This story is part 6 of The Pine Creek Murders, a 6 part series that started in The Girl In The House
Peter Davidson and Helen Parker walked nervously down the road. Not because the dieing light of the setting sun was made darker by the overcast sky. Not because of the numerous murders that had occurred over the past year. Because of the house in front of them.
The Ullrich house.
Like everyone else in Pine Creek, they knew the history of this house. They knew about the murders that Erik Ullrich had committed fifty years ago. They knew about how Lance Landis had died here two years ago. And of course they knew about the curse of Lyne Ullrich. Which is why they were there tonight.
The night before they had been at a party with some friends, and after a large amount of drinking, they had accepted a dare. Since Landis had died a year ago, then maybe tonight was the anniversary of Lyne’s death, and they were going to find out. To try to see if the house was really haunted, or at least if the curse was real.
So as the sun set in the west, they walked towards the house, the long shadows making it look even eerier. Both slowed their pace, slowly walking towards the house. When they were with in a hundred feet, they stopped. Someone, or something, was kneeling in the doorway.
Peter motioned that they should turn around, that they should leave, but before they could Helen sneezed. The black mass in the doorway turned, stood, and began to walk towards them.
It was a humanoid figure. In the dieing light, they couldn’t tell if the face was hidden some how, or if it had no face. It reminded Helen of the Nazgul from Lord Of The Rings, and she stood motionless with fright.
The figure walked closer. In the distance she could hear Peter yelling for her to run, but she couldn’t. All that ran through her mind was the thought that this was Lyne Ullrich, and that she was going to die. She was so terrified that she didn’t even cry out as she felt the cold metal of a knife blade plunge into her stomach.
She fell as the figure pulled its knife free. Her hands moved to the wound and she saw blood on them. As she stared at her hand, Peter ran towards her, tackling the figure, knocking the knife from its hand. They wrestled on the ground, trying to gain an advantage, trying to get their hands n the knife to end the battle. As they fought the figure’s hood fell back, and long red hair poured out as Peter found himself looking into the crazed face of Wendy Landis.
They stared at each other for several moments. After a moment she stood, stating that she knew him, her voice deeper then normal and distant sounding, almost like it wasn’t her’s. As Peter move towards the knife, she turned and looked towards the door, calling Lance’s name. As Peter watched, she moved towards the door and he appeared in the doorway, walking onto the porch.
Wendy walked towards him, crying, saying that she had done it all for him. And as she walked onto the porch, he stepped aside. Behind him was a young woman wearing a red dress in an older style. Wendy looked at her in shock as the woman grabbed her, pulling her into the house, the door closing behind them. Peter could hear her screaming in terror from inside the house as he took out his cell phone and dialed 911.
Three years later
A black 1972 ford Mustang pulled to a stop and Alex Jager stepped out, looking up at the house. Who knew five years ago the terror, the bloodshed, the sadness this place would cause. At first it was all blamed on Wendy Landis, who’s broken body was found near where her husbands had been found a year earlier. The cause of death was the same; internal injuries sustained by falling down the steps.
Why she had killed seven people, no one knew. Psychologists said that it was out of grief over her husband’s death, and pointed to the fact that all but one of her victims had been couples in love.
But Alex knew better. He knew that there was more to why she had killed, and he had spent the last three years trying to stop it. But at last it was over.
He got into his car and drove away. If he had looked into the rearview mirror, he would have seen a woman screaming for help. Beside him was a man, smiling, and behind them both, was a woman in a red dress.
