She wondered how long she had been in this state and what was going on in the world around her? She felt herself try to raise a hand, but nothing moved. She felt herself try to bring a call for help but that didn’t happen. Suddenly, her vision lightened up and she saw Dr. Marrow, Luke, and Theo running into the greenhouse. Jami realized she was asleep; this was just a dream in her head. Nell was in the greenhouse too. Walking along on the metal walkway that was above the winding staircase.

She heard her cousin begin to say, “I’m going to help you. I’ll help you.” Who was she talking about? Jami wondered. She head Dr. Marrow call out to Nell, breaking her focus on whatever she was doing. He began to walk up the staircase, telling her that he was coming up to get her. The staircase shook with every step he took. Jami could feel her teeth clench tight with worry.

Along with the immense shaking a creak began to rise up as he went further. An awful high pitch creak. The staircase almost started spinning by the weight of Dr. Marrow shaking it back and forth. Nell worriedly scooted closer towards him. “Hold on Eleanor, I’m coming,” He reassured.

The twang of a snap was heard, one of the cables connecting the stairs to the ceiling had broke. The snap of a second followed. “Watch out! The cable!” Luke warned him. Dr. Marrow’s pace quickened and he tripped reaching the next few step as one collapsed under him. He stopped where he was for a moment, waiting for the staircase to stop swinging so furiously.

“It’s not gonna hold your weight there!” Luke called out. Dr. Marrow looked back at the staircase and the step he was on began to fall out from under him. The sound of Nell screaming was heard as Dr. Marrow realized it was too late. He brought his leg up to go to the next step but he lost his footing and found himself hanging onto the side rail with his feet dangling under him. The bottom half of the staircase fell to the floor with a loud clank.

“Oh my God,” Theo said under her breath. Dr. Marrow could feel his arms getting weak but he couldn’t let go, he couldn’t! If he did, he’d fall into the heap of metal and surely break his back and skull. He tried to collect his breath; he could tell he was running short of it. Then the heart stopping sound of a cable breaking went into his ears. He looked over; it was the cable right next to him.

He watched the cable snap into two and the stair grew uneven with the other side. Dr. Marrow pulled himself up and looked down at Luke and Theo, then up to Eleanor. The creak of bending metal came more often as he stood there. He needed to hurry. “Eleanor, look at me,” He told her, “I need you to come back over and step on the platform.”

Jami felt herself shaking her head. “No,” she whispered, “You’ll kill yourself too. Let the devil die!” She felt no wrong in letting the liar die. Dr. Marrow put them all in this danger, he should pay for it. She then noticed a bolt unscrewing under Dr. Marrow’s feet.

“Come on Eleanor, come down with me,” Dr. Marrow pleaded. The screw finished turning and fell to the floor. Jami could see what looked like Theo praying and a look of fear in Luke’s face. Please Luke, she thought to herself, don’t let Nell get hurt. “Please Nell, step on the platform,” Dr. Marrow tried to hold out his hand but the staircase was too unsteady. Nell shook her head, “I can’t, the children, they need me. I have to join them.” Jami never realized how stubborn her cousin could be.

Another cable broke. It wouldn’t hold Dr. Marrow for long. He looked down unsurely at the steps. “Please Eleanor,” Dr. Marrow fully extended his hand this time, “Please, trust me. Climb on with me onto the platform.”

“Just do it Nell,” Theo called out, “Please!”

Nell gave a look of pity at her friends. Time was running short, another main cable broke, and soon the whole thing would fall down. Quickly things began to happen faster. Another bolt fell out and another cable snapped, the staircase lowered an inch and began to shake again. Dr. Marrow eyes searched his only options. He knew what only choice he had.

He gave a leap of faith and grabbed onto the other staircase, letting the one he was once on fall to the ground. Nell cried out again as the pile of metal grew. Dr. Marrow’s legs kicked furiously as he tried to rise on top of the staircase. He held on tight as half of the side he was on fell. He felt like loosing hope, it felt like this was his end for sure. His body dropped in altitude as he almost lost his grip; he began dangling like a leaf in autumn.

“Hold on, I’m coming,” Nell told him. She scooted over to the railing looking down at the Doctor. He began to pull himself up, feeling the reassurance of something solid beneath him. He felt his pocket pressed against the cool metal, like they were being squeezed against him. Luke and Theo watched as Dr. Marrow’s cell phone slowly edged out of his pocket and began to tumble towards the floor. It hit the ground with a smack and busted into a thousand pieces, all communication to the outside world was now lost. They truly were isolated from any other contact of human beings…

As Jami watched the cell phone fall to the ground that vision slowly faded away into the next. Dr. Marrow was standing next to the old fountain, talking into his recorder. She couldn’t quite understand what he said but she noticed something more important, the giant stone hand of the fountain began to rise up and grab them.

Visions of the future came to her one after the next. She saw a car slam into the giant Hill House gates, greatly denting the front of it. Next, it changed to an open golden door at the end of a hallway with lighted sconces. Then came the view of chairs being thrown at the widows, a useless attempt break free from the house. Finally, the sight of a portrait of Hugh Kraine came into focus, five slashes on its surface.

At that moment, everything faded away. The vast blackness swooped in around her. The voices of her vision did not leave though. She heard a several screams and cries rise up, she didn’t quite understand whom they were calling for. Next came the thud of one thing hitting another, and then a sigh of relief from a crowd. However, it didn’t stop there, there was a whooshing noise and following that the spine tingling sound of something being cut off.

The cries and screams of pain faded away back into silence, and Jami found herself feeling the way she did when she first was knocked out. The same pain came back to her head. Too much information, she though and that’s what it felt like. But breaking the silence was a new voice. The whisper of a child. “Open your eyes,” It told her.


Jami obediently did so. As she did, the first thing in sight was the fireplace, which stood in front of her. She looked at the five heads on the mantel and fought a scream rising in her throat-

The five heads on the mantel no longer expressed calm and contempt faces, but now each small mouth and eyes were open wide with fear. Jami felt the hairs on her arms stand up. She quickly turned around to see the wooden floor split up and create what looked like a giant mole tunnel behind her sofa. She felt the coldness, the freezing breeze brushing up against her skin.

Jami looked over in the other direction and found Nell tightly holding onto her sheets, frozen in fear. She didn’t quite understand why she herself didn’t get up and move Nell from what was about to happen. But she also in fear watched the spear like firnirs stab Nell’s nightgown and pin her to the bed. “Nell!!!!!!!!!!” She screamed while jumping off the couch and running towards the bed.

She reached out for Nell’s hand when all of a sudden some strong force pushed her, causing her to fly across the room and feeling the impact of hitting someone in the chest. They crashed to the floor together, just a few feet away from the large doors connecting Theo and Nell’s rooms. Jami rolled over off of the person she had hit, and realized it was Luke who lay breathlessly on the floor.

“You ok?” She inquired breathlessly as she stood up. He nodded silently and she pulled him back to his feet. The sound of Nell screaming was now ringing in their ears as they looked over and began to run to the closing doors. They slammed themselves against textured wood and beat furiously on the doors. “Nell!” They both continuously cried. Jami twisted the doorknobs and found that they wouldn’t turn. She rested her fists against the surface of the door, “It’s locked.”

“Really?” Luke sarcastically replied.

“This is no time for sarcasm Luke!”

“Alright, no need to get edgy!”-Luke still continued to ram his body against the doors-“Glad to see you awake, you’ve been asleep for hours! I was worried about you.”

“Thanks.” Jami eyed the room looking for something to bust the door down with.

“Dr. Marrow nearly killed himself in the greenhouse trying to save Nell from jumping off the scaffolding and he broke-”

“The cell phone leaping from one staircase to another. So now we’re isolated from the rest of the world. I know.”

“How?”

Jami eyed him giving a look to saying “you should know” and began to walk over to the doors. “Oh,” Luke quietly said. She then began to call for Theo and Dr. Marrow when both of them busted through the doors. “What’s going on?” Theo demanded. “We can’t open the door!” Luke replied. Following Luke’s desperate attempt Theo and Dr. Marrow began pushing on the door also.

Jami continued to look around, and soon viewed Theo’s hair accessories. A plan arose as she dove in and found a bobby pin. She straightened it out and walked over to the rest of the group. “Move aside,” She told them as she placed the bobby pin into the lock hole. Jami then pushed it forward and twisted it right. There was a click as the door unlocked.

A chunk of the wall collapsed right in front of them as Dr. Marrow pushed the doors open. Luke quickly jumped in front of Jami and protectively wrapped his arms around her to shield her from the debris. They watched in horror as the ceiling in the shape of Kraine’s face sucked five grotesque arms back into his mouth and descended into the ceiling. Nell looked over at them, her breathing heavy.

“Oh my God,” Theo repeatedly said under her breath surveying the room. Kraine had fully demolished the room; there was not a single thing in sight that didn’t have a scratch or a tear on it. The foursome hurried over to Nell’s side. “Nell! Are you alright?” Jami asked though the answer was obvious. Nell though, seemed too shaken to reply. “Come on guys,” Luke told them, “We need to get her out of this!”

Each person grabbed a firnir and with all their strength tried to break it. But there seemed to be no possible way to do it, even if you were strong enough the small and sharp golden decorations around it would most defiantly block your way. “Oh God!” Theo cried, it looked like she was about in tears. Nell looked over at her, a look of complete fear yet also calm. She doesn’t look like she’s in her right mind, Jami thought.

“It’s ok Nell, we’re gonna set you free, don’t worry,” Jami looked around the room then back at Nell, “Everything’s ok.” Theo looked over at her in disagreement, “How can you say that? Everything is not ok! This room has been completely destroyed by something unheard of and Nell’s pinned to her bed by-her bed-and you’re saying everything’s ok?”

“What do you want me to say? We’re doomed!”

“Well don’t just flat out lie to us! I’d doubt you even care about Nell, you’re always too busy flirting with Luke!”

“Hey!” Luke interrupted them and then looked over at Theo, “This is not the time to argue! There’s enough stress in here already! You’ve seen Jami enough times to know she cares about her cousin more than anything, even I know that!”

“Oh, better be careful, don’t wanna mess with her boyfriend,” Theo muttered.

“Ok, now that’s-”

“Enough!” Dr. Marrow finished, “Now let’s quit wasting our time being foolish and get Nell out of this!”

“Yeah, hurry up!” Theo told them and then began to stroke Nell’s cheek.

Luke backed away from the bed trying to figure out how to free Nell from her imprisonment. “Come on Luke! Help us!” Jami called to him with pleading eyes, “I want my cousin safe!” Luke looked around, then noticed a golden object and picked it up. It was a candlestick holder. He quickly hurried over to the bed and called out, “Back away!”

With everyone at a distance Luke swung the candleholder like a baseball bat and whacked away each firnir. “That’s it!” Dr. Marrow exclaimed, “Come on!” Suddenly the face of Hugh Kraine emerged from behind them on the ceiling. It let out an angry roar and extended its several arms once more. “Somebody get Nell!!!” Jami yelled since Nell still lay frozen in bed. She turned around to see that Luke had grabbed onto her hand firmly and was pulling her out of the bedroom and away from the danger.

Jami worriedly looked back at her cousin to see Dr. Marrow scooping her up in his arms. Once knowing Nell was safe she turned around and ran with Luke down the solemn hallways letting him lead the group. They quickly hurried down the steps of the living room and headed for the door. “Come on! I’m not staying in this freak house for another second!” Luke exclaimed, Jami silently agreed. As they reached the large doors, a strange realization came to her. It was a verse in the “Hotel California” song.


Luke and Theo ran up to the gates and furiously shook them trying desperately for it to somehow unlock and open. Jami placed her hand on Luke’s shoulder and fearfully spoke to him as he turned around, “Luke?”

“What?” he was breathless from the run.

“Do you-do you remember when I told you how the song “Hotel California” reminds me of this place?”

Luke thought about it and nodded, “Yea.”

“I’ve had it stuck on my mind and, well, um…”

“Well what?”

“Next thing I remember, I was running for the door. I had to find the passage back to the place I was before…”

Luke nervously looked at her, he too realizing the strange coincidence, “D-don’t worry about things like that Jami, It’s-it’s probably just your imagination that makes it seem like those things are happening to us.”

With that Luke turned and continued his attempts to open the rusty gates. Jami sorrowfully looked at him. “I wish you were right,” she whispered. She then backed away towards Nell, her eyes still fixed on Luke. He was beginning to try climbing up the tree but found he couldn’t make it over. She could hear Theo crying from where she was, “Hurry up! Come on!” Luke looked down at her, “I can’t go any further!”

She watched him jump down and look around for more options at opening the gate. Jami changed her focus after that. She looked over at Nell, “Maybe I’m a little late at saying this but, I’m sorry for accusing you of making that phone call to my house.”

“It’s ok, mistakes can be made like that. Besides, you were right, this is good bonding time for us. Really, I don’t know how I’d be without you here.”

Jami smiled inside at what Nell had said. She knew Nell never hated her, and now she’s admitted it. But Jami realized that Nell didn’t quite understand who she believed called her. But of course the answer wouldn’t have come straight to mind. She her self denied it for a while. When Jami had been looking at the concord that one night she had realized that one of the old mills that lost a child was where her apartment was today. That’s why she had heard all the noises and her doors opened by themselves.

It seemed like her apology had brought another call to Nell’s pondering mind, one she received.

Nell stopped Dr. Marrow as he walked over to help Luke and Theo. “Dr. Marrow?” She asked, “How’d you know the house wanted me?”

Dr. Marrow gave her a questioning glance, “What do you mean?”

Jami also looked at her. Did she get a call from the house too?

“Why’d you call and tell me to look for your add?”

“Add? I didn’t call you.”

“You told me to look in the paper.”

“Eleanor, the first time I spoke to you was here at the house.”

At that moment Nell looked over at the large gates, a blank look on her face. In the silence you could hear Luke’s cries as he struck a shovel against the locks. After minutes of swinging the shovel Luke threw it to the ground and exclaimed, “God!”

“What are we going to do?” Theo questioned.

Luke looked over at the lined up cars in the Hill House’s driveway. “We’re gonna crash the gate. We’re gonna crash the gate!” He then began to walk over to the cars. “We need to crash the gate,” Luke said again and as he passed Nell and Jami he told them, “Nell, I need your car.” She didn’t show any signs of hearing what Luke had said. Jami, however, heard him loud and clear, she quickly followed after him. “Why our car?” she asked.

“Because, I don’t want to tear up my car and Theo and Dr. Marrow have too nice of cars.”

“Oh so that means our car’s all up for the taking?”

“Exactly!”

“No.” she began to whine, “That’s our only car! How are we supposed to get home?”

Luke walked up to the door of the beige Gremlin and got in, “I’ll take you home.” He then pressed the gas and sped out of the garage it was in. Jami chased him for a little bit, but she found he wouldn’t change his mind. “But,” she said catching her breath, “What about after you drop us off?”

Nell watched without a care as her car sped towards the gates. Theo and Dr. Marrow stared confusedly at Luke. They were wondering their selves if Luke was starting to face some mental instability. “Move! Get out of the way!” He ordered. They obediently stepped back.

Luke felt his body shoot forward as he rammed the gate. He was glad to remember to buckle his seat belt up, him flying through the windshield and colliding into the gates wasn’t a good picture in his mind. He looked out the front and noticed that the Gremlin’s front side was deeply dented, but the good thing was that he had bent the fence just enough for them to crawl through.

Great! He thought to himself, now all I have to do is back up… He began to shift the gear into reverse mode when one of the spiked ornaments decorating the gates gave a creak and fell onto of the Gremlin barely grazing Luke’s head. He jumped as the spikes penetrated the car so easily like a spoon in pudding.

“Luke!!!” Theo and Jami screamed in unison and ran over to the car with Dr. Marrow following. Jami walked over to the driver’s door and banged on the window, “Luke? You ok?” She tugged at the handle but it wouldn’t budge, she guessed Luke locked it. “Open the door!” She told him.

Luke pulled the handle on his side, “It won’t budge! Open the door for me!”

“I can’t!”

Luke pushed his body weight against the door but it still wouldn’t move. As Jami continued to try and open the door she heard the whisper of voices but she ignored them, all she cared about was the safety of Luke. “Try to push a little harder!” Theo told him.

“I’ve tried!” He replied.

“Turn off the engine!” Jami advised.

Obeying what she said, Luke did so. But as he tried to turn the keys they wouldn’t move either!

“It won’t go off!”

Jami felt herself step into a puddle as she backed away to survey the car. She looked down to the ground, it wasn’t a puddle! It was gas! Jami looked over to the front left wheel of the car; it leaking badly. “Come on guys! Hurry up!” She told them. “What do you think we’re doing?” Theo shot at her.

“The car is leaking gas!!!”

Theo paused, he attitude changed. “Come on guys! Hurry up!!” She told Dr. Marrow and Luke. Dr. Marrow looked around at the ground and found the shovel Luke had used. He picked it up and walked over to the car, “Stand back!” Theo quickly did so. Jami, however, stayed right next to Luke’s window. “Luke, duck down.”

“Why?” He questioned.

“I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Luke’s expression changed at these words, “What?!? What’s he doing? What’s he-” -Luke craned his neck in the middle of the sentence and saw Dr. Marrow reel back with the shovel-“Oh God!” He then covered his head and ducked. Jami winced as she heard the rear widow break. They’d never be able to use this car again! She watched Dr. Marrow try his best to scrape the pieces of glass away from the perimeter of the window.

Luke turned around and began to climb out the back with Dr. Marrow offering a hand to help him out. “Come on,” Dr. Marrow told him. The threesome all grabbed Luke and helped him out. “Are you ok? Are you ok? Are you hurt?” Theo babbled to him.

“I’m fine, I guess.” He replied. Once they set him down Luke found himself standing in front of Jami when he looked up. They both stood completely still for a few seconds, holding each other in the other one’s eyes. All of a sudden, Jami felt her eyes water and quickly embraced him. He too welcomed her and held her tightly. “I was so afraid! Are you ok?” she asked him.

Luke softly kissed her on top of her head, “Now I am.”

“I thought I might loose you! Luke, if that car had blown up I-”

Luke placed a finger to her mouth and shushed her. “Whatever happened to that optimism you had?” He then kissed her.

“Oh God,” Theo said staring at the house. Luke and Jami broke apart, both looking over at her direction. She sure seemed to say that a lot. Jami felt a shock of horror with when she realized what happened. Theo continued, “Where’s Nell?”


“Eleanor!” Dr. Marrow called out. Jami and Theo also followed with calling out her name as they crossed the living room of the Hill House. “Come on guys! This is crazy! Maybe she doesn’t want to be found!” Luke told them. Jami turned around at his comment.

“So what are you saying? Just leave her here and let her get killed by Hugh Kraine?”

“In a way, yes!”-Jami shook her head and moved up next to Dr. Marrow leading the group-“No, wait Jami! All I’m saying is, why don’t we let Nell get whatever she has out of her system and then go and save her! It’s not like I want her to die! It’s just that maybe she wants some time to herself.”

The group ignored him as they came upon one hall Jami had never visited. It was gothic and solemn like the rest of the house but the two sconces on each side of the door made it seem a little cheerier that the rest. They hurried into the room, which looked itself like it was once a cheery place. Filled with antiques of children’s toys and lamps that didn’t work anymore.

Jami pushed through clear curtains to find a familiar arrangement, not to mention Nell. Up on the wall was the picture that Nell had placed in her apartment in her grandmother’s room along with the same furniture and bed and cane. It was like a home away from home. “Nell?” She asked. Nell looked up and smiled. She continued to crank the music box she sat next to.

“Nell, we need to leave right now. Come on, I’m not going to leave you behind.”

“No, this is where I’m meant to be. The children need me.”

“Nell” Jami gave a reluctant sigh and gave in-“all right. If you’re going to stay, I’ll stay. Family sticks together.”

Luke couldn’t help but overhear Jami’s decision and walked over to them, “What? No! You can’t stay!”

“Luke, I’m sorry but, I got the messages from the children too. I think I’m also a part of this whole Hill House mess.” Jami then sat down on the other side of Nell. Luke also squatted down so he could be at eye level; he reached out and held her hand.

“Jami, don’t worry about having no car to go to your house. I’ll take you there. Heck, I’ll let you stay at my house! You’ll love it there, I’m sure.”

She glanced over at her cousin who also was trying to be convinced to leave except by Dr. Marrow and Theo. She smiled at Luke and shook her head. “No. This is where I need to be, I don’t think I came here by just some accident.”

Nell stood up and looked down at Jami. “You’re right, but Jami, you didn’t come here for the same reasons as I did. You were the children’s messenger. That’s why you couldn’t feel comfortable in this house. You were the only way for the children to communicate to me, and Kraine didn’t like that. You’ve sent your message, Jami. It’s time for you to leave, and the rest of you too.”

“But…Nell”

“Jami, I’ll be fine.”Nell turned on the music box and let the music play-“You see, this is where Caroline had her baby before she ran away. And the children, they wanted me to see this so I’d know this is my home.”

“Oh my God,” Dr. Marrow said for a change.

“Yes, Caroline was my great, great grandmother. And the children are my family, this is where I belong. Jami, I know you like to think of yourself as something more but, you’re only related to me by marriage. I have to stay. I’m not afraid anymore. I have to stay for the children, they need me.”

“No.” Dr. Marrow couldn’t believe it.

“Nell, the children are dead.” Theo told her.

“No! Not for him! He’s still hunting them! But if I’m here, he can’t harm them.”

They heard the noise of a door closing. Luke felt a rush of fear as he rested his hands on Jami’s shoulder, “Nell please! We have to go! Someone just grab her!”

“You have to go now! You can’t stay here. Come on, I’ll take you outside, you’re not safe here!”

They began to hurry out the door with Jami being pulled once again by Luke. But things were different this time as they hurried for the door. Every door in the Hill House began to close, as if it wasn’t going to let them go. They ran into the living room and hear the echoes of doors closing. “Come on! Hurry!” Luke yelled and pulled Jami harder. He was not going to be trapped in this house!

He saw the one large door leading outside at the end of his path. It was like a light at the end of a tunnel. Luke felt his adrenalin push him forward, faster. They were drawing nearer to the door; its wooden structures began to close. No!!! Luke’s mind screamed, I can make it! I know I can! But as he reached the exit the doors slammed in his face.

“Nooo!” Theo screamed. She, Dr. Marrow, and Luke began to beat wildly on the door. Jami backed away and shook her head in disbelief. She was screaming inside, but no words could come out. “He’s not gonna let you go!” Nell told them, “It’s too late. He’s not gonna let you go.”

“Guys,” Jami said, “We are all just prisoners here, of our own device…”

“Alright! Enough with the song! You’re starting to freak me out!” Luke told her.

Dr. Marrow hadn’t paid attention to what Jami or Luke had said. He could only think about what Nell had said, “The heck he’s not! I’m getting us out of here!”