Under the Cover of Darkness

Ghost Writer

Claire Steading, placed her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath, while out walking her Jack Russell Terrier, Buster.

He had suddenly caught sight of a rabbit and immediately gave chase. Claire went running after both animals and watched as they darted through a hole in a chain-link fence that surrounded the half derelict Hallowmas Hall.

Claire managed to scramble up and over the nine-foot wire fence but lagged way behind in her pursuit of her dog.

“Come back boy! Look what mummy has got?” Eventually standing up waving in the air a small dog biscuit in the shape of a bone, hoping the scent of beef essence would carry.

Standing ankle deep in last summer dead vegetation, Claire couldn’t help but stare up at the hall. The place had once belonged to the famous author and now convicted mass murderer, Alastair Croxley. Unbeknown to his publisher and worldwide fans, Croxley would lure women back to the hall and after killing them, immortalise his deeds in fiction.

Claire, shivered has a gust of wind blew around the side of the hall animating the pile of dead leaves at her feet. She was about to call out for Buster again when she heard his bark echoing from within the hall.

Fearing that Buster may be trapped, she bounding up the stone steps to the front door. Inside, the hall was damp and bleak. Drapes hung awkward still attached to their collapsed curtain poles. Claire then screamed at seeing a family of mice scurry out from a hole in the wall.

Buster resumed his barking somewhere within the hall.

Eventually she found him in a large empty room, standing at the far wall scratching at the peeling wallpaper. Seeing that he was OK, she grabbed his collar and attached his lead.

“Come away!” she commanded. But Buster was reluctant to leave. Instead, he kept snarling and growling demanding to finish the tearing of the wallpaper.

Claire wanted out of the hall, but seeing that something was agitating her dog, she decided to stay and find out. Claire tied Buster to a door handle and went back to see why he was scratching at the wall.

Bending down, Claire saw that beneath the wallpaper was what looked like the edge of another door! She tore away more of the wallpaper to reveal that there was indeed a concealed entrance. Once she had peeled back the remaining paper, she placing her hand on the door knob and went into the secret room.

Stale air escaped from the room sounding as if exhaling its final breath. The sudden gust spooked Buster, tugging himself free he ran out of the room and out of the hall. Claire was now too intrigued to go chasing after him.

Surprisingly, the room, which she concluded must be a study, was rather tidy, albeit covered in dust. There was a full bookcase running the entire length of the wall. A standard lamp, an armchair and an oak desk. To Claire’s amazement on top of which was a ‘Royal’ typewriter.

Claire looked down on what must have been the original typewriter that Croxley used. Her mind was too occupied to notice that the study door she originally came through, was starting to close, trapping her inside.

Then quite unexpectedly, the typewriter keys sprung into life making her jump and heart thump as the keys hammering out a message. When the typing had stopped she went, with some caution, over to the typewriter. Just two words were typed on the single sheet of paper. Two words that made her fall back against the desk.

‘Hello Claire.'

Author Note:

I hope you enjoyed reading this and I'm looking forward to hearing from you.