Dream house turns into nightmare within a week James and Mandy wanted to do everything right. After all, buying their own house was a decision for a lifetime. They had paid attention to every detail and were certain they had made a good deal with the old villa.
But no matter how closely they had inspected every detail, the horror hit them completely unprepared. When they turned on the air conditioning for the first time after buying and moving in, the house was filled with a stench of death and damnation. How could they live here?
A dream come true
James and Mandy Fisher had been married for five years when they finally bought their dream house. They decided to settle down in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with their dog Scout.
It took them a long time to find something they were both satisfied with. But when they saw the house from the inside, Mandy couldn't contain her excitement. However, happiness would soon turn into sorrow for the couple.
Moving day
It was the long-awaited moving day, and James and Mandy had packed up their belongings from the rental apartment they had been living in. They were overjoyed as they set off.
They only had a few boxes, but they swore to fill their new house with all the things they wanted and loved, and make it a home they could cherish. But something unusual awaited them as they entered through the front door.
So much space
As they entered their new house, they couldn't believe how much space they had at first. The house had two stories, with all the bedrooms located on the second floor.
The kitchen, living room, and study were on the ground floor. Mandy was so happy to finally have a kitchen big enough to prepare all her favorite dishes. Then she noticed something strange.
Kitchen floor
There was a floor hatch in the kitchen. They hadn't noticed it during the previous inspection. They had been distracted by so many other things when the real estate agent took them on a tour of the house.
Perhaps it was because a table was placed over it. But then she saw that it was locked with a padlock. She showed it to James, and they planned to open it to see what was beneath the kitchen floor.
Another mystery
Mandy also noticed something behind an antique cabinet that the previous owner had left behind. It clearly made Scout uncomfortable, and he started growling.
The agent said that the house belonged to an elderly lady who didn't have any children to pass it on to. The antique cabinet didn't look bad, but Mandy decided it needed a fresh coat of paint.
An old house
She moved the cabinet a little and made a strange discovery. Mandy could see that there was an old house behind it. It was well-preserved but still needed some repairs here and there.
Some of the floorboards needed sanding and repainting. Although Mandy loved the old Victorian look of the house, she knew that some work was still needed. Especially when she saw what was behind the antique cabinet.
A secret
She tried to push the cabinet aside, which was surprisingly easy as it was clearly empty. Mandy pushed and pressed a little more, and there it was: a door.
There was a locked door behind the cabinet. Why was the cabinet pushed against that door? It was something she had never seen before. She knew she had to get to the bottom of this mystery.
No such luck
In the following weeks, Mandy tried to search for the key to the mysterious door in the kitchen. She even checked the drawers of the antique cabinet but found nothing.
They had been moved in for weeks now, but smaller planned renovations were put on hold due to the cold weather. Then suddenly, the nightmares were about to begin.
A moment of peace
After a tiring day of rearranging and moving their furniture, Mandy and James settled down. It was snowing outside, and Mandy couldn't wait to jump into bed.
James had turned on the heating to warm up their room for the night. They got settled and Mandy took out her book to read a few chapters. That's when both of them sat up as a smell wafted into their bedroom.
A foul smell
It was an unpleasant, rotten smell. It was so bad that they ran out of the room and opened the windows wide. Mandy grabbed air freshener from the kitchen to spray the area.
There was no way they could sleep in there. The smell persisted. James wondered where it was coming from. They decided to move to one of the other bedrooms.
Relocation
They made themselves comfortable in the other bedroom, and James switched on the heating again to warm up the room. Scout just stood at the door and refused to come in.
Just as Mandy got into bed and opened her book, the smell returned. This time, stronger. That's when they realized that something was terribly wrong. They had a major problem on their hands with the smell.
To find the problem
The next day, James knew he had a big task ahead of him. It seemed that the smell would linger throughout the house every time he turned on the heating.
It was present in both the master bedroom and the guest room. He had to figure out if it was just these rooms or if it was the whole house. James prepared himself for what lay ahead.
The search begins
James had to test the heating system throughout the house. He turned it on in the other bedroom they hadn't been in. He also tested the living room and the home office.
It seemed like the whole house had an issue with the smell. He felt like tearing everything down to find out what was causing it. But he was certain it was something terrible.
Checking the ventilation slots
So it was time to check all the ventilation slots. Every room was equipped with them, so all he had to do was unscrew and check what was inside.
He started with the master bedroom. He unscrewed it and shone his flashlight inside. He didn't see anything unusual. Then he went through all the other rooms but noticed that there wasn't one in the living room.
Professional help
Where was the smell coming from, he wondered. James realized that this might be something he couldn't handle on his own. This job required the help of a professional.
They decided that calling for help would be the best option. Just as James was closing the final vent in the home office, he saw something shining inside. He reached out and grabbed it.
Another discovery
It was a key. James showed Mandy the key he found in the shaft. It was silver and looked antique. That's when Mandy realized which door the key belonged to.
It was the door behind the antique cabinet in the kitchen. Finally, they could open it and see what was inside. As they unlocked the door, they were greeted with something terrible.
Something invisible
Before they stepped into the area they now assumed was the basement, they heard Scout barking nonstop in the living room. James rushed to tell him to be quiet, but he kept barking at something in the corner of the room.
There was nothing there except Scout barking and growling at something invisible. The basement was dark, and they couldn't find a light switch, so they grabbed a flashlight to guide them.
Delving deeper
Scout refused to go down there, and they could see that he was scared. They left their dog in the well-lit house while they, driven by curiosity, went down. They came to the conclusion that the smell could be coming from the basement.
But they would find much more than just that. With each creaky step, they slowly descended the stairs, until they could only see dust particles dancing in the light of the flashlight. Then James made the mistake of venturing deeper into the depths of the basement. He tripped over something and landed on his back. His flashlight lay on the dirty floor, still pointing into the room.
Eerie feeling
They saw more wine barrels, antique furniture, wooden crates, and many framed pictures. Mandy helped James up, and they began to search the room. Mandy started with the chests, while James looked at the photos.
All the chests were empty, and Mandy wondered what the old lady had kept in them. Things felt eerie and unsettling down there. When they hadn't found anything interesting in the basement, Mandy remembered the other secret she had found in her kitchen. The trap door.
The secret of the trap door
They thought that perhaps the key would be hidden in the basement. After all, the ventilation slots held the keys to the basement, making it feel like a scavenger hunt. James searched everywhere until he saw something glowing in the darkness.
James spotted the metal reflection in the room. He walked over and found something to replace a key. It was an old crowbar that looked like it had seen better days.
House Secret
They broke the lock and lifted the heavy trap door. Inside, there were strange jars that looked like they contained preserved food. They also found a box, and when they opened it, they were amazed at what they found inside. They were surprised by how small the trap door was.
It seemed to only serve as storage. The box contained old recipes. Scout had started growling again, and they couldn't understand his behavior. It seemed to be something that old Victorian kitchens might have. It was probably once used as a pantry. But now, it looked like things had gone wrong in the last hundred years.
Blueprints
But in the corner of the storage area, there wasn't just recipes and old stored grain. There was something else that didn't look particularly remarkable until James decided to pick it up.
There was also a rolled-up parchment, and as James unrolled it, he was astonished to find that he was looking at the original plans of the house. It was dated to the year 1887. James couldn't believe what they had just found.
Doubt
They packed everything back into the box and lifted it out of the trap door. It was already late, and they still had so much to do. They decided to look at it after dinner. But the box shouldn't have been left unattended.
Soon, doubts would creep into the couple's minds as they thought about everything they had found in one day. While Mandy cooked, she had a strange feeling about the house.
Discovering so much
They discovered so much that they hadn't seen or that the realtor hadn't told them about. She wondered if they had made the right decision in buying the house.
Soon, their doubts would become crystal clear as they took a glance at the box after dinner. Just as she was about to set the table for dinner, they heard a piercing howl from Scout.
The howling
They had never heard that from him before. Their dog had never been so loud and uneasy, what had gotten into him? Mandy felt a creeping uneasiness come over her. She dropped her work and went to investigate.
But just as she turned to leave the kitchen, it happened again. The putrid smell returned. This time, it was coming into the kitchen. Mandy asked James if he had turned on the heater, but his answer confused her.
The smell returns
James had just gotten out of the shower and hurried down when he heard her calling him. But when she repeated her question, he shook his head. This time, James hadn't turned on the heater, and the smell came out of nowhere. They decided to call the realtor to ask a few questions.
They weren't sure if they would be able to reach them so late at night, but they were genuinely disturbed by the strange things happening in the house. When they picked up, the realtor assured them that the heater was new and the house had been cleaned.
Providing proof
They just needed to look in the kitchen cabinet for the invoices. And indeed, there they were. Proof that everything she said was true. But it still didn't solve the mystery surrounding them.
Their thoughts wandered to classic horror movies where demonic activities caused an unpleasant smell. But this was real life. Surely, there was an explanation that didn't involve the supernatural?
Racing Thoughts
James and Mandy were both on edge in their own house. They evacuated the kitchen and ate dinner in the dining room, where the smell was weakest. Still, they couldn't enjoy their meal because of the smell.
Things reached a breaking point when James angrily slammed his fist on the table. "Damn it, I need to figure out what's going on." Mandy assured her husband that they would deal with it in the morning.
Restless
For now, they finished dinner and went to bed. But neither of them could sleep peacefully in the unfamiliar house with their minds consumed by what was happening.
It was a puzzle that they clearly couldn't solve on their own. They were unsettled, and so was their dog. James assured Mandy that the problem would soon be resolved.
In the middle of the night
Mandy woke up in the middle of the night and noticed that James wasn't in bed. She feared the worst and slowly went downstairs. She tiptoed as quietly as she could until she caught him doing something strange.
He decided to spray air fresheners throughout the house for the time being and investigate in the morning. It was something they could handle, or at least that's what they thought.
The next day
Morning came, and both of them woke up. But neither felt like they had slept well. Mandy had heavy bags under her eyes, and James had back pain. The couple truly regretted buying the house in its current condition.
But when James saw his wife's troubled expression, he decided to cheer her up as best as he could. They decided to relax in the living room. James lit the fireplace.
Getting to the bottom of things
The fireplace warmed up the whole room. Then they retrieved the box they had found in the trap door. Mandy would feel more at ease now as they tried to get to the bottom of things.
It was time for them to examine the house plans carefully. A task they hadn't had the opportunity to do recently. But what they would find would make Mandy sick to her stomach.
Old blueprints
They looked at the old blueprints and compared them to the ones the realtor had given them. There were noticeable differences. And then Scout started barking uncontrollably again.
It hadn't been long since Scout had done this last. For him, it had become something normal. Was he warning them of imminent danger? The couple knew they had to clarify things before going back to bed.
Barking like crazy
Scout was barking incessantly in the same corner of the living room. James finally decided to take a look at what he was barking at. It was too much for them to handle.
James felt like he was losing his mind. But he had to investigate the barking, even if it might have been nothing. Scout had never led him astray before, and he knew that dogs had a keen sense that others didn't.
Another Ventilation
He lifted up the carpet. And there it was. Another ventilation. But this was very strange because this ventilation was not on the new blueprint, but on the old one. James and Mandy were worried.
James remembered the key he had found in the last vent. Perhaps this one held similar secrets? He thought it was worth a try to find out if the answer to all their worries awaited him there.
Attempts to open the vent
James inspected the ventilation. He could clearly see why it didn't appear on the plans of the new house. It looked like an original part of the house. It was rusty, and he had no way to break it open.
He chiseled at it like a madman and even tried using a soldering lamp while Mandy sat on the couch, full of fear. Either they would solve the problem, or they would have to do even more renovations.
A dark obsession
The ventilation seemed to have become a dark obsession for her husband. He couldn't bear the smell any longer and became obsessed with it. He tried all his tools.
While Mandy sat on the couch, trying to gather enough courage to stop him. Finally, she stood up from the couch and placed her hand on James' shoulder. "Honey, it's okay. Let's hire someone else to take care of it for us."
Another dark night
James fell into his wife's arms. He reluctantly agreed and called in the professionals. But they wouldn't arrive until the next morning. The prospect of spending another night in the house without figuring out what was going on scared both of them.
That night, Mandy woke up again. To her horror, her husband had gotten out of bed again. She knew exactly where he was. He was staring into the vent like a madman. Mandy approached him slowly and convinced him to go back to bed. She knew that things needed to end now.
Help is on the way
The next morning, James immediately called in professionals. They needed to check if there was something in the ventilation opening since he couldn't open it. It could be an infestation or a dead rodent inside.
They arrived in 30 minutes and came equipped with everything needed to open the ventilation opening. Once they finally managed to open it, they made a gruesome discovery that sent chills down their spines.
A gruesome discovery
They found various jars with putrid fluids inside and, most disturbingly, several animal carcasses and bones. James and Mandy were unsettled. That's what Scout had been barking about, and the jars were causing the smell.
What did this mean? Mandy wondered if their house was being used for rituals and sacrifices and if she no longer wanted to live there in that case. Then the caretaker told them that it wasn't as uncommon as they thought.
Old Pennsylvania traditions
He told them that he and his team found these constantly in the old Victorian houses. It was Pennsylvania's tradition of ritual healing, known as Powwow. He said they used animal carcasses to combine elements of religion and faith with health and healing.
It seemed that the old lady who lived here needed healing, but James and Mandy decided it was best to remove the jars and carcasses so that the smell would disappear and they could continue living a normal life, making Scout feel comfortable.
Comments
0 comment