A Parish Darker: A Victorian Suspense Novella by Rhys Ermire Read Free Book Online

the room at the end of the hall—one that had, just hours earlier, been protected by a large, vault-like door made of ironed and impenetrable steel.
     
    That door was opened outward and facing the left-most wall. It was not so thick as to rival a warship but the concentration of its design and reliance on hinges that were protected inside the structure itself left little doubt as to its resilience. I had expected a treasure akin to those so commonly sought in adventure novels, but what I found was something no one should have ever happened upon.
     
    Drawing closer to the entryway, the contents of the room became clearer. It was much larger than one would expect from the outside and housed two levels, the second being accessible via a spiral stairwell running along the outside of the rounded room. Gas-lit lamps had been affixed in such a way that no corner of the room went unseen by light. From the lower level, I could see only that the area atop the staircase appeared to be locked in place with a heavy overhead door that likely swung outward onto the next level.
     
    As opposed to the rest of the estate, this area appeared to see a great deal of use: papers had been strewn about, well-read books stacked in haphazard fashion, and various objects of which I had no immediate point of comparison could be found throughout.
     
    The shape of the room had me determine this had been the tower I had seen from outside the window earlier in the day.  The actual purpose of the room bordered on a study yet featured ornaments not common to many such quarters. Just inside the entrance, on the bordering wall, was a display of what I could only determine was ancient weaponry. They appeared more ornamental than practical, though the wide variety was difficult to take in with only a glance. Some were bladed weapons, ranging from small to large, while others were of a blunt nature, but none seemed out of place. Each had been assigned a spot on the wall and was left there.
     
    I saw as I moved further into the room that one desk featured a strange tool, forged of metal and sharp to the touch. It resembled a protractor but featured an uncharacteristic hand of a scissor on one side. A dark color had settled over the sharpest point, but that was far from the most unsettling and puzzling sight.
     
    Immediately to the right, likewise on the desk, were small cages, stacked three to a column and totaling six in all. Scurries could be heard as I leaned closer, soft pattering inside between the fenced mesh to keep whatever it was inside.
     
    A family of mice struck their cages, either in excitement or fear. They were large, abnormally so—perhaps members of a species unknown to me. While the roughly half-dozen occupants rummaged about in cages, some paired in a single space, I noticed the hinge on one door unlocked. Pulling it open, the combination of sight and smell was too much to bear at such proximity.
     
    Inside had been what was left of one of the mice. A deadened look had settled over its facial features unlike any animal I had ever seen. I could only presume it was content to have gone in the end.
     
    While the head and legs remained untouched, a nauseating spectacle awaited the rest. The body had been sliced open with no regard for repair. Small nails had been used to pin the coat of fur in place, ultimately leaving nothing to the imagination. What I could only imagine were kidneys or a spleen or a bladder was on bloody display. Unusually, the organs that appeared to have been harvested had been carefully sewn back inside with precision and mindfulness.
     
    Another of the sizable vermin raised itself against the cage and exposed their under torso. Lacerations had been evident, leaving a large scar visible on its abdomen. His neighbor in the cage adjacent was none so lucky.
     
    The pelt had turned to near ash, having readily congealed to the rodent’s thin corpse. The state and condition gave the appearance of having been burned alive.