The Evil Within Read online

  I told Elizabeth that we could take my rental vehicle into town tomorrow to the county recorder’s office to see if we could acquire any valuable information regarding previous owners of the Blackwood Manor.

  I glanced around the Blackwood Manor once more, and realized that one thing was for sure, and that was whatever was to be seen in the small town of Briarcliff Acres could not be any more exasperating than the supernatural forces we had both seen and dealt with here the last couple of nights.

  It was light out, the suns rays were gleaming through the windows of the manor, and well past six o’clock in the morning, and despite everything that had happened earlier within the Witching Hour, I felt my first hunger pains. Therefore, I spoke up and said, “Elizabeth, I am starving to death, how about you? I am a pretty fair cook if I do say so myself, and would not mind at all to cook us both something to eat.”

  She nodded her head yes, as she looked at me with a beautiful smile on her face, and I swiftly walked into the kitchen to prepare a small but modest meal for the both of us. I found some pre-mixed pancake mix in one of the cabinets, added water, mixed it, and poured the batter into a skillet that was already sitting on the stovetop. The batter was enough to make six pancakes that were as big as the skillet itself. Then when the pancakes were finished cooking, I pulled some bacon out of the fridge and threw the entire package into the skillet.

  Elizabeth laughed as she said, “A pretty good cook, huh, I could have done that with little to no effort.”

  I laughed out and said, “But did you.”

  She smiled right back at me and said, “No, but I will set the table.”

  Elizabeth set the table with the appropriate silver wear, and as soon as she was done, I put two pancakes on each of the plates along with eight pieces of bacon. The smell of the bacon made us hungrier than we had imagined.

  Elizabeth replied, “Mason there is no way that I can eat all of this food.”

  “That is alright, just eat what you can because we have a busy day planned, going into town.”

  Elizabeth and I ate in complete silence, so you know that we must have been hungry.

  Not too long after we had finished with our breakfast, my mind quickly began trying to unscramble the many unanswered questions that I had. Therefore, I decided now would be a good time to go into town. So I said, “Let’s go into town Elizabeth.”

  Elizabeth got her purse and keys, and as we walked out of the Blackwood Manor, down the steps and onto the driveway, I turned around to take another glimpse at the Blackwood Manor before it transformed again at midnight, back into an old dilapidated one story house.

  Elizabeth shouted, “What are you looking at Mason? Come on, get into the car, and let’s go into town.”

  We got into my rental car and took off for the small town of Briarcliff Acres. On the way there, I could not help but notice the scenery, as there were no pine trees whatsoever, only trees that contained leaves, which was something quite different for me to see, as I was use to only seeing the pine trees that covered the top of the cliffs that ceased to exist at the ocean. It did not take too long to get to where we were going, and before we knew it, we were already at the county recorder’s office located in the small town of Briarcliff Acres, and found it surrounded by fire trucks. I pulled up as close as I could to one of the fire truck without getting in their way, got out of the car, and walked over and asked one of the firemen on duty what happened, and he replied, “The building caught on fire in the early morning hours and unfortunately destroyed everything inside.”

  I turned around, looked at Elizabeth, and said, “Well Elizabeth, I guess this was a wasted trip for the both of us. We are not going to get any information from this place, especially now. I guess the supernatural forces responsible for this really does not want us to find out if anyone had owned this property prior to your family owning it. Thus, the fallen angel or angels must have overheard us talking about coming here and decided to destroy what evidence we could obtain concerning any previous owners.”

  “Mason, what do we do now?”

  “Well Elizabeth. I guess the only thing left to do is drive back to the Blackwood Manor so I can do more investigating and critical thinking on the matter at hand.”

  The drive back seemed as if it was a much longer trip than that of the previous trip to the small town of Briarcliff Acres. Maybe because of the disappointment, the drive back was completely silent, knowing very well that our only lead had been destroyed. As we pulled up to the front of the Blackwood Manor I had glanced at the miraculous place, and could not comprehend how this unknown supernatural force had the immense power to transform the Blackwood Manor into an old single story dilapidated shack, along with anyone who was inside it at the time of its transformation.

  We got out of the car and walked up the steps to the massive entry doors to the Blackwood Manor, and as I waited for Elizabeth to unlock the door, I took a brief look around at my surroundings. As soon as Elizabeth unlocked the door, the both of us entered the Manor and headed directly to the sitting room, where I started a fire within the enormous fireplace. Afterwards I sat down next to Elizabeth in one of the recliners to go over any other possible leads.

  Then, suddenly a thought came to mind, and I asked Elizabeth, “Does Alexandrea ever remember anything, I mean anything at all when she transforms back into her usual self?”

  “Yes Mason, as strange as it may seem Alexandrea has told me numerous times that she is aware of what is happening to her, and that she does see everything as it changes. She has also informed me that it is like her spirit leaves her body and it is floating weightless, up in the air as she is looking down at her own body.”

  My body posture seemed to stiffen up as I listened to what Elizabeth was telling me. After she was through I asked, “Elizabeth, does Alexandrea ever see the changes within her own body?”

  I listened very carefully while Elizabeth explained it to me.

  “Well yes she can, she has informed me that she saw herself lying asleep on the bed, and on the sofa, which is located in the guest room.”

  “Elizabeth, I gather you have not told her what really happens to her when these transformations occur?”

  “No I have not Mason. To tell you the truth, I have not been able to gather enough courage to tell her, and I do not know if I ever will. I believe that Alexandrea can tell that her body goes through a transformation because she is in such a state of hysteria during the Witching Hour that I have been too afraid to confront her. When she awakens from the horrendous transformation and finds herself back to normal I am afraid to tell her as well, fearing that something awful would happen to her if I had told her the truth.”

  “Elizabeth, when you first arrived at the Blackwood Manor, how long was it before you noticed the mind-boggling transformation caused by these supernatural forces?”

  “Well, I do believe that it was on the third night here. Why do you ask?”

  “I will answer that question in just a moment. First, how was the Blackwood Manor the first time you saw it? Was it in ruins, or was it a magnificent Manor?”

  Elizabeth looked over at me with a strange look upon her face and said, “It was a magnificent place, and an awe-inspiring site. Actually, I thought that I had been sleepwalking, or dreaming the very first time that it had occurred. In fact, there was a chilling thing that had awakened me that night. It was the strong smell of rotting flesh! It was a sickening smell that almost made me throw up.”

  I knew that Elizabeth’s last statement had followed the general principles of the supernatural and spiritual realm of the undead.

  “Elizabeth, I need to know if there has been anything else that you have encountered or have noticed that has happened out of the ordinary since you arrived here at the Blackwood Manor.”

  She replied to my question by saying, “Mason, I know you might think that I have completely lost my mind, but the fact of the matter is, I seem to sense a woman’s presence here within the Blackwood Manor wh
en the transformation occurs at midnight, an evil woman’s presence at that. Sometimes I notice a very strong smell of something that resembles the smell of rotting flesh, or trash. Mason, does this make any sense to you?

  “I am beginning to think that I should have the Blackwood Manor boarded up, or even burnt to the ground, and let the evil supernatural forces that occupy it have what is left of it. They can fight over the ashes and leave me alone! I am quite sure that they would not mind if I took off and never returned. The supernatural forces responsible for this transformation every night is doing a fine job at keeping it. I am pretty sure that you would agree with me on that one.

  “This thing about going from a magnificent Manor to a dilapidated old shack every night at the Witching Hour, and one person alive one minute and seeming to be dead the next was really starting to have a negative effect on me. I have always considered myself to be a strong willed person, but this is ridiculous, it has really shaken me up Mason.”

  I was now more skeptical than ever, thinking that I would never find the underlying cause of this intense supernatural force that was consuming the Blackwood Manor! Ever since I set foot inside the Blackwood Manor, time seems to be passing by very quickly, days seem like only hours. With Elizabeth and Alexandrea being so deeply involved with something so horrifying and deadly that has severely tested our minds. I had to wonder if this very moment was real, or just a dream within a dream. Have we all been mind-fucked?

  I knew that it was up to me to eventually find some way to stop the transformation that takes place during midnight, and lasts for three hours. How could I find out what was causing this horrendous transformation? The only thing that I knew was that the transformation occurs during the Witching Hour, and has been an ongoing occurrence since Elizabeth had arrived at the Blackwood Manor. One thing I did know for sure was that Elizabeth desperately needed my help, and that is why she asked me to come to the Blackwood Manor. She needs me to find a permanent solution to stop this awful transformation from taking place, and rid it of the supernatural forces that has infiltrated the magnificent Manor. I was determined to find a solution more than ever. I had to for the sake of our own sanity, but I have not seen a single sign of what has been causing the transformation. I had laid out salt all around the inside of the walls of the Manor, and still nothing. Put demon traps at certain places throughout the Manor, and still have not caught anything, nor have I seen anything. I have done everything that I could do within my ability.

  Suddenly my mind was cleared of all thought, when it became clear to me. This was no ghost or demon at all that we were dealing with. That is why none of my traps had worked. It was one of the fallen angels.

  The sun began to set, and soon the darkness would once again blanket the Blackwood Manor, transforming it into an old single story dilapidated house once again.

  The disaster that appeared earlier this morning was gone, but will return again at the stroke of midnight, as the horrifying transformation of the Blackwood Manor takes place once again. I knew that the only thing that I could do is watch the unbelievable take place with Elizabeth and Alexandrea, and just maybe tomorrow we could find at least some sort of evidence to go on.

  I asked for Ambriel’s help a couple of times, but he has never answered any of my calls.

  I was on my way to my sleeping quarters when a strange and mysterious feeling overwhelmed me, like a thick fog bank moving inland from the ocean, obscuring everything from your sight. This feeling was strong, and felt out right evil, and it had something to do with Alexandrea, I just knew it. Therefore, I decided that now would be a good time to look in on her, just to make sure that she was all right. So I made my way up to her bedroom, gently rested my ear up against her door, and listened patiently to see if I could hear anything out of the ordinary. Not hearing a thing I softly knocked on the door a couple of times before I cautiously opened it and walked inside.

  Once inside the bedroom I believe that my heart had actually stopped beating for a brief moment, when I first saw her. The peaceful look she always had on her face was gone, and she looked as if she had seen, or had been possessed by an evil supernatural force. Her hair was infused with static electricity, sticking straight up in the air, and her face was incased with panic and fear. An awful feeling came over me, and somehow I knew as I looked into Alexandrea’s eyes that this time she would not awaken from the nightmarish transformation.

  I hated to think this way, but I believed that at least the pain that Alexandrea had been encountering every night during the Witching Hour would be put to an end, and that her hellish nightmare would be finally over. I knew exactly what I had to do. So I turned around and walked out of her room, closing the door gently behind me, trying not to make the faintest sound that would provoke Alexandrea or whatever evil supernatural force was within the room. I made my way down the halls of the manor, as if someone was following me. I knew that I should inform Elizabeth of what I had just witnessed as soon as possible, for her own well-being. I found her in the sitting room gazing out the window. However, there was nothing that she could possibly see. It was pitch-black outside, except for the occasional bolts of lightning that lit up the night sky. I had the faintest idea of what had caught her attention, but I knew that there must have been something out there within the darkness that she had seen.

  I walked over, sat down beside her, and said with a firm voice, “Elizabeth, I do not think that Alexandrea is going to make it through the Witching Hour this time. Elizabeth, do you know the state of which Alexandrea is in tonight?”

  Elizabeth replied in a firm voice, “My God in heaven Mason, what the hell are you going on about?”

  Assuming by the tone of her voice, she had already known about the condition that Alexandrea was in.

  “Follow me to her room Elizabeth and I will show you what the hell I am talking about!”

  Before I knew it, Elizabeth got up out of the recliner and bolted out of the room, presumably headed towards Alexandrea’s room, which reminded me of an Olympic Games, track and field runner. Just before I made it to Alexandrea’s bedroom door, I heard the tormented screams from Elizabeth, and knew that she was already within the room. I walked over and gently grabbed her by the hand and pulled her away from Alexandrea. As I was pulling her to get her out of the bedroom Elizabeth said, “This is my fault Mason! Alexandrea wanted to leave this hideous place, but no, I had to stay, and she would not leave here without me.”

  Before the two of us had made it out of the bedroom, Alexandrea softly spoke, and shared her last words with Elizabeth, saying, “My dear Elizabeth, I would have never left you alone in this horrid place. Yet alone your dead mum would have come back from the dead to haunt me forever if I would have left you here alone in this nightmarish place,” and then passed away.

  Elizabeth spoke out in a saddened voice and said, “I feel that I am responsible for her untimely death. God in heaven, what kind of dreadful place is this. That kind and gentle woman has taken care of me over half my life, and I have gotten her killed, as surely as if I had struck her down with my own two hands.”

  “Elizabeth, you have to pull yourself together, right now! Alexandrea is already dead, and that means one of us is next! I am afraid that time may have already run out for the both of us at this particular juncture. I know this must be very hard for you, first losing your parents, and now losing the only lady whom you have said has taken care of you the majority of your life, and was the only true friend that you had left in this world. However, you have to remember, unless you want Alexandrea to have died for nothing, you will quickly pull yourself together.”

  The only thing that I could think of to calm her down was to get Elizabeth a drink. Then it occurred to me. I should get her drunk and she will fall asleep, not having a clue of what had happened during the Witching Hour. I decided that under the circumstances that would be the best thing to do for Elizabeth. Therefore, I went over to the bar and made a couple of enormous strawberry margaritas. Elizabeth
downed the first one in no time and asked me to make a second, so I did, and it did not take her long to finish that one. It had to have been less than thirty minutes after she had finished her second margarita when Elizabeth finally passed out on the couch that we were sitting on in the library. I gently laid her down on the couch as I got up, put a soft feather pillow under her head, and then threw a blanket over her to keep her warm.

  I decided that it would probably be a good idea to start a fire to keep the room warm because it was getting cool in the house. So I added a couple of the split logs that were stacked on the mantle, crumpled up some newspaper, stuck it in between the logs and started a fire to keep the room warm and cozy. I knew that she would have more self-control after some much-needed rest, and for poor Alexandrea, the delay would make little difference, as she had already passed on to another realm, the spiritual realm. I stayed with Elizabeth for a bit, and then went to the living room, where I sat down on the recliner, trying once more to look at things in an objective manor when it suddenly dawned on me as the grandfather clock chimed eleven o’clock. I knew that the only way to get anywhere here is to find the supernatural force that is responsible for transforming this house and everything inside it. The more I thought about it, the more logical it sounded, but how in the hell do I summons a super- natural entity when I do not have the faintest idea of what kind it is that I am dealing with. I had discovered that where no logic at all was observed, any answer seemed like a rational one at the time.

  Suddenly and unexpectedly, I heard the sound of the grandfather clock chime. It just turned midnight, and was the starting of the Witching Hour. I quickly stood up and looked around at my surroundings. I was suddenly in an old dilapidated single story shack once again and no longer within the magnificent Blackwood Manor. Now wishing that I had not gotten Elizabeth drunk off those margaritas. Strangely, I surly felt as if I had abandoned her and myself, being alone and extremely vulnerable. I felt as if the evil eye of Horus himself was watching my every move, and that I would soon feel the wrath of his vengeance.