Home Sweet Home

by AdamSauliForever

Summary:

Adam Lambert and his boyfriend, Sauli Koskinen purchases a new home in San Diego. Soon or later, they’ll discover that their home is a nightmare.

Chapter 1

Home Sweet Home

Author: Pearl

Feedback: Please

Ratings: R

Contents/Warnings: Strong language, strong sexual activities, blood, death, etc.

Genre: Horror

Characters: Adam Lambert, Sauli Koskinen, Tommy Joe Ratliff, Neil Lambert, Eber Lambert, Leila Lambert, Isaac Carpenter, etc.

Disclaimers: I own nothing except for the story and any original characters you may come across.

Distributions: Ask first.

Summary: Adam Lambert and his boyfriend, Sauli Koskinen purchases a new home in San Diego. Soon or later, they’ll discover that their home is a nightmare.

Chapters/Parts: 1/?

The San Diego sun danced in a beautiful, vibrated blue sky; birds chirped and frogs croaked from a nearby manmade pond. A moving van sat in front of a two-storied white painted house with a basement, attic, picket fence and an incredible large backyard. Beside the vehicle, stood the new owners of said house; Adam Lambert and his boyfriend, Sauli Koskinen.

Adam made a skeptical facial reaction before glancing over at his love with hands upon his blue jean hips. “Are you sure about this place, Sauli?”

Sauli sighed with a bright smile and stepped directly into Adam’s path. He placed his tattooed arms around his lover’s waist. “I am sure; we have our own little place with lots of room.”

“Eh, I liked my old place,” complained Adam. He just wasn’t feeling it, but he loved Sauli a lot and would’ve done anything for him. His love was worth trying anything.

Sauli entwined his fingers with Adam’s and softly chuckled. He pulled Adam toward the house’s front door. “Before the day is over, Adam, you’ll be saying “Hollywood where?”.”

Adam turned Sauli around to face him; wrapping warm loving arms around his body and urging him close for a deep passionate kiss. He moaned at the taste of Sauli upon his lips, upon his tongue. “I can’t wait to christen the house with our love.”

Sauli smirked playfully. “Ah…see? Adam, you love it here already.”

“That’s because you’re here,” countered Adam with a smile, he pressed his nose adjacent to Sauli’s and gently rubbed their noses together.

“Excuses…excuses…” winked Sauli. He slapped Adam on the booty before going out toward the moving truck.

　

Meanwhile, Adam stayed indoors, exploring and getting used to his new home. He hoped his “homesick” days were over. His parents could never go anywhere without him getting a case of homesickness. Thank God when they decided to move from Indiana to California he was only an infant; he might’ve never became a recording artist or met the love of his life.

Suddenly echoes of footsteps emerged from behind Adam. He frowned briefly and turned expecting to see Sauli standing there, but emptiness was all he encountered. Adam pulled a face and shrugged. “Maybe it’s just the house settling.”

Chapter 2

Chapters/Parts: 2/?

It was close to 9:00 pm when Adam and Sauli finally got all of their belongings into their new home.

Adam sighed as his ocean colored eyes scanned the surroundings and the “gazillion” boxes piled into, eventually, the living area. It would take forever to unpack and organize everything the way Adam and Sauli wanted. It was one of the downfalls of moving and why Adam hated it with a passion.

“You never realize how much shit you’ve got until you have to pack it all up and haul it to a new place,” said Adam breathing heavy, resting his hands on his hips.

Sauli looked at Adam with a smile. “It’s going to be so much fun, think of it as a way to spend hours and hours together.”

Adam chuckled, pulling Sauli into his arms, against the warmth of his body. “We could spend hours and hours wrestling under the covers instead.”

Sauli playfully rolled his eyes. “Adam, Adam, Adam…”

“What? What? What?”

“Is that all you ever think about?” Sauli removed himself from Adam’s arms, patted his lover on his butt before walking over toward one of the boxes that read “kitchen” written in black marker. Sauli removed a strip of tape from top and opened it.

“Well I don’t know about you, Adam, but I’m starved.”

　

*******************************

It was midnight by the time Adam and Sauli finished eating and cleaning up the kitchen. Sauli had already gone upstairs to bed.

Adam wasn’t tired, so he stayed downstairs in a reclining chair in a white t-shirt and plaid short shorts, his laptop opened on his lap. Adam had to ignore the fact that his nerves were off their hinges and he was feeling slightly claustrophobic with the boxes cluttered around him like a cardboard labyrinth. Adam couldn’t wait until he finally helped Sauli clean the house. He’d like nothing more, but to breathe again.

After a few minutes, Adam reached beside him and grabbed for a mug, which was filled with warm tea, resting on top of a very sturdy box. He lifted the rim of the mug to his freckled lips and discovered it was dry as a bone.

Adam cursed at the empty mug before getting up and sitting his portable PC in his place. He grabbed his mug and trekked from the den to the kitchen. The hallway was tremendously stretched which made him feel like he was walking without end.

Suddenly chills pricked the length of Adam’s spine and the light auburn hairs on his forearms stood alert. Adam shivered, his surroundings grew freezing, but when he reached the kitchen, the temperature went back to normal.

Adam frowned, he was confused and worried. He hoped his homesickness wasn’t returning.

Chapter 3

Chapters/Parts: 3/?

It was still midnight when Adam stood by the stove waiting for water to boil for more tea. The entire house was quiet until the sudden sound of creaking wood came from within the hallway outside the kitchen. Adam glanced up from the pot of water, across the threshold into the darkness of the corridor and called out.

“Sauli?”

When Adam received not an answer or heard anymore creaking wood, he shrugged his shoulders. Maybe it was only his imagination. So he focused on the pot of water once more.

Unfortunately as soon as Adam took his eyes from the hallway; the floor began creaking again. When Adam glanced into the darken hallway that time; suddenly, a strange black blob whooshed from right to left sending chills down Adam’s spine. Quickly Adam turned off the stove, ignoring the pot of water, he rushed up the flight of stairs and flew into bed, pulling the covers over his head and shook like a leaf. What the fuck was that?

 

When morning arrived, Adam was the first one awake in the house. His eyes and entire body ached tremendously from lack of sleep. After seeing what he saw down in the kitchen last night, he was afraid to shut his eyes. He closed his eyelids briefly and yawned silently before caressing his temples gently with the tips of his fingers, trying to massage the headache, lurking inside of his brain, out.

At the sound of footsteps, Adam lifted his eyes from the table in time to see Sauli walk into the room. Adam sighed to himself in relief, afraid the footsteps belonged to someone or something else.

“When I woke up, I didn’t see you next to me. Are you okay?” asked Sauli as he walked close to a small table, pulled out a chair and sat next to Adam.

Adam glared at Sauli, unsure whether to tell him about his weird encounter or not. So for now, Adam decided that he’d keep it to himself. He smiled and brushed the top of his boyfriend’s hand with a gentle touch. “Yeah, I’m okay; sometimes it takes me a while to adjust to a new place, that’s all.”

Sauli returned the smile with a playful laugh. “Everything’s going to be fine. How about I make us breakfast and we start making this place look more like home, hmm, what do you say to that?”

“I’d like that…I’d like that a lot.” said Adam as he leaned in and captured Sauli’s lips into a fierce kiss. He pulled away briefly with a whisper, “But can we start with desert first?”

Adam gave Sauli not a chance to answer before shoving everything from the table onto the floor below. He scooped his Finnish lover into his strong arms onto the tabletop. There Adam took Sauli with hunger and passion, he was starved for him and it showed in the way he made love to his boyfriend.

 

Meanwhile Adam and Sauli declared their love for each other on the mini dining table, in the corridor, not far from the room’s threshold stood a transparent man in period clothing. He watched for a second before disappearing into a wooden door beneath the stairwell.

Chapter 4

Chapters/Parts: 4/?

After twenty minutes of standing by the stove, Sauli finally got two plates of eggs, bacon and home fries on a mini table Adam helped set up while he cooked. Sauli grabbed for two mugs of hot tea with two sugar cubes and placed them before the steaming plates of food. When both men sat down in front of their breakfast, Adam leaned forward and took in the aromas of fresh cooked food. He wasn’t sure where Sauli got his culinary skills from, but he was so grateful for them. Not only was the food absolutely delicious, Sauli looked so damn adorable in an apron too.

“Thank you,” said Adam to his lover before shoveling a fork full of food into his mouth.

Sauli laughed lightly with a bright smile. “For what?”

Adam swallowed. “For the food, for finding this house…for being my sexy boyfriend.” He took another mouthful of food and washed it down with hot lemon-flavored tea.

Sauli took his eyes down to the floor and blushed at the words “sexy boyfriend”, smiling, he looked back at Adam with sincerity. “I love you…I love you so much. I wouldn’t do these things for anyone else.”

“Seriously?” asked Adam with a raised eyebrow.

Sauli nodded. “Seriously.”

 

Once Adam and Sauli finished breakfast and cleaned up best they could. Sauli disappeared upstairs to take a shower and groom himself before getting dressed in faded jeans and a worn out t-shirt. He climbed down step by step until he reached the last one where he was greeted by his dark haired prince.

“Where are you going?” questioned Adam with curiosity.

Sauli moved off the step and pulled Adam’s slim figure into his tattooed arms. “I’m gonna go to the hardware store, get some stuff so we can finally make our house feel more like home. Do you wanna come?”

Adam lifted Sauli’s chin with a tender touch and caressed his lips with a passionate kiss. He retreated with an answer. “Nah, I think I’m going to stay and get ahead start on cleaning this place up.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” whispered Sauli against the softness of Adam’s lips. He kissed him once more before grabbing for a light jacket and walking out the front door.

 

Adam watched through a window as his boyfriend got into his vehicle and backed out of their driveway. He turned and released a tedious sigh as his eyes scanned the hoard like mess that cluttered every inch of the house. Where the hell would he began? It would probably take from now until Jesus Christ came back to get everything situated, but if he wanted to make things work with Sauli, he’d eventually have to figure out something. He would do anything for Sauli.

Adam took a step toward the future dining room and a huge box that read “Adam’s things” in black marker. He stripped a huge band of tape from the top and opened it. He reached in and pulled out a huge framed photo of himself and Sauli dressed as vampires during Halloween.

Adam smiled at himself with a chuckle. “Eat your heart out True Blood.”

 

Suddenly, out of the blue, a thundering BANG was heard throughout the house, which startled Adam and almost caused him to lose his grip on the picture frame. He looked across the foyer into the other room with frightened eyes and trembling hands. He eased the frame back into the box and grabbed for a hammer next to it.

Adam made his way gradually across the threshold, his eyes immediately narrowed at the sight of a door beneath the staircase. He walked toward it, hammer in hand and curiosity flowing through his blood veins. When Adam opened the door, a strident screech filled the house within and surprise formed on his face. Behind the door, he found a set of steps descending down into darkness. Adam hesitated, took a deep breath and carefully walked down the steps, leaving the door opened for light.

Instantly, Adam’s mouth dropped at his discovery. Beyond the steps lied another room. The walls were covered in brick and the floors were made of stone. He moved deeper into the room allowing the sun’s rays to shine on a slab of wood with the letters “KB” carved into it.

Adam frowned with confusion. “KB?”

Unexpectedly, at the mention of “KB”, the door of the mysterious room slammed shut, leaving Adam in pitch darkness. Quickly Adam rushed up the steps and pulled on the doorknob. It was locked.

Adam’s anxiety rose like a bolt of lightning and he screamed at the top of his lungs while pulling on the doorknob simultaneously. “Help!”

Chapter 5

Chapters/Parts: 5/?

Frightened tears poured down the flesh of Adam’s cheeks while he pulled frantically on the doorknob trying to get the mysterious room’s door to open. It wasn’t budging until Adam shoved his shoulder into the wood. It unlocked and tossed Adam out of the room. Adam closed the area quickly, his back pressed against the surface of the door, breathing heavy, tears still streaming from his eyes. He lifted a shaky hand and wiped at his face. He couldn’t let Sauli know what had happened. If his boyfriend saw the tears than he’d know something was wrong and that would lead to questions Adam didn’t really want to answer.

Adam pushed himself from the door beneath the staircase, grabbed a broom and began cleaning up the house. Just in time for Sauli to return home from the hardware store with gallons of paint and various materials they’d need to make their new house feel like home.

“Honey, I’m home!” shouted Sauli with a giggle. He always wanted to do that.

At the sound of Sauli’s voice, Adam walked to greet him with a kiss and a smile. “I’m so glad you’re home, I’ve missed you.”

Sauli chuckled. “I was only gone for a few minutes.”

“I know, but I always miss you. Minutes feel like hours when you’re away from me,” smiled Adam while grabbing for some of the items in his boyfriend’s arms. He stole another kiss from Sauli’s lips before crossing the threshold into the future living area.

Adam’s eyes immediately fell onto the mysterious door, the one that held him captive for what seemed like more than a few minutes. He waited until Sauli went into another room before grabbing a handful of nails, a hammer, a gallon of dark blue paint, a paint tray and a rolling paint brush. Adam slammed the nails into the door, nailing it shut and than covered it with paint until it blended in with the wall. Nobody especially Sauli would ever find it unless they stripped the room of its color.

“Try and get me now,” said Adam to the mysterious door which was now incognito.

“Who are you talking to?”

Adam nearly jumped out of his skin at the unexpected words. He turned and found the love of his life standing behind him. He fibbed with a light laugh. “I was talking to myself”.

“Seriously, you were talking to yourself?” Sauli smiled and jokingly twirled his index finger in a circle next to his head in a “cuckoo” gesture. He walked closer and rested an arm around Adam’s waist. He looked up at his dark haired Glam God and softly added. “But I wouldn’t have you any other way… I love you, Adam Mitchell Lambert”

Adam took Sauli fully into his strong arms and captured his lips in a starving kiss. His hands slipped down the length of Sauli’s body and grabbed at the hem of the white tank top he wore. Sauli immediately pulled back and made a playfully “tsk tsk” sound.

‘Aw…c’mon Sauli…” pouted Adam.

Sauli promised with a wink. “We’ll play later, right now lets fix up this house.”

Adam sighed. “Oh… okay… you promise?”

Sauli pressed a reassuring kiss to Adam’s mouth and nodded. “You bet.”

 

After hours and hours of fixing up the house, Adam and Sauli decided to quit and save some for another day. The house was slowly coming together and looking so gorgeous. There weren’t boxes scattered all over place and things were put in their places.
As promised, Adam and Sauli played beneath the covers; kissing, caressing unclothed skin, bodies pressed into one another. Everything felt so right.

Gradually Sauli scurried down Adam’s body beneath the sheets. He wrapped his paw around the thick muscle that jutted against the flesh of his palm. He stroked him drawing a deep throaty moan.

Adam closed his eyes and breathed pleasantly. “Feels so good…mmm…don’t stop please.”

Sauli smirked as he watched Adam’s face expressions before replacing his hand with the warmth of his mouth. Sauli moaned softly, bobbing his head to and fro, tasting the skin of Adam’s cock.

Adam begged through half opened eyelids. “Sauli, please, I need you.”

At Adam’s command, Sauli slipped an unwrapped condom onto his boyfriend’s stick before climbing and inserting it inside of him. He snapped his hips forward, riding Adam like a mechanical bull. For minutes they fucked until they couldn’t take anymore. Climax rose, orgasmic screams filled the walls of their bedroom and semen was spewed.

Breathing hard and sweating like a pig, Sauli rolled off Adam and rested on the mattress. He lifted his head slightly to watch his lover get up from the bed and walk into the bathroom before crashing into the softness of his pillow.

 

In the bathroom, Adam washed off, drained himself in the toilet and flushed before turning to grab for his toothbrush and toothpaste. He placed a dime size of it on the brush’s bristles, bent his head forward over the sink while he scrubbed his teeth with his toothbrush. He spat paste and water into the drain before blindly grabbing for a towel to wipe at his mouth. He lifted his eyes from within the sink and suddenly in the mirror stood a hideous looking figure.

Adam screamed and backed quickly against the wall. He shook his head and slid down into the tile floor, tears falling. What was happening to him? Why was he seeing things? He lifted his head and stared at the closed bathroom door as a knock sounded and Sauli’s voice came through asking if he was okay. Adam glanced from the door to the mirror, whatever he saw wasn’t there anymore.

What was Adam going to do? He couldn’t keep lying to Sauli, but he didn’t want to sound crazy, neither. He pulled his knees to his chest, rested his head sideways in the bend of his arms with thoughts racing through his mind. He needed a moment before he could face Sauli.

Chapter 6

Chapters/Parts: 6/?

A frown formed on Sauli’s face, concern poured from his Finnish eyes when Adam finally opened the bathroom door. He watched as his boyfriend of two years walked and than sat on the edge of their bed. The pigment of Adam’s skin had turned pale and clammy. He was a total different person from a few minutes ago.

“Are you okay?” asked Sauli while moving to sit next to Adam. He took his partner’s hand and instantly he felt trembles skipping down into his fingers. Something frightened Adam. He saw the fear written on his face.

Tenderly, Sauli squeezed Adam’s hand slightly to get his attention, begging for an answer. “Adam, please sweetie, tell me what happened.”

Adam bit his bottom lip gently in thought. He knew he should answer Sauli’s questions, but a part of him was so afraid he wouldn’t believe him. Nor did he want Sauli thinking he was crazy or giving up on their new house. Although if Sauli suddenly said “lets get the hell out of here”, Adam wouldn’t object.

Adam was scared.
Whatever being was inside his home, it felt as if it didn’t want him there.

“C’mon, Adam, you were screaming in the bathroom, I heard the fear in your voice,” spoke Sauli softly. He pushed a strand of black hair from Adam’s face and kissed his forehead reassuringly. He added about a whisper, “I promise whatever you say to me, it’ll stay between these walls.”

Adam chuckled lightly and stood from the bed. “That’s the least of my worries.” He walked close to a bedroom window, stopping midway to turn and look at Sauli.

Sauli took a step toward Adam with a frustrated sigh. He lifted a hand and caressed the soft skin of Adam’s right cheek. He begged again, softly whispering, “Please don’t shut me out, we’re a team, I’m on your side no matter what.”

At the sound of Sauli’s last words, Adam stared profoundly into his eyes, wondering…debating whether or not to explain to Sauli about his ghostly experiences. Would Sauli really stand by his side or would he bail on him instead?

 

Just as Adam opened his mouth to speak to Sauli, a loud crash came from downstairs, startling both men. Sauli looked at Adam with confusion. “What the hell was that?” He pulled away from his lover’s arms and descended down stairs.

“Adam!” screamed Sauli unexpectedly.

At the echo of Sauli’s cry, Adam rushed carefully down the flight of stairs, his eyes expanded in shock once he came to the last step. The entire room was trashed as if a tornado went through it and across the wall, written in blood, was the word Jackson.

Chapter 7

Chapters/Parts: 7/?

Adam stood staring profoundly at the bloody writing of Jackson on the wall, close to the banister of the stairs. Meanwhile, Sauli walked about the trashed room, inspecting, wondering what caused the destruction before him. Maybe it was an earthquake, a minor one; they were common in San Diego.

“Fuck, look at this mess,” complained Sauli as he begun picking up random trashed objects from the floor.

Adam, on the other hand, was silent. His confused blue eyes glued to the wall. Who was Jackson and why won’t “they” leave him alone? He felt as if someone or something was stalking him inside his own house.

“Do you see it?” asked Adam, above a whisper, his eyes not moving from the bloody handwriting.

Sauli frowned with confusion and turned his head, looking in the direction Adam’s eyes were fixated. He saw nothing, only a solid sky blue wall. He glanced back at his boyfriend.

“See what?”

Adam didn’t understand, how was Sauli not seeing the word Jackson written on the wall? It was there before him and his boyfriend, bold, large and bright red. Unless… Adam suddenly placed his hands into strands of black hair and grinded his teeth so tight he could feel them gradually chipping. Frustration was overcoming him.

A worried frown formed on Sauli’s face. He never seen Adam in that state before and it concerned him. Sauli wrapped his arms quickly around his boyfriend’s slim waist. “Adam…” Sauli kissed the skin of Adam’s forehead gently and softly added. “Calm down, baby, it’s okay I’ve got you. Maybe you’re just tired and need sleep. We can clean this mess up in the morning.”

Sauli pulled away from Adam’s body slightly and looked into his eyes. “I’ll go make you some herbal tea, it’ll help relax you. Would you like that?”

Adam nodded with a smile. “I’d love that.”

A few seconds after those words were spoken, Sauli pressed a kiss to Adam’s lips, turned and left the room.

 

Adam waited until Sauli was in the kitchen before rushing outside to fill a silver bucket with water and car shampoo. He grabbed a plushy yellow sponge and marched back into the house and into the room with the bloody signature. He sat the bucket down next to his feet, lathered the sponge up with car shampoo and began scrubbing the wall, frantically.

“Leave me alone,” demanded Adam to the soapy wall. He scrubbed harder not caring that some of the paint was coming off the walls. Tears fell down Adam’s cheeks as he lathered up the sponge with more car shampoo and continued scrubbing.

“Woah!” came a voice from behind the 6’ 1 brunette. Suddenly Adam felt someone turn him around and immediately he calmed down when he realized the voice, the hands belonged to Sauli. “What are you doing, Adam?”

Adam glanced back at the wall, the signature was gone, only suds and chipped paint covered it, more tears formed in his eyes. What was happening to him? Was he going crazy?

 

The following night, Adam sat at the dining room table reading an old Western written by Louis L'Amour and wondering what it’d been like to live back in the Old West. Sauli was sound asleep upstairs. The entire house was silent. If someone dropped a pen, it would’ve been heard throughout the building.

Suddenly the creak of an opening door cut through the silence like a knife, startlingly Adam from the pages of his book. He glanced out into the darkened corridor. Gradually he closed his book, placed it on top of the dining room table before rising from the chair. He stepped quietly, almost on tip-toes, toward the darkness. He grabbed a slim flashlight from a shelf nearby and shined it into the hallway. As soon as the beam touched the darkened room. Adam froze with fear, his jaw on the verge of dropping, in front of his eyes stood an apparition of a mid-age man. He wore a top hat and suit that looked as if it came from the 30s. Blood covered the left side of the apparition’s neck.

“Who are you? What do you want?” asked Adam to the ghost.

“Who are you talking to?”

Adam jumped with a gasp and turned to find Sauli standing behind him with perplexity bleeding from his Finnish eyes.

“Who were you talking to, Adam?” Sauli asked again while looking out into the corridor, where Adam was still shining the flashlight. Absolutely nothing was there. Minute by minute, second by second, Sauli grew more worried about Adam. What was going on inside his mind?

Chapter 8

Chapters/Parts: 8/?

The aroma of salty bacon and scrambled eggs filled Adam’s nostrils once morning arrived. Adam stretched before rising to a sitting position, surprised at how long he had managed to sleep despite seeing an apparition standing across the corridor. Maybe the transparent stranger was Jackson. Adam wanted so much to learn more about the house he lived in and the ghost who kept haunting him. Apart of him began growing less afraid and more interested.

Those thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sound of Sauli’s sweet voice and glass clinging together. Adam’s eyes lit up with surprise when his boyfriend entered their bedroom with a tray of delicious food… and hot tea! It was one of the best things besides Sauli that made his mornings so much better.

Sauli carefully sat the tray over Adam’s lap with grinning eyes and spoke, “bon appetit, my love.”

Adam lowered his face down toward the tray taking in the yummy scent from the food. “Everything smells so divine.”

“I made it all especially for you,” explained Sauli as he slipped beneath the covers beside of Adam. He took a strip of bacon, placed it in his mouth half way, turned toward Adam and offered it to him.

Adam chuckled at the sight. “What’s this, bacon ala Lady and the Tramp?”

Sauli tried his best to respond with real words but they came out so incoherent. “Juss go wiff da flo.”

The room filled with laughter from Adam, eyes tearing as he took the other bacon half between his teeth. Immediately Sauli’s “bacon” parody failed as the crisped morsel broke in twos.

“Well so much for that working,” said Sauli with a pout after swallowing pieces of bacon.

 

Once breakfast was finished and dishes were washed, Sauli wrapped loving arms around Adam’s waist. “I’m going to the hardware store to get a few items to spruce our house up. Do you wanna come?”

Adam kissed Sauli briefly. “Nah, I think, I’ll stay and get ahead start on cleaning the mess downstairs.”

Sauli smiled with approval. “Okay, I’ll be back in a few.” He kissed Adam’s lips once more before grabbing for a light jacket and leaving the house.

 

Adam sighed with a bit of relief. He watched from a distant through a window as Sauli strolled down the sidewalk away from the house.

Once the coast was cleared, Adam grabbed a scraper and removed the paint from the door he had sealed days ago with nails. He took a hammer and removed each nail, placing them in a small saucer beneath a small table’s lamp.

Adam opened the old wooden door that led to the odd room beyond the staircase, a strident creaking sound echoed throughout the house. Slowly Adam descended down the stairs, flashlight in hand. Hopefully he’d finally find answers to the questions that had been running through his mind. Who was Jackson and why won’t they leave him alone?

The 30-year-old brunette took a deep breath as he stepped off the last step and moved the beam of the flashlight around the creepy room. He grew curious when the light spotted a brick with the letters “K.B.” etched into the surface. Adam remembered the same brick from the first time he discovered the room.

Adam strolled cautiously toward the mysterious slab of stone. All he done was place his hand on the brick and suddenly, it fell crashing to the stone floor. Luckily, Adam jumped away from the impact or his foot would’ve been crushed. He glanced from where the brick had crumbled to where it used to reside. Adam’s eyebrows lifted with curiosity while staring into a miniature alcove, he reached into the small space and pulled out an old black and white photo of two very attractive men.

He turned the photo over and discovered cursive writing:

To my love
--Kerwin Ben

 

Minute by minute, things were beginning to make sense, Adam turned the photo back over and studied the men. One of them resembled Adam… a lot. Unfortunately Adam still hadn’t a clue which man haunted his house. Was it Jackson or was it Kerwin Ben?

Chapter 9

Chapters/Parts: 9/?

Adam gradually sat down on the bottom step. His eyes studied the small black and white photo held between his fingers. He studied everything from Kerwin’s short blonde hair to Jackson’s thin figure. He smiled at the way Kerwin held Jackson in his muscular arms, the way these men stared into each other’s eyes. They must’ve really been in love, like himself and Sauli.

After studying the photo for what seemed like hours, but was only a few minutes, Adam stood and immediately encountered a stocky male apparition. Adam didn’t scream, instead he glanced briefly at the photo than refocused his attention on the transparent man standing in front of him. Now Adam knew who haunted the house. Kerwin Ben.

A frown formed upon Adam’s face when his eyes spotted the darken blood upon the robust neck of the ghost.

“Why do you haunt my house? Why do you haunt me?” asked Adam, praying he’d get an answer in return.

Kerwin looked toward the small alcove, where Adam found the photo and he pointed. Adam’s brows narrowed in confusion as he followed Kerwin‘s finger, finally he spotted the apparition’s answer. Adam reached inside the small alcove and pulled forward a map and a mysterious rusty key. It was at that moment when Kerwin spoke, a touch of a Canadian accent in the tone of his voice.

“I have a journal buried among this property, the map will help you locate it and the key will open it. Before my death, I hid it beneath the Earth, hoping someone would find it someday and help tell the story of me and my beloved, Jackson,” explained Kerwin with a sad expression written in his eyes and upon his face.

Adam unfolded the tattered map and scanned it briefly while asking, “What happened to Jackson?” He looked from the map into the blue eyes of Kerwin.

 

Kerwin lowered his head away from Adam’s eyes and sighed, so much pain in such a small sound. It was so hard to talk about Jackson even in the afterlife. He watched as the love of his life took his last breath while he held him in his arms. He’d never forgotten how cold Jackson’s skin felt or how blue his lips turned.

 

“What happened to Jackson?” Adam asked once again.

Kerwin doesn’t answer Adam. Instead, Kerwin gradually fades away. At the exact same time, Adam heard the sound of a familiar voice beyond the mysterious room’s stairs.

“Adam?”

Oh, shit! Adam screamed inside before quickly folding the map into fours and shoving it inside his pants pocket along with the key. Adam rushed upstairs and when he opened the door to exit the mysterious room, Sauli greeted him on the other side. Adam observed as his boyfriend placed his hands on his hips, a very serious expression upon his face.

“What is going on with you, Adam? And why am I now just finding out there’s a room beneath the staircase?” asked Sauli, a mix of worry and disappointment heard in the tone of his voice.

Adam stared at Sauli, not sure, if he should tell him about the haunting, Kerwin and him asking for help. So Adam ignored Sauli and tried to walk pass him, something he’d never done to his boyfriend before.

Sauli grabbed Adam around his bicep before he had a chance of leaving the room. “No, Adam, we’re going to talk about this, now. Since we’ve moved into this house, you’ve been acting strange. Talking to the air, washing the walls and now you’re walking out of some mysterious door beneath the staircase.” Sauli pushed back a strand of black hair from Adam’s face and whispered, “C’mon, Adam, talk to me, you know you can tell me anything. I’m worried about you.”

Gradually Adam lowered his eyes away from Sauli toward the floor as thoughts, questions and doubt ran through his mind.

Chapter 10

Notes:

"siippa" is Finnish for "spouse" or "better half"

Chapters/Parts: 10/?

The last thing Adam didn’t want was to lose Sauli for keeping the house’s haunting to himself. So he took a deep breath, saturated in apprehension, and explained everything to Sauli, from finding the mysterious room to Kerwin asking for help. Adam removed the map, key and photo from his pocket and handed them to Sauli, proof he was telling the truth. What came from Sauli’s mouth next surprised Adam more than anything.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” asked Sauli as he took the map, key and photo in his hands. He glanced from the items into Adam’s eyes. “I could’ve helped you find this journal ages ago.”

Adam lowered his head in shame. “I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me.”

Sauli placed a tender hand beneath his boyfriend’s chin, elevating until their eyes met again. “Sweetie, I love you…I love you so much…I would’ve gave you the benefit of a doubt. That’s what lovers do when they’re truly in love.” Sauli focused his attention back on the items before adding, “Grab a shovel, we’re going to find this book for Kerwin and Jackson.”

Adam smiled. “Really, you’re gonna help me?”

Sauli nodded. “Yes, I’ll help.”

Adam hugged Sauli close to his body, thankful to have such a wonderful boyfriend in his life, so loving and so understanding. Without Sauli, he’d been incredibly lost. Sauli was really good at reading maps, which would make their search for Kerwin’s journal quick and easy.

 

Hours after, Adam and Sauli had the house downstairs back to normal. It no longer looked like a tornado went through and caused destruction. It was as if a mess never existed. The walls were repainted and the mysterious door beneath the staircase.

Sauli took a step back and admired the work he and his siippa had done. “Perfect.”

Adam smiled down at Sauli with pleased eyes. “Just like you…”

Sauli quickly looked at Adam from the corner of his eye and than away, smiling, his cheeks gradually turning flushed. “Stop… I’m not…”

Immediately Adam interrupted Sauli’s words by taking him into the warmth of his arms and kissing his lips with fierce passion. He spoke between breathless kisses. “Don’t say that…you’re…perfect to me.”

Sauli wrapped his arms loosely around Adam’s neck and continued kissing him like there was no tomorrow. It was there in the renovated room, Adam took Sauli, christening the house with their love for the first time since they’ve moved into the San Diego home. It felt so wonderful especially knowing their home was previously owned by two gay men whom loved each other as much as Adam loved Sauli or Sauli loved Adam.

 

It was almost dark when Adam and Sauli began searching for Kerwin’s journal. Accompanied by flashlights, a shovel and one ragged map, Adam and Sauli scanned the property carefully in the back yard of their San Diego resident. Adam squinted his eyes as he spotted a concrete slab jutting from the Earth.

Sauli pointed at it. “There…Kerwin has a drawing of an X next to a stone.”

When Adam and Sauli got close to their destination, they exchanged items. Sauli now had the shovel in his hands, while Adam held the flashlight and map. It was at that exact moment, when Adam noticed embedded writing upon the jutted stone, which read:

Jackson Eber Lambert
1935 - 1958
Age: 23
Survived by his beloved Kerwin Ben

Once Adam recovered from shock and was able to form words, he spoke stridently. “Sauli…”

Sauli turned toward Adam’s voice with a concerned expression. “What is it?”

“The writing on this stone…Jackson’s last name…”

Sauli knealth down to the level of Jackson’s tombstone and finished Adam’s sentence. “Jackson‘s last name is Lambert and his middle name is similar to your father‘s. Is he kin…”

Adam shook his head and interrupted. “I don’t know. I thought this hunt would lead to answers, but instead, it’s leading to more questions. Why didn’t Kerwin tell me? Why did I have to find out this way?”

Chapter 11

Chapters/Parts: 11/?

 

Sauli immediately removed his cellphone from the back pocket of his jeans. He snapped a few photos of Jackson’s tombstone with the camera on his phone. “Once we locate Kerwin’s journal, why don’t we take a trip to your parents’ house, we can ask your father about Jackson.”

Adam doesn’t speak, he simply nodded his head, his hands resting upon his hips. A mix of shock and confusion filled his eyes, his mind…trying to make sense of everything. Suddenly, more than anything, Adam was determined to find out why and how Jackson died. He hoped Kerwin’s journal held the answers to his questions.

After a moment of silence, Sauli grabbed the shovel, stabbed the ground a foot from Jackson’s grave and began shoveling dirt off to the side until he reached a small, dusty, leather rectangle that was Kerwin Ben’s journal. Sauli reached in the dirt and rescued the book from the Earth’s soiled prison. Sauli inspected the book carefully with his eyes until they found a rusty lock that kept the pages sealed. Adam fished the key from his pocket before taking the journal from Sauli’s hands and unlocking the mysterious book.

 

Carefully Adam opened the dusty journal, the pages were so fragile and tattered. Kerwin’s journal must’ve been lying beneath the Earth for years waiting for someone to rescue it… how long? Adam hadn’t a clue.

Adam gently turned page by page until he reached words written in neat, cursive handwriting. Instantly Adam pictured Kerwin Ben sitting at his desk, during his time, with a jar of ink and the tip of a feather pressed to the pages of the journal, writing. Adam’s eyes scanned the journal’s first entry, which was short and sweet:

 

April 3rd 1951

I have fallen in love, I have fallen in love with a young lad. He calls himself, Jackson Lambert, but I would like to call him “mine”. He’s 16, but age is only a number to me. Tomorrow, I’ll conquer him.

-KB

 

“Maybe we should take the journal indoors,” suggested Sauli while staring at the moon in the night sky, wind gradually began blowing through the treetops.

Adam glanced from the pages of Kerwin’s journal to Sauli before shielding the book from the wind and nodding. “Yeah, maybe we should, these pages are so fragile, I don’t want anything happening to them.”

 

So, with those words spoken, Adam and Sauli trekked back into their San Diego home. Lambert grabbed for a cordless phone from a table nearby, the second his feet were indoors, and sent a call to his parents’ number.

“Hello?,” answered a soft feminine voice on the other end.

Adam smiled at the sound of his mother’s voice. “Hey, mom, is dad around?”

“Sure,” replied Leila, her tone bright and cheerful.

Seconds later, Leila’s soft tone was replaced with a strong masculine one. “Hey, Adam, what’s up?”

Adam hesitated, his eyes focused on Kerwin’s journal lying next to the base of the phone. He took a deep breath before speaking, “Are you familiar with the names Kerwin Ben and Jackson Lambert?”

Eber wasted anytime, he spat out. “Jackson was my father’s brother. He passed away before I was born, but I’ve heard stories about him from your grandpa and was named after him.”

Adam felt his jaw drop while his father explained the connection between his family and this mysterious man, Jackson Lambert, who was his great uncle. It added wood to the fire burning inside of Adam and now he was more determined than ever to find out how and why Jackson died.

Immediately, Adam explained, “I found a journal that belonged to Jackson’s partner, Kerwin Ben, in the backyard of my new house in San Diego.”

“Interesting…”

“Are you busy tomorrow? If not, Sauli and I are traveling to L.A. to visit. I’ll bring Kerwin’s journal with me.”

“Nope, not busy at all tomorrow, come whenever you’d like.”

Adam smiled at his father’s words, finally he was getting somewhere. It was baby steps, but a very great start. He was so eagered to learn and know all about Jackson and Kerwin, these two beautiful men that once called his house their home. Afterwards, Adam ended the call between himself and his father with “Great, I’ll see you then” and soon “goodbye”.

 

Adam placed the phone back on its base before gently taking Kerwin’s journal in his hands and than bringing it close to his heart, which caused a folded piece of tattered paper to fall from the pages of the book onto the floor. Adam’s ocean colored eyes followed it down before carefully picking the paper up as if it were a bomb ready to explode at any second. He unfolded the paper and discovered it was Jackson’s death certificate with the word “murdered” stamped in a box that read “cause of death”.