Spooked on the Gulf Coast (Gulf Coast Paranormal Trilogy Book 3)

by M. L. Bullock

  He did not argue with me but called me a few choice names and then hung up in my face. I glanced at Jocelyn in the rearview mirror; her face was a blank slate. She was so hard to read. I really hoped she didn’t think she was responsible for this—Pete had no one to blame but himself.

  Of course, everyone in the van could hear my conversation; my cell phone was notorious for its volume. I could have called him back, but I did not need that kind of mental clutter right now. Everyone was silent as we made the drive; no one mentioned Pete’s name at all.

  We made it to the lodge and found Aaron’s great-uncle East waiting for us. He greeted Aaron with a big hug and shook our hands. Before we entered the lodge, he bestowed a blessing of protection on us. As he did so, he gave each of us a silver coin and instructed us to put them in our pockets.

  “Keep this on your person at all times. It will not completely repel the creature, but it will make it harder for the thing to manipulate your mind with this piece of silver near you.”

  Jocelyn asked the question we were all dying to know. “Does this mean that the Dogman has werewolf-like qualities? It’s always been my understanding that silver repelled werewolves.” She put the coin in her pocket and snapped a few pictures of our crew.

  “Please, don’t give it a name. If you must call it something, call it the Ofi. Naming it gives it power, power it does not need. To answer your question, though, silver and some other precious metals repel creatures of this type. Let’s go inside before the darkness falls.”

  Jocelyn took his picture as he walked away and then began to do a quick burst of photos of the perimeter. As she spit out her gum, she reached for her camera case and followed me inside. She muttered, “For the first time ever, I’m not feeling excited about an investigation. I wonder what that means.”

  I had no answers for her. I was feeling something, but it was not excitement. I rarely felt afraid on an investigation. I had moments just like anyone, but I rarely felt fear of the paranormal, even in some of the most haunted places here on the Gulf Coast. I was afraid now, not for myself but for my team.

  I prayed I would be able to keep them all safe.

  Chapter Twenty-Two—Cassidy

  I agreed with Midas. It would be wise to contain the investigation to the inside of the lodge. The woods outside were too thick, and there were too many holes and dangerous spots to get lost in, as Jocelyn had proved. I sensed that the Ofi was not far away, that it knew we were here descending on its territory once again.

  Unlike Aaron, I did not believe that it hunted and stalked only in the darkness. This thing was not afraid of sunlight, although it preferred to slip in and out of shadowy places. Then again, I did not know much about it beyond the fact that it could summon up the most primal of fears within its prey.

  Hmm…yes, I knew something else too. It wanted us to believe that we were its prey.

  We quickly set up the cameras, and I had a digital recorder in my hand as I paced the front room. This was where Tobias was seen most recently, or rather where we’d seen him move tables around. Was he just trying to protect us? I did not want to believe that he was working with that horrible thing. No. He hated it. He was a prisoner who needed to be released.

  Everyone found a spot to sit, and we all got still except Jocelyn; she snapped a few pictures but said nothing about capturing any entities on film. Midas nodded at me, and I paced for a few minutes. Then I said calmly but loudly, “Tobias Arthur, if you are here, let us know—give us a sign of your presence.” We waited a minute and allowed the recorder to do its job. “Tobias, I know what you think. You think you are separated from Eliza, but you are not. Eliza lived, Tobias. She lived and had a good life, and so did your son, Charles. They made it. You do not have to stay here. You have to…”

  A horrible scream pierced the quiet of the lodge. That was no animal scream but the scream of a woman. The sound barely finished echoing through the room when the table began to shift. It rattled like an invisible pair of hands shook it, and then it stopped. A second scream broke the silence; this one sounded closer, and judging by the intensity of it, the attack on the mystery woman was terrible, more vicious. I felt a little sick just listening to her wail and scream. But there was no woman out there. The only women here were Jocelyn and me.

  Another scream, a horrific cry, echoed in the lodge as if the woman being murdered were in here with us. Jocelyn took my hand, and Midas and the other two men were on their feet.

  Something was in here with us. “Tobias?” I asked, not sure I would like the answer. “Is that you?”

  Jocelyn squeezed my hand tightly and whispered, “That’s not Tobias.”

  East immediately began to pace and whisper. Aaron removed a bundle of herbs from his backpack and lit them with the lighter. The fragrant smoke began to fill the room. Aaron placed the bundle on a silver plate that he had earlier positioned on the coffee table. He waved at the smoke with his hand as East began to mumble more loudly. No, he was not mumbling. He was praying.

  We heard a growl, a familiar sound that unsettled me. I felt a little faint, as if I had been spinning around the room, spinning in circles. Like I used to do when I was young.

  With Kylie.

  I miss you, little sister.

  Then I saw her. I saw my sister standing at the end of the hallway. She wore her favorite red shirt and blue jean shorts. This was exactly as I remembered her. Just as I had painted her. Kylie’s long hair fluttered behind her like she was standing outside enjoying a summer breeze. I knew she was here. I knew she was with me because Jocelyn had shown me that picture, but I felt confused, conflicted. This did not seem right, but it had to be.

  “Kylie? Is that you?”

  Everyone around me vanished. It was as if Kylie and I were the only people in the world. I wanted to go to her so badly, to hold her one more time. She smiled at me, her nose crinkling up. I could see her so perfectly, and that was a relief. It was hard to remember those details, those special details about her. Now I could see everything and remember everything, even those little brown freckles on her nose.

  “Kylie?” I took a step toward her, clearing an unnatural distance. Had I only taken a step? I could not be sure because I was standing in the middle of the hallway now and there she was. Her hand was extended to me, her hair still blowing on an invisible breeze. I heard the mumbling in my ear but waved it away.

  “I’m coming, Kylie. I’m here.” I took another step and was only a few feet away from her now. The closer I got to her, the dizzier I felt.

  Suddenly, Tobias appeared in front of me. His eyes were the same as they had been in the painting, wide with fear. His hair was a mess, and his mouth opened in a scream. He was screaming at me! What was he saying?

  Then it felt as if two corks popped out of my ears. I heard exactly what he was saying.

  Run!

  Chapter Twenty-Three—Tobias

  The creature’s black fur stank of what I could only describe as the scent of death. I pierced the fur and flesh with the dull blade, and for a moment, the thing did not move. It growled softly, but its black paws—no, those were hands—did not reach for me and tear me to shreds as I imagined they would. Like a madman, I drove the knife in again, many times, but as soon as I removed the blade, the beast cast those red eyes on me.

  Eyes that promised that my death would be accompanied by much pain.

  No! I cannot die now. I must return to Eliza and save her from the beast’s wrath.

  With a defiant scream, I shoved the blade in deeper until it was nearly lost in the monster’s flesh. My blood-stained hands dug for the blade now. I must kill it! I must stab the heart! Yes, I knew that like I knew my name. Clearly, my dead friend was trying to help me. He was guiding me.

  Stab its heart! Stab the Ofi’s heart!

  “I will! I will do it for you and for Eliza!”

  I ripped the blade out of its chest, and the creature fell awkwardly to the ground. It moaned low—no, those were more growls, grow
ls of pain. I don’t know how I did it, but I’d managed to hurt it after all. I stood over it unsmiling and raised the small, slimy blade over my head. The creature’s eyes were closed as if it did not want to see death come. Now was the moment! It was time to do the deed!

  “Tobias? Tobias, dearest?”

  I froze on the spot. My knee was on the creature’s chest. It breathed still, but it was dying. It just needed one more stab, a puncture in the heart!

  I turned my head but did not drop my hand. It was Eliza! My beautiful Choctaw princess!

  I rose from the creature’s body and stared at her fully. She’d worn her hair down today, something she never did. She seemed younger somehow, more playful by her smile. Her hair blew behind her as if she were standing in front of an open window on a breezy day. She smiled at me. She wanted me to come to her.

  I walked toward her—it felt like I only took a step, but I must have taken two. We were so close now. I’d forgotten all about my bloody hands, the horrible screams, the creature.

  The beast was no longer real to me. Had I imagined it? Yes, I must have imagined it. I must have. Eliza, my beautiful wife, was here now.

  Eliza, come to me, my darling. Hold me!

  I ran to her, clearing the distance quite easily. I was so close to her now that I could see the tiny lines around her pretty mouth and smell the honeysuckle water she washed her hair with. She was here and real, and I cried because I thought I would never see her again. The cabin began to fill with sunshine, and I believed in that moment that all would be well.

  She wrapped her arms around me, and I cried on her shoulder and enjoyed her softness and her pretty youth. But then Eliza wasn’t Eliza anymore.

  I wasn’t in my wife’s arms but in the arms of the black-furred devil, the Wolf, the Ofi! And as quick as lightning, it drove that silver knife into my heart with a satisfied growl. As it did, it shared images in my mind, images of the things it would do to my wife and son, how it would hurt them…and there would be nothing I could do to stop it.

  I couldn’t take it anymore, and I screamed as death took me. As the blackness overwhelmed me, my agony was complete.

  Eliza, my darling…I am sorry I could not protect you.

  Chapter Twenty-Four—Midas

  Cassidy bolted toward the front door like her feet and soul were on fire. I’d been so busy watching East that I hadn’t noticed she had positioned herself in the hallway. I could not be sure, but it seemed like she was hallucinating.

  “Stop her, Midas!” Jocelyn yelled at me. “Don’t let her leave! That’s what it wants her to do.”

  “Cassidy!” I yelled at her as I reached for her shoulder. Her hand was on the doorknob, and everything moved in slow motion. She did not appear to hear me, but thankfully, Aaron was there. He pressed his body against the door as Cassidy woke up from her evil trance.

  “Kylie… I saw Kylie and then Tobias. He told me to run.”

  I held her in my arms until she stopped shaking. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”

  East said in his deep voice, “The creature is afraid of you. It wants to get rid of you because it knows what you want to do. What you guessed is right. Tobias is its prisoner, and it does not want to let him go. His fear, Tobias’ fear, it is like fuel for the creature. It feeds on fear. And now your fear attracts it.”

  Jocelyn snorted. “How can you not be afraid of something like that? Did you hear those screams?”

  “That was the creature. We have to stay inside no matter what. The battle will be won here in this place,” East said, his handsome old face etched with concern for us.

  Cassidy said, “Yes, and I have to try again. I have to try to reach Tobias.” She stepped back from me and wiped her eyes with the corner of her shirt.

  Jocelyn began taking pictures; the light flashed multiple times and filled the room with sudden brilliance. As she scanned through them, Cassidy and I discussed our next steps.

  I shook my head and said, “I don’t think Tobias wants to talk to us. He is afraid. Just like East says.”

  “I know he is, and that’s why we have to help him. He is trapped, Midas, trapped here with that evil thing that pretends to be the people you love. I saw Kylie, but it was not her. I know that now. How many times has the creature tricked Tobias into believing that Eliza was here?”

  She had a point, but I had no answers.

  “Holy cow! Look at this. That’s a woman,” Jocelyn exclaimed, staring at her camera screen. The rest of us circled around her trying to get a look, everyone but East, who was now praying up and down the hall. I had to admit the space did feel a little better now, but I could not trust it. Jocelyn pointed at the corner of the screen. She need not have bothered because I could clearly see the outline of a woman, a woman wearing a long dress with long sleeves. She had dark hair and a handsome face, but she was looking away from the camera so I could see only her profile.

  “Cassidy, you have to reach out to her. That’s Eliza. She’s here, and I think she wants to help Tobias. Try again, but this time talk to her.” Everyone stared at Jocelyn; East had come back into the living room, and we were all taking in her suggestion.

  East nodded and said, “That might work. If you can loose Tobias from this place, then the Ofi will likely leave. It is his spirit that keeps the creature here, just as he is kept here by the spirit. They are tied together, and the tie must be broken.”

  Cassidy squeezed my hand quickly and then removed the digital recorder from her pocket. She began to pace again while we all watched and waited. After hearing those awful screams and seeing Cassidy overwhelmed by the supernatural force that haunted this place, nobody could relax.

  “Eliza Arthur, my name is Cassidy, and I am here to help you. Tobias is here, but he cannot find you. Please, Eliza. Go to him and help him leave this place. He thinks that you are trapped here, that you need him.” Cassidy’s voice shook with emotion, like her heart was breaking. She paused and rewound the recording to see if Eliza had left any trace of herself behind.

  We listened to Cassidy’s pleas to Eliza but heard nothing until the very end.

  Tobias…

  “Play it again,” I encouraged her. “Play it at full volume so he can hear it.”

  Tobias…

  The china in the cabinet began to rattle. Even the glass in the windows shook as an invisible force swelled around us. A low gurgling growl came from outside the front door.

  “Again!” I shouted as the noise erupted. I could hear growls, screams and the rattling of furniture and glass and all sorts of things. It was becoming thunderous, too loud to hear anything.

  Cassidy shouted over the noise, “Tobias! Listen to Eliza! She is waiting for you!” I heard a noise in the hallway, a shuffling sound as if feet were moving along the floor, slowly at first and then in a strange broken manner. Then I could see him. There was Tobias Arthur. All the sounds stopped.

  Apparently, everyone else could see him too. Cassidy came over next to me and asked, “What if that’s not him?”

  “It’s him,” Jocelyn said. “Play it again, Cassidy. He’s listening.” East and Aaron were praying in the front room, and I heard the footsteps of the creature pacing the front porch. We only had a moment to get this right.

  “Okay,” she said as she rewound the tape and played the recording again.

  Tobias…

  But that wasn’t the recording. Eliza’s low, husky voice filled the air.

  Tobias, come to me. The image of Tobias swirled as if it were made of smoke. It wrapped in on itself, and in those last moments before his face completely evaporated, I saw him close his eyes. That was the look of peace. I knew that expression.

  The creature on the front porch stopped pacing and let out another gut-wrenching cry until that too faded.

  Then there was nothing. Nothing moved. Nothing rattled. Nothing unholy or unearthly made a sound. We fell into our chairs, exhausted by the night’s events.

  Tobias was free; we all were free now.<
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  After the excitement of the evening, we eventually fell asleep in various places around the lodge. I tried to pretend that I did not see Aaron and Jocelyn cuddled up on the couch together. East fell asleep in the recliner while Cassidy and I slipped off for some shut-eye in the bedroom closest to the front room.

  We didn’t talk but just collapsed into sleep. The next morning, I woke up later than usual; in fact, Cassidy was already out of bed. I rubbed my eyes and walked into the front room, surprised to see that I was the last person awake. I heard someone singing, a man’s voice. Stepping out onto the porch, I blinked against the bright sunshine and felt Cassidy’s hand in mine.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, still rubbing my eyes.

  “They are blessing the land. They have already blessed the house. You slept right through it.”

  “I was more tired than I thought.”

  About that time, I saw Nina’s truck come up the long driveway. Aaron met her, and he must have told her the good news because she immediately hugged him. She made her way to me, and I hugged her too. “Thank you, Midas and Cassidy. Thank you all so much,” she said.

  “Let us know if there is anything else we can do. I wish I could say this is the end of paranormal activity here, but I can’t be sure. We’ve never investigated anything like this before.”

  “You made a difference, and that’s enough for now.”

  A few hours later as we turned off Crenshaw Road, I thought about what she said. It felt good to know that we made a difference in someone’s life, but I had a broken team. I still had to figure out what was going on with Pete, and who knew what Jocelyn would do, whether she would stay or go? With Sierra and Josh on hiatus, we sure could use her skills. Our next investigation promised to be another challenge, but at least there was no creature involved. As far as I knew.

  I had one more thing to do, but it would have to wait. As Nina reminded me, this was enough for now.