The Haunting at Morgan's Rock

by M. L. Bullock

  The baby. Where is the baby?

  An urgent voice assaulted my ears. Joanna! She sounded desperate, almost demanding. I couldn’t see her, but I could hear her perfectly.

  Where is the baby?

  Just beyond the rows of statues that lined the second-floor hallway, she came into view. Or someone did. Was this the trickster again? Was it Julie? She had a slender shape. Yes, she wore the same dress, that strange color of blue, the feathers in her hair. But the light was dim; in fact, the darkness grew and swelled and covered her face.

  Not again! Please, not again!

  “Stop it!” I wailed as I raised my arms to protect myself from the expected onslaught. Hands grabbed my arms and tugged on me; I screamed, but nothing would come out. It was as if I couldn’t speak or move or even breathe. And then I heard another voice.

  “Megan! Wake up! Please, wake up!”

  My eyes fluttered open, and to my relief, Loretta was here. It was Loretta who shook me awake, not some phantom from the past. Not Joanna, not Julie. She patted my hands in an attempt to calm me, though I was anything but calm. “The lady! I saw her again!” The machine beside me began to wail, and Loretta scurried out to the hall like the room was on fire. “Wait! Don’t leave!”

  She came right back, and she wasn’t alone. “It’s okay, Mrs. Wagner. These cords come loose all the time.” The nurse smiled as she came into the room with Loretta on her heels. “Are you hurting?”

  “No, but I’m having crazy dreams. Oh God, Loretta,” I moaned in relief. My fear diminished as the nurse adjusted the belt around my waist. Thankfully she didn’t question my crazy behavior. “How is the baby?”

  “Last I checked, her heartbeat looked perfect. Give me just a second, and I will take a look at your tape and see what’s up.” After getting me situated again, she scanned the long stream of paper and said everything looked normal. “The baby’s heartbeat is strong; she’s quite a fighter, I’d say. Feisty little girl.”

  “Like her Mom,” Loretta said encouragingly.

  “Alright. You should be fine now. If the monitor comes loose again, don’t worry. I’ll hear a bell out here, but you can call me for anything. I’m right out here at the desk.”

  “May I have some water?”

  “You’ve got it. I’ll get you some and be right back.”

  Left alone in the room, Loretta and I didn’t say much. “How is your friend? Sylvia?”

  “I saw her a while ago, and she’s doing okay, better than you might imagine. From what she describes, it was one hell of a sideswipe. Her car is totaled, which I think she’s more worried about than her fractured wrist. Despite all that, she is still determined to come to Morgan’s Rock. And if she had her way, she’d be out of the hospital and coming over here to see you. That reminds me; she wanted me to give you this.”

  Loretta slipped her hand in her pocket and pulled out a shiny black rock. “You have to keep it with you at all times. It’s for protection. It’s a temporary measure, but it will help you.”

  “Okay, what is it exactly? How am I supposed to use it?”

  “Just by keeping it on your person. You don’t have to do anything. It’s hematite. Sylvia says that this stone repels negative energy.”

  How about a whole bag of those? I didn’t say it, but I was thinking it. I had forgotten about Alex for a bit, but then the heartache crashed in on me. Can’t talk about that now. Can’t focus on negative things. “Honestly, is Sylvia going to be alright? I hate to think that somehow, some way I might be responsible for her accident.”

  “Don’t blame yourself, Megan. Sylvia is a survivor. She’ll be fine. A broken bone or two won’t slow her down. She’s supposed to go home soon.”

  Before I could ask anything else, Alex stepped into the room looking like he’d driven all night to get here. I was equally excited and ticked off at seeing him. But in the end, the excitement won out. At least momentarily.

  “Hello, Alex. She’s going to be fine, and the baby too.” Loretta hugged his neck and squeezed my hand. “I’ll leave her in your hands. Take care of yourself, Megan.”

  “Thanks, Loretta.”

  My friend left the room, and Alex gazed at all the equipment. I instantly felt sorry for him. Was he thinking about Julie and Zachary? I couldn’t imagine losing a wife and stepson all in one fell swoop. I had to admit I was still a bit hurt that he’d kept them a secret from me. And now there was Lucy. What was up with my husband? Before I could cuss him out or throw something at him, he was at my side, fear in his eyes, his hands shaking.

  I put all my fears aside, and as he sat on the bedside, we held one another for a long time.

  Chapter Nine—Alex

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner. You should have called me, Megan. I would have come right back. When did this happen? What happened?” The dark circles under her eyes and her pale face worried me. Megan was practically skin and bones now, except for her round belly. I put my hand on her stomach and lightly rubbed it, as if my daughter would know it was me out here.

  My daughter. I’m going to be a father.

  It had always been a dream of mine to be a parent. I always pictured having a son, but now that I knew my daughter was coming, I couldn’t imagine it any other way. Naming her Joanna, though? I didn’t agree with Megan on that. Why tempt fate? In fact, any name would be better. Pick your battles, Alex. This isn’t the time to rehash old arguments. “What happened, Meggie?”

  “I had a weird dream. And when I woke up, I was bleeding.”

  “What kind of dream?” I asked apprehensively.

  She sighed and leaned back on the pillow with her eyes closed. “I saw Joanna. She was standing at the end of a long porch. Come to think of it, she was on the second floor…no, that was the second dream. It’s all smushed together in my mind. The statues were all staring at me.”

  A chill went through my body. “So you’ve had more than one dream? When were you going to tell me?”

  “Please, Alex. Let’s not fight.” I heard her unspoken response: When were you going to tell me about Julie and Zach?

  “You’re right. What happened, though? I guess that’s the part I don’t get.”

  She watched me, and I knew she was holding out on me. She wasn’t telling me the whole story. Why? Why was Megan always keeping things from me?

  “It shook me up, and I woke up bleeding. The doctor says I’ve been in labor for the past few days. The back pain—I didn’t know. I’ve never had a baby before.” She started to cry, and I felt like a heel. No. Make that an ass. A total ass. I remained beside her on the bed and fumbled for the right thing to say.

  “Please don’t cry, Meggie. I love you, and I’m sorry I left. If I had known you needed me, if I’d known that this would happen, I would have put Estes off. What can I do?”

  She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and I gasped at the sight of her arm. It was bruised green and purple. “What happened to your arm?”

  “Oh, they couldn’t get the IV in this hand. Apparently I have wandering veins. They had to go to the other arm.” I examined her bruised hand and felt guiltier by the minute. “The baby is okay now. She is strong, Alex. That’s what the nurse said.”

  “I believe that. She’s your daughter.”

  “She’s your daughter too. So between the two of us, I guess she’s going to conquer the world.” Megan watched me carefully, like she expected me to say something. Like I should confess, but I really didn’t know what about. Except Lucy answering my phone. I hadn’t asked her to. I’d merely left the phone on the table while I went to the restroom. But now wasn’t the time to go through all that.

  The nurse came in and said softly, “I hope I’m not disturbing you two, but the doctor says you are going home. He’s coming to speak with you in a few minutes.”

  “Do you think that’s safe?” I asked her.

  “This kind of thing happens a lot. The bleeding has stopped; that medicine worked beautifully. Honestly, he’ll probably pu
t you on bed rest and tell you to take it easy. But if at any time you have pain in your back or anywhere, you come back. Dr. Greer will be here in just a minute to answer all your questions. He’s with the patient across the hall right now. In the meantime, let’s get you unplugged and untangled. I can take that IV out too.” The nurse worked for a few minutes, and when it was over, Megan fell back on the pillow and breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Thank you.” Megan’s voice was tired, and she appeared smaller, more fragile. I’d never seen her that way before. When I thought of her, I envisioned a force of nature in a petite woman’s body. A strong woman with an amazing mind and a sunny disposition. I loved her deeply. Wow. Yeah. How was I just realizing this?

  “That’s good news,” I said hopefully as the door closed. “Going home, I mean. I’ll take good care of you, Megan. I promise. You won’t have to wonder if I’m going to be there. I’m here now.”

  “Help me get dressed, Alex.”

  “Shouldn’t we wait to hear what the doctor says?”

  “Yes, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get dressed. I want to go home and get in my own bed. I don’t want to be here anymore.”

  Or with you. I don’t want to be with you.

  No, she didn’t say it, but I felt it. I felt guilty as hell, even though I hadn’t done a thing to deserve feeling that way. True to the nurse’s word, she and the doctor returned with an action plan. A busy hour later, I pushed Megan out of the hospital in a wheelchair. She didn’t speak at all during the drive home, and I couldn’t bring myself to bring up the subject of Lucy.

  Or Julie.

  When we got home, Megan opened her car door before I could walk around the car to help her. Another sign that she wanted to push me away. Keep me at arm’s length. She murmured a thank-you as I grabbed her hospital release papers and unlocked the kitchen door. I helped her to our room and changed the bed linens as she put on a pair of pajamas. The sight of blood in the sheets filled me with dread. We almost lost the baby. I couldn’t take another loss. I couldn’t lose one more person.

  “Thank you, Alex. If you don’t mind, I just want to sleep,” she said as I covered her up with the quilt.

  “Are you hungry? Do you need some water?”

  “No, thank you.” She shifted over and turned her back to me. I wanted nothing more than to hold her in my arms, maybe lie down with her. Just to be close to her. But she wasn’t going to let me. Her body language told me exactly how she felt. And she wasn’t happy with me.

  I left the room and paused in the hallway. Why did I have the feeling that my life was spinning out of control? Again. And this time I could lose both my wife and my own child. Just then, I heard music echoing from the top floor. Not from a radio or a Bluetooth speaker but muffled.

  No. Not the top floor. From the kitchen. I shuddered as I walked into that room. Although sunlight shone through the windows, the air hung heavy and unwelcoming. As if it were stuffed with ghosts, with people that didn’t want me here.

  You’re being ridiculous, Alex Wagner.

  I stood in the middle of the kitchen and listened for the music. I could hear something, but it was certainly muted. Where was that coming from? The pantry? I slid back the door, flicked on the light and stepped inside.

  Everything went quiet. I walked to the far wall and could still smell a whiff of paint and Sheetrock. My mind went back to when we’d discovered the horrible hidden room, the Hall of Shadows. I put my hand on the wall. It felt cool to the touch. Nothing to see. Nothing to hear. I put my ear to the wall and listened again. The heater kicked on, startling me, but there was no music. I swore under my breath, walked back to the door and flicked off the light. I slid the door closed and searched the rest of the bottom floor.

  Oh, but the air did feel heavy. Morgan’s Rock didn’t want me here. It wanted me to leave. If I tried really hard, if I closed my eyes and focused my hearing, I was certain I would hear the warning.

  Get out! Leave here!

  But I didn’t. Morgan’s Rock belonged to Megan and me. This was our home now. We would raise our family here, and we would be happy. The thought that something or someone did not want us here angered me. Yes, I was enraged. We’d worked so hard, sacrificed so much. I wasn’t going to just abandon the place now.

  “Tough luck,” I said to no one in particular. “I’m not leaving,” I growled.

  And that’s when I heard a clacking sound. Clack, clack, clack. Then it stopped. But not for long. The clacking returned, only this time it rose up, up to the second floor. Clack, clack, clack. That was the damn elevator! Was this some sort of joke? That elevator had been walled up years ago. Who was playing around in there?

  I raced up the stairs and to the wall that hid the elevator. I put my ear to it, and sure enough, I could hear the machinery. The old mechanism was working, and the elevator was moving. It was going upstairs to the Great Room. I was sweating now, and my heart was beating like a frantic drum as I scurried up the last flight of steps.

  Clack, clack, clack.

  My mind could not process any of it. There was no entrance to this elevator, none that I knew of, yet I could hear the machinery moving up and down. The sound of it filled me with dread and anger. I pounded on the wall and yelled, “Hey! Who’s in there?”

  It’s me, Alex. We’re stuck in here. Help us. Please.

  “No. Julie?”

  Help us.

  I backed away from the wall, and the elevator began to move again.

  Clack, clack, clack.

  Al-ex…

  “No! You’re not here!” I raced down the hall and both flights of stairs before I realized what I intended to do. What I had to do. The anger, oh, the anger threatened to choke me, but I was determined. I had to see. I had managed to retrieve a sledgehammer from the shed outside. I’d been holding the sledgehammer in my hand, and the anger was so strong now that it surprised me. I returned to the house and went up both flights of stairs.

  The wall was coming down. I had to know what was in that elevator. No way was it Julie. It couldn’t be. How could that be possible? Julie had never even been here. No, but I’ve been here, and she’s here for me. But why? To harm me? Protect me?

  “No, it’s not possible!” I slung the sledgehammer and created a small hole in the wall. It wasn’t large enough to see into, so I reared back and whacked it again. Still not big enough. I would have to keep going.

  Keep going, Alex. We’re here. Please, help us.

  “No!” I screamed as I struck the wall again and again. I said no, but I swung the sledgehammer over and over.

  “Alex, what are you doing?” Megan’s voice startled me, and I yelped in surprise. “Alex?” Her fearful expression made me immediately aware of how terrible all this must look. My shirt was soaked with sweat, and my face was probably beet red from my destructive exertions. She stared at me and took in the horrible sight of the broken wall. On the other side was a gaping black hole—and inside I could see the black metal and lots of dust but nothing else. No skeletons, no Julie. At my feet were pieces of the wall, and I immediately dropped my sledgehammer and wiped the dust from my face with my shaking hands. For the life of me, I could not explain what I’d just experienced.

  “Alex?” Megan took a step back as if she had every intention of running in the other direction, away from her crazy husband. How did this all happen? I felt like I was emerging from some fog, and oh, the anger. That horrible anger….

  “The elevator…I heard the elevator running. It wouldn’t stop running. I thought someone was in there, Meggie.”

  Her eyes narrowed, and I could see splotches of pink on her cheeks. “So you thought tearing the wall down would be a good idea? That elevator hasn’t been used in over fifty years.”

  “I…I heard the elevator, Megan. Someone is playing a joke on me—on us. First you with that balloon and now this.”

  She leaned against the wall looking completely drained of energy. Was I really accusing her of pulling a prank on me? My
knees went wobbly, and I closed my eyes to try to steady my spinning world. This couldn’t be happening; all this madness could not be happening. We were supposed to be happy. All the ghosts were supposed to be laid to rest.

  “Alex, please. Let’s go. Leave the demolition for another day. We’ll call the contractor to come take a look at the elevator if that makes you happy.”

  I’d been a complete ass. My pregnant wife had just left the hospital and was clearly in physical distress, and I wasn’t making it better. What the hell had come over me? I’d just made my way to Megan when all the phones in the house started ringing. It sounded like there were phones everywhere. I knew about the phone in her former office, the Great Room, but there were other phones ringing too. Phones I’d never heard before. Old-fashioned phones with strange, purring ring tones. Megan’s eyes were wide, and she was clearly as terrified as I was.

  “What is happening?” Megan demanded, as if I had any answers to give her. Then my cell phone began ringing in my pocket. I pulled it out and stared at it. The caller ID read UNKNOWN. I didn’t want to answer the damn thing and offered it to Megan, but she shook her head. Who could possibly be on the other end? How could all the phones go off at once? “Alex?” We waited, but the phones did not stop ringing. Five, six, seven.