“No, you don’t understand, this is not a game.”
“Don’t be silly, I’ve seen this done on TV hundreds of times.”
“This could be dangerous, something could go wrong. When I was a kid I remember hearing stories of people conjuring up ghosts with the Ouija board. Ghosts that killed and maimed!”
“Those are just urban legends. Besides, we already have the ghosts, and we’re not using a Ouija board.” Insistently she shook her open hands at Maddy and waited for her to comply.
Maddy stared at her new friend a moment. “I don’t know, Ang, what did you say about malevolent beings?”
“Those are rare. Besides, if you had one of those, you would be dead already. Now shush and give me your hands.”
“Great, I feel so much better.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm. Reluctantly Maddy relinquished her hands.
“Okay, close your eyes and I’ll do the rest.”
Angie was quiet a moment, then said, “We are addressing the spirits that live in this house, tell us why you are here.”
The women sat in silence, waiting.
Maddy squinted with one eye. “It’s not working, maybe we should give up.” She pulled her hands back.
“Shh!” Angie opened her eyes and snatched Maddy’s hands back impatiently. “We are addressing the spirits that live in this house. Show us a sign!” Angie spoke a little louder this time.
Again, nothing. The women sat in silence looking around the room, then at each other.
Suddenly the fire in the hearth flared up twice its size, reaching out toward them, knocking the screen down with its force. They screamed and jumped out of the way. A door slammed upstairs, then another. Doors all over the house slammed one at a time.
Maddy swallowed hard. “Ang,” she whispered.
“Shh,” When all was silent again, Angie yelled at the ceiling. “Tell us why you are here?”
“Angie, please. Don’t make them mad!” Maddy pleaded in a hushed tone while she held tight to her friend’s arm.
“It’s okay. They’re just acknowledging our presence.” Angie assured her, patting her hand.
A crash came from behind.
They spun around.
A lamp from the end table smashed against the opposite wall.
Maddy gasped.
Out of nowhere, a book flew toward Angie, she ducked just in time.
Maddy screamed, her head jerked backward.
“What?” Angie turned in time to see Maddy’s hair floating in the air.
“Someone just yanked my hair, hard!” Maddy answered rubbing the back of her head.
Then, all at once, the room broke out into utter chaos. The lights flickered on and off. Objects began flying through the air, aimed directly at their heads; Books, lamps, porcelain figurines.
The china cabinet’s doors were opening, then slamming shut. Finally it gave up its treasures, china started flying in all directions landing with a loud crash as each item hit the walls.
The women bobbed and weaved their way through the room.
“The door!” Angie yelled. “Head for the front door.”
Maddy made it there first. Just as she reached out for the knob, a shard of glass came out of nowhere and sliced through her arm. “Ahh!” She screamed. Her hand instinctively grabbed at the pain, blood seeped through her fingers.
Angie caught up. Hand locked on the knob, she twisted, but it wouldn’t turn. Her hand merely slid around the surface.
“Ang! Come on, we’ve got to get out of here!” Maddy was nervously patting her on the back.
“I’m trying, but the knob won’t budge. Maybe the door’s locked!”
They were yelling to be heard over the whirlwind of flying debris.
“Well, unlock it!” Maddy insisted.
Angie twisted the lock, finally it released, but when she removed her hand from the deadbolt, it snapped shut again.
Out of her peripheral vision, Maddy noticed movement above her head and looked up. The chandelier hanging above their heads, swayed back and forth as if someone were swinging on it. She grabbed Angie by the wrist. “Come on, out the back!”
She ran toward the kitchen, then screeched to a halt. The doorway leading from the dining room was blocked, chairs were stacked, one on top of the other as high as the ceiling. She skirted to the right, down the hall toward the laundry room.
When they finally made it to the kitchen, they gasped in unison. All the cupboards were opening and closing; pots, pans, forks, knives, spatulas, were all flying around the room in a circle like a top.
Angie turned toward the door, shoved Maddy out of the way, and grabbed the handle. Just as quickly, she screamed and withdrew.
“What is it?”
Angie held her hand up to her face. “I think I just burned my hand,” she answered.
“Let me see.” Maddy reached up for her wrist, pulled her hand to eye level. Blisters formed before her very eyes, the smell of burning flesh permeated the room. “Jesus, Ang, we’ve got to get you to a hospital.”
Angie didn’t say anything, just stared at her hand.
“Angie,” Maddy grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. The look on her face was scaring her, Angie’s eyes glazed over. “Angie!” Maddy yelled. No reaction, she hauled off and slapped her hard across the face.
“Ouch, what did you do that for?” Angie’s hand came up to her cheek.
“She’s baaack.” Maddy sang like the little girl from the poltergeist movie.
“What?” Angie blinked a couple times, her eyes focused. Just like that she was in the present. “Shit.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“Okay, repeat after me.” Angie yelled. “Our Father, who art in Heaven…”
Maddy joined her in The Lord’s Prayer.
They stood with their backs to door, yelling at the top of their lungs, repeating it over and over again until their voices were hoarse.
Finally, everything crashed to the floor and they covered their ears. When they took their hands away, all was silent. They heard the front door blow open and slam against the wall.
“Go!” Angie yelled, then sprinted toward the front of the house, leaping over debris.
“Run run run!” Maddy was close behind pushing her with her hands.
When Angie got outside, she turned around and noticed that Maddy had stopped in the driveway and stared back at the house. “Get in the car; we’ve got to get you to the hospital before you bleed to death!” Angie yelled in panic.
“But my purse is in there. I need my keys!”
“No! My keys are in the ignition. Can you drive a stick?”
“Yes!” Maddy turned away from the house and raced to the jeep.
“Good, because I’m useless with this hand. Come on, I’ll direct you.” Angie climbed into the passenger’s side.
Maddy jumped into the driver’s seat, turned the ignition, then stopped-blood was all over her hand. She wiped it off on her pants and looked at Angie. “How are we going to explain our injuries?”
“Domestic dispute?” Angie giggle, then her face sobered.
Maddy raised her eyebrows. Angie must be punchy to be making jokes at a time like this.
“I don’t know, but we have thirty minutes to figure it out. Angie opened her glove box, “Here, let me tie this bandanna around your arm.” She retrieved the scarf, Maddy held it in place while Angie used her good hand and her teeth to tie the tourniquet tight around her wound.
“Thanks,” she said.
“Now drive!” Angie yelled.
Maddy put the car in gear and punched her foot down on the accelerator, tires spun on gravel before taking hold, jerking them forward toward the street. She had a hard time manipulating the vehicle once she’d made the hard left onto the road, over correcting to the right, then left again. Eventually she gained control and sped off toward town.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Something had been bothering Doug all day, but he couldn’t quite put a finger on
it. All he knew was he needed to talk to Maddy. Common sense told him he was being irrational, yet something kept needling the back of his mind.
It wasn’t merely that he missed her, although he must admit he did. He felt instinctively that something was wrong. He was certain the tricks her mind was playing had to do with the loss of her family. Still, something felt off.
Unfortunately, he had no choice, he was stuck at the firehouse. He’d been trying to reach her all day, but the phone just kept ringing incessantly. He knew she could have been busy during the day, perhaps in town. But now it was nine at night. “Where the hell are you, Maddy? Pick up the phone. Please!”
Out of desperation, he called his friend Lanny who lived on the same side of the island. He could easily drive by to check things out. The phone was answered on the fourth ring.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Lanny, it’s Doug.”
“Hey, Doug, what’s up? I thought you were working.”
“Yeah, I am. Look, I’ve been trying to get a hold of Maddy up at the old Heller place, I can’t seem to reach her. Would you mind driving by to make sure she’s okay?”
“I wouldn’t mind, but she’s been with my crazy sister all day. They probably went dancing up at the Moose Head and are picking up a couple of guys as we speak.”
“Maddy’s with Angie? How the hell did that happen?” Doug asked, perplexed. They were as different as night and day.
“I’m not sure. One minute Maddy’s in the store buying paint supplies. Next thing I know, Ang is telling me she’s leaving and off they go playing tag team!” Lanny said.
“I see. Well, thanks, never mind.”
As Doug hung up he was still worried, but now for a completely different reason. Maddy with Angie? How could he have been so wrong about a woman? The thought thoroughly depressed him.
* * *
When Maddy awoke back at the old Heller house, she was a little worse for wear. It was safe now that they had exorcized the ghosts, or demons, or whatever had plagued the house.
She had dropped Angie off at her home around two a.m. feeling bad about her burns, as if they were her fault somehow. The doctor couldn’t say when Angie would regain the full use of her hand, just that she should see her regular doctor the following day and have the bandages changed.
Maddy had required several stitches and her arm ached. The doctor had given her some pills for the pain, but she doubted she would be taking any. She had to keep her wits about her; she had a lot to do today.
As she swung her legs over the side of the bed, she stopped. Her muscles complained loudly, her entire body felt as if it had been tossed around inside a cement mixer. Her head was pounding; well maybe she would just take a couple of Advil. Raising her hand to the back of her head, the memory of her hair being yanked seeped into her consciousness.
Not fully awake, she descended the stairs. When she reached the bottom she looked up and groaned. Images of the night before flashed through her head. The entire first floor looked even worse than she’d remembered. The armchairs lay on their sides, tables upended, broken glass, books, and lamps littered the floor. “My God, I’ll never be able to clean up this mess!” she said as she surveyed the mass destruction.
By carefully stepping over the debris, she made it to the kitchen unscathed. She was amazed to find a mug still intact among the rubble. In fact, oddly enough, everything fragile was still in place; glasses, mugs, plates. She looked at the clock on the stove, it was noon. Coffee in hand, she walked through the laundry room to reach the phone in the hall. She decided she should check on Angie to see if she needed anything.
The doctor didn’t seem to believe their explanation of the accident, they didn’t care. It was far better to tell him that Angie had burned her hand on a pot, and she had cut her arm running to her rescue.
She got hold of Angie’s mother and found she was still asleep. After asking her to have her call when she awoke, she called her grandmother and found out her aunt had been admitted to the hospital with pneumonia the day before. Her grandmother seemed to be taking it rather well, relieved that her sister was getting the professional help she needed.
Finished with her calls, Maddy glanced around the room and sighed. She had no idea where to begin, but she couldn’t procrastinate any longer. She marched back into the kitchen, took out a new box of extra large trash bags, grabbed the broom, the dustpan and set to work. As she swept up the broken shards of glass, she wondered if she should buy stock in Hefty.
By seven that night, she had placed the last trash bag on the porch. She was bushed. After eating a bowl of soup, she decided to check on Angie again.
The call was brief, Angie was on heavy medication. She told her to just hold onto her jeep, she wouldn’t need it for awhile, then she warned Maddy to get out of the house!
Maddy assured her friend that everything was okay, the ghosts were gone. Angie got agitated and told her she would not be coming back to that house. When she said good-bye, Angie begged her to be careful.
On the stairs where she sat, she pondered her friend’s warning. Should she be frightened? Wasn’t the nightmare over? Surely the prayers the night before did the trick. After all, everything did stop.
After a time, Maddy decided to go to bed. She couldn’t think straight anymore, she was just too tired.
Sometime in the night Maddy realized she was shivering, with eyes still closed she felt around for the blanket. When her hands came up empty, she squinted and scanned the area around her. The covers were nowhere to be found.
She opened her eyes.
It was so cold, her breath was visible. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked to the window.
It was closed.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention. She had the gnawing feeling that someone was watching her. The moon hung low in the sky parallel to her window, it would be morning soon. Her eyes darted around the room, she was alone.
Suddenly it appeared.
A large dark figure loomed at the foot of the bed. She gasped. A deep sinister laugh filled the room. Her pounding heart echoed in her ears. Her breath escaped in quick, shallow pants.
Without warning, strong hands grabbed her ankles and yanked so hard she slid to the end of the bed, her tee-shirt bunched up under her arms. She screamed. It felt as if her bones were being crushed.
Abruptly her legs dropped over the end of the bed, the shadow vanished. She sat up warily and pulled her tee-shirt down shaking so violently, her teeth chattered. She couldn’t gain control over her body. Her eyes scanned the room to see where the thing went.
The pain in her ankles throbbed, she didn’t know if she could stand. Could some of the bones be broken? Then out of nowhere, an unseen hand struck her across the face so hard she fell off the bed.
A hard blow hit her stomach as if someone had kicked her. She doubled over, gasping for air. She couldn’t see her assailant, but knew he was still there. She heard heavy breathing.
There was a deep masculine voice accompanied by a gust of wind. “You should know better than to make me angry, Madeline.” The words were slow, her name drawn out with malicious intent.
She turned her head in the direction of the sound, but no one was there. A strike across her other cheek made her head hit the side of the dresser, then she was out.
* * *
Doug was sleeping soundly in his bunk when he awoke with a jolt. He sat up and looked around, he was at the station. His mind was filled with uncontrollable angst. Something was wrong. He looked at the window, almost dawn.
He jumped out of bed and ran to the phone. He dialed Maddy’s number impatiently waiting as it rang, five, six, seven times. The first thing I’m going to when I get back is to get that girl an answering machine! He’d already left countless messages on her cell phone, but she had told him she needed a new battery. Ever since she had been in that house, it just wouldn’t hold a charge.
It was imperative he talk to her now! Staring at the pho
ne he wondered what to do, then the alarm sounded, a fire. “Shit, not now!” Slamming the phone down, he dashed back to slip into his gear.
* * *
The sun was up the next time Maddy opened her eyes. She rubbed her head, felt a welt the size of a golf ball. She got herself onto all fours, then with the aid of the dresser, pulled herself up before collapsing on the bed. The room was spinning. Her mind tried to make sense of what had happened. If not for the pain, she would have thought the incident a complete hallucination.
She crawled to the head of the bed in search of the Advil, counted out four, and threw them into her mouth washing them down with stale water. She fell onto the pillows, the effort too much.
She passed out.
The next time she woke, it was after eleven a.m. Gingerly, she raised herself into a sitting position and warily scanned the room. She seemed to be alone, but how could she know for sure? She rose from the bed and stood for a moment, holding her breath, waiting for the worst to happen. When nothing did, she exhaled slowly and limped into the hall, the pain in her ankles throbbing. Still she felt alone, no cold spots, no heavy breathing, no dark shadows, nothing.
She stood at the top of the stairs. Slowly she made her way down, with each step pain vibrated through her entire body. It felt like it took forever, but finally she made it to the kitchen. She was famished. She grabbed a box of cereal and ate it dry right out of the box.
She should go to the hospital for x-rays, but what would she tell the doctor this time? Each breath felt like a knife piercing her side, she must have cracked a rib, or two. She decided to do her thinking in a hot bath. She’d be safe till nightfall. By then she’d be long gone.
Maddy managed to get herself back up the stairs by pulling herself along with the banister. This time, she decided to use the tub in the master bath, it was already stocked with her personal items.
She took a deep breath, held onto her side, and eased herself down to turn on the hot water. As the tub filled, she searched for something to put in it. Finding Epsom salts under the sink, she poured the remainder of the box into the tub. The fact they were at the ready, should tell her something, but she couldn’t think straight right now.
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