The Boleyn Deceit and Zombies

The other day I finished the second book in The Boleyn King series titled The Boleyn Deceit by Laura Andersen. I would give this 2.5 stars out of 5. On Goodreads I gave it 2 but only because half stars do not exist right now. Now here is why. The story isn't all that bad. So long as I ignore the fact that it is a what if story about Henry VIII's children I can get passed a lot of the nonsense in the book. A lot of the names just do not make sense and that is the most frustrating thing. Unfortunately I know a lot about the Tudors so it is difficult to get passed that aspect but easy enough in that sense because a Boleyn king did not exist. Anyway, this book does not deserve mid star level because of the inaccurate theory history but rather the excessive amounts of pages with nothing on them. Of course the pages did have words on them but it was such silly filler that it added nothing to the story. I felt like I spent 200 pages begging the story to move along. If the books had been cut of their fat, made into 2 books and had less modern names it would be a far superior series. I am currently on the final book in the series and should be done in a couple of days. I will let you know how that one is as well!

My story for this week I have actually been working on for a LONG time! I wrote it for my dear friend Kelley. She wanted a story about her and her family so I wrote them as a badass brood who survive a zombie apocalypse. I am honestly beyond proud of this story and I am so happy she loves it as well! So here you are, Kelley's story!

Week 11 (16-22 March 2015)

The Family That Slays Together Stays Together

“Mom! The bells!” whispered the little boy down the stairs.

Kelley tapped her husband and motioned for her son to come towards her, “Go to your post. Stay quiet and keep watch from your spot. Don't forget, one whistle for an animal, two for living people and three whistles if you see a zombie. I love you, now go. Daddy and I will get you when it is safe,” she explained to her youngest.

She took the front door as her husband Kacey took the back and they waited for their signal. Silence over took the air for a few moments until a breeze rattled the leaves around them. Kelley took in a deep breath to steady herself. For a moment, the calm was fairly reminiscent of the days before the dead reanimated and zombies over took the world. A calm the Hunt family hadn't felt in many years. Just as she took her deep breath a whistle blew above her head. Only one but she waited. She had yet to see an animal, or anything else, walk out of the trees but she didn't hear another whistle. A deer sauntered out of the trees and Kelley took aim. They would have a wonderful dinner tonight with the sacrifice of this deer and she was thankful for that. She was also thankful it was dinner and not another person, living or dead.

She shot her deer with a precisely aimed arrow, tapped the porch to let her husband know she made the kill and watched the deer to make sure nothing came out after it. That night they ate a modest meal but Kelley could not help but think of better times. The zombies began to reanimate and attack over five years earlier. Kelley and her family had moved to a remote part of the mountains with a small community of people. They were all scattered around the mountain; close enough to go to for company and support but far enough away to not attract unwanted guests or too much noise. Kelley and her house of men may have been eating a modest meal, they had to preserve the meat as food was scarce, but they imagined they were dining like kings.

In the past five years they had lost everything. Ever prepared, the Hunt's skipped town as soon as they heard people were getting sick, dying and slaughtering others around them. The death was brutal. A person would fall ill with flu like symptoms in the beginning. They would anguish in pain for days. Hospitals were filling to the brim and supplies were running low because doctors could not figure out what was causing their patients to be so violently ill. The people would die but shortly after dying they would come back to life spewing spit and blood. Entire hospitals were overrun with crazed people everyone swore was dead. The reanimated dead would rise without a pulse. They were beginning to rot and their eyes were glossed over from their lack of a heart beat. They were not strong but their saliva and blood would infect you with the disease that had killed them in the first place. Their nails and teeth were decomposed and jagged allowing disease to seep into their victims body.

Kelley was honestly surprised at the lack of strength the zombies possessed. They weren't weak by any means but they certainly didn't have the brutal strength and power she had imagined. Everyone knew about zombies. They were a long sought after idea in literature, art, television and movies for years. They were always displayed as crazed, man eating beings that could only be killed with a hit to their brain. The present situation was far more terrifying. They came back and you couldn't just shoot them in the brain. You had to severe the brain stem; a tiny target made tinier by the fact that they were mobile. You could run away yes but people were falling ill at horrendous numbers. As the disease evolved people would fall savagely ill and die within hours instead of days. Thousands of zombies wold inhabit small areas and had no qualms about using numbers to shatter a door and bite a person. When there were lots of zombies, a person would be devoured simply due to sheer numbers. The zombies did not eat, they no longer had working intestines and stomachs, they bit to spread the disease that occupied their bodies.

After the first year, those who survived and didn't fall ill noticed the zombies did not live forever. They would live a couple years until they were rotted to the brain stem and then they would cease to bite another day. Their remains were nearly as deadly as their animated corpses though as the disease still ravaged them. Kelley learned early on to burn the zombies once they were dead or if she came upon a departed corpse. In the first two years of the disease, most human life was destroyed. People were living like gypsies and generally steering clear of one another. Technology lasted a few months but all worldly communication was gone. As far as Kelley knew, the whole world was dark, the whole world had been ravaged by the zombie disease.

For being in an overrun world, Kelley, Kacey, Ryot and Raynar lived relatively normal lives. They worked their land, foraged for food, Kelley taught the boys school (zombie world didn't mean they shouldn't know things in her opinion) and lived a quiet peaceful life that any mountain folk would be used to. They knew how to survive and protect themselves. The first couple of years were difficult. Living people were often just as scary as the dead ones. They were robbed of all their food by one group of people and they had to kill another group to protect Ryot and Raynar. Fear always lived in their bellies but it was so normal now it didn't rule their lives.

Spring was there and the cool breeze mixed with the warm sun led Kelley to feel it was time to forage for food. She gave he boys their sacks, their hunting knives and their bows, “Don't forget, keep an eye out for one another, only kill food if you think we can eat it so we don't waste animal meat and come back within the next two hours or I will come looking for you.” She kissed their heads and sent them on their way. The first couple of years she would have never thought to let them out of her sight but as time went on the boys grew older, wiser and incredibly well trained. They really knew nothing but the zombie disease as a life so she let them enjoy some freedoms near their home.

Ryot always stayed near Raynar; he never left his brother's side. He was the protector and dad would be mad if he didn't do his job protecting his brother. They scoured the ground looking for edible mushrooms, leaves, nuts and berries. They filled up their little sacks and decided to pick wild flowers. The boys would gather as many as they cold and take them to the neighbors. Their mother was the only one who still had her husband and children so they figured flowers would be a small bit of sunshine in this harsh world. First they went to Mrs. Baker's house. The mountains were never quiet but today they were. Mrs. Baker's house was frighteningly quiet.

“Stay here and watch the yard Ray,” Ryot whispered to his brother. The front door was ajar so Ryot decided to peek inside. He could smell a warm metallic scent wafting from the upstairs and books were scattered in the hallway. “Mrs. Baker? Are you okay?” She was an old lady and Ryot knew it was possible she had fallen but her son should have been around to help her and he hadn't answered either. Ryot quickly and alertly walked upstairs. The old staircase creaked under his light footstep but no other sounds in the house could be heard. “Mrs. Baker? Alex? Are you guys here?” he opened the door to Alex's room and was paralyzed in fear. Alex lay in his bed as if he never woke from sleep. His face was nearly unrecognizable as if someone had stabbed him several times in the head. He rushed from Alex's room and ran to Mrs. Baker's. She too had stab wounds in her head and a large butcher knife protruding from her skull. Someone had killed them in their sleep and it was most definitely not a zombie. Ryot dashed down the stairs and out to his brother.

“Is Mrs. Baker okay?” Raynar realized Ryot looked like a ghost.

“No. No not at all. She is dead. So is Alex. Someone killed them. We have to go check on Mrs. Parker and Charlie. Their houses aren't far,” the boys ran to Mrs. Parker's house. She was also dead in her sleep for what looked like over a day. Her nephew and cousin lived with her and they too had been killed in their sleep. They ran over to Charlie's house. He lived with his sister and their cousin. Charlie was outside reading when they boys ran up.

“Boys, is everything okay?”

“Someone killed Mrs. Baker, Alex and the Parkers. They were stabbed in their sleep,” huffed Ryot.

“Marie! Stacey! Get weapons and come to the front! Okay boys, go home. We will meet you there. Someone is hunting us. I am going to check the other houses including the ones you went to and see what we have. The girls will get things ready at your house. We may have to bunker down and wait for the killer to find us,” Charlie instructed them which way to go home so the girls could follow behind in a few minutes. Ryot ran first with Raynar five minutes behind, Marie was five minutes behind him and so forth with Stacey. If someone was out there they didn't want to alert them.

Ryot ran like the wind itself was carrying him. Someone had killed their friends. They had lived in peace for years with these people. They had eaten with them, protected them, loved them like family and someone had killed them. Ryot was always afraid of zombies but today it wasn't a zombie he feared most. He sprinted over fallen trees and large rocks until one caught his foot. He thought he had cleared that last log but his foot caught a tip of it and spilled out onto the ground. Angrily he cursed the log, gathered his foraged food and weapons and dusted himself off. That's when he heard a noise.

CRACK!

Behind him was a zombie. They rarely made their way up the mountain but on occasion they caught wind of people. The disease inside them guided them to people and it had found Ryot. He wasn't sure if he should charge it or if he should shoot it's knees and let it fall so he could stab it in the head. He decided to shoot the zombie's knees. First shot was perfect, it hit the knee and the zombie stumbled. It let out a loud gurgle and Ryot became scared. Others could be near and they surely would head the sound. He shot the other knee then slowly but meticulously walked to the fallen zombie, stabbing in the head where his brain stem was, making sure not to get any fluids on him in the process.

“That was a beautiful kill young man,” came a voice from behind a nearby tree. A man walked out lightly clapping. Ryot spun around wielding his knife. He knew this was likely the man hunting them, “I knew several people lived up here but I didn't know you all were such excellent zombie slayers. Why don't you take me to your house?”

Ryot wasn't sure what to do but he knew he had to get the man out of their before Raynar came along, “It's this way,” he motioned to the left and shuffled his feet as he led the stranger to the left. He figured his brother would see the killed zombie and his shuffled steps away and he couldn't have been more correct. Raynar came upon the zombie and double footsteps leading away from the scene. He stopped and looked around, listening for voices but couldn't hear any so he followed the footsteps. Quietly, he finally approached his brother. They weren't far from home and they had a call in case anyone was in trouble. He tweeted like a little woodland bird to alert his parents and their neighbors. Ryot didn't defy his knowledge of what the whistle meant and the man didn't seem concerned with a tweeting bird as he walked with his hand on Ryot's shoulder to keep him from running.

Kelley was in the front yard waiting for the boys, they should be back any minute now, when she heard the distinct whistle. Not once, not twice but three tweets to let her know something was not okay. She ran up to the porch for her bow and began to follow where she heard the bird sound. Charlie came bursting through the woods from behind her house.

“Charlie where are my boys?”

“What do you mean?” he panicked. They were supposed to be here. He had come from another neighbor's home where they too were dead.

“Charlie where are my boys!”

“Shhhh! Quiet!” he hissed at Kelley, “Get Kacey, we are being hunted. Your boys are on their way with Marie and Stacey.”

“Hunted?”

“Yes. Hunted. Someone has killed all of our neighbors in their sleep over the past week. I think I was next and you guys would have been last since you're furthest up the mountainside,” Kelley was shocked. All of their friends were gone. They hadn't lost anyone in over three years. She ran inside, grabbed Kacey and off they went in search of their family. Kelley wasn't even scared, she was angry. The zombie disease did not mean people had to lose their humanity. They would have taken a stranger in and given them a home. No one needed to die and now her sons were out there with this maniac. They made their way through the woods when they heard distant voices. They stopped where they were and listened as the voices grew closer.

“It is lovely in these woods, isn't it young man?”

“Why did you kill my friends?” Ryot spit the words as if they were daggers themselves.

“This world is evil now. People are evil. We are not meant to live. Once I have eradicated all the living people in this world I will kill myself. We cannot let evil to continue destroying the planet. This disease is killing us because Mother Nature is angry. I am here to fix that problem and let the world mend itself without people,” proudly announced the man.

“You can't possibly think you could kill every person who remains alive?”

The man stopped, swung Ryot towards him and yelled, “Of course I can! Of course I can! I will and your family will be last. I prefer doing this at night as people slept peacefully but you interrupted my stalking you little brat!” The man raised his hand to slap Ryot when swoosh swoosh swoosh three arrows flew from three different directions. One stuck in the man's raised hand, one in his left thigh and one in his right knee. As he was about to scream in pain Ryot punched him in the head knocking him out.

“Ryot! Are you okay?” Kelley came charging into view with Kacey and Charlie in tow. Raynar, Marie and Stacey followed suit.

“Yes mom I am fine. He killed everyone. He did it. Now what are we going to do?”

Kelley and Kacey were still reeling from the news, they had only just learned of everyone's deaths and the situation but only had the knowledge a few minutes after everyone else. Once they made sure their boys were okay Kacey made a plan, “Tie him to the tree. We need to make sure he is alone. Marie take the boys home. They don't need to see this.”

“The boys are not leaving, no one is. We need to stay together. If someone else is out there we will be separated and vulnerable. My boys are not leaving,” sternly stated Kelley to her visibly annoyed husband. He took a deep breath and acknowledge it was fine.

They stood around the man for a while, listening to hear of any others around. When he finally stirred they all stiffened up. He was tied up but he had also secretly killed most of the people they knew. He was clearly stealthy. The man let out a deep groan from his injuries and blinked his eyes open to see Kacey in his face.

“Is anyone with you?”

“Yes,” groaned the man.

“Who?!” Kacey punched the man in the stomach.

“UGGHH! Stop!”

“Who is with you?”

“HAHAHA! The grass and trees. The deer and bears. Nature is with me. Nature wants you to die. I am helping the world,” the man chuckled in pain.

“Dad, can I talk to you?” Ryot and Raynar went away from the man with Kacey, “Dad I think he is alone.”

“Yeah, while I watched them he never once looked for anyone and never implied anyone was with him,” whispered Raynar. Kacey nodded his head at his boys. He felt the man was alone as well and they had all been through enough.

“This time everyone go to the house. I will deal with him,” he whispered to them all so the man wouldn't hear, just in case someone did follow. Everyone walked home and left Kacey alone with the stranger, “We no longer have law in this world we live in. I have seen people tear each other apart as often as I have seen zombies. You are a danger to the world and we cannot rebuild with the likes of you,” before the man could say another word Kacey shot an arrow through his head sticking it to the tree he was tied to. The man died instantly and Kacey went home.

From then on, the two neighbors lived together. When they needed peace and quiet they went to Charlie's old house. When a zombie came they were better equipped to keep an eye out for where it was. They lived in harmony, or at least as much harmony as survivors of the zombie disease could live. Never again would a zombie be their worst fear, in fact they quite enjoyed when a zombie sauntered into their yard. Zombies were proving safer than people.

Hiking and History

Yesterday we took the dogs for hike with my brother Darren. I am pretty sure Buddy felt like he was on a death march when we were done but he was such a trooper! 

This week I wrote a story about Anastasia per request of The Fly On The Wall. It was a lot of fun to pretend to be someone from history! I hope you enjoy it! 

Our house is over the ridge somewhere!

Week 10 (9-15 March 2015)

Climbing Trees and Causing Mischief: A Tale of the Youngest Romanov Daughter

She was supposed to be studying but grammar would have to wait. Anastasia, or Nastya as her family called her, could hear the birds chirping outside the walls of the Alexander Palace. Her wild spirit was aching to burst through the doors and run the grounds of her family's favorite imperial home. Her tutor had left for just a brief moment while Nastya quietly studied, what a mistake that was. She peeked her head out of the room and checked the halls. As soon as she was sure the coast was clear she darted down the hallway to freedom. The constraints of rigid studying were just not for he; she liked to play in mud and chase fantasies. She was almost out the door when a servant saw her.

“Grand Princess, aren't you supposed to be studying? Your father would not approve of you fleeing your duties little miss,”

“I am just Anastasia, not Grand Princess, and my father doesn't have to know now does he?” announced Nastya with as much attitude as her little 11 year old self could muster.

“Oh little imp, I answer to your father not you. Now you best go back to your studies,” the robust servant knew the children's schedule and knew Anastasia was a feisty child. She also knew better than to bend to the whim of an insubordinate imperial princess. She sternly locked eyes with the little rebel but the child had a mind of her own. She kicked the servant in her right knee and charged the outside door. She knew she would be in trouble for that later but she would bunker out in a far off tree until someone physically removed her.

The bright summer sun kissed her cheeks and flushed her eyes in a temporary white blindness. She covered her eyes and ran as fast as she could across the perfectly manicured green grass. The crisp air was filled with hints of citrus and lilacs. She slowed her pace as it seemed no one was following her, she was free for now. She found her favorite tree at the edge of the grounds and began to climb. Her mother and sisters would die of embarrassment if they saw her climbing like a boy but she didn't care. Sitting in the trees was her peaceful place. She grabbed the rough bark, settled her feet and scaled the tree until she was hid from sight. She cozyed into the crook of the tree. It was a comfortable spot she found as a young child. In her tree she took pictures of the bugs that crawled up the branches. The leaves as they swayed in the wind. The landscape as it sat picturesque on the horizon.

When Nastya was done taking pictures, she gently set her camera down next to her. She could hear her tutor yelling for her but she did not budge. Her father would eventually come to take her down from the tree. Only he knew where she secreted away and, though she would be punished, he would never give away her hiding place. She was the beloved youngest Romanov daughter. Shorter than her sisters and more prone to chubbiness, as they said, she still managed to obtain the ageless beauty of her mother. Her two older sisters, Olga and Tatiana, would soon be an age where they would make their debut and find suitors. Anastasia and her other sister Maria were still too young but everyone knew Maria would make the best wife and mother. Nastya liked to think about her life as she sat in her happy tree.

She wouldn't debut in public for several more years but she imagined the balls she would dance at with her sisters and her brother. They would laugh and prance showing all of Russia how glorious the imperial family could be. Most likely her sisters and herself would be shuffled off to various cousins in Europe but as long as she dreamed her family would stay together. A lot of Russia did not like her mother for being a foreigner but at her imaginary ball they adored the Empress. They would stay up all night long, roaring in joyous laughter as they ate sweet treats with no care in the world if they dirtied their white gloves.

As she daydreamed about chocolate stained gloves, Anastasia grabbed some flowers and leaves out of her tree. Her mother loved her hair pinned up and tied back but Nastya preferred it loose and wild. She hummed a nursery rhyme her father taught her and created a floral crown around her head. She was well known for her “undignified” flower hair pieces. Her aunts did not approve of the flowers in her hair but her Papa told her that the Russian people were very fond of the new vogue style she had rebelliously created. Pride glittered her face as she made her latest crown from nature. A cool breeze kissed her cheek and her little Pomeranian, Shvibzik, barked in the distance. As she placed the pretty head piece atop her flurried hair she heard a sweetly stern voice.

“Anastasia, you are supposed to be studying.”

“I am Papa, see, I have my camera and I am thinking about my grammar,” she smiled at her dear father, the Emperor.

“My little imp, I do not believe your grammar is playing in your daydreams,”

“Okay Papa, I am not thinking of my grammar lessons. They are so boring! I cannot practice words any longer,” she furrowed her brow and scrunched her nose in disdain.

“Your mama will be very upset. You hurt that servant you know. You will have to write an apology since you did not finish you grammar and spelling,” her Papa ascended the tree and reached his hand out for his Nastya, “Let's go home now. I will have to punish you you know, we cannot let Alexei and other Russian children believe they can be so naughty.”

“Yes Papa,” she took his hand and crawled onto his back to be carried from her happy tree.

“If you take your punishment gracefully I will bring you a treat when I come to read you a story before bedtime but don't tell your sisters or brother... or Mama,” he pinched her nose and kissed her cheek. She felt like she was a small child again, safe in her Papa's arms as they crossed the lawn to their relatively simple palace. She hugged her Papa's neck and nuzzled him tightly. She loved her family and knew that they would live merry lives whether they lived in far off lands or stayed together in Russia. In spirit they would never be apart.

The final chapter of The Girl in the Wall & A Moveable Feast

Over the weekend I finished reading A Moveable Feast. It is the memoir Ernest Hemingway put together before he died but it was not published until after his tragic suicide. It is essentially his love letter to Paris. It is easy to see why he was a great American author! He is fluid and true to his words. He weaves stories like no one else has. He tells enough but does not give everything away and I feel like I am a better writer for having read this incredible book. I think everyone should read it, especially if you're a writer. I read the most recent version which was edited by his grandson with a foreword by one of his sons.

I hope everyone had a great week! See you next week!

Week 9 (2-8 March 2015)

The Girl in the Wall Part 3

He could hear Anna crying in the basement but every time he thought he was near, her cries would fade and reappear elsewhere. The dark and the maddening silence began to eat away at him. This is all Terra's fault... a voice in his head said. She wanted this house, she wanted to live here, Anna is missing because of her! Terra took her. Terra killed her! The voice was becoming more malicious and violent the longer he stayed in the basement. Punish her. Teach Terra a lesson!

“NO! Stop!” Morgan shook his head to free himself of the voices. Of course this wasn't Terra's fault. She was a caring mother, she would never hurt Anna and she certainly wouldn't murder her. Wicked thoughts filled his head full of rage and anger for Terra but he wasn't completely gone for rational thought. Suddenly he heard a shrill scream coming from the corner. The scream was little Anna's. The sound of Anna being hurt was like a kick to the gut. He lurched forward towards the corner when he heard a low rumbling growl. As he started towards the growl to save his daughter he heard Terra.

“Morgan! No!” from over his shoulder came his wife with a knife just as a black dog lunged at him. She stabbed the dog in the throat. It went flying into the wall with a whimper. Terra and Morgan went to the dog's body to investigate, “Oh my god! No! Anna! ANNA!”

There, along the wall lay a motionless, bloody Anna wrapped in an old shirt. Terra had stabbed their daughter and Morgan could feel his blood boiling. Raging madness filled him to the brim. He could feel hot tears streaming down his face; he could taste iron in his mouth from biting his lip in anger. He charged forward towards Terra. Grabbing her collar, he shook her with all the force he could muster.

“What did you do? What did you do!” he screamed as he went blind with rage. Suddenly Terra's body went limp.

“Morgan... what have you done to me?” she touched his face with a bloody hand. Her throat was gushing from the wound where the knife had struck her in the side of her neck. What had he done! He didn't remember holding a knife. He didn't even bring anything with him in to the basement.

“Oh Terra! I am so sorry! Please! Hold on I will go get help,” he gently laid his fading wife on the floor and turned to grab his daughter but she wasn't there. Frantic, he swatted the ground around him looking for her but she was gone, “Terra, Anna is gone! Where is Anna?” he turned to his wife as he asked but she too was gone. He was alone in the basement again and the faint metallic smell of blood had disappeared as well. He was imagining it all. The house was filling his mind with horrors and he couldn't differentiate what was real and what was fake. Suddenly he heard Terra scream upstairs. It was a blood curdling scream that filled his ears with dread. He sprinted up the stairs toward her screams. They seemed to be fluttering from room to room. He ran into each room only to hear the screams in another room. Finally he opened the door to his study and there was Anna. She was laying on the floor wrapped in her little pink blanket cooing by herself.

“Anna!” Morgan sprinted to his baby and picked her up. As he went in to snuggle her face she melted into a squirming pile of hissing cockroaches and beetles. He shook his hands free of the bugs and screamed for his wife and daughter at the top of his lungs while stomping the bugs that imitated his daughter.

“Hahaha!” Morgan snapped his neck in the direction of the nursery where the maniacal laugh came from. He charged into the room and could hear Anna crying in the wall. With brute force, Morgan tore through the wall until he reached his daughter. She was sound asleep without a care in the world and had not a scratch on her. She was real. He could see her. He could feel her. She hadn't turned into anything else. He held her close and ran down to the last place he knew his wife was. He ran down their grand staircase and into the kitchen where his wife was passed out propped against the wall.

“ I told you to leave but she didn't listen to me. Priests can't get rid of the evil in this house. It has permeated the walls. Mr. Noble seeps through every floor. He has become the house. You have to leave!” plead a voice behind him.

“What is going on in this house! What is happening!” He screamed as he pounded his fist in the wall. Terra... it's all Terra's fault. She wanted to move here. She wanted to have the baby here. She did this. She chose this! Not you! Kill her. Kill Terra. The voice was back, “No! Stop! FUCKING STOP!”

“Morgan, we have to go,” Terra had roused. For a moment he wanted to punch her. He could feel the blackness in his eyes but as soon as he made eye contact with Terra, he knew the voices in his head were Mr. Noble. The house was trying to make them kill each other or make him kill them all at least. He nodded his head to his wife and they got up. The house began to shake violently. Doors throughout the house were slamming open and closed.

“Go now!” yelled Marie who was standing in front of them, “I will hold him off. Hire someone tomorrow to pack your stuff. If you leave anything here he can follow you. He will know where you are. You must leave and take everything. Never come back here. Go!” Marie burst into a ball of bright, white light and encompassed the kitchen. Morgan grabbed his keys and wallet from the counter and they all escaped the home. They got in the car and went to a hotel that night. The next morning, after getting very little sleep, they called a moving company with explicit directions to pack up everything that was not glued or nailed down to the ground. They asked the company to take pictures of every room they came into before they packed it up so they could see how the house looked after they made their escape.

Their house looked like it had never been touched. Everything was perfectly arranged and looked tidy as if no one had ever spent a day inside. It was mind boggling. Morgan swore the house was in tatters after last night but the movers insisted it was in pristine condition. They rented a home that day with the help of Marie's brother who just happened to be a Realtor. He helped them find their rental until they could find a home to buy. This time they took no chances. Morgan and Terra did extensive research on their new home and made sure it didn't have a bloody history. They even checked the land. They would not be surprised by evil again. One day Morgan was driving home when he saw their old house had a SOLD sign on top of the for sale sign. He rushed home as fast as he could to tell Terra.

“We need to warn them or do something. No one can live in that house again,” he announced.

“Let's burn it down,” Morgan thought about it for a minute and agreed. Marie had been laid to rest and it was the only way to rid the world of Mr. Noble's evil spirit. If Marie had not come back to save them they would have added to the bloody story of that house. It was time the blood shed ended.

Morgan and Terra, with Anna in tow strapped to Terra's chest, put on shoes two sizes too big and took gasoline they siphoned from their cars. They wanted to make sure they didn't get caught. They walked up to the house, poured gasoline all over the outside walls of the house and lit a match. They watched the house burn to the ground. They could hear howls and screeches coming from the flames. Once they were sure the house was lost forever they went home. Mr. Noble was gone, never to hurt a soul again, Marie was at peace next to her mother and father and the Lewis family lived in relative peace in their smaller but quieter new home.

Bistro Vendome!

Scott is taking me to a celebratory dinner at a French restaurant downtown! I am so excited! With that said I have to go! Go buy the book I helped write here: The Succession of England's Kings and enjoy these few pictures from this week!  

Our house has teeth

Scott is reading and by reading I mean napping with Myssa and Buddy.

Week 8 (23 February-1 March 2015)

The Girl in the Wall Part 2

When Morgan and Terra bought their home they knew it had a sordid past. In over 65 years there have been countless suicides and murders in the house. This caused a bit of alarm but the young newlyweds could not pass up the beautiful Victorian style home. Terra was pregnant, Morgan's company had moved him to the new city and the house was cheap. They quietly but happily moved into the spacious home. Their new home was more than they could have ever imagined. It had seven bedrooms, three studies with built-in book shelves in the wall, a well lit dining room and a grand staircase like something out of a movie. It was glamorous and something Terra could only dream of as a child.

Terra was elated with their new home. Yes, it had a dark history but the neighborhood was adorable and such a picturesque place to raise a child. They had the house blessed by a priest and even had it cleansed with sage. They weren't sure what caused such terror in their historic home but they wanted to change its story into a fairy tale. Strange things happened in their home after they moved in but nothing that raised any flags. Pictures fell off the wall and floors creaked. They chalked it up to the house being incredibly old. Terra thought she heard whispers when she walked throughout the kitchen at night but Morgan told her it was just her pregnant imagination. Life was like a Norman Rockwell painting and the two could not be happier.

“Morgan?”

“Yes my dear?”

“I think it's time we work on a nursery for our little princess. We have so many rooms, maybe we can make two of them into one super nursery.”

“Princess? We are having a girl? We are having a girl!” they were overjoyed and decided that day to plan out a perfectly pink nursery for their newest edition.

That night a storm rolled through town. The rain pounded on their windows and the thunder kept Terra awake. She tossed and turned and finally decided to get up rather than be restless in bed. She walked through the kitchen, filled up the tea kettle and put it on the stove. As she sat at the table rubbing her own achy feet she heard footsteps behind her.

“Go back to bed Morgan, I am okay. I just can't sleep. She turned around to show him she was fine but no one was there, “Huh... I thought... I guess,” she trailed off realizing she was talking to herself.

“Move...” came a voice over her shoulder, “Get out...” A chill shot through Terra's spine. This time she definitely heard a voice. This wasn't a whisper that could be explained as something else. This was a real voice but no one was behind her.

“Morgan? If you're playing games with me it's not funny! Where are you?” She yelled.

“It's not Morgan, my name is Marie,” Terra turned around and standing in front of her was a little girl.

“How did you get in here? Where did you come from?” asked Terra.

“I live in the wall. You need to leave. You need to move. Mr. Noble will paint the walls with your blood and keep your daughter. He has been waiting for a little girl, no one has had one and he killed them all. No one lives in this home. Move now!” Terra was baffled. She was not processing this information. Had she lost her mind? This was simply insane!

“You live in the wall? What is going on here?” Terra was in near tears from fear and exhaustion at this point. Marie explained who Mr. Noble was and how he killed her many years before. She was the towns missing girl who was lost in history thanks to time and many new homeowners. Her family never found her body and never knew what happened to her because Mr. Noble had encased her in the wall. The very wall Terra and Morgan were going to tear down to make their nursery. Terra decided right then, and it may have been from the hormones, to take a sledge hammer to the wall and see if she was actually going crazy or not. She began hitting the wall when Morgan came darting into the room.

“Terra! Stop! What are you doing?” as he grabbed her arm to stop her, Terra took one more swing and bust through the wall with all her force. Dark hair trickled through the hole in the wall. Attached to it was a small red bow. Terra began crying and explained to Morgan who the girl in the wall was. They called the police and explained the find as a pregnant woman anxious to start on the nursery. Terra knew the police would think she was crazy if she said she had seen a little girl, this little girl, in their kitchen.

“Mr. and Mrs. Lewis, my grandfather was one of the officers that searched for this little girl. Her murderer committed suicide without telling anyone what he did with her body. No one thought to look in the wall. You solved an old cold case file. Marie had a brother, we will try to find him and other family to tell them she can be laid to rest now next to her parents. It's a shame they didn't live to see her be found. We should be done here in a little bit. Get some rest, you guys will need it,” the officer winked at them and walked away. After finally succumbing to exhaustion, Terra and Morgan went to sleep.

That night, Terra dreamt about the little girl she saw in her kitchen. She dreamt of Marie riding her bike past the river and skipping rocks. She dreamt of her happy smile and joyful days as a ten year old girl in a quiet town. Then the nightmares came. She watched from afar as Mr. Noble snatched Marie and hid her away in the beautiful Victorian home. She saw Mr. Noble shoot Marie and shoot himself. Then she saw every person who ever lived in her home murder each other or kill themselves after months of psychological torture. Terra shot up out of her nightmares in a cold sweat. Breathing heavily she reached over for her water on her nightstand and found a note.

I am at rest now. I thank you for that. Please leave. For the safety of your baby. You took me from Mr. Noble and he is incredibly angry now. I fear your fate will be worse than those before you.

-Marie

All Terra could do was cry. Had they made a mistake in buying this house with a bloody past? Morgan reassured her everything would be fine. They decided to call their priest again and bless the house. It seemed as if all was well after that day. Terra had a calm pregnancy and Morgan excelled at his new job. They quickly forgot about the drama of the girl in the wall, especially after their daughter Anna Maria was born. All was quiet the first couple of months but one day Terra noticed Anna staring at the closet. No matter what she did or how she moved her, Anna stared intently at that closet. Terra put Anna down and walked over to the closet. She heard a slight humming, almost like a little girl. She opened the closet and nothing was there. She turned around, looked at Anna then looked back at the closet. In front of her appeared a demonic face. She screamed at the top of her lungs when the face opened its mouth and birds flew out of it.

SLAM!

“MORGAN! MORGAN! HELP! HELP ME!” she screamed as she pounded on the slammed nursery door. The birds were pecking at her and attacking.

“Terra! Open the door! Open the door!” Morgan could hear nothing but screams coming from the room as he pounded on the shut door. He twisted the handle and it was turning but it would not open.

“Morgan please! They're hurting me!”

“Who! Who is hurting you?” suddenly there was silence. Morgan shoved the door and it finally gave way. Terra was laying in a pile on the floor. Her hair was knotted, her face and hands were scratched and bloody and she was crying, “Terra! Oh my god! Are you okay? What happened?”

“Where did the birds go? Did you let them out?”

“Birds? What birds?” Terra looked up at him with a crazed look in her eye. She began sobbing and ran out the room. Morgan didn't know what to do. His wife was a rational person, she never even got hysterical when it was warranted so he was lost as to what was happening now. He looked up at the crib and heard Anna giggling. He took a deep breath and got up to pick her up. When he looked in the crib Anna was gone. The giggling stopped and the house was silent, “Anna? Terra!” Morgan raced through the house and couldn't find either of them. He knew Terra couldn't have taken their daughter, he watched her leave the room but they were both gone. He ran to the kitchen to grab his phone and call for help. When he reached the kitchen he heard a loud growl and a thud. Behind him was Terra, bloody and out cold. He ran over to see if she was okay and she opened her eyes.

“Morgan, help me...” she started to say when they heard Anna giggling in the basement, “Oh god, we should have left,” cried Terra.

Morgan propped Terra along the wall and ran downstairs. His family was under attack and fear raced through his veins. The basement smelled musty like someone had suffocated all light and air from the room for years. He could taste the cold, dusty air and felt the hairs raise on his arms. His daughter was there somewhere and he was going to save his family. Morgan was ready to battle but he had no idea was evil awaited him as he reached the bottom of the stairs.