The flowers were standing husks as their bulbs were an array color of black and yellow. Naked limbs from the tree's that surrounded them shook like rattles from a child's toy. There limbs held not one leaf as hull of the bark was stripped away;revealing a damp undertone of wood. Even the soil beneath them smelled of a foul stench as early morning steam arose like a fog. The house itself was intact,though the color coating had peeled away as age and the wilderness around was trying to reclaim the foundation. Yet Jonathan Bunker stood beside his car as the buyer seemed fixated on the whole scene. It was like he was taking in a beautiful scenery,one Jonathan could not pull himself to see. Though it wasn't in his nature to argue or question the buyer,after all real estate comes with challenges and the Cassidy manor was his. On the market for thirteen years,it only had one previous owner Ruby Cassidy who inherited from her father. Oddly enough Ruby mysteriously went missing in the winter of 2005 in which the city took ownership of the estate. Jonathan believed he would never be able to sell it,as every furnace touch he tried to make to it seem to be dismantled. The sod he had ordered to be laid down,to give it a beautiful green yard never had on effect. Painters were called in to give the house a new coat and tree trimmers called in to cut down the rotting forrest around the area. It had no effect,the painter began falling off ladders as tree trimmers chains broke from there saws with one touch to the dead wood. It wasn't long in a small community began to start rumors of the Cassidy manor being haunted. Although the house was up in the mountains and a good twenty miles from the town of Cedar Creek. It still got more attention,just not those of buyers which made Jonathan believe it would eventually be torn down. So now as Jonathan stood holding the sign documents from the buyer of the Cassidy estate;the brief thought crossed his mind,"What's wrong with this man?" The man who signed the paper work with just two letters,M.K. rather it was just initials or an alias;didn't really matter for he paid in cash. Which told Jonathan that the man was wealthy beyond his means,not to mention his friend who stood beside Jonathan. Mr. Malcolm,a well dressed man of higher life quality;he carried himself as both M.K. spokesman and bodyguard. He was tall and slender,standing like a scarecrow not like M.K. though who was shorter and stout even under his heavy jacket one could tell he had muscle tone and probably knew how to use it. "Do you or your boss have any questions before i leave?" Jonathan asked looking at Mr. Malcolm as he slide tje paperwork in his folder and proceeded to his car. A smile widened on Malcom's face as he replied in ease,"if we have any questions,we'll be sure to call you." M.K. heard the real estate agents car back out of the driveway,without turning around he heard the gravels pop underneath the car as it spun off. Turning his attention back to the house as Malcolm walked up beside him,"That man was scared of this place...i could hear it in his voice." M.K. nodded as he replied"As he should be...as you all should." Malcolm watched as M.K. walked up the creaking steps to the door as by magic the front door gently swayed opened. Malcolm was astonished as he held the keys in his hand as M.K. turned and chuckled saying in enthusiasm,"It seems the house remembers me." Malcolm seemed less enthused as he began to gather there belongings from the vehicle. .....Later that evening, Night was coming upon them as both men shared a bottle of brandy as the fire roared before them. Besides the endless piles of dust and cobwebs on the furniture and the mantle,Malcolm could start to see why his boss fancy the place. The house was a throwback to the Victorian era as the black marble floor cast itself outward like a spiderweb. Long velvet red drapes hung from the windows and touching the ground as the fireplace seemed to have been chiseled from white Carpathian stone. The large portrait that hung over the mantle was that of a naked woman planted on the grown,a red moon shined in the black mist of night as she laid;wrapped in the guarded leaves of poison ivy. Surrounding her was thousands of deadly vipers,wrapping there black diamond coils around the distressed woman's limbs and entering in every entrance in her body. Not a piece,one would have out for public display Malcolm thought as he took a sip of his brandy. Turning toward M.K.,Malcolm could sense something was bothering his employer as he too stared into the portrait,but not with eyes of disgust or shock but the look of remembrance. Suddenly an image of a figure glided by the window behind M.K.,pale white and fast as light. Malcolm jumped up,dropping his brandy as he backed against the mantle grabbing the fire poker. "Put the poker down Malcolm." M.K. said,not even taking his eyes of the portrait before them. "But sir..i saw.." before Malcolm could even string a sentence out,M.K. interrupted him,"I know what you saw old friend and i assure you a fire poker will do you no good against it." Malcolm could not sense an inch of fear or doubt in his boss's voice;as he slowly sat back down,still gripping the fire poker in his hand. M.K. knew Malcolm wouldn't last long in this house,the house could sense fear and feed on it. Standing up,M.K. grabbed another glass and scooped three cubes of ice from the tray as he poured half a cup of brandy in it and handed it to Malcolm. "Tomorrow there's a train leaving around 10:00,i want you on it old friend;there you can take a flight back to your home in India. I've already wired enough money in your account to take care of you,you're children and your children's children." Malcolm looked up at M.K. both shocked and confused as he accepted the drink."But sir,i signed on to be your personal assistant for another four years." Nodding M.K. walked back to his seat as he watched the log in the fire crumble into flaming ash. "Yes you did,but now i need you to go away,i need you to be somewhere safe. Somewhere that evil won't swallow you up and only spit your bones out." Malcolm's ice in his glass shook as he replied with desperation,"What about you sir?" M.K. smiled as he looked at the portrait on the wall and said in splendor," If Evil wanted it me,it could had me thirteen years ago;now I'm giving it a second chance." Malcolm looked up from his glass and spoke in almost a whisper,"You've been here before?" M.K. nodded a slight grin appeared on his face as Malcolm noticed sudden movement in front of them. The portrait over the fireplace began to move as a high wind could be heard in the portrait and the leaves on the tree's crackled back and forth. Malcolm dropped his glass again as it shattered beneath him,his eyes glued to the painting. As if watching a 3-D image,Malcolm began casually standing from his seat and backing away;as black vipers began slithering through the frame. Falling from the portrait to the ground,M.K. made no notion of moving as he sip his brandy as if watching a t.v. show. Malcolm used the poker in his hand to drive away the slithering serpents as they slithered toward him. Eyes as yellow and vile like the poison that dripped from there fangs as the hissed in anger. Malcolm could tell a larger number of them surrounded M.K. as they coiled beneath his feet;none seemed interested in causing him harm;they almost seemed to be guarding him. Than if it could get any worse,the fire extinguished itself out as a long thin figure protruded from the painting and into the room. Darkness clouded Malcolm's vision as he gripped the fire poker in his hands and listened carefully;to every sound that was made in the room. Then like a flip of a switch the fire caught ablaze again,lighting the room once more as Malcolm found himself quenched in sweat as his knees buckled underneath his weight. Falling to the floor,he saw the naked woman setting on M.K. lap as snakes fell from her hair onto M.K. shoulder. Her skin was a pale light green as her eyes as yellow as the serpents that accompanied her. She squeezed her breasts up against M.K. face as she whispered in his ear,"So...you've comeback for some more i see..aww,Max..i knew you couldn't stay away." Without hesitation,M.K. looked up at the venomous woman;a smile on his face as he pressed her body off him."Dahlia..i didn't comeback for you..i came back for Ruby." Malcolm saw the snake like woman grow sour as her sensual smile turned to a smirk. "Ruby....should've known...well what if Ruby doesn't want to see you,perhaps she's forgotten all about you...it has been awhile;I'm sure she's found someone else to play with." Suddenly Malcolm began to fell the whole house shake as pictures began to fall from the walls. Bottles began to to break as the windows began to fog up and smoke. Malcolm feared what the snake lady was doing now,but than something caught him off guard as he looked up at her face. It was fear,the same fear he was feeling now was expressed on her face as suddenly all the snakes began engulfing in flames. Scared the woman known as Dahlia began to scream that came out like a hiss only to be cut short. M.K. grabbed her by the throat as he stood up and raised her up off the ground. Malcolm was beyond shock to realize this kinetic energy was coming from the same man he had been changing lightbulbs for since two years ago. Though it appeared to Malcolm his boss wasn't himself as his voice almost seemed demonic in a way,a deep echo that spoke volumes with every word he said."Don't you ever speak about her like that again you whore of serpents. Now go back where you belong and spread the word that I've returned and am looking for her!!" Withdrawing his arm back,M.K. flung the woman back into the portrait with such force she froze in the frame. Malcolm tried understanding everything he just witnessed as pieces of snake scales blew across the floor. Suddenly he felt and arm raise him up and put him in a chair once again;half in shock Malcolm watched as M.K. took a seat beside saying in brief sarcasm as he picked up the now crooked and melted fire poker,"I guess an explanation is way over due?" To be continued..... ***prbxselfnetwork***
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