Chapter Text
Elise slammed her bedroom door shut with such force that she thought it was going to fly off its hinges, but she couldn’t care less as she gathered only a few items and threw them into a bag.
she was going to the Macmillan estate she had no choice; it was either that or she would be kicked off the cheer team she hears her teammates call it a hazing ritual. Whatever the hell that was.
when she was assigned to stay at the Macmillan estate, she practically laughed in her team’s face.
“Is that it, really?” Elise scoffs, piece of cake what’s so hard about staying in an abandoned
house anyway she thought.
“it's one of the scariest places in town, you won’t last” Courtney smirks, she looks Elise up and down.
“Even if you do last, you won’t make the cut, we don’t accept obese people” she laughs grabbing Elise’s thigh, Elise hears the rest of her team laugh even the ones she thought were her friends. She couldn’t help but feel betrayed.
“Fuck you” she speaks through gritted teeth trying to hold back the tears that began to well up in her eyes. She storms out of the school building, her breathing rapid and her nostrils flared, she’ll show them they will accept her.
She opened her window and began to climb down to the ground below, grabbing onto bricks that protruded out as well as the bigger vines that twisted down the side of the house.
Eventually, she made it down with minimal injury to both hands, she couldn’t help but feel a sudden wave of guilt as she looked at her bedroom window.
half an hour prior, Elise argued with her mom.
“My decision is final, Elise you are not going to that house!” Meg says as she seethes, so
much anger after being pushed too far by her daughter.
Elise felt her face twist as the built-up rage bubbled to the surface “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me, it's an old ass house why have you got to be such a bitch! Are you trying to ruin me? All because your time as an athlete was cut short?” she yelled.
“How dare you! You know I only ever want the best for you, and you know why I couldn’t continue, why are you using that against me?” Meg raised her voice back, she could hear her voice quiver as she yelled, thinking about her past circumstances, about her mother and her condition. Meg’s heart began to ache, why would Elise say that to her? She thought.
“Look just let me go!” Elise cried.
“No! And even if I would let you, you wouldn’t be going after how you just spoke to me” Meg screamed back.
“Fuck you, you’re the worst mom ever and I wish you weren’t mine. I’m going if you like it or not!” Elise growled at her mother before making a swift exit from the room.
Meg let out a slight laugh despite the growing sting of Elise’s words “Yeah you just try!” she roared back, her voice beginning to shake like crazy as she tried to hold back her tears, was she really an awful mother? Maybe she was.
She cringed at the things she said to her mother, she thought back to the raw pain she saw in her mom’s eyes as she brought up her grandmother, it was foolish to weaponize someone her mom adored so dearly for her own personal gain, but she needed to do this for her school reputation.
She pushed her mom out of her mind, yet the guilt still ate away at her. She began her journey to the old estate.
The Icey wind sent a shiver around Elise’s body all she was wearing was a simple tank top, a plaid shirt and a pair of denim shorts, she packed no other clothes which she began to regret, it was summer it shouldn’t be this cold she thought.
She pulled out a flashlight from her backpack that was also filled with snacks, she got no response from it as she clicked it a few times before hitting it sending a flood of light into her eyes causing her to hiss.
she held it in front of her, lighting up the path as she began to walk. Elise felt uneasy, it was the silence, no sound of birds or the engines of cars driving past…just her and the occasional creaking of the branches as they swayed in the wind.
Maybe she should turn back- no…no. She had to, she pushed on, she started to chitter as she wrapped one arm around her body in a desperate attempt to keep any warmth in.
Just get to the house she thought, then she can be done with this stupid hazing ritual.
It felt like an eternity since Elise set off from the new estate.
“Why did they have to build so damn far?” she questioned out loud.
Elise had never seen the old estate but surely it had fine living conditions, right?
Suddenly she heard the leaves crunch behind her, she snapped her body around checking her surroundings, but nobody was there.
“Marie?” Elise called out her younger sister’s name thinking she may have followed her but to no avail.
Elise’s heart began to scream, it felt like it was on the outside of her body, she picked up her pace, becoming more vigilant, scanning for anything that screamed danger.
The estate soon came into view through the clearing of trees, her heartbeat was blaring in her ears, becoming louder and louder the closer she got to the estate.
Soon it stood tall and stoic in front of her, the heartbeat becoming almost unbearable, she couldn’t help but stare at the building in awe, despite being uninhabited for almost two decades there was no visible damage.
why?
Why leave such a beautiful piece of architecture to become a part of the forest, what looked like vines and Ivey began to spread from the side of the house, windows vandalised probably by ninth-grade boys.
Elise couldn’t help but grieve this house it was part of her family legacy. She was never told much but this was inhabited by every generation of the MacMillan family and for what?
For it to just simply rot away?
Why would Dad do this? she thought.
she was snapped back to reality by the leaves rustling behind her once again, clutching her flashlight hoping. Praying that these noises were just animals, and no one was following her.
You’re just being irrational she reassured herself, she hurried towards the house and up the front steps, she was about to enter until she paused, her hand hovered over the doorknob, hesitant to open it.
The heartbeat was the loudest it had been, blaring like a siren, a warning.
“It's okay, Elise. You got this it's just a stupid house.” She smirked.
“Nothing to be…afraid of.” Her voice shook as she gulped.
The guilt ate away at her once more, for breaking her parent’s trust, they would never let her out again if they knew she was gone, God she hoped they didn’t know. For the cheer team, she thought before forcing the front door open.
Meg let out a sigh as she laid across Evan’s lap, she felt guilty for yelling at Elise maybe she should apologise, no she needed to give her space she thought, letting out a louder sigh.
“What are you sighing for?” Evan asked, letting his eyes roam megs face as he examined her. She traced an old scar that ran down his bicep, a coping mechanism she adopted when she was stressed.
“My argument with Elise earlier, I’ve got bad mom guilt. I’ve never had to shout at her that way” she says as her gaze shifts from Evan’s bicep to his eyes. Evan places a hand on her cheek also tracing the scar that covered her eye with his thumb, a painful reminder of the past.
“Meg, you did nothing wrong, you repeated a simple rule the only rule that we have for our children. Never go into the forest that surrounded the estate, and she also had no right to bring your mother into it. You aren’t in the wrong” Evan states his eyes locked with hers.
Meg pauses for a moment, forgetting that she had told Evan a little white lie about the argument to not upset Evan, Elise wanted to go to THE estate, not into the woods. She continues as she hums in agreement.
A comfortable silence fell in the room the only noise coming from the crackling of the fire in the fireplace and the quiet chatter of whatever was on the TV, it began to lull Meg to sleep as she closed her eyes while resting her head on Evan’s forearm, his hand still placed on her face, tracing the scar just beneath her eye.
An impending sense of danger suddenly washed over Meg, a sense that caused Meg to wake from her light slumber, she shot up from Evan’s lap, startling him, it was quiet… too quiet she thought. Normally she was able to hear the girls, Elise talking with her friends, and Marie talking away as she played with her dolls, but she couldn’t.
“Something is wrong…we need to check on the girls” Meg demanded, trying to minimise the panic in her voice.
she jumps up from Evan and the sofa as she rushes out of the living room to head up the stairs, Evan following hot on her heels.
Meg practically runs to the end of the hallway to where Marie’s room is situated, she throws the door open causing Marie to jump.
“Mommy!” she yelps, squeezing her bear tightly, Meg rushes over to comfort her frightened daughter.
“Sorry, May I just needed to know you were okay” Meg speaks softly, holding her close and kissing her forehead. Meg felt relief for just a moment until Evan ran into the room as well.
“Elise is gone.” He pants out of breath from running.
“What?!” Meg yells, standing up with Marie gripping onto her hand.
she couldn’t help but panic, her breathing became shallow and rapid, and her chest felt tight as she struggled to catch her breath. She ran out of the room throwing every door, and every closet open trying to find her, refusing to believe that Elise would deify her one rule, but Meg knew she had, and it was only a matter of time before she had to tell Evan.
“We need…to find her” Meg crocked.
she felt sick, her baby…her Elise was out in those woods, in that house that she spent so many years shielding her from, only Meg, Evan and their friends knew about the terrifying connections of that house.
they needed to find her, maybe she hadn’t gotten far. No matter how great her demons were her children came first even if that meant getting hurt again to save them.
Meg was awoken from her trance-like state by Evan who shook both of her shoulders, she locked eyes with Evan and began to sob, the pain, the pain that she suppressed from so long ago began to round its head.
all she wanted was to feel safe and to never think of all the horror she endured, she knew it was too good to be true.
she cried into Evan’s stomach, he held her tightly as did Marie who clung onto her mother’s leg to show her comfort, Evan broke free from the hug, cupping her face with both gigantic hands.
“We will find her, my love, we will search every acre of that forest and we will bring her home, safe and sound…then we can put all this pain behind us. For good” he says, wiping a stray tear that fell from her cheek with his thumb.
Meg lets a sad smile cross her face as she nods.
“I need my friends” she whispers, Evan nods. This was not how the evening was meant to go.
The door creaks as loose wood pellets begin to drop from the wooden frame, causing Elise to jump back, clutching her chest.
“Just some stupid wood,” she says with a nervous laugh.
The smell coming from inside the house was foul, causing Elise to double over as she dry heaved, it smelt like something had been left to die and rot, an animal? Probably she reassured herself.
Teary-eyed, she continued with her nose covered, blocking out the foul stench. Elise stood for a moment admiring the house once more this time from the inside, the interior was even better than the exterior, gorgeous architecture from what looked like the 19th century, deep forest greens contrasting with the dark oaks and the spruce all tied together with a touch of gold, Elise was then struck with some confusion, why did dad own such an old building? She pondered, not analysing it too deeply she began to walk through to the sitting area, and she started admiring the smallest of details, down to the golden accents on the doors.
The sitting room was filled with fancy sofas and chairs, furniture that would be worth a fortune in the current century.
However, something in particular caught her attention, the fireplace, not for its beauty but for the fact it radiated warmth.
“that’s odd” Elise whispered under her breath.
no one had lived here for years, so why was it warm? She began to slowly back away from the fireplace, using her flashlight to scan the room, checking every dark corner, revealing no one.
Suddenly she felt her breathing hitch as she heard a light thud coming from the floor above, her breath shook as she continued to back up out of the room and into the hallway once more, she continued until she hit another door, a door that was different from the rest.
it was black with golden detailing and a golden doorknob. She felt compelled to enter the room that was behind this door, maybe it held the answer as to what this place was and why it was in her family.
She opened it with great caution, attempting to make as little noise as possible. It revealed what looked to be a small study space, where an old wooden desk and leather chair sat front and centre.
Bookshelves on both walls, filled with dusty books that hadn’t been picked up in centuries, paperwork was scattered across the floor and piles upon piles were stacked high on the desk and its surroundings.
A page on the floor caught her attention, it looked like a bunch of scribbles, she bent down to pick it up to inspect it more closely. Code? She wondered; no, it looked more like an ancient alphabet that included numbers, it was something she had never seen before.
It humoured Elise, what was her father doing writing in some unknown language, she folded the paper and slid it into her bag. She began flicking through the piles of paperwork, more gibberish and numbers.
“What is this shit?” Elise couldn’t help but say out loud, her frustration getting the better of her.
She wanted answers and she wasn’t getting them if she couldn’t read this damn writing, she pounded her fist onto the desk in frustration, until she noticed something on the floor below her.
A black journal made from what appeared to be leather, Elise picked it up wiping away a layer of dust causing her to cough and sneeze, she opened it up noticing numbers etched into the bottom of the front page, she flicked to the first proper page which revealed some delicate writing.
July 18th, 1854
Today was the day that my son arrived, my darling Arlene awoke in the early hours of the morning with pain so intense it became nauseating for her.
Our midwife eased our concerns, revealing that Arlene had indeed started labor and that our child would be arriving soon. I start this diary today as a gift to give my boy when he is much older, a diary filled with fatherly advice, advice my father once told me, I hope one day it may come in use and give some guidance and maybe this advice can be passed onto his son and his son’s son, so on and so forth.
I saw a strength in my wife today, a strength never seen before, a mother’s strength. I only hope I am able to instil the same amount of strength into my dear boy.
Evan.
Elise felt dizzy like her whole world had been flipped on its axis, she re-read the date repeatedly. 1854. 1854. 18 fucking 54.
This can’t be her father, he should be dead, Elise thought. She franticly flicked through the pages, answers. She needed answers.
August 1st, 1865
Arlene is dead.
I drowned her, down by the river that runs through the estate grounds. I’ve only thought briefly about her since I killed her. How I once loved her…how she once loved me. What a waste of time. All she did was try to control what was best for Evan, MY son. No one knows him like I do, I refuse to let him become a pansy like his mother. I’ll teach him my ways.
The whispers get louder and more coherent each day, I hope that Arlene’s sacrifice is enough to suffice the gateway that the whispers told me about.
Elise felt rage, rage for her grandmother who suffered such a brutal death at the hands of the man who she thought loved her and rage that her father had kept things like this from her…all of this, she began flicking the pages again almost ripping them out of the journal she was that angry.
Then she came across one, one that made her sick and burn with pure hatred to her father.
May 14th, 1905
Evan led those maggots down into the mines today. Trapping them, somewhere you won’t be able to hear their cries of bloody murder.
He killed them. The pride I feel is like no other. Evan can now run this business with the iron fist I need him to. The whispers are satisfied with Evan’s work, they have given him a name.
The trapper.
I write this as I lay in my basement, bleeding to my inevitable demise. By my own son’s hand. I’m so proud.
They are ready for him.
Elise threw the journal at the stacks of paperwork on the desk, sending the paper flying in every direction, every emotion ran through her, she felt like she had been living a lie, her family history was full of murderers including her own father.
She fell to her knees as she cried, she grieved these workers, their families and her grandmother. She also cried because of the confusion, why was her dad still here all these years later and what were these whispers?
She needed to warn her mom, what if she was next on the kill list, she needed to know the real man she fell in love with.
She stands up, grabs the journal and shoves it into her bag, if she didn’t get answers here, she would pry them straight from her dad.
Elise walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her causing dust to fall from the floorboards above making her wheeze, she wiped her tear-stained eyes as she continued.
She yawned, it was getting late, maybe there were still beds upstairs. The stairs creaked as she made her way up them, still trying to comprehend the information she just found out in the last few hours.
She made it to the landing, scanning the many different rooms, she began to walk to the room In front of her, suddenly she heard that same thud that she did earlier, she felt like her heart was in her throat, she sent a beam of light with her flashlight down the hallway, nothing.
She felt herself sigh in relief, the heartbeat was back again but this time louder and worse. Suddenly from the darkness behind her came a wet cackle.
Elise shook turning around ever so slowly, the moonlight just hit the end of the hallway which revealed a 6ft tall man, his belly hung low, and he had on a filthy red waistcoat which looked like it was ready to burst open at the slightest touch as well as red pants.
He stepped forward showing his face, it was covered in… clown make-up? he looked like the clown Elise had nightmares of as a child, night after night she hid in her parents’ bed because the clown couldn’t hurt her if mommy and daddy were there, but now…now she was face to face with what she feared most, no protection from her parents.
“You lost lil’ mouse?” he says letting out another wet laugh.
She needed to run.