is in the house! And we need to take ourselves and ride as far away as we can from this hell hole!" I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him up to his feet, and unexpectedly I didn't realize the others were already awake from Brown and I talking to each other.

"What in God's name is going on Cole?" Radcliffe exclaimed as he stood up in a furious still drunken state.

"Look we need to get out of here, the Lost Duchess is in this house!"

"Now you finally believe me?" Radcliffe smugly smirked.

"Yes I do, but there's no time for gloating! We need to get out of here quick!"

"Say, where's Starkey? That old son of a bitch drank all the whiskey!" Brown complained.

Terry went straight for the empty whiskey bottle and then muttered something under his breath as he put it down.

"That cocksucker isn't leaving this house alive! I'm going to burn him in the fireplace!" I pointed towards the fire in frustration, and the guys proceeded to ask what happened. After I told them everything, Terry walked up to the windows to look out at the night sky. As he opened one and peered out, he called to us, "I don't think Starkey went far fellas."

"What do you mean? He didn't leave?!" I walked over to the window and saw my automobile and the carriage still there as if they were untouched. Then I realized something absurd....

The horses were on their sides with their intestines ripped out of their stomachs. I stepped back in shock and closed the curtain immediately. "Starkey could've hitchhiked, seems like a fair possibility," I said trying to come up with an explanation.

"C'mon Cole, you honestly think he'd hitchhike?" Chuckled Radcliffe.

"Well if he didn't leave he has to be in this house..."

A gust of wind swept into the room and blew out the fire in a sudden flash, and before we knew it we were all alone in the dark...