Chapter 1: November 1694
Winter came early this year. The lack of rain this past summer didn't help with the crops. There was never enough food, but this year was terrible. When I would travel into town, the number of people were hungry and angry increased. It was unfortunate because of the terrible luck that had fallen the growing season. More people would suffer, and it has caused some to grow desperate. There was an increase of thefts and unrest as the summer crawled by. We lost about 70 residents due to starvation. However, what made everyone unsettled was the approaching anniversary of the disappearances of Ivy Sterling, Thatcher Borne and Josephine Rosenthal.
It had been 28 years since that horrific night. Where the Sterling girl and her friends were killed. For months, I would dream of seeing her body on that tree limb. Even though I pulled the trigger at Ivy's request. She told me not to feel guilty about it, but I couldn't help myself. I could have more of an effort to save her life. I didn't blame her family for being enraged for the lack of answers, but if I had told them the truth, I would have been viewed as crazy. I'm still trying to figure out how no one noticed this house before and how I came to truly acquire the mysterious deed.
Over the years, my wife Anne and I unearthed various clues to the origins of this homestead. I found three sets of human remains: two adults and a small child. There was a small pendant found around one of their necks. It read "Clarke". That name wasn't familiar to me, and no one in Norwich had heard of the name. I may have to research this more if things continue to remain as they are. Maybe it can lead to more answers about this place.
Anne had found an intricate chalice. It was in rough shape and needed to be cleaned up. Maybe it could be worth something, or it could be kept in our family as an heirloom. We didn't have much, but I wanted Augustus to have a better life than that of my wife and I. If anything, he could sell it for gold or goods.
Augustus is my six-year-old son and has been the best thing to happen to me. I know most parents say this, but he has brought a bright spot into my life. It felt as if I was given a second chance, even though I was close to the grave. He's helped me forget about the hard times, and the events of that night. That was until he was digging around in the yard about a month ago. He came running into the house to show me his latest find: a broken crossbow with red markings on the barrel. I had a bad feeling when I saw it and confiscated it from him. It has been locked up since that day. He has asked about it a few times, but I've told him to forget about what he found and to not speak of it again.
I had only been to the Hanging Tree twice since the incident. I felt the name was appropriate. I had gone back the following day of the incident to remove Ivy's body off the limb and to give her a proper burial next to Thatcher and Josephine. I had not been accustomed to so much digging and was weary once the task was done. I hoped they were buried deep enough. The second time was tonight when I heard laughter coming from the woods. Fortunately, my wife and son were in town for the week, visiting her sister. Grabbing my pistol, I made my way outside. The laughter was coming from the wood. It got louder the deeper I ventured. I knew where I was headed, and my feeling of uneasiness grew as I saw that tree in the distance.
The laughter stopped and everything seemed suspended in time from that night: the glow from the moonlight was present and it was hazy. I saw the chopped tree limb, the bloodstains still visible. I don't know how that was possible, but nothing about this particular area seemed like it was from this realm.
"Whoever's out there, show yourself now! I am not in the mood for childish antics!" I shouted. There was no response and something in the air shifted. "Show yourself now! I will shoot!"
A high-pitch laugh came from behind me. As I turned around, I saw a translucent figure: Ivy Sterling. She was staring at me with a blank expression; the wound in her stomach was dripping blood. I jumped back, shocked at seeing her. This wasn't probable. Maybe I finally went mad.
"This isn't possible. You're dead," I whispered.
She pointed a bloody finger to the boulder. There was something shiny sitting nearby. It was the chalice my wife found. There was a new inscription: The Chalice of Insanity. What did that mean? Was there some significance to this? I picked it up and placed in my bag. Ivy nodded her head toward the bottom of the hill. I could hear voices. Great, I thought. More people out skulking around, probably trying to find things to steal. As I moved silently to check it out, I could make out three figures.
"…is that it up ahead?" I heard one of them ask. "It feels like we've been walking forever."
"Of course it is, Batcher. There are no other houses this far out of Norwich," responded a female voice.
So, I thought, there are here looking for my house. How dare they! I decided to make my way back to the house before they got closer. In the corner of my eye, I saw Ivy fade away. I felt a pang of sadness at seeing her again and being reminded of what happened, but I needed to press forward and stop these trespassers.
"It looks like no one's home. Maybe this was the night to do this," I heard another female voice remark.
I picked up a rock and got into position behind a tree. Maybe throwing it in their general direction would scare them off and leave my property. I could see them more clearly: it was a young male accompanied by two females. I had seen the one girl before philandering with my nephew in town. I believe she was related to Josephine Rosenthal. This was interesting. A relative of the 'missing' Rosenthal girl prowling around. I watched them approaching the front steps. Chucking the rock into the darkness, I heard it land.
"Ouch! Something hit me!" Oh shit. I ended up hitting one of them. I saw the male and one of the females assemble around the other female. The rock had hit her square in the forehead, and the bleeding was profuse.
"Who the hell is out there?!" The male turned in my direction and held up his lantern. Fortunately, his light wasn't bright enough to see me. I took three steps back, trying not to alert them to my presence. They would come looking for the source of the mysterious flying rock. I wasn't afraid, but I was outnumbered and at least one of them had a weapon. I needed to get into the house and hide out until they decided to leave. Unfortunately, luck was not on my side. There was a loud crack as I stepped down on a branch. There was rustling as two sets of footsteps came toward me. Before I could act, I was grabbed and slammed into a tree, pistol at my temple.
"Just who the hell are you, old man?" the young man snarled at me. "Were you the one who threw the rock at Jackie? Such an atrocious thing to do to a lady! What kind of savage are you?!"
A chuckle escaped the back of my throat. He was shorter than me and didn't sound threatening. "Boy, you're the ones trespassing on MY property. Just what brings all of you out here at this hour?"
"Enough!" The other girl cried out. "If what this gentleman says is true, then we are trespassing, and asking about our reason for being here is acceptable." I watched as she assisted Jackie with bandaging up the wound.
"That's right. What are three children doing out here so late? There are dangerous creatures that lurk in these woods. Creatures to which of the like you've never even seen or heard," I growled. "Leave this place if you want to live another day!"
"Mr. Porter, please hear us out," the younger girl pleaded. "There is a good reason for us being here. Let us explain."
I looked at the girl in disbelief. "How'd you know who I was? I keep to myself and make sure my family gets involved with as few people as possible. Who are you?"
"I am Agatha Sterling. My aunt Ivy was last seen here. I was told her and her friends—"
"Like my brother," interrupted Batcher. "As well as Jackie's aunt. We were told that you were nearby in the woods. You were last person to see them alive! That alone looks pretty suspicious."
I chuckled again. Didn't surprise me they were told I was to blame. It does look suspicious. However, they wouldn't be able to handle the truth as to what really happened. "So, Agatha Sterling…Jackie Rosenthal –"
"It's Jacqueline Rosenthal, Mr. Porter," she snipped.
"Fair enough. Jacqueline," I sarcastically replied, "Can you tell your friend here to let go? Batcher Borne, is it? I knew your father. I respected him. I promise I won't harm any of you unless you give me a valid reason."
I felt Batcher loosen his hold but still refused to release me. "He didn't think much of you after my brother went missing. But I am told he was one of the few who didn't want to see you hang," he said. "Something about your family having a high moral compass and being from a respectable background. What did happen to my brother? You must know."
I felt apprehensive. He did have the right to know what happened to Thatcher, but this was not the appropriate setting. It was getting cold. The girls were starting to shiver in their thin cloaks. I was glad I started a fire before venturing out. Hopefully it wouldn't take much to get it restarted. I had asked him again if he would release me, and we could talk this out civilly in the house and away from the bitter wind.
"I suppose that would be fair," Batcher replied as he let go. We made our way into the house. I was surprised to see the fire still roaring but after being in the cold for longer than necessary, it felt nice. Agatha and Jacqueline made their way to the fireplace.
"Would you like some tea? Then I can tell you exactly what happened to your family members," I asked them.
"That would be kind of you. Thank you, Mr. Porter," said Agatha. She got up to fetch some water, I stopped her.
"You stay by the fire and warm up. And call me Thacker." I walked into the kitchen to get some water to heat up. The others were chatting quietly among themselves about their families and trying to figure what they hoped to accomplish going forward. I had caught that Jacqueline had assisted wounded soldiers during King William's War. She was 19 years old and how all those dead bodies still haunt her. I felt somewhat of a connection with her on that end. Seeing innocent lives die for unjust reasons. It messes with a person.
"How did you even get involved in King William's War? A battlefield is no place for a woman to be," I inquired. Jacqueline twirled to look at me, a somber expression on her face.
"It's rather an odd story. My brothers Josiah and Judah were called to fight. While my brother Josiah was more than keen to go, my brother Judah was terrified. He was only 14-years-old. When the constables came to gather my brothers, I was mistaken as a boy and was taken in go fight."
"How were you mistaken as a boy? Especially at 19. I would like to think anyone would be able to tell…" I chose not to finish the rest of my comment. I saw her face flush a little as she turned back to the fire and continued.
"While I was assisting my mother making dinner, I leaned over the fire too far. My hair caught on fire. Suppose it was a good thing Josiah acted fast and threw water at me. Surprised I didn't end up bald. So, it was the lack of hair and had finished chores when they arrived." She turned back to face me and chuckled lightly. "It was figured out quick that I wasn't a man, but I did end up helping those in the infirmary. I don't wish that on anyone…it was horrible."
The four of us ended up talking for hours. After explaining to them what had happened to each of their relatives, a lot of misunderstanding and confusion was cleared up. Agatha was the most horrified to learn what happened, but she didn't seem to despise me for what happened. In fact, she seemed appreciative. "At least she didn't have to suffer terribly long," she remarked.
I learned that Batcher was the town's medical practitioner alongside his brother Andrew. Batcher never knew Thatcher as he had passed years before Batcher was born. Agatha had taught herself to read and write. She was well-educated for her age. She would definitely go to university if she would be allowed. She was currently being courted by one of the Fonseca boys. She was peculiar as she had no interest in the life of a housewife. She didn't mention it, but she felt there was more to life than that. It would get her killed if she breathed a word of it. "You're safe here. No one will know of your wishes other than us here," I commented to her.
She smiled as she poked at the dying fire. "Where do you keep the wood? This fire is dying, and it'll be another frigid night." I shook my head as she stood up to look around.
"No, you're my guest. I can go fetch some more," I replied.
She remained standing. "Please, Thacker. I insist. Is it outside? I need to get some fresh air anyway."
Chuckling, I said she was stubborn and told her it was by the small shed in the back of the house. She lifted the hood on her cloak and went outside. The rest of us resumed our conversation while we waited for her to come back. Some time had passed and when I was getting more water, I didn't see Agatha outside. In fact, I didn't see her at all. I grabbed my gun and rushed outside.
"Thacker? Is something wrong?" I heard Batcher say as he got up to follow me to the door.
"Where's Agatha? How long has she been gone?" I asked. "Should have known better than to let her go out on her own." I was thankful for the mostly full moon tonight. The sky was clear as well so it was easier to look around. Batcher and Jacqueline were calling out for her while I continued to search.
"Hey! I see a light. Deep in the woods. Do you think it's Agatha?" Batcher asked. My blood froze as I looked where he was pointing. That's the direction of the Hanging Tree. Nothing good could come from that.
"We need to hurry!" I took off as fast as my old body allowed. Agatha didn't need to suffer the same fate as Ivy. Batcher and Jacqueline ran past me, calling out for their friend.
"Agatha! Where are you?" Jacqueline shouted. She started heading to the entrance where the Hanging Tree was and I yelled for her to stop. "Why? There isn't anything in there." She looked confused.
"Trust me. Do not go into there. That tree is bad news." The three of us stood at the entry. We heard a twig snap nearby and as we looked that direction. Agatha was slowly coming toward us. She didn't appear to be harmed, but she did look troubled. She was holding something in her hand but I couldn't see what it was.
"Sweetheart, where did you end up? I told you the pile of firewood was in the back of the house. How did you end up all the way out here?" I started walking toward her; however, something told me to stay back.
She didn't answer me. She was looking around in a dazed like state. Whatever she was holding, she held it close to her body and was trying to hide it from the rest of us.
"Agatha…are you okay? You look pale. What's that in your hand?" Batcher asked.
She finally acknowledged us. "Before I could gather the kindling, there was a bright light. It was beckoning me to follow it."
"You foolish girl! What made you think that was a good idea? You could have been killed!" I yelled. "There are many dangers out here."
Agatha ignored me and continued. "The light brought me to this clearing. Where the Hanging Tree was. Once I stepped in, the light turned into a girl about the same age as me. She looked like me. I was alarmed by the similarities but she reassured me that it was okay. She pointed to a boulder where there were three wooden crosses. I came to the realization this is where my aunt and the others were buried." She looked at me with stern eyes. "Am I correct, Mr. Porter?"
I solemnly nodded. She resumed by saying that after she said a quick prayer for the dead, something shiny caught her eye near the tree.
"I found this brooch tangled in the tree's roots...when I reached for it, a hand shot up from the ground and grabbed my wrist," she whispered. "I know that sounds ridiculous, but hear me out. I heard a voice inside my head. I think it was from the spirit that has come from within this brooch."
She held up the brooch to show us. There appeared to be some kind of red liquid inside the centerpiece. It appeared to move on its own? No, I had to be seeing things.
"The voice said to me, 'It is time for revenge at last. I chose to bleed into the chalice, but I was killed for it. But I will have the last laugh. I will get my vengeance. What those fools don't know is that I still serve him'. Then, a spectral being appears briefly in front of me. He reminded me of a Viking warrior I've seen in books. He pointed to the brooch and told me to look to it for answers."
Jacqueline and Batcher both looked at me, their faces unsettled by their friend's behavior. My uneasiness increased with her fanatical statements. It didn't make any sense. This was starting to sound like the ramblings of a crazy person. It seems we all came to the same conclusion: we see formerly friendly eyes now filled with bloodlust. I noted the rough carvings of strange symbols on her skin. There was blood all over her arms, but Agatha didn't seem to notice.
"I didn't understand at first what he was talking about," she continued. She gave a soft, but unsettling giggle. "I could feel something stir inside me. It was almost like I became one with the spirit who was talking to me. All those intense emotions were foreign to me. But the more I studied this brooch, the more I started to realize just how… livid I am. What happened to my aunt wasn't right. What happened to my new friend wasn't right. And it's your fault." Agatha pointed her finger at me. Her eyes darkened, and she flashed a sinister smile. "I am filled with a rage I've never felt before. But it feels great. Now I understand why Leif…that's the name of the Viking spirit I met…called this the Brooch of Rage."
Jacqueline took a few steps toward her friend. "Agatha, what's gotten into you? I have never seen you this distressed. What happened to your aunt wasn't right, but how is it Thacker's fault?"
Agatha turned her attention to Jacqueline. "HE LET HER DIE! He could have saved her, but chose to let her die slowly and painfully. He's a monster! It is time to kill him. It's time to kill all of you. I can't trust any of you."
I shot Jacqueline a look, telling her to make her way over to Batcher and I. We needed to get away from Agatha before she did something extreme. It was apparent now that she was possessed by this evil spirit. We needed to try and figure out how to get it out of her. We had to move. We would lose to her if we tried to take her on in this open space. We needed to get into the house and trap her.
"She was falsely accused as a witch. She was killed for that reason. And all of you are to blame!" Agatha continued, laughing manically between sentences. "Just like Leif…he was just trying to beckon Him from the center of Hell. It was for the better. By summoning Him, it would have made everyone's lives better. Wipe out the useless, keep the useful. There are too many people as it is…we only need the useful to remain and make everything better…"
As she muttered incoherently, I decided to take this chance to get the three of us into the house. We needed to stop her. Hopefully it wasn't too late to save her. It didn't make me feel good to have to potentially kill another member of the Sterling family. Ivy didn't need to die. That was a situation of unfortunate circumstance…I just hope we didn't have to kill Agatha.
We made our way back to my house swiftly and without Agatha noticing us leaving. As soon as I reached for the door, I pushed Jacqueline inside. As Batcher was about to step inside, he was snatched into the darkness.
"Just go! I got this!" he screamed.
I followed his order and ran inside. Even through the walls, we could hear a struggle. Jacqueline and I made the mistake of looking out the window. We could see Batcher's body fly against the side of the house with a sickening crack. We watched as he tried to get up to see Agatha standing over him, his pistol in her hand. We heard him shout at her before the sound of the gun went off, the bullet going through his forehead. He dropped instantaneously. But even though he was dead, Agatha continued to shoot his body until the barrel was empty. Unsatisfied with this, she pulled out a dagger and started stabbing him repeatedly.
Jacqueline let out a scream, but I managed to cover her mouth and pulled her away from the window. As we backed up, I could see Agatha whip her head at the window and stared at us darkly. Her eyes had this insane, unstable look and her smile was frightening. She was covered in Batcher's blood. She pulled the dagger out of his chest and made her way to the house.
Knowing we needed to hurry, I gently turned Jacqueline around. She was sobbing uncontrollably. I needed her to help me stop this crazed child. I couldn't do it alone. "I need you to listen to me. Go upstairs to the master bedroom. It'll be the second door on the right. Buried inside a wooden crate, you'll find a crossbow. Once you find it, bring it to me and then I'll give you my pistol."
"Please! We aren't going to kill her, are we?" Jacqueline cried. "No, she's just a victim to that evil entity. I know Agatha. She is the sweetest girl I know. Promise me you won't kill her!"
I sighed deeply. "Do you want to die? We can't take that chance. Now go get the crossbow like I asked. If she gets in here before you come back, I'll hold her back as best as possible. If anything happens, there is a secret door in the master bedroom that has a chute leading outside into the garden. Take that and run into town for help. Can you do that for me?"
She nodded tearfully as she got up and made her way upstairs. I checked my pistol; I still had all my bullets. A loud banging at the door got my attention and I readied myself. Child or not, whatever possessed Agatha wasn't going down without a fight. A sharp crack indicated it wouldn't be long until the door was destroyed and she would be here, ready to shed more blood. I heard a scream outside the door as she finally broke through.
"Are you ready to die, Thacker? Don't fight your fate, and I promise you won't suffer too much." That wasn't her voice. I did note a fresh gash on her forearm that was bleeding profusely. She rushed at me with inhuman speed, and I barely escaped her mad dash. When I dodged her, she let out another scream of frustration and hysteria. Agatha took the dagger out from her boot and slashed her other forearm. Crimson flowed freely down and dripped on the floor.
"…you have to hit your mark. Or else you will be punished." I heard her whisper. She started smacking herself violently. "Stupid, stupid! Do you want to die? Then you need to kill them!"
I heard the floorboards above me creak. Shit, I thought. Jacqueline. Agatha must have heard it as well as she took off running toward the stairs. "Jacqueline!" I shouted. "Agatha is coming! You need to hide!"
The rushed steps meant she heard me. Good, I thought. That would buy us a little time. I also wondered why Agatha didn't kill me before going after Jacqueline. It didn't really matter. If we didn't stop her, there was no doubt we'd be dead before morning. Then who knows what would happen after that. Would she continue to go on a killing spree, or would she be set free once she finished her purpose? That would have to be figured out later as I needed to help Jacqueline. As I reached the landing, there was a loud thud to my left. Looking for the source of the noise, I saw the crossbow lying there.
"How did you get there?" I asked myself. There were three arrows in the quiver. They couldn't afford to be wasted. Making my way upstairs, it wasn't hard to track Agatha's steps. The trail of blood made it easy. It appeared she went straight to the master bedroom. I hoped I wasn't too late. Quietly making my way to the doorway, I saw Agatha not too far off, her back to me. She didn't seem to sense my presence as she was looking for Jacqueline.
"Jackie…please come out. We need to get out of here," I heard Agatha's voice. She was trying to deceive the other girl to come out. She wasn't that stupid. I chanced it and took a sweeping glance around the room before ducking out of sight. I didn't see Jacqueline. Maybe she was able to hide in another room before Agatha made it up. But then I saw slight movement from behind the door. I looked through the crack; Jacqueline's back was to me. She didn't seem to notice me. I hoped Agatha wouldn't slam the door shut or else Jacqueline would be exposed with nowhere to go.
I loaded the first arrow and fired at Agatha. It grazed her shoulder, which caused her to shriek in pain. She twisted to face me. "You're just asking to die, aren't you?" She came running at me. I loaded the second arrow and shot at her again. The arrow made its target: her chest. There was a ghastly look on her face as she fell to the floor, blood pouring from the injury. There was a dark mist that came from her body and flew past me.
"I never abandoned you!" An unfamiliar voice cried. It almost sounded like the voice Agatha had earlier. Was it that Leif guy she mentioned? "I come now to join you in Hell!"
Dropping the crossbow, I rushed to Jacqueline to make sure she was okay. She was shaking and crying, but appeared unscathed. I pulled her into a tight hug and tried consoling her. She pulled away and fell next to Agatha's body. She wasn't breathing and remained unmoving as Jacqueline gathered her in her arms.
What madness is this? I had more questions than answers at this point. What would a Viking be doing here, and why? This homestead offers so many questions and so few answers. I should get a priest to put crucifixes up around the house. Merely as a precaution, of course. Anne wouldn't be opposed.
The brooch fell from Agatha's pocket. It was cracked in the center and the blood spilled out. It started to pool on the floor and started to sizzle violently. It looked as if it was being rejected by the environment it was exposed. The pool of blood disappeared as fast as it appeared. A permanent stain was left in its place. I picked up the brooch and placed it inside one of the pocket's on Agatha's dress.
"She's dead, isn't she?" whispered Jacqueline. She looked up at me, her eyes filled with tears for her fallen friend. All I could do was nod at her. It didn't feel good to have to kill another child. Another Sterling. I owed it to her family to bring the body back. However, I would have to lie. Again. There's no way they would believe this, even with Jacqueline backing me up. It was too unnatural and absurd.
'You know we'll have to bring Agatha and Batcher's bodies back to their families. It's the right thing to do. But we cannot tell them the truth. We would be hung on the spot," I explained to Jacqueline. "It wouldn't be a bad idea for you to start over somewhere new. Far from here." Her eyes widened at this comment.
"But why? I didn't do anything wrong," she said. She brushed a strand of hair from Agatha's face.
I knelt beside her. "Life isn't fair sometimes. I have a bad feeling this is far from over. But for now, the horrors seem to be settled. Come now, we will need to retrieve Batcher's body and cleaned them up a little bit before. We will also need to corroborate a convincing story to the Sterling's and Borne's."
Picking up Agatha's body, I led Jacqueline out of the room, and we made our way downstairs. I told her to start cleaning up the body as I went to recover Batcher's body. As I walked out of the house, the sun was starting to come up. We didn't have much time. After bringing his body into the house, we got to work making them as presentable as we could manage. Jacqueline and I decided on the following tale: while making their way back to Norwich, the three of them were attacked by a group of bandits. They stabbed Batcher to death as he tried protecting the girls. The rogues kidnapped Agatha and Jacqueline was able to escape them. She would come across my house as she was trying to flee. I would help tend to her wounds and while trying to hunt down the rogues, we would discover Agatha's corpse. As Jacqueline and I loaded up a cart with the bodies to take to town, we didn't notice the two shadows staring at us from the kitchen window.
