The Mysterious Rattle 01 (Patreon)

Original Idea: Sophiie93

Copy Editor: Leena 

 There is a rumor in Greeport, a rumor about an abandoned old house. No one has lived there for ages, but people report sightings of lights at night, footsteps on the creaky floor, and mysterious hisses and rattles, as if a giant snake walked its halls. It became known as the Rattling House.

Any urban myth draws people curious to test it out. Children would dare each other to enter, despite their parents’ protest, but few would be brave enough to open the foreboding door. Paranormal teams had come and gone, but hadn’t had any luck. No signs of life, no EM pulses, nothing that could be put together for a reality show. A few people tried staying the night, but the mysterious lights and noises would never come. The house only rattled when no one was around.

Tonight, it was James, Tom, and Chuck’s turn. They had a small YouTube channel and figured they could film a bit in the house to drum up some traffic. They met up early one cloudy Saturday, armed with a barebones paranormal investigator kit, flashlights, and a backpack. 

“Come on James, what’re you waiting for?” Chuck said.

James was zoning out, looking at the house in its state of disrepair.

“Hello? Earth to James? Aren’t you excited? Or are you just gonna stand there all day?”

Chuck patted him on the back as he walked past. The jolt was able to knock James out of his absent minded trance. 

“Oh uh… true… sorry. It’s just, I’m wondering if the house is… you know… safe?” He whispered the words under his breath, as if not trying to scare away the ghost that lie inside. 

Tom was already at the front door. He pulled it open and a loud creak echoed through the house. Dust and cobwebs fell off the walls that shook as the door swung. A waft of mold and humidity blew past the boys. It was as if no one had bene here for ages. 

“This place stinks!” Tom shouted.

“Keep quiet!” Chuck said in a hushed tone. “We don’t want the neighbors knowing we are here. It’s still trespassing.”

They switched on their flashlights to get a better look at the place. Nothing. Just empty halls as far as the eyes could see. Still, James felt like he was being watched. 

“W-well, where should we star-“ His mumbled words were cut off by a sudden sound, the mythical sound of footsteps. Everyone froze, but it seemed to come from everyone and nowhere at once.

“Hah! There it is!” Chuck said excited. “Looks like the stories are true. Come on let’s investigate!”

“You know it’s probably just a homeless guy right?” Tom said skeptically.

“A homeless guy with a rattle?” Chuck retorted.

“Guys, can we just do our job… please?” James said, eager to get this over with. He made his way from room to room, using a microphone to amplify and record ambient sound. Tom and Chuck went into different rooms; Tom was scanning with the EMF reader while Chuck was setting up infrared cameras. 

Nothing. Nothing for hours and hours and hours.

The boys were ready to give up until…

“What the heck was that!?” James suddenly picked up the sound of a rattle from his gear. Tom and Chuck, hearing his cry over the radio, immediately ran to meet up. 

“What’s going on?”

“Where did you hear it?”

“Are you sure?”

James stopped the rapid fire questions, hushing his friends as he pointed to two large doors leading to a warehouse. “I looked in that room before. There’s only one way out so whatever made that noise should still be in there.” The three boys nervously walked up to the doors and burst inside!

…Nothing.

Nothing again. Just a cold and empty room.

“Are you sure it came from here?” Tom said.

“Yes, I swear! I heard it clear as day!” James pleaded.

The boys were getting frustrated. It was 2 AM and they had spent the entire day walking around this dusty old pile of cracked wood and crumbling furniture. The wind was howling outside, shaking the creaky old house with it. A storm was coming, which only made the boys more nervous.

“This house is gonna collapse any minute” Tom said. “We should get out of here.”

Tom and Chuck headed for the front door, but James didn’t move. “What’s up man? You coming?” Chuck said.

“I know what I heard.” James said. “I don’t know if someone’s playing a trick on me, but something was in there and I want to find it.”

Chuck laughed “If the house collapses we will have to find you.” 

Tom sighed “Just let him do his thing Chuck. It’s nice that he’s excited for once.” Tom patted Chuck on the shoulder and they both turn and left.

James spent quite a bit of time searching through the old house. Eventually the wind turned to rain, and thunder boomed in the background. James was starting to get worried himself. “Maybe I should just woah!” A large thunderclap caused him to jump, dropping his flashlight on the ground.

“Goddammit, calm down James” he said to himself, leaning down to pick up the light. “Wait a minute…” The light was shining on something peculiar. Scuff marks all along the floor, leading to the wall. He leaned on the wall and knocked on it slightly….

Hollow…

He had found a false wall! Excitedly he began pulling the wall toward him, opening a secret door leading to a long hallway. He waved his flashlight inside, and for a second he saw someone or something running into a room. He once again heard the mythical rattle. Running as fast as he could he followed the figure, opening up the door to the room it retreated into.

James had seen a lot in his paranormal investigations, but nothing could have prepared him for this…