The Middle House: Return to Cold Creek Hollow (Haunted Series)

by Alexie Aaron

  “Is it lost?” the manicurist asked, reaching for her coat.

  Susan looked around her and saw more than a few others donning their outerwear. She had to do something. She ignored Tom who was shouting, trying to get her attention when she absently put the still connected phone into her pocket. She jumped up on one of the pedicure seats and shouted, “People, stay away from the goats. Tom says they have rabies!”

  Tom held the phone away from him. He looked at it strangely. Did his mother just tell a roomful of women that he said the goats had rabies? Or that he had rabies?

  “What’s wrong?” Ryan asked, walking up behind him.

  He explained the situation.

  “Smart woman. I’ll send Chambers and Stevens out there with animal control. That should back up her story.”

  “Tell them to stay on this side of the fence,” Tom reminded him.

  Ryan nodded and called in the situation.

  Tom tried again to get his mother’s attention by shouting into the phone, “Mom!”

  “You don’t have to shout,” Susan scolded her son, holding the phone away from her ear. She listened to his instructions and smiled. She pocketed her phone and announced, “My son, the deputy, told the sheriff, and he is sending help. No one is to approach the goats or the graveyard.”

  The women settled down and were soon back in the capable hands of the beauty professionals. Susan heard a few phones being pulled out and texts being sent. Soon the grapevine that was Big Bear Lake’s female population would make sure no one went into the graveyard or approached a goat of any kind, and they would keep their children under lock and key.

  ~

  “What do you mean they can’t put in those gates?” Brentwood asked, tugging on the wrinkled suit coat, he swore to all that asked was his lucky jacket.

  “The place is crawling with cops. Something about rabid goats running around,” his secretary reported.

  “Shit, the goats must have gotten out.”

  “You want the guys to try using the other side of the fence?” she suggested.

  “No. I think that opportunity is long gone.” Brentwood sat down in frustration. He had no trouble in the big city obtaining suitable candidates for his activities. But here in the country, the residents were too nosy. They didn’t turn a blind eye to someone in trouble.

  The cops here weren’t overburdened. They had their own set of rules, and they stretched them in the guise of protecting their citizens. Sure, Thaddeus’s money had bribed the right people, but they weren’t denizens of this place. He hated Big Bear Lake. If he was going to become more powerful, he would have to wait until he was released. He was certain Chicago would be a more suitable place for him. Until then, he could not resist the pull of the demon he was tied to.

  He got up. “Bring the car around. I’m going to the hollow to recharge.”

  His secretary looked at him oddly. All she remembered being out in the hollow was trees and more trees. Her boss didn’t fit the profile of a tree hugger, just the opposite. But if the man paying her paycheck wanted to go and hug a tree, then she’d make sure she got him there.

  ~

  Angelo alit on the ground before Ted and transformed back into a man in order to communicate clearly with the investigator. Cid, who stood just to the side of his friend, couldn’t stop staring at the overall largeness of the male in front of him.

  “Mia said that they’ve taken Santos and Audrey into the middle house. She’s down there with Murphy. I think she’s going in to try and run interference until we arrive.”

  “Mia, how?”

  “She’s bilocated. I have to return to Father Alessandro and guard the box,” he said, transforming before the men’s eyes into a large crow and flying off.

  “So Mia’s gone walkabout,” Ted said in an odd voice. He picked up his phone and mass-texted the other members of the search party.

  “Did you see the size of his penis?” Cid asked. “And it wasn’t even hard, holy shit.”

  Ignoring Cid, Ted continued to communicate with the others.

  “I swear it had to be the size of a baby’s, no, a toddler’s arm,” Cid continued.

  Ted read Lorna’s suggestion that they all meet at the GPS coordinates she included in her text.

  “Are they all that big?” Cid asked.

  Ted confirmed and calculated the direction he would have to walk in to intercept them.

  “Has Mia seen him naked?” Cid asked.

  Ted turned around and put a hand on each one of his friend’s shoulders and shook him hard. “Stop it! We have more important things going on to waste our energy discussing the birdman’s cock.”

  Cid waited until Ted got all of his frustration out before disengaging himself from the human paint-shaker. “That’s redundant. Birdman and cock. Same thing in my book,” he said.

  “When this is over, I am so going to kill you, dude.” Ted turned around and started walking. “I swear we are at crisis point zero here, and the first thing that comes out of your mouth is Angelo’s penis.”

  Cid stopped walking. “Pardon?”

  “That penis mouth thing came out wrong,” Ted explained.

  “Stop, Ted, please.”

  “I mean, it’s a penis, a cock, a urination tool, for cripes sake,” Ted continued. “Asking me, the husband, whether or not my wife, the future mother of my children, has seen his…”

  “Okay, that was insensitive of me. I bet she has. Was this before or after you met?” Cid continued.

  “I am so going to bust you in the mouth,” Ted threatened.

  “Is this what they mean when they say penis envy? Because I’m big, but that is ginormous.”

  “Penis envy is…”

  “A myth perpetuated by the media. No woman envies your cock, gentlemen,” Tonia said, approaching them.

  Ted opened his mouth but shut it again. He had to concentrate on the problem at hand, not be lured into a debate that involved male genitalia and the glass ceiling.

  In another hundred yards they had arrived. Burt and Mike were already there, along with Angelo’s driver. Lorna was pointing something out to the men. Tonia walked up and listened in a moment before shaking her head.

  “I wouldn’t advise it. Those mercenaries are trigger happy. We need to lure them away. Pull down the fence and send the cops in. We have cause,” Tonia said.

  “You want to testify that a little bird told a bigger bird that a dog told her that she’d seen the two people kidnapped and driven to Cold Creek Hollow where they were imprisoned in the middle of the three renovated houses there?” Lorna argued.

  “Well, when you put it that way… Do you have a better idea?” her partner asked.

  “Luring the mercenaries away is a great idea. Once they are off campus, Burt, you and the PEEPs could sneak into the place. Find Audrey and the priest, and get them the hell out of there. Tonia, you go along, just in case Brentwood shows up.”

  “Who’s going to do the luring then?” Tonia asked.

  “I will.”

  “By yourself?”

  “Yes, just like Colorado Springs,” Lorna said.

  “Oh damn, you’re sure?”

  “I’m sure.”

  “The ladies are talking in code,” Mike said.

  “Gee, Captain Obvious, do you really think so?” Ted asked sarcastically.

  “What’s got your panties in a twist?” Mike asked annoyed.

  “He’s mad because Mia’s off OOBing without leave,” Cid blurted out.

  Burt sympathized with his tech but said nothing. He was too concerned that they were headed into a situation that no one was ready for.

  “Excuse me,” Lorna said and asked, “Have any of you seen Angelo?”

  “Yes!” Cid said excitedly.

  Ted put a restraining hand on Cid’s shoulder.

  Cid continued, “He was headed to the barn to guard the box.”

  “What box?” Lorna asked.

  Ted brought up the series of pictures on his phon
e and handed it to her. Tonia looked over Lorna’s shoulder as she leafed through them. She handed the phone back to Ted.

  “Do you know what it is?”

  “A demon heart box. It’s made of silver forged in blood, a lot of blood. It’s used to control a demon. Inside of the box rests a very rare thing. A demon heart.”

  “Why is it rare?” Burt asked.

  “Because demons don’t tend to have hearts,” Tonia said, wringing her hands. “I thought we were just up against a skin-walker and a soul-jumper, Lorna. I didn’t sign up for a demon. They are smelly and they…”

  “Bite,” Lorna finished. “Gentlemen, this box cannot fall into the wrong hands. It has to stay close enough to the demon to control it, but far enough away so the demon can’t open it. Do you trust this birdman?”

  “I guess we have to,” Ted said uncomfortably. “He’ll not let the demon get ahold of his heart. Of that I’m certain.”

  Angelo’s driver looked at Ted with compassion. He knew his boss’s weakness for possessing the man’s wife. Brotherhood law now protected Mia from this happening. Angelo could not possess another man’s wife. Not while that man was alive.

  Tom and John Ryan walked out of the brush and over to the group. It took a few moments to catch them up on what was going on.

  “If I may,” Ryan started. “I’d like to run this operation. Not that I don’t believe any of you could handle it. But since the burning sack of shit will no doubt be dumped on my front porch, I’d like to be in charge and see it giftwrapped first.”

  “The man’s a poet,” Cid whispered.

  Ted couldn’t help himself. He smiled for the first time since the warning bell had sounded.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Come here little titmouse,” Alice said loudly for the benefit of the housemaids. Mia hopped off her hand to the desktop. “Let’s see if we can consult the Ornithologist Guide to North America.”

  Murphy closed the door behind them, and Mia morphed into herself.

  “My mother is somewhere in the house,” she whispered. “She is very dangerous and will see you regardless of form. There are others here that fear her wrath and will inform on you. They are silly creatures that drifted in here out of curiosity and fell under my mother’s spell.”

  “How many are there in this house?”

  Alice took a moment to count. As she did, her eyes looked upwards, and she frowned. “There are sixty-six spirits here.”

  “Impossible,” Mia said. “The house isn’t big enough.”

  “It’s bigger than you think. It crosses three planes of existence, except in autumn when it crosses four. You can’t navigate it without a guide.”

  “Has it always been like this?” Mia asked.

  “No. The building itself was built when I was a young woman. They squeezed it in between the clapboard and the brick house. It rests over three limestone caves; one of them contained something odd,” Alice said as if she were in a trance of some kind. Her voice droned on, “It was a silver box. I took the box away and buried it in the woods, much to my mother’s disgust. Perhaps that’s when the house started to grow. I don’t really know. One minute it was too cramped for us and my sister’s family, the next it was too large to clean. Somewhere around this time, my mother killed me and became a skin-walker. My body is in another cave with my sister’s children, unfortunate summer for the Blackwell clan. My father, he was enamored with Steele, and I believe he died in the fire. The smoke from the fire killed my mother, although she died here. Her spirit has been in charge of this house ever since.”

  Mia was quiet. The story seemed to drain Alice of all her energy. Murphy pulled out his pocket watch and replaced it.

  “What are you?” Alice asked her.

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand.”

  “Have you just died? How can you be here?” she asked Mia.

  “Does it matter?”

  “No, I was just curious, that’s all.”

  “Will you take us to the people who are held captive here?” Mia asked.

  “The dead ones?”

  “The live ones first, then the dead ones,” Mia said evenly.

  “Follow me. Mind, if my mother finds out you’re here, she will be unmerciful. Don’t count on me. I have to exist with the woman. Do we have an understanding?”

  “Yes, I think it’s pretty clear.”

  ~

  Angelo related what Mia had told him to Father Alessandro while donning his clothes.

  “It’s pretty obvious why Santos was taken, but the redhead?” Alessandro questioned. He shifted Mia’s body so he could stand. “Now if they had taken this one, then all would be clear.”

  The realization hit Angelo like a ton of bricks. “To trap me. Santos is my friend and Mia…”

  “Your desire.”

  “Not in the earthly sense, Father,” Angelo was quick to correct.

  “Angelo, I’m well aware of your shenanigans when it comes to this woman. She’s not for your brotherhood. Her path is set in a different direction.”

  “If it is so, then why do I feel in my gut that Mia Cooper would be a mighty warrior? Together we could wipe this planet of evil. No child would have to face the evils of mankind. The children, Father, the children need our help. The population grows too fast. I cannot save them all,” Angelo said frustrated.

  “Is that your function on this earth?” Alessandro asked. “Are you alone the savior of the children?”

  “Yes.”

  “No, there are so many others. We just need to educate the masses, point out the predators and jail them. Seek out the evil that feeds their desires, and there, that’s where you can make the difference.”

  Angelo looked at the old man in the priestly garb. He saw the truth in his eyes. He also saw the pain behind them. “Father, how long do you have?”

  “Am I so transparent?” Alessandro asked.

  “I know pain when I see it.”

  “Liver cancer will take me within the year.”

  “The Gray Ladies…”

  “No, I will live out my sentence without the aid of the healers, but thank you for your offer.”

  “You do not fear dying,” Angelo observed.

  “No, not at all. I want to see if I hitched my wagon to the right team. And if not, I’ll adjust to what the universe, as Mia calls it, has in store for me. Death is just a threshold that we all have to cross one day. You, the warrior, must realize that we were made mortal for a reason.”

  “Mortality is humbling. It makes us cautious. I appreciate every moment I live more,” Angelo confessed.

  “You are close to being immortal, my son.”

  “I’m aware of the grace that has been given to me. I wanted to give this to Mia.”

  “Why Mia?” Alessandro looked down at the shell the sensitive lived in. “She’s not beautiful.”

  “I beg to differ. But it’s not her beauty, her warm green eyes, or even the softness of her skin. It’s the courage. She never stops fighting. She is powerful, and her talents are just emerging. With the right training, she would be so strong…”

  “Too strong,” Alessandro argued. “No human should be that strong. They are better souls for their vulnerabilities. To hurt is to feel. This one survived indifference to find herself surrounded by love. It’s not just her husband that loves her; it’s her former lovers, her colleagues, her friends, and every soul she passes. If she were perfect, she would only be followed by the vain and silly. This way, she is part of them. It’s God’s plan.”

  “Or the universe. Don’t forget she doesn’t follow your religion, priest.”

  “Let’s not get into a spitting match, my son,” Alessandro warned. “We have to figure out what to do with the demon and his heart. If our suspicions are correct, you were brought here to open the box.”

  “It won’t be my hands opening the box,” Angelo promised. “But how do I keep it safe from others doing so?”

  “What did the sages say?”

&n
bsp; “They say I must entrust the box to the deer-woman when she comes.”

  “Are you sure she is not already here?” Alessandro asked.

  “Which one?”

  “Because of her forbearers, I put my money on Lorna. However, Tonia too holds very powerful genes.”

  “The Buddhist pagan,” Angelo mused. “She is more than she seems, but your instincts are correct. It has to be Lorna that holds the pathway for the deer-woman. A blessing…”

  “And a curse,” Alessandro warned.

  ~

  Mia touched her ears with her hands. She never had any physical sensations when she OOBed outside of the ley lines.

  Murphy looked at her and asked, “What’s the matter?”

  “Do your ears ever burn?”

  “Someone must be talking about you,” Alice said. “Come on, we have far to go and so little time.”

  She led them out of the library and into a hallway. The further they moved, the narrower the walls became until they had to adjust their bodies to fit the space. As soon as they did, the hall became a large open room with thirteen doors. As they crossed the space, Mia noticed for the first time others milling about. Their mode of dress was varied and each seemed to be lost. A few slammed doors after exiting them. She observed their behavior and stored it to use later. They reached the center of the room, and Alice stopped a moment, turned and headed diagonally to the far corner on Mia’s right.

  Murphy brought out his pocket watch and consulted it. Alice caught the movement and asked, “What time is it?”

  “Four in the afternoon,” he told her.

  “It’s taking longer than I thought,” Alice frowned.

  “I find it interesting that you have a concept of time passing. Most spirits don’t,” Mia told her.

  “I’m not most spirits. I’ve been watching time go by since my birth. Death did little to stop the clock ticking in my head. I’ve seen the rise and fall of the sun and counted each day. Not having earthly needs like eating and sleeping made the days longer and the nights almost intolerable. Winters came and went. My body lost its flesh, and my bones turned brown.”