Wrath and Ruin by C. W. Briar

Author:C. W. Briar [Briar, C. W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781942462101
Published: 2016-07-18T23:00:00+00:00

Ghoul: A Gideon Wells Story

April 21, 1895

Professor,

These letters contain details from our investigation into the Haughtogis Point mystery. I found the beast, and I am trying to stop it before it can kill again.

I know enough at this time to implore the university to send you or one of your peers to this town posthaste.

Sincerely, Gideon Wells

1

We reached our destination by carriage as the sunset bled on the gray Allegheny cliffs. I cannot overstate the trepidation I felt as we rolled up to the pale, weather-gnawed Ragiston house. My concerns were not due to our hosts, for the young owners of the home, siblings Claude and Ida Ragiston, greeted us with relieved smiles.

My uneasiness came instead from the property itself.

Our earlier train ride through western Pennsylvania had crossed dozens of fields with emerald grass and dandelion freckles. By contrast, the brown, stubbly grounds around the mansion made it seem as if winter had only just packed up its snow and departed.

Furthermore, the house begged for restoration. More shutters were broken or crooked than not, and at least one had been nailed over a window to cover broken glass. Dead ivy hung like nets from pitted bricks. One of the house’s three round towers had shed the shingles from its roof, and the slate tiles lay heaped at the base of the wall.

The haggard aesthetics were no guarantee the building neared collapse. Indeed, the tour that followed my arrival assured me the aged mansion remained sound, but first impressions forewarned me of the chaos into which we were entering.

The Ragiston siblings proved humble and amiable in spite of their situation. Claude, rather than his servants, opened the carriage door for Rosette and me. Ida bowed as if we were privileged guests. I wondered if their greeting would have differed if they knew about our train ride; Rosette had busied herself by catching flies and feeding them to the spiders under her seat.

Claude extended his open hand toward me, but Rosette took it first and vigorously returned the shake. Her forward manners, or lack thereof, elicited wide eyes and a slight blush from the young gentleman. Rosette similarly greeted his sister and three servants, startling all of them and nearly removing the arm of one servant, an old maid, at the shoulder.

“Oh, my!” Ida Ragiston adjusted her feathered hat after Rosette’s violent handshake dislodged it.

I laughed in spite of myself and grabbed one of my bags off the carriage. I tossed another to the old butler, who caught it quite capably for a man of his age.

“Did you have any trouble on your way here?” Claude asked. He pointed at the scratches on Rosette’s leather bodice, which for good reason is better armored than normal women’s fashion.

“It’s from an old incident,” I said. “Nothing to worry about.”

“I got bit.” Rosette beamed. “Would you care to see?” She began to roll up her sleeve to show off the scar on her left elbow.

I took her gently by the wrist. “It has been a long journey.

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