Jakob's Discovery

Jakob tapped his toe as he pressed the dial button again, running his fingers through his thick. brown hair, something he always did when he was nervous. He sighed, "Pick up, pick up, pick up…"

After a few second of the ringer, he stopped and on the other line came a slow and groggy, "Hello…"

"Hannah! Thank God, I've been trying to reach you for hours now" ,Jakob barked. He heard a lot of fumbling around as if she was searching for something, mixed with her whispering swears, "I'm sorry, I was asleep and couldn't hear my phone going off. Give me a second to find a place to talk."

Jakob flipped the paper in his hand, reading over and over the information he had captured, making sure he was reading it right. In big letter on top of the paper read, Baseball Champion Checked into Mental Rehab. He tapped the table, "Okay, now?"

He heard Hannah sigh and answer back, "Okay, go ahead."

"I did some digging on all the missing person cases" ,Jakob started as he spread out all the files and paper that laid all over the table in front of him, "all the same thing. Last heard they were going to be up at the Young-House Plantation and never heard from again. Never seen, not even a sign that they have been up there."

"Okay, so a few teens go out on a dare to sleep in a haunted manor and never come back. Sounds like all the cases I've dealt with…"

"Not a few, hundreds, almost a thousand have all been reported missing. Dude, I can fill an Olympic swimming pool with all these reports, all gone cold. They say no one comes back from spending time up there…"

"I know the story, Jakob" ,Hannah snapped. He straighten up and stared at his phone, "Well, sorry."

Hannah sighed and rubbed her eyes, "I'm sorry, I'm just really tired and it seems like we're getting no where with a background check."

"I have something that drowned under all the missing person cases. No one even remembers this case" ,Jakob said with a smile. Hannah's ears perked as she pushed him to continue. Jakob pulled it out and read it to her, "Its about fifty years old, the guy would be in his mid-sixties now, but he is the only survivor after five of his other friends disappeared up where you're at. Its crazy scary what he says about this place. I know if I didn't believe in all the stories, I'd think he's crazy…"

"Okay, what is that he said" ,Hannah interrupted him. Jakob sighed, "Said they came into contact with the witch, Madame Pandora, and she promised them a safe passage. Two of them went with her and the other four backed out. He said he doesn't know what happened to his two friends but he watched the others get murdered."

"Hmm" ,Hannah tapped her chin, thinking hard on this new-found information, "how is it that he managed to get away while everyone else got murdered?"

"I plan on finding that out" ,Jakob said with a smile, "I made an appointment to meet him at the mental institution."

"Don't they only allow family?"

"Yeah, but that's not stopping me. I did a background check, he has a nephew named Georgie Wilson that visits him every now and then. He's an upcoming baseball star just like his uncle, named after him too. Reincarnation, I don't believe in. I'm working on a fake identification as we speak."

Hannah smiled, "Thanks Jakob, I don't know what I'd do without you."

He nodded, "How are you holding up?"

She sighed and looked around, though she was sure she was far from anybody's listening ears, "As good as I'm going to get. Things are a little weird, but I work with weird so nothing out of the usual. You know something, I kind of wish you were here."

"I knew you'd miss me" ,Jakob said with the biggest smile on his face. Hannah giggled, "Don't flatter yourself. Let me know what you find out after your meeting with 'Mr. Crazy'."

Jakob chuckled, "I will. Please, take care of yourself."

"You too, pup" ,Hannah said as she flipped her phone close. Jakob placed his phone on the table and rested his chin in his palm, looking over all the papers in front of him. So many people… so many deaths… so many…

"What you got here, pup" ,Philip asked as he came up behind Jakob. He shuffled quickly, tucking the headline clipping about the older man who made it out of the Young-House Plantation. He looked over his shoulder and answered him, "Just a bunch of missing person reports, trying to find some connection or clue to help Hannah out."

Philip rolled his eyes, "I already looked over all that shit. Just put it back and find something useful to do."

Jakob rolled his eyes as Philip left the room. There were things about him Jakob didn't like, one of them being his bossy attitude. Whenever Hannah wasn't around, he walked about like he owned the place and was in charge. Not to mention he couldn't help but feel like Philip was hiding something from all of them. Though Hannah wasn't there to find it right away, Jakob felt like he needed to keep a close eye on Philip and withhold any information he had from his prying ears, only sharing what he knew with Hannah.

Jakob stood up and collected all the reports and shoved them back into their files. He sighed as he neatly stuffed them in a box and closed the lid, only keeping the clipping. He turned the lights off and walked out, ready to meet with Mr. Dean.

~0~

"Georgie Dean, your nephew is here to see you" ,the male nurse said as he slid back the cover to the window. Georgie looked over his humped shoulders, his gray eyes old and lifeless, his lips and brow dropping downward showing his age. He shuffled his feet as quickly as he could, his face lighting up at the sound of his nephew's visit, "Its been a while."

The door opened and standing at a solid five feet seven inches, broad shoulders and thick arms, was Jakob. His hair was just above his eyebrows and pushed to the left side, his eyes were like two bright blue sapphires. Georgie didn't know who this boy was, but it wasn't his nephew.

Jakob walked up to him and placed an arm around his shoulders, "Hi ya, Uncle Georgie."

The door closed and they waited a few seconds before saying anything. Georgie looked up at him, "You are not my nephew."

"I know, but I really need to talk to you, so please don't send me away" ,Jakob said as he squeezed his shoulders a little tighter. Georgie looked at his hand and back up at him, "Keep touching me and I will, fagot."

Jakob removed his hands and held them up as if to show he was stepping back, "Yes sire, as you wish."

Georgie hobbled over to the closest seat and slowly sat down, "State your name and business, boy."

"My name is Jakob and I've come to talk to you about the Young-House Plantation…"

"Get out" ,he barked. Jakob held his hands up again as if to calm him down, "No, please sire, I really need to know this stuff. It's a matter of life and death."

"That place is why I'm locked up in this popsicle stand" ,Georgie said as he pushed over a pile of books and papers he had stacked on his desk, "I hate that cursed place."

"I know, but sire please. My friend is up there…"

"Get your friend out of there as fast as you can. That is, if they're still alive" ,Georgie stood to his feet and hobbled in circles, "I need a drink."

"I didn't think they served alcohol in mental institutions" ,Jakob said with a smile. Georgie looked over his shoulder and grinned, "I know. Why else do you think I get so excited when my nephew comes to visit."

Jakob watched as he pulled a covered bottle of prune juice out and uncapped it, taking a quick swig and placing it back in its spot on a shelf. He wiped his mouth and pointed at Jakob, "Don't breath a word about this, ya hear me boy?"

Jakob nodded, though he was much older and weaker than him, Georgie came off as a threat to Jakob. He knew he didn't want to offend him in any way. He looked around and slipped his hands into his pockets, "I need to know…"

"You want me to talk about that cursed plantation, eh boy? Hmm, well pull up a seat and get comfy, its to be a long day for you, son" ,Georgie replied in a much calmer voice now as he hobbled back to his chair and slowly sat down. He let out a sigh of relief and smiled at him, "I remember when I was your age… How old are you, boy? Sixteen? Seventeen?"

"Fifteen, sire" ,Jakob replied with a smile. Georgie nodded, "Yeah, you got a long way to go. I use to spend all my days outside on the baseball field, smacking the ball around, pitching and sliding. To be on that old field again… I'll bet its covered in grass and weeds now. The city gave up on that place after a while. I use to be just as big as you are now, boy. Big and dark from all my days of baseball."

Jakob sighed, knowing he shouldn't be rude and interrupt his trip down memory lane. Besides, he figured no one else listened to him, maybe he just needs a listening ear. He propped his elbows on his knees and listened carefully. Georgie closed his eyes and grinned, "Oh, I'd give anything to be out on that field again…"

Jakob watched him, a tear escaped from the old man's eyes and slowly slid down his face. He sniffled and wiped it away quickly, blinking over and over so no more would come, "Who am I kidding, I been locked up here for fifty some years and they don't plan on releasing me any time soon. Yes sire, I'm a regular nut case or so they say. After being here a while and seeing what they hold them in, its enough to make any sane person lose their mind. No wonder they got so many troubled ones around here, they ain't gonna get no better."

Jakob nodded, "These places scare me, to be honest."

Georgie chuckled, "You don't even know the half of it. Now, I know you didn't come to listen to babble on about my youth and this nut house. The plantation, oh boy, I remember it clear as day. I see it every night when I go to bed, relive that horrid night every night… carrying scars for the rest of my life…"

He leaned closer as the old man's voice began to fade, stepping off the bed and crouching down by his side. The old man's eyes grew wide and his mouth was shaped in the perfect O, like he was seeing something that wasn't there. Jakob waved a hand in front of his face, "Mr. Dean?"

He shook his head and stared at him, "Boy, who do you have up at that place?"

"Uh, a friend…"

"Any more?"

"Well, there were about twenty other people up there…"

"Dear God, what have you done?"

"What do you mean? What's wrong?"

Georgie sighed, "Get comfortable, I'm gonna have to start from the beginning."

Jakob sat on the floor at Georgie's feet, listening to his every word. He sighed, "My friends and I dared each other to do big, horrible things. None of us had ever passed up a dare, that was like the ultimate disgrace in my time. We would do things like climb to the top of the water tower and jump off into the lake, hide out in cornfields and jump out to scare cars that passed by, jump tree branches without ropes and try not to fall or break anything… We were fearless.

"Johnny was his name, Ol' Johnny boy is what we liked to call him. He had this bright idea of staying all Halloween night up at the plantation, Halloween being the scariest night of the year. He dared us, double dog actually. That was the ultimate insult, you might as well have told me I threw like a girl. I couldn't have that, none of us could. Course Ol' Johnny boy didn't go of course, since he wanted to be sure we came home alive, so the six of us went up there by ourselves. Stephen and his sister Hyde, Mary and Frank, me and the love of my life… Natalie."

Jakob could see tears swelling up in his eyes as he said her name, like he was tasting it, remembering all he could about her. He turned around and opened a drawer to his desk, fishing around for something. Jakob leaned a little closer and jumped back when he turned around, holding a picture. His finger caressed the edges, a broken smile split across his face, "She was the most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes on. Them baby browns would make my heart beat so fast, her smooth red hair was like silk around her shoulders, and her smile… it melts my heart still."

He handed the picture to Jakob, wiping a tear from his face. He looked the picture over, seven people, two sitting on the ground looked like brother and sister, both smiling. He guessed that was Stephen and Hyde. Two others were crouched down behind them, one a female with short hair and the other a male with hair that cover his ears. He was placing a baseball cap on her head, both grinning at each other instead of the camera, Mary and Frank he assumed. The three standing behind them, one he could tell was a younger version of Georgie, square jaw, thick neck and shoulders, baseball cap turned backwards, leaning closer to a beauty that Jakob guessed to be Natalie.

"She's beautiful" ,he said aloud as he studied the picture, looking over their faces until he handed it back, knowing he would remember that picture forever. The perfect picture of happiness and love. The guy on the other side of Natalie disturbed him though. He wore a grim half smile, not to nice looking but not completely evil looking either. Something about him sent shivers down Jakob's spin. He pointed at him, "Is this Johnny?"

Georgie nodded, "Not the cutest puppy in the litter, but he was alright. He was like a brother to me, even after we brawled over Natalie. She was the beauty queen at our high school, every guy wanted her. Ol' Johnny boy and I had a wrestling match over who was gonna ask her out. I won, of course that sent him into a state of depression and constant swearing whenever he saw us together, but one day he just got over it. Started chasing Hyde around after a while.

"Anyways, the deal was whoever voiced the dare had to sit out and see if we was man enough to go through with it. If we didn't, we would hold our heads into buckets of ice water until we couldn't handle it any more. It was a sign of humiliation, to us at least. If we did go through with it, successfully, the one who sent out the dare had to streak at the next sports gathering. Yeah, we had a lot of them…"

"Why did you guys do this" ,Jakob asked with a disgusted expression on his face. Georgie shrugged, "Son, we lived in the middle of no where with nothing to do, we had to entertain ourselves and at times the people around town. No hush up and don't ask questions."

Jakob sat back and listened as he continued, "Now we went up there, armed with only our flashlights. We found all sorts of things, satanic symbols on the walls and floor, candles that had been burnt and spilled over, we even found animal sacrifices too. One sick place, it sure was. It smelt of death. Have you ever smelled death, boy?"

Jakob shook his head. Georgie leaned forward and whispered, "Ain't all that pleasant, either. It made me want to hurl and I had a strong stomach. Oh we were freaked out. I remember Natalie tugging at my sleeve, telling me we should leave and face the bucket of ice water. If I had listened, we'd be married and have grandkids right now."

"You can't dwell on the past. We never know what the future would've held for y'all" ,Jakob said in an encouraging voice. Georgie nodded, "Well said, boy. Now, to the witch. Mary and Hyde knew of the satanic worship… dared each other to start something. I told them not to, we all did, but they wasn't going to listen. The lit their candles, they did their little chant and then… poof."

Jakob raised an eyebrow, "Poof?"

"Poof" ,Georgie repeated, "she was there. Those awful black eyes staring us down like we were her neck meal, her crocked smile and growling voice… I believed her to be the devil's mistress. She reached out to Hyde and Mary… they didn't even hesitate. Took her hand like it was something they had practiced all their life. Course that's when I figured out they were into Satanism and all that hocus pocus stuff. Stephen and Frank, I ain't never seen them so scared in my life. They tried to run, but she just took them. Natalie held me, held me so tight and I her. I wasn't gonna let her go, promised her I wouldn't. She was too weak and the witch was too strong. She ripped her from my arms like a rag doll… I can still hear her scream."

Another tear escaped down Georgie's face, this time he didn't attempt to wipe it clean. He frowned, "You know what I remember? I remember the way her hand reached right into Natalie's chest. She was laughing, like it was some kind of game, like she was enjoying her pain. I remember the way Natalie screamed… it could've shattered every window in that house. I yelled, pleaded for her to stop and take me instead, but she only smiled at me. Natalie's body dropped to the floor and I rushed to her, but she was dead. That witch…. That stupid cursed b****! Took everything from me. My friends, my love, my future… I might as well have died that night! Death sure sounds a hell of a lot better than this place!"

Jakob swallowed the lump in his throat, not sure if he should ask him to go on. Georgie cradled his head in his hands, sobbing thick tears and moans, rocking back and forth, "I just want to hold her again…"

He hesitated, but crawled to his knees and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, there was no need for words. He rubbed his shoulders and back, trying to soothe him, but was no good at it. Georgie looked up and wiped his nose, "She didn't take me, no sire she didn't. I begged her to, told her to kill me as well. Said my life wasn't worth living no more, but she shook her head. Instead, she touched the back of my neck and told me my only pain was to continue living. It burned, like she was holding hot coals to me, it burned so bad. I hit the floor, smacked right into a puddle of blood. When I finally came around, it was morning and the witch was gone. I staggered outside, only to come face to face with the local sheriff.

"I tried to tell them what happened, but they all said I was crazy. They tried pinning Natalie, Frank and Stephen's murder on me, but some how I got released of those charges. All the doctors said I was insane and needed medical help fast, so they sent me here. Every now and then, I get these flashes of that place, what it looks like today. Though I was here, I saw them remodel it, clean up all the Satanism symbols and candles, dress it up like they were ready to sell it. I saw every murder, every bad thing that happened to whoever got gutsy enough go up there. I would scream and tell them to turn around, but they couldn't hear me. Doctors said I was adding to my insanity. That was before I discovered these were visions."

"You have visions of the plantation?"

"Sure do, they play out like movies. I've seen every murder that witch has caused, every cursed bad thing up there. She did it so I could see and have that same feeling I had fifty years ago. Watch it all happen and have no ability to stop it. If I was free of this place, I'd kill her myself, send her back down into the fiery pits of hell myself.

"Would you listen to me, here I am an old man now and I talk like I'm a teenager again. I can't do nothing about it… but you can!"

Jakob straightened up, "That's why I came here! My friend and I are trying to shut that place down for good, so no one will ever go up there again."

"Good, its about time somebody stepped up to the plate and did something I should've done a long time ago" ,Georgie said as he crossed his arms in satisfaction. Jakob nodded and leaned forward in interest, "How do we do?"

"Ya got me beat there, kid" ,Georgie shook his head. Jakob frowned, "You mean you don't know how to beat the place?"

"Kid, I've seen priest go up there and do hundred of blessings on the place. They drowned the place in holy water, nothing works. No purification, no nothing. I do have a theory though…"

He turned to his desk and began throwing papers over his shoulders, "I've been doing a lot of research, thinking the best way to rid of it was to burn it. Now, I'm lost here because some people have said the place just won't catch fire. How many old plantations do you know of that are fire proof? None."

Jakob leaned over his shoulder, piles of papers and files on the plantation surrounded him, stacked on the desk, the floor, pinned to the wall, all in the name of research. He stared with his jaw open, "So, if the best way is to burn it, how can we do that if its practically fire proof?"

"Which brings me to my theory" ,he said as he spun back around to face him, "the legend is that witch put a curse over all the land and all the satanic worship and voodoo that went on over the years only made her curse stronger, like throwing gasoline onto a fire. She is like the key to the place. I believe if you kill her, you can kill the whole thing."

"How do we kill something that is not human?"

"Isn't that your job to figure out, ghost buster? That is what you and your friend do" ,Georgie asked as he dropped his chin and stared at him. Jakob swallowed hard, his throat completely dry and cracked, "How did you…"

"I saw your friend shoot an apparition dead. Well, it wasn't exactly an apparition, but something evil and solid. No amateur could've done that on a whim. Which by the way, I've rather enjoyed seeing her and muscle man get all heated up these past couple days. Makes great entertainment…"

Jakob shook his head and blinked over and over, "I didn't need to know that. Okay, so you know about me and Hannah being hunters, great. Do you think if I left my number or something you could alert me about anything else that goes on?"

Georgie ripped out a paper and pen, handing it to him in delight, "I'll do whatever I can to bring this thing down."

"Great" ,Jakob said as he scribbled his name and number onto the paper and handing it back to him, "now, tell me more about Hannah and this muscle man."

Georgie smiled, "Sit down, boy. I've got juicy stuff…"