The Haunting of the Hills

No Place for Family

The maggot infested rotting face of his wife sent Jacob into a maddening spiral. He would never sleep again soundly knowing that throughout the halls this mangled mess of what was once his bride is roaming free, dragging her twisted ankle across the rugs and floorboards. After being awakened by Hazel the morning after the incident he realized where he was, beside his wife's grave. Hazel asked him what happened and asked why he fell asleep next to Mom's grave. Jacob made up a lie and told her that he went out there to grieve and must've fallen asleep, he also asked her not to tell William because he didn't want his son to see him like this or think of him as a lonely grieving man. Hazel agreed to her father's wishes and went to school that day along with William. Once again Jacob found himself alone in Hill House.

Hill House was growing on the outside, seemingly becoming more and more imposing and threatening on the outside while the inside shrunk smaller. Time will show that only months within Hill House have proven to be nothing short of detrimental to a person's psyche let alone a full year spent mostly by yourself. That same morning Jacob ran through his home going from hallway to hallway trying to find the red door that seemingly led to his bedroom but he could not find it. He went into the library and walked up the spiral iron staircase, then turned the corner to walk towards where he thought the red door was. To his surprise the red door was not there, just a stained glass window like the plans described. That day Jacob would wonder aimlessly through his home calling out his wife's name hoping to get an answer back but he received none. Weeks would go by and Jacob would still be haunted by the ghost of his wife in dreams and sometimes when the air is still and the room is cold he'll catch a glimpse of her in a doorway or behind a curtain or in another room. The nightmares, the ever painful growing sense that the walls are closing in, the loneliness, and the guilt fed away at Jacob. His hate for Hill House festered within his soul, Jacob had decided enough was enough and planned on correcting his mistake. But even with the best intentions, Hill House has a way of twisting one's mind. Jacob should've sold his dream home and moved but no, Hill House was determined to keep its original owner, Hill House does not give up, Hill House will eat and eat and eat and it will never be full.

Jacob started by digging up Charlotte's grave on the property. Jacob thought that maybe if the body was gone, the ghost of Charlotte will go with her, and if the body of Charlotte is gone he'll rest easier knowing that she isn't there anymore doing nothing but rotting away. "This is what should've been done a long time ago." Jacob said as he forced open his wife's coffin seeing her rotting corpse. Her skin was pale, her hand was broken, ankle twisted, and head caved in from the rock she landed on. Jacob gathered fire wood and piled it on top of her decaying, maggot infested body. He started a fire in her grave in an attempt to cremate her and it was working. Jacob stood at the edge of her grave watching the raging fire burn away her body. He felt relief and peace.

Once the body was burned and turned to ash, Jacob quickly refilled the grave before William and Hazel returned home. More weeks went by, it may have been a couple months but Jacob was beginning to feel a lot clearer. The walls have backed off, the nightmares are not as often and the guilt was starting to subside after the cremation. His wife finally had a proper burial and more and more light was beginning to pour into the windows of the home. The children noticed that Jacob was significantly happier, Jacob even began to hire some staff to help keep the property clean and well kept. Jacob was not made of money but he was able to hire two gardeners, a cook, a butler, and two maids. The butler and the maids lived inside Hill House along with the rest of the family but just as all seemed well, the horror began again. William was starting to see his mother again.

Charlotte's ghost did not leave but instead she wondered the halls quietly, watching. William would wake up in the middle of the night and see his mother at the foot of his bed with black, burned skin reaching out towards him for a hug. Every night Will would scream in terror but no one believed him except Jacob. Jacob would never tell William he believed him in an attempt to keep his sanity intact. Jacob had some decisions to make once again. "This is no place for a family" he thought to himself as he devised a plan to get his children out of the house.

The nightmares and visions would only get worse for William, Hazel could only do so much to comfort him anymore so Jacob did the one thing that he thought would keep William safe and away from the house. Jacob sent William to an institution for the mentally insane at the age of 11. Jacob told Hazel that her brother was ill and there was nothing wrong with the house but Jacob knew better ever since he laid eyes on the home that it was evil and if it wasn't for its construction Charlotte would never have died and their family would still be intact.

Jacob thought of ways to get Hazel out of the House but she was almost 17 years old and ready to marry soon so he thought it best to try to wait out the time before that happens so she can then live with her husband somewhere far away from Hill House.