Sin to the Darkness Read online

  Sin to the Darkness

  Abyssinia Estate Series: Book One

  By: S. London

  Smashwords Edition

  Copyright 2012 S. London

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  INTRODUCTION

  “Before the story can officially begin, let me just say…”

  You never really know what you are going to find when you move into a new town, let alone what you will find when you move into a new house – especially when that new house has existed for two centuries. Sometimes people leave things behind, sometimes they forget things. Sometimes people leave so quickly they do not have time or space to take all of their belongings. Sometimes people simply die and no one knows what to do with their stuff.

  Every house in every town this side of the Abyssinia Beach has existed for several centuries. Every house has a load of history attached to it. Of course this brings in tourists of all types. Some tourists love the architecture of the old Victorians, the Gothic style cathedrals, the Romanesque inspired mansions adorned with sculptures from the Middle East. Some crave the history. And some – you would be surprised how many -- come for the legends told and passed on from older generations to newer generations. Anything told in this small town -- everyone knows about it within a week. I am sure you know what that is like. And if not, that is just good for you. Consider yourself one of the lucky few.

  For one house – Abyssinia Estate – tourists and folk tales are just a minor asset. After reading this intriguing – and hopefully thought-provoking – tale, I guarantee you will think twice before moving to a new neighborhood without first doing a little research… unless, of course, you think you are brave enough to handle anything. By all means, include the grand luxurious Abyssinia Estate in your

  upcoming vacation plans. Maybe the tales of evil are fictional; or maybe they were labeled fictional

  because the creator wants to get her own revenge – maybe I, the author of this tale, am being possessed by the thought processes of the one and only Miss Beth… or maybe, just maybe, this is only a tale of reckless lifestyles and vindictive behaviors – all in the name of love. Ha, imagine that… a tale based on love where evil is only in your imagination – you decide.

  AUGUST, 1986

  “And now,” Thaddeus began, “with the powers I’ve temporarily bestowed upon myself…” He placed his right hand on his heart and spoke proudly, “I now pronounce you…” He paused and placed his left hand on the young girl’s face.

  Her eyes glistened. Her mouth formed a slight smile that faded almost the same moment it appeared. He stroked her cheek with his thumb and concluded, “Dead.”

  And with that, her body fell limp in his arms. Lifeless. Thaddeus studied her face for several moments, as if to make sure the spell had worked. It had. She no longer trembled beneath his grasp. Thaddeus frowned, wiped a tear from his cheek and took a deep breath, then another, and then let out a long sigh.

  “You’re free now, my angel. I love you.”

  Thaddeus spoke softly, close to her ear, and lightly kissed her cheek. He took a final look at his beloved, scooped her up and effortlessly carried her body to the circle drawn in chalk on the hardwood floor of the parlor. Kneeling outside the circle, Thaddeus carefully placed the young woman inside it, gently curling her into a fetal position. She laid, eyes closed, sleeping peacefully it seemed. He wished it were really her there, sleeping safe and sound, but he knew the body was just that: a body. A home where a soul had once lived but no longer resided.

  “And now,” he whispered, his breath visible in the air. “Now I will light the candles; the corners; the edges.” He took a matchbook from his back pocket and began striking them against the floor. The first

  wouldn’t catch so he tossed it aside and grabbed another. He grabbed a third, this one catching right away. Carefully, he lit each candle, reciting one word at a time as he moved from one candle to the next, the words from the spell he’d memorized from the Book of Eternal Life . He said the words once again, to himself this time. “Let Your Soul Be Free. Free From Pain and Tragedy.”

  The ten candles, placed at specific spots around the outside of the chalk-drawn circle, were now all lit.

  Suddenly the shades on the back wall began moving up and down as if someone were messing with the cords. But when Thaddeus turned to see who was back there he saw nothing. And when he called out “who’s there?” the shades became still. The candle flames stood rigid, frozen.

  FEBRUARY, 2006

  Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.

  The noise came from outside.

  Beth stirred beneath the bulk of blankets under which she attempted to rest. Outside spring had come early but inside winter still lingered. The warm breeze coming in from the open bedroom window was the only source of warmth in the entire room and the only thing stopping Beth from grabbing another blanket from the linen closet.

  The realtor had warned, though he hadn't explained why, the house remained so cold all throughout the year. But it was something Beth could look past. The unbelievable price tag on the huge home on the beach made up for a chilly environment.

  "With the money we're saving we can hire someone to install a really good heating system." Ben had said to his new wife as they stood together ready to unlock the door of their first home, for the first

  time.

  Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.

  Beth groaned and looked at the clock. It blinked 12:00. She groaned again and pulled the covers over her head and closed her eyes. Three months after first moving in Beth was still trying to get used to all the different noises a house could make and to all the sounds nature supplied when the rest of the world was asleep.

  Beth stretched her legs, suddenly realizing she was alone in the bed.

  "Ben?" Beth called in a whisper looking around, her eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness, enough to see her bedroom door was wide open.

  Beth crawled out of bed, wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. She stepped into the hallway and looked around. There appeared to be no lights on anywhere in the house.

  "Ben!" Beth called out, descending the stairs. She received no answer. She called out several more times while checking out each downstairs room but still received no reply, no sign of her husband.

  Panic had started to set in when Beth heard a door shut in the back of the house. Her heart began to race. "Ben?" she called.

  "Yes." She heard faintly and saw him approach her a moment later. Beth breathed a sigh of relief as her husband, Ben, kissed her cheek. "One moment honey," he said and disappeared in the darkness again, leaving her standing in the middle of the foyer, a dozen questions running through her head.

  Ben stared down the hallway, his eyes locked on the bright orange glow that outlined the door at the far end. The guest room, he was told it had been. He had chosen to leave it as such, knowing he had no other use for it. The room had been furnished, as had the rest of the house, when he agreed to buy it and

  now three months later it still held the same furnishings. The light, however, he couldn’t explain. There were no ceiling lights in e
ither of the upstairs rooms, he knew for fact and he couldn’t remember seeing any floor or table lamps anywhere.

  "The previous owner lived in complete darkness." the real estate agent had told him.

  "Was he blind?" Ben had asked.

  The agent answered, "No."

  Of course not; how could a blind man create such amazing structures and decorate a home so well? But why would someone choose to live in complete darkness?

  “Ben.” A woman’s voice floated up from downstairs. Footsteps softly ascended the stairs. “Ben?” The voice was behind him now. He felt a woman’s hand touch his arm and her warm breath on his neck. “Ben.” She spoke softly. Her arms wrapped around him. “Come on to bed.” She said.

  “I think I know why we got such a good deal on this place.” Ben replied, his gaze still on the door down the hall.

  “We got a good deal here, Ben.”

  “Beth, honey, sometimes a good deal is a bad deal.” Ben said and pulled away from his wife’s grasp.

  MARCH, 2006

  The cab pulled up in front of Christi’s building at 7am.

  “Morning, Miss Stephens.” The driver said, looking at her through the rear view mirror. His brown eyes were hidden beneath dark sunglasses but Christi had the knowing sense he was staring inappropriately.

  “Good morning, Luis.” She replied, pulling her backpack onto her lap and turning her gaze to the window. She peered out at the morning sky. The sun was hidden behind the mass of gray clouds that

  lingered atop her building.

  “You think we can touch it?” Adam asked with a mischievous smile.

  “You wanna try?” Christi answered with the same mischievous smile.

  “Let’s go. I’ll race ya!”

  The two took off up the stairwell, raced each other to the top floor. Adam reached for the doorknob of the heavy steel door.

  “Wait!” Christi exclaimed. Adam’s hand rested on the doorknob. He turned to look at his sister standing behind him.

  “You scared?” he asked. Christi hesitated. “Don’t be a baby.” He said.

  “I am not a baby!” She spat. “I just… I thought I heard someone.”

  “Chrissssssyyyyyy.” Adam drawled, teasingly.

  She shot him an irritated glance and rolled her eyes. “Grow up.”

  “Chrisssssss…syyyyyyy.” He drawled again.

  “Christi? Hello?” A brown-eyed man said. “Christi? Christi!”

  The twenty something young woman with the dark brown hair flinched. Something had tapped her knee. A moment later a sudden rumble of thunder boomed in the distance. Christi jumped; startled out

  of her daydream.

  “Huh?” She mumbled, blinking back into reality. “Oh. Sorry.”

  “You alright, Miss Stephens?” the driver asked.

  “I’m fine. See ya later, Luis.” She replied, stepping out of the cab and unintentionally slamming the door closed.

  “Can you believe we’re graduates as of today? College graduates with degrees!” Christi exclaimed.

  A short red haired girl with a face full of freckles sat next to her, grinning widely, showing off her pearly white teeth. “It’s unbelievable,” the girl agreed. She let out a loud squeal that caused Christi to cover her ears and giggle.

  “Let’s celebrate tonight!” Christi shouted. She uncovered her ears and stood, gathering her backpack for the last time. “Congratulations Karen. Call me later.”

  JUNE, 2006

  “Christina, how nice to see you; you’re right on time, dear. Please have a seat.” A young man in his early thirties said, motioning her into the tiny room. Christina slipped out of her sweater jacket and took a seat on the couch. The room was decorated like a typical shrink’s office: simple but classy. She had to admit, this doc had good taste.

  “How have you been, Christina?” the man asked, taking a seat in a high back leather chair. Christi glanced at him and shrugged. “Anything in particular that you would like to discuss?” he asked casually.

  Christi shrugged again. The man nodded and folded his hands in his lap.

  “I just needed to see a familiar face. I haven't seen anyone since I graduated last month.” Christina said quietly and sighed.

  “Perhaps you can have a celebration? Invite your boyfriend to celebrate with you.” He suggested.

  “I did…” She paused and added, “He didn’t come, though.” Christina shot the dark haired man a piercing glance.

  “I’m sorry, Christina.” He offered as an answer and quickly realized it would take more than a simple sorry to let him off the hook. “I was busy. Beth and I worked things out. I mean, we talked... we married... and... Well, we bought a house together.” The doc’s hands remained folded in his lap, his

  tone still casual.

  “Oh? That’s great!”

  The doc nodded in agreement.

  “Thanks for making me aware you were finished with me.” Christina continued and forced a smile.

  “I’m not.” He said and smiled too.

  Christina stood, took several steps to the left and gazed out the window. More clouds had rolled in, the street lights lit up the crowded streets. She stared, unblinkingly, at a figure on a nearby balcony. He rose to join her by the window.

  “But you just said…” she started.

  “I know what I said. And everything I say to you is true. My job is to be honest with you, even if it is not always exactly what you wish to hear.”

  “Sure. But…” she started again.

  “She doesn’t know anything. Our sessions are strictly confidential. I express that to you each year and it’s in your contract as well. You had nothing to do with our fights, I promise.”

  Deep down Christina thought it was an awkward answer. She wanted to tell him he was speaking too much and that in doing so it made her think he was trying too hard to cover up a fib, but she decided it best to keep it to herself. She had no real proof that speaking too much or trying too hard actually meant he did not mean what he was saying. She knew he loved to talk, so to tell him he’s speaking too much would be like telling an author that they’re writing too much. She giggled to herself at the thought.

  Instead, she just nodded. Her eyes were still fixed on the figure on the balcony. At the moment, for a reason that was not apparent, he was the object of her concern, not the doc standing nearby.

  “Come sit down, Christina. Let’s talk.” The doc said, but she made no attempt to move from the window. “Christina?” He curled his fingers around her elbow and turned her to face him. His arm slipped around her waist and her eyes slowly moved upward until they met his.

  ‘Such powerful blue eyes,’ she thought. “Let’s sit and talk, shall we?” She mumbled, trying to collect herself before she said something off-topic. He nodded and led her to the couch, and took a seat beside her.

  A moment later the telephone rang. The doc groaned and slowly got up. It rang again, seemingly louder than usual. “Coming!” He whispered loudly. Christina smirked and watched as he picked up the cordless and put it to his ear.

  “Dr. Branham’s office.” He said into the receiver. “Dr. Branham here.” His smile quickly faded. “Is she alright?” he asked, running his hand through his deep black hair, nervously. “Okay. Thanks.” He said and hung up.

  Christina watched as he sat down on the edge of his desk, the phone still in his hand. He sighed and lowered his head.

  “Is everything alright?” Christina asked, breaking the silence after several minutes of not being acknowledged. The doc raised his head and looked at her as though he’d forgotten she was there. He didn’t reply.

  “I have to go, anyway.” She said quickly, and grabbed for her sweater. She stood, walked past him to the door.

  “No.” he said as she turned the doorknob. “Don’t go. Please.”

  Christina released the knob, pushed the door closed and turned. “Why? My session ended ten minutes ago.” She said firmly, not moving from the door.

  “I
… I just need someone to talk to.” He said, looking down at his feet, tears staining his cheeks. He took a deep breath and looked up. “Please. I’m afraid I’ll do something crazy if I’m here alone. My

  assistant isn’t here this week to fill the empty time between each client’s session and my next client won’t be here until around…” he paused. “Until tomorrow…”

  “Sorry but I do not know how much of a help my being here would be. I never know what to say when someone ‘needs to talk’ or whatever. See? I’m tongue-tied already.” Christina replied, flashing a quick smile and shaking her head. “Besides, you’re the psychologist, not me.” She joked, attempting to lighten the mood. The vibe in the room had suddenly become tense; the air thick, the silence unnerving.

  “Not yet anyway.” The doc said with a smirk. “Even a psychologist needs a psychologist once in a while.” He stood and took the several steps to the door and pushed her into it and kissed her, lightly at

  first then becoming more intense with each passing moment. The tension in the air turned to passion.

  “I thought you needed to talk.” Christi managed to say in between kisses.

  “I do.” He said. “We are.” He pressed his hips into her. “How about we reschedule that celebration?”

  Christina nodded. “Let’s,” she mumbled as the doc planted pecks on her neck.

  Suddenly he stopped and backed away from her. “Go home, Christina Stephens.” He said firmly. “Your guests will be arriving soon.” He added, and chuckled at his own joke.

  AUGUST, 1986

  Thaddeus stood alongside his brother, Theodore. His mind wandered through images of what had just happened and what was about to happen.

  "What are you going to do with her body?"

  "Don't worry, friend. I'm taking care of it."