All the Lights are On

Sheriff Brae Ridley

Brae

If there was one thing that could throw this town on its head, of course it'd be the goddamned McKenzie house. Six years I've been Sheriff now, and not one good thing has come from that place.

That thing's been standin' there ever since I started as a deputy. We'd get calls then, too. Somebody heard screamin' from that house once when it was empty. I went down there myself and found it locked up tighter than Alcatraz. 'Nother time a kid got stabbed over a dare to go in there. Started as an argument and got worse from there. Kid who was doin' the darin' stumbled into the E.R with a knife in his gut. Had to bring in the other kid, then the parents. Got real messy after that. I'm tellin' you, that house means nothin' but trouble.

Everyone here knows about that monster. People used to come up from Lonely Souls just to take a gander at it. See it for themselves. Me, I've seen it one too many times. Sure, I'm a little superstitious, but I've never believed in ghosts. You tell me a buildin's haunted, I'd laugh. But you tell me the McKenzie house is haunted, I'd say you're probably right.

Even better, the power company decided to cut the power a few months back, sayin' somethin' about wildfire concerns. No power, no water, no nothin'. And that's the way it was until this mornin'.

The McKenzie House sits on Sterlin's Bluff, just shy of four stories tall. It's a bit intimidatin', with it's dark colors and faded wood. It's got these tall windows, with boards nailed over them, but I always feel that there's somethin' in there lookin' out at me through the cracks.

I didn't believe it at first when I heard it. Figured it was just a hoax or somethin'. I sent Douglass to check it out, and he confirmed it. Soon the entire town was up in arms about it. I drove down and saw it myself. All of the god damned lights were on in the McKenzie house.

When I first showed up, I'll admit I did a double take. Hadn't seen the house lookin' like that in... well, ever. My deputies were the same. "I'll be damned," said Michelle Schmidt as she got out of her cruiser.

I nod, squinting up at the house. "Yep." There really isn't much else to say.

We push our way through the crowd, heading up to the giant iron gates that enclose the property. The crowd calls out to us as we pass. I learned a long time ago not to listen to what they say. As we near the gate, I see two figures we know.

The first one is Doc Montgomery, a friend of mine and also the town coroner. The second is another deputy, Dana Arlington. Douglass and Riley are somewhere, probably up the hill.

"We really need this many guys out here, Brae?" asks Dana. She's leaning against the iron gate, hands folded across her chest. She tilts her head in acknowledgment at Michelle.

She's right. It's a lot of people for one call. The calls came in right in the middle of a shift change, meanin' half of my deputies are supposed to be off work now, but they're here instead. Can't imagine Douglass's too happy 'bout it.

"Probably not. We'll wait for Douglass and Riley to come back. If it's nothin', they can go home. "

Doc Monty lights up a cigarette. You'd think that after years with dead bodies he'd know better, but he smokes like nobody's business.

"With this house? I guarantee there's going to be a body by the end of this."

I glance up at the path, stickin' my hands into my jacket pockets. "Here comes Douglass."

Douglass Pence comes walkin' down the path. He's got his hat in one hand, the other rubbin' his neck. He doesn't run, because if you start runnin' then people are gonna think somethin's wrong. Riley is a few steps behind him, takin' his time as he makes his way down from the house.

He comes up to us with a grunt. Riley's face is neutral, but I know he doesn't want to be here either. "Tried all the doors. That thing's locked up tight. Can we go home now, Sheriff?"

"Easy there. Let's get inside first."

Riley starts to say something, but I wave him off. "Your wife, I know. Get out of here."

"Thanks, Sheriff." With a smirk, he punches Douglass in the shoulder and jogs off. His wife's pregnant, and he's been a bit on edge for awhile now. In a way I envy the kid.

I ignore the scathing look from Douglass. "We find out who's got keys to this place?"

Dana nods. "I put a call out to the real estate guy who owns the place. Some Eric Carson. He said he'd be here soon."

"Guess we just wait then," says Michelle.

I shrug, squintin' up at the house. "Reckon so."