by Alexie Aaron
Murphy sat back in the rocking chair and listened to Audrey tell Tonia one of his favorite tales.
~
Alice May loved the mornings in the hollow. No one moved in the house, not even the housemaids, who her mother had dispatched and kept prisoner to attend to her needs. Alice used this time to move about the countryside looking for specimens to press into her books. She saw the deer-woman standing in the middle of the cemetery while she walked down the street on her way to the west pasture where she’d seen some interesting clusters of grasses after the last snow melt.
Alice stopped and made eye contact with what she saw as a monster. “I’m not afraid of you,” she said before picking up her skirts and moving quickly past the graveyard.
Lorna looked out through the heavy lidded eyes of the deer-woman and watched Alice as she all but ran away. She reminded the deer-woman that this wasn’t her prey. Alice was a victim and deserved a chance to choose her fate. She felt Angelo stirring and settled back down, perceiving correctly that the spinster was no threat to them.
It had been a hard night of fighting. Many spirits would never again exist on any plane. The deer-woman’s wrath was brutal. They would wander the blackness without end, not feeling, not seeing, not knowing that inches from them were others the deer-woman had dispatched. To be alone was the greatest punishment she could inflict on the souls of the damned.
~
Sheriff John Ryan was having a good morning. Earlier, his wife had presented him with a box of pumpkin flavored donuts, she had, unbeknownst to him, frozen last fall, for breakfast. He arrived at work and saw that his deputies were either on the road or sitting at their desks finishing up on paperwork. He’d received notice that all but one goat had been captured, and Marley and his prized pig Alexander the Great were home recouping from their ordeal.
Gerald Shem had stopped by last night after talking with Thaddeus and assured Ryan that, as soon as the right papers were signed and the permits were gotten, he would be demolishing the houses out at Cold Creek Hollow. The only thing standing in their way was the present occupants of the middle house. The two priests were consulting others on how to deal with the less than cooperative demon that was presently trapped inside.
Tom slammed his hand down hard on his desk, causing Ryan to jump two feet in the air, spilling his coffee over his hand.
“Deputy, is there a problem?” he asked, grabbing a stack of napkins.
“If it’s not one thing, it’s my mother, sir,” Tom replied through clenched teeth. “She’s organized a group of women hell-bent on patrolling the cemetery.”
“A few cold nights will be enough to draw their interests somewhere else.”
“Respectfully, sir, you don’t know my mother,” Tom said, a frown furrowing between his brows. “Once she gets a bee in her bonnet…”
“Are you worried she may get hurt?”
“Her? Er… No. I’m worried about the poor drunk or high school hooligan that wanders into her path when she’s looking for criminal activity. I sense a lawsuit coming on.”
Ryan laughed. He couldn’t help himself. He’d met Susan Braverman, and he wouldn’t want to be on the wrong side of her either. “Tell you what. Let me talk to her. I’ll explain that she’d be taking jobs away from people who need them. I’m sure she’ll see it my way.”
“You can try. I’m washing my hands of the whole deal,” Tom said and got up. “I’ve got to take my turn watching the road into the hollow.”
“Stop at the Martins on your way out there. Just count heads to make sure they didn’t lose anyone overnight,” Ryan instructed. “Oh, I almost forgot. Hand this to Miss Toh, and tell her, next time she liberates a wagon from the fairgrounds, she might want to not leave her monogramed penknife at the scene.”
Tom turned the knife over in his hand. “It doesn’t seem like something she’d do. Mia sure, but that Toh woman is a bit more cagey.”
“Part of me agrees with you. I think Toh didn’t want anyone else getting blamed for the theft, so she left it there on purpose. I don’t, however, think that she imagined we’d find it before she left town.”
“Never underestimate the Sheriff’s Department, not in this county anyway,” Tom said smugly, pocketing the penknife. “Want me to give her the standard lecture I give to the kids that steal the L from Clunts Towing’s signage every year?”
“Nah, just suggest that the fairground committee wouldn’t mind a donation to their operating fund, anonymous of course.”
“Of course,” Tom agreed.
~
Mia stuffed extra rock-salt cartridges in her knapsack beside her large squirt-bottle of holy water. Ted was likewise packing a bag. His weighed considerably more. The contents would raise an eyebrow even in most ghost hunting circles. After a nice afternoon of lovemaking and a refreshing nap, the two of them decided that they needed to be more proactive when it came to the problems of the hollow. It was nice to have the rest of the PEEPs there to help, but the responsibility of keeping their home safe fell upon their shoulders.
Mike called, warning that he was on the way with the priests in tow. Burt was already downstairs going through the rest of the papers in the rosewood box with Audrey. Murphy loomed outside, anxious to get going, but he wasn’t leaving without Mia this time. Mia wasn’t leaving without Ted, and Ted was stalling.
“Out with it,” Mia ordered. “What’s up?”
“I’m just making sure I have everything. Here, put this in your…”
“I’m not exactly new at this,” Mia commented, placing the communication device in her ear.
Ted tapped his wristband and smiled. “I have you. See the little green dot? That’s you. It says you’re transmitting.”
Mia smiled and made appreciative comments on his latest refinement to the portable communication linkup.
“And…”
“And what?”
“Why are we still here when we should be halfway across the fields headed for the hollow?”
“I asked Tonia to come along,” he admitted. “Cid too.”
Mia lifted an eyebrow. “We’re not going on a picnic; no need to pair up the group.”
“What? Oh, you don’t understand. I think it’s time to take the demon’s heart to the deer-woman to deal with. I’m not carrying it all that way. Cid volunteered.”
“We could take the truck,” Mia pointed out.
“They’re expecting us to come that way. This is more… more…”
“Backbreaking, sole-crunching?” Mia suggested.
“Appropriate. The settlers taking back their land, type of thing.”
Mia got up and pulled her pack onto her back. She picked up the sawed-off shotgun off the work bench and stuffed it in the back of her pants. “Come on, we’ve got to get started. They can follow.”
Mia opened up the door and walked smack into the side of a large white horse. She mumbled an apology to the animal and backed up and looked at the rider. Tonia Toh sat astride Airgead, holding the reins of White Fellow.
Ted walked over to the horse, put his foot in the stirrup and mounted the Arabian. “Come on, Mia, you can ride with me,” he said.
Mia hunched her shoulders, walked over and lifted her arm, and Ted hauled her up in front of him.
“Careful, buddy, there’s a saddle horn that’s being a bit too friendly,” Mia said, adjusting her seat. “Are you sure the horse doesn’t mind?” she asked nervously.
“White Fellow is a strong horse,” Tonia assured her. “Cid wouldn’t even think it over. He started hiking towards the hollow five minutes ago.”
“He’s not alone with the box is he?” Mia asked, panicked.
“Oh no, Murphy’s with him,” Tonia assured her. “And I’ve got the box strapped to the back of my saddle. Airgead’s not too fond of the weight but will bear it for me.”
She clicked her tongue, and Airgead started walking. White Fellow followed. Mia leaned back into Ted who seemed quite happy with the arrangement. They followe
d the path up to the hillside and turned west.
Burt stood on the porch with Maggie’s lead in one hand. Ted warned him that the dog may try to follow them, so Burt promised Ted he’d watch Maggie. Audrey came out to the porch, curious about what was going on.
“Just Mia and company going off to fight a demon,” he said, a bit disappointed that he hadn’t been asked along, and yet relieved for the same reason.
“I’ve met the thing, and I don’t envy them,” Audrey said, rubbing away the chilling memory. “Come on in and help me finish scanning the last of these papers. This way, Mia can return the rosewood box and put it and the hollow behind her forever.”
“You really think she’ll be able to do that?” Burt asked seriously.
“It will always be there like a scar on the landscape of her memories, Burt, but with time, she’ll not fear looking in that direction.”
“What if they don’t survive?” Burt asked, in spite of the conversation he had with Mia earlier about contacting Sabine so she could send Judy and Ed to continue the fight.
“Then we’ll have to do it. It must be done,” she said firmly. “It’s more than the clearing away of a pest. It’s about humanity not being tempted by the existence of that thing. People who straddle the fence on what’s good and what’s not won’t have any encouragement to jump over onto the dark side, not here in the hollow at least.”
Burt looked at her and screwed up his mettle to start a dialogue with her about their relationship. “Audrey, these last few months I’ve…”
A car pulling into the driveway took their attention away from their conversation for a moment.
Tom pulled the cruiser over and walked up to the porch.
“Mia, Ted, and Cid aren’t here,” Burt informed the deputy climbing the stairs.
“Miss Toh?”
“She’s gone too. They just rode out, heading for the hollow. Tom, they’re armed,” Burt cautioned. “They’re going to call out Mrs. Blackwell and the demon.”
“Just the five of them?” he asked.
“No, Angelo and Lorna are already out there watching the place. Word has it that all but the female spirits were neutralized last night.”
Tom looked at Burt and marveled at how calm the man seemed to be. “Why aren’t you there too?”
“I’m the backup. Me and Audrey,” he quickly corrected. “Until the shit hits the fan, we’re just going to sit here and bite our fingernails.”
“I don’t envy you. Waiting is the hardest job,” Tom said. “I’m headed out there if you want to come along.”
“No, I promised to stay here. Besides, I had my fill of the hollow nonsense two years ago.”
“I remember. I was there,” Tom said. “I’ll keep you informed,” he promised and ran down to his squad car.
Tom got in the car and immediately radioed dispatch.
Burt watched the car disappear and turned to find Audrey gone. He’d missed his chance and lost his courage to speak to her. Maggie looked up at him and whined. “I know, girl. I’m worried too.” He sat down and patted the side of his chair. “Come sit with me, and we’ll worry together.”
“Ahem,” Audrey said from the doorway. “I found this on the kitchen table. It’s addressed to you,” she said and handed him a large box and a letter.
He opened the letter and read for a moment. He opened the box and looked inside. He started laughing. “I thought they thought us worthless. Truth is, we are the most important part of their plan.”
Audrey watched while a big smile moved across his face. “What? What are we?”
“Plan B.”
“This is nice,” Mia said and admitted, “I’ve never been on a horse before.”
“Really? That surprises me,” Tonia said. “Ted, how long have you ridden?”
“This is the first time. I read a book about it once though.”
Mia, Tonia and Airgead looked back at Ted, amazed.
“Kidding,” he confessed. “I rode all the time when I was back in Kansas.”
“Well I’m gobsmacked,” Mia said. “Another thing I’m learning about you. You never cease to amaze me, Teddy Bear.”
“I played Curly in the outdoor production of Oklahoma when I was twelve, another thing that surprisingly didn’t impress the girls, and banned me from the he-man women-haters club. Wichita Chronicle said I was a natural. They said I should be in musical theater.”
“What happened?” Tonia asked.
“Balls dropped, voice changed and geekiness set in for ten years,” he said.
“Twenty years,” Mia corrected. “You’re still a geek.”
“Thank you, dear, for reminding me.”
“No problem, that’s what I’m here for,” Mia said.
Tonia shook her head. “Now, no fighting. Save it for, as your Cid puts it, the ghosties.”
“Surprisingly, that’s one of the few words he says that’s wrong,” Ted pointed out. “Every time he fills in an investigation report, the spellcheck tosses it out.”
“I don’t know why it matters. I’ve got a few words for those ghosties that spellcheck allows, but Burt still makes me change,” Mia informed them.
“Honey, you can’t put curse words in a report. It doesn’t matter that they are spelled right or used correctly,” Ted reminded her.
“They’re just colorful euphemisms,” Mia said in her defense.
“Yes, just colorful euphemisms.” Ted sighed.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Angelo soared over the hollow. He saw Cid walking with Murphy. Not too far behind them, he spotted two horses carrying Mia, Ted and Tonia. On the back of Tonia’s saddle was a misshapen bundle wrapped in a woven blanket. He morphed into a humming bird and hovered over the bundle.
“Hello, Angelo,” Mia said. “Nice to see you getting a workout this evening,” she teased.
He alit on the bundle.
“Yup, it’s the box, although you won’t really recognize it. A little bit of electricity, and that lead melts like butter,” Mia said.
Tonia twisted in the saddle and waved the bird away. “No hitchhikers,” she said, winking at Mia.
He flew off in the direction of the hollow.
“Hard to think of that big guy being that hummingbird,” Tona mused. “It appears I have some learning to do in reference to birdman magic.”
“It’s not scientific; my physic professors would get an ulcer trying to explain why that kind of thing just doesn’t happen. But they couldn’t explain Mia either,” Ted said.
“You mean her ability to bilocate?”
“No. They can’t explain why such a gorgeous, talented woman can’t cook sausages or row a boat.”
Mia didn’t know whether to be complimented or insulted. She just said, “I’m just a mystery that way.”
They caught up to Cid, and Mia slid from the horse to walk beside the investigator and Murphy. The group made their way through the lowland and up behind the graveyard. Mia pulled out her shotgun and loaded two shells. She clicked it shut.
The deer-woman heard the click of the weapon and turned around to see the small woman staring up at her. Lorna calmed the entity. “This is Mia, and she’s on our side.”
Mia looked at the deer-woman and asked, “Any activity?”
“Just the daughter of the house. She’s up there pulling weeds.” The creature pointed to the western hillside.
“Thank you.”
They heard the sound of a car moving down the road fast, its tires squealing as the cruiser took the turn a bit too quickly. Tom pulled his car over at the gate to the small graveyard and got out.
“Well, look who’s showed up to the party,” Mia said.
“Don’t go in there,” he ordered. “Wait for Ryan.”
“It’s not his fight,” Mia said, walking over to Tom.
“He’d argue that point. At least wait for the priests. Mia, I’ve got this bad feeling in the pit of my stomach that they,” he pointed at the house, “have more going on than we kno
w. I know an ambush when I see one.”
“How about if I just call them out. Nice and friendly like?”
Tom looked down at the determined woman and over at her husband and shook his head. “No. Not until Ryan gets here.”
Murphy walked up to the deputy and patted him on the back and nodded. “We wait.”
Mia glared at the farmer, giving him the you’re not the boss of me look, but he stubbornly stood his ground.
Alice looked over at the group of people congregating around the vehicle. She decided not to try and pass them. She could, had she been a dutiful daughter, gone by way of the dam and snuck in behind the house to warn her mother. But duty never got Alice any respect in life; she doubted it would afford her any in death. Besides, this wasn’t her fight. If her mother wanted to play all kissy kissy with a demon from hell, then it was up to her to pay the consequences.
She heard the approach of more vehicles and moved to the side of the road. First a twin to the parked car came roaring into the cul-de-sac, skirting the ruined gates and burnt-out vehicle. After it a flashy red sports car drove in and slowed down as it approached her. The passenger window lowered, and a kind older man dressed in black asked her, “Dear, do you need a lift?”
Alice May blushed and shook her head.
“If I were you, I’d hang back. I anticipate a little trouble that needs straightening out up ahead. Do you understand?”
“I do. I’ll just go and watch the fireflies over at the creekside until you are through.”