"Cellar"A Story by Cody Williams Two years after her husbands death, Rachel Stark sets out to solve the mystery of his death. But some mysteries are better left unsolved. “Cellar” By Cody Williams
1. Rachel Stark felt cold metal of the key press against her bare skin from under her shirt as she placed her hand over her heart trying her best not to cry. She paused for a moment as she felt a tear coming on. She turned her back to the wooden door facing down the hallway where her mother was standing. “I can’t do it Mom! I just can’t do it!” Rachel shouted out as she fell to her knees on the hardwood floor and began to sob. Her mother rushed over towards her and knelt down on the floor next to her. “It’s okay baby! Let it out!” Rachel’s mother Beth said to her as she ran her hand through her daughters short gray hair. Beth was seventy-five years old and the typical short hairstyle of a grandmother. Her hair curly and gray and she was at the most five feet and one inch tall. She embraced her for a moment longer before finally pushing her away. Beth reached over wiping a tear from her daughters face. “Rachel, sweetheart, Mile’s been gone for a long time. It’s been almost two years. I know you are hurting, but his publishers are breathing down Eddie’s neck to get books that he hadn’t had time to publish. Don’t you think it’s time?” Beth asked her. Eddie was Mike’s long time literary agent and best friend. He’s been over several times after Mike’s passing, but he unfortunately had other reason to be there. Shendel Publishing, Mike’s publisher of twenty years, has really been on Eddie’s a*s for unpublished novels by Mike. He hated that every time he had to go there he had to ask for a manuscript, but that was the only way he could get them off his back. It was the only way to complete the contract and let everything rest once and for all. Rachel knew that. She was never upset at Eddie for suggesting, but it still hurt to talk about…even two years later. And if all of that wasn’t enough to keep her from getting on with her life, it was the mystery behind it all. His cause of death was ruled accidental. But she knew that there was more to that story. What happened to him was a mere accident, but a murder. 2. He was forty-five years old on the day of his death. She remembered the day like pictures that were in a book. That day around noontime he had just finished his latest novel. That was always when he was in his best mood. He barged out of his office door locking it behind him. “Hey honey, I’m going to town for a moment. I’m going to stop somewhere and grab something to eat. Do you want anything?” She could remember him saying as he peached his head in the door of her office. She stopped typing and looked up at him nodding. “What do you want?” She remembers him asking. “Surprise me!” She told him and then she went back to work on her masterpiece. It was her third novel. The novel that was never finished. He did indeed surprise her. She remembers the phone ringing just an hour later giving her the worst news she had ever received. Accidental is what they called it. It was reported that he had accidentally drowned in Manchester Lake that located just outside the city where Cloud 9 was located. Cloud 9 was Mike and Rachel’s vacation cabin in the woods. Mike would go up there every now and then when he got frustrated with his writing to fish. But she couldn’t accept that. She could not believe that he went up there to fish that night and accidentally drowned. No! There was reason he had gone up there that night. And she knew it. Rachel stood up whipping more tears from her face. She reached down the front of her white turtleneck sweater pulling out the key that was attached to her silver chain necklace. She took it from around her neck and slid the key into the keyhole turning it to the left. The door unlocked and swung open. Rachel stood in the doorway for a few moments trying to get the courage to take the first few steps in there. 3. “Go on honey. It’s going to be alright.” Beth said to her daughter nagging her in the office and then following behind her. It was the first time she actually felt at home. It was strange but she actually felt happy. She walked over to her late husband’s desk and sat down in the computer chair behind it. She pulled open the compartment of the desk where the tower of the computer on. As the computer began to warm up she looked to the right side of her where another compartment was in the desk. She grabbed the small round handle opening up the right hand door revealing a stack of five unpublished manuscripts. Trunk novels are what used to call them. She reached in pulling them out and stacking them on the desk. When she saw the screen of the computer where a word document was already covering the screen with a small message typed. It read: Don’t go to Manchester Lake! Rachel reached up to the keyboard pressing the DELETE button erasing the message. She pushed her way from the desk and stared at the computer screen but then she saw the message get typed again. Don’t go to Manchester Lake! You won’t find
the answers there! -Mike XOXO “Mike? Is it really you?” Rachel asked as a tear began to roll down her face. The computer replied: Yes! Her jaw dropped open again with amazement and her mother quickly ran over to her. Beth stood behind her looking at the screen. “Rachel! It isn’t healthy for you to be doing this to yourself. Now erase that and get Eddie on the phone and tell him that we found some manuscripts.” Beth commanded her daughter as she reached over to the black wireless phone off of the dock and handed it to her. Rachel grabbed it and then looked up to her Beth. “But mom! I didn’t write this. Watch.” Rachel told her mother. She reached up on the keyboard and held down the delete button erasing everything on the screen. She sat back for a moment and waited for the words to appear back on the screen. After waiting for about two minutes nothing ever happened. “Alright! That’s enough Rachel! Just call Eddie so we can get back to living our lives.” Beth said to her as she walked out of the office. Rachel picked the phone back up and began dialing Eddie’s phone number. The phone rung about four times before Eddie finally answered. “Hey Rachel! How are things holding up?” Eddie said as he answered the phone. “It’s…complicated.” Rachel answered. “I went into Mike’s office today. I found some manuscripts for you.” She said to him. “Thank you so much Rachel! I’m sorry you had to go through all of this.” Eddie said to her. “It’s quite alright Eddie! I don’t blame you. You were just trying to get Mike’s publishers off of your back.” Rachel said with an understanding tone. “Thanks. I’ll be down later tonight to pick up the manuscripts.” “Okay. I’ll see you then.” Rachel said as she hung up the phone. She put it back into the phone dock and began staring at the computer screen again. “Why don’t you want me to go to Manchester Lake? Why don’t you want me to go to the cabin?” Rachel asked. She began to clattering at the keys again as the words once again began to appear on the computer screen. It read: Cellar “Cellar? What about the Cellar? Is there something in the cellar of the cabin that you don’t want me to see?” She asked again. Yes!!! Stay out of the Cellar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The computer screen read. “Why? What’s in there Mike? What is it that you are hiding from me?” Rachel asked. She waited for a moment to no reply. She reached clicked out of the word document and clicked the SHUT DOWN icon. She reached over and grabbed the phone and dilled Eddie’s phone number again. “Hey Rachel! Is there any thing more I can do for you?” Eddie said answering the phone. “Eddie, you were Mike’s best friend. Before he died did he mention anything about going to Manchester Lake?” Rachel asked. Eddie paused for a moment before answering. “No! He didn’t go up there much. In fact, he didn’t talk about the place that much either! Except for when he and I went fishing.” Eddie replied. Rachel thought for a moment. “Will you meet me up there? I’ll give you the manuscripts.” Rachel said to him. “Sure. I can pick them up there. But do you mind if I ask why?” Eddie asked. “I don’t know. I just feel like I need to go up there! Will you meet me?” “Yes. I’ll leave right now. See you there.” Eddie said hanging up the phone. Rachel reached over and placed the phone back into the dock. She stood from the desk as the computer screen finally went black grabbing one the five manuscripts and she walked out of the over to the doorway. As she exited the room the computer’s came back on with a word document and ‘NO!!!’ was written in big black letters. She walked down the hallway into the living room and then to the front door. She grabbed her jacket off of the coat rack and put it on. “Were are you going?” Beth asked her. “I’m going to meet Eddie and give him the manuscripts.” Rachel replied as she grabbed her car keys and purse and walked out the door. She walked off of the front porch to her 2012 Ford Escape. She got into it and started the engine. Rachel put the car in reverse and backed into the street. She then put the car into drive and drove away. 4. “When she arrived to the Cloud 9, Eddie was standing leaning up against his black Mustang convertible. Put the Escape into park turned off the engine. She then got out of the car and walked over to Eddie. They hugged. “Good to see you out Rachel!” Eddie said to him. “Listen, before I give you the manuscript, did Mike say anything about the cellar of the cabin before he died?” Rachel asked him. Eddie shook his head. Rachel turned her back to him and began walking towards entrance of the cellar. “Hey! Where are you going Rachel?” Eddie shouted out as he followed her from behind. She reached down opening two white splintery doors revealing a staircase. “There’s something in the cellar. I think it might have the truth! The truth about what happened to Mike.” Rachel said as she began walking down the stare case. “Rachel, he was Mike drowned. There’s no mystery to his death.” Eddie said to her. She ignored him and she continued to walk down to the cellar. Eddie glanced over to the peer where Mike had apparently fallen off and drowned. Standing in the middle of it was young man. He was wearing a plain gray colored button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of kaki pants with red suspenders holding them up. The man smiled at him and turned his back to him as he jumped into the lake and disappeared. Feeling spooked, Eddie closely followed Rachel down the cellar. When they reached cold concrete floor of the cellar, Rachel flipped the light switch up turning on the light. The cellar was nearly bare with only a few wooden tables spread around the floor. The walls were lined with red colored bricks. On the floor next to the wall was and old newspaper article. The article read: THE
MANCHESTER DISSAPEARENCES REMAIN A MYSTERY. The tragic day of January 21, 1945
remain a mystery. Local authorities have ruled the death of Jerry Gellar an
accidental suicide while the disappearances of Madison Gellar, the wife, and Aurora
Gellar, the daughter, remain a mystery. The court has decided to cease
investigations on the matter. Police chief Ben Rock stated the following
statement. “The tragedies that occurred at the
Cloud 9 cabin just outside of the city will never be forgotten. With that being
said, I am announcing that investigations of the disappearances of Aurora
Gellar and Madison Gellar. We figure they sooner or later will show up. Our
hearts go out to the entire Gellar family.” But it never did happen that way. The bodies were never found and their death remained a mystery. Eddie noticed something strange about the picture that was with the article. It was the man he saw out on the peer. “Hey! I saw this guy out on the peer just before I came down here.” Eddie informed her. Rachel looked at him strangely. “I don’t think so.” Rachel said to him. “I did! I saw him before he disappeared into the lake!” Eddie argued. Rachel began looking at the brick wall. She noticed a distinct color difference in one patch of the wall. It was like the wall had once been torn down and then replaced. The patch looked newer than the rest of the wall. She walked over to it and placed her left on it. She knocked on it. It sounded like it was hollowed out. Rachel reached down grabbing a sledgehammer and smashing it up against the wall. “What the hell are you doing?” Eddie shouted. “There’s something behind this wall! It’s hollow!” Rachel explained as she kept slamming the sledgehammer against the wall. She finally busted her way at the top of the wall revealing the dead rotted corps of Madison Gellar. Rachel and leaped back and gasped. That’s when they heard the door of the cellar slam shut behind them. They turned around startled. Standing next to the staircase was none other than Jerry Gellar. He smiled at them and began to walk towards them. “So I guess you guys figured it out! It was only a matter of time. Your husband was so close Mrs. Stark! It’s unfortunate that I had to posses him and make him force him to commit suicide.” Jerry said to them. “What are you talking about? Figured what out? What the hell did you do to my husband?” Rachel shouted out. “Don’t you get it you ignorant b***h? I murdered those no good w****s! I buried them in the wall and left them for dead. Then I went out to the peer and jumped in.” Jerry explained. “But why did you do it?” Rachel asked him. “It doesn’t matter why I did it! It just matters that I did it. You see, the word never leaves this cellar. Your husband was close to finding out the truth! And I made sure to it that nobody would ever find out on the outside. And you are no different!” Jerry said to them. “What do you mean?” Rachel asked. “You are not leaving this cellar. You will be here with me forever!” Jerry stated as many of the former privet investigators of the case and many other people who had gotten close to the truth appeared through the walls. They formed a circle around them and began moving in closer and closer. “Welcome home ladies!” Jerry said with a wicked smile as the two girls screamed with fear as the hands of the apparitions reached out to grab them. Copyright 2014 by Cody Williams Courtesy of TRUE TERROR PUBLICATIONS A division of TTP Entertainment
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Cody WilliamsElizabethton, TNAboutI am in my second year at Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, Tennessee were I major in instrumental music education and minor in English. My passions include playing the trombone/euphonium an.. more..Writing
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