The Richmond Haunting (COMPLETED)

Chapter 35

The nails were a cunt to pull out! Steven — who worked daily with his hands, discovered pulling out the nails was difficult. And it just wasn't one or two, but a squad of them, rusty and old.

The nails were so far into the wood; the only way to pull them out was by scraping around them. This had to be done with a chisel.

By the time all the nails were out — the doors and window frames looked a complete mess — sawdust scattered nearby.

'I'll get this all cleared up tonight when I get in from work.'

'What, you can't do it now?'

Steven shook his head. 'You must be joking. I'm already late.'

'Well, it will give me something to do.'

'When you're here? By yourself?'

There was a pause in that sentence; Fiona heard it. How could she not? She was in the same room, after all.

'Well, yeah.' She said back, looking at Steven rather strangely, her eyes trying to meet up.

'Why?'

'Nothing, I just rather you stay at your mum's house until I get back.'

'In case something happens?'

'Something like that, yeah.'

Fiona shifted her gaze back and forth: lowering it to the floor and then at Steven.

'It won't really matter where we go. The old man will find us. You know that.'

Steven couldn't argue with that. There had been too many occasions where the old man had turned up elsewhere, the latest being — his mum's house.

'I know, but I will feel more at ease if you're anywhere - but here.'

'It's a bit late thinking that way. Where do you think I've been staying when you and the girls haven't been here?'

'I know, but that was back then. This is now.'

Exhausted, Fiona rubbed her eyes and ran her fingers along the length of the door, her fingers bumping along the dent made by the chisel.

'How could we not hear the banging?' She suddenly asked.

'I don't know. Maybe the old man drugged us.'

'Now, you are clutching at straws.'

'Well, he must have done something. I'll mean all that banging, and not one of us woke up. It's fucking baffling. Look at all those times when we've heard banging on the ceiling. And it's woken us up.'

'It's like — he doesn't want us to leave.'

'Or he's trying to keep somebody out.'

'You mean the priest that is coming round to end this nightmare?'

'Fingers crossed, he will, and that's why I want you to stay at your mother's house. Get some sleep because we don't know bad things will get over the next few days.'

'It can't get any worse.' Fiona said.

Steven noticed as Fiona said those words. She had a look of fear in her eyes.

He tried to choose his next words carefully — but found it difficult because things always did get worse.

The old man always had a way of turning up the juice when you thought it couldn't get any worse. It was his trademark.

'We just have to wait and see.'

Fiona didn't like the sound of that, not one bit. She wanted this nightmare to end once and for all.