Nightmares and Sinister Things

NIGHTMARES AND SINISTER THINGS

by

Genevieve Liddell

Special Lulu Edition

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Nightmares and Sinister Things

Special Lulu Edition

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Copyright © 2011 Genevieve Liddell. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical without the express written permission of the author. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

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DEDICATION

For all those nights you walked me up and down the hallway, just to help me fall asleep at night.

For picking me up whenever I fell, dusting me off and telling me I was okay.

For putting the wrench in my hand and telling me to go for it.

For tucking me in at night, every night and helping me to feel safe.

For telling off the teachers who would have labeled me, and warning the principal to leave me alone.

For talking with me about everything, and listening too.

For recognizing that I needed to make mistakes to learn from them and giving me the freedom to make them.

For teaching me that sometimes things happen and there’s nothing you can do to change it, but that it’s okay,

Because tomorrow is another day.

For reading my chapters and talking shop with me, and loving it as much as I do.

For all the little things that couldn’t possibly fit on one page and all of the big ones too.

Thank you Dad,

This one is all for you.

Contents

1 RENÉE

2 TOBIAS ARCHIBALD CRANE THE 13TH EARL OF CAITHNESS

3 FORWARD MOTION

4 MALCOLM MACKENZIE

5 AMHERST’S MYSTERY

6 HEMORRAGE ‘TIL YOU BLEED

7 SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET

8 SHE’S GOT A KNIFE AND SHE AIN’T AFRAID TO USE IT

9 MUSCLE MEMORY

10 EYE OF THE STORM

11 POLTERGEIST DON’T USUALLY CONVENIENTLY DISAPPEAR JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT THEM TO

12 BEAUTIFUL MIDNIGHT

13 HERE COMES THE FALLOUT

14 BIG BAD THINGS

15 KNIGHTS IN SHINING ARMOR COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES

16 CRASH AND BURN

17 NO SUCH THING AS HAPPY ENDINGS

18 DEPARTURE

Coming Soon…

1 RENÉE

July 1986

Jacob O’Sulivan’s Farm

Ramsayville, Ontario, Canada

Something’s not right.

There was a familiar uneasiness settling itself in Jacob’s bones that wouldn’t let him alone. It was a firm hand on his shoulder shaking him back into awareness of things he’d stopped looking for a lifetime ago.

Something bad is about to happen, keep your eyes and ears open. You’re going to need to act fast.

He hadn’t felt those warning signs in over sixteen years. Not since he’d given up ‘the life’. It just didn’t make sense for that acidic feeling in his gut to come back now. Unless…

Glancing over at the house from where he was working in the field he could just barely make out the shape of his wife, Renée. She was leaning over the porch railing hanging the clean laundry on the clothesline to dry. Their daughter, a tiny pixie of a girl, was running across the yard all bare feet in the green grass as she swung around in circles with her arms spread wide. A free spirit zigzagging through flowing damp sheets, her ecstatic giggles easily carried to her father’s ears. There was something about all that carefree innocence that had the power to heal his shadowed soul. Her very existence was enough to restore his faith and push away the darkness of the past.

As far as he could tell this day was no different from the rest. Summer had swept in hot and muggy and the humid July weather had been good for the crops. The corn he was tending had already grown waist high. It was going to be a good year and he was glad of it. Even now, toward the end of the day, the air was still thick with a humidity that weighed you down and made you want to just sit around on the porch with a nice glass of anything cold to drink.

There was work to do though, crops to tend and livestock to raise. The life of a farmer was a far cry from the one he’d left behind, one he was thankful for every minute of every day. He’d never dreamed this life could be hi. One of solitude filled simply with hard work, love and hope, so very far removed from the death and despair that once had been his daily life.

He’d been thinking back on the past he’d put behind him an awful lot lately. He didn’t want to revisit that time unnecessarily but it was hard not to wonder. Sometimes it felt inevitable that karma would come back and return the favor for all the mistakes he’d made. Maybe that was why his instincts were telling him something was off.

You’ve got yourself all worked up for nothing, old man. You’re getting paranoid in your old age.

Sure, it was easy to chastise himself for thinking it. Much harder to let the feeling go. A hint of caution in the face of paranoia was a fair price to pay for the knowledge that Renée and their little girl Catie would be safe through the night.  It wouldn’t hurt to take a few extra precautionary measures, would it?

He’d check on the protective symbols strategically placed around the property before heading in for the night. Couldn’t hurt to sprinkle a little salt either. A thick line around the foundation of the house maybe? It’d be the hell of a job explaining to Renée why he was laying down salt in the middle of the summer. But the peace of mind would be worth it. Could he get away with laying some down in the outer doorways and on the windowsills? Maybe just in the bedrooms, especially Catie’s. He could tell his wife it was to keep the ants out of the house. A bit of a stretch, sure, but maybe Renée would let it go and just humor him. Knowing the salt’s protective properties were in place would go a long way to help settle that uneasiness.

Daddy! Can I come play? I wanna make mud patties! And there she was, his little angel. His precious baby girl, the spitting image of her mother, was racing towards him at full tilt.

Big baby blues sparkling with joy, pigtails bobbing merrily as she ran. The pretty little checkered sundress she wore, blue as her eyes, shifting up above her knees to accommodate those fast moving little legs. Maybe she’d grow up to be a track star or a gymnast

Ah, the things you have to look forward to, old man!

Well sure you can, sweetheart. He grinned, scooping her up into big strong arms.

"Yay! I wanna make one for Lucie the cow. She declared, wrapping her arms around her fathers’ neck. But don’t say anything to her okay? He laughed as her breath tickled the inside of his ear as she whispered. It’s her birthday today."

My lips are sealed, baby. Pulling her close he whuffed a breath against the soft skin of her shoulder, drawing out another giggle.

"Your whiskers tickle daddy!"

Do they? He did it again as she squirmed. Over her tiny shoulder he saw his wife wave from the house, blowing a kiss when she saw him look her way. Reaching up into the air, he pretended to catch it and place it on his lips.

I love you too, honey.

So what do you say, Catie? Mud Pies in the barn? It’ll be easier to keep your surprise a secret in there. Lucie’s grazing in the back field right now.

Okay!

Yeah, he was probably just being paranoid, but an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure.

***

Seven o’clock that evening found them all sitting around the kitchen table. Caitlin was on her father’s knee sipping at some milk and fighting sleep while listening to her parents talk.

That dinner was delicious tonight, sweetheart. She felt her father’s gruff voice rumbling through his chest against her back as she snuggled into his arms.

Oh Jake. Her mother laughed softly, kissing him soundly on the cheek. It was just soup and sandwiches, nothing special.

Oh now, give yourself a little more credit woman. You made it. That alone makes it special. Smiling, he took one of her hands in his.

Sweet talker she teased.

Only when it comes to my two favorite ladies. He gently squeezed Renée’s hand and cradled Caitlin a little closer.

Am I one of your favorite ladies, Daddy? Catie asked softly.

"My very favorite, baby." He kissed the top of her head as she yawned and blinked owlishly up at him.

Looks like it’s time for a certain little lady to get to bed.

As if reading his mind, Renée rose and extended her arms to take their daughter from him.

Time for bed my little princess. And out came the pouty bottom lip.

"But I’m a big girl Mommy."

Yes, well, big girls need their sleep too now don’t they? Jacob reasoned with her.

"Okay." Wow, six years old and already she had that way about her. The one that made whatever word she chose to use come out sounding as if it ought to be ‘fine’ while it clearly wasn’t.

Nighty night pumpkin. Sweet dreams, okay?

She giggled as he blew a raspberry on her cheek. He was amazed, as always, at how strong those little arms were when they wrapped themselves around his neck.

Okay Daddy. See you in the morning!

Then he was handing her over to her mother. A soft kiss for Renée, another to the top of Caitlin’s head and he was pulling his boots on. It was time to do the rounds of the property before turning in for the night.

Will you be out long? Renée called from halfway up the stairs as he pulled open the front door.

S’posed to be thundershowers tonight. I’m thinking, about an hour? I’ve got to bring the cows into the barn.

Are you going to tuck Lucie in tonight? Catie asked from her perch on her mother’s hip.

Promise I will, hun. Now go on and get some sleep. I’ll be back before you know it. Renée smiled at her little family, soft brown eyes meeting Jacob’s sparkling blue ones.

Love you. Those words, how was it they still managed to melt his heart- the very one he’d been so sure had turned to stone before even having met her- after all these years?

Love you too, babe. Be back soon, I promise.

A moment later Renée was tucking Catie into bed, both of them listening for the sound of Jacob whistling happily to himself around the yard. Catie fell asleep to the rumble of the old tractor motor retreating toward the back fields, a peaceful smile on her face.

***

Mother’s intuition is a powerful thing, one that Renée put a lot of faith in and was rarely disappointed. It had been a lovely day, even with the humid weather but something hadn’t felt quite right. There was a sense of foreboding in the air, as if something terrible was about to happen.

Fortunately there had been no outward signs that anything was wrong but she’d kept a careful watch all the same. The feeling was a familiar one generally experienced before Catie started a bad cold or spiked a fever. Now that her daughter was fast asleep in bed, though, that uneasy feeling should have subsided as it usually did. Not this time.

Jacob would be home soon. She’d feel safer then. In fact, that was probably the problem. After harboring that expectant, ominous feeling all day she just needed her husband close to shake it off and feel safe again. Her mind was playing tricks on her. The house felt too quiet and there were strange rustling noises coming from the cornfields behind the house. 

Silly woman.

It was probably just the wind picking up. Jake had mentioned thunder showers earlier. Renée could only hope he’d be home before they started. In the meantime it might be a good idea to pull out the candles in case the power went out again as it had the last time there had been a storm.

She was kneeling with her head under the sink, reaching toward the back of the cupboard where the candles had last been stored when the first signs of trouble made themselves known.

Were those voices?

There were voices she didn’t recognize laughing raucously out in the yard. The last time she’d heard that kind of activity out there has been during that barbecue she and Jake had hosted when everyone had a little too much to drink. This was different though. There was a mean edge to the laughter and the voices were unfamiliar in timber and pitch. In a small town like theirs it wasn’t often you heard a voice you didn’t recognize, especially in your own backyard at night.

Jake hadn’t told her much about his past but when they’d first met he’d explained to her that it had involved some dangerous people capable of doing some truly terrifying things. Gripped with a case of the jitters just before their wedding he’d begged her once to be cautious of people she didn’t know and things she couldn’t explain. The events unfolding outside at that very moment certainly seemed like the type of situation in which to take that advice.

Her first thought was of Catie. Above all else she had to protect her daughter. Crouching down low in an effort to avoid being seen through one of the windows, heart pounding a staccato beat in her chest, Renée raced from the kitchen down the short hall to the living room, all the way across the house to the base of the stairs that would lead her to her little girl.

Whoever those people were, they seemed to have gathered out on the front lawn. The flood lights had come on and they were shining through the living room curtains casting eerie shadows everywhere. Instinct told her there wasn’t much time, the urgency felt pushing her to take the stairs two and three at a time.

The upstairs hallway nothing more than a blur as she raced to her daughter’s room. Curled up on her side, knees tucked up to her chest and little thumb wedged firmly in her mouth little Catie was nothing short of an angel. All that was missing were the precious little wings.

Maybe, good lord, maybe she’d fallen asleep and this was all just a horrible nightmare. Better still, maybe the voices belonged to some of the local boys taking a shortcut to get to the nearby creek for some night fishing. Maybe she was overreacting. It wouldn’t be the first or last time they’d cut through the fields to get there…

Renée had almost managed to convince herself, sitting there on the edge of Catie’s bed, that there was actually nothing to be afraid of. It was all just a misunderstanding. Until a unearthly loud shriek rent the air validating her every fear and telling a far different story. A quick, cautious peek through frilly pink curtains revealed a horrifying sight.

There were seven of them that she could see. All of them dressed in shabby, ragged looking clothes. Although it was hard to tell given the long, matted hair and shapeless clothing she thought there were four men and three women. They had somehow managed to lure one of the cows onto the front lawn and were doing unspeakable thing to it for reasons Renée couldn’t begin to understand

The strangers had begun scratching away at the poor animal using fingernails like claws. They were biting at the cow wherever their teeth could gain purchase and tearing away at its skin causing the poor thing to howl in agony. The more the cow screeched in protest the better they seemed to enjoy hurting it.

No longer doubting if worry was warranted, Renée was momentarily frozen by the gravity of what she had witnessed. What was she going to do? What could she possibly do?

Hide. She had to hide Catie first and then somehow get to the phone without being seen. Why hadn’t she thought to call the police when she’d first heard the voices? Every short, precious minute that had passed since she’d left the kitchen held a regret that she hadn’t thought to do something differently. Someone could have already been on their way to help. As it was she had a strong feeling that it was just matter of time before those monsters turned their attention to the house. When that happened there wouldn’t be much of anything one lone woman could do to protect herself from seven psychotic strangers.

Caitlin. Catie, sweetie, I need you to wake up baby. Whispering as loudly as she dared Renée tried to rouse her daughter from sleep while scooping her up from the bed. Running to the closet she resorted to jostling the little girl as she moved to try and wake her. Come on darling, wake up. Better she wake to her mother’s face than to be startled out of sleep by strangers… No. She couldn’t bear the thought of what could still happen and so she put it out of her head in order to better focus on what needed doing. 

What’s going on Mommy? Oh, thank goodness! Voice still squeaky from sleep, Catie was finally coming around.

I don’t know honey but I need you to listen to me, okay?

Renée placed her daughter on the closet floor as gently as she could while trying not to make too much noise and watched her little girl nod a groggy understanding.

We’re going to play a sort of hide-and-seek, okay Catie? I’m going to hide you here under all these blankets. You’ve got to promise me to stay hidden here until Daddy comes to find you, okay? No matter what sort of sounds you hear, no matter what happens after I go, you have to stay quiet in this closet under these blankets. Can you do that for me, honey?

Wide eyed and confused, Catie was just scared enough to agree with anything her mother told her to do.

Okay Mommy, came the scared little whisper.

Outside the raucous strangers were becoming progressively louder as they came closer to the house. They were running out of time.

Don’t make a sound, sweetheart. It’s going to be okay. It’ll all be over soon.

Time enough for one last hug and kiss, stolen hastily before piling the blankets on top of Catie until the shape of her daughter was no longer recognizable.

I love you baby.

Their only hope, the telephone, was in the kitchen. Panic, sharp and painful in her chest, threatened to overwhelm her. What am I going to do? There were so many of them.

Racing back down the stairs and through the living room, it struck her what a difference the flood lights made. The lights had gone out as the group outside circled around the house, plunging most of the unlit first floor of the farmhouse back in to darkness.

At first she loathed the lack of light, heart leaping to her throat with every shadow that flitted across the carpet and floor. Then, when the floodlights suddenly came back on, she wished they never had.

Receiver in hand, Renée had just barely managed to dial the number when the front door came crashing in on its hinges. With a clear view from the hallway to the living room where the door was, she watched the first man step over the threshold.

As if he’d inherently known of her presence, their eyes locked immediately. Mesmerized, she took in the blood and bits of flesh that still painted his face and chest. The slow drip, drip of refuse primarily decorated the front of his shirt and pants until he flashed her a grin like an oil slick. Dark as night and all kinds of messy. For some reason it was the mess that was collecting on her clean floor that truly brought home the reality of it all. 

The receiver, which she was no longer aware of, fell out of her hand to dangle uselessly from its coiled cord. Terror took hold in the form of a piercing shriek as the strangers continued to file in to the small living room, moving back toward the kitchen with purpose.

Hide. She had to hide.

Out of the corner of one eye she could see the cupboard door beneath the sink which she’d left ajar in the commotion.

Even as she understood it was too late, the man had seen her and they’d all heard her scream, she raced toward what little bit of safety the cupboard might provide. But they were far too fast to outrun. Inhumanly fast. Appearing nearly as if they’d materialized from thin air, the group circled her as if beamed into her kitchen by Scotty himself.

She’d been spared the smell, watching from Catie’s room. Now the pungent scent of raw meat and unwashed skin mingled with the metallic tang of fresh blood. Fighting the urge to retch, she continued to turn slowly looking for an opening in which she might be able to make an escape.

Who are you? What do you want from me?

Fear shook her to her core as they slowly closed in on her, one twitchy inch at a time.

There was no hiding the contempt she felt for these animals who were violating the safety of her home. The one who had been first came forward baring his teeth at her in the form of a predatory smile. 

"We’ve been travelling a long time, my dear. You see, it’s been a while since we’ve had a decent meal."

The smooth baritone of his voice was distinctly at odds with his apparent youth. Consider this our humble request for a little hospitality. His wild eyes boldly roamed over her body from pulse point to pulse point, possessing her without so much as a touch.

If it’s a meal you’re looking for, there’s a place called Chez Henri’s about ten minutes drive from here. I’m sorry, but I don’t have enough food here for all of you. She wasn’t fooling anyone, least of all herself. There would be no intimidating these people into leaving. Still, pride dictated she stand her ground even as they closed in on her and fed on the fear they felt emanating from her every pore. 

"That’s alright my darling. I’m sure you have everything we need right here."

With a flick of his wrist, he signaled the others to begin.

Suddenly finding herself in the same position as the cow had been, Renée was torn. She wanted to holler at the top of her lungs for help while she fought tooth and nail for her life. But she couldn’t. Too much noise might rouse Catie’s insatiable curiosity. The last thing she wanted was for her daughter to walk in to the kitchen just in time to watch her mother die.

Fortunately, as with the cow, it was over quickly. In fact the entirety of her death could be counted in three screams.

The first was agony torn from her lips as the strangers pounced on her, shoving her to the ground and holding her there. Utterly helpless, she couldn’t move as they forced her to watch a second set of sharp, shark-like teeth descend from the first one’s gums.

The next was torment, long and loud, as they set to work tearing her open one jagged wound at a time as they had done to the cow. She quieted to low guttural moaning as they sank their teeth in whatever bare skin they thought might provide purchase. The struggle she desperately wanted to make was rendered impossible by the bodies holding her down, sapping the very life from her body piece by excruciating piece.

The third and final howl of defeat came with the cold, fatal feel of the metal blade at her throat.

Don’t worry darling. The first one rasped into the shell of her ear. It’s okay. It’ll all be over soon. Taunting her with the very words she’d used to comfort Catie, he watched her eyes go wide. Confident his message had been received, the knowledge that they were aware of the child she’d hidden, he ended her life. Her desolation and anguish in those final moments were glorious. He would have liked to have taken the time to play with her more, drag out all that pain as he’d craved to do. But it was over now and that was all that currently mattered.

In the distance the first of the sirens wailed as the beige telephone receiver swayed lethargically back and forth in stark contrast with the grisly scene on the linoleum below.

The police couldn’t help her now. Nor could they help the child if he so chose to take her now.

The girl? One of the women asked as if reading his mind. Perhaps she could. Having only recently been turned, he wasn’t certain what kind of gifts she might yet possess. He was certain that this new underling of his was becoming a little too bold. Steps would have to be taken to put her in her place. Something to look forward to. Later.

Standing stock still he listened to the child’s muffled