The TSA agent flattened her lips in a thin line.
Dad stepped in and said, “I'm quite sorry about their behavior. It's been a trying day. They're a bit... giddy.”
The TSA woman looked down at John, who had tears streaming out of his eyes. “Straighten up right now, young man!”
John whooped, trying to make a mad dash that looked like a drunken stagger.
Mom and Jade had mouths hanging agape, even my laid-back parents were somewhat embarrassed.
John's mouth started to twitch, but he managed to contain it. He was still making the funny mouth, trying not to burst out again, Mom was talking sternly to Jonesy, his back to us.
“I'm really sorry about that. I don't know what my problem was.”
“Arms up,” humorless said. “Turn-around. Next!”
John, suitably chagrined, walked over to Jade and me.
Dad, last through security, motioned for us all to huddle up. “Come close, fellas.” When we all leaned in, Dad looked straight at Jonesy. “I better not have any more of this behavior. Jonesy: control your bullshit.”
Jonesy blanched. I had ever heard Dad swear. A silence fell over our loose circle.
Dad straightened. “Follow me.”
He strode off. Jonesy and John trailed behind with their tails between their legs. I took Jade’s hand, and we walked beside Mom.
***
Tim Anderson just flat-out didn't believe us.
Dad tried to reason with him, but Anderson interrupted my dad with, “Dazzle me, guys.” He looked at me. “Can something die and you raise it?”
I gaped at him. “What? You mean like right here?”
Anderson shook his head and turned back to my dad. “Listen, Dr. Hart, I know you're the principal scientist with regard to the genome map. Terrific. But do you really expect me to put my—excuse me, ladies—nut-sack on the line for some wild stories about a five-point AFTD running amok with his friends and some shadowy government co-op dispatched to acquire him?”
He's starting to piss me off.
Dad began drumming his fingers on Anderson's desk. He looked as angry as I felt.
Mom huffed. “What would we have to possibly gain from making up a story about our own son?”
Anderson shrugged. “Who knows? I get whack-jobs all the time coming in here and spraying their lies all over. I'm not inclined to believe things on hearsay. I'm a journalist, guys.”
Dad slapped his hand on the desk, rattling the glass pen holder. “We are not crazy or making things up.” He waved at Jade.
Anderson leaned back in his chair, unfazed by Dad's outburst.
“Jade, show Mr. Anderson what's going on.”
Jade stood and walked over to Anderson. A predatory smile I’d never seen before played on her face.
“What are you doing, girlie?” Anderson asked her.
Jade just smiled wider then touched his shoulder. He jumped.
“Seeing,” she answered.
Emotions flew across her face as she read Anderson.
Anderson pushed her hand away. “That's enough of that.”
He looked pretty shaken.
Jade turned to Dad. “He wants an exclusive if he can have proof. Otherwise, it's just a wild goose chase.”
“Are you quoting him?” Mom asked.
“Yes... no. I mean, people think in images, and I saw geese in his head and him chasing them.”
“It's an old expression,” Anderson said quietly.
“He wants to go to the ghost cemetery,” Jade said.
He glared at her.
“Well, you didn't believe us,” I said.
Dad stood. “Let's do it. You see some of the evidence, and then you write something. Seems clear cut.”
“He will,” Jade said.
“Must be a nice skill, girlie,” Anderson said.
I grimaced.
“It's Jade, not 'girlie.’”
CHAPTER 36
The cemetery was exactly as I remembered it, except instead of being silvered by moonlight it had a hazy white quality. The evening sun hung low in the sky, slanting through the trees.
Tim Anderson strode forward, moving between the tombstones and heading toward the caretaker's cottage. He arrived at the front steps and turned around to face us. “Where, oh where, is the crashed stealth chopper? The gun casings? The knives? The remnants of battle?”
We all started scouring the graveyard. Apart from a few tromped-down places of flat grass between the graves, there wasn't a mark anywhere. I couldn’t believe it. There was no way they could have cleaned this place up overnight.
Jonesy opened his mouth, and Dad held up a finger in warning. I guess Dad was up to here with Jonesy.
Jonesy nodded then calmly asked, “What about the tombstone that got whacked by the chopper blade? And what about the blade that got stuck in the ground?”
We sprinted to the spot where we thought the chopper had landed. The marker was gone, completely gone. Only the hole where it had been was left.
“They took the whole damn thing!” Jonesy yelled.
Anderson bent down and trailed his fingers over the displaced dirt that hadn't been exposed in over a century. “You might have something here.”
John yelled from a few feet away, “Look at this!”
We ran over there. Well, we kids ran. The adults sort of walked fast. John pointed at a place where a huge gouge had been dug in the dirt. On either side was a crescent-moon shaped swath, like a smile, with the center being a deep well.
“Just a minute.” I ran over and grabbed a long stick from the nearby patch of trees. I returned and stuck it into the hole until I felt it touch bottom. I put my fingers on the stick at the lip of the hole, then pulled it out and held it against me.
Dad said, “That’s about four feet.”
“Looks like you guys might have been telling the truth,” Anderson said. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking up at the sky, then back at the wound in the earth. “Let’s go back to my office.”
*
Back at Anderson's office, where we passed through security unscathed by hysterics, we sat for a solid hour, telling our story. His pulse recorder loaded everything directly to his pulse-top.
A couple of times, Anderson remarked or asked a question to clarify something. But mostly, he just listened. Finally, we were finished.
“Well, that's one helluva story there. A real humdinger. I can understand you coming to me, or someone like me. I will do my best, tonight,” Anderson said.
“Tonight?” Dad asked.
“Yeah, my boss is going to be thrilled. But better than that, it offers a little protection for your kid there.” Anderson pointed at me. “I'm not a real introspective guy, but I'd say you've been given something special. It's how you use it that'll make a difference.”
Standing up, he offered his hand to Dad. “Sorry I was so tough on you in the beginning. It's been a pleasure. You've got a good kid here, Dr. Hart.”
“You can call me Kyle,” Dad said.
He smiled at me. “I know we do.”
“Those other two though...” Anderson waggled his finger at the Js. “They may be trouble.”
Then he laughed, taking the sting out of it.
CHAPTER 37
The article came out and sensationalized the paranormal community. People believed what they wanted to believe. Some thought it was a greatly exaggerated story about a bunch of teenagers who got together to be wild in cemeteries. Others thought the government was putting its nose where it didn't belong, endangering the new generation of kids.
Still others thought the drug cocktail gave humanity a key to power that came with a huge price tag.
Having survived the last few months, I had to agree.
Summer rolled out like a great sea of time before us. I had an awesome girlfriend, a terrific dog, and my best friends, the Js.
Life is good.
But in the quiet dark of my room, questions pressed at me before sleep
took hold. Where was Parker? What had they been planning for me? What had caused the electrical problem that ultimately saved us? Were we finished? That little voice in my head didn't think so.
A few days later, Jonesy asked if we could go raise some zombies. I told him no. I was zombied out.
But someday, that would change... sooner rather than later.
THE END
DEATH SPEAKS Synopsis
Caleb's in high school now and thinks the chaos of last year is behind him. Unfortunately, a serial killer is on the loose and children are his victims. Caleb agrees to help the police apprehend the murderer...until the killer takes notice of Caleb and his paranormal friends.
Carson and Brett remain the bullies they always were and their posse continues to grow. How long can the two groups stay out of each others' way before there's a firestorm of retribution...
The Government Graysheets continue to keep tabs on Caleb's every move while Jade's family threatens their relationship. Can they still be together even when events threaten to tear them apart?
DEATH SPEAKS
A Death Series Novel
Book 2
New York Times Bestselling Author
TAMARA ROSE BLODGETT
All Rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2011 Tamara Rose Blodgett
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
www.tamararoseblodgett.com
TRB Facebook Fan Page
Editing suggestions provided by Stephanie T. Lott
Synopsis
Caleb's in high school now and thinks the chaos of last year is behind him. Unfortunately, a serial killer is on the loose and children are his victims. Caleb agrees to help the police apprehend the murderer...until the killer takes notice of Caleb and his paranormal friends.
Carson and Brett remain the bullies they always were and their posse continues to grow. How long can the two groups stay out of each others' way before there's a firestorm of retribution...
The Government Graysheets continue to keep tabs on Caleb's every move while Jade's family threatens their relationship. Can they still be together even when events threaten to tear them apart?
DEDICATION:
Danny, “You're hired...”
Prologue
I'm Caleb Hart, still the son of the famous scientist who mapped the human genome back in 2010... but I'm down with that now.
In 2025 my paranormal ticket was punched and I began raising zombies... accidentally. After narrowly escaping the Graysheets, (a super-secret bunch of government creepers bent on making us robots for their Evil Plan). I managed to get a great girlfriend, Jade, all-that-is-girl, survive Brett and Carson's full attention, and was ready for freshmen year at Kent Paranormal High (KPH).
I have a cop that might be trustworthy named Garcia. He and his new partner, Bobbi Gale (she's got the undead vibe too), really want some help finding the person responsible for the deaths of all those kids we ran into as ghosts last year at the caretakers shack...
Journalist Tim Anderson wrote the cool article spotlighting the Graysheets so they'd get off my back. But some nights I lie awake, thinking about my counterpart, Jeffrey Parker, and what he spends his time doing for them.
Jade's dad was in prison for a month for resisting arrest and assaulting a minor. Too bad he can't be put away forever, ʼcuz I know he'll pop out of his drunken toaster to make us miserable again.
My thoughts frequently stray to Clyde, my main corpse...he could be a really righteous commando for an undead team. You never know when you'll need one.
Onyx is a teen's best friend and (except for Jade) the best addition of last year.
I'm feeling a little stressed out about my freshman year in high school and how my Affinity for the Dead class will flesh out (hardy-har-har), but if I can survive last year, I can do anything.
But right now it's late summer and the school year threatens to descend and shatter the fun of it all. How will I get through one day in school without the Js as my tag team? It won't be the same without Jonesy, but it'll be great to have Brett going to derelict KM where his ass belongs. I guess I'll just have to wade through it all like everyone else, me and the gang... minus a J.
CHAPTER ONE
“Go in, Caleb” Jonesy said, arms crossed across his chest, standing gooseflesh riding his forearms like chicken skin.
“I will. I'm working up to it.”
John Terran, Mark “Jonesy” Jones and I were all standing on the dock looking out over the murky waters of Lake Tapps. Mom had given us a ride out to Gramps' who had lived on the lake (since the dawn of time) in a small house with the biggest (illegal as hell) lawn in the entire universe. Jade and the girls were the smart ones, beach towels thrown beneath them, sunning themselves on the lawn.
Jade looked up, her eyes shadowed by her hand. “Go ahead Caleb, you've been diving in all summer. You can't let Jonesy be the only one.”
Easy for her to say. None of the girls wanted to be lakesicles.
Jonesy gave me his best Devious Look and smiled. John's eyebrows shot up to his hairline, I knew that look, he meant business.
Jade had made her comment and flopped her head back down on the towel, looking every inch the hottie lounging in a patch of sun. Sophie and Tiff lay on either side of her. But my eyes were only for Jade. She wore a bikini that was about the size of the floss I hated using, in a mouthwatering tangerine that shimmered in the afternoon light. Sophie was wearing a turquoise suit that set off her dark skin and light sea-colored eyes while Tiff had exchanged her trademark hoodie for a bikini top and shorts. Huh.
Jonesy leaned in quietly, “The girls look really dry right now.”
“Alarmingly,” John concurred.
“That's what I was thinking,” I said.
Tiff must've known something was brewing because she had the eagle eye trained on the three of us and sat up, looking alert.
Too late. We sprinted for the girl posse and Tiff was up and off her towel taking off before Jade and Sophie had barely cleared the terry cloth.
I grabbed Jade as she was trying to take off from behind, wrapping my arms around her and pinning her to my chest as I lifted her bodily off the lawn. “Caleb!” she squealed, and I lurched down the long dock, with her flailing and squealing where I heaved her off the end into the lake. Jonesy followed, with a bellowing Sophie and then there was John. Where was John? I wondered as Jade bobbed to the surface, sputtering and fuming.
John was having a helluva time getting Tiff to cooperate. His lankiness and reach drawing her in and her shrieking at the top of her lungs, “Knock it off, Terran or I'll de-jewel you!” giving John pause, as he deftly avoided her fast feet.
Finally, when Tiff and John were battling it out, he swung her with the arm he had latched onto, and she started to sail off the end of the deck. John had a huge grin on his face until her free arm swung around, using the momentum he had started and she latched on to him and their combined weight took them both over the edge into the icy water.
Jonesy looked over the edge of the deck at an enraged Sophie and an irritated (and very wet) Jade. “Looks like Terran ended up going first after all.”
Right.
I turned around thinking I was going to have to suck it up and heave Jade out of the lake on the dock ladder when Gramps appeared out of nowhere. Cripes, he was kind of a ninja.
A long cigarette dangled out of his mouth, the ash about two inches long. Just as I thought it'd fall to the ground he flicked it, stuffing it back in his mouth, his eyes narrowing. “I thought Terran was the smart one?”
<
br /> “Well...” how to defend this, “he, ah, fell in by accident.”
“Accidents will happen,” Gramps said, winking. He totally knew.
He turned around without saying a word and went back to using that dumb push-mower thing on his half-acre of illegal lawn.
Jonesy looked after Gramps. “He's kinda weird, Caleb.”
Gramps turned around, his eyes lasering Jonesy.
He jumped, saying quietly, “He couldn't have heard me.”
Gramps kept on walking, throwing over his shoulder, “Yes, I did!”
I laughed; Gramps had it goinʼ on for an old dude!
I raced over to the ladder to pull Jade up.
“No-oh, you get your butt in here Caleb Hart, I'm all used to it now!” She crossed her arms in front of her, feet moving to tread the water. Tiff sat glaring at John who looked like a drenched greyhound, mopish hair plastered over his head and bones sticking out everywhere like tent poles.
“I'm not asking anyone for help and you...!” Sophie glared at Jonesy. “Your ass is mine!” Sophie said, swimming over to the ladder and heaving herself up, while Jonesy touched a hand to his chest, who me?
“Come on Jade, I won't dump you in again, I promise.” I gave her my most sincere look.
She said, “Okay, but help me out.”
“Okay,” I said, walking over to the ladder, she obviously wasn't as mad as I thought she'd be. I leaned over the top of the two poles that began the rungs and extended my palm, which Jade grabbed then pulled with her body weight...
...and in I went.
The water slammed into my body like an icy slap, taking my breath away. I spun in the water, heading up toward the surface. I was gonna tickle Jade until she peed, that's what I was gonna do. Then the talking started. The fish...
The Death Series, Books 1-3 (Dark Dystopian Paranormal Romance): Death Whispers, Death Speaks, and Death Inception Page 31