Dark Hauntings: A Paranormal Times Novel

by C C Solomon

  Who was he waving at? I frowned and looked down the street. There was no one there. I looked back and took a step back. The man was still moving his hand, except the lights were no longer on in the attic. There was enough light from the street lamps for me to see that he was still standing there waving. What was his deal? Could he see in my room? I had my lights on, and suddenly I felt very exposed. I went to my living room lamp, shutting it off before walking back to the balcony.

  The man was still waving. What in the hell?

  I closed the curtains and took a step back, staring at the beige curtains with a rising unsettling feeling. You’re being silly, Fran. You’ve seen more creepy things than this.

  What if it wasn’t even a person? It could be a stupid waving Santa statue they put in the window to scare people. Either that or he was just some guy trying to flirt. I could see Felix doing something like that.

  I walked back to the curtains and opened them a crack. The man was still there. Still waving. Except this time, he was smiling. How did I know? Well, I could see his almost glowing white teeth all the way from my suite. I could also see that they were sharp. Then there were his eyes. They shown bright red like floating orbs in the darkness.

  I pulled the curtains closed.

  Demon. Had to be. And an inhuman one at that. I shivered, standing in the darkness in the living area. Demons still creeped me out.

  If a demon was around, that could only mean foul play was in the air. It could gravitate here because it found the souls corruptible. Easy prey. If the townspeople were as kind as they presented themselves to be, gaining their souls would be worth quite a lot. All the more reason for angels to also come here in order to protect the people. However, with two missing angels and some odd behavior, I wasn’t sure the angels were winning.

  “Why are you standing out here in the dark?” Faith’s voice boomed through the silence.

  I jumped, in spite of myself, and spun around. “I was mediating.”

  She flipped the light switch on and gave me disbelieving eyes. “Come on. Let’s go meet the guys.”

  I nodded and then peeked back through the curtains out of curiosity. The waving demon was gone.

  “There are no kids here. Or older people. Have you noticed?” Felix leaned into the rectangular picnic table.

  We sat on the deck, overlooking the water in a busy restaurant and bar. Tiki torches and the low base of rock music surrounded us.

  “For the older people, at first, I just thought, well, maybe they are all just paranormal people since we age slower. But older people got magic ten years ago too. Even if they stopped aging, they didn’t get younger.”

  Faith looked down at her beer, her brows gathered in a frown. “Think they have an age cut off here? Maybe no one who looks over a certain age and no one under eighteen? Just a town full of adults in their best shape?”

  That didn’t quite make sense either.

  Felix shook his head. “But why?”

  “Could be that this is like their playground. No responsibilities and immaturity of kids and teens. No having to care for the elderly. It’s just you, living just for you, forever.” Faith’s eyes seem to lose focus as she continued to stare at her drink. “Actually, it doesn’t seem like such a bad thing.”

  “The children are our future, and the elderly are our teachers.”

  That was sentimental.

  Faith tipped her head to the side in thought. “Except what does that mean when you can live for hundreds of years as a paranormal?”

  We sat quietly with that thought as we drank and looked around. The plausibility of Faith’s suggestion made more sense when I coupled it with the demonic presence in the town. It was possible that deals had been made to preserve the town as it had been.

  Azrael jumped up and stormed toward the outside bar in the crowded deck, beyond where I could see. We got up as well and chased after the angel, spotting them spinning a tall, lanky man around. “Where the heavens have you been?” Azrael cried.

  I assumed this was Dean.

  He raised his brows in surprise and then turned to a woman with blue hair.

  That had to be Nancy.

  Dean looked confused back at Azrael. “We’ve been here the whole time.”

  “You haven’t responded to emails.”

  Dean and Nancy exchanged glances, but they seemed content, pleasant smiles setting on their faces. “We like it here,” Dean stated.

  Nancy touched Azrael’s arm and ushered us away from the bar to a part of the fence surrounding the deck. “We don’t want to go back. This place just feels so good.” Nancy relaxed her shoulders, and her smile faltered. “And being under Monica was so tiring.”

  I had to kind of agree.

  Dean shrugged. “This is the perfect place to escape her. She won’t come here. Guessing that’s why she sent you two. Did she tell you how she threatened the town mayor?”

  I wouldn’t put it past her, but in order for me to get what I needed, I had to bring answers back to Monica. “Why are people so weird here?”

  Nancy glanced over at me, her smile returning. “How so?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. How they dress? The smiling faces all the time.”

  “We don’t judge here. That’s the best part.”

  “Huh. And what about the demons?”

  A muscle in Nancy’s face twitched. “What demons?”

  Azrael sighed. “The energy is here. You have to feel it.”

  Dean clasped his hands in front of him. “Perhaps you’re getting it confused with the two demons who accompanied you here.” He gave Felix and I pointed looks.

  I cleared my throat and took a step forward. He thought we were idiots. “First of all, we’re half-demon. Two, we can tell the difference between our own scent and another scent. This isn’t a fart. We aren’t just smelling our upper lips.”

  Felix released a mix of a snort and a laugh.

  Dean tilted his head, his smile growing. “I didn’t mean to offend. I only meant to share with you another possibility. The people here have been nothing but good to us. I don’t see how any evil could be present.”

  I crossed my arms. “We didn’t say evil. We said demonic.”

  “Same thing, no?”

  There was the judgmental angel I knew and disliked.

  Before I could say another word, Faith cut in. “Looks like they're fine. Can we go?” she said with bored eyes.

  “Going so soon? But you just got here,” exclaimed a woman’s voice behind us.

  Dean and Nancy’s eyes lit up, and their smiles widened like a kid at Disney World.

  I turned to see a woman standing there with two other women behind her, wearing black suits like the men who had let us in the town.

  “Yasmine!” the angels exclaimed.

  Several people around us looked on with gleeful whispers.

  Was she a local celebrity or something? She certainly was beautiful with rich toffee colored skin and wavy, deep red hair. Her eyes were almost black but seemed to have a navy tint to them. Perhaps they were really blue. She was slightly shorter than me and fuller with an envious hourglass figure that she had draped in a red wrap dress paired with over-the-knee black boots. “I’m happy you’re visiting our small town. I hope that you will enjoy yourselves.” She looked over to Felix and extended a hand. “I’m Yasmine Covington, the town mayor. And you are?” She lowered her lids slightly, a pout on her lips.

  What was she? A politician or a super model?

  Felix grasped her hand with an enamored smile.

  Irritation flared within me.

  “I’m Felix, and this is Francesca, Faith and Az-”

  “Ashton,” Azrael cut in, slapping Felix on the back.

  So we were giving fake names now? Even Dean and Nancy didn’t know the angel’s heaven name. However, I was sure Dean and Nancy weren’t their real names either.

  Yasmine gave a nod to the rest of us, but she didn’t shake our hands like she did Felix, whose han
d she was just now letting go. “Couples get away?”

  Faith gave a dry laugh. “No. Just friends getting away from the horrors of the world.”

  I glared at her. Maybe I did want Yasmine to think Felix was taken. And yes, I recognized how selfish that seemed.

  Yasmine still had eyes only for Felix. “Well, you will see that this is the place to be for an escape. There are no cares, no worries. Only relaxation. We have wonderful spas, great paths for jogging and biking, boating is quite fun here. There is a festival coming up later this month, so I encourage you to come back.”

  Felix nodded eagerly.

  What was going on here? What kind of power did Yasmine have?

  She clapped her hands together. “Have you tried the town beer? Oh, you must.” She touched Felix’s bicep and led him to the bar.

  The small crowd parted as we followed.

  Once we got additional drinks, Felix invited Yasmine back to our table. I pushed my annoyance aside in favor of the mission. I’d already decided that being with Felix was a bad idea. Why? Because he couldn’t be with me when I became Queen. That’s why. I needed this mission to finish smoothly and quickly so I could get back to regaining my memories and a throne. If Yasmine was taken with him, then maybe that was a good thing? Maybe we could learn more about what was going on here? But damn if it didn’t hurt to see her cozying it up to him.

  “So, did you start this town?” Azrael asked.

  I tried to ignore the curious glances from those around us. I hated being on display and we would never blend in with the mayor’s two women in black standing behind her like a living wall.

  Yasmine nodded. “Yes, a few years ago. Before all of this, I was working insane hours as a CEO of a company that’s long gone by now. I lost everything. My husband, my life’s work. I didn’t know what to do. I roamed for years at a loss of what to do with my life. I’m a witch, so I had magic, but I didn’t know what to do with it. Then, I remembered my dream. I used to want to run a bed and breakfast by the water. I thought of this place. I’d come here on vacation before. This seemed like the perfect place to rebuild and make my own.” She leaned back with a satisfied grin. She then looked around and raised her hands. “And that dream became this. Now instead of running a company that was sucking the life out of me, I’m running a town that has brought me nothing but joy. And I hope it brings the same to you.”

  I twisted my lips. She sure knew how to give a talk. There were cult leaders with the same kind of backstory.

  “And you have great beer,” Felix exclaimed, raising his glass.

  Yasmine laughed and clinked her glass with his. “That we do.”

  I looked around at the crowd. Everyone did look happy. Was this town just the unknowing target of a demon who wanted a slice of their good thing? Did Dean and Nancy really want to be here as an escape from Monica?

  Movement near the steps leading to the parking lot caught my eye. A shorter figure stood in the shadows. It looked like a child. I squinted and tried to see better. My fae eyesight finally kicked in and I saw that it really was a child. A boy of no more than ten. So, there were kids here. He looked around the area appearing lost. Did he need help finding his parents?

  The child finally rested his eyes on me. He let out a sob I could not hear and wiped at his face with his sleeve. Could no one hear him? The steps were right near the outdoor bar and there were tons of people just a few feet away, much closer than me. Yet, no one even moved to turn toward him.

  “I think there’s a lost kid there,” I said, cutting into the conversation.

  Yasmine frowned and looked around. “A child? Where? We don’t have children here.”

  I started to point to the dark parking lot behind her, but the child was now gone.

  Faith leaned in. “Could it have been just a little person?”

  I rolled my eyes. “I know the difference between a child and a short person.”

  Yasmine relaxed her face and gave me a gentle smile. “Sometimes drinking can dull our senses.”

  Oh wow, they thought I was an idiot. “And if I were drunk, I’d agree.” I stood up. I was going to find this kid and prove them wrong. “Excuse me. I’ll be back.”

  I expected Felix to get up and follow me, but he was already back to talking to Yasmine, not even noticing me. Men were so fickle.

  Instead, Azrael rose and walked after me. “Disappointed it’s me instead of him?”

  I huffed and rolled my eyes. “No. He can talk to whatever woman he wants to talk to. I have no claim on him. We’re just friends.”

  They stuffed their hands in their pocket, looking as nonchalant as ever. “Riiight.”

  Azrael didn’t have to believe me. I wasn’t sure I fully did either but it didn’t matter. Felix and I weren’t a thing. I decided to change the subject before my mind went too deep into that statement. “So, why are you following me? Keeping an eye on me?” I questioned as we walked.

  “Yes, and I didn’t need to hear any more of that founder’s tale the mayor was spinning.”

  I looked at them from the corner of my eye. “You don’t believe her?”

  “I just wonder about some things. I think whatever we’re going to learn about this place, she isn’t going to say. So, if we see some odd things, we have to find the answers on our own.”

  I looked at the small, darkened parking lot. “I couldn’t agree more.”

  “Help!” screamed a child’s voice deeper in the lot.

  “You heard that, right?”

  “Child’s voice? Yep.”

  Azrael and I both took off in the maze of cars. We split up and searched the area, but there was no child.

  Azrael jogged over to me. “I would fly, but I’m afraid someone might see me.”

  I leaped up to the hood of a car and scanned the area from that height. Movement on the ground near the edge of the parking lot, peeking out from behind a pickup truck caught my eye. It looked almost human in shape, but it was lying in a heap. Not good.

  I jumped down and took off in the direction of what I hoped was not a body with Azrael on my heels.

  We arrived at the area, but it was dark. I snapped my fingers, and floating pinpoints of light hovered above my fingertips. I pointed my hand in the direction of the heap, and my mouth fell open, unprepared for what I was seeing.

  It was human alight. Except it wasn’t a body. It was what I could only describe as a skin suit and a pool of bloody gore underneath it.

  Shit. Looks like we were going to be here a little longer than I thought.

  Chapter 8

  The only small conciliation of our gruesome discovery was that the skin suit did not belong to a child. It was far too big for that.

  A white man with brown hair and eyes walked over to me. He appeared to be in his early thirties, and he was dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt. He looked fit but not overly so. He had “off duty” cop written all over him, and when he flashed what looked like a badge, I mentally chuckled at my right guess.

  He gave me his best stern eyes. “I’m Sheriff Milton Dante. People here just call me Dante. I need to ask you both a few questions.” He looked between Azrael and I, taking his phone out of his pocket and pushing the record button. “State your names.”

  We introduced ourselves and recapped what we saw.

  “What were you doing out here?”

  I hadn’t forgotten about the kid who’d drawn me out there in the first place, so I kept my eyes open for him, hoping he’d show himself. “Like I said, I saw a kid from the deck and went to check things out since he was young and all alone.”

  “And you say you never found the kid.” He stated it like he didn’t believe me. Like he thought we were making up the child’s existence.

  I held in my annoyance and tried to remain as cooperative as I could. “No.”

  He worked his jaw, assessing the both of us. His eyes rested on Azrael a little too long. “Where y’all from?”

  Really, what did his questions have to do
with anything? “We’re from Silver Spring. The town that saved the world,” I replied in a tight voice.

  He gave a sour expression, mouth pinched. “Yeah, I heard about that. You two part of the Six?”

  “No, but we are with two members. Before you ask, we’re here on vacation, but can we get back to the dead body or skin?”

  Dante lifted his upper lip at me in a slight scowl.

  Clearly, I knew just how to make friends.

  “Did you know the deceased?”

  There we go. Back to the relevant questions. “No. Do we even know who he was?” I looked over to the body not too far from us as a team of paramedics put the remains in a body bag. The skin really was in perfect condition. It was as if someone had simply unzipped themselves out of a costume. Except I couldn’t see a zipper or seam. Not so much as a cut. How the person could be removed from their skin without cutting it was a mystery.

  I’d had the unlucky fortune to see Alister flay his tortured souls. It was not a quick process. Skin—well human skin—was not super tough. If pulled on, it would eventually rip. One would have to pull skin away from the muscle to get it off. It would be sort of like trying to open a letter without tearing the envelope seal. Harder actually.

  Of course, magic was the answer for almost everything nowadays. I supposed there could be a magic that teleported a person out of their body but why go that route? And where was the body? And if someone was going to delicately remove someone from their skin to keep it in tact, then wouldn’t they want that skin? Why dump it halfway under a truck in a parking lot? And if the body was more important, then why bother removing the skin so carefully?

  My mind rang with questions I just didn’t know the answers to. I wasn’t a detective. That wasn’t my specialty. Outside of fighting I wasn’t sure what was, but I didn’t think my journey would lead me to being a mystery solver.

  “Did you know his identity?” Azrael asked, interrupting my wondering thoughts.

  Dante looked over to Azrael again with those curious eyes. “Not yet. Why do you want to know?”