House of the Ghoul

Joshua and Roberto arrived in Richford and made their way to the 1st hotel they saw. It looked a little out of date, but the lack of cars in the parking lot made up for that. They didn’t want anyone snooping around or getting suspicious. They checked in and made their way to their room. Joshua flopped down on the queen sized bed and let out a long sigh. Roberto sat on the edge of the other bed and pulled the officer’s card out of his pocket and looked over it. Sheriff’s Deputy Lentinihe read to himself. He flipped the card over to find her full name, Bethany Kay Lentiniand her phone number. Joshua rolled to his side and propped his head up with arm, “Do you really think this officer is going to help us?” Roberto snapped out of trace like state and he looked at Joshua for a few moments before replying, “I’m not sure. She seems like she wants answers as much as we do”.  Joshua sat up and took off his over shirt and leaned against the headboard staring blankly at the ceiling. “Isn’t it strange how all of the townspeople are acting?” Roberto asked. “You mean how they are a bunch of country bumpkins with no manners?” Joshua said smirking smugly. “No…” Roberto started but was interrupted by Joshua. “I know what you’re saying, man. They act like they have never seen another human being and since we’re not from here, we’re aliens, or something.” Joshua said without even turning his glance to Roberto. “I can’t believe that one fat cop! What was his name… Carl? I’ve never met a cop that wasn’t willing to help a civilian and then to put his hands on us,” Roberto stood up and stomped to the bathroom. “Don’t let him get to you. He obviously takes his job waaaay too seriously,” Joshua said chuckling to himself. Roberto stepped out of the bathroom, “It’s not just that he takes his job to seriously, he’s hiding something. They’re all hiding something. It’s like some weird secret that they all just overlook. I don’t understand, it’s all just so… weird,” Roberto made his way back his bed and sat on the edge of it and turned to Joshua. “So you really think there is more to this than just some ignorant backwoods people?” Joshua pondered. “Yea, man, I do. There has to be more to this. You don’t hear about people being crucified in small rural towns every day,” Roberto rubbed his eyes and then looked down at the floor. “You don’t hear about people being crucified period. I think we should call that Deputy and see if she can shed more light on this situation. She has to know more than we do,” Joshua offered. Roberto pulled out his cellphone and dialed her number, the phone rang several times, but someone finally picked up. “Hello,” a female voice answered. “Hi… This is Roberto. We talked at the station. We’re at a hotel in Richford and I think we’d like to discuss a few things,” Roberto responded in a nervous tone. “I’m so glad you actually called. I was worried you were too freaked out by the whole situation and would just high tail it out of here. I’m off duty tomorrow. I can meet you tomorrow morning. What hotel are you staying in?” she replied with a bit of excitement in her voice. “We’re at the Pioneer Motor Inn. It’s the first hotel as soon as you enter town. There are not too many other guests here. What time should we expect you tomorrow?” Roberto asked. “Well, how about 10 am?” she inquired. “10 am is fine. We’ll see you tomorrow morning, then.” Roberto hung up the phone and looked at Joshua. “Well, we’re either going to meet with Deputy Lentini, or get arrestedtomorrow morning at 10 am,” Roberto smirked and chuckled for one of the first times since they arrived in the area. The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful. They went to grab some pizza from a local pizza place, and watched a little TV before going to bed.

Joshua woke with a start to a blood curdling scream. He looked over to Roberto to see him screaming and writhing in the bed. Joshua sat on the edge of the bed and started to shake Roberto, “Roberto! Wake up! Come on, Man!” Joshua shouted as he continued to shake his friend by the shoulders. Roberto grew quiet and eyes shot open. He felt around under his covers and his eyes darted around the room. “Are you okay, dude?” Joshua asked. Roberto sat his elbow on his elevated knee, “I was having the worst nightmares,” Roberto replied through gasps of breaths. “John and Jake were in my dream. It was so strange. They we’re mutilated and just..” Joshua interrupted Roberto. “It’s okay. It was just a dream. It’s only 7:30 or so, why don’t I go get some coffee and something to eat for breakfast,” Joshua offered patting his friend on the back. Joshua pulled on a t-shirt and headed down to the car. He had remembered seeing a small coffee shop on their way to the hotel. The shop’s sign was old and the painted was so weathered he couldn’t begin to tell what the name of the place was. There was worn paint on the windows that said “Fresh Coffee!” and “Homemade Donuts!” Joshua walked into the dimly lit shop and looked over the array of pastries. A somewhat grimy, overweight man lumbered from the back of the shop. “Hi there, what can I do for ya’” the man croaked in voice that was riddled with emphysema. The man laid his cubby fingers on the top of the glass and grinned widely showing 2 rows of yellowed teeth. “Umm, I just need to large coffees and half dozen of glazed donuts,” Joshua finally managed to mumble. “You’re not from around here, huh,” the man said still grinning. “No. I’m not just visiting.” Joshua replied in a rushed tone. The man only nodded and grin faded. Joshua paid for the coffee and donuts and started to leave the shop. “Don’t stick around too long, boy. Sometimes you can sucked into this easy lifestyle and you may never get out,” the man bellowed with laughter. Joshua nearly ran to his car. “What the hell is wrong with these people?” he asked out loud to the empty car. He made his way back to the hotel. Joshua could hear the shower, and went to the bathroom door and said loudly “I’m back with breakfast, man”. “I’ll be out in a minute,” Roberto yelled back over the rush of the shower. Roberto came out of the bathroom in gym shorts and t-shirt and sat on the bed and sighed loudly. “Try one of these donuts. They’re really good, but the guy working in that shop was a creep,” Joshua said through a mouthful of donut. “A creep? How was he creep?” Roberto asked as he rolled his eyes at Joshua. “He just was okay!” Joshua responded defensively. The next 2 hours were dragging by, as Joshua and Roberto waited for Deputy Lentini to arrive. Around 9:45 am there was a soft knock on the hotel door. Roberto jumped up and slowly opened the door. “Hey,” Deputy Lentini said with a small smile. “Come in, please” Robert said. “We had an early breakfast otherwise we would offer you coffee,” Joshua replied. “Oh, what did you have?” Deputy Lentini asked. “I got donuts from that little place when you enter town,” Joshua said with a little bit of disgust lingering in his voice. “Ahh, Richford’s Donuts. Great donuts, but the owner is a creep,” she replied laughing. Joshua raised a brow at Roberto and Roberto replied silently by shaking his head and rolling his eyes. “So what exactly are you guys here for,” Deputy Lentini asked. “Well, we’re here to get answers about 2 of our best friend’s brutal deaths. That’s it, plain and simple,” Roberto responded as he rested his elbows on his knees. “Well, to tell you the truth. You’re guesses are about as good as mine. I was transferred her about 8 months ago and it by far the strangest area I have worked in. The townspeople are so secretive and reclusive. The officers I work with are not anymore informative. They normally put me on dispatch duty, so I’m hidden away in the back of the station,” she replied with remorse in her voice. Joshua furrowed his brows, “So they didn’t tell you anything about 2 of the most violent murders this year, maybe 10 years?” Deputy Lentini nodded and continued, “I never get to go on calls, not that we get too many of them. If I’m not on dispatch duty, they might let me sit somewhere and try to catch people speeding, but that’s it. It was my day off on the day of the murders. It was barely mentioned on the local news and when I started asking questions about the details of it the next day, I was shut down. The 2 officers I work with said ‘it wasn’t fit to discuss with a lady’. Roberto politely interrupted, “So you’re a cop, in this town, and they didn’t tell you ANY of the details? I’m sorry to sound so unconvinced, but it’s just hard to believe,” Roberto’s eyes moved to the floor. “You’re preaching to the choir,” Deputy Lentini replied patting Roberto on the back lightly. “The town is so strange. I don’t know what the townspeople are protecting, or hiding, but it has to be something serious. I tried to question witnesses about the murders, and I received 1 of 2 answers from everyone. Either ‘I didn’t see anything’ or they just didn’t answer the door at all. We get a lot of missing person’s notices that come through our office. Which every police station within the area a person was last seen, get these notices, but, they are always people who are out-of-towners. It doesn’t help that a serial killer’s house is still standing either,” Deputy Lentini trailed off. “Whoa, wait a second! A serial killer used to live in this town?” Roberto shrieked. Deputy Lentini nodded, “I’m sorry to have gotten off subject from the happenings in the town, but it’s one of the strangest things in this town. Ed Gein’s house is on the outside of town, up off the interstate a little ways,” she paused for several seconds. “Who is Ed Gein?” Joshua said with confusion in his voice. Roberto looked at Deputy Lentini with curiosity in his eyes. Deputy Lentini sat quiet for several seconds before beginning, “Ed Gein was murderer and a body snatcher between 1947 and 1957. “A body snatcher?” Roberto asked with a furrowed brow. “Let me explain. Please save all questions until the end,” Deputy Lentini replied playfully. “He was considered a body snatcher because he confessed to authorities that he made visits to local graveyards to dig up bodies. He made an estimated 40 visits to these graveyards between 1947 and 1952. Gein would dig up bodies of young women. If they resembled his mother he would take them home, skin them, tan their skin and make various “items”. Joshua and Roberto looked at each other with a twisted look of disgust and interest on their faces. Deputy Lentini continued, “He also confessed to killing 2 women. One of the 2 women was discovered in his shed, decapitated and hung upside down, as if she were a game animal. Upon further inspection of the house, that still sits on the hill in Plainfield, they found whole human bones, human skin covered chair seats, skulls on the bedposts and other grotesque creations. It was said that Gein had a very strange relationship with his mother. After she died he was trying to make a skin suit out of women who looked like his mother, so he could ‘become’ his mother. This might sound similar to the classic horror movie Psycho. Psycho along with several other movies were actually based on Gein’s gruesome crimes. He was sentenced in 1968 as being unfit for trail and was sent to mental institution to serve the rest of his days. Gein died in on July 26, 1984 of lung cancer,” Deputy Lentini sat back in her chair. “So the house is still standing? Is that the creepy farm house that is up on the hill right as you get to the Plainfield city limits? Joshua asked with excitement in his voice. Deputy Lentini nodded. “Well, I need to head back to town. I don’t want anyone to get suspicious,” Deputy Lentini stood up and made her way to the door of the hotel room. “Be careful guys. If anyone from Plainfield tries to contact you, let me know,” She opened the door to leave. “Thank you for all your help Deputy Lentini” Joshua and Roberto almost replied in unison. She laughed, “You can drop that Deputy stuff. Just call me Bethany,” She walked to her car and Joshua and Roberto were left with more questions now than before.

Later that evening the guys drove to a small restaurant that was across from the hotel. As they approached the door of the restaurant they saw several kids sitting on a bench in front of the restaurant. The kids bikes were leaned against the restaurant and several of the kids had sodas in their hands. The boys watched Joshua and Roberto approach the restaurant. Joshua and Roberto said ‘Hi’ to the boys and were about to head inside when one spoke. He was young boy around 10 or 12. He had dusty blonde hair and freckles covering his face from being in the summer sun. “You guys aren’t from around here, huh?” the boy chirped. Joshua laughed, “No, we’re not.” Roberto chimed in, “We just wanted to get away from the city for a few days”.  “Well, make sure to stay away from Plainfield,” one of the other boys said with warning in his tone. Joshua and Roberto stopped and turned to the group of boys. “Why should we stay away from Plainfield?” Joshua asked he leaned down to be eye level with the boy. “Well, because there is an old farm house that sits up on the hill before you get to Plainfield from here,” the boy paused for several seconds. “My big brother and all his friends say that…” the boy put his hand by his mouth and motioned for Joshua and Roberto to lean in closer. “They say that, there is a… monster… that lives in the basement of that house,” the boy looked at them with a very serious expression on his face. An older taller boy stepped from the back of the group, “Oh shut up! There isn’t no monster in that house. You’re telling fibs,” the older boy glared at the small boy. The young boy shrank back and put his head down.  Joshua and Roberto exchanged glances and smirked. “Don’t worry, we’ll make sure to steer clear of the monster,” Roberto said as he roughed up the boy’s hair. Joshua and Roberto walked into the restaurant and then started to laugh at the boy’s response. “A monster, in the basement,” Joshua chuckled to himself.