Afterlife Home Agency

9) Operation Plantation

On the road again after taking thirty minutes the opposite direction to pick up Jane from the bus station. I would admit part of me was smiling the entire time because she knew I was right and being right you can't beat that. As we're driving from California now headed to Louisiana on only 2500 dollars it was worth a shot at least we would be close to Oklahoma again and the hitching a ride back wouldn't be as bad. "This song sucks." I'm interrupted in thought by Jane changing the channel on the radio, "Hey! Third eye blind is a fucking godsend! Don't you touch my radio, woman!" I slap her hand away she slaps mine, "If were gonna be traveling together we need some ground rules." I nod, "I agree we need ground rules. Rule one don't touch my fucking radio. Ever, Jane I'm asking you nicely right now. See this time that's a two you don't want me at a ten." She giggles, "Oh yeah? What happens at a ten? We listen to Ricky Martin?" I laugh back at her, "Don't tempt me, J." I warn her she crosses her arms. "Alright rule two, I get half of whatever you make. If you want my service it's going to cost you." Jane says pulling out a blunt, "Would you stop that damn it?!" I exclaim taking the blunt out of her hand, "If we're working together there's a time and a place to do this and in Texas that's not the best idea." She pushes my hand aside and grabs it from me causing us to swerve, "Fine shit ok? Let's get this straight this is my car and my idea and I'm not going to go to fucking jail because you're used to getting wasted. Yeah I get wasted too but not while I'm driving. We'll stop somewhere and smoke it alright? Why should you get half of the profit anyway? You didn't even stay in the damn house with me! You call me a baby..." It goes awkwardly quiet, "If you knew a single fucking thing I wet through in a fucking place of death you wouldn't be as mad or surprised. I'm not scared; I was never scared but it doesn't mean I don't get overwhelmed or uncomfortable ok? I'll go into these houses and look around do my own interpretation of what I usually do and I leave that's all. Do we have a deal?" I chuckle holding my hand out, "What do you want a high five?" I smack er arm, "No idiot, hand me a cigarette." Her mouth goes slack, "Why you don't smoke?" She pulls one out handing it over I light it and take a long drag, "I do now if I'm gonna be traveling with your unruly ass."
We make it to Louisiana within four and a half hours; Jane had passed out for about half the ride I suppose that's because she had became accustomed to crashing in the passenger seat from our last investigation. "Hey? Hey? Jane, get up. Jane, you're snoring wake up." She stirs and opens er eyes, "Where the hell are we now? Last thing I remember was being in Dallas." I nod, "Yep and now we're here. This one is a place called Myrtles Plantation it's very well know and supposedly really haunted but of coarse you'll be the judge of that right?" She shrugs pulling out the blunt I swore I took from her last night, "How the hell... Where did you get that?" I ask amazed at how she may have frisked me to get it. Fast hands Jane that's what she was as a child for being able to pick pocket pretty fast. "I took it when you were smoking that cigarette. You didn't think that I was gonna find it did you?" She laughs lighting it up and taking a hit she passes it to me, I shrug, fuck it. After ten minutes were listening to the crappy song from earlier and the next thing we knew we're arguing over directions on a map because we took a wrong turn. "Look just fucking ask someone." She yells tossing her hands up in defeat. "Fine you want me to ask fine! But we gotta eat first cause I'm fucking hungry." I add rubbing my stomach. I had pulled out to a small diner in the Big Easy because what else would there be to eat when you're headed to the sticks? We take a seat at a patio table outside it was afternoon around 2pm I was getting the munchies so at this point I didn't even care what I ate I was just hungry; neither of us had eaten since 12am and I was honestly getting kind of sick from no food. "Hi how y'all doing what can I get for ya?" A nice waitress asks holding out her small notepad. "Yeah I'm quick a turkey sandwich no mayo, mustard and lettuce with pepper jack cheese and some fries." I say taking a drink of my water they had placed down already. "Ok, sweetie and for you honey?" She looks over at Jane, "I'll take a cheeseburger with chips if you have them and a diet coke." I chuckle, "Alright I'll be right back you two." "What?" Jane says taking a sip of her water, "Diet coke? What are you trying for?" She rolls her eyes shaking her head.
We finish our meal and hit the road again we were only about an hour from our destination and it was going to be dark soon which was better for us anyway. Jane choose to drove or should I say I made her shift switch with me because I needed to catch some z's. I don't remember anything except that I was full and that I was still kind of stoned from earlier but Jane? Nah, she seemed content to drive through the long stretch of road that led to one of the largest houses I had ever seen... Ever. "Get up, bitch we're almost there." I slap her away, "Mom no, I'm not going to school." I can hear her giggle a bit as I turn away from her, "Little bitch wake up." She smacks my forehead I shoot up swinging my fist, "Ow why the fuck did you do that?! I didn't slap you awake!" I yell rubbing my head from her slap. She drives into a wooded area a place where the trees almost form a canopy tent over the road and it's the coolest thing I had ever seen. "This is pretty amazing." Jane says as she keeps driving. I nod pulling out a cigarette from her bag, "Stop stealing my shit." She says I shake my head.
Finally pulling up to the driveway we park near the porch and she steps out first, "Whoa... This is the biggest house I've ever seen." I nod stepping out finishing the cigarette, "I wish we could live here." I add she shrugs glancing up at a window on the top floor. "What do you see?" I ask she doesn't answer only takes a couple steps back still staring right at that window. "I see a women, an african american woman... She's very pretty but she's very afraid... Very angry." Jane says to herself continuing to stare at the window. I sneak up behind her and glance up as well; I don't know what I was expecting to see but she seemed pretty fixated. "She died here, right in this yard. Right by that tree... They lynched her." That word wasn't used very often in this era so I knew then someone was trying to speak through her.
We walk up to the wrap around porch and I knock. We're standing there a couple minutes without an answer so I knock a couple more times suddenly the door slightly opens; you could hear the creaking of it as it opened. Jane looks at me and then inside she won't step in first so I do, "Hello? Hello? Is anyone here? We're the investigators, we're here." No answer just this strange stillness an silence engulfing me. I can't help but become worried about what was happening I hadn't had an experience like that... Not with the door. Jane steps in as I take a look around; the house was immaculate and elegant it was as if we were in the turn of the century ourselves at how beautiful the furniture was and the older oil paintings looking right back at us. Jane heads to the stairs and stands at the bottom, "Chloe? Your name is Chloe... You don't know me but I see you." She whispers probably thinking I didn't hear her. "So er names Chloe huh? Chloe what?" She shrugs taking a couple steps up, "No don't leave, please. I just want to talk, I'm not going to harm you... We're not here to hurt you." She says gently that's when I hear faint footsteps walking down the hall from upstairs. Jane glances down a bit disappointed, "She thinks we're here to get rid of her. A lot of people are in and out of this house but they don't acknowledge her. Not the way I just did." Jane adds glancing around to meet my eyes, "She isn't a bad spirit but she's not very good either. She feels guilty for something but I can't place it. She won't tell me." Jane says a bit frustrated heading upstairs, step by step. Suddenly I hear a voice, "Hello, you two must be the paranormal investigators am I right? I'm Ms. Alice Brinkley I own this fine establishment... For the time being that is. How was the drive in?" I shrug, "It was very long but not much traffic, no bad weather we got lucky. I'm Kit Henstridge and this is my sister Jane. We're from Oklahoma University to record some evidence of the place, you did say that there's a history here?" She nods leading me to the living room to an elegant 1940s couch, "Yes I'm surprised you haven't know about it. Everyone in the 49 above states knows about this place." She states glancing to a portrait over the fireplace mantle, "We never know about a place when we go somewhere because my sister likes to have a feel of the place. Speaking of Jane where did she go?" I ask getting up and going to the stairs. "I'm sure she's fine probably getting lost in all the beauty I know I would if I had never seen such an old home. This place has been here since the 1700s it was first used as a boarding house for the poor and sickly about 40 years later a man and his family purchased the property and made it their own home." I nod taking a few notes on my notebook it may not have been a lot but it's a lot to remember.
I had wandered upstairs and into a room, the same room I had seen the young women dressed in an apron and pink dress. She looked as if she had on clothing from the 1700s or 1800s and she talked very intelligently and precise. "The kitchen." I hear beside my face I don't see the girl but she keeps sending messages even in my head, the kitchen, the kitchen. I walk to the bathroom and glance around there I find blood a small pool of blood around the tub, "Oh my God... Hello? Is someone hurt? Hello?" I whisper slightly afraid of what kind of joke this probably was but the more I walked the more blood I found just drips leading to the stairs. I follow it and it stops halfway up the stairs, "Are you ok? Hello?" When I get to the stairs halfway point I couldn't help but feel I wasn't alone I had an odd feeling that someone was watching me or was around me. I feel a rug on my leg it stops me in my tracks part of me is telling myself perhaps it's a cat or dog that's trying to grab my attention but when I look down at my foot it isn't in fact it's a man. An old man, who's bleeding very badly from his chest and a woman holding his head in her lap I can feel her crying because I don't realize I'm sobbing at the shock of it. "Help him, help him, help him..." She sobs reaching out for me I bend down to touch her hand I close my eyes trying to fight the intense sorrow and just like that theyre gone... They just vanished; the blood puddle, the man, the woman... Everything gone in a second. I find I'm kneeling down at the stairs where they're bodies were but I'm confused and distraught unsure of what to say or do next. I can hear Kit and a woman downstairs talking but I was petrified I was afraid if I moved that I wouldn't be able to stand up and would just faint from such intensity. So I sat on the stair a minute trying to compose myself and not makes scene I hear the woman again only this time I can see her dress and her bare feet beside my arm, I don't move only try to not cry. "They deserved it." She whispers by the time I attempt to ask what happened she too was gone. Never in my entire life had I had such an overwhelming sadness and odd encounter it was as f I had seen something that I wasn't intended to see and that made me afraid, very afraid. Because if she had the ability to make blood appear and talk so clearly what else was Chloe capable of? Would she try to hurt us? Was she targeting me because I saw her? The biggest question was: what really happened all those years ago for something so traumatic and gory to appear?
I head downstairs wiping the recent tears from my eyes; so much sadness, so much betrayal... So much pain. I can hear Kit and the woman still talking I go into the kitchen where she made us a cup of coffee, "Her name is Chloe and she knows who you are but you don't acknowledge her... Why?" I ask taking a sip of my coffee, "Well I never wanted to say anything about it but Chloe she was hung after poisoning the family she worked for. She murdered the wife, the husband and two children... It's not just Chloe who tends to stick around. There was also an older couple the husband was stabbed in a horrible break in, the wife killed herself shortly after his death." She concludes looking away sadly. "She poisoned herself too didn't she? The older woman, Nancy?" As if she were more impressed than scared she nodded, "Yes... She took oleander just like the family that was killed before her." I nod, "As for him he died on the thirteenth step, two before the top right?" She nods astonished, "How did you know that?" She asks I shrug, "Sometimes I talk to them sometimes they show me."
Total lockdown is what this was, complete and total lockdown in the mansion. Just Jane and I which she wasn't too happy about I mean sure it was an elaborate house; it was almost like a fortress a huge fortress where two people that don't get along would be staying overnight. We walked around I was setting up a camera on the stair corroder glancing up and Jane was walking around in the kitchen she looked as if she was in a trance just picking up a bowl and a knife, "Are you ok, J?" I ask she doesn't answer instead she goes to the counter and grabs a cake pan, "Jane, what are you doing?" I ask still no answer. She was sort of freaking me out just mumbling to herself in an incoherent sort of voice. It was as if I wasn't speaking to Jane at all which made the house seem that much more empty. "Jane? Can you hear me? Jane?!" She begins cutting something I glance and it's a bouquet of flowers; daisies to be precise. "Jane, give me the knife ok? Just give me the knife..." Suddenly she looks right at me our eyes meet and I knew then that this wasn't my sister, "They deserved it. They all did. They killed me so now, I'm gonna kill them." She says in a strange country accent. I don't know what to do so I decide maybe taking the knife was my best option; I stop her had mid cut and grab the butcher knife from her. "Who are you?" I ask pulling out my recorder. She doesn't answer instead she takes the cake pan and pushes me aside going to the dining room with it. "I said who are you? Tell me damn it." I say getting agitated following her to the table. She sets the pan down and walks away, "Answer me... What are you doing in my sister?" Jane stops and looks over toward me, "Chloe. My name is Chloe and you're not supposed to be here. None of you are supposed to be here. Get out of my house." She snaps. At that moment I knew Jane wasn't in there in fact whatever or whoever Chloe was was taking over my sister I had never had something like this happen before but something inside me was telling me I needed to get her out of here before something awful happened. "Jane, come on... Follow me. Jane, we need to leave, we need to leave now." She wasn't listening, "No, you need to leave. This is my property and my house... You can't stop me." I grab Jane by the arms and try to drag her out myself by force. She suddenly starts screaming and kicking and clawing at me in a wild attempt to get me to let her go. "Jane we can't have you in here, you need to get out. Jane, come on please..." I'm near tears as she claws at my shoulder and face. I finally get to the front door in what seems forever and I push her past the threshold once she's outside I can see Jane coming back, slowly but surely. "Jane is that you? Please tell me it's you?!" She blinks a few times and glances around seeming confused, "What happened? Why am I outside?" She ask looking down at her hands which had red marks from where I grabbed her and yanked her out the door and on her neck appeared a red rope burn, "Ow what happened to my neck? Why does it hurt so much?" I take a couple photos because even I couldn't believe what I was seeing and this was the most compelling evidence of a tormented spirit I had ever caught to this day. Because of how violent the attack was and how scared I was for my sister's safety as well as mine I called the caretaker back and told her what happened and that we weren't going to be staying the night, it was too dangerous for Jane and there's no telling what she would have done to me if I hadn't taken the knife... Or got her out of that situation in time.
As we're heading to a nearby motel for the night I look up more places that we could do an investigation on while Jane laid there watching TV. She seemed fine but something about what happened earlier she didn't seem the same old bitchy self... She was more or less quiet. "Do you remember anything that happened? Anything at all?" She shrugs, "No. But I did see something; it was disturbing but it made sense because of the murders. My only guess is she tried to use my body to finish her intentions." I glanced up from my research, "What did you see?" She turns back to watching tv ignoring my question altogether. After a few minutes I realize she's trying to block the subject so I just leave it be, I crawl into the twin bed beside hers. I wasn't sure if after the encounter I would be able to sleep or be able to assume that Jane would be safe tonight whether I was here or not.