Tommy, constantly adjusting his seatbelt in the back, helped Josh spend his Saturday night as he typically did: driving his lifted Ford with passengers that would rather be anywhere else. Tonight, this included himself and Josh’s brother Max, who rode in the shotgun seat. Tommy spent nearly the entire ride making sure Josh drove correctly after almost he nearly rear-ended another car within the first few minutes of the drive. Tommy wasn’t looking forward to their destination, but he was happy that someone on the team had given him something to do on a weekend night other than watch movies in his dorm room.
“Are you sure it’s okay we’re doing this?” Tommy asked. “You haven’t seen anyone else there?”
“Yeah,” Josh said. “There’s nothing to worry about. The only thing you should be afraid of is who might be inside when we get there.”
Tommy took a deep breath, disappointed in himself for believing in such nonsense. Josh could be lying about the whole thing anyway; he certainly wasn’t going to ask any of the locals if it was true. He was convinced that there was nothing to be gained from a rural Kansas town that stunk from the meat processing plant just off the main square. He was not, however, content with spending all his time alone with his worrying thoughts. He had been pleasantly surprised at Josh’s invitation. The two had not said more than three words to each other before, but Josh smiled and laughed loudly when Tommy agreed, making him feel wanted. After not having much luck connecting with any of his freshman teammates, Tommy wishfully thought that perhaps he belonged with the upperclassmen. Josh and Max were beloved both by coaches as well as most of the players on the University’s baseball team. Tommy, despite having ample opportunities, had failed to bond with anyone, forcing him to ask others to join in as a third in every regularly two-person activity.
“Which house is it?” Tommy asked.
The answer to his question came when the car came to a sudden stop on the poorly lit road. The house appeared to be in the beginning stages of renovation. It had been stripped of all character, appearing to Tommy as a face without eyes or lips.
“Alright,” Josh said. “You both go ahead inside—I just need to grab a few things from the back of the truck.”
Tommy opened the door but did not take his eyes off the house. He worried more about squatters and animals than the stories he’d heard. Max patted Tommy on the arm and looked down. Tommy relaxed his shoulders tense shoulders.
“You don’t have to come inside if you don’t want to. I can think of something to tell Josh,” Max said.
“That’s okay,” Tommy said, his eyes resting on Max’s forehead instead of his eyes. “I’m curious.”
Max walked ahead of Tommy as they followed the path that separated the yard into two equal parts. Tommy kept his head down to avoid twisting his ankle on the broken bricks. When he lifted his head up from his feet, his vision was entirely filled with the house’s soulless frame. Wooden beams outlined where the walls would later go. Max walked along the porch and glanced at the neighboring houses. Tommy tested the first step that led to the porch and felt the wood bend underneath his weight. He walked along the railing so that either brother could have ample space to enter before he did. Josh walked confidently from the truck with a gym bag that Tommy was sure contained the cheapest beer he could find.
“Come on in,” Josh said. “I’m getting up early tomorrow so better start now.”
Tommy let Max follow his brother, and he tried to walk inside with his shoulders back. They all took their phones from their pockets and switched on the flashlight. The harsh lights stretched shadows along the walls of brick. The boys laid their phones on the ground so that they could get a better look around. A wooden staircase extended into darkness to the right of the door, and an open passage to the backyard bisected light-colored wood. Josh cleared a space for himself to sit and motioned the others to do the same.
“Do you know the stories about this house?” asked Josh. “Some of the guys have probably mentioned it.”
“I’ve heard bits and pieces,” Tommy said. “But I don’t believe in that stuff.”
“I don’t either, but you never know,” Josh said. “Do you want to hear the full thing?”
“Sure,” Tommy said.
Tommy looked over at Max, who raised his eyebrows and took a deep breath. Max leaned back on his hands and looked around.
“Well, Kansas was a free state, and so there were Union soldiers that fought in the Civil War. The fort here was built a little before that, and there’s a military cemetery nearby. One of those soldiers was Charles Read. Charles was a Jayhawker. That’s where the University got the name. They’d rob and burn down anything that was associated with the Confederacy. There was brutal fighting on both sides of the Kansas-Missouri state line. Anyway, Charles was a lonely guy before the war. He came from a bad home. When Charles joined the Jayhawkers, he took to it right away. He did some terrible things to people on the Missouri side, and he was always with the group. Most of the time he was drinking too. Some say when they couldn’t find anyone to fight, they’d settle for anyone that they saw once they drank enough. They say he’d lock people inside and burn the houses, and anyone who came out was shot. As you can imagine, everyone knew their names and faces and was excited to get their hands on them for what they did.
“One night, he and his friends were captured and tortured. He escaped somehow, but the rest weren’t so lucky. It took him two days and nights to get to the fort here. Once the Missouri Confederates were done with them, they dumped the bodies right over the state line. Some say the bodies were skinned. Others say that they were stabbed hundreds of times.”
Josh’s eyes widened and he made a poking motion toward Max who stared at him with a bored impression.
Tommy shifted uncomfortably and wiped his sweaty hands on his pants. After a brief pause, Josh continued his story.
“He had the opportunity to join up again, but he realized that he was only doing those things because he liked being with his friends. He quit and settled in this house. They were buried in the cemetery and there were reports that he’d go visit their graves and talk to them for entire days. He’d sleep on the cemetery lawn too. He lied and told people that they were his friends from school. Just like you guys.”
Josh smiled and Tommy couldn’t help himself from grinning in return. He had finally made some real friends. He could already feel himself gaining confidence over this achievement.
“After a while, his loneliness and drinking were too much for him. One night, the cemetery found that some of the graves had been robbed. They had no idea why or who could have done it. Charles didn’t want to admit that he was associated with them, because the Kansas Union didn’t like the Jayhawkers. They stopped seeing Charles at the cemetery, and some suspected that he had done it. Others thought that it couldn’t have been him because it was disrespectful. The rumors quieted down when it was said that one of the Jayhawkers had swallowed some gold before they were captured, and people believed grave robbers were trying to take it for themselves. Well, after a few months, they found more graves dug up with the bodies missing. They started guarding the cemetery heavily after that, and no more graves were disturbed.”
“Charles was suspected again once his mother and father’s graves were dug up near Hutchinson. A neighbor also reported a foul smell coming from this house. Some of the townsfolk came by and barged in and poor Charles cowered and shook in the corner. They found two bodies sitting at the table that were decomposing which turned out to be Charles’s parents. They looked everywhere for the other bodies but couldn’t find a single one. Charles told everyone that he hadn’t dug the others up, but it’s said that if you come here at night, you can hear them knocking and scratching the floorboards, trying to get out.”
Josh finished and knocked three times on the floor.
There was a long silence as both Tommy and Max focused on Josh, waiting for more of the story. Josh looked around as if he was searching for the lost bodies in the walls. Tommy looked down at his legs and thought about what he had just heard. He felt closer to Charles than to any of the friends he lied about making to his parents. He knew that he was sitting in what could become his own home if he didn’t stop himself. He picked up his phone to look at the texts he’d sent to a phone number that was no longer in service when the knocking started.
Max and Josh looked at Tommy with wide eyes.
“What was that?” asked Josh.
Max and Josh looked from one place to another trying to find the source of the noise. It was coming from what sounded like the floor.
“Do you hear that?” asked Josh. “I think it’s coming from below us!”
Josh dropped and held his ear to the floor. Max, also listening, didn’t seem to be as frantic as Josh. Tommy saw Josh smiling and wondered how someone could not be as scared as he was. Tommy looked at his hands and tried to stop them from shaking. After much effort, Tommy forced his body into action. He sat down and pushed himself against the nearest wall. He concentrated on his breathing and shut his eyes. The pounding came from multiple spots on the ground, increasing in speed and intensity. He put his hands over his head and thought about his dorm room bed. Tommy felt as if he was about to be sick when the noise began to slow, the knocks weakening.
“Stop, Stop!” Josh’s voice sounded as though he were holding back laughter. Josh and Max stopped and stood where they were, but only Josh began laughing.
“Where are you, Kyle?” Max asked.
Tommy’s fear melted away and embarrassment rushed in. He stood up and walked quickly toward the opening where a door once stood. Max jumped in front of him before he could escape his embarrassment.
“Hey, man, I’m sorry,” Max said in a quiet voice. “You’re not the first one to fall for it. Josh wouldn’t mess with you if he didn’t like you.”
“I need to leave. You don’t understand,” Tommy said.
“Just stay and have some beers with us. You don’t have anything better to do, right?” Max asked.
Tommy ignored the jab and agreed, hoping that at least some of the night could be salvaged.
“Fine. Might as well now that I’m here.”
Tommy put on a smile and joined Josh in the middle of the room.
“I knew you’d fall for it. Max did you get any of it?” Josh said.
Max looked at his phone and Tommy held his breath.
“Shit, I forgot to hit record,” Max said.
“What? That was the best one yet!” Josh said and stomped around the room. When Josh turned the other way, Max flashed Tommy a smile. “At least help me find Kyle.”
The knocking that terrified Tommy moments earlier started again, but, this time, it was used to locate a trapdoor on the ground. The circular handle was rusted and only one bolt secured it to the wood. Josh grabbed the handle and pulled, causing it to slightly lift from the wood plank it was bolted to. All three shielded their eyes as Kyle’s phone flashlight shone bright from below.
“Did he fall for it?” Kyle asked.
“Oh yeah. He was shaking and crying in the corner,” Josh answered.
“No, he wasn’t,” Max said. “Tommy wasn’t scared at all. He was just startled by the noise.”
“Whatever. Help me out of here, will you? It’s actually kind of creepy down here alone,” Kyle said.
Josh and Max each grabbed one of Kyle’s hands and hoisted him onto the floor. Kyle stood up and fixed his eyes on Tommy.
“Well, what was it? Were you scared or not?” Kyle asked.
“You got me,” Tommy said. “It was a nice touch to make it sound like more than one person was making noise.”
“I didn’t—”
“Hey!” Josh interrupted. “I have an idea. Let’s drink down in the basement.”
“Why would we do that?” Max asked.
“Why not? Are you scared?” Josh said with a smile on his face.
“I’m not going back down there. I heard mice or something inside the walls. I’m not trying to get infected with some disease,” Kyle said.
“You’ll be fine. I’ve killed plenty of rats,” Josh said dismissively and turned to look down into the basement. “Plus, I’m the one with the beer.”
Josh gingerly let himself down and disappeared into the darkness. Tommy heard Josh’s feet hit and slip on what he guessed was gravel. Kyle, Max, and Tommy rushed to look down into the black void but saw nothing.
“Josh?” Max asked, but there was no answer.
“Josh, are you alright?” he asked again with more urgency.
An empty beer can flew up and clanged off Max’s forehead, causing him to jerk back. His head dipped and Tommy could see his fists clench tight.
Josh laughed maniacally and said, “I knew I had good control of my fastball. Max, you should tell Coach how accurate that throw was.”
“You want me to leave in the part about trespassing and underage drinking?” Max shot back.
Josh stopped laughing and said, “Never mind, you’re right. You guys coming down or not?”
Tommy and Kyle both looked at Max for an answer.
“I can’t get drunk anywhere else tonight,” Max said. He sat down and lowered himself into the basement.
“I’m coming down,” Tommy said in a slightly deeper voice than normal.
Tommy’s feet hit the ground and he immediately covered his nose.
“What is that?” he asked. “And why is it so humid?”
“Must be the rats. They gotta shit and die somewhere,” Josh answered.
Tommy looked around and could only see the white light of Josh and Max’s phones and crumbling brick walls. He looked up and tested his arm’s reach against the lip of the basement’s opening. His fingers curled over the brim and onto the floorboard.
“I’m going home. I spent enough time down there waiting for the end of your story,” Kyle said.
Tommy could hear the squeak of the floorboards as Kyle made his way toward the front of the house. Josh handed Tommy a beer and he cracked it open, causing foam to fizz onto his hand. He sipped, but the bitter taste of cheap beer did not mix well with the decaying smell. Tommy began walking around the basement to conceal the fact that he would be nursing his drink for the rest of the night. He wondered if he could find a good place to hide the can to avoid suspicion.
The basement was barely tall enough for Tommy to walk without ducking his head. All he could make out was a narrow corridor of bricks and a darkness that concealed a right turn. He walked forward, stepping over bits of the wall that had fallen over time. He turned the corner and found a wooden table and chairs. A long wooden pole rested against the far wall.
“Hey, guys, come look at this,” Tommy said in a raised voice.
“What’d you find?” Josh said. Tommy could almost sense caution in his voice.
“A table and chairs,” Tommy said. “Just come look.”
Tommy heard two sets of footsteps behind him, but he didn’t take his eyes off the dining set. He felt drawn to it. Comforted by it. He took a step toward one of the chairs.
“It’s nothing,” Max said, causing Tommy to snap back to reality.
“It’s just like the story,” Josh said.
Tommy and Max looked quickly at Josh’s face. His mouth gaped open. The moist walls stifled the noise of Josh’s rapid breath. His eyes stretched wide, as he was slowly crushed his beer can.
“What?” Max asked. “I thought you said they found the bodies upstairs at the table.”
Josh spoke through heavy breaths, “No…there were none at all…they just lied…to blame someone…”
“You okay?” Tommy asked.
“Yes,” Josh answered quickly. “I’m just going to check something with the…”
Silence.
Josh froze in place.
“The truck?” Max offered.
“Yeah, the truck. I’ll be right back,” Josh said.
He turned and walked toward the basement opening. He put both hands on the edge and jumped up, pulling himself over and onto the house’s floor. Tommy and Max both heard heavy pounding as Josh’s feet rushed across the wood above them.
“What was that about?” Tommy asked. “Is your brother alright?”
“He just needs a minute. He’s been obsessing over that story for a while now. Telling me how creepy it would be if it was true,” Max said.
“You think it is?” Tommy asked.
“Of course not. Probably just some townies using the house for drugs.”
“Why aren’t there any needles or trash then?”
“Maybe Charles picked up after them,” Max said with a slight smile.
Tommy faked a laugh and walked around the table. He ran his fingers along the notched top and tested the stability of one of the chairs with the hand that wasn’t holding his phone.
“I’m gonna check on Josh. You coming?” Max said.
“In a minute. I want to finish my drink with Charles,” Tommy said.
Max chuckled and made his way out of the basement in the same way Josh had earlier. Tommy walked around the table again and imagined Charles sitting silently with his unearthed friends and family. He wondered if Charles spoke to them. He sat down in one of the chairs. It creaked and Tommy shifted his weight onto his legs before feeling confident enough to trust the chair with his weight. He looked at each of the empty three chairs, imagining who he wished were sitting with him. He turned off his phone’s light and set it on the table. He breathed deeply and slowly, closing his eyes once he knew they were useless in the complete darkness.
After a moment, Tommy grabbed his phone and rose from the table, switching on the light. He scanned the small nook again and noticed a few bricks that were a deeper red than the rest near the top of the wall. He walked over and poked one of them, which rocked in place. He pushed harder and it fell away, revealing an opening. He removed some of the neighboring bricks and brought the light up to peer inside.
“Dammit!” Tommy said to himself, jerking the phone down. After taking a few short breaths he brought the light up from his shoes and examined the elevated crawl space. Two twisted sets of human bones were pushed into the far back of the wall’s cavity. Tommy stared at the skeletons and imagined someone using the pole to his right to shove the bodies deep into the house’s foundation. He thought of those he lost and envisioned them pressed desperately into the confined space.
Tommy grabbed debris from the ground and covered the hole as best he could. He made his way out of the basement and met Max who had come back inside to check on Tommy.
“See anything else down there?” Max asked.
Tommy looked down and shook his head.
He grabbed hold of the wooden trapdoor and slammed it shut. He gripped the handle and with one foot planted firmly next to it, yanked, and snapped the single bolt that joined the two. He carried the metal ring outside with him and tossed it into the bed of Josh’s truck, concealing his and Charles’ secret for a while longer.
08/14/2024
12:31:52 PM