Ryder Ranch

A Night On Ryder Ranch

By Max Stovall

Ryder Ranch was not a place many people ventured. But for some reason Ben and his friends did. Ryder was an old abandoned cattle ranch that had been inactive for years. And there was a legend about the house on the hill, overlooking the ranch. The story was about the owners of the ranch, Sam and Catherine Ryder. They had died in a house fire, along with their ten children in the late 1800’s. The house has since been rebuilt by people who bought the property, but the stories still remain. People didn't stay long on Ryder Ranch, many moved out within months of purchasing the home. And many of the reasons people gave, they couldn't explain. Lights turning on and off, shadows moving across the walls, noises from the attic. There had even been a disappearance, but no body was found and the lack of evidence forced the case to close. All these events scared the buyers off; and for almost ten years the building had been uninhabited. Until tonight.

It was Halloween night and Ben and his friends had outgrown trick-or-treating many years before; they were now college students who had come home for the holiday. They decided they needed to add a little more spice to their night, and they all knew the legend of Ryder Ranch. So one of the boys in Ben’s group, Danny, decided that they should go spend the night in the old house on the hill. Danny was not the brightest of the bunch. But like any young boy or girl would do, they decided it was a good idea.

There were seven in the group. Ben, who had been born and raised in the town of Canterburry his whole life. Anna, who had moved there after her mother died in a car accident and she came to live with her father. Danny, your typical jock, football scholarship, degree in athletics. Tom, who had been Ben’s best friend since pre-school. Melissa, a cheerleader and Danny’s girlfriend. Madilyn, another person Ben had known for his whole life. And Jeremiah, the shy, reclusive friend who didn't talk much, but opened up when you talked to him one on one. This group of diverse friends all piled into Danny’s truck and set off for the ranch; being bored and having a craving for adventure. Not a good combination for a young adult.

On the ride over, Ben talked with Madilyn and Tom as he always did. He didn't really know why he had started hanging out with this group. Madilyn and Tom had been the only people he ever hung out with until he went off to college. But then he met Danny and Jeremiah at university, they weren't really the kind of people he hung out with. But they became friends and decided to come back home with him, for they had no plans of their own.

“So how has school been going?” Ben asked Madilyn.

“It has been going well, I love my teachers and the people there are just amazing.”

“That’s great!” Ben has had a crush on Madilyn for years. “So, do you have a boyfriend?”

“Hah! Come on Ben, you know me. I don't put myself on display.”

Ben almost sighed with relief.

“But there is this boy that has been sending me flowers and chocolates. There is never any name on the packages, just ‘your admirer’. How old school can you get?”

Ben’s heart shrunk in size.

“That is so romantic!” added in Anna, who had been listening in on the conversation.

“Yes, so very romantic.” chimed in Tom, directing his sarcasm at Ben. Tom had known Ben’s love for Madilyn ever since they first kissed in the third grade. Ben, had tried to cover it up by later washing his mouth out with soap. But Tom knew Ben better than anyone, and he knew when he was bluffing.

The lurch of the vehicle told Ben that they had stopped, it was hard to tell in the pitch black. Clouds were covering the moon, so there was no real source of light. They had come equipped with flashlights and everyone turned theirs on.

“Well everyone,” said Danny. “Welcome to Ryder Ranch.”

The house was massive, and also very, very old. There was a giant hole in the roof, probably from rot. The windows were all dirty and you could barely see through them. The front deck was missing a few steps and boards. The stairs creaked when the group ascended them, and one of the boards broke when Jeremiah walked on it.

“Are you all right?” Ben asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Jeremiah replied, checking himself for damages. The group moved on.

Ben turned the knob on the front door, and nothing happened. He gave it a push but it wouldn't  budge.

“Its locked tight.” said Ben. “Danny would you like to do the honors?”

“With pleasure.”

Danny changed the front door with lighting speed, and like a battering ram busted down the door. Dust flew everywhere, and Ben and the others coughed while wafting it away.

“Well that works.” Said Tom grinning at Danny, who had fallen on the ground.

The group slowly stepped inside, using their flashlights to look around. Straight ahead there was a huge master staircase that curved off in opposite directions. To the right was the main dining hall complete with a long dinner table, and to the left was the fireside room. All of the furniture was all still there and covered in plain white sheets to keep the dust off.  Above them was the most magnificent chandelier Ben had ever seen. He couldn't help but think of Bach’s Tocatta and Fugue as they walked through this massive house. Despite the outside look of the house, it was quite well preserved on the inside, amazingly so. It was like the sealant on the stairway rails was just freshly painted on.

They decided to split up into two groups. Danny, Melissa and Jeremiah in one group. Ben, Tom, Madilyn and Anna in the other. This way they could cover more ground and the other group could call for help if they were, as Danny put it, “attacked by ghosts.” Something none of them believed in. So they split ways, one group starting on the ground floor and the other going upstairs. Ben’s group got the upper level.

They ascended the maple staircase, which creaked as well. It was like glass breaking in a multi-layered parking lot. When they finally reached the top of the epic stairs they looked around. There was a large hallway straight in front of them that went back far into the house. To the left and right of them there were a few doors, so they started there.

“Well, lets each take a door.” suggested Tom making his way towards the closest one.

“Wait, Tom!” hissed Ben.

“What? You scared of an old creaky house?” He opened the door and stepped inside. “Yep, no monsters in here. I’ll keep looking around thought.”

Ben gave up, he moved to door on his right and opened it. It looked to be a study or a library. One wall was an empty bookshelf and across from that was a desk and chair. Ben didn't expect to find much in any of these rooms. The occupants had been long gone, and all the original owners belongings had burned along with them in the fire. After searching all the drawers in the desk and on the bookshelf, Ben exited the room. He went on to the next door, this one was a bedroom. The bed frame was still there and the clothing drawer as well. Ben searched this room the same as the last one, and the next one after that. Ben found nothing of importance, so far this trip was starting to look like a waist of time. Ben finished searching his last room and and started back up the hallway to regroup with the others. But as he walked past the first room he searched, he noticed that the door had been closed. He had not closed it coming out, he was sure of it. Madilyn was just emerging from one of the rooms and Ben motioned for her to come over.

“Did you close this door?” He asked.

“Um, no I’ve been checking all of these ones.” She replied.

“Huh, weird.”

“Why? What happened?”

“Well I didn't close the door when I left, I’m sure of it. Unless someone else closed it.”

They waited there for the others to come out of their rooms. Ben asked them both the same question and both of them answered no, they had not closed the door. Ben decided to conduct an experiment. He opened all the doors near them and used something heavy to prop them open, to ensure it was not just a draft. Then they continued on their way.

They started down the hallway checking each room as they passed through. Most of them were bedrooms but Ben found more studies, broom closets, huge libraries and even a glass door that led to a large patio supported by columns. If this place wasn’t so ominous, Ben would have wanted to live here, the house was magnificent. Ben came to another door, but before opening it he thought he heard something. He stopped to listen, he could have sworn he heard something moving around in there. Ben’s heart was racing, and when he mustered the courage, he flung the door open letting his flashlight flare into the room. Ben chuckled at himself, it was only a cat. It had probably gotten in through the window, for one of the panes was broken. So Ben went on with his search, laughing at himself every so often at his fear.

Once the group had finally swept all the rooms for anything odd, they started back down the hallway to try and meet up the rest of the pack. Ben told the others of his encounter with the cat and they all laughed together at his folly. And when they got to the top of the stairs a gasp rippled through the four adventurers. Ben nearly dropped his flashlight, for all of the doors he had propped open were now closed. No draft had done this, it could not have been any of them. But Ben didn't rule out Danny, he was the kind of person who would do this.

“Danny is probably just trying to scare us. Lets go meet up with them.” Said Tom.

The group descended the stairs, once again bringing on a chorus of creaks. They look in the dining room first, seeing signs that the other group had been there. They continued on to the kitchen where there were pots and pans everywhere, and all the drawers had been opened, another sign of Danny’s group. They continued on until they arrived into a very large ballroom, complete with an oak floor and seats and couches all along the walls. Another chandelier hung here as well.

“Wow, this place is huge!” commented Madilyn.

“Seriously.” Replied Ben. He looked to her and held out his hand in a low bow. “May I have this dance mademoiselle?”

Madilyn laughed. “Why yes good sir, you may.” She took his hand and got in close. They started to twirl on the dance floor and Ben started to sing a little song.

“Come on guys, join in.” said Madilyn.

Tom and Anna joined hands and started to dance as well. To an outside observer, these kids would be seen as insane. In a presumed haunted house, with creaking stairs and doors that closed themselves. But to them, it was an escape from their normal lives. A chance to go crazy, if just for one night.

And then, as quickly as their fantasy had been built, it was torn down. A door was slammed somewhere in the house, and a blood curdling scream followed. The four college students ran towards the noise. There was a door on the far side of the ballroom, Ben and the others headed for it. They flung it open into a large atrium, in it was Danny, Melissa and Jeremiah and the kids could only see as far as their flashlights would go.

“What happened? Why did you scream?” Asked Ben. His question was directed towards Melissa who was curled up on one of the ornate sofas that were scattered all over the dark room. She was hyperventilating and tears was running down her cheeks.

“I don't know what happened,” said Danny. “We were all looking around and Melissa just opened the door, stood there for a couple seconds then just screamed.”

Ben placed his hand on Melissa’s shoulder and spoke to her with a soothing voice. “What was in there Melissa? What did you see?”

Melissa slowed her breathing to talk to him. “When I looked into the room I saw,” she paused. “I... I don't even don't know what I saw. It couldn't have been real.”

“What was it? What did you see?”

“I saw them. I saw them burning, I heard their screams. It was so horrible.”

“Who? Who was burning Melissa?”

“The Ryder family!”

Ben lost his breath. It was as if Danny had punched him square in the chest. His heart started to race.

“We need to get out of here, this has gotten out of hand.” Said Tom to Ben.

“Yeah guys, I think its time to leave.” Agreed Ben.

They persuaded Melissa to get up and come with them and then they headed for the door. It took them a minute or so to traverse the maze of rooms and passageways, but they eventually found the main entrance. They exited the house and they were just about to get inside the car when Ben realized something.

“Where is Jeremiah?”

“I thought he was behind...” Danny stopped, and looked around. “Oh my God.”

“Jeremiah! Where are you? This isn't funny man, come out.” Yelled out Tom.

“This isn't happening.” Sobbed Anna.

There was no answer from Jeremiah. Ben was starting to worry, the events that had happened that night were far too abnormal. Doors closing themselves, Melissa seeing some weird vision, and now Jeremiah’s disappearance. The Ryder house was an evil place, Ben could feel it. The students were getting antsy, and paranoid. And then they heard from Jeremiah, not in a good way.

“NOOOO! STOP! PLEASE DON'T! NO! HELP ME!”

Ben, Danny and Tom ran into the house at full speed. They weren't letting some old ghost take their friend. They stopped and waited in the main entry and called out for Jeremiah.

“Jeremiah! Where are you?”

“I’m up here! Oh God please help me!”

The boys raced up the stairs and down the hallway. They could hear Jeremiah still yelling for help, and his voice guided them. They came to the end of the hall way and stopped. The yelling was coming up from a spiral stairway that Ben had not seen before, it blended in well with the wall.

“There!” Yelled Danny. “He’s down there.”

They bolted down the stairs, taking them two at a time. At the bottom was a hallway to their left and another door to the right; this door was open, and they found Jeremiah hanging onto the door frame.

“Please help me!”

“Its OK we’re here now.”

“Its got my leg! Get it off me!”

Ben looked into the doorway. It was stairs leading down to what was probably a basement, but he could not see two feet in front of him. And they didn't have time to shine their flashlights down there, for in a split second Jeremiah was being dragged down the stairs. Before any of the boys could run down after him, the door was slammed in their faces. Danny tried the knob, it wouldn't  turn, he tried ramming it with his shoulder, it wouldn't  budge. All the while they could hear Jeremiah’s screams. Danny kept banging on the door, trying to break it open. Ben was yelling back at Jeremiah telling him everything would be alright. And Tom was pacing back and forth holding his head saying something along the lines of, “this isn't happening, this is crazy.”

“Please Ben you have to help me!”

“Your going to be fine, we will get you out! Just hold on!”

“Nooooo! Ben please. Get away! GET AWAY! NOOOO-” Jeremiah cut off. Danny stopped banging, Tom stopped pacing, and Ben just listened. The house went silent. Ben could hear the beat of his heart. He heard his friends breathing. And then, he started to hear something else: footsteps. THUMP, THUMP, THUMP. Slowly coming up the stairs.

“Oh you gotta be kidding me!” yelled Tom.

“Shhhh!” hissed Ben.

He could hear more footsteps all throughout the house. From large footfalls to small pattering, creeping all over the place.

“We need to get out of the house now! let’s go!” yelled Ben.

The boys ran for theirs lives down the hallway behind them, and as they ran so did the footsteps. They started to get faster and faster, until is was a deafening chorus of feet running through the house. The boys dropped their flashlights, they didn't matter anymore, the most important thing was to get out of the house. The door behind them had flung open, and footsteps were chasing behind them. The boys ran and ran, and they didn't look back once. Ben could see the main entrance, and he sprinted with all his might towards the door. The footsteps were closer and louder than ever. Ben felt like his heart would bust out of his chest, but he kept on running. And as soon as they were out of the door, the footsteps stopped. The boys rolled into the dirt, panting for breath. The front door of the house slammed shut, and all was still. The last sound that the group heard from the house was a low hissing voice speak to them, “come again.”  

The students got out of there as fast as possible, they all piled in the pack of the truck and peeled out of the dirt driveway. Madilyn fell into Ben’s arms, and he held her as she cried into his chest. And Ben looked back on the Ryder Ranch house, in the windows were lights, and twelve silhouettes stood in the windows, eyes glowing. Ben could see a new figure step in to occupy another window, a thirteenth. Ben looked away, placed his head on Madalyn's, and began to cry.

A full fledged search was conducted of the house on Ryder Ranch, the place was ripped apart, room to room, inch to inch. Not a door was unopened, and not a wall was not torn down.

Jeremiah was never found, and he remains missing today.