The Demon's Grave (8 page)

Rolling my eyes up to the rearview mirror I caught sight of Cody. He could have been sleeping the way his head jostled each time the car hit a bump. Robin sat up straight again, nudging his shoulder.

Brown eyes snapped wide, glassy and forlorn.

“Did you get any sleep?” I asked him.

His head didn’t detach from the window as he muttered, his lips hardly moving. “No, I don’t think I did.”

Phoebe motioned to Robin, but said to Cody. “What kept you up?”

I wanted to ask about nightmares but didn’t want to ruin the mood either.

“How much longer? I’m getting hungry,” Robin’s loud voice demanded in the back seat before Cody could answer. She stuck her pierced tongue out at Phoebe who returned the gesture.

“Not long,” Aidan said.

“Get something from one of the bags if you can reach it,” I said. “There’s lots of food.”

“Ha!” Robin barked. “Phoebe will be tempted and look up my skirt.”

Phoebe’s lips curled. “No. Aidan will.”

Cody’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t say anything. Aidan’s pale face flushed before sputtering, “I would not.” He glared at Phoebe.

Phoebe couldn’t resist her smug smile. “Watch the road, stud.”

Read rummaged around in the back for a bag of chips for Robin, which kept her quiet for at least a few more minutes. Small talk was exchanged as Robin seemed to be flirting with Read while Cody slept, though I tuned most of it out.

The trees on either side of the vehicle were thickening. Fewer houses could be seen through them and the shoulder of the road became nonexistent; replaced by a steep drop off.

Watching the forest zip past Phoebe’s face I didn’t look forward until I felt the brakes. Aidan rolled the station wagon off onto an overgrown dirt road. Despite the slow speed, the car rocked hard, sloshing everyone inside from side to side.

“Hey, we must be close now,” Robin said between jujube bites.

“What is
it
?” I asked.

Aidan took his eyes off of the road, moving slower along the dirt path. The dust fluttered up behind us, blocking out the entire back window. “You’ll see.” Those blue eyes penetrated mine making my insides squirm and I looked away.

The vehicle fell quiet. Even Robin was hushed as we all watched the thick brush lining the road. If another vehicle happened along one of the sharp bends there would be no room for both.

Outside the side window I ducked my head to see the tops of the coniferous trees as they whizzed by. The orange sunlight made them appear to be glowing. The sun wouldn’t be around much longer, which wouldn’t give us a lot of time to set up.

The car was slowing to a crawl and it was Phoebe’s sharp intake of breath that snapped my gaze forward.

We had finally arrived at our destination and I could see
it
. I wasn’t sure if I even liked
it
.

“Whoa,” Read said from the back.

“I never expected this,” Phoebe whispered to me.

Neither did I.

“Wooooow.” Robin’s breath warmed the back of my neck.

Slumping in my seat, I realized my mouth was hanging open and clamped my jaw shut with a snap.
We’re spending the night here?

It was a Victorian-style house. The sun bleached brick siding was pitted with scars and scratches. A wooden front porch had faded to a sickly grey and tilted to the right. There were modern shingles on most of the roof, except for the rounded tower that was suctioned to the side. My eyes were drawn to the tower immediately. The roof bowed at a harsh angle and was littered with rotten shingles and last year’s dead leaves. The tower hovered several feet over the new roof, looking like something out of a children’s fairytale.

The windows on the first floor were mostly boarded up with plywood and two by fours while the second floor’s were new and crystal-smooth, reflecting the orange sun.

Rank, bare vines entwined the porch railing and clawed its way up the side of the chipped bricks, claiming the house as its own.

A draft chilled my right arm and I realized Phoebe had stepped out of the car without me noticing.

Aidan and I were the only ones left in the vehicle. “I know it doesn’t look like much,” he said, “but we’ve been trying to make little improvements over the years.”

I tried to smile at him, avoiding his haunting eyes and crawled out the passenger’s side.

Trailing behind the group, we stared up at the monstrous house, inching our way closer.

A cracked picket fence attempted to secure a front yard, yet it was overgrown with weeds and bushes.

“Have you been inside?” Phoebe asked Aidan. They were in the lead and the first to touch the splintering porch railing.

Aidan nodded and explained about the improvements he and his dad had done lately. “I used to live out here during the summers with my grandpa when I was a kid.” He said.

“Aw,” Phoebe grinned, “a Leland boy at heart.”

Aidan didn’t return the smile and wiggled the rickety railing instead. “You could say that. Always wanted to come back, maybe even live here one day.”

Read sauntered up behind them. “That part looks the worst though,” he motioned with his beer bottle to the tower section of the house.

Tilting his chin up, Aidan squinted through the twilight. “Yeah, that part was off limits. Grandpa used to go up there sometimes, but I was never allowed.”

Robin latched onto Cody’s arm and asked. “Is it dangerous inside? Like could we fall through the floor?”

As if it had been staged, a wooden shingle from the tower scraped off the roof and landed a few feet from Phoebe and Aidan. Dried dirt sprayed up on impact.

Dirt? With the overgrown grass I didn’t expect to hear it make a sound. Edging inside the gate, I hopped up on my tippy-toes to see paled dirt around the tower section. Not a single plant grew; no grass, shrubs or weeds, just dirt spanning a foot from the brick.

Robin let out a breath, puffing her cheeks and looking at the rest of us wide-eyed as if to ask,
really?

Peering over her shoulder, Phoebe raised eyebrow. “Scared, Robin?”

Robin bit down on her glossy lip and straightened her posture. “No, of course not.” I was close enough to see her fingernails dig into Cody’s arm. His tired eyes winced, but otherwise remained uninterested.

I couldn’t blame Robin. My insides felt like mashed potatoes but if I showed any anxiety Phoebe would spend the rest of the night plotting to scare the crap out of me.

“Nah,” Aidan said, “the inside has had a lot of work done. Hopefully, this summer the porch will be done.” He wiggled the railing again, a disapproving line stretching between his brows.

“Hope someone brought candles and flashlights,” Read said, flashing extraordinarily white teeth.

“I brought lots and there should be a bunch in here still,” Aidan stepped onto the creaking porch steps. He wobbled once he reached the slant, stretching his arms for balance. The grey boards creaked and groaned as he shuffled to the antique front door. Producing a key from his jeans he unlocked it and pushed it open. The hinges shrieked their protest, imitating every cliché haunted house.

Aidan hopped through the threshold and motioned for us to follow.

Read stepped up beside Phoebe. She glared at him and without warning he shoved her to the side and launched himself onto the porch. Spitting flames, Phoebe stumbled before darting after him. She came close to pulling his pants down as she fought to beat him into the house.

They slid on the slanted surface like Bambi on ice, entertaining the rest of us. The worthy struggle ended with Read winning the match. Phoebe was quick to complain about the false start as they clambered into the house, their voices carrying into a renewed argument.

Cody helped Robin along the porch. Her high heels weren’t equipped for the dramatic arch. She cracked jokes about breaking a leg while swaying like a weeble-wobble doll. Reaching the front door, she caught Aidan’s outstretched hand.

I could hear Robin’s “ooos” and “awws” as I grabbed the shifting railing.

Aidan waited at the door as I climbed onto the slant. It seemed my sneakers would come in handy after all. Sliding a little, I made it to the doorframe. Aidan had offered his hand after a hesitation, but I didn’t take it. “I’m fine,” I told him as I landed on a solid wood floor, leaving the rickety porch behind.

Dusting off my hands, I could see that he was right about it looking better inside.

Unmarred drywall had been painted an off-white. The real hardwood floors held a thick film of dust, and now it had footprints. Read inspected the wood framing around every archway. It had been painted so many times there had to be a half-an-inch of dark brown paint on them.

Robin was inspecting a clawed-foot dining table in the room ahead of me while Cody stared at the wall.

It was like stepping back into history. The furniture was sparse, but little details like glass doorknobs and brass light-switch coverings were indicators of its time.

To my left, Read was talking to Aidan about firewood and I followed them into what could have been a quaint living room. Devoid of furniture it housed a brick fireplace and a window that wasn’t covered with plywood. The window’s glass was thick, almost making the world outside look a little off.

Behind me, Read blew at the mantel before coughing and sputtering. Looking over my shoulder I saw the swirling dust fill the faded sunlit room like a fog. Read waved his hand from side to side in front of his face before plucking the dusty lantern from the mantel.

“We could totally have a fire,” Aidan pointed out, serious. “Dad told me the chimney was cleaned last weekend and flue still works, so…‌”

The dust was starting to tickle the back of my throat.

Read looked back at me. “Nora you want to help me get wood?”

Robin started to laugh and I almost choked. “Uuuhhh…‌”

“What’s upstairs?” Phoebe’s voice echoed.

Aidan brushed past me into the entrance. I turned to see Phoebe standing on the stairs, creaking them under her shifting weight for entertainment. The stairs turned behind her and disappeared from sight. The wood railing was cracked and some of the spindles were missing.

“It’s kind of messy. I don’t know if you want to go up there,” Aidan warned as she reached the first landing.

Phoebe flashed a defiant grin toward the second floor. “I can deal with a mess.”

Before Aidan could protest Phoebe disappeared up the stairs, her footsteps creaking the floorboards above our heads.

Aidan hesitated before grabbing the railing. “
Only
the second floor!”

Robin clicked her heels into the entry with us and looked to me, her green eyes wide and excited. “Are we going up?”

Before I could answer Aidan was trudging up the stairs. “Might as well,” he said, frowning. “Bring up some light, will you?”

The curiosity of this old house had hypnotized us all, it seemed. Perhaps Aidan’s surprise weekend would be a hit after all. The seeds of guilt were laid as I thought of what a jerk I’d been. This was a great surprise and it would make a great place for the weekend, maybe even more in the future.

Cody stuffed a handful of candles into his saggy back pocket while Read begrudgingly traded his empty beer bottle for a flashlight.

Read followed Aidan, then it was Cody, then Robin who snatched my hand in her bony fingers to tug me along.

We traveled up the groaning steps in single file, not leaving anyone out of arms reach. I was reminded of kindergarten recess.

Read hopped up on top step and a distinct crack snapped through the empty space. Robin glanced at me, her smile faltering and her bird-like fingers crushed my hand.

Breathing out slow so not to whimper, I said. “Robin, it’s okay if you want to go back downstairs.” I somehow hoped she’d say yes, but it only spurred her forward.

“It’s okay,” she whispered and took a few more steps behind Cody. “If something happens, Cody will save us.”

Cody glanced back at the sound of his name, looking like an overgrown zombie.

Yeah right. Even on a good day I didn’t think Cody could save us.

We reached the top of the stairs and were greeted by a hallway of doors. Three doors on the left and two on the right.

Beside the landing was another set of stairs that curled against a circular brick wall.

It must be the tower
, I thought and leaned closer.

It was shadowed and dark within, smelling like cold brick and something musty. That’s what Aidan must have meant by ‘only the second floor.’ After seeing the roof, I doubted anyone would want to go up there anyway.

Robin gasped and didn’t let go of my hand, instead she dragged me along with her. Jolted forward I was yanked into a small room with her, our feet pounding on the wood floor.

Stumbling to a stop, I could see the source of her gasp.

An old crib was coated in spiderwebs and layers of dust. It appeared hand-carved, laced with intricate designs.

Above it was one of the new windows. I could see an overgrown pond behind the house. Cattails and long reeds incrusted the tree line before thinning into bush.

Robin pushed the crib with the toe of her boot and it rocked for the first time in what could have been a decade.

The familiar hum bristled my hair and I looked back to see Aidan walk into the room.

Seeing the crib rocking, he stepped inside. “Apparently, it was my grandpa’s crib when he was a baby.”

He was walking too close to me.

I felt my shoulders rise and refused to move. I wasn’t going to show Robin that I was uncomfortable.

Aidan moved to stop the crib’s rocking and his hand brushed against mine.

That humming shock that I often felt around him became sharp. It electrocuted every hair on my arm and rocketing through my shoulder blades, giving me goosebumps.

It wasn’t so much a physical shock as a vibration with a life of its own.

It wasn’t my imagination, we both stiffened.

I met his shocking blue eyes to see them just as wide as my own and realized, he felt it too.

Offering the little crib a sad smile, Robin shifted her eyes toward the only other piece of furniture in the room, a broken empty shelf. “Come on,” she urged to me.