She pulled forth a small pouch made of yellowed material, strung on a strip of leather like a necklace, and carefully handed it over to Alix. Awed, Alix held the amulet in front of her to inspect it.
“Oh, my,” she said softly. “This is… well, thank you so much for this. It’s really fascinating.”
“Isn’t it?”
“What’s in it?”
Mrs. Mowbray shrugged. “Who knows?” she said. “Oftentimes, it was things like crow’s feet, or a chicken tongue, or something like that. But here’s the interesting part – it was in a box with other items someone had donated from Evenshade back around the turn of the last century. One of your husband’s ancestors must have donated it. There are all kinds of things in the box but mostly paper and records. Would you like to see them someday?”
Alix nodded eagerly. “I’d love to,” she said, eyeing the woman as she lowered the amulet. “Is there anything more about this place being cursed in those records?”
As Mrs. Mowbray laughed and started to reply, the house phone rang. Alix jumped up, thinking it might be Cord. She held up a hand to Mrs. Mowbray.
“Hold that thought,” she said quickly, setting the amulet on the coffee table. “I’ll be right back.”
As Mrs. Mowbray remained in the living room, Alix scurried to the back hall that linked with the den and library. She happened to scoot past the den, glancing at the bodies there and counting four. She took another few steps towards the ringing phone in the kitchen when she sudden came to a halt and retraced her steps. The boys were so involved in their game that only Chris noticed Alix when she stood in the doorway.
“Hey,” Alix said loudly over the sounds of rifle fire and ringing phones. “Where’s Rose?”
The boys immediately came to a halt and looked around the room and at each other. There was a phone extension in the den, still ringing, and Alix went to pick it up before the boys could answer her. It was Cord on the other end.
“Alix?” he said.
“Hi, babe,” she said. “Hold on a second.”
She put her hand over the receiver and spoke to the boys. “Where’s Rose, guys?”
Sean was already on his feet, dropping the video game controller. “She was just here,” he said. “Maybe she went to the bathroom.”
“Go check,” Alix insisted urgently. “You were supposed to be watching her, Sean Patrick. Find her!”
As Sean ran off towards the downstairs bathroom, Alix uncovered the receiver and spoke to her husband.
“Sorry about that,” she said, apprehension in her voice. “Where are you?”
Cord was in his car on the other end of the line, trapped behind a tree that had fallen in the storm. He was going to have to backtrack about a half mile out of his way to get around it.
“I’m on my way home,” he said. “Honey, I want you to listen to me very carefully.”
Alix felt a twinge of fear. “Of course,” she replied. “What’s going on?”
Cord spun his truck around in the rain and floored it in the opposite direction. “I’ve got my dad and mom with me and we’re heading back to Evenshade,” he said. “I reserved two two-bedroom suites at the Marriott in downtown Danvers. I want you to pack everyone up right now, get in the car, and head over there. Don’t delay; get everyone moving and get in the car. Okay?”
“Cord, you’re scaring me,” she said. “What’s wrong?”
The weather was vicious as Cord tried to navigate through the wind and rain. “Honey, I can’t talk about it now because it would take too long,” he said. “Just get everyone into the car and go. Get out of there.”
Alix was quickly growing terrified. “Okay,” she agreed. “We’ll go right now. Will you meet me there?”
Cord blew right through a stop sign. “No,” he said. “We’re coming to the house. Put Chris on the phone, please.”
Alix turned to Cord’s sons, who had stopped playing their video game and were now watching her with varied degrees of concern. She held the phone out to Chris.
“Your dad wants to talk to you,” she said.
Chris stood up and took the phone from her. Just as he did, Sean burst back into the room.
“Mom,” he said, sounding scared and breathless. “I can’t find Rose. She’s not in the bathroom.”
Alix fought down the panic that surged through her veins. “Did you check all the rooms downstairs?”
Sean nodded. “All of them,” he said. Then he looked at Kyle and Cole. “Come on; help me find her!”
The three of them thundered out of the room and charged up the stairs. Alix turned to Chris to have him inform Cord of what was happening when a massive burst of thunder ripped across the sky and lightning lit up the clouds as if it were broad daylight outside. Lightning was striking in all directions, hitting trees and power lines. The entire house shook violently as the lights abruptly went out.
On the other end of the phone, Cord found himself listening to a dead line. “Chris?” he shouted. “Alix?”
There was no one there to answer him.
* * *
“The phone is dead,” Chris said, hanging the receiver back up. He looked around the back room. “Whatever knocked out the power knocked out the phones.”
After the conversation Alix had just had with Cord, she was struggling not to break out into full-blown hysterics. She took a deep breath, laboring to keep a calm head.
“Let’s find some flashlights, then,” she said evenly. “There’s one in the kitchen drawer and one upstairs in our bedroom. Your dad told us to get out of here but we need to find Rose first. Go get the flashlight in the kitchen and find Sean.”
Chris was on the move, heading out into the dark hall on his way to the kitchen. As he hit the kitchen door, he began to hear something, like chanting. It was very strange. Alix was already heading up the back stairs but Chris followed the sound, ending up in the dark living room to a strange woman bent over on the couch. She was chanting steadily.
“Hey,” he said, entering the room. “Who in the hell are you?”
Mrs. Mowbray abruptly sat up, her eyes wide at the young man. It was so dark in the room that it was difficult to make out any features, but Chris could see the dim reflection of big, yellow teeth.
“Thou Bebe stock?” she hissed.
Chris just stared at her, having no idea who the woman was or what in the hell was happening. He could hear running and shouting over his head on the second floor but down here in the darkness of the living room, he felt very much alone. He reached out and grabbed her by the wrist, yanking her so hard that she fell to her knees.
“I don’t know who you are or why you’re here, but you get the hell out of here or I’m calling the cops,” he said, dragging her across the floor. “Get out!”
Mrs. Mowbray raked her nails across his hand, drawing blood and causing him to release her. She recoiled back from him, hissing and crawling like some kind of bizarre creature, finally ending up over by the fireplace. As the lightning flashed and the thunder rolled, she draped herself bizarrely over the back of the couch and pointed a finger at him.
“Vade fili diaboli, de quo egressus es ad terram,” she hissed. “Discedite a me maledicti in utero!”
Chris knew casting when he heard it. The woman was trying to banish him somehow, curse him, and his training took over. Everything his grandfather had taught him, the history and usage and spells, now came front and center as he faced off against something beyond the normal and sane world. He was teetering on the edge of darkness, this house and all those in it, and he called upon his ancestors, his gift, and his training to help him through it. Now, he was being tested. He must not fail. Lifting a hand, palm out, he countered the wicked words cast at him.
“Animalis diabolica, et vade hinc redire,” he said slowly and deliberately. “Non habetis hic potentia. Et hic habet potestatem a Deo potestas ritum suum protecti sumus. Nunc eamus!”
Mrs. Mowbray hissed viciously at him and fell off the back of the couch.
Chris could hear Alix screaming about the baby but he couldn’t answer; he had his hands full. Whatever was facing him was something purely evil and wicked. He couldn’t even feel fear at the moment; all he could feel was the will to survive.
“Portae inferi te expectant!” Mrs. Mowbray shouted.
The woman brought up a hand in a sweeping motion as if throwing a ball. What burst forth was a pocket of energy, slamming into Chris and knocking him backwards. It was strong, but not strong enough to take him down. He brought both hands up, palms out and fingers splayed for maximum conductivity. He was going to return the volley.
“Et infirmus Fatuæ creatura non superesse!” he boomed.
An unseen wave of energy hit Mrs. Mowbray and sent the woman careening back into the wall. She hit it so hard that a vase on the mantel toppled over and hit her on the shoulder, sending her down to the floor. But Chris wasn’t done; he flicked a hand at the heavy picture frame hanging above Mrs. Mowbray’s head and the thing flew off the wall and straight down onto the woman’s skull. Mrs. Mowbray collapsed in a heap.
Chris waited for the woman to get back up but when she didn’t, he hesitantly made his way over to her, peering down at the unconscious body. He kicked her but she didn’t move. Terrified she might rise up again, he grabbed the nearest lamp and used the cord to tie her hands behind her back. Shaken, he became more aware of the panic going on around him, enough so that it spurred him into action.
Just as Chris came running out of the living room, Alix was flying down the front stairs. “Chris!” she cried. “Rose and the baby are missing again! Check the library!”
“I will,” he assured her breathlessly. “But there’s a woman in the living room… honest, Alix, she tried to kill me. She was casting spells.”
Alix’s eyes widened with shocked. “She what?” she gasped. She peered into the living room and was only able to see a pair of feet near the hearth; the rest of the body was blocked by the couch. “Oh, God, that’s Mrs. Mowbray from the Historical Society but I can’t worry about her now. We have to find Rose and Kitty!”
Chris went on the run. Fighting off hysterical tears, Alix ran into the kitchen to search the utility room when she happened to run by the rear staircase and the basement door. Her flashlight fell across the basement door and she saw that it was partially ajar. Horror swept her; what was it Cord had said? A circle of stones over the grave of Mercy Good, forever keeping her from rising up to fulfill her mother’s curse? Alix’s entire body went weak with utter and complete fear but she forced herself to remain strong; she had to. Her daughters were missing and she had to save them.
“Chris!” she screamed. “Sean! The kitchen!”
She could hear the boys running from all parts of the house. Someone had found the dogs in Chris’ room and she could hear them barking, running down the stairs as their nails clicked against the hardwood floors. Chris was the first one to reach her.
“What is it, Alix?” he asked, frantic. “Did you find them?”
Alix pointed at the cracked basement door. “They must be in the basement,” she said, throwing open the door and feeling fear as she had never felt in her life. She called out into the pitch-black darkness. “Rosie? Can you hear me? It’s Mommy! I’m coming, honey!”
The narrow stairs leading down to the basement were blacker than black. Alix took the lead, shining a light down the steps, wondering how in the hell Rose managed to lug a newborn infant down them. But she couldn’t think about that now. She had to get to her girls and not let her panic overwhelm her. As she neared the bottom of the steps, she called out again.
“Rose?” she cried. “Where are you? Answer me!”
It was quiet and she took the last step, ending up in the laundry area. Chris was behind her, as was Kyle, Sean, and finally Cole. They were all behind her, two of the boys with flashlights and the other two with flashlight apps on their smartphones that were blindingly bright. The entire laundry area was lit up. Alix was looking around frantically when she suddenly spied Rose standing near a break in the wall that led to an area that she had never really explored. Cord said it was a storage area, a large and foreboding space beneath the house, but she had never personally seen it.
Rose had Kitty clutched under the arms, the newborn’s body trailing down her sister’s torso. She had her pacifier in her mouth and was wide awake as she suckled madly. Even from where Alix stood, she could see the baby sucking and she seemed quite calm. From the way Rose was holding her, her head and neck were braced against Rose’s shoulder and surprisingly stable. But Alix felt more panic than she ever had as she moved towards her daughters.
“Rose!” she cried softly. “Baby, what are you doing? Let me have Kitty.”
Rose turned around and disappeared into the storage area. Alix and the boys ran after her, their flashlights falling on a vast area under the house that was directly beneath the living room. There were a few boxes, an old chair, a pile of dirt against the eastern wall, and a large dirt area off near the southeast corner. Rose was heading for the big dirt area.
“Rose!” Alix ran after her. “Give me Kitty!”
As soon as she got near her daughter, it was as if an unseen hand slapped her back. Alix felt the force of the blow and flew backwards, into Kyle, who mostly broke her fall as they both went tumbling. Chris came to an abrupt halt, lifting his hands in preparation for both a defensive and offensive stance. There was something down here, something evil that didn’t want them to gain control of the little girls, and he was ready to fight.
“Sean!” he yelled. “Get the girls!”
Sean charged forward, reaching for Rose, but he was knocked back by the same thing that had hit his mother. He fell over in the dirt, grunting with the impact.
“Rose!” he hollered. “Come back! Don’t go over there!”
Alix rolled to her knees, feeling a good deal of pain considering she was still sore from giving birth. Her entire body hurt but it wasn’t going to stop her. She started to crawl towards Rose, who had now come to a halt. The little girl was standing on the dirt with her baby sister clutched against her. As Alix tried to stand up and make her way towards her, it was then that she began to see a pile of stones.
Cold fear flushed through her. “Oh, God,” she hissed, shining her flashlight on the stones. “There’s something over there. See it?”
Chris was still frozen in place, his hands up in front of him in what was seemingly a defensive gesture. He turned his flashlight in the direction Alix was indicating. Their flashlight beams crossed, illuminating the area. Cole, creeping up behind Chris to take a closer looked, gasped.
“It’s a hole in the ground,” he said, sounding frightened. “There are stones all over the place, but I see a big hole in the ground.”
Alix panicked; she couldn’t help it. “Rosie!” she wept. “Come back, baby, please! Don’t go over there! It’s dangerous!”
Rose was just standing there, holding her baby sister. She hadn’t moved but she could hear her mother weeping behind her. She turned to look at her.
“Mommy,” she said, sounding frightened. “The sad girl says her mommy wants Kitty. If I don’t give her Kitty, she said she’s going to hurt you and I won’t see you anymore.”
Alix let out a scream of anguish. “That’s not true!” she cried, staggering to her feet. “Rosie, she’s not going to hurt me. You can’t give her Kitty, do you hear? Kitty is your sister and she’s my baby. She’s mine!”
Rose was torn and terrified. She began to sniffle, breaking down as the stress of the situation crushed her. “Mommy, help me!” she cried.
Alix took off at a dead run, only to be brutally knocked down again as she drew close to Rose. Lying on her back in the dirt, groaning in pain, she wept loudly.
“Let my daughters go, you bitch!” she cried. “They’re just babies, for Christ’s sake! Sarah Good, I know you had your own daughters taken from you but I didn’t do it, do you hear? I didn’t do anything! Let my daughters go!”
She was sobbing, rolling over onto her side and struggling to crawl in Rose’s direction. Slowly, painfully, she pulled herself across the dirt, striving for her daughters with every fiber in her body, reaching out for them and begging God to help her. She was able to get within a few feet of them when something abruptly caught her eye. Something was moving around the edge of the hole.
Like something out of a horror movie, a hand came out of the darkness of the hole, ghostly and skeletal, and grabbed hold of one of the stones on the edge of the depression. Alix came to a halt, startled and disbelieving, as another hand came out and held fast to the stone. A head popped up, with hair made from cobwebs and a face that was purely skeletal and bony. The eyes were dark and sunken holes and when it seemed to focus on Alix, it hissed an unearthly howl. The entire basement lit up with sounds of the netherworld as voices from beyond filled the air.
With terrifying groans and gasps, half of the skeletal body emerged, covered with dirt and shreds of some kind of shroud. It was positively horrendous; a ghoul from the grave so terrible that not even Hollywood could have imagined it. The stench from the corpse filled their nostrils, something between rot and sin. A thin finger, pure bone, extended to Rose.
“Hitherto, Rose,” it rasped.
Rose started crying. Because she was crying, the baby became restless and the pacifier popped out. The baby let out a loud wail and Chris, still standing several feet away with his hands raised, belted out a loud and terrible chant.
Dark Secrets: A Paranormal Romance Anthology Page 251