IT WAS A COLD spring morning in Williamsburg Pennsylvania. Chad Hilton drove to work in his old Dodge truck (nineteen ninety-four, a vintage year). As he opened the driver’s side window of his truck, the aroma of fresh spring mist came to him. He could see a female deer foraging for food. The traffic on the road seemed nonexistent. As he drove to Loxie Manor, (an annex to the state mental hospital), the hair on his arm stood on end in anticipation of the paranormal experience he had before.
When he walked into Loxie Manor, the stench of dried urine on the floor knocked him over. It gave him a big desire to throw up. Many of the female patients were flashing him while he made his way to the office. This made him giggle but he entitled them for their freedom of expression. As he entered the office, Linda, Loxie Manor’s administrator, looked distraught. Chad naturally wanted to help her. He poured himself a cup of coffee then walked over to her. Linda, a woman of her late fifties, sat there with her plump hands over her face. Her long red hair flew freely past her shoulders. Linda’s rosy, red cheeks looked flushed due to her sadness. Chad didn’t know it, but Linda secretly had a deep lust for him. Her breathing lessened as he touched her gently on the shoulder.
“What’s the matter Linda?”
“I’m just getting off the nightshift. My replacement already called out sick. Many of the patients stated they had delusional paranormal visions of spirits. Some of the orderlies quit on me last night. What could more go wrong?”
“How can I help you?”
“For one, you’ll have to pull a double shift, due to the loss of staff. I’m going to stay here and get some rest. I know that you study paranormal activities. Loxie needs your help in that area. Do you mind helping me out with this?”
“You’ll have to feed me. I’m not prepared but I’ll do it.”
“I’ll order some pizza for tonight. I’m down for a rest. You’ll have to run things. The existing staff is aware that you’ll be in charge. They shouldn’t give you any trouble.”
Chad took the clipboard then started his rounds. What in Hell did the patients or staff see last night? It had to be serious enough to make some of them quit on short notice. He pondered while rubbing his chin in dismay. He continued to make his rounds throughout the day. Nothing seemed to be happening outside the ordinary. During one of his rounds, Chad heard a patient chanting gibberish. He thought she might require meds to calm her down. When he walked in, his mouth dropped. All Chad could see was the whites of her eyeballs. The patient rocked back and forth as if she were in a trance. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he walked to the doorway. What is wrong with this patient? He looked around making sure nobody lurked in the distance. It was time to take the chance. Chad loved the paranormal. He somehow knew that he could help this poor patient.
With his breathing shallow and his heart almost beating out of his chest, he crossed the threshold of the door. The female patient smiled then slammed the door behind him. Chad swallowed his own spit then thought freakishly to himself. Holy crap what did I get myself into here?
Suddenly, his body swayed back and forth to keep its own balance out of instinct. His mouth closed then wouldn’t reopen. It appeared that the girl had a vision to show him. Her eyes were glowing yellow and green oozing saliva was coming out of her mouth. She pointed her arms in different positions right then left. There seemed to be nothing he could do but watch the vision.
To the right a portrayal of the Garden of Eden stood before him. Things seemed to be beautiful in the garden. Then in a wrinkle of time, the garden became dark and dreary. Adam and Eve appeared frightened. Two men wearing black robes appeared. The surroundings of Adam and Eve totally changed. Chad scratched his head wondering, What the Hell? Adam appeared lying on the ground without Eve. The two men shined their rings toward him. The female patient mumbled to have Chad look at the left side of the vision. Two people appeared sitting on thrones side by side. At first glance, they appeared as the prior Adam and Eve. Chad rubbed his eyes then they changed to grotesque rotting corpses. Their eyes were shining an eerie red color as they coldly stared at Chad Hilton. As soon as he blinked, everything vanished. There was no patient. The room looked clean as if there were no trace of what had just happened. He appeared in a state of ‘what just happened…am I going mad?’ Was it time for him to put in his retirement papers then pursue this vision and his studies of the paranormal?
Chad heard footsteps go thud right behind him. The pure aroma of fresh pizza hypnotized Chad. He looked right behind him. Linda appeared with her hair mussed from sleeping with a huge greasy piece of pizza in her hand. Oil oozed onto her hand. The smell of the pepperoni was almost too much for him to take. She looked at time seductively with alluring eyes. It was as if she sent signals toward him letting her true intentions toward him.
“That pizza looks good.”
“Yes, I got your favorite. How are things going?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary. So far, no issues.”
Chad silently thought in fear that he might become a patient here if he disclosed the vision to Linda. He followed her to the staff lunchroom. Chad watched her walk with her buttocks jiggling with her feet stomping hard on the floor. In the back of his mind, he liked her type, but he would never let her know that…or would he?
Some staff along with Chad and Linda enjoyed the late-night pizza. Seeing the vision seemed to be the Swan Song, so to speak for his career. He had reached retirement age. During this time, he’d put his education to good use. It was time to pursue his dreams. Chad finished his double shift then swiftly left to go home to get some rest from an exhausting and hulking number of hours. Linda had the look in her eyes of ‘what are you leaving?’ as she watched him punch out. She watched up as if he were a big piece of sirloin that was on the menu. Her eyes remained glued to his butt as he walked to his car. Hmm... He at some point will be a tasty morsel for my undying appetite for lust, Linda thought to herself as she watched Chad rush off in his truck.
During the trip home, his conviction to retire from Loxie grew heavy on his mind. He quickly went home, showered then jumped into bed for some well-deserved rest. What did this vision mean? Is it something that is about to come my way? Alternatively, am I just going insane? Chad asked himself as he drifted off to a deep slumber.
He found himself in unfamiliar surroundings. In the darkness of the night, he found himself standing in the grounds of a mansion. Judging by his previous studies, he looked at the whole structure. Then he remembered reading an article a while ago in the Williamsburg Herald. It felt like a ton of bricks just hit him alongside the head. Holy crap! I’m standing on the grounds of Oxfire Manor. Previously owned by William Oxfire, owner of the huge Oxfire Brewery. A company owned by the Oxfire Family for three generations.
Chad pinched himself to make sure this just was not an illusion. In the dim lights of the estate, a little girl came to the window then coldly stared at Chad. She had a look of ‘please help me’ in her eyes. As soon as he walked toward the mansion, he quickly woke up in a cold sweat back in his bedroom. What just happened to me? he thought as he quickly went to his kitchen then brewed a pot of coffee. Suddenly, the hair on the back of his head stood on end. Chad could hear the slight breathing of someone in the room. Chills of fear ran down his spine as he looked behind him. It was Linda sitting quietly in the chair by the table.
“You just scared the crap out of me! What are you doing here Linda?”
“I must be the bearer of bad news. Loxie Manor is closed. The director of mental health for the state shut us down. All the patients were transferred to other facilities due to budget cuts for the estate. All the staff were laid off apart from you and me. They offered me a very fat retirement bonus plus a pension with medical benefits. I’ve come to deliver that same package to you. You and I are both of retirement age anyways. I’m sad about this but it will allow you and me to pursue our golden years.”
“What are you going to do with your time?”
“I’ve never told you, but I have a degree in paranormal studies. My plans are to pursue my first love and that’s to study the paranormal. What about you?”
“It sounds like you and I have a lot in common Linda. The first thing that I’m going to do is buy a house. I’ve been saving for over twenty years. Secondly, I too will pursue my study of the paranormal. When I told you the other day that nothing happened, well… it was a white lie. I had a vision of something big that is about to come to pass.”
“Chad, I’ve never told you, but I also have a gift of seeing visions. I already saw what you witnessed and want to pursue it with you.”
“I’m honored and would love to launch an investigation with you.”
Chad accepted the retirement package and signed the papers. As the mail carrier dropped by Linda handed him the package to mail to the state. Linda informed Chad that he would get his first check in about thirty days.
“Say, I have an appointment with a realtor. She has a house close to Oxfire Manor she wants to show me, would you like to tag along?”
“Sure, that sounds exciting!”
“I need to take a quick shower, which will only take a couple of minutes. Can you wait here?”
“Sure,” she said with alternative motives on her mind.
Chad seemed excited that retirement came early, as he previously wanted. He scurried quickly up the set of small stairs then took a quick shower. As he jumped in the shower, the water felt hot and steamy. It felt good to his aching back. When he lathered up his body, a perfume scent came into the room. Hmm, Linda is no longer my boss, so if I wanted to pursue a relationship with her it would not be breaking any state or federal laws. He thought to himself. The smell got closer to him. It made the hair on his arm stand up. Suddenly, two huge breasts were pushed against the clear shower door.
“Mmm, that looks very hot!”
Linda previously took off all her clothes then walked into the bathroom. She immediately looked at his exposed body then smiled like a lioness ready to pounce on her prey. Of course, this made him excited. Linda smiled as she got into the hot steamy shower with him. Chad boldly embraced in a passionate kiss with her. She caressed his back when he grabbed her hand to stop her.
“I do appreciate the opportunity to ravage your heavenly body. But we need to start this relationship right. We need to court each other, then something as hot and steamy as this will happen. For years working at Loxie, I’ve watched you walk then used to fantasize about ravaging your body. I would like to court you first and get to know you before something like this happens between us.”
As Chad wished, she walked out of the shower then quickly left the bathroom to allow him to finish the task at hand. Minutes later, he got dressed then went downstairs to find Linda smiling at him in admiration. They quickly left Chad’s rented house then got into his truck to drive to Oxbury Estates. Linda held this hand the whole way there. Chad and Linda marveled as to how beautiful the houses were. He pulled up to the location the realtor told him about a couple of days ago. An attractive woman wearing a suit and tie met Linda and him. It got so quiet that anyone could hear a pin drop.
“It’s time to break the ice. My name is Yolanda Burton from Burton Realty. Are you Chad Hilton and who is this lovely woman you have with you?”
“Yes, I’m Chad Hilton and this is my girlfriend, Linda Calton.”
“It’s nice to meet you both.”
“You said you have a house that fit all of the descriptions on my loan application.”
“Yes, are you ready to see it?”
“Please don’t hold us in suspense.”
She asked Chad to follow her in his truck to go to the house. She and Colton drove three miles into Oxbury Estates. Yolanda pulled into a house that immediately caught his eye. Luckily, the house stood right across the street of Oxfire Manor. Was it in the cards for us to study the disappearance of the new owners of Oxfire Manor? Chad and Linda both thought at the same time.
The house fit the description of what Chad wanted. It was a two-story house with five bedrooms. The house itself built in old English Style really caught his eye. Most of the furniture that came with the house appeared suited for a person living in England. The fireplace was the size of a whole wall. Yolanda could see Chad loved the house. The only problem with the house was the price…it was a little out of the price range that he was looking for. Chad immediately told her that the house would be his if they were willing to give him a forty-year mortgage and not the basic thirty-year mortgage. Luckily, she agreed to his terms. An hour later, she brought the paperwork for him to sign. Being pre-qualified made the transition to buying the house very easy. She told him that the closing of the deal would not occur for about three weeks to a month. This would allow him time to get ready to move. Linda smiled at him then giggled as they drove back to his house.
“I can hardly wait to move into the new house!”
“One good thing is that the house is right across the street from Oxfire Manor. There are many things that we need to study about that place. Three families vanished without a trace in the last seventy years.”
A month later, Chad hired some movers to pack up all his stuff. With all the lab equipment and computers, they had a big job ahead of them. Within four days, Chad was ready for the movers to follow him in his truck to thirty-four, thirty-four Oxbury Estates. Hours later, they arrived in Williamsburg. With a huge grin, he gave the movers the keys to his house. Linda’s stomach growled so he took them both to Arcadia Diner. A big beautiful blond server met them at the table with a big smile.
“Good afternoon Mr. Hilton, are you ready to order some lunch?”
“How did you know my name?”
“My name is Tricia Burton, I’m Yolanda’s sister. With the population of one thousand two hundred and eighty people, news in a small-town travel fast.”
“I’ll have a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich.”
Would you like something to drink with that sandwich?”
“I’ll have a diet Coke if you have some.”
“I’ll have a big chef’s salad and a diet sprite.”
“I’ll have that for the both of you in a few minutes.”
Tricia brought him his sandwich with a glass of ice-cold diet Coke. Many of the people inside of the diner looked younger. This didn’t bother him because he worked with young people at the mental hospital. After about ten minutes, it was time to go home for the first time in his new house.
Linda engulfed herself in her salad then polished it off in nothing flat. It was his hope that the movers had installed all the computer equipment. He paid Tricia for the meal graciously she had prepared for him. Chad jumped inside of his truck then headed to his house with Linda in tow. The neighbors next to his house appeared to be friendly but made no effort to meet him yet. Linda suddenly had to leave due to a family emergency. Her bother drove over then quickly picked her up in his convertible. They rushed off in a fury out of Oxbury Estates.
The movers were there to greet Chad with a smile. In anticipation, he rushed to the door to look in on how the house was organized. They knew that all the paranormal study equipment had to be set and calibrated in a certain way for it to be effectively used. After writing them a check for services rendered, Chad went into the upstairs and made up his king-sized bed. After finishing up, he noticed the window of the bedroom had a direct view to Oxfire Manor.
The landscaping on the manor looked immaculate but looks can always be deceiving. It was still early afternoon. It was time to read up on the history of Oxfire Manor. How did the new family vanish without a trace? Could the manor be hiding secrets unknown to the public? Would I be able to work alone, or would I need help in my investigation? All these thoughts raced in Chad’s head.
After booting up his laptop, it was time to look at some local archives on the internet. One article that caught his eye was from the Williamsburg Herald. The article was dated October 4, 1942, which seemed a little odd to him. It turned out that a rich family purchased stock in the local brewery then vanished without a trace. Three hours went by – there was article upon article of entire families vanishing without a trace! It was time to find out why this was happening. Before he knew it, nightfall was upon him. The house seemed a little too quiet for his taste. Reaching over to his left, he turned the radio on to listen to some local news. Having prior knowledge that Oxfire Manor was vacant, Chad looks startled when he noticed a light come on over there. His eyes were glued to this window to see who was at the mansion.
A young girl who could not be more than twelve years old came up to the window. She looked to be about four foot two and around eighty pounds. Her hair was auburn with blonde highlights. What was this young child doing at an abandoned mansion? It was instinct to find out why. Chad put on some heavier clothes to keep himself warm in the cool night air. Even though he would be trespassing on Oxfire Manor’s property, it was natural for him to want to help this young child. In a fury, he grabbed his camera, night goggles and a mini recorder to record his findings.
His gut told him that this child might be a lonely spirit that was trying to cross over. She might have died prematurely and needed to complete something before crossing over. After walking downstairs and locking the door on his way out, he noticed a local sheriff’s car patrolling the edge of the manor. He had to be quiet and stay out of the eyesight of the cop. Walking up to the outskirts of his yard, Chad noticed a small opening in the fence that led to the manor. He watched the cop pull away from the manor then quickly made his way through this small opening. Chad’s big belly struggled to get through it but within a few moments, he made it on to the property. The young girl was still at the window staring right at him. She signaled him to come and see her. Was this a trap? Could I be opening Pandora’s Box? Chad thought as he crept closer to this strange girl.
With his heart beating a mile a minute, he made it to the back side of the manor. Using his night goggles, he gazed at the manor. The appearance of a huge lavish mansion vanished then was replaced with a big drawbridge across what looked like a big body of water.
Voices could be heard from within a very dark and dreary-looking castle. Being very careful, he took out his camera and mini recorder then walked across the drawbridge. Sweat rolled down his eyebrow as he walked inside this building. Using the infrared lens in his camera, he took a picture of the body of water and the inside of the room. After walking a few feet, the room changed to an outside garden. Night turned into day. Chad found a man and a woman who were completely nude standing by a tree. The tree had many apples that looked delicious. Afraid of being detected, he quickly hid behind one of the trees. There was another tree next to the one that first came into his sight. It looked plain and less desirable. The tree that this couple stood by looked bigger and fuller. The woman appeared to be hearing a voice coming from the tree. The male wanted no part of this voice and tried to pull the female away from the tree.
“Eve, you must partake from this tree to gain eternal life.”
“Don’t partake of this fruit. We’ll be kicked out of the garden for eternity.”
“You’ll be able to open the doors to powers and knowledge never before seen or witnessed by man, woman or child.”
Using his camera, Chad took multiple pictures of all of this. The woman took a bite out of one of the apples. Her appearance changed from a beautiful woman into a grotesque and flesh-rotting corpse. The male knew that if he did not take a bit of the fruit, he would be without her. Within seconds of biting the apple, he changed into a grotesque and flesh-rotting corpse. The garden changed into a graveyard with a few graves that were unmarked. Behind the graveyard, he noticed a big gate made of solid gold. There were two people at the gate.
One of them stood on the right and the other on the left side. They had red robes on and huge swords with blood red stones on the handle. The couple, not knowing that he was there watching, looked back and made their way into the gate. The two guardians immediately opened it and then went in. To his dismay, Chad coughed loudly to clear his throat. Eve immediately turned back and noticed him standing there. The young girl whom he previously saw was now standing in front of Eve. Eve took a knife then stabbed the girl. Blood spurted out as she drove the knife deeper into the little girl’s chest. She smiled at Chad and looked toward him with the color of blood red in her eyes. The little girl changed into a black cat. She walked to Eve and rubbed her fur on her leg. Eve slapped her hands together then Chad found himself back at his computer desk in complete darkness.
What have I just witnessed? Was it the fall of man in the Garden of Eden or was it not? Was this odd gate the entrance of Hell? he thought as he took the memory stick out of his camera. After turning the laptop back on, he immediately put the memory stick into it to see if the pictures taken previously were saved. Luckily, all of them were there. The evidence of paranormal activity was confirmed but could not be completely explained to the average person. It was time to ask for some help but after telling them what he had just witnessed, almost anyone would most likely have him committed to a mental hospital. The information on this case had to be treated and dealt with carefully. Whom could I ask for help? Whom could I show this evidence to and get their help with an open mind? I’m sure Linda will want to help but this will require an expert in the field, he thought while rubbing his chin.
Chad was very troubled and decided to go to bed. After brushing his teeth, he opened the shower curtain to find Eve with blood all over her body. One second, she was a beautiful woman he first witnessed – then a second later, she changed into a bloody corpse. After turning the faucet to his sink back on, Chad splashed his face with cold water. Making sure that he was awake, Chad opened the shower curtain again…but she was gone. Had I opened a curse that would plague me for the rest of my days? Could I help all the families that vanished over the years without a trace? It was my hope that a good night’s rest would help me start this investigation. To try and find the underlying cause of the reason for the manor swallowing up families and not leaving a trace of their existence. He pondered while toddling off to bed to get a good night’s rest.
