When I was nine, my family moved to a military base because of my parents’ relocations. That meant packing up seven kids and moving them into a house. An old house. A house that harbored secrets my family was ignorant to.
The first day we moved in I will remember forever. It was the last time I remember being happy in that house. The last time I remember the whole family being happy collectively. We all helped each other move boxes into new rooms, we each got our own, which was unheard of in our big family. My older brothers were ecstatic, racing each other up the staircase to grab the biggest ones.
I took my time. I slowly walked up the stairs with my box of art supplies and studied the house. It was old, no doubt about it. In fact, it still had an old rotary phone hanging on the wall of the foyer. I made a mental note to check it if still worked and made my way up to the hallway. I could plainly see where my brothers had gone, their footsteps had disturbed the thin layer of dust that had settled on the wood. I turned the opposite way and turned into the first room.
The room chilled me to the bone. Though the room was supposed to face the front of house, pointing toward the west and the setting sun, the room remained barren, cold and dark. It was as if the windows allowed no light through the thick layers of grime that covered them. I backed out of the room quickly, not wanting to spend another moment in there.
I walked farther down the hall until I came to slightly larger room. Unlike the first room, it was flooded with the afternoon sun and I fell in love with the light blue paint that brightened up the room. All it had was a metal bed frame and a closet. I set the box down on the bed frame, claiming the room and made my way down to the truck to grab the rest of my things.
Hours later my brothers, all six of them, decided to explore the house. My three older brothers, Donovan, Flynn and Duncan, decided they’d explore the third floor first and that I’d take the younger ones to the basement. As the only girl, I had a reputation to uphold, so I agreed. I decided I’d have to keep an eye on all of them so they wouldn’t get hurt. I ordered Jared, only a year younger than me, to hold on to Jeremy and I’d hang on to the youngest, Issac.
We made quite a racket tromping down the stairs of the basement. “Be careful!” Came my father’s call. “We will!” We all chorused. I flicked the light switch and we started our exploration. I turned to face my brothers and adopted my bossy, older sister persona. “I don’t want to see anyone going off where I can’t see them. We don’t know the house, we don’t know what’s in it. If you find something dangerous, or you aren’t sure what it could be, leave it alone. Got it?” My brothers nodded in sync and so we continued.
“Roni! Look over here!” I heard Jared call. I brought Issac with me to have a look. He had found a shelving unit full of old nails, screws, tools and pieces of wood. To me, it looked to be a workbench. “No touching, there’s nails.” I reminded him. Jared rolled his eyes. “Yes, Mom.” I smiled despite his jab and looked down at Issac. “Where should we go next?” Issac’s face lit up and he pointed to the other side of the basement.
My heart dropped when he pointed. That side of the basement was shrouded in darkness and had given me a bad vibe when we’d gone near it. But he looked so excited that I couldn’t deny him a chance to look. “Okay. Come on guys.” All four of us started walking into the darkness.
My skin crawled. My arms erupted in goose bumps as we got closer. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one apprehensive. Though Issac had been the one curious, he suddenly got cold feet. “I don’t want to anymore!” He cried, his eyes brimming with tears. I sighed in relief and heeded his wish, ending the trip and directing us to the well lit side of the basement.
My older brothers got bored of the third floor and came to join us. “What’d you guys find?” Flynn asked. At thirteen, he was in the stage where he both hated us, and loved us. A confusing time for me, who was suddenly his most hated sibling. “Not much, there’s a workbench over there, though.” I pointed to the right side of the stairs. “What about over there?” Donovan asked, pointing to the unlit section we’d abandoned. “We didn’t explore that part yet.” I covered quickly. Duncan caught my lie.
“Guys, Veronica’s scared.” Duncan mocked. Flynn and Donovan smiled. “Really? Still scared of the dark, Roni?” I shrugged. “Issac didn’t want to go anymore. I didn’t either.” My brothers gave up on teasing me. They knew I wasn’t one to be riled up after dealing with their crap for four years before Jared showed up.
“Roni, I don’t want to go.” Issac said, his voice laced with fear. “Me either.” Jeremy voiced from next to Jared. “How about you guys go up stairs and help Mom and Dad unpack? They’d love the help.” I suggested. Issac and Jeremy smiled and raced each other back up the stairs, slamming the door behind them. I could hear the muffled reprimand from Mom about slamming doors.
“Are you losers coming?” Flynn called, walking deeper into the darkness. Though my whole body protested, I followed them. Jared stayed close to me, which I was thankful for. Someone turned on a flashlight and illuminated the room. “Woah!” Came from Duncan who punched Flynn on the arm. “Look at that!” My eyes followed theirs and my eyes landed on a noose hanging from the rafters.
Nausea crept its way up my throat as the fraying rope swayed in a nonexistent breeze. Jared grasped my arm and squeezed. “Don’t touch it morons. Come on.” Donovan ordered, smacking Flynn’s hand away when he tried.” Jared and I quickly caught up to Donovan, leaving the noose to sway back and forth behind us.
I noticed the door. “Jared, you see that?” I asked. Jared looked at the small wooden door that stood at the back corner of the basement. Jared nodded. “Don!” Jared called. Donovan came, trailed by Flynn and Duncan. “No way.” Flynn whispered, jogging over to the small door. “Hey, be careful idiot. I don’t need you dying.” Donovan called, walking closer with the flashlight. “Shut up, it’s just a cellar door, look.” He opened it, the metal hinges screaming as it swung open.
A smell wafted from inside. Flynn recoiled and covered his nose with his shirt. “What is that?” He exclaimed. We all took a closer look and had the same reaction. Though the smell was unmistakable and horrible the little room seemed to have no indication of where it was coming from. The room was small, about four foot by four foot and only five feet tall. It was enough for Jared and I to stand straight in, though the older boys had to bend down.
Donovan flicked his light around inside. It had a dirt floor. The ground was covered in old cans and what looked to be toys for a child. Small wooden trains and carved army men. A small kerosene lantern lay on its side in one corner. Though the scene was creepy, there was nothing inside to explain the smell.
“Creepy.” Duncan voiced. “Totally.” Flynn parroted. “Who wants to go in?” Flynn asked, a sly grin on his face. I took a big step back with Jared. No way was I going into that room. Jared agreed with me. “Dude, just close the door. It smells like sh- it smells horrible.” Donovan censored, remembering to watch his mouth around us kids after a lecture from Mom and Dad. “Fine.” Flynn whined, closing the door. “Race you upstairs though!” He suddenly yelled.
A smile broke out on my face as I raced my brothers to the top of the stairs, coming in second behind Duncan. “Ha! I win!” Duncan bragged, opening the basement door. “Flynn, you got beat by Roni!” Donovan teased, coming in third. “What? She’s fast!”
I didn’t tell them the reason I was so fast was because I was terrified of the basement and that tiny room. Something inside there made me feel sick and wrong. Something old and dark.
Weeks passed by. I started to notice just how oppressive the house was. I also noticed how it effected us.
Donovan was much more sullen. He was always in his room with his music. He didn’t play with us kids anymore, and he sure as hell didn’t talk to us anymore. Flynn and Duncan became more reserved. Their playful, competitive nature seemed to dull and taper off. They were very close in age, only ten months apart and so when they started sharing a room, we really didn’t see the issue with it. That is, until the only people they seemed to talk to were each other.
Jared attached to me. He’d always been close, he was my kid brother, my best friend. But as the weeks crawled by he seemed to become my shadow, following me everywhere. I didn’t mind, in fact, I felt he was safer if he wasn’t wandering through the halls of that house.
Jeremy became irate. He was always a quiet kid. He played quiet, he cried quiet, he did everything quiet. That is, until the house. He would throw these tantrums of epic proportions. He was six, but he threw fits of someone half his age. Anything could have set him off. It could have been Donovan sitting next to him at dinner, or maybe I walked past him in the hall and accidentally brushed against him. Everyone avoided Jeremy.
Issac. I think Issac was more like me. He didn’t change much. In fact, he seemed hyper aware of what was happening. Jared, Issac and I would all bunk in my room most nights. It seemed mine was the only one they could sleep in and I didn’t mind at all. I welcomed it.
The longer we stayed the worse Jeremy got. One day Donovan went missing. I was the first one to notice. He hadn’t come down for lunch. I walked upstairs to his room and knocked. He didn’t answer like he usually did. I opened the door and he wasn’t there. That was highly unusual for him. In fact, it sent cold fear through me.
I knocked on Duncan and Flynn’s room. “What?” Flynn called. “I can’t find Donovan.” I called through the door. The patter of footsteps indicated someone was coming to the door. Duncan opened the door, his eyes marred with deep bags. All us kids seemed to have them. “What?” I pointed down the hall. “I checked his room. He never leaves his room.” That seemed to alert Duncan and Flynn to start looking. Jared and I checked all the bedrooms and bathrooms, we checked the third floor, we checked the playroom and then made our way downstairs.
Somewhere along the way, all five of us ended up at the basement door. Duncan opened it and walked down the steps followed by Flynn. Jared and I looked at each other. Issac pulled on my hand. “Come on.” He said, pulling me down with him.
Duncan and Flynn checked the workbench first but didn’t find him. Then we looked over to the left side. It seemed darker. I hadn’t been down there since the day we moved in, but the darkness seemed thicker, deeper. Issac and Jared grabbed each of my hands. I squeezed.
Duncan and Flynn started yelling suddenly. We raced over and came upon a scene I’ll always remember. Flynn had tackled Jeremy. He was holding him down in the corner of the basement. Even though there was a six year age gap, Flynn was struggling to keep him contained. Duncan opened the small door which had been stuck. Donovan came flying out, covered in dirt and grime. His face was covered in tears, chest heaving. “Dude, what happened?” Duncan asked, trying to help Donovan up.
Donovan struggled to stand and looked at Duncan with wild eyes. “He-he locked me in.” He stuttered, his voice shaking. “Who?” I asked. Donovan looked at Jeremy. “He—he held the door closed—a-and he wouldn’t let me out. He kept laughing.” Donovan rambled, taking steps back from Jeremy and Flynn.
Suddenly, Jeremy erupted in laughter. It was deep, dark, hysterical laughter that wasn’t even close to that of a little boy’s. Flynn quickly crawled away, looking at Jeremy like he was insane. Jeremy sat in the corner and threw his head back in laughter.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Duncan exploded at Jeremy. “You could have killed him! There’s no circulation in there, he could have suffocated!” Duncan yelled. Jeremy’s laughing stopped as soon as it had started and faced us. A smiled slowly crept along his face. “Yay.” He said and laughed again.
We told our parents what happened. They forbade Jeremy from going into the basement again. Donovan seemed fine, though shaken. I asked him what had happened and he simply looked at me and said: “There’s something wrong with him, Veronica. He’s not…” and then he trailed off. I knew what he was thinking though.
Jeremy wasn’t himself anymore.
It happened again. Next it was Flynn. Then it was Duncan. I feared it was me next. I was terrified of my brother and I hated it. I hated the house for making him that way. I hated the basement most of all. It lived down there. It festered all its hate down there.
I remember the day it was my turn. Mom and Dad had left us home alone for the umpteenth time. Donovan had orders to watch us all. He never did though. He locked himself in his room and played his music.
I was downstairs making lunch for the younger kids. I was finished making the sandwiches and poured a glass of milk for Jared and Issac. I didn’t do it for Jeremy. He spent all his time in the basement anyway. He never came up when I called, so what was the point?
“Roooniiii.” came Jeremy’s sing song voice. It chilled my blood. “What?” I asked quickly. “Come downstairs.” I shook my head. “I’m eating.” I stated, taking a bite of sandwich. “Come on. Please?” I stared at him. “You will not lock me in there. Not like them. Go. Away.” Jeremy’s creepy smile flipped in an instant.
He stalked away, stomping down the basement steps. I let out a sigh of relief. We ate the rest of the lunch in silence.
An hour after, I heard a scream. It was Issac’s scream. “Veronica!” I heard him call, sobs following after. I ran down the steps and flung open the basement door. At the bottom sat Isaac, holding his arm. “Jared, call Mom and Dad.” Jared gave a quick nod and ran to the landline. I ran down the basement steps. “My arm!” He sobbed, holding it to his chest. “Let me see.” He removed his other arm and i almost gasped, but contained myself. His elbow was bent at an unnatural angle. Broken. Definitely.
“What happened bud?” I asked, taking my jacket off. I was always cold in the house. Always. I ran to the work bench and grabbed some shears, cutting part of it to make a makeshift sling. “I was walking by the basement door and then Jared—“ I finished tying his arm to his chest and then stopped. “Jared did this?” Isaac nodded. “He pushed me.” He said.
I heard quick footsteps behind me. “Issac go upstairs as quick as you can and get Jared. Tell him to get Don—“ something grabbed my hair and I was yanked backward, being dragged by something unnaturally strong. I managed to hear Issac’s quick footsteps as he ran upstairs.
I knew it was Jeremy. I could hear his laughter. “Jeremy, let me go!” I yelled. Tears poured down my cheeks from the pain of him pulling my hair coupled with the concrete scraping my back and shoulders. Too quickly we stopped. I heard the screaming of the hinges as the door opened. I twisted around to see the old cellar door.
“Jeremy, no! Please, please don’t—“ he grabbed me and somehow managed to shove me into the room and slam the door shut.
The dark was suffocating. My heart was beating so fast I thought it would explode. “Jeremy! Please!” I screamed, banging on the wooden door. I knew it was pointless, but I had to try.
I heard the unmistakeable sound of a match being lit from behind me. I whipped around to find the kerosene lamp being lit with a match by a small boy about Jared’s age. He put the match out and then looked at me. “The screaming won’t do. He won’t listen.” The boy said in a hushed voiced. “Who are you?” I asked. The boy smiled, and extended his arm. “Hi! I’m Kent, but you can call me The Boy. Everyone does.”
I pressed myself against the wooden door and stared. He wasn’t from my time period. He wore dirty overalls and no shirt. His feet were bare and caked in dirt along with his face and hair. “You’re different than the rest. Most scream.” I shook my head in disbelief. “You’re dead.” He smiled, his teeth—or lack thereof—showing. “You’re quick too. I was locked down here just like you. My final resting place.” He leaned against the wall. “My daddy didn’t like me much. Kept me down here a lot. But Grand Pappy, he made me these.” He picked up a wooden train caked in grime.
“He used to carve away. I’d hear him humming his special song. Then he’d open the door and hand me one of these.” He handed me the train. I tentatively took it. “My daddy wasn’t a bad man. This place, it made him bad. Like it made that boy bad.” Kent said, nodding his head to Jeremy outside the door. “There’s something dark in this house. It’s taken a liking to him like it took a liking to my daddy. If you know what’s best, you’d leave forever and ever.” Kent said matter of fact.
“What happens to him?” I found myself asking. Kent sighed. “I take it you’ve seen the noose?” I nod. “He’s going to do something he’ll regret. And then when he finally gets clear, he’ll use that noose just as my daddy did.” Kent said.
My whole body felt cold as I listened to his story, his warning. Was Jeremy capable of murder? Could he kill us? “I have to go, but if you come back down sometime, I’ll tell you the rest.” Kent said picking up the lantern. “You’ll be fine. You’re a smart one.” And then he blew out the flame.
I didn’t have time to be afraid of the dark. Suddenly I fell back into the basement and Donovan was standing over me. “Roni!” He cried lifting me up and hugging me tight. “Come on, Mom and Dad are coming home.” He picked me up and took me up the stairs. I could have walked, but I let him.
Issac got a cast. We all signed it. Jeremy was admitted into the hospital’s psych ward. When we all corroborated Issac’s story and Mom and Dad realized Jeremy had locked four of us into the cellar they knew something had to be done.
As long as Jeremy was away from the house, he was fine. He didn’t show signs of violent behavior. Visiting him in the hospital was the only time I’d seen him like himself in months.
I finally convinced my parents to leave. Dad was getting relocated anyway. We packed all our things and we said goodbye to that evil house and the thing that lived inside. I fear that if we’d stayed just a bit longer, one of us might have met the same fate as Kent and his family.
I never lost the memories of that house. When I got my first laptop at age 21, I looked up the house. It had a long history, but somehow I came to what I wanted to find.
In the early 1900s there was a man named Peter Atlas who bought the house along with his father, Gregory Atlas. Peter had a son, Kenneth Atlas. They lived there for three years. When the mail started piling up and they hadn’t been to church, a neighbor stopped by. He found Peter first in the basement, hanging from the noose. Gregory was found in the garden, buried. Kenneth was found in the cellar. He had asphyxiated from being locked inside for a day.
Every year I check to see if someone’s moved in. It’s listed on a website online, all it is a quick search. For years it’s been empty. Since we moved back in 1983 it’s been empty.
Today the website listed it as sold.