Halloween Story

A James Everhard Adventure

By Wayne Wallace

 

Scene 1

It was late October, but still a warm night, 80 degrees or so.  Everhard and his old friend, Chief of Detectives Bill Chaple sat at the bar at Rick’s Café American’, drinking and reflecting on their many adventures.  “Why you gutsy old bastard, If you hadn’t shown up when you did with that 12 gauge Mossburg, I’d be worm droppings about now,” Everhard said laughingly.  “Well if you hadn’t wasted that crack head when you did out in LA, he’d have ventilated me with that chrome .45 “countered Chaple,   “losers,” a man at the end of the bar uttered, shaking his head.  Both the adventurers jerked their heads around and stared at the man.  He was pale, as pale as death and he had hollow, deep set, blood-shot, dark eyes. He was very thin and wore a black coat and hat in spite of the unusually warm night.  The thin fingers that gripped the beer he was drinking reminded the men of a bony, skeletal hand.  His fingernails were yellowed and cracked.  Wispy, white hair stuck out from under his hat. .  Neither Everhard nor Chaple had ever seen the man before.  “Scuse me buddy but….”Everhard was cut off mid sentence.  “You pathetic losers wouldn’t last one night in the old Hudson Mansion.” The strange, old man cackled.  The room fell as silent as a tomb as the old man spoke.  Finally, Chaple broke the silence, “The old Hudson Mansion.  Is that a fricking haunted house?  I’ve heard this one old timer!” Chaple punched Everhard’s shoulder laughingly and gulped down his umpteenth double scotch.  Suddenly, the old man jumped to his feet, drawing a collective “Gasp” of surprise from the patrons of the bar who were watching and listening to the exchange intently.  The old man pointed a bony finger at the two adventurers and said, “You two unworthy braggarts would not last overnight in the home of the spirits!  The guardians will first take your sanity and then your worthless lives.”  The old man took a yellowed card from his pocket and stuck it in Everhard’s shirt pocket.  Everhard winced as the old man’s breath struck him in the face.  It smelled of dank cellars, and cob webbed crypts; the old man’s breath held the smell of death.  The old man turned and sneered at the bar patrons, who recoiled in unison, as if they had been slapped.  And then the old man simply disappeared.   Weeks later,  in numerous retellings of the event, eye witnesses would say, “The creepy old bastard just vanished!  The door never opened, yet he was gone.  And the air temperature in the room dropped 20 degrees.  Frost exhalations came from everyone’s mouths and we all shivered from the sudden cold.  I’m tellin’ you, he scared the living bejesus outa’ me!”

Everhard pulled the crumpled, yellowed card from his pocket.  In bold Edwardian script, it said:

 

            Hudson House

666 Hemlock Hill Road

October 31, 11PM

If you are man enough

Everhard handed the card to the cigar chomping Detective.  “Whaddya’ make of this?”  He growled around the glowing stogie.  “I don’t know”  Everhard replied, “but I intend to find out.”  The gauntlet had been thrown down, anyone who knew James Everhard Jr. knew that one NEVER, EVER insulted or even joked about his manliness or bravery without expecting one hell of a fight.  “Aw shit!” Chapel grunted, not at all amused,  “I think I know where we’ll be spending Halloween this year.”

 

Scene 2

            “Where the hell is Hemlock Hill Road?”  Everhard asked.  No one replied.  From behind the bar. Marshal, the friendly bartender produced a map of the city.  Everhard unfolded it and began his search, the ten other bar patrons, tried to read the map over his shoulder. Everyone in the bar was pouring over the map except Chaple.  Chaple had stationed himself in a corner booth with a bowl of Marshal’s “Lethal Chili”.  The detective was crushing saltines and pouring them into the bowl of toxic waste and muttering to himself; “Damn crazy son-of-a-bitch.  All that old fart had to do was question his nerve and that damn Everhard would have jumped into an active volcano!  Frickin’ crazy thing is that I always end up going with him!  Shit! I’m the crazy one!”  Chaple’s muttering was interrupted by an old friend who had entered the bar.  “Hiya William honey.  You in the mood this evening?”  The redhead in the red sequined gown that showed a virtual grand canyon of cleavage gave Chaple a little kiss on the cheek. “Give ya’  a frequent user’s discount.”  “Not tonight, Red”, the Detective grumbled, Frickin’ Everhard’s is getting us Into another wild goose chase, and I’m just not in the mood!”  The redhead smiled and said, “frickin’ Everhard, hmmmm, I should be so lucky!.  He neva’ comes around anymore.”  Chaple stared at the redhead.  “Didn’t ya’ know?  Everhard settled down, he’s a married man now.”  The redhead was so taken aback that her left breast popped out of her bodice.  “What!?  Everhard is married? Well I’m always the last ta know,” the redhead said, stuffing the exposed boob back into her dress.  “Stands to reason,  best looking man in town, hung like a race horse and got money to boot!  How come all the good ones get married Bill?”  “I’m not married Red,” Bill answered  “The question’s the same Bill,” she said as she ran the tail of her red feather boa over his smoldering cigar and headed towards the  bar.

            At the polished rosewood bar, Everhard was intently searching a map that was spread out in front of him.  The redhead stealthfully crept up and had embraced him and placed her lips on his before he could protest.  Her tongue darted between his teeth and Everhard lightly bit it as he picked the redhead up, off the floor breaking the embrace.  “Just wanted to congratulate you on the recent nuptials James,” the redhead told him.  “Thanks Red,” Everhard told her, “but I’m a little busy right now.”  “”How about I giveya’ a wedding present Jim?”  Before Everhard could reply, a voice from the other side of the bar called out, “I gotchur present right here honey.”  Butch Cassidy was holding his crotch as he hailed the redhead.  “Gotta go love, customer waiting,” Red told Everhard as she darted across the bar.  Everhard breathed a sigh of relief.

            “Find the haunted mansion,James?”  Chaple asked sarcastically as he walked up to the bar and farted loudly.  “Jesus Bill! Have you been eating Marshal’s chili again?” Everhard asked.  “”Excellent stuff”, Chapel belched.  “That shit could melt iron!” Everhard quipped. “I found the street, it’s about twenty minutes out of town   Guess they’ll have a couple of grown-up trick-or-treaters tomorrow night,” Everhard laughed.  Chaple just rolled his eyes and expelled some more hot gas.

 

Scene 3

            Lightning flashed, thunder rolled and the rain came down in blinding sheets.  Everhard shot up the mountain pass at 80 mph in his red Viper.  Chaple held onto the seat with a white knuckled grip.  He growled around the ever-present cigar butt, ”Damnit,  Everhard this thunderstorm has the roadway wet and treacherous, do you have to frickin’ kill us before we even get there?”  Everhard slowed down to 60 around the wet, treacherous mountain curves.  “You know, since you retired Bill, you’ve turned into an old woman!” Everhard told his friend.  “The way you drive James, neither of us will ever live to be be old anythings!” complained Chaple.

            At last the road flattened out near the top of the hill and they spied an old street sign that read  “Hemlock Hill Road.”  “It Looks like nobody has used this road in twenty years.” Chaple grunted as Everhard swerved to miss rocks and chug holes in the pavement.  After a few minutes, the two adventurers saw a huge mansion silhouetted against the western sky.  The frequent lightning bolts lit the sky,  giving them a good view of the old place.  It was a rambling three story Victorian home that was probably 20,000 square feet or more.  At each corner of the roof a spire rose another twenty feet into the air with made it look lot like a medieval castle.  Everhard slid the Viper to a stop, and the two men got out and walked through the rain to the massive front door.  James Everhard  checked his Tag Hauer wristwatch; 11 PM exactly!

            There were no lights visible inside the old mansion but Everhard grabbed a huge iron ring attached to the door and banged it against the door.  “Bang, bang. ”the huge iron rings resounded against the wood.  “Great knockers!” Everhard chuckled, borrowing a line from one of his favorite movies, Young Frankenstein. Somewhere in the distance a horse whinnied. Chaple put his hand on the grip of his shoulder-holstered .357 magnum.

 

Scene 4

            The huge oaken door creaked slowly open and a giant of a man holding a candelabra stood there.  A very deep voice said, “welcome to Hudson House gentlemen, you are expected.”  Everhard, who at 6’4”, rarely looked up at anyone, stared, open mouthed at the imposing figure who had opened the door.  He stood a good foot taller than Everhard and was built like an NFL linebacker.  His broad shoulders and heavily muscled arms were covered by a black tuxedo coat. His legs, which resembled tree trunks were covered by black tuxedo pants.  His thick neck was encircled by a ruffled white dress shirt and black bow tie.  The huge butler’s head was shaven clean.  One of his eyes was permanently closed by an angry looking scar that ran from his chin to his left temple.  “Please forgive the darkness gentlemen, the storm has rendered us without electricity.  I have put candles throughout the house.  I hope you will not be too inconvenienced.” The huge butler told them.  “Please follow me to the library where the first guardian will greet you.”  They followed the huge man down a dark corridor.  “Just exactly who are these guardians?” Everhard asked the huge butler.  “The guardians are the spirits who guard the home for the late members of the Hudson family, who inhabit Hudson house, four generations of them.” The butler answered.  “Spirits??” Chaple questioned, “You mean dead people, ghosts?”  The butler stopped in his tracks, turned and addressed Detective Chaple, “why of course, what did you expect detective, a Tupperware party on Hallloween night in the Hudson Home!!??  The huge butler laughed eerily at his own joke, ”ha, ha, ha, ha.” and opened the door to the library.  “This way gentlemen. Someone will be with you shortly.”  The two men stepped into the cavernous library as the butler closed the door and left them alone.

            The room was filled with old and rare books from floor to ceiling on all four walls.  The room smelled of dust, and mildew.  The light of the candles revealed elegant, old Victorian furniture in the center of the room.  Everhard sat down on a wine colored leather sofa.  “James, how can you be so fricking calm in this spook house?” Chaple asked. “Relax Bill, let’s see what these ghouls have to offer us tonight,’ Everhard replied.  “If the next spook is any scarier than that guy, I might just shoot the bastard!” Chaple told him matter-of-factly.  “Now just keep that blunderbuss of yours holstered Bill, remember, it’s Halloween, where’s your holiday spirit?”  “My holiday spirit is waiting for freakin’ Thanksgiving like it oughta’ be.  I never considered Halloween a freakin’ holiday! It’s a night for geeks and freaks and wierdos, and I don’t like it one damn bit!”  Chaple nearly spit out his cigar with his last outburst. His alert detective’s eyes spied a tarantula in the candlelight, the size of a man’s hand skitter up the wall into the dark shadows. The men’s conversation stopped suddenly as they noticed the library’s doorknob begin to slowly turn…..

 

Scene 5                                                   

            The door slowly opened inward and a hunched figure came into the room.  As the figure moved into the light, the two adventurers could see that it was wearing a hooded robe, much like one a medieval monk might wear.  Inside the hood, all that was visible was a pair of yellowed eyes.  The eyes glowed eerily.   “Welcome gentlemen”, a voice coming from the hood said.  “I am Alpha, the first of several guardians who will visit you this night.”   “What’s it all about Alphie?”  Everhard quipped, still seated in the leather chair.  “Holy shit,  frickin’ spook in our presence and he’s doing movie trivia!”  Chaple muttered around the smoldering cigar butt.  The strangely cloaked guardian continued, “I will tell you the tragic story of the Hudson family and about the curse that plagues this house.”  “Please do,” Everhard said cheerfully.  Chaple just grunted.

            “Around the turn of the 19th century, Benjamin Hudson built this house.  He and his family came to this land from England.  Benjamin Hudson was the great grandson of the explorer Henry Hudson who discovered the Northwest Passage and for whom the Hudson River is named.  Perhaps you two have heard of him.”  The guardian said with a hint of sarcasm.  “My old man had a 48’ Hudson, great automobile!” Chaple said nervously.  The guardian continued;”Benjamin and his wife Louise had 3 children, all boys. On All Hallows Eve, 1810, the eldest of those boys, Edwin, accidentally hanged himself as he and his brothers were playing in the rafters of the carriage house.  The family was of course devastated, but they carried on as families must.  The following All Hallows Eve, 1811, a tragic fire in the barn claimed the life of the next oldest son, Aaron.  In those days, Witches and other evil spirits were believed to roam the earth on this evening, playing tricks on human beings to mark the season of diminishing sunlight. Bonfires were lit, offerings were made of dainty foods and sweets, and people would disguise themselves as one of the roaming spirits, to avoid demonic persecution.  Louise Hudson, understandably hated the evening known as Halloween.  By this time, Louise was so distraught at the loss of her two eldest sons on this dreadful eve and she dreaded the coming of Halloween so much that she became quite mad, and threw herself down the well and drowned on the next Halloween eve, 1812.  The Father, Benjamin lived to a ripe old age and died quite naturally in his sleep at the age on 70.without having experienced any more tragic Halloweens.  The youngest son, Homer, married a lovely girl named Frances and they had three sons of their own, Elton., Andrew, and Michael.  The family also lived in this very house.  On Halloween night, 1835, Elton Hudson, the eldest of Homer and Frances’ sons was thrown from his horse while riding through the woods on the property and broke his neck.  What became known as the Hudson House Halloween Curse was again claiming lives after a 23 year absence.  Homer and his wife refused to believe there was a curse until the following Halloween.  Homer, his wife and two surviving sons traveled far away from the cursed mansion to England on this Halloween Eve to escape the tragic coincidences that had claimed so many lives. Just before midnight,  the eldest surviving son Andrew became ill, running a high fever and chills.  A doctor was summoned but the lad was dead before he could arrive.  The malady that claimed Andrew’s life was never identified.  The mother, Frances grieved the death of her second son to such a degree that she was never again seen in public but was said to wear nothing but black in perpetual mourning for her two lost sons. The following Halloween Evening, Frances was found dead in her bed, the victim of an apparent overdose of headache powders.  Two more generations of Hudsons lived in this house and each generation had 3 sons.  And each generation lost the two eldest tragically, and ALL on All Hallows Eve.  The youngest son of the last generation of Hudsons vowed to not marry and have no heirs, thus putting an end to the curse”.  The hooded figure turned and walked towards the fireplace that housed a roaring, crackling fire on this cold, rainy Halloween Eve.  “So nobody else died?” Chaple asked  “On the contrary Detective, every Halloween, someone is invited here on a dare and without exception, their bodies have been found on the morning of November first!  Four generations of Hudson spirits still live within these walls and we, the guardians must protect them.  We do so by getting some foolhardy person or persons, as in your case, to come here on Halloween Eve.  Their deaths appease the evil demons and the Hudsons are not forced, even after their earthly lives have ended, to suffer any more demonic persecution.”. Everhard finally stood and walked toward the hooded figure, “Very neat little ghost story, my friend.  But I’m not buying it!”  Everhard reached out and grabbed the cloak and jerked it towards him.  The hooded garment crumpled in Everhard’s hands and whatever or whoever had been inside, merely vanished.  Everhard tossed the empty garment into the fireplace and watched it burn.  “Cummon’ James, let’s get the hell outa this nuthouse!” Chaple begged.  “No, that’s exactly what they want, us to run like scared rabbits.  I’m ready to see what else they have!” Everhard said defiantly.  “I was afraid of that!.” Chaple said , tossing an old cigar butt into the fireplace and replacing it with anew, unlit stogie.

 

Scene 6                                      

            “Where’s your holiday spirit Bill?” Everhard chuckled.  “I told you, you idiot!  This ain’t no frickin’ holiday!  It’s an odd ball night for crazies and ghouls like that last spook, and I don’t think it’s one damn bit festive!” Chaple grumbled around his fresh stogie.  “Cummon’, let’s explore this place.” Everhard said as he opened the library door.  “Jesus, Joseph and Mary!” Chaple swore, “let’s just get the hell out of this spook house and go back to Rick’s.  I could use a drink!” Chaple pleaded, but Everhard just ignored his protests, picked up a candelabra by the door and headed down the enormous hallway.  Chaple hesitated for just a moment, grumbling something about “the crazy, frickin’ son of a bitch,” when he realized that Everhard had proceeded down the hallway and that he was alone in the library.  Just then Chaple again spied the huge tarantula on the wall, calmly munching on a cockroach, and the retired lawman ran to catch up with his foolhardy partner.

            The duo traveled down the hallway to what must have been a living room.  It was huge, lighted only by a single candelabra, and all the furniture was covered with sheets to protect it from dust.  The sheet draped furniture in the candlelight made eerie shadows on the wall and Chaple’s teeth chattered involuntarily. 

            The next room they encountered was the grand ballroom.  It was enormous.  One end of the room was filled with long tables and chairs.  A crowd of over 100 could have dined there.  The other end of the room housed a stage large enough for a full orchestra and there was a huge parquet wood dance floor.  There were large family portraits on the wall and Everhard moved closer to one of them to investigate.  “Hey, these are portraits of the Hudson family,” Everhard said as he walked around the huge room inspecting the oil painted canvases by candlelight.  Here’s Benjamin and his wife Louise and over here is old Henry himself with his ship the Half Moon in the background.  Did you know that he, his son John and seven loyal crewmen were put to sea in a small boat by his mutinous crew and never seen again?  Bad way to go.” Everhard shook his head and moved to the next picture.  “Very accurate Mr. Everhard,” a deep voice coming from somewhere in the shadows of the great room boomed.  “I didn’t realize that you were a history buff.  It might further interest you to know,” the voice continued, “that the good captain, his son and loyal members of his crew were set adrift on October 31st, 1611. All Hallows Eve.  Many people believe that this was the beginning of the Hudson curse.”  A tall figure glided from the shadows into the circle of light that was the only light in the room. Chaple gasped audibly at the sight of the hideous man. Half of the tall man’s face was normal, but the half on the left side of his grotesquely broken nose looked as if it had been melted.  Rivulets of flesh seemed to run down his cheek.  His left eye protruded from its socket and hung precariously by its nerve endings and lay on his melted cheek. His twisted, distorted mouth looked vile and gruesome.  Neither Everhard nor Chaple said a word, but waited for the man with the disfigured face to continue.  At last he spoke,  “I am Lamda,  one of the many guardians of the Hudson family.  I need to know what you intend to do here.  Do you plan to stay for the arrival of the family?”  “Absolutely!” replied Everhard, a bit too cheerfully,   “If you’re not one of them, I’m as good as gone!” Chaple told the guardian in a trembling voice.  “Steady Bill, steady,” Everhard calmly said, holding his old friend’s sleeve so he wouldn’t retreat.  “Besides, we were invited here,” Everhard said pulling the yellowed invitation from his pocket, “and we have no knowledge of the agenda.  We’re just here for the party.”    The tall man seemed to float across the floor rather than walk.  He floated right up to within inches of the two mens’ faces and shouted at them, “Party, you call it a party?  On the night when you both choose to die!!  His booming voice echoed through the huge room.  “That’s it, you’re toast you Mother F……,” and Chaple pulled out his S&W .357 magnum.  Three unbelievably loud explosions erupted and the air was filled with the smell of cordite.  The three large slugs all found their mark and thudded into the man’s body with a sickening wet sound like they had hit an over ripe melon.  The two men’s ears rang from the gunfire.  The large, disfigured man looked at the holes in his torso with curious interest and then looked at the two men.  Chaple still held the smoking pistol.  “Fools, don’t you get it?  We are already dead.  All of us!  And soon, you will join us in our eternal quest for peace from the evil demons.”  Then, as had the last guardian, the tall man simply disappeared.  “Why’d you have to shoot him?” Everhard asked.  “Why,  do you think it pissed him off?” he said sarcastically, “ I hit him point blank three times in the heart and he laughed it off.  I gotta pee”.  Chaple confided in his friend. 

 

Scene 7                                         

            Chaple relieved himself in one of the ornate brass spittoons next to the double-doored entrance.  “Let’s check out the rest of this place,” James Everhard said.  Chaple just shook his head in disbelief at the other man’s lunatic tenacity.  As they both slowly moved down the great hall, Chaple continued to complain.  “I just killed some creep who wouldn’t die.  Then he tells us that we’re going to die tonight.  Each one of these ghouls is worse than the last and YOU, are apparently determined to stay for the grand finale’.  Everhard, you are out of your friggin’ head!”  Everhard continued down the hallway, saying nothing. 

            The twosome finally came to the end of the long hallway.  It opened up into an enormous foyer and a double grand staircase.  Everhard started up one side of the staircase.  “Everhard!  Where are you going?”  Chaple called after him.  “Cummon Bill, don’t you want to see where the family sleeps?” Everhard called as he bounded up the stairs.  “Not on your frickin’ life!  No sir, I’m not the slightest bit curious.” But the complaining detective reluctantly followed his partner up the stairs.

            At the top of the stairs, beyond the second floor landing, they encountered another long, pitch dark, hallway.  As the candles shown in the hallway they noticed doors on both sides, all the way down the hall.  “Jesus, Bill, look at all these bedrooms!”  Everhard exclaimed.  Chaple just grunted.  Everhard went down the hallway, trying doors as he came to them.  Locked, “he said.  Then after trying several doors, one doorknob turned and clicked open.  Everhard stepped into the room and the door slammed shut behind him.  Chaple was left in the hallway, alone, without a candelabra, it was as dark as a West Virginia Coal mine.  “Holy shit Everhard, don’t leave me out here in the dark, alone!” Chaple begged.  But there was no answer from the other side of the door.  Chaple tried the knob, but the door that Everhard had just entered was now locked.

Inside the bedroom, Everhard could make out a large, four poster, canopy bed in the dim candlelight.  As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he thought he saw something, or someone lying on the bed.  He moved closer.

 

Scene 8                                           

            Everhard crept closer to the bed.  There appeared to be someone sleeping in it.  As he shown the light directly over the slumbering person, he gasped!  It was his beautiful wife, Dona Hamptonsworth Everhard.  “But how could that be? She’s at home in Sanger, Texas, not way out here!”  ”, he thought.  She looked peaceful in her repose, but as soon as Everhard’s pulse slowed back down to a reasonable rate, and his heart stopped pounding a horrendous beat against his chest, he reached out and touched her cheek lightly.  Dona’s eyes flickered open and she smiled broadly.  “James, darling!  I’ve missed you so much!”  She reached out and embraced him and pulled his face to hers.  James kissed her tentatively.  “James darling, what is the matter?” she quizzed him.  “What are you doing here? How’d you get to this place? Everhard stammered bewilderedly.  “So many questions.  There’s time for those later.  Come, darling, make love to me.  I’ve craved this moment for weeks.” his lovely wife beckoned him to the bed.  But James carefully backed away from the bed and the beckoning creature. “And why, my darling are you so cold?  Very nice try Guardian.  You almost had me there.  Come out and let me see the real you!” James shouted at his shocked wife.  Slowly, steadily, Dona’s quivering, bewildered look turned first into an evil smile, and then her beautiful face slowly transformed into a withering mass of angry vipers and asps.  Angry snakes that hissed and bit at the air.  James looked away in revulsion. The rest of Dona’s body turned into a writhing, scaled snake’s body.  A huge, shiny snake’s body with a head comprised of two dozen or more angry reptiles.  The huge snake curled in the bed and struck out at Everhard.  Before he could escape, the powerful body of the snake wrapped itself around the struggling Everhard and began to squeeze the life out of him..

            Outside the door, Chaple heard the commotion and pulled out the .357, pointed its barrel at the door lock and fired.  The door splintered and opened inward.  Inside, in the dim candlelight, Chaple could see that a huge snake had Everhard in a death grip. Without hesitation, Chief of Detectives Chaple whipped a long, thick looking knife out of his sock.  He flipped a serrated blade open and jumped on the struggling mass of man and snake.  Chaple quickly plunged the knife deeply into the snake’s muscular body.  The snake’s many heads seemed to scream and they struck out at the intruder.  Quickly, Chaple began sawing with the serrated blade through the snake’s body as he dodged the strikes of the serpent’s head.  Blood flowed from the snake’s body as the saw-like knife cut through it.  The severed part of the snake slid to the floor and air rushed back into Everhard’s oxygen starved lungs with a whoosh.  The top half of the snake still had a strong hold on him and Chaple again plunged the knife into the top part of its body.  He repeated the sawing and removing of strangling coils from around Everhard’s body until his friend was free and the severed quarters of the horrible creature lay squirming harmlessly on the floor.  The many serpents that made up the creatures head seemed to shrivel and die.   The two men stared at the vile creature in exhausted awe.

            “Now can we please get the hell out of here Jim?”  Chaple asked again, trying to find just a shred of common sense in his old friend.  Everhard was ready now. That experience was far too intense to risk yet another like it..  “Hell yes, Bill, let’s get the hell out of here.  That is, if they’ll let us leave!” James said, as he stared again at the, still twitching, blood slimed, segmented monster that lay at his feet.

  

Scene 9

            Everhard and Chaple both instinctively hurried down the hall for the huge, double staircase and hopefully, to a door that would lead them out of this chamber of horrors.  As they steadily made their way down the long hallway in the darkness (the candelabra they had carried had been extinguished in Everhard’s struggle with the giant snake monster), they hoped that no more “guardians” lay in wait for them behind the numerous bedroom doors between them and their escape.  Halfway to the staircase, a bedroom door creaked open, directly ahead of them.  All they could see in the darkness was a large mass of some sort, but the smell was horrendous!  The smell that permeated the hallway and hit their senses like a cold blast was that of a stagnant body of water.  The two men stopped in their tracks as their escape route was blocked by this large, malodorous obstruction.  Chapel pulled out his zippo lighter and struck the flint wheel.  A circle of light from the lighter illuminated what was ahead of them.  Both men gasped and took a step backward.  What they could see in the circle of light was a man shaped thing that was covered with green, slimy, moss and string algae.  Two red, glowing eyes were fixed on them from what was apparently the “swamp thing’s” head.  Everhard used the space between them as his target and fired his big, handgun twice.  Two thunderous explosions reverberated through the hallway, again assaulting their already abused eardrums.  Everhard had  placed two  .357 slugs directly into the slimy monster’s head.  The monster seemed to claw at its face and made an eerie moaning sound, but did not fall.  It did, however, step backward, clawing at its wounds, just enough for Everhard and Chaple to run by it. 

             The two men could now see the double staircase directly ahead of them as they hurried toward it, not daring to even chance a look behind them, they heard more very strange noises.   A loud squeaking noise accompanied by the sound of hundreds of small feet padding up the stairway.  Again, Chaple lit his trusty zippo.  “Holy crap!” he yelled as the two men watched hundreds upon hundreds of large, gray, black, rats pour up the stairway.  Their needle-like teeth could be seen in the dim light, yellow and threatening.  “I HATE fricking rats!” Chaple yelled.  “Cummon Bill,” Everhard yelled over the noise of the squeaking vermin, “make for the banisters and slide down..”  Both men ran for the banisters that paralleled the staircase, stepping on the charging rats as they went.  Small bones being crushed and bloated rat bodies being squished under their feet.  At last the men reached the banisters and jumped for them.   One particularly large, gray rat sunk its yellowed teeth into Chaple’s ankle as he made his escape.  Chaple screamed and slapped the nasty creature away from its toothy grip on him.  Blood oozed down his ankle and into his shoe.

            The two men lept for the banisters over the mass of vermin.  They resembled a couple of overgrown six-year-olds as the two men slid down the long, oaken banisters.  Behind them, they heard the “swamp thing” emit a muffled scream as the hundreds of charging rats enveloped it and gorged themselves on its bleeding head.  At the bottom of the staircase, Everhard jumped from the banister onto the stone floor.  Chaple, however was just a second or two slower and his genitals slammed into the large. ornately carved, oaken, acorn that sat at the foot of the banister.  “Oooff,” Chaple exclaimed as his eyes rolled up in his head and he toppled slowly off the banister and onto the cold, stone floor.  …………………….

 

Scene 10

            Everhard helped the groaning Chaple to his feet.  “You okay partner?” Everhard asked.  Chaple who was clutching his crotch with both hands, just mumbled obscenities.  Everhard led the way and Chaple limped slowly after him towards the big double front doors.  Everhard pulled on the doors, but they were securely locked.  He searched frantically, but could not find a way to unlock the huge doors.  Chaple watched him for a moment or two and then said, “move aside, hotshot!”  Everhard stepped aside.  Chaple pulled the big S&W .357 out of his coat and calmly blew one of the doors completely off its hinges.  The huge door crashed to the sidewalk, Everhard glanced, astonished at the retired detective for just a second before the two men hurried outside.

            The rain had stopped but the air was still cool and damp, as the two men hurried to the red Viper parked 50 feet away.  As they scrambled for the red sports car, a voice called out to them.  “Gentlemen”, the voice echoed off of the stone walls that surrounded the driveway, “Please, don’t leave so soon.  The family has assembled in the game room.  We would all be honored by your presence”  “Here, asshole!  Honor this!” Chaple yelled and grabbed his still throbbing crotch.  The two men jumped in the Viper.  “I’m afraid we can’t just let you leave.  That would be inhospitable of we Hudson’s.  Besides, it seems that your vehicle is out of commission.” The voice said.    Everhard turned the key in the ignition, but nothing happened.  He tried again, nothing.. Everhard looked at his old friend and said, “I guess we’re going to a party after all.” Chaple just grunted and reloaded his pistol to its capacity.

            Seemingly, out of nowhere, the huge, “NFLesque”, butler appeared, opened Everhard’s door, and said,   “Please follow me gentlemen, the family awaits.”

 

Scene 11

             Everhard and Chaple followed the huge butler back into the mansion.  Inside the great hall, the butler turned to the right and the two men followed him.

The butler pushed open a set of double doors and revealed a large card room.  Seated at the card table sat six very eerie looking people.  At one side of the table sat the Old Captain himself, Henry Hudson, next to him sat Benjamin Hudson whom Everhardt recognized from his portrait in the ballroom.  Next to Benjamin sat his long departed son, Edwin.  Across from them sat two more old looking, long dead Hudsons, and one other man.  This particular man looked a little less pale than the other relatives. He was shuffling cards and had a drink sitting in front of him.  It was this “less dead’ looking man, wearing a green visor, who spoke.  “Welcome gentlemen.  The game is Texas Holdem’.  May I deal you in?”  Everhard smiled, pulled out his wallet from his jacket and removed a stack of crisp hundreds from it and dropped them on the table.  “It’s my favorite game.  Please deal me in.” Everhard stated calmly.  “Everhard, what the hell?”  Chaple complained, but reluctantly took a seat in a vacant chair against the wall, knowing that there was no stopping Everhard.  “My name is C.D. Hudson, the youngest and, I might add, the only member of the Hudson family currently at this table who is still alive.”  We get together every Halloween for a no-limit Texas Holdem’ game.  Sort of a family reunion. The  man dealing the cards stated. 

Everhard sized the unusual man up. He was wearing a green tee shirt with the large yellow letters Z-Y-B-A-N stenciled across the front.  Everhard figured it was the name of some new age rock band. A green poker visor shaded his eyes from the overhead light, and from the looks of his glass, he drank straight Kentucky bourbon.  “Would you care for a drink Mr. Everhard?” the man who had introduced himself as C.D.asked. “Yes thank you, a Rusty Nail please,” Everhard replied, eyeing discreetly the two down cards he had been dealt.   “Mr. Chaple?” the host asked.  “Double Cutty on the rocks.”   “Edward, please see to it.” C.D. ordered.  “Yes sir, right away,” the behemoth servant replied.  The drinks came and Chaple gulped his almost immediately down and signaled Edward for another.  The cards on the table were being dealt, the flop was a queen of hearts, queen of diamonds, and the ace of clubs.  Everhard noticed right away that the Hudson’s were not conservative poker players, as the betting soon became rather steep.  The turn card was the ace of diamonds. The betting continued as each player tested the next player’s determination.  It finally came down to just Everhard and C.D. Hudson.  The dealer flipped over the river card, ace of spades.  It was hard for C.D. Hudson to maintain his poker face as he saw that with his hold cards, he had a full house, queens over aces.  C.D. calmly shoved a double stack of chips into the center of the table.  Everhard stared at C.D.  for a moment without expression, then shoved his own double stack of chips into the center of the table.  “Call,” Everhard said.  “Full house, C.D. said with a huge grin breaking across his face.” Flipping his cards face up onto the table.  Everhard calmly turned over his hold cards, “two aces, that I believe, makes four of them.”  C.D.’s jaw dropped open as Everhard began scooping the huge piles of chips across the table towards himself.  The game continued until well after midnight.  Everhard winning the majority of the hands.  When at last, the players decided to call it quits and cashed in their chips.  Everhard’s wallet was several thousand dollars heavier than it had been when they had arrived.  With the exertion of the evening weighing on him, plus the consumption of seven or eight double scotches, Chaple had fallen asleep in the chair by the wall and had serenaded the players with his snoring for the past two hours.  When he awoke, bleary-eyed and even more gruff than normal, Everhard steered him to the front door.  “I’ll see you out gentlemen,” C.D. offered.  “I believe your vehicle has been repaired, and will start now.” He told them.  “Why the run around with your guardians, C.D.?” Everhard inquired.  “Sorry about that James, my friend.” C.D. apologized, “You see. I have to be careful whom I allow to play with me and my departed family.  One must possess, the right stuff, one might say.  Please realize that you and your partner have a standing invitation for poker every Halloween.  And this time my security guardians will not bother you.”  “Thanks C,D. We’ll take you up on that!” Everhard said shaking his hand.  “”Like Hell I will,” Chaple mumbled around his cigar.  “Very well then, until next year, when I shall regain my lost dollars!”  C.D. shouted to the men as the red viper tore away.  C.D. watched the red tail lights until they disappeared down the mountain. “ Happy Halloween 64 Knights”, he laughed, revealing two large, vampire fangs in the corners of his mouth.

  

END