Halloween 1994
Halloween 1994
-Eurus-
I remember this one case back in 1994. This took about place on Halloween. Ah, yes. I remember this case. This took place in Bistrol. Four lads were out looking for a party. Let’s just say they got more than bargained for.
Let me back up a bit.
I got a call from an old connection just as I had opened for the night.
“Hello?” I asked. The call didn’t last long. I stood up from my desk.
“Where did you see this? Okay, I will be right there,” I said. I hung up and hurried out the door. I walked past Holly at her desk.
“Another case?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said. “Call up Angus.”
“I’m on it!” Holly said. “Where should I tell him to meet you?”
“Downtown Bistrol!” I shouted. I walked out the door as Holly got on the phone.
The story goes like this.
There were four lads looking for a party on Halloween. They were all college-aged. Ricky, Simon, Toby, and Mark were their names. This was back before cell phones. One of them got a rumor about a party from a pager. I think it was Toby. Anyway, they got an address for a party. They were all in fancy dress too. Ricky was a vampire. Simon was a priest. Toby was a nanny cam bear. Mark was Hannibal Lector.
This was our set up. Where do we come in? Let’s just say this is a haunted house story. Yes, it’s that story. The official reports are hazy to this day. Here is the real story.
-6:00 p.m.-
This was when Toby was said to have left his house. His friends picked up him. Toby said goodbye to his mom and sister. Simon was the one who was driving.
Meanwhile, I arrived in Bristol. The party was starting to come to life. I blended in with the people in fancy dance. So many pirates, cats, fairies, angels, demons, and other costumes. I blended into the crowd with ease. This could go both ways. No one could bother us, but I could tell who a real police officer was or not. I couldn’t focus on that now.
I made my way down to the Royal Red Crown. It’s been closed down. Don’t bother looking for it online. Anyway, I found Angus standing outside, waiting for me.
“Angus!” I said. He turned to look and me.
“Happy Halloween!” he said.
“Happy Halloween to you too,” I said. I greeted him with a hug. We were dressed in black, and no one noticed us.
“Shall we go inside?” Angus asked.
“Yes, please,” I said. He led me into that pub.
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“So what are we looking for tonight?” Angus asked.
“I got a tip on that house,” I said.
“You mean the Witch’s House?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said. I finished my pint.
“Where?” Angus asked.
“Out near the countryside,” I said. He finished his drink.
“When do we head out?” he asked. I looked over at him.
“Ready to go now?” I asked.
“Yes,” Angus said. He pulled out his money and paid the tab.
“Have a good night,” the bartender told us. Angus and I headed out the door.
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The following comes from the footage in Toby’s costume.
“Are you sure you know where we’re going, mate?” Ricky asked.
“Yes,” Toby said. “I got the address right here.” He held out his pager. Simon took it and looked at it. He had a confused look on his face.
“What the hell is this?” he asked.
“The address,” Toby said.
“You sure?” Simon asked. He handed the pager over to Ricky. (Mark’s the one driving.) He took looked confused.
“Is this even a real address, make?” Ricky asked.
“I don’t know,” Toby said. “Only one way to find out.” (Now, common sense would dictate to forget the whole mission and go home. Not these guys. You can see where this is heading.)
His friends were quiet at first.
“Come on!” Toby said. “This could be fun!” They didn’t say anything.
“Please?” Toby asked. “It’s Halloween! Where’s your sense of adventure?”
“Fine,” Mark said.
“Mark?” Simon asked.
“We’re already out here,” he said. “Where are we going to go?” Ricky and Simon didn’t speak. Toby clapped his hands together.
“Great! Let’s get going!” he said. Mark drove further down the road.
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Meanwhile, we came up to a house that looked like it had been abandoned for twenty years. On the surface, the two-story house looked like it needed some work done on it.
“It this the house?” Angus asked. I pulled out the notes I had Holly give me back at the callbox outside the pub.
“Yeah,” I said. We looked up and noticed a light on in the attic. That was all it took for us to know what we needed to do.
“After you,” he said. Of course he would let me go first.
“Sure,” I said. Angus followed me behind.
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-Nanny Cam Footage-
The boys pulled up to the house. All four looked confused.
“Are you sure this the right place?” Simon asked.
“Yeah…” Toby said.
“It doesn’t look like anybody’s here,” Ricky said.
“Maybe we’re early,” Mark said. Toby got out of the car.
“Toby!” his friends yelled.
“Get back here!” Mark hissed. Their friend didn’t answer. He walked up the creaky wooden stairs. His hand reached for the door.
“Toby!” the lads shouted. They jumped out of the car and ran after him. One of them grabbed him on the shoulder. Toby whipped around.
“Huh?” he asked. Ricky stood behind him. Toby could barely see his face.
“Mate, what’s wrong with you?” he asked. His friend didn’t respond at first.
“I… I don’t know, man,” Toby said. “It just felt like something was calling to me to the house.” His mates looked at him.
“Hey, look up there,” Simon said, pointing up to the window on the top floor. All of them looked up. They took saw the light on in the attic.
“Think the party’s up there?” Mark asked.
“Why would it be up there?” Simon asked.
“I don’t know,” Mark said. Suddenly, Toby reached forward and turned the doorknob.
“What are you doing?” Ricky hissed. Their friend didn’t answer. The door creaked open. The friends looked at each other.
“Well, it’s unlocked,” Simon said. The four of them walked into the house.
“Hello?” Ricky asked. “Is anybody in here?”
“It’s so dark,” Mark complained.
“Of course it is, dumbass,” Simon said. Toby walked further into the room.
“Hey, man, where are you going?” Ricky whispered. (By this time, we started to hear them from the attic.) Toby froze as the lights flickered on. Not much light came on in the living room.
“Huh?” he asked. He turned back to see his friends staring at him.
“What are you doing?” Simon asked.
“Didn’t you hear that?” Toby asked.
“Hear what?” Mark asked. Their friend looked up towards the stairs.
“I heard something up there,” he said.
“No…” Simon said.
“There it is again,” Toby said.
“What are you talking about?” Ricky asked.
“You can’t hear that?” his friend asked. Toby paused for a listen. The other three lads looked at each other.
“Mates, what about you talking about?” Simon asked.
“Shhh, there it is again,” Toby said. He raced up the creek stairs.
“Toby!” the lads yelled after him. They ran after their bewitched mate. (Now why didn’t we stop them at this point? Angus and I couldn’t risk drawing attention on us from them. This case came first.)
The four lads made it up the stairs. Toby moved faster than his mates could keep up.
“Toby!” they shouted.
“Wait up!” Simon yelled.
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Angus froze in his tracks. I turned my head.
“What is it?” I mouthed at him.
“Do you hear that?” he whispered.
“What? The kids?” I asked. Angus shook his head.
“Not them,” he whispered. “Just listen.” I took a listen for myself. It sounded faint. I looked at Angus in the eyes. Now we had a problem. We couldn’t have a bigger mess on our hands with these lads. But we couldn’t give up our location right away.
“What do you want to do?” I mouthed at him. Angus looked behind him. He held up one hand. Before he could speak, we heard that faint sound again.
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-Nanny Cam Footage-
Toby made it up to the attic. He pushed open the heavy wooden door.
“Toby!” Ricky shouted. He turned to see the other three lads standing behind him.
“What are you doing, mate?” Simon asked. Toby shook his head.
“I… I don’t know,” he said. “Something pulled me up here.” He paused again.
“What is it?” Mark asked.
“Shhh,” Toby said.
“What?” Simon asked.
“You can’t hear that?” he asked.
“Hear what?” Mark asked. “You’re not making any sense. What are you talking?”
“Shhh!” Toby said. “Just listen!” The other three lads took a listen.
“I don’t hear anything,” Ricky said.
“Shhh,” Toby hissed again. He turned back to the attic door. “It’s coming from in there.” He ran into the room.
“Toby!” his mates shouted. He was already inside. His mates followed him into the attic. Toby stopped in his tracks. His mates crowded around him.
“What is it?” Ricky asked. Toby pointed forward. On the other side of the attic, a group of people stood around a large wooden pole. They were all wearing black and red robes. Candles were lit all over the floor. They could all hear soft chanting.
“What kind of party is this?” Simon asked.
“Shhh!” the men whispered. They got a better look at the pole near the slanted ceiling. A young woman their age was tied to it. Her long white dress was covered in blood. She was crying and wailing aloud. A man in black robes held out a huge stick in one hand and a large open black book in the other. He was chanting and reading from said book. The man tried to read over her wailing.
“Silence!” he yelled. He struck the woman in the chest. She let out a choked up gag. The man read faster as his group chanted around them. The group all rose. They each had a thorny whip in their hands. The man held up his stick.
“Take each one into the flesh!” the leader commanded. One by one each man walked up to the tied up woman.
Whack!
Another man hit her in the chest. One by one, they took turns beating the woman in the chest, legs, throat, and head. Blood covered her dress. Their leader walked around them, reading from the book. One of the members spat on the woman’s face. The leader started to shout in another language. He held up his stick in the air.
“What the hell is this?” Ricky asked.
“It looks like some sort of a cult,” Simon whispered.
“Should we help her?” Mark asked.
“Look!” Ricky whispered. The lads all looked up to see the leader holding up his stick. Another cult member held up a bucket of water. He tossed it on her face. The woman coughed and spat out water.
Whack! Whack! Whack!
The leader took his stick and smacked her in the chest and stomach. By now, she wasn’t screaming anymore. She coughed up blood. The leader threw down the stick. He reached down at her feet and pulled out a knife. He held it above his head. The girl cried as more blood dribbled down her chin.
“That’s gone too far,” Mark said. Toby ran over to the woman tied to the pole.
“Toby!” his mates yelled.
“Stop!” I yelled as I ran to him. The lads looked up to see me standing up from the behind a trunk. Toby ran over to the woman. His fingertips reached up to the ropes. The woman went quiet as he untied her.
“Seize him!” the leader shouted. The men tried to grab at the lads. (Now, Mark was a big guy. He walked as a security guard at a night club, I believe. He could handle himself. The other two? Angus and I couldn’t see what was going on with the fight. Too many hands and bodies smacking against each other.) Somehow, Toby managed to cut the woman down and was holding onto her.
“Let’s get out of here!” he shouted. I didn’t see what happened until I heard him shout that. His lads took off running after him. Howling started to fill the house. Angus stood up and looked at the ceiling.
“Aw shite!” he shouted. He grabbed me by the wrist and ran down out of the attic with me. Everything started to shake around us.
Toby and his friends ran with the woman. Things took a turn when everything in the house started to attack us. Hands came out through the walls and tried to grab at us.
“What the hell is this?!” Simon yelled as he swatted away the hands. The woman screamed in Toby’s arms.
“Keep moving!” I shouted behind them. “Just don’t look back!” The lads kept running as objects started flying towards them. A glass ashtray hit me in the side of the forehead. I didn’t have time to stop and pay any attention to the blood running down the side of my face. The hands grew worse along the stairs. The screaming became unbearable.
“What the hell is this?!” Ricky yelled as they ran down the stairs.
“It doesn’t matter! Let’s just get the fuck out of here!” Mark shouted behind him. We all made it down to the front door. Simon grabbed onto the door knob and turned to it.
“I can’t get it open!” he shouted.
“What?!” his friends yelled. Simon kept trying to open the front door. His friends caught up to him. The mate dressed like a priest tried harder to open the door.
“Come on, man!” Toby shouted. “Open the door!”
“I can’t!” Simon yelled. “It won’t open!” He tried to open it faster.
“Keep trying!” Mark yelled. I held up a paper charm as Angus and I ran towards the door.
“Resigno!” I shouted. I threw it towards the door. Simon turned the knob and opened it.
“Huh?” the lads asked. They turned to see us just as the house was getting worse.
“Go!” I shouted.
“Who are you?!” Toby asked.
“Never mind that now! Just go!” Angus yelled. “Go!” The four lads ran out the door with the woman in tow. They jumped into their car and drove off as fast as they could. Angus and I followed behind. Once everyone was outside. The door slammed shut behind us.
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Angus and I walked down the lonely road. I turned to him.
“Was that a hell hole?” I asked.
“It was a hell hole,” he said. “But that wasn’t the one.”
“What comes next?” I asked.
“We have to keep looking,” Angus said. He paused as he made that face that told me that he was still thinking about something.
“What is it?” I asked.
“You don’t think…?” he began to ask.
“What?” I asked. Angus looked behind us.
“That woman,” he said. “You don’t think…” I was about to ask what he was talking about before it clicked in my brain.
“Oh no…” I said. I turned and looked down the dark road behind us.
Why didn’t we stop them after they got out of the house? Well, they had already left. We also didn’t realize it until it was too late. Plus, that wasn’t our mission. I don’t mean to sound coldhearted, but we have a bigger problem we are trying to fix to this day.
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-Nanny Cam Footage-
The lads were still talking and trying to come down from the adrenaline after their mad dash from the house. The woman sat between Toby and Ricky. She didn’t make a sound the whole time. She didn’t even have any emotion on her face. Mark was driving away as fast as he could.
“What was that all about?” Simon asked.
“I have no idea,” Toby said.
“Where exactly are we going?” Ricky asked.
“I don’t know,” Mark said. Toby looked around outside. Just by first glance he could tell that something was wrong.
“Isn’t the town in the opposite direction?” he asked.
“Yes, why?” Mark asked. Suddenly, the car pulled to a stop.
“What’s going on?” Simon asked.
“I… I don’t know,” Mark said. He tried to start the car again, but nothing happened.
“Come on,” he said. “The car was running fine. It shouldn’t be doing this.” The lads looked up when they heard a distance whistling.
“Huh? What is that?” Toby asked. He looked out the window. The lights in the distance made his stomach drop.
“How did we end up here?!” he asked. The lads realized what happened when they looked up. Mark tried in vain to get off the tracks.
“Come on!” he shouted. Toby looked out to the forth to see the woman outside, walking away. She took more look over her shoulder before she walked off. When did she get time to get out without being noticed? They didn’t get time to wander about that.
Crash!
Here is the official police report:
A dark brown 94 Volvo sedan was found totaled in abandoned field. Four burnt bodies were found inside. One of which has been identified as Toby Slater. The others are still being identified. The only piece of evidence still intact was the tape in what looked like a video camera. The investigation is still ongoing.
That house was torn down two years later.
