They: Three Ghosts in the Machine, #1

By G. Allen Wilbanks and Black Hare Press

I do not know what They are. I don't know where They came from.

All I know for certain is They appeared in the house about six weeks after Amy and I moved in.

They may have always been in the house, but I don't believe that's true. I believe they found something compelling about the old building that drew them to it. My wife and I were merely the unfortunate souls who resided there when They arrived.

Lock your doors, close the drapes, turn on all the lights...

Supernatural horror from G. Allen Wilbanks at its best.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Black Hare Press
• Release date: May 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393268543

Book preview

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G. ALLEN WILBANKS

THREE GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE #1

MORE FROM G. ALLEN WILBANKS

THREE GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE

THEY

SPIRITUS EX MACHINA

WE WHO SLEEP

THEY title is

Copyright © 2021 G. Allen Wilbanks

First published in Australia in May 2021

by Black Hare Press

The author retains the copyright of the works featured in this publication.

All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this production may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher and copyright owner.

Edited by D. Kershaw

Formatting by Ben Thomas

Cover design by Dawn Burdett

Twitter: @BlackHarePress

Facebook: BlackHarePress

Website: www.BlackHarePress.com

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

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CHAPTER ONE

Ido not know what They are. I don’t know where They came from. All I know for certain is They appeared in the house about six weeks after Amy and I moved in.

They may have always been in the house, but I don’t believe that’s true. I believe they found something compelling about the old building that drew them to it. My wife and I were merely the unfortunate souls who resided there when They arrived.

Amy fell in love with the house from the first moment she saw it. A Victorian-style home, two stories tall, it had peaked gables at the roofline, a wrap-around banistered porch, and more windows than we could count. It was old, built sometime in the 1920s, but it was well maintained and had been updated with more modern amenities only a few years before we discovered it. The beautiful, pale blue residence sat in the middle of two acres of grass and trees, giving it a feel of privacy despite being so close to the heart of town.

Inside, the house was spacious but cosy, with a formal dining room, family room, and living room complete with a stone and mortar fireplace. The upstairs had more bedrooms than two people could ever need, but Amy and I were newly married and had grand plans of filling the place with the noise and clutter of many children. She wanted six; three boys and three girls. I was not so sure about having such a large clan, but I was willing to put in the effort and see what results we might achieve.

What sealed the deal for us was the price. The realtor advised the owners wanted half what the property was worth compared to similar places located anywhere close by. Apparently, the previous occupant had died quite suddenly and mysteriously, leading to several people being very interested in seeing the house, but very few wanting to actually purchase it. We were not superstitious, and the knowledge that someone had expired in the residence, while sad, was not a great deterrent for us.

A few signed papers, a modest down payment, and the house and the surrounding land were ours. We moved in as soon as we took possession of the keys. It all felt so perfect, like it was meant to be. Like it was our destiny