The Haunting of the Hills

Broken Hearts

"I am home." He thought, and stopped and wondered at the thought. How could something made with the best of intentions feel so wrong, how could something created with so much love and care feel so evil with every passing minute. Jacob Hill would often walk the halls of what he would consider an "abomination of a home" and think these thoughts to himself. This house was made for a family, it was built to hold memories and love but so far the only thing it holds are dreadful visions of Charlotte with a twisted ankle and a caved in skull with blood dripping from her wound. Jacob would no longer have nightmares of the mysterious red door but those nightmares were replaced with a greater one. The constant visions of his dead wife drove him madder and madder every single day, he could not move on and he could not help but feel responsible for her demise. Jacob hoped to have more children with Charlotte, at least 3 more by the time they've moved into Hill House, maybe more if time and fate allowed it. Hill House felt so empty and so sad, leaving Jacob to feel so alone.

Hazel and William went to school like all other children, Hazel being slightly older than Will, took it upon herself to stand up for him when he would get bullied due to his height. There was nothing wrong with William, it wasn't his fault he was shorter than most kids but nevertheless he couldn't brush off their comments. Hazel was Williams best friend, every day if the weather was nice, the two would walk around the property of Hill House and pretended they were all sorts of things, sometimes they were pirates, sometimes they were cowboys but Hazel always made sure to keep William happy and to keep his mind off the rotten boys and girls that made fun of him.

Sometimes William, Hazel, and Jacob would eat together as a family or sit around a fire telling stories but these moments of happiness in a house stained with grief were few and far between. But when they did happen Hazel and William were happy. The Hills were always a tight family, they made sure they put their morals and love for each other first above everything. Although Jacob Hill was arguably obsessed with his work he made time for his children, more than most fathers. When they were all together the children often asked about their mother. Jacob would always y'all highly of her, he missed her very much but he made it a point to never dwell on the topic, he did not what to be upset in front of his children.

Almost every night Jacob would lock himself in his room and silently cry, cursing God and himself, his heart breaking more each day, feeling more and more responsible. The more he gazed and examined the craftsmanship of his dream home, the more he began to despise it. "Every floor board, every door knob, every nail that holds this disgusting abomination of a home can rot in hell." He said quietly through his tears. Jacob would do this consistently for about a year until on the anniversary of his wife's death, Jacob was able to sleep. Jacob lied in his bed drifting off into his deep sleep when suddenly he was thrusted into a dream, a dream he has not dreamt since Charlotte's death. He was downstairs in the grand foyer of Hill House with his children, they were happy and amazed at the architecture of the house their father designed for them, they praised him and thanked him for giving them such a home. But even while dreaming Jacob looked around him and was disgusted at what he saw, this house was a mistake. He then looked off to the left hallway and saw a glimpse of Charlotte, she turned and quickly disappeared into another room. So excited, Jacob followed her into the library where he came face to face with the spiral iron staircase. It was at this moment Jacob knew it was a dream, and he knew what awaited him at the top. Jacob slowly climbed the staircase until he made it to the top and looked down into the library and saw his children staring up at him. Without saying a word, Jacob knew his children didn't want him to go to where he was about to but Jacob needed answers, he went anyway. Turning the corner like he always does he sees it, the thing that has crept into his nightmares for years, the red door. It was open just a crack as it always was. Jacob was prepared to wake up as he approached the knob of the door but to his surprise he did not wake up. He eventually grasped the doorknob with his entire hand and began to turn. The red room door swung open and inside he saw something he did not expect. He saw himself in bed, sound asleep with his bed pressed up against the wall as it always is, and sees the vertical rectangle window above it as it always was. Jacob suddenly jolted awake from his dream only to see none other than himself standing in the doorway of his bedroom. Jacob's heart stopped as he stared at himself in the eyes. Jacob in the doorway looked at Jacob in the bed and yelled. "RUN!" Jacob in the doorway disappeared as Jacob sprung up from his bed and ran out of his room too scared to look back. He ran down the steps of the grand foyer when suddenly he hears a noise, a repeated noise. An echoed thud followed by a faint dragging sound...

*Thud* *ssshhhhhh*
*Thud* *ssshhhhhh*
*Thud* *ssshhhhhh*

The sound repeated over and over again as Jacob jerked his head all over the place searching for what was making the ominous noise when suddenly, just like in his dream, he catches a glimpse of Charlotte making her way down the left side hallway towards the library. "Charlotte!" He calls to her and runs to his wife he's missed so much for a year. He eventually makes it to her less than six inches away from her. Her back is turned to him as he hesitates to lay his hand on her shoulder. Her shoulder is warm and a wave of comfort and love overcomes him and for the first time he's felt happy in his dream home. Millions of thoughts all come to him at once as he feels reassured and fulfilled. Hill House, built for a family, made with love and care will have its chance to serve its true purpose. Jacob laid his other hand on Charlotte's other shoulder and spun her around. What Jacob saw in front of him would change the lives of the Hill Family forever. Charlotte was undeniably, unquestionably, and surely dead. Jacob gazed at her rotting corpse that was standing before him, her ankle twisted, hand broken, and head caved in where the rock met her skull. The blood that poured from her head was now dried up in long brown streams covering the right side of her sunken in face. Her skin was a pale sickly grey with dark blue and purple bruises all over her body. Her left cheek and left side of her neck had gaping holes filled with maggots that were still alive and eating away at her, Jacob was becoming more and more traumatized with every haunting detail he gazed upon. He looked into her eyes and saw nothing, her eyes were glazed over, pure white looking intensely back into his. A smile crept across her sickly face and a hoarse, tired, broken voice squeaked out. "Honey... I love our house..."

Time seemed to stop as Jacob fell backwards as Charlotte stumbled towards him with outstretched arms. Her one foot slamming on the floor first followed by her twisted swollen ankle dragging behind her. Jacob crawled away and ran out of the house into the dead of night where he fainted, just beside his wife's grave.