Hello there, I am Detective J. Crowley, you can call me Jay. I am prepared to tell you the story of the now infamous case “Under The Porch”. A case that forever changed the town of Somerset, New Jersey.
This is not a tale for the lighthearted. The following events will haunt me and now you for the rest of our lives.
It all started when the Julie family moved into the towns ” That House”. Every town has one of those. You know, the one teenagers break into on Halloween night to get a scare. The one with graffiti on the sides and the windows and the broken glass all around? Yeah, that house. There was always rumor that, that house on 470 Winchester Way was haunted, and that something was living beneath the porch. 911 calls emerging every few weeks from scared teenagers and the occasional crazy adult. The complaints always stating that they heard something under the porch. Whether it be scratching or screaming. The police always check in just to be sure. Many officers, and detectives, including myself had never found anything suspicious other than the creepy old look of the house itself. The bluish tan color with warped boards and peeling paint gave it an eerie rustic feel.
This house was ready to be demolished. It had been seized by the bank as unfit to live in. The Julie family saw this as an opportunity for their family. A chance to remodel and make a home suitable for them and their 3 children. Thinking about it, had I had the funds, I would have siezed the opportunity also. I am sure glad my life didn’t lead me in that direction now. Otherwise some other random sap would be telling my life story instead.
Everything started out as happy and as normal as any other thing you would typically expect. A happy family, a happy marriage and happy children.
The Julie family was an all around true American family that had hopes and dreams of their future, just like you and me.
They started with the renovation plans right away.
Starting with new flooring through out the home. Then went onto building a new roof, as the old one had many leaks and was rotting. Next, they moved onto replacing the outer warped panels of the house and giving it a fresh new coat of paint. Then fixing up the broken windows, and other smaller details. Soon after, they were able to sell their previous home sooner than they had expected. Resulting in them moving into their new home before renovations where complete. Each child was to have their own room. And a decently sized master bedroom for the parents to take that much needed break.
The house started fitting in with all the other homes in the neighborhood. Looking better each day. Mrs. Julie, took a break from the renovations to work on her garden out front. While Mr. Julie began the much needed clean up and work of the yard. It was all coming together so nicely. The police finally had a break from the constant 911 calls. However, one evening while the Julie’s where sat at dinner enjoying their new home, a couple of obnoxious teenagers egged, toilet papered, and broke one of their windows of their home. It was the first of many annoying and expensive nights.
One day when the family woke, they found graffiti on the side of their newly painted home. Giant black and Red letters reading, ” She’s under the porch, and she’s hungry”. Upset, they phoned the police. The police told them that givin the homes history, maybe it would be wise to invest in security cameras and a security system for their home. So, they did just that.
They installed an entire home security kit with motion censored cameras and door alarms. The whole shebang. They even included a sign on their front door reading ” this property is under surveillance”. It seemed to work for the Julie family for a while. Untill one evening, when Mrs. Julie was tucking her 3 children into bed, she heard a noise come from under her feet. She checked the surveillance cameras and there was nothing. So she continued on with her night per usual.
She had done a lot of work around the home that night and felt especially tired. So she made the decision to head to bed early. While reading one of her many favorite books before bed, she heard the noise again, only this time it was louder. She climbed out of bed and checked the surveillance again. Once Again, there was nothing there. She called out for her husband, and found him sleeping on the recliner with the television on. The news was on, talking about a young boy who had gone missing in the area. She made the assumption that she must be hearing things. Maybe it was the pipes, after all, every house has there weird creaks. She just had to get used to them still. She poured herself a glass of water and returned to her book, that was sitting upside down on her nightstand.
She began to doze off when all of a sudden she heard a loud crash from outside. She jumped out of bed and ran to the living room, to find her husband looking at the surveillance cameras. They both watched the screen. It appeared a young girl was wandering aimlessly around their yard. Mrs. Julie told her husband to go check on her and make sure she wasn’t lost. Mr. Julie nodded and went outside.
One of the children woke, and came into the living room asking for a glass of water. Mrs. Julie retrieved the glass of water for her child and sent him back to bed. Mr. Julie came back inside and said that no one was there. They both checked the surveillance again and the girl was gone. They both shrugged it off and went to bed.
The following three days, everything seemed normal aside from the occasion noises that Mrs. Julie presumed to be the pipes. Then on the fourth night, while the family was asleep, another loud crash came from outside startling the parents. They woke with a jump and looked at each other. Racing out of bed to the living room were the survalance TV was, they both looked at the screen.
The little girl was there again, aimlessly wandering about their yard. She looked to be about 10 years old, with very long, wavy dark brown hair. She was wearing a sort of bluish night gown that looked to be worn out with small holes and a tear in the fabric at the bottom seam. The girl was very skinny, her bones protruding from her pale skin. She was very dirty.
The Julie’s 3 children, Mike age 5, Samantha age 14, and Robert Jr. age 12 , woke and came sauntering into the living room. Samantha asked her mother what was going on, before seeing for herself on the video surveillance. “Is that Raven?” Asked Samatha. Both parents whipping their heads around to look at her, “you know this girl?!” Said Mr. Julie. “Well, not really… She was by the bus stop one day and I said hello, and told her my name.” Samantha said. “She was very quiet, but told me her name was Raven. She said she lives close to us.” The parents returned their gaze to the surveillance cameras, seeing that ‘Raven’ was no longer there. Mr. Julie went outside to be sure, while Mrs. Julie told the children to return to bed.
Mr. Julie returned inside once again finding nothing. No trace that the child had even been there. Mrs. Julie decided to phone the police. Hoping that this young girl ‘Raven’ wasn’t lost. ” 911 what’s your Emergency?” Said the operator. “Hello, this is Elizabeth Julie, we recently moved into the house on 470 Winchester Way, and there seems to be a little girl about age 10 in our yard… or at least she was. She was here the other night too. Can you please send an officer to be sure she is okay?” Replied Mrs. Julie. “Was this girl wearing a blue night gown?’ asked the operator. “Uhm… yes, yes she was and she was very dirty, my daughter said her name raven, and saw her at the bus stop” Elizabeth replied while having her finger in the air. “Jeez, we had hoped it would take longer for you folks to start with these outrageous shenanigans, calling in about some town lore,” the operator said rudely before ending the call. “What..Hello.. Hello?” Mrs Julie set down the phone looking at her husband. “He hung up on me… 911 hung up on me!” She said in disbelief.
Elizabeth and Robert Sr. couldn’t believe it. They called back demanding an officer to check on this young girl. The police agreed to check just to ease their worries. Once the police arrived they scoured the yard for any signs of the young girl and found nothing aside from the neighbors missing dog. The poor animals tail was sticking out from under the porch. The dogs body had been mutilated and torn apart. It was a grizzly sight to say the least. The dogs head had been torn off, along with it’s 4 legs, and it’s stomach ripped open exposing the insides. The police suggested they set animal traps as soon as possible around their home and under the porch.
Over the next two days the Julie’s family set up the suggested small animal traps around the outside of their home. While Elizabeth was making her children lunch Robert Sr. went to remove the porches siding and crawled underneath. Finding more dead animals that had been mutilated. Cats, dogs, rabbits and even a ferret. Dozens of animals. All with their heads and legs torn off. He continued crawling further in and what he found made his body jump so high, that he hit his head on one of the porch planks above him, knocking him out.
Mrs. Julie called out the front door for her husband, letting him know his lunch was done and to come eat. When there was no response she wandered around to the porch where he had crawled in. She knelt down peering inside and yelled again. Nothing.
She got down on her hands and knees and stuck her head under the porch, seeing her husband’s feet, she yelled for him again. There was no response from his body. She jumped to her feet and ran inside to retrieve the phone. She dialed 911 and requested an ambulance.
The ambulance arrived and retrieved and him from under the porch pulling him out by his feet. They drove him to the nearest hospital. Before Mrs. Julie loaded the children into the car, one of the EMTs stopped her and suggested she call animal control about those dead animals under her porch. She figured she would call later after she found out what had happened to her husband.
Mr. Julie’s had a severe concussion, and wasn’t waking up. Most likely from the shock of seeing whatever he saw under that porch. The doctors said he needed to stay in the hospital for a few days or so untill he wakes up. So they could monitor his health. Telling Elizabeth and her children that they would call as soon as they noticed a change, but that there was nothing her or children could do in the mean time.
Mrs. Julie returned home with her three children later that night. She ordered in pizza for her children and then sent them off to bed. She couldn’t sleep. She was too worried about her husband. So she stay awake reading her favorite book in the recliner in the living room. When a flash appeared on the surveillance cameras. She looked up from her book and saw the young girl ‘ raven’ in her yard again. She stood up and ran outside leaving the front door open, this time hoping to catch her.
She stopped suddenly when she saw ‘raven’ standing a few feet in front of her. She called out, “Raven, Raven, is that your name?” She took a few steps closer. “Raven, I’m not here to hurt you, I want to make sure you are okay,” she said taking another step. “Are you o..” , ‘raven’ began to run. She ran to the porch and crawled underneath. Elizabeth followed her. Calling to her and telling her it was okay and that she didn’t need to hide. That she wanted to help her. Elizabeth got to the porch and hesitated before crawling into the dark crawl space.
Elizabeth continued to call out to her while crawling farther and farther in. All the while climbing on top of the animals dead bodies. Her hands and knees soon covered in the blood of the poor creatures. When she stopped, She saw what her husband saw only hours before. A boy. A naked, headless, maybe 7 year old boy. The same boy she saw on the news the other night. Lying there, dead in a pool of blood. His stomach ripped open, but nothing inside. His insides had been removed.
Elizabeth stared. She was frozen. She couldn’t look away, or scream. She couldn’t run. She was just frozen in shock. She heard something and looked up.
Raven was only 2 inches from her face. She had bloodshot eyes, with dark circles under them. Dirt covering her face, and blood, lots of blood dripping from her mouth.
Mrs. Julie screamed and swiveled her body around as quickly as she could and crawled out from under the porch. Raven was right behind her. She was Exceptionally fast for a girl of her age. Reaching and grabbing at Elizabeth’s ankles almost tripping her several times. Raven chased after Elizabeth. Elizabeth ran into the house trying to shut the door behind her. Raven was strong. Too strong. She pushed the door past Mrs. Julie and continued to chase her throughout the house. Finally tackling Mrs. Julie to the hard wood floor.
Using her sharp nails, raven ripped out each individual eyeball from Elizabeth’s skull. Eating them. Mrs. Julie still screaming, awoke the children, who came running into the living room. The children froze as they watched raven torment their mother.
Robert Jr., His voice cracking screamed, “R..Raven… Please, stop this! You don’t have to do this!” Raven looked up from the screaming Mother and smiled.
Elizabeth, though she couldn’t see struggled and tried clawing her way from raven’s strong grip. Screaming for her children to run and hide.
Pulling her back, Raven continued by leaning down and kissing Elizabeth, forcing her long tongue inside her mouth and deep into her throat. She wrapped her tongue around Elizabeth’s uvula and ripped it out. Then using her sharp teeth she bit her tongue off. The children screaming, ran to Samantha’s room and locked themselves in.
Mrs. Julie choked on her own blood, before her body went limp. Raven continued with her feast. Tearing each limb from her lifeless body before devouring her insides. Once finished, she stood up and slowly started for the room the children where in. Raven wiggled the door knob before kicking the whole door in with a forceful thrust of her foot. The three children quivering under the bed, tried to stay silent. But 5 year old Mike couldn’t resist and let out a loud high pitched scream.
Raven threw the bed aside, using only one arm, revealing the frightened kids. Samantha was the first to run. Raven bore into her mounting her. Raven let out an unearthly laugh. Samantha screamed, telling her brothers to run. Raven, again using her sharp nails tore into Samantha’s left eye, ripping it straight from the socket. Blood oozed out onto the floor.
Robert Jr. And Mike ran for door. Not getting very far Raven reached her arm out and tripped young Mike, making him fall to the floor. She grabbed his ankle and slid him across the carpet next to his sister. Robert Jr. Turned and grabbed his fragile little brothers hands and yanked him lose, screaming to take him instead. Raven willingly takes the hand of Robert Jr. And Yanks him down while still holding firmly to screaming Samantha. Raven rips into his neck with her sharp teeth tearing off a piece of flesh. He bled out immediately.
Mike standing at the door of the bedroom watches as this wicked creature eats his brother and sister. He doesn’t scream. He doesn’t talk. He just watches.
When finished Raven takes Mike by the hand and leads him outside and to the porch. She points to the opening. And they crawl under.
The following morning a nearby neighbor was walking their dog and noticed the front door of the Julie’s home was open. She called out, but there was no answer. The neighbor is the one who found them. The two children. Their bodies mutilated the same way the animals where. Ripped apart.
The indoor surveillance footage of what went down that night was never released to the public. It was too horrific. The girl ‘ raven’ and 5 year old Mike were never found. Mr. Julie never woke from his concussion.
People say that if you visit the house you will still hear the screams of Mrs. Julie and her children. That Raven and now Mike are still under the porch. All I know, is that Raven was not human. And now she has Mike. It’s been 20 years since then.
The house on 470 Winchester way, is still just “that house”.
What was under the porch? And where is Mike?
~Abreon Turner~
