by Stratton, M.
She opened the door and went into the house. Before the door could close completely, I yanked it back open. “Look, can you blame me for wanting to spend some time with you? If you are psychic like you say, I need to know more about my grandmother. What was going on those last few weeks? Why didn’t she let me know what was going on? I can’t believe she just died in her sleep. That isn’t like her.”
“Death hardly ever takes us like we live. There’s nothing more I can give you that you would accept.”
“How do you know?” She raised an eyebrow at me again. Now I knew this was going to be normal between us. “Okay, so I’m technically not a believer, but that doesn’t mean I can’t listen.”
“Listening and hearing are two different things.”
She stood back in the shadows of the house while I was still outside in the light, staring at me, not saying a word. I wanted to squirm under the pressure, I was sure it was my imagination, but I felt like she was trying to read my mind, and that scared the crap out of me.
Since I was never one who liked to back down, I met her eyes and didn’t look away. There we stood, I had no idea for how long, gazing into each other’s eyes. A sense of calm came over me and I found myself instinctively stepping into her home and closer to her, until only inches separated us.
I could honestly say, I’d never had anything like this happen to me before. I had heard of people having their life pass before their eyes when they were dying, but to have your life, the life you haven’t even lived yet with someone you had just met, flash before your eyes was unnerving.
My fingers itched to touch her, every inch of her. My heart swelled in my chest and I wanted to throw her over my shoulder and hide her away in my cave. Far away from anything that could harm her.
She held her hand up to touch me or to stop me. I had no idea, but I placed mine on hers. Something happened at the simple human contact, and I swore I could hear the click of our hearts resetting, and they began to beat in time with each other.
Lacing our fingers together, I pulled her closer to me and used my other arm to wrap around her waist. The whole time, our eyes never strayed from the other. “What are you doing to me,” I whispered.
“I’m psychic, not a witch. I’m not doing anything.”
“Then what’s happening?”
“All you have to do is look into your heart to know. But you’re not ready yet.”
“Right now, my heart is beating a fucking mile a minute and it’s compelling me to stay.”
“Then why do you want to leave so bad?” Her head tilted to the side and once again, I felt like she was trying to get into my thoughts.
I couldn’t keep the anger out of my voice. “Stay out of my head.”
“It doesn’t work that way.” There was no judgement or anger on her part towards me barking at her.
“Then why don’t you tell me how it works?”
“Because you aren’t ready to listen.”
“And you know this how?”
“Dominic, it’s written all over you.” She smiled sadly at me. “There are many things that need to happen before this, whatever it is we have, can be fulfilled.”
“What things?” My frustration was starting to creep into my voice.
“Things that are not known now, but will be soon.”
“Do you always talk in riddles?”
“Since when do you hate riddles? Your grandmother said you loved them as a boy. But you aren’t a boy any longer.” She tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. “No, no, that little boy has been lost for a long time.”
“Stop.” I pulled away from her and took a few steps back and shook my head, trying to clear it. “I don’t believe in this. I need hard answers, not things you pick out of the air that may or may not come true.”
For the first time, she seemed annoyed. Slamming her purse down on the kitchen counter, she went over to the refrigerator and yanked it open, bending over to pull two water bottles off of the bottom shelf. Without asking, she threw one to me. Easily catching it, I decided to keep my mouth closed and see what she was up to.
Rolling her shoulders, she tipped her head from one side to the other as she walked across the room casually toeing her shoes off before she sat down on the couch. Tucking her feet up under her, she rubbed her hands together. “Sit down,” she commanded. “And don’t say a word.”
I sat down in one of the two chairs around the small kitchen table, wondering what was going to happen. So slowly it started, I wasn’t aware of anything strange until the hair on my arm started standing up on end. Looking down at my arm, I couldn’t believe what was happening. My reporter brain tried to catalog and remember every little thing that was happening, but I knew I’d never be able to remember it all. My logical brain knew it had to be some trick of the setting sun coming in from the window behind me that made her look like she was glowing.
“You came here looking for answers, and you’ll find them, just not where you originally thought they’d be. While you are partially true, I am the reason your grandmother died, I had nothing directly to do with it. There are forces here you know nothing about, things you’d rather bury your head in the sand and never admit they were possible.”
She paused for a moment and her head tilted to side, like you do when you are trying to hear something. “Rory talked to you about the Halloween parties we have around here? You made some kind of comment about it being early and you don’t want to go.”
Watching her, I noticed she used her fingers to keep some beat only she could hear, tapping on her knee. She would speed up and then slow down. It seemed to be faster when she was “listening” and slower when she was talking.
“Something, something is going to happen then. No… no… something already has happened, but we won’t know about it until tomorrow. Not good… no… not good at all…”
I wanted so bad to use my reporter skills to ask questions, see if I could get more out of her, but she told me not to say anything.
“Something wants in… going back, back, back, it’s been hiding, waiting… playing, it’s all a game to it. Toying with us, thinks nothing of the value of human life… It likes to play, to destroy, it like to influence people to do evil…I don’t want to run again… so much pain coming.”
Just then, the sun dipped below the skyline and her small trailer was dark.
“Oh Dominic, this isn’t the darkness you need to be worried about. The one that has taunted me for years doesn’t like to be so obvious. This one hides in the least likely places so you won’t see it coming. You’re at a crossroads, which way are you going to go?”
Her eyes rolled back in her head and then her head tipped back. Very slowly, it moved from side to side and her arms started stretching out from their resting position on her knees. Her fingers moved as if she was stiffly playing the piano.
The urge to go to her, shake her, make her come back from wherever she went, was powerful. I could feel it, something was wrong.
A deep, slow, menacing laugh rumbled from her chest. “Well, boy, you could try to release her from where I hold her, but neither one of you would survive.” Awkwardly, her head turned to look at me. “You are going to be so much fun to play with. I love to play, they don’t call me The Destroyer for nothing. I can’t wait to hear your screams.” Her tongue flicked out. “And taste your fear. Oh, there it is, so faint. Really, boy, you should be much more afraid. You have no idea what you are dealing with,” it hissed.
Up until this moment, everything had been playing in slow motion, but suddenly it all sped up. In one fluid move, she leapt over the coffee table and stood in front of me. The chair crashed behind me as I stood to face her, it, whatever it was that had possessed her.
“Oh yes, boy, I love when I find one that has a little fight in them. You’ll do nicely. Your will is so strong,” she whispered. “We’re going to have so much fun together, well, I will. What’s that?” She tipped her head. “Oh, seems someone is trying to pus
h me away.” Tapping the side of her head. “She thinks the two of you can beat me.” Licking her lips, she moved in closer. “Let me tell you a secret,” her voice deepened. “No one ever makes it out alive.” Cackling, she tipped her head back.
One second her body was filled with tension, and the next, it was as if someone had cut the strings on a puppet and she collapsed into my arms.
Chapter Five
Esmerelda
I slowly came to, wrapped in Dom’s arms. My body was so weak it could barely shake from the fatigue and shock of what happened. “Juice,” I whispered. “Please… juice.”
My thoughts were sluggish as he gently picked me up and laid me down on the couch. I was thankful the kitchen was so small, it didn’t take him long to find a glass and pour some juice into it. The man might have pissed me off, but I was a helpless kitten as he supported my shoulders so I could drink. As the cool liquid flowed through my body, I felt like I was slowly coming back to myself.
When I finished the glass, I looked at him. “More. Just bring the whole carton.” I enjoyed the few moments of silence. I knew he was formulating his questions, and once they started, it was going to be a long time before they were finished.
Right then, being a lady was the furthest thing from my mind, I grabbed the carton he offered me and drank straight from it until it was empty. Closing my eyes, I took some deep breaths, hoping to calm my nerves.
“Are you strong enough to talk?” his voice wavered with concern.
Looking at him, I could see his whole body was tense and he kept looking around, waiting for an attack of some kind. “Go ahead and close the drapes, please. It will make both of us feel better. Not so much like there is someone peeking in the windows at us.”
Carefully, I stood, making sure my feet were steady under me before taking a tentative step towards my small pantry. Pulling out a box of one of the most disgusting, sugary kid’s cereal I’d ever had, I ripped the top open and started shoving handfuls into my mouth.
“Hungry?”
I tried to smile and chew faster, bouncing my head around, trying not to make the situation any more awkward as I finally swallowed. “Sorry, this isn’t normal. It’s only happened a few times in my life, usually in October when the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest. When they are anxious to be heard. Each time, I needed some fast energy to bring my blood sugar back up. A typical reading for someone doesn’t take much out of me, even if I’m reading all night at a fair or carnival. It’s these ones that blindside me, when someone tries to push me out so they can talk, those are the ones that use up every bit of energy I have.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “But not all, you still had some left, what if they took everything?”
“I die,” I said matter-of-factly.
“You die, that’s it. Just bam, oops, sorry, we sucked too much life out of you trying to get our message across. Anyway, welcome to the afterlife?”
I shook my head. “You don’t understand how it works.”
“Tell me.”
“I will.” I grabbed another carton of juice and sat down on the couch and tucked my feet under me. Between handfuls of cereal, I told him what I knew. “Normally, it isn’t like that. Very, very rarely will someone try to take over, I’m not a medium where I talk to the dead all the time. I’m a clairvoyant. But I do get a feeling, a sense when someone is around who wants to force me out so they can have their say. And then once they are done, I’m back.” I sighed. “How to explain it? Did you ever go over to a friend’s house and you weren’t supposed to be there, and they quickly shove you in a closet and lean up against the door so you can’t get out? All the while, you can hear what is going on, but you can’t come out because then you’ll both get in trouble? That’s what it’s like, a little scary being in a dark, confined place, but ultimately, you know once the parent is gone, you’ll be let out, and it never lasts long.”
“Yeah, I get that. But tonight wasn’t like that, was it?”
“No, not even close. It blindsided me, I don’t want to say it knocked me out, because that isn’t right. I had no power. I’m strong, I’ve been dealing with this my whole life.” I tapped the side of my head. “I can hold my own, but there was absolutely nothing I could do. It pushed me aside and all I could do was see if I could find my way out of absolute darkness.” I tilted my head to the side and looked at him. “You know when you’re in that closet hiding, there is still light. It comes from under the door or around the edges, and while it’s dark, it isn’t pitch black. Usually, everyone carries light with them, some brighter than others, so even if they push me aside, I never feel alone and I can still see. But tonight, there was nothing. I even had to strain to hear what you were saying. That thing that I heard, it called itself a destroyer.”
“That’s what he said, do you know what it is?” He took out a notebook and started making notes. I had to admit, I loved the fact it was pen and paper and not some form of technology.
“It sounds familiar, I’m going to have to do some research. I should be able to find out easy enough.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “You aren’t going to call it out, are you?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I can honestly say I never want something like that to happen to me again. No. You need to hurry up and get past your reservations so we can stop it.”
“Stop it from doing what?”
“Ruining lives, causing chaos. Turning people against each other. There’s already been so much death, and there will be more, especially anyone that means anything to us. It will create more unless we can stop it.”
Chapter Six
Dominic
“Death. That thing has already killed? And has more on the agenda?”
“Dominic, remember I said that it was kind of the absence of light? That thing is pure evil, there is nothing good about it. One kill or a thousand means nothing to it.”
“I didn’t sign up for this.”
“No, you came here looking to see what I did to take money from your grandmother and how I killed her.” She stood up. “Well, I didn’t kill her, but I’m sure that thing could have. Now we need to stop it.”
“Seriously? Do you hear yourself? What are we talking about here? A demon? The Devil? What? And just how in the hell can we stop something like that?”
“So you at least believe in Heaven and Hell? God and the Devil? Because that would be a good start.”
“Of course I do.”
“It’s not that simple, there is more to life and death than Heaven and Hell. You don’t believe I’m psychic, yet you casually ask if we are dealing with a demon or the Devil.” She shook her head.
“I might not have believed this morning, but now I’m questioning everything.”
“Well, there’s something good.” She rolled her eyes. “I guess we can just kick back and relax now.”
“Do you really think sarcasm is the best course of action right now?”
She sighed. “You’re right. Sorry, I’m still not back to my normal self.” Gracefully, she stood and walked a few steps back to the kitchen.
As she leaned down to look in the refrigerator, I was able to appreciate the long lines of her body. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was that drew me to her. There was part of me that wanted to run as far and as fast as I could, the other part wanted to protect her from that thing.
“You hungry?” She looked over her shoulder at me. “There isn’t enough to eat here. I’m going to order a pizza, you want some?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Anything you don’t like on it?”
“I’m fine with whatever.” I felt like a first class idiot, like the connection between my brain and my body had a slow connection. Usually I could string more than five words together at a time, not to mention, I never had an issue stating what I wanted. I wondered if that thing was still around, maybe in my head.
“Don’t worry, if it was in your head, you’d know it.” She shivere
d.
“Wait. How did you know what I was thinking?” My stomach sank, what if she could read my mind? Would she know I was just checking her out? That I was drawn to her? If she was a scammer, she could use that her to advantage.
“Stop.” She held up her hand. “No, I don’t know exactly what you are thinking. Sometimes I get feelings about the other person, other times it comes from being able to read someone’s body language. I’ve had to hone my skills over the years to be able to stay safe. There’s nothing more to it. I cannot read your mind. And I’m thankful for that, I’d hate to have everyone else’s thoughts running around in mine.” She shook her head. “No, mine are enough.”
I was curious about one things she said and wanted to know more. “What do you mean to stay safe?”
“Hold on.” She sat back down on the couch and picked up her phone to call in our order. “First there was when I was a kid. I’ve always been different, and different kids get picked on. We moved around a lot on top of that, so I was always the new girl. I loved the first few days, when the other kids would try to be my friend, that is until it became clear I wasn’t like them. Then my hell would begin until we moved again.”
The thought of her as a child being picked on by other kids touched me. I could picture her as a child, large eyes, wanting to fit in so badly, but never being able to.
“The older I became, the worse it got. Boys wanted to see how far they could get with the freak, they wanted to make me believe they wanted me, that someone actually wanted me, so they could break my heart. Think Carrie by Stephen King without the pig’s blood.”
I didn’t want to think about it. My blood started to boil at how cruel people could be. “Did they…” I couldn’t finish the statement, I wanted to know and didn’t want to know at the same time.
“No” She tapped the side of her head. “I always get a warning when something is about to happen. Might only be a few minutes, but sometimes that is all you need to save yourself.”