The Curse of Burnt Cove3

That night the girls had the first good night’s sleep since this whole thing started. They showered and got cleaned up. When the entered the kitchen they found breakfast already for them on the table. Zachary was nowhere to be found, until they heard a loud thumping as he ran up the old wood steps from the basement. “I’ve already saddled the horses, so all you need to do is enjoy the ride.” “I’ll ride lead on Apocalypse with Agamemnon, you will follow on Nightmare. When you have finished breakfast, I’ll meet you at the barn.” As they finished eating they saw Zachary dressed in his normal black and white, this time with a black broad brimmed hat. He led a black horse out of the barn. Vicki went outside, the two said there good mornings, Vicki came near and he handed her the reigns and told her, “Hold Apocalypse, I’ll be back with Nightmare.” Vicki held the reigns of a large black through-bread stallion. Zachary emerged from the barn with a medium gray mare, her mane and tail was braided white.
The two girls stood there admiring the two animals before them. “Has either one of you ever rode,” He asked?
Vicki said, “I used to. When I was fourteen I took a years worth of riding lessons.”
“Good” he said trading reigns, “you get the front.” He then helped the two young ladies on to their horse. Next he mounted Apocalypse, no sooner was he up, and Agamemnon joined him, riding on the back of his saddle. Attached to his saddle were his sword, staff from night before, and a set of saddlebags. They set off for Burnt Cove, “It’s only a 10 minute ride for me, but I’ll take it easy on you.” They rode at a moderate canter, until they rode into town. Cindy’s father outside the dinner met them. “How was the ride,” he shouted.
“Fine for me but you’ll have to ask the girls.” He said turning his head back to them. The two caught up a moment later.
“Hi Dad,” Cindy shouted.
As she did “Vicki’s Father came out of the dinner.”
“So did you to have a good night,” he asked the girls.
“They had a goodnight,” Zachary said sliding off the saddle. Agamemnon gently dropped to the ground, and headed into the dinner.
“Zach, don’t worry about him, Edna probably has something out for him.”
“True he only has two drives eat and sleep.” Zachary concluded.
Dave grabbed his cousin by the arm and introduced him to Vicki’s father.
“Will, this is Zachary, the closest thing in New England to a ghost buster.” Zachary and Will shook hands.
“My actual title is Dr. Zachary Xavier Michael MacLeod, Ph.D. I hold a doctorate in anthropology and parapsychology, but ghost buster is a good description.”
“So Vicki has told you about the old house,” Will ask.
“Actually I’ve know about it all my life, the legend, and the murders. I know everything there is to know about the place but I’ve never been in it.”
“You’ve never been in the place you’ve researched your whole life,” he questioned, “Why not?”
“Because I never have felt prepared for what might await me with in,” Zachary told Vicki’s father. “Many things have happened in the past week, that have forced me to return to the seen of a grievous crime against my Clan, allies and now your daughter. Have you ever spent the night with in its wall?”
“No,” he replied, “I am usually on night watch at the station, Vicki, Cindy, and their cat Dust Bunny are the only ones who have tried to sleep there.”
“Well then even you don’t know the horrors with in,” Zachary concluded and walked inside the dinner. Edna smiled at him, “I knew you were in town when Agamemnon came in looking for the can of tuna I had just opened.”
“He does that to every can I open at home, if he doesn’t eat it he at least wants to check it out.” “Agamemnon, get down, You know the rules no eating on the counter.” The cat knocked the can to the floor. It landed open side up just as it was sitting on the counter. The cat soon followed. “I’m sorry Edna sometimes I think he thinks he’s a human.” Agamemnon finished his meal and began to purr and rub on Eden’s leg. Looking down at the cat, “Edna I think you have a friend for life.”
Zachary removed from his pocked watch, and noted the time. Then walking over to the two girls he said, “Ladies eat, rest, change, and whatever else you need to do. Meet me back here in about and hour and together we will go to the house.”
Zachary watched as the two girls walked back to Cindy’s house. Dave then asked, “Do you really think that this will work?”
“I sure hope so, if not…”
“If not another family member will be dead at the clawed hand of Meltoroth.” Dave concluded.
“If you need me,” Zachary said to his cousin Dave, “I’m getting my gauss meters back from Buzz, any little advantage will help.”
“Buy some ammo, you may well need your shotgun,” Dave shouted at his cousin as he headed down to the hardware/sporting good store.
He got his gauss meters, but he passed on the ammo. He handed his sword over for quick run on the laser sharpener. Placing it back in the scabbard, he wandered back to the dinner. As he was coming he saw the two girls walking to meet him.
“Are we going to leave the horses here,” Vicki asked.
“I’d like to think so, I don’t think they will fit in the house. I have the things we will need, do you have the map?”
Cindy replied, “Of course we do. We haven’t let it out of our sight since we found it four days ago.” With that they left.
It took about fifteen minutes to reach the house; the three stood on the metal bridge that connected it to the mainland. It was about three in the afternoon when they arrived, and thunderheads were gathering in the distance. Zachary looked around and said, “Well ladies, Creepy weather to accent a creepy house.”
“We have candles, and a lantern inside if we need them,” Vicki commented.
“There are two flashlights in the kitchen,” Cindy said, “I believe that’s where we put them.”
The trio walked up and opened the door; waiting for them was Dust Bunny. “We should get the kitten out of harms way,” Zachary spoke.
“How,” Cindy replied?
“Have your father or mother come and get him, we can wait while you call.” Five minutes later Dust Bunny was in the company of Agamemnon at Cindy’s house. “Don’t worry Vicki he should be fine there.”
The three laid out the map near the fireplace in the ballroom. Zachary and Vicki compared it with his notes on the construction and additions he knew of. Cindy gathered up the flashlight, candles and lanterns, as the storm grew. Cindy had just returned to the ballroom, when a loud Crash of thunder split the air. The lights flickered and died. Cindy said, “It’s a good thing I brought these.” “Vicki could you take these matches from me and light one of the candles.” “Zach, I also have something for you,” She said handing him the box the black power revolver is in. “It’s loaded but one shot has been fired.”
The Ladies lit one candle and the two lanterns. All carried flashlight, but the lanterns and the fireplace were now the main light sources. Zachary stood up with the map in hand. “This makes no sense,” he said to the two ladies and they took a look at the map. “According to this map there should be another door leading out of the ballroom.” “It’s even mentioned in some of the eyewitness account from those who had seen Daniel, or Anise.”
Cindy got up and stared at the wall. “Notice how the edges on that one piece of paneling doesn’t look right, It’s like it could be pulled off to revile a door.”
Cindy moved to the edge of the panel, and shoved her short sword into that edge. The blade slid in easily. With a little pressure the panel came off with a snap. Behind the panel was a doorway that had been bricked shut? Zachary and Vicki now approached as Cindy continued to remove the paneling.
Zachary felt the poor quality of the brickwork. “This was hastily done, so I should be able to break it in.” He brought his foot back and with several kicks the bricks moved and then collapsed. “Well I certainly fixed that, but not for the better.”
“How’s your foot,” Vicki asked?
“Fine,” he replied.
As the dust settled the three peered into the darkness of the room. Very little was identifiable, as every thing was covered with piles of dust and sheets of spider web. Everything was eerily quiet, until there was a sudden even louder crack of thunder. Vicki and Cindy both jumped, as Zachary ducked down for cover. Getting up he looked at the two girls, “Okay who needs to be changed,” he asked them.
This served to remind the two girls as to the state they were in, warm and overly squishy. Vicki put her hand up in a babyish voice said, “Me.” Cindy not to be out done did the same.
“Well this will slow the adventure but up stairs babies so Uncle Zach can change your didees.”
They headed up stairs, before doing so Zachary set up the gauss meter just in case anything non-corporal emerged from the hole.
Up stair he had each baby take turns on the changing table, as the other watched. Vicki looked at Cindy, “See she has hair, so she’s not the biggest baby.” Then she lay down, and when her diaper was removed and after she was clean, she said, “See I’m baby smooth.”
Cindy told her friend, “You haven’t let me use your machine so I too can be baby smooth,” She then stuck her tongue out at Vicki.
He had just finished up helping the two get dressed, when the gauss meter went off. The three of them raced down the stairs to the hole in the wall. The gauss meter was on its side and still giving off its alarm.
Zachary picked it up and started scanning; “All readings were normal.” “Something set it off, but what?” The three looked at each other; not one of them had a clue. Shining a mag-lite into the room, he saw no disturbance in the dust pattern on the floor or furniture. “I’ll reset this gauss meter, and we’ll used the smaller from my pack.” He drawing his sword saying, “The chase is on.” He stepped through the hole in the bricks. Vicki held on to the Zachary’s shirttails, Cindy held Vicki’s hand in the other was one of the lanterns.
Shining the flashlight into where the lantern did not reach, he noted the size and shape of the room. The room was roughly a trapezoidal shaped, the bricked up door being on the small end. The large end held some sort of bar and a large double door in the back. The entire room seemed to be listing toward the back. Behind the bar very few object could be discerned, due to the high volume of dust. Zachary slowly led them towards the bar. As he approached he noticed a pulley and windlass mechanism. Turning the windless lowered the chandelier, held with in was the remains of several wax candles. Vicki started lighting the candles, with the help of Cindy and they soon had the room a glow. Zachary walked around the perimeter, taking readings with the gauss meter. The two girls started looking around as well. There were four tables with chairs, a compass, sextant, and a painting of a ship adorned the room. Reaching behind the bar the girls were disappointed, most of the bottle were tipped over and empty. The only two up right bottles had no labels and contained a substance that did not look drinkable.
As Zachary walked the perimeter he felt something strike his boot. Looking down was a large brass key, attached to the key ring, as was a boatswain’s-men’s whistle. He picked it up. “Girls have you found any keys in this place?”
“Yea,” Vicki replied, “two sets.”
“Well we can add another one,” he showed it to the girls.
“What do you suppose it’s for,” Cindy asked?
“Well lets keep going and we might find out.”
They walked back to the double doors, to find them locked. Trying several keys, they opened up one lock. It took them several tries to open the second lock, but soon it was open.
Each moved to the side of the door, with swords drawn. As the doors open the moved around the corner in unison. They were met by the staring eyes of a skull placed upon a staff in the middle of the hallway. A fixed to it was a sign announcing that this was for the servant of Meltoroth. Zachary walked past the macabre signpost and straight back to the sheet of spider web that covered a pane of glass.
Slowly advancing to the glass he walked sword drawn. Using the point he cut down several of the thicker portion of the webs. “It look s like a door way,” remarked Cindy.
“But for what, and to where,” Vicki replied.
“Only one way to find out,” Zachary said putting on a pair of black leather gloves. He continued to remove the web until he found a handle. It turned easily but the door did not move. “Shine one of those lights over here for a moment.” Seeing the lock and handle in the light he realized that the mechanism was broken and could only be opened from the inside. “Stand back,” he ordered. He took the handle of his sword and turning it a small blade popped out of the pommel. He smashed one of the panes of glass with the blade. Next he reached in with his gloved hand, and opened the door.
“I’d say ladies first but in this situation, you’d understand.”
They walked into a small glass room, as they cleared away spider webs and dust, Vicki said “It’s an elevator.”
“I think you’re right,” said Zachary, “but how does it work, and where does it go?”
Cindy spoke up, “According to the map it goes down to the catacomb and MacBeth crypts.”
“But how does it work,” Vicki repeated?
“I think I’ve found out how,” Zachary said turning a wheel in the corner of the elevator. Slowly they descended, turn by turn. The two girls watched, as the walls of the shaft passed by the still open door.
“Here’s the end,” Zachary announced, “the wheel goes no further.” They walked from the elevator and with Zachary taking point slowly walked into this new area.
“Zach,” Cindy whispered.
“What,” he replied?
“I think I figured out the map. Instead of being a single map for each level, the artist drew them overlapping. We right now are under the dinning room.”
“Great now if we knew the depth were at, the map would make even more sense.” Zachary remarked to the girls as he hacked his way through the spider webs and dust. Suddenly Zachary stopped the party, “Did you hear that,” he hissed?
“Hear what whispered,” Vicki?
“It sounds like a tree swaying in the breeze,” Zachary responded.
They stood silent for a few moments, “Now I hear it,” Vicki said.
“I hear it too,” Cindy commented, “but there are no trees on the map.”
The more they walked into the catacombs the louder the sound grew. Soon a large tree root, penetrating the rock blocking their passage. Zachary examined it, amid the creaking of the branch moving in the wind and the water seeping in around it.
“We should be able to crawl under or over it.”
The three decided to crawl over the massive structure. Moving a few feet down the corridor they encountered a large Iron Gate. Upon the wall and covering the gate were carved many Christian symbols. There was an empty dish under a crucifix hung on the wall that once contained holy water. The three searched, for a way to open the gate. There was no lock, no hinges and no evidence that the gate could move at all.
“It looks like a crypt,” Vicki commented, “but how did they get into it to inter the bodies?”
“Maybe the came in from the other side of the crypt,” Cindy commented?
“Not very likely going by the map Cindy holds,” Zachary commented. He continued to examine the wall. Built into the holy water dish was a small metal disk. “I wonder?” “Vicki could you give me my pack?”
Vicki handed him his pack, out it he pulled a small silver bottle. Opening it he dumped it into the dish. Nothing happened. He reached his hand into the dish touching the disk. Soon the gate violently shook, and sunk into the floor. “Now that’s what I call an entrance,” remarked Zachary.
“It scared the crap out of me,” replied Vicki.
“Everything scares the crap out of you,” Cindy commented.
“Yea, but look who talking,” Vicki taunted.
“Enough you two,” scolded Zachary, “or do two young ladies need a spanking.”
Both pouted and shook their heads. “Good, now lets look around.”
When Zachary entered the crypt he noticed where the heavy brass key went. There was a large keyhole and fitting on the other side of the entrance. “Who would build a tomb that no one could get out of without a key?”
“Unless…” his voice trailed off.
Vicki asked, “Maybe that were trying to keep something in?”
“Like what,” said Cindy?
“What indeed,” Zachary mused, “Let’s check out some of these crypts. Do we want to stay together or separate.”
“Together,” the two girls said in unison.
“Okay, right or left?”
“Right,” said the girls. They walked over to the first vault on the right. The lid was carved stone, in very 19th century style has adorned with an angel the name was carved in Duncan Charles MacBeth 1908 – 1955. The rank of Captain USN inlaid into the lid a W.W.II Seabee’s plaque under it was a Korean War Veterans placard. Slowly Zachary pushed the open the sarcophagus open, as he did the gate closed. Cindy ran to the gate, “We’re trapped in a tomb with a hole bunch of bodies, we’re doomed.”
“I have the key,” remarked Zachary.
“You do?”
“Yes, I do. If I thought we’d never get out I would not have entered.”
“Oh.”
He pushed the tomb closed, and they all walked over to the next, and then the next. Five generations were buried in the crypt. After much searching they finally the came across the grave of Daniel Angus MacBeth 1910 – 1938. “Well this is the last,” Zachary said, “the Mad MacBeth.” Before they opened the crypt Zachary noticed a something carved into the stone itself. Using his hand he cleared away the dust enough to read, some of what was carved into the crypt. Instead of having an angel carved into the cover there was a circle surrounding a Star of David, many symbols were carved into the circle. ‘Est namanus Meltoroth, Santos deamonus Astharoth,’ was surrounding it all. “In the name of Meltoroth son of the demon Astharoth, the arch duke of hell,” Zachary translated.
“Step back girls, I fear we may need some protection at this juncture.” Zachary and the ladies stepped a few feet from the tomb, when he drew a small bag from a pouch in his belt. From a scabbard in his boot he removed the arthame they had seen the night before. In the ground and stone he carved a circle and Star of David, as he did this his lips moved as he mummer and incantation. Next he emptied the pouch into the groves he had just carved. The two girls watched as the groves filled with silver metallic dust.
Having completing the ring he set a candle upon the points of the star, and lit them. “Stay with in the circle, no matter what happens with in you’re safe,” he warned them. The circle glowed under the enchantment forming a barrier of light.
Slowly he pushed the tomb open with the end of his sword, making sure that he himself did not leave the circle. From the crypt arose a horrid stench and a fowl green smoke grew, until it lit into a fierce, unworldly creature. The beast was familiar to the girls, having seen it two days before. Zachary stood before it defiant, his sword in one hand the arthame in the other.
“Your are the Avatar,” the beast voice echoing through the chamber? “Run now foolish mage lest I take your life now.”
“Meltoroth, scourge of Astharoth loins, you have no power over me and you know that. If you wish to take my life here I stand before you, take me.” The beast reared back, but stopped. “The powers of good are in motion, against your evil. Soon it will end. For once and for all we will prevail. The house of MacLeod and MacBeth against McDermott.”
The beast stood upon the tomb and changed into the hag. “Really,” the hag now spoke, “I am Anise the Black, your bones will be my meal, but until then…”The hag trailed off.
“Anise you and your legions have forgotten the dawn approaches, so bask in its light!” Zachary threw his arthame into the rock above the tomb. The knife glared into a blinding white light, causing the rock itself to open, and the first light of the sun broke into the tomb. Anise was struck, and in moments burst into flames. The blade fell back into the ground with in the circle besides it Zachary drove his sword, forming a cross. “Est Nominae Deus, I cast you out Anise the Black.” Zachary aimed his hand at the burning hag. A bolt of light flew from his hand she exploded into dust. Zachary fell forward, landing next to his weapons.
The demon fled. “Some other time mage, it laughed as it vanished with the dawn.”
Vicki and Cindy helped him to his feet. “Zachary, can you hear me,” Cindy asked?
Vicki kissed him saying, “It will be okay baby, the creature is gone.”
Zachary stirred. “For now,” he whispered. Struggling to get to his feet. “He won’t be this easy to find,” He stood and pronounced the final words. The rings protective glow died. Zachary staggered to the tomb and collected some of the dust that was the hag. “With this we will find him.” The trio slowly made their way back to the house. Vicki commented after helping Zachary to stagger down the corridor, “oh oh, Zachary’s wet too, I guess we all need changing.”
It took the trio almost until 7 AM to climb out of the crypt, through the passage, up the elevator, and back to the ballroom. The expedition to the tomb had taken all afternoon and night. When they entered the bar Zachary said, “Will you listen to that thing.”
Everyone recognized the loud chirping of the gauss meter and notice that the laser tripwire had also been tripped. The one question remained, by who or what?
9/17/1999
Slowly they made their way to the nursery, Zachary changed first the two girls, and then the two girls took great joy in diapering him as well. Zachary tucked the two into their cribs, and set off down the hall for the lord’s room at then beginning of the hall. After diapering himself, he collapsed into a heap upon the large feather mattress. Over and over in his mind the events of the evening replayed, the summoning the fight and the casting out. Each time the events never changed upon awakening he decided he had done the right thing. What he noticed first that night is what he noticed every time he’d woken up his whole life, he was soaked. The next thing he noticed met him with a more ominous feeling. The whole place seemed to be enveloped by a chilling cold breeze. Fearing the worst and knowing instinctively that it came from the girls’ room he grabbed one of the cloaks from the closet and his sword. He charged into the nursery, awakening the girls. “Behind you!” Vicki screamed.
The beast struck first, and in the heat of the battle the monster struck him across the back, arm, leg and side. Zachary whirled around throwing the cape out as a shield, and bringing the sword around severing the right arm of the beast, before he slumped to the floor. The monster let out a deafening horrifying scream, and then leapt out the leaden glass window of the nursery.
A shaken, soiled Victoria ran to Zachary’s side. She placed several of the clean cloth diapers over the wound. Cindy quickly ran down the stair grabbing the phone. She first called her mother then she called 911.
“My cousin’s been hurt and is bleeding real bad, send an ambulance to the old MacBeth manor, fast.”
“Who has been hurt,” the operator asked the frantic Cynthia.
“My cousin Zachary MacLeod, damn it send and ambulance, please he’s bleeding real bad.”
“Miss an ambulance is on its way, how was he injured.”
Cynthia thought for a moment, would they believe the truth?
“Some wild animal attacked him,” was the story she went with.
Just as she finished saying those words the ambulance arrived.
Cindy dropped the phone and ran to open the door. She hurriedly led the EMT’s up the stairs to the nursery where Vicki and the wounded Zachary were. The EMT’s were suddenly aghast not by the injuries they saw on Zachary but by the severed arm that lay on the floor next to where the Zachary’s bloody sword fell.
They quickly broke out the universal dressings and tried to cover the wounds, next they started a large bore IV and called for a Coast Guard Helicopter for transport to Portland. Cindy and Vicki watched as Zachary was lifted on to a litter and taken to the awaiting helicopter. Vicki’s father then took the girls back to Cindy’s.
When they arrived at Cindy’s they were met by Sheriff Davis and Debbie Hunter, the psychologist. “Will, Miss Debbie would like to speak to the girls for a moment.”
The girls were lead into the den where they were questioned at to what took place the night before and what happened tonight. Each time neither girl would give a full account of the event.
“Ladies why won’t you tell me about what happened? I am here to help you.”
“If we did tell you I know you wouldn’t believe me or Cindy,” Vicki interjected.
“Okay,” Cindy spoke, “first we entered the crypts, there we met and dispelled the Hag from our dreams, then Meltoroth, came and attack us but Zachary saved us, and was injured in the process. There! Now you’re heard it so just leave us alone.” Cindy cuddled up to her friend as a scared child would to her mother.
The psychologist didn’t know what to say, she only told them to wait there.
In the other room the parents were waiting. “Something has severely traumatized these girls. Their hallucinations are very elaborate, making me unsure of whom they are trying to defend, themselves or Zachary. What I would like to do is place them in the hospital for a couple days to sort these things out. Maybe then they’ll tell the truth.”
“Listen Women,” William spoke, “I have seen many things in my life and I cannot explain what happened in my house tonight. I also have never known my daughter to lie, about anything, besides whether she’s changed her diapers of not. So I don’t buy your story. Did you see the room where this took place? Did you see the severed limb that the police have taken into evidence? I may not know what’s going on here but I know that will not be explainable by the likes of you.”
“That’s right,” David said in support of his friend. “There are more thing in heaven and earth than the likes of mortal men may dream.”
“Well then be that way,” She shouted and left the house.
“Now to find out what really happened,” Edna said to her husband.
The two went to the girls’ room only to find them sleeping cuddled up in each other’s arms. Edna walked out, her husband and friend we standing in the hallway, “It’s best to let them sleep.”
As the three were walking back down the stair they heard the phone ring. “MacBeth residence,” Edna said.
“They’re only minor wounds, save one.”
“You’ll be back tomorrow after the given you some more fluids.”
“Well that great I tell them.”
“No okay, we’ll keep the surprise.”
“Zachary will be back tomorrow morning, after they’ve treated him for shock and other things.”