“I know.” Ian stared at the dining table, empty except for the recorder. Upstairs, Aubrey and Jackie were busy gathering the rest of the materials they would need for the ritual. He looked up at his friend with a hard grin. “This is it, man. What we’ve been working for these last few weeks.”
Alex chuckled and tweaked a few of the settings on his camera. “You mean while we’ve been getting distracted by two beautiful women?”
Ian’s smile faded. “Other than that.” He busied himself with checking one of the static cameras, irritated for reasons he couldn’t explain.
He felt a tickle on the back of his neck and turned just as Grace came down the steps. They met eyes the second her feet touched the floor, uncertainty and a spark of heat passing between them.
He saw the fear and tension that bunched in her shoulders. Her storm gray eyes were dark and filled with emotion, though by the stern line of her mouth he knew she was fighting to keep it at bay.
Becoming a believer had opened her up to all kinds of new and unfamiliar feelings and he knew the séance would push the limit even further. She had no idea what she was in for, but he did. And it made him wish he could shelter her from it.
“Why don’t you take a seat over here, Doc?” He pointed to the chair beside where he intended to sit and next to where Jackie would be.
Grace nodded, urging her knees not to buckle from the anxiety that boiled like a pressure cooker in her chest. In her hands, she held the photographs of Sally and Mercy. When she sat down, she stared up at him and forced a sarcastic smile. “Some party you dragged me to. Looks like you forgot the booze.”
He moved behind her, his hands finding her shoulders for a slow, comforting rub. “Trust me, this will be better than getting drunk.”
“I find that hard to believe.” But part of her shivered at the thought, both in anticipation and in fear.
He leaned in, his lips brushing over her ear. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“How noble of you.” But the feeling of his breath on her neck and his hands kneading the tense muscles of her shoulders sent her mind reeling with images of the night before. His hands, deft and strong, running over her skin. His eyes, blue as the sky nearing nightfall, intense on hers. Never had someone looked at her the way he did, as though nothing else in the world could distract him. When she had his full attention like that, it made her both uneasy and delighted all at once.
“You matter, Doc.” He pulled away from her with a friendly pat on the shoulder and took his seat beside her.
Her heart skipped at his admission and she silently cursed herself for the butterflies he sent fluttering about in her stomach. She fought to ignore them as she set the photographs on the table. The leather case holding the tintype of Sally lay open to reveal the silvery image.
Aubrey, Jackie, and Dominic came down the stairs carrying the rest of the supplies needed for the séance.
Jackie held a basket of candles and pouches of salt in her arms which she set on the dining table. She avoided Alex’s gaze, knowing he watched her intently from his perch in the corner. Soon they would have to face each other and share an intimacy so few people share.
The intimacy of spiritual contact.
She looked at Grace who sat with her hands bundled together in her lap and an uncomfortable look on her face. Jackie prayed that the séance would go as planned and they would be able to convince Ray to leave the house. If it didn’t work, if her worst fears came true…she was too frightened to even think of it.
She put her troubles in fate’s hands, in God’s hands, and calmed her mind.
Aubrey came up beside her and grabbed three stubby white candles from the basket. “Did you bring a lighter?”
Jackie dug into the basket for a matchbook. “Use this.”
Aubrey pursed her lips and set about lighting the candles while Jackie sprinkled salt in a protective circle around the table and chairs. She paused before completing it and looked to both Alex and Dominic who hovered near the wall. “Please turn off the light. Then come inside the circle and take a seat.”
Both men eyed her, then each other. The combativeness between them sparked an obvious tension in the air, but she was thankful when Alex set aside his camera and flipped the light switch. They both silently came into the circle.
As Alex passed her, he leaned in to press a soft kiss to her forehead.
She exhaled slowly, the feeling of his lips staying with her as she completed the circle. She turned to sprinkle more salt upon the table. It would help keep unwanted, negative spirits at a distance, should they attempt to bring harm.
The light of the three candles flickered off the cement walls of the basement, casting odd shadows in every direction. She stared around the room, seeing those shadows come to life. The basement was full of spirits, ones that had run from the cleansing aroma of sage upstairs and burrowed themselves below. Now they emerged from the walls, curious and eager to be heard.
Some were residual, others were not. She sensed the dark stain that hovered under the stairs the strongest and it took all she had to not look in that direction. She was afraid of what she may see if she did.
Instead, she sat down at the table and reached for the basket. She removed her quartz crystals, setting them beside the candles. All jewelry had been removed beforehand, no watches, metal earrings, bracelets. Nothing that would negatively repel the spirits.
She rested her hands on the table top. To her right was Alex, to her left, Grace. Both accepted her hands, watching her in anticipation and worry.
Instead of looking at them, she cast her eyes directly upon Aubrey and nodded. This was to be Aubrey’s séance, not hers.
“Hold hands, everyone.” Aubrey reached for Ian’s hand and Dominic’s. The candlelight hardened the planes of her face, darkening the pale blue of her eyes. It gave her an almost sinister look and certainly her devious smile did nothing to help. “I will be the only one to speak. Please do not break the circle by releasing your hands and do not get up to leave. There’s no turning back now.”
She inhaled deeply and let her head fall back on her shoulders, her eyes closing. “Ray, if you are here, make yourself known to us.”
Grace held her breath as her eyes darted around the room, expecting the shadow creature to jump out at her at any moment. She thought she could sense it. Thought she heard the telltale skittering sound it made as it scratched over the floor.
Ian squeezed her hand, bringing her back. She met his eyes and tried to relax her body, her mind. His face was unreadable, but she had a feeling he was as edgy as she. He just concealed it better.
“Ray, did you torture your only daughter, Mercy, in this room?” Aubrey continued, her eyes still closed and her body relaxed. “Please give us a sign that you are here. Tap the table. Make a noise.”
They sat silently for a long, intense moment. Above them, the old house shifted and settled as the rain fell outside, seeping into the soil. It seemed to permeate into the basement, making the air heavy and damp.
Grace stared at the flame of one of the candles, losing herself in its slow dance. The bright glow mesmerized her, drawing her in until she nearly forgot where she was, what she was doing. Her heart settled and her breathing calmed, and she gave in to this odd sense of nothingness that fell over her. There was nothing but the flame, and the heat beckoned her.
When the fire exploded and crackled like a sparkler, it nearly gave her a heart attack. She jumped in her seat, barely hanging onto Ian’s and Jackie’s hands as a scream caught in her throat.
Across the table, Aubrey’s eyes gleamed. “Ray, thank you. Thank you for giving us a sign of your presence.”
A rush of cold descended like fog upon the room, drawing the brilliance from the candlelight and diminishing it. Chills ran over Grace’s arms like fervent ants, eager to devour her flesh in one, greedy bite. Her body tensed and froze like a statue as fear made her the frightened rabbit.
Circumstance meant the spirit wa
s the hungry fox.
Aubrey’s head rolled over her shoulders and a wicked smile lifted her lips. “We feel you. We know you are with us. Please answer my questions, hear my voice and speak through me. Use me as your vessel.”
Grace suddenly remembered to breathe and sucked in air in quick, short gasps. As she did so, she distinctly smelled old, dry leather. The mustiness of it prickled within her nose, itchy and intrusive. Soon, the smell of blood drifted in and had bile rising within her throat.
Coppery and dark, it filled her senses and choked her. She panicked but was frozen in place. There was nowhere to run.
“Blood…” Aubrey murmured, her head falling back again. “Is this what you smelled when you killed your daughter, Ray? Did the scent of her blood sicken you?”
The scent grew stronger and with it came the sudden, shrieking cry of a sparrow. It came from upstairs, beyond the door to the basement. They all turned to face it in shock.
Grace felt sick to her stomach, her thoughts immediately going to Sally. Was she in trouble? Was he hurting her?
“She’s warning us,” Jackie murmured, shuddering as she looked to Aubrey. Her face was tightened with fear. “We shouldn’t have done this.”
“Shut up.” Aubrey snapped, her eyes open now and filled with anger. “We’ve made contact. We need to keep pushing. Ray, why did you take your anger out on Mercy? What did she do to you?”
The sparrow’s cries faded and the haunting silence left behind echoed around them. Grace watched as Jackie suddenly went still, her eyes glazed over with horror. Concern had her squeezing her friend’s hand.
Before she could speak, Jackie’s body convulsed in a hard, shuddering jolt, as though a bolt of lightning hit her. Then she went slack and her chin dropped to her chest.
Grace saw Alex’s eyes widen with panic, but he didn’t break the circle. They all watched with stunned horror as Jackie’s head lifted, her face slack and emotionless. Her dark eyes stared unseeingly into the abyss.
When she spoke, her voice was nothing but a whisper. “I did nothing. Nothing. Nothing.”
After a moment, Aubrey regained her senses. “Mercy, is that you?”
“Help. Help never came. No one helped.” Jackie’s lips trembled as the words spilled from them.
“We’re here to help you, Mercy. Tell me, is your father in the room with us?”
A shiver shot through Jackie’s body, but she remained in her trance.
“Pain. So much pain…the monster!” Her voice reached a fever pitch, echoing off the walls.
Shock drained Aubrey’s cheeks of color. “W-why are you still here? Why won’t you move on?”
Tears suddenly spilled from Jackie’s eyes. “Trapped. Trapped. Trapped.”
“Trapped where?”
But Grace knew exactly where. Her eyes shot to the floor underneath the basement stairs where she had long denied a body rested. Maybe this was confirmation that she had been horribly wrong.
Jackie began to rock back and forth, her face contorted with grief even as her eyes remained glassy and unseeing. Grace watched, mortified, as real fear claimed her friend and a scream suddenly erupted from her throat, violent and tortured.
Jackie’s head fell back as the scream burst from the deepest regions of her soul, as dark and disturbing as the cries of sinners in Hell.
Upstairs, the destroyed grandfather clock began to chime. Gong. Gong. Gong.
The closed door to the basement shook on its hinges as though someone was trying to force their way inside. Then it wrenched open and slammed against the wall so hard, Grace was sure it would break from its frame.
“Don’t move!” Aubrey exclaimed, eyes bright and determined. “Ray. Ray, I know you’re near us. You’re scaring your daughter, but you don’t scare me. Stop being a coward. Come down here and face us like a man. Tell us why you won’t leave.”
The table began to shake as though in an earthquake. But Grace was pretty sure earthquakes didn’t happen on the coast of Massachusetts. The candles and digital recorder vibrated, the salt Jackie had poured around them skipping and hopping. Sally and Mercy’s pictures stared up at her, shaking in the candlelight.
She bit down hard on her lower lip and closed her eyes, fighting against the fear that told her to run. Run far away and never look back. But she could still feel Jackie beside her, trembling uncontrollably.
“Save me,” Jackie whispered, her head rolling back weakly. Grace and Alex both squeezed her hands, looking to each other helplessly.
“Damnit, Aubrey, stop this!” Alex called out, not caring anymore about the séance. He glared at Aubrey with fire in his eyes.
“Not yet!” Aubrey inhaled deeply and concentrated, trying not to think about Jackie and what was happening to her. She wanted to get Ray out. If she didn’t accomplish that, then it was all for nothing. “Ray, I command you to leave this house!”
Grace saw something in her peripherals, something dark and ominous. It hovered like a shadowy mist just out of sight. She tilted her head to try and follow it, but it seemed to come and go.
Ian’s hand tightened on her own and she knew he saw it too.
Aubrey’s eyes flew open. “I see you, Ray. Be gone from this place. Be gone and never return.”
The shadow didn’t leave. Instead, it circled the table, blending in with the darkness at times and showing itself in others. Grace couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
It was like Ray was threatening them. Taunting them.
A panicked look crossed Aubrey’s face and Grace realized that the woman had no idea what to do next. Clearly, she had never faced a spirit so strong.
“Do something!” Grace cried out, eyes shooting from Aubrey back to Jackie, whose forehead was covered with feverish sweat. Tears continued to roll down her cheeks, and she tossed her head side to side as if in great discomfort. Strands of her dark curls fell over her ashen face, matted with sweat.
Aubrey took a deep breath and decided that there was nothing more she could do about Ray’s spirit. Instead, she focused her attention back on Jackie.
“Mercy, hear my voice.”
Jackie threw back her head and let out a strangled, throaty cry of pain.
Aubrey blanched. “Good goddess.”
Grace gritted her teeth. “Jackie, come back to us.” She watched her friend suck in quick gasps of air through her nose, as though she were trying to resist the spirit.
Aubrey tried again. “Mercy, I command you to leave the vessel and leave this house at once! Go!”
Jackie tensed like she was having a seizure, her neck straining as her head fell back. Her mouth opened in a soundless scream, her eyes squeezed tight as though she were in unspeakable pain. Her hand squeezed like a vice around Grace’s, then seconds later went slack.
The table ceased to shake as Jackie fainted and nearly tumbled from the chair. Alex reached out to catch her, to pull her into his arms. The instant he broke the circle, the candles died, plunging them into darkness.
Grace blinked into the black nothingness, stunned. She heard Ian stand and fumble around the table for the matches. Aubrey cursed under her breath and began to help him, while Dominic let out a sharp scream.
“Something just touched me!” he shouted, and Grace heard his chair fall back onto the floor as he shot to his feet, breaking the circle of salt.
“Shut up!” Aubrey ordered, a fierce sort of panic in her voice.
Grace wrapped her arms around herself, her entire body quaking with terror. She imagined Ray’s shadow creeping around the room, hunting them like a lion stalks its prey. She thought she felt fingertips brush her face and jolted as if she’d been burned.
In her head, a dark, otherworldly laughter broke through the haze of fear and vibrated through her very veins. She felt the evil swarm over her like a sea of rabid insects and knew in that moment that Ray was with her.
Ghostly hands trailed around her neck, closing in like icy tentacles. She felt pressure on her throat, the hands primed to str
angle the life out of her.
“Ian?” she whimpered, too horrified to move. The scent of blood invaded her senses once again and she nearly passed out from fear.
“It’s going to be okay, Doc. Hold on.”
She thought she felt Ian brush past her and, within seconds, he flipped on the light switch. The bulb hanging over them burst to life, blinding them all.
Grace shut her eyes instinctively, the icy hands that held her throat retreating from the light. When she opened them again, all hell broke loose around her.
Alex glared at Aubrey, Jackie cradled lifelessly in his arms. “Get out. Now!”
Aubrey blinked, still reeling from the aftermath of the ritual. She nodded and grabbed Dominic, whose face was white as a sheet. They disappeared up the stairs and out the open basement door.
Alex wasted no time and rose to his feet, carrying Jackie. He stared at Ian and then Grace, his expression filled with torment. “We’re done here.”
Grace watched numbly as he took Jackie upstairs. Her heart thundered in her ears as she turned to Ian, the sensation of those hands still like frost on her skin. She rubbed at it, willing the feeling to go away.
Ian’s eyes locked on her neck. She flinched when his hand shot out to touch her skin.
“Christ, Doc.”
“What?”
He shook his head, rising to his feet and pulling her with him. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
* * *
Jackie stirred, colorful lights flickering behind her eyes. Her head felt heavy, as though gauze had been shoved into every crevice. She thought she felt a hand brush over her forehead, but a wave of dizziness passed over her and muddled her brain.
She fought to open her eyes and to remember what happened. The feeling of soft blankets beneath her brought comfort, as did the hand that slipped into her own and held.
“God, you scared me.” She heard Alex’s voice and the tender fear in it brought pain to her heart. The memories came back to her, though vaguely. She still didn’t know why she was lying in bed.
“I’m okay.” Her voice said nothing, but she knew she mouthed the words. Her throat ached miserably as if it had been on fire.
So Fell The Sparrow Page 22