WEST END MANSION - PART 1

October of ‘07

The terror that would slowly seep into their lives wasn’t on either of their minds. It was more like it was the extreme opposite: for all of them life was ascending and for the first time they had cash to splash. After they graduated from high school in ‘00 they had made a pact to meet for a get together back on Rokset Island at the end of every stretch of their lives – no matter where in life they were. That summer Frankie had graduated as the last of them.

Their pack, their unit, or as they described themselves when they were younger: the gang, consisted of Jep, Frankie, Jim, Tony and Phyllis. They had grown up together on Rokset Island and looking back all of them agreed that none of it had been too bad: they could do pretty much as they pleased and they grew up in one of the safest places on earth. Until they were about 13 all of that had been enough: they would spend the weekends fishing, or hunting up in the hills and they had their clubhouse near the beach.

When they were a little older, safe equaled boring though, but the boredom that they had experienced when they were young was something that they thought back on as just another element of the island life. It wasn’t just an island though: it was paradise as well, since their island was close enough to the equator to have the summer year round. The weather changed slightly over the year, with January being the coolest, stretching to March and then slowly it would get hotter, until it peaked in September. The storms that had defined and thickened their skin usually rolled in during that month and at the end of October both the heat and the threat of any storms would be gone. 

As it was right now they had all lived in some area of The West at one time or other, all of them except for Tony. Jep and Frankie still live in Europe. Jim lives in The States. Phyllis had recently returned to the island, mostly because she didn’t know where else to go. She had left Rokset Island for five years and during all that time she had felt as if her heart wasn’t in that place: she missed the island. They all had good memories of their youth on the island and most of the boring parts they had forgotten. Most of the bad and of the terror they had also forgotten, and in fact it was as if the terror that had taken place many years ago had never happened.

“What are you all caught up in?” Sylvia asks. 

“My youth,” Jep says, “My island.”

“That thing again,” she says, “Always with that magical island.”

“It was, I guess,” Jep says, “In a way at least. I find myself thinking back at it more these days.”

“Going back home,” she says, “When will you take me there?”

“I don’t know,” Jep says, maybe some day. In the back of his mind he thinks someday, maybe. The thing is that Sylvia is a nice girl and all, but she doesn’t have what the island girls have. How do I explain that?

“You sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah,” he says, not sure how to break the news that he will most likely be gone in December and his mind isn’t much on taking her with him, “I have some things to figure out, that’s all.”

*

Jep waited until she was gone before opening his mail. He responds to the one that Phyllis had send. She proposed for them to meet back on the island: she got air of the fact that Frankie graduated. The part that she didn’t tell was that she had already inquired if West End Mansion had been booked for the holidays. It wasn’t and in a way that wasn’t to be unexpected, since the word on the island was that the place is haunted. For that reason it was usually rented to foreigners who didn’t know and who wanted to spend the holidays in style. They were always bound to experience some chilly nights. The caretaker had gotten older though and this year he hadn’t gone out of his way to advertise the place online. 

Phyllis was the one that kept all of them together, although it was in a kind of dormant state: she would send an e-mail to them once or twice a year to tell the others how she was doing, how she missed the island and how she missed the kind friendship that they had had when they were growing up. All of them could relate to that and she always put in words how they felt in more than one way. 

On some level it had to do with the fact that they had always been Outsiders: when they grew up most of their parents hadn’t been from the island, they all had pretty good jobs, but more importantly they never quite fit in, because they were kind of geeky and they weren’t that much into athletics. The exception was Frankie: his family had lived on the island for generations and he was good at any sport, but he also had this geeky side, which for some reason must have been more dominant all those years. 

In The West it hadn’t been much different though, as to how they fit in with everyone else. Over there they weren’t Outsiders because of their geekiness, but there they were Outsiders because they had come from far away, which caused a very subtle disconnect. There was the accent, but more importantly there had been the history that had just been very different. 

Frankie was the last of the gang to graduate and that meant that this phase of studying overseas was kind of behind them. 

“You in?” Jep texts Frankie, “In dec on RI?”

“Yeah,” he texts back.

“Good, me too,” Jep texts, still not sure how to break the news to Sylvia.

“You heard anything from the others?”

“I believe they will come,” Frankie texts, “It’s going to be good times.”

“Will you bring anyone?”

“My lady, if I can,” he texts, “You?”

“Not sure yet.”

Jep gets ready to go to work at the place where he kind of got stuck after an internship. The work is more mind-numbing than he expected when he was a student. He figured that a double degree in both AI and psychology would give him some kind of edge, but until now it seems to be either one or the other. 

AI meant coding, which paid a shitload of money, psychology meant a lot less pay, but possibly it was something that’s much more rewarding. Jep had been coding for a year now and he wasn’t sure how long he would manage to keep it up. The two weeks in December are something to look forward to. 

*

Frankie finished his music studies and the big difference between him and Jep is that he’s passionate about what he gets paid for, but it’s just that it isn’t much – to put it mildly. 

He recently met a girl by the name of Lisa that very well might be The One. He doesn’t know yet though how he will get the cash for the trip back to the island.

*

Jim still lives and studies in Miami. He completed a degree in computer science a year ago and since then he has made a lot of money. 

*

Toni had stayed in the region, hopping from island to island trying to make a quick buck. The best job that he had had over the recent years was as a guard at an oil refinery. The work itself was mind-numbing, especially the night shift, but the pay had been good. The worst had been at the back of a garbage truck. The stench of waste never really left, no matter how many showers he took. 

The most interesting had been washing dishes in a restaurant. It wasn’t too bad in itself, but since he worked in the back, he got air of the way a restaurant operates. There was more planning involved than he expected at first and for most dishes the rice or potatoes just need to be hot up, just like the vegetables and it was just the meat that was prepared on the spot. 

That job had ended a few months ago and since then he had been back on Rokset Island. He had this strong feeling that he wanted to be back home. It wasn’t all that easy being back though, because the jobs had been thin. He had this idea though of starting his own restaurant, but as it was, it was just an idea, since he didn’t have the money or the connections to start anything as such.

*

Phyllis had been back since the summer. For the six years that she had been away from the island, she dreamt of the day that she would return. Somehow, when she finally did it seemed too soon and people didn’t really expect her to come back that early. There were a few that told her that she should have tried to make a living over there, because the island would always be there in case things didn’t work out. Most people welcomed her back with open arms, but somehow that feeling that she should have tried harder over there stayed with her. In a way she felt that there was some truth in it.

She had started teaching at the local high school and at 25 she was the youngest teacher by far. It wasn’t always easy, but there were enough fun moments to balance any hardship.

*

November of ‘07

The gang has decided to reunite. 

Frankie got family to pay part of the ticket. He didn’t have the money to take his girl though.

Jep ended things with the girl.

December of ‘07

1

On Friday the 21^stof December of ‘07 they all came circling in one after the other. With the wind generally coming from the east, which was also the relative direction of The West, the planes always circle around half of the island before touching ground. That whole circling is its own magic, even though it only takes about ten or fifteen minutes.

After hours of clouds and the constant roar the plane dips under the clouds and then there’s the endless ocean and the large and very green rock formation that somehow just lays there in the middle of the wide ocean. It’s always this dark green and usually there’s a large cloud hanging over the mountains. Then there are the beaches that are sparkly white and at that moment you realize that this is really where it’s at. 

Jep and Frankie came in on the same flight, they were the first ones to arrive, early in the morning. Phyllis was already off for the holidays and since she had taken the initiative for the get together, she also felt like she should be the one to pick up her friends from long ago. When she drove down to the airport she doubted whether she shouldn’t let their families pick them up; she had already asked them about it, but they had both assured her that they preferred it this way.

*

It was a large crowd coming off the plane of over a hundred people and Phyllis was struggling to see if she could pick Jep and Frankie from the crowd. She was on the short side, which wasn’t bad for a woman, but sometimes she wished that she was taller. 

“Phyllis….” Frankie whispers, while Jep and Frankie close in on her from both sides.

“I keep looking and looking not to miss you guys,” she says, “You have been here all along?”

“Not really,” Frankie says, “Just wanted to surprise you a little.”

“It seems to have worked,” Jep says, and as their eyes meet it’s obvious to both of them that the spark is still there. Frankie notices it too, and he never really understood why she preferred Jep over him: he had the better looks, he was stronger, better at sports, better at games and better in most academic areas. 

“The car is outside,” Phyllis says, “You guys must be pretty tired.”

“Just glad to be here,” Frankie says.

“You mailed something about West End Mansion,” Jep says, “How did you pull that off?”

“I guess I just got lucky,” Phyllis says, “I called and it was available.”

“I remember we snuck into that place once when we were kids,” Frankie says, “I don’t know whether it’s the scary stories or that old geezer that chased us out, but I had nightmares for weeks.”

“I remember that,” Jep says, “I also remember that your mom kept pressing my mom about what happened out there in the woods.”

“You didn’t have nightmares?” Phyllis asks.

“Of course I did,” Jep says, “As far as I know: we all did.”

“In a time far, far away,” Frankie says, “You saw the place recently?”

“I did,” Phyllis says, “It looks old, but the basics look to be in order.”

“The basics?” Frankie asks.

“Most of the furniture isn’t too old, there’s internet, no ac though.”

“And the old geezer?” Jep asks.

“The guy that I spoke with told me that the last person who lived there had died of old age about ten years ago,” Phyllis says, “It had been unused for a few years and then the family pulled together and invested in the place to make it into a vacation home.”

“Then the dead guy must have chased us out….” Frankie says conspiring, “Maybe he was dead already back in the days and it was his ghost that chased us off the premises….”

They all laugh, “It’s just stories,” Phyllis says, “That place is like a castle and I can’t think of any other place where I’d rather spend these two weeks.”

2

Phyllis didn’t exaggerate: in their memories this place was this old abandoned house that was supposedly haunted. They had told each other stories about ghosts in armor that would attack them with rusty swords, vampires and bats that would fly over and spit some deadly poison.

The right word to describe the place was grand. The driveway alone was a few hundred yards and it ended in front of the house where a wide stairs led up to the first floor. The front was ten feet wide and it led into a hallway that was ornamented with paintings on the walls and chandeliers with thousands of glittering pieces of glass. 

The hallway ended in the ballroom, which was also the largest room of the house. 

“Where are the rooms?” Frankie asks.

“Take that hallway to the right of the ballroom,” Phyllis says, while they face the main hallway with their backs, “This place has four large suits in that wing and one master suite.”

“And the other hallway?” Jep asks.

“Kitchen, pantry and two apartments for caretakers.”

“That’s where the guy lives that you rented this place from?” Frankie asks.

“He might have heard the same scary stories that you did,” Phyllis says, “He told me that he didn’t want to live in this place for anything.”

“I don’t believe that,” Jep says, “A place like this? I bet it even has a private swimming pool or a tennis yard.”

“Or both,” Frankie says.

“I don’t know,” Phyllis says, “I didn’t much get it either.”

“Anyone got dips on the master suite?” Frankie asks. 

“We got one lady in our midst,” Jep says.

“Well thank you,” Phyllis says. 

Frankie throws Jep a look like why, but he doesn’t mind handing it over to Phyllis.

“No additional guests?” Frankie asks.

“As far as I know everyone still flies solo,” Phyllis says, “Or at least they came by themselves,” she adds, remembering that Frankie didn’t have the cash to pay for two tickets.

“I can live with that,” Frankie says, “I need some peace and quiet.”

“Grand pa,” Jep says.

“We’re gonna through a big party though,” Phyllis says.

“I think we can easily fit a hundred guests in here,” Jep says, while sizing up the ball room with it’s high ceiling and narrow windows all around. And more paintings. And more chandeliers. And both furniture that might come right out of the era of knights in armor, but also a large corner with a large sofa in front of a big screen tv. 

Frankie also sized up the room, but his eye was caught by something else: the stage. 

“You can book me for that night,” he says, “I’ll play my guitar, sing some songs, have some nice ladies dancing around me. This shit is going down.”

“Well then,” Phyllis says, “I’ll let you guys settle in. Jim will fly in at three. You can join me if you feel like it.”

“No problem.”

“I’m going to relax a bit outside by the pool….” she says, teasing, “If you need me….”

“We’ll know where to find you….” Jep says, o yes I will crosses his mind. Frankie’s thoughts are with his girl, but besides that he’s too tired to think much of anything.

*

At three in the afternoon Jim was scheduled to come in, but it turned out that there was a delay. Phyllis was kind of aware that this flight was known to come in late and she had figured out how to spot the plane when it came circling in. It was easy enough though, because it would be the only large one to come in that afternoon. 

At two in the afternoon Jep had joined Phyllis by the pool where they could be on the lookout.

“What’s up with Frankie?” Phyllis asks, when Jep sat down.

“Sleeping, I guess,” Jep says, “That guy has a busy life.”

“Performing at night.”

Jep nods, “I can pull maybe two nights in a row, but the third night I will simply fall asleep.”

“Same here.”

“He has always been more of a die-hard,” Phyllis says, “In one way or other, I think we all are.”

“You mean growing up in this climate?”

“Exactly,” she says, “It’s like this climate here toughens you up.”

“The heat can take its toll,” Jep says, “I mean when you’re relaxing by the pool with a cold drink it’s okay.”

“But when you need to get something done….” she says.

“How is Tony by the way?” Jep asks.

“Good,” she says, “I see him sometimes, but not as often as you’d think.”

“….”

“Different lives, I guess,” she says, “He hasn’t found his way yet, I mean, he’s still moving from job to job.”

“I heard he lived all over the place,” Jep says, “From what he told me, he had a pretty good time.”

“I’m sure he did,” she says, laughing, “But it’s not really something that will help you build something like a future….”

Jep starts laughing, since this remark isn’t like anything that he remembers of her when they went their separate ways seven years ago. Back then she was all about living wild and doing all kinds of crazy things.

“What happened girl?” he asks, “When did you become so serious and all that?”

Phyllis starts laughing as well.

“Jesus,” she says, “Is it that bad?”

“I know we need to grow up at some point….”

By this time Frankie joins them by the pool.

“You know what I missed about this place most of all?” he asks.

“The heat?”

“The air and the quiet,” he says, “Isn’t that strange?”

“I never have any problems sleeping,” Phyllis says, “That’s what you mean, right?”

“Exactly,” he says, “It’s like…. I don’t know, I just sleep good over here.”

“No ghosts troubling you?” Jep asks. 

“I thought that those only come out at night….” Frankie offers. 

“Look,” Phyllis says, while pointing up in the sky, “That’s Jim coming in.”

*

It would take the plane about fifteen minutes to land and it would take them about thirty minutes to get to the airport.

“It already feels like old times,” Frankie says, “Driving over to the airport to pick up people.”

“You two stayed in contact with Jim over the years?” Phyllis asks.

“Not really,” Jep says, “To be completely honest I didn’t stay in contact with much of anyone.”

“Family, but not much besides that,” Frankie says, “I’m having too much fun in the city.”

“And the two of you together?” Phyllis asks.

“Not really,” Frankie says, “Maybe we did move in different circles after all.”

“More like different cities,” Jep says. 

“Well,” Phyllis says, “The last I heard is that Jim was struggling to keep his act together.”

“What do you mean?” Jep asks.

“You know that melancholy music that we listened too when we were like sixteen?” Phyllis asks.

“Nirvana,” Frankie says, “Legendary darkness.”

“He kind of stayed in that vibe,” Phyllis says.

“You mean like – how it was just a phase of adolescence for us, but he took it into adulthood?” Jep asks, “You mean that he stayed under in some sort of dark and moody cave system.”

“It’s what I heard,” she says, “I don’t know how much of it is true, but if it is, then I think it’s our duty to pull him out.”

“Of course,” Frankie says, “Anything for one of our own.”

Jep nods, “Glad you two agree,” she says, “I think that’s him.”

*

If there was any truth to what Phyllis told them about Jim, it certainly didn’t show. He wore an expensive suit and shiny shoes and he looked well groomed.

“I thought you sit behind a computer screen all day,” Frankie says when Jim is within sight, and he gives the guy a hug, “Good to see you, man.”

“I heard that one before,” he says.

“You look more like a lawyer than a programmer,” Jep says, while he also gives him a hug, “You’re making good money…. A shitload I assume.”

“Good one, Brains.”

Jim turns to Phyllis, “Still as beautiful as seven years ago.”

“You actually look better than seven years ago,” she says, “You really look good.” She thinks: but I know what’s underneath.

“We got our own mansion at our disposal,” Frankie says.

“For real?” Jim asks, “What place is that?”

“West End Mansion,” Phyllis says.

After the name, Jim didn’t register much, “This is a joke, right?”

“No joke,” Phyllis says, “It has been turned into a vacation rental.”

“You mean it’s the same West End Mansion that we talked about as the Haunted House?” Jim asks, “You know how many nightmares I had about that place when I was a kid?”

“We all did,” Phyllis says, “Which makes it more interesting.”

“That’s one way of putting it,” Frankie mumbles, adding, “If I don’t like it I will move into a hotel.”

“You’ll like it,” Jep says, “It’s a huge place and it’s only going to be us staying there.”

“Well,” Jim says, after some moments, “I never actually spend the night in a mansion.”

“It has all the amenities that you may think of,” Phyllis says, “Besides: how much do you really need when you’re in paradise?”

“Now that’s true,” Jim says.

3

In November Phyllis had met with the caretaker by the name of Harry Brunt and he had given the tour to Phyllis and her best friend. 

They were back in front of the wide steps leading in. He already handed Phyllis the set of spare keys to the place and it was then that he insisted that the pantry be fully stocked by the time they checked in.

“Why would you do that?” Shane asked and the thought that she had since the moment they came in became more persistent. More precisely, the thought had entered her mind the moment Phyllis had told her about West End Mansion: this place is creepy, this guy is creepy and now it’s even getting weird: who would stock an entire pantry?

“A courtesy of the Johnson family,” Harry Brunt said, and he got this feeling that Phyllis hadn’t informed her best friend about everything. He couldn’t resist throwing some oil on the fire, “Your best friend didn’t mention that she will be filling my spot for a month?”

Shane looks at Phyllis, like what?

“No, she didn’t,” she says, “She did not.”

“I meant to tell you,” Phyllis says, “I’ll explain later.”

“Now if you’ll follow me,” Harry Brunt says, and he’s already off. Shane is mouthing what’s going on, Phyllis mouths back later.

Since they had arrived about half an hour ago, Harry Brunt had this way about him that he’s the kind of guy who’s used to given orders. The thing is just that, as far as any of them know, this place has been mostly vacant.

“It gets busy around here?” Phyllis asks, “I mean, it seems that you’re well routined in operating this place.”

“This shed is where we keep the emergency generator,” Brunt explains, “It can keep the place running for up to two months. In case of the need for clearing debris, we have got a few chainsaws, a few axes. And to the back there we have a tractor that can be used to haul trees out of the way.”

“You want us to mow the lawn while we’re at it?” Shane asks.

“That’s the other tractor, right there,” Brunt says, “It takes me two hours every other week. Cutting things back and composting takes another three.”

“Why do we need to know all this for only two weeks?” Shane asks.

“A month, Miss Shane,” Brunt says briskly.

“A month,” Phyllis says. 

“I have been caretaker for almost thirty years,” Brunt says, “My experience is: you’ll never know.”

“Never know how?” Shane asks, “You plan for my best friend to stay here for more than two weeks?”

“Your best friend signed for one month, miss.”

“It’s ok,” Phyllis says trying to calm her down, “When was the last time that someone actually lived in this place – if you don’t mind me asking.”

“Fifteen years ago the last of the Johnson’s left the residence,” Brunt says, “After that it has been mostly vacant, except for short stints.”

“But the place looks lived in,” Shane says.

“Mr. Johnson’s son likes to keep it that way.”

“Then he’s the one who stays here for short stints?”

“That has seemed to be the case, miss.”

“I thought you told me that this place has been a vacation rental for about ten years,” Shane says, addressing Phyllis.

“That’s clearly a misunderstanding,” Brunt says, “West End Mansion has only been used to accommodate family and friends.”

Phyllis smiles, but Shane isn’t impressed.

“Let me show you one last thing,” Brunt says and he’s off again. 

He opens the door of another shed, “This four wheel drive is to be used strictly in the case of emergency,” he says, “It’s an original land rover. It’s my personal pride and joy. I maintain it myself.”

“And there’s a bike for motor cross and even a boat,” Shane says, “This place is prepped for anything. You guys got an underground shelter?”

“There is,” Brunt says, coolly, “But I never stepped foot in that place. I heard that the first occupants used it to keep prisoners.”

“Were you scared, Brunt?” Shane asks, prying for some sort of unscripted response.

“I’m not sure what your getting at,” Brunt replies cooly.

“Neither am I,” Phyllis says, “There’s a green house?” she asks, pointing at the Victorian structure.

“Yes,” Brunt says, “But sadly it has fallen into disarray. There’s a pool in the middle. Mrs. Johnson liked to swim in high humidity.”

“So no one has been in there for like ten or twenty years?” Shane asks.

“Besides the yearly maintenance.”

They don’t enter the structure and they walk back to the main entrance. They had all parked their cars in front of the large steps leading up. 

“Take care Ms. Phyllis,” he says, while shaking their hands, “And you too miss.”

Brunt gets into his car and he takes off.

“Now what is going on?” Shane asks, “That guy looks like he packed up for good.”

“He might be a tight old prick, but I don’t think he would pull that one on us,” Phyllis says, “What about that old car: his livelihood.”

“You felt his hands just now?” Shane asks, “You don’t get smooth hands by maintaining cars. I’m sure of it: that guy is hiding something.”

“Let’s just hope you’re wrong,” Phyllis says.

“I’m telling you….”

4

When Jim stepped through the main entrance he held his breath for a short moment and he looked over at the others, “Boy, this place brings back memories.”

“I know, right,” Jep says. 

“You feel the chill crawl down your spine?” Phyllis asks.

“Or see any ghosts?” Frankie asks.

Jim looks frightened for a moment and then they all start laughing.

“You should see your face,” Jep says, “Pure gold.”

“You guys are just messing with me,” Jim says, “The place looks different from what I remember though.”

“Different how?” Phyllis asks. 

Jim thinks about it for a moment.

“Somehow I had this memory that most of it had become a ruin and that there was only a part of it in which that old geezer lived,” Jim says, “But by the looks of it, this place is just old.”

“How old?” Frankie asks.

“A few hundred years,” Jep says.

“It’s not that old,” they hear someone reply, coming from a dark corner.

“Tony?” Jim whispers to the others.

They all raise their hands like no say.

*

Jim is still an easy target.

“Good to see you all,” Tony says, when he steps into the light, “How many years has it been? Five? Six?”

“Seven,” Jep says, “An era has ended.”

“I guess so,” Frankie says, “So everything is good?”

“No complaints,” Tony says.

“So how old is this place?” Jep asks. 

“Not as old as you might think,” Tony says, “My dad and uncle are still the local historians. This mansion was build at the end of the 19^thcentury, around the 1890s.”

“What’s the story?” Frankie asks, “The short version.”

“Well,” Tony says, “The short version is that too many bad things happened at this place. It started when this place was being build over a period of three years: a total of five people died during construction. The first fell off a high ledge, another got hit by a brick that fell off the roof, the third got hit by lightning, the fourth died after a dog with rabbis had bitten him and the last one was shot on the job by a guy who claimed that he had slept with his woman. Then finally when this place was completed after three years, the house was finished, but it wasn’t the end of all the bad things that went down. A year after the first of the Johnson’s moved in, the wife had committed suicide, supposedly because she wasn’t happy in her marriage. The housekeeper became the new Mrs. Johnson, but she was unable to bear strong children. She bore three children in all and all of three died before they had reached their first year. After the third tragedy she wanted to commit suicide as well, but she didn’t have it in her to put the knife on her throat or slice her wrists. What she did was that she baked her favorite pie and she put poison in it. The thing is that their new housekeeper had discovered the pie and served it to everyone in their household. I guess you know what happened to all those people, etc etc.”

“And that’s just the beginning, I suppose,” Jep says.

“What about those stories with ghosts and vampires and werewolves and all that?” Frankie asks, “I mean, those are the stories that were being told when we were young.”

“Of course,” Tony says, “That’s the later history and by that I mean that it’s mostly a complete fiction – althoughwho is to say that it isn’t?”

“Jesus,” Jim says, “And you want me to spend the night in this place?”

“Relax,” Phyllis says, “He’s just messing with you.”

“Am I?”

“Is he?” the others ask.

“Didn’t you say something about a map with all those spots where those people died?” Frankie asks. 

“I’ll show you at midnight….” Tony says.

“Let’s just go inside,” Phyllis says.

They all follow Phyllis and it seems that she didn’t say one word too much. For Jep and Frankie it was the second time that they entered the place, but it wasn’t any less impressive. The design was grand and elaborate that it wasn’t hard to imagine yourself living like a rich man in the 19^thcentury.

Jim and Tony looked around in the ballroom and they were struck by the same things that had struck Jep and Frankie before: the high ceiling with the windows all around, the paintings, the stage and the contrast between a dinner table that looked like it would host a dinner for real knights in real shining armor and there were the areas with more everyday luxury with a large screen tv and all that. 

Meanwhile Jep and Frankie went through the kitchen and the liquor room looking for some drinks and cigars. 

“You guys want to know something,” Frankie says when they came back in the ballroom with both, “That whole kitchen is packed with food. And I don’t mean just a small amount of food, but literally food for a feast with the whole town.”

“Yeah,” Phyllis says, “I was going to tell you guys about that.”

“So what about it?” Jep asks. 

“It’s complementary,” she says, “Just like the liquor and those cigars.”

“How does that work?” Frankie asks, “We haven’t paid anything yet.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Phyllis says, “I’ll explain later.”

“Fine by me,” Frankie says, “Man, am I glad to be here.”

“I must admit,” Jim says, “This place is impressive.”

“It is, right?” Phyllis says.

“And it’s just the five of us?” Jim asks.

“Yup,” says Jep, “Until we have some people over.”

“We can throw a big ass party around here,” Tony says, “That’s for sure.”

“So you’re past those scary stories and all that?” Frankie asks.

“Yeah, this place is way cool,” Jim says.

It’s then that they hear a door slam shut in the far end of the wing with the kitchen and the liquor cabinet.

“You guys left a door open?” Phyllis asks.

“Must be,” Frankie says, although he wasn’t so sure that he did. Phyllis got the feeling that he wasn’t so sure either and for a split second she thought: what if I was wrong about this place after all.

The others didn’t think much of it, except for Jim: a wicked voice entered his mind Run ro ied. It gave him a violent chill, but it hadn’t been the first time a voice entered his mind. The voice was new though; it had a viciousness that he hadn’t heard before. It didn’t sound like some strange cartoon character or an actor from the movies, but this one sounded like the real deal. 

The only problem was that he couldn’t tell anyone and it only left him with one choice: to bottle it up, which was like adding a sweet to a carbonated drink – it would build pressure, until it all came sprouting out. He had never heard of exploding soda bottles, so at least that was something.

“You ok?” Jep asks, “You look pale, man.”

“I think it’s the jet lag,” Jim says, “Or maybe I need to eat something.