Nancy thought for a moment. Then she nodded. Judy let out a little disgusted sigh, but didn't object.
“May I go upstairs?” she asked.
“Sure. I'll go with you.”
“Me too,” Beth said. “I'd like to see the girls again.”
The first floor finally had some breathing room, and less tension. I was still freezing, but I could deal with that. It was only Cindy, Mister Baker, and me.
“I'm gonna go talk to him,” I whispered to Cindy.
“Okay. I'll be on the couch. Keep your energy to yourself.”
“I'll try.”
I walked into the kitchen. Mister Baker had a ton of ground beef cooking on the stove. I wasn't exactly sure what he was making, but it smelled good.
“Mister Baker.”
He looked at me. “Call me Doug. Hungry? I'm making plenty for everyone.”
I was tempted. Cindy and I had eaten very little. “I might grab something later, Mister Doug. I wanted to talk about what's going on here.”
He took a deep breath. “I've told everyone a hundred times. Told the priest last week. Told the first ghost nerd crew who was here. I'm a little tired of talking about it.”
I held up a finger. “Just one more time. I don't have a clue of what's happening.”
He looked me in the eyes. I guess he believed me, because he started talking while working over the stove.
“It started six months ago. Rachel was the first it all started happening to. She said she started hearing noises in the middle of the night. Footsteps, loud bangs. No one else didn't hear anything, so we didn't believe her.” He looked guilty when he said it. “Then Danielle started hearing things, although not as bad as Rachel. It got to the point where Rachel wouldn't sleep in her own room.”
“What have you and your wife heard?”
A look of anger crossed his face. “At first it was just noises. Mostly at night. Doors banging, quiet whispers. But then last month,” he paused, trying to compose himself. “It tried to choke my wife. In her sleep! She said she could feel the hands around her. And sure enough, there were bruises on her neck.”
We were both quiet. I could see him fuming.
“How do you fight something you can't see?” he said. “We've had every fuckin' expert out here. We've had the house blessed. Things only got worse after that.”
“You can't move?”
He laughed sarcastically. “Easier said than done. We're already so far in debt. And buying another house would mean we'd have to sell this one. Would you buy a haunted house?”
I nodded. “Good point.”
“So, what's your story?”
“Excuse me?”
“You a holy man? Or another psychic like the other two we've had here that can't tell us shit?”
He was angry. Can't say I blame him. “To be honest, I don't know.”
We were done. I sat next to Cindy in the living room. She playfully punched me on the shoulder.
“So what's up? We having fun yet?”
I shook my head. “I can't believe we're here,” I complained. “How the hell did this happen?”
“Don't worry. We'll be back in the apartment watching the O's lose soon enough.”
I smiled. I suddenly missed that more than anything, watching the Orioles lose with Cindy.
“What do you think of my aunt?”
“Not very friendly. But she doesn't beat around the bush. I like that. You do look like her a little.”
“Wonderful.”
“So, what's going on here? Do you sense any ghosts or anything?”
“Well, not yet-”
I stopped mid sentence. Funny timing. I could sense its eyes. It was in the dining room watching Doug in the kitchen. I could feel its hate, its anger. It wanted to hurt Doug. I think it wanted to hurt everyone.
What was it? Ghost? Monster? Something else? I wasn't sure yet.
“Alex? You alright?”
I didn't answer. I heard footsteps and voices as Beth, Nancy, and Judy walked down the stairs into the living room. Judy was speaking into a cell phone, I guess to the people outside.
“The upstairs feels empty,” she said. “Do you have anything on the cameras?”
She froze at the bottom of the stairs. Beth and Nancy stopped behind her. She stared into the dining room, about where I was looking.
“There's great evil here.”
A little dramatic, I thought. Like she was auditioning for a movie. But I agreed with her.
“Yeah. It's in the dining room.”
“How long has it been there?”
“Not long. I just picked up on it.”
“I don't see anything?” Nancy said.
Doug looked into the living room. “Everything okay in there?”
Judy closed her eyes. “Who are you? What do you want?”
Its eyes shifted to Judy. I stood up from the couch. “Be careful. It's looking at you now.”
There was a noise that sounded like a deep, guttural moan. It made my skin crawl. Only Judy and I could hear it.
There was a loud slap. Judy staggered back into the arms of Nancy and Beth. Doug left the kitchen to check on her.
It had struck Judy. She had a hand on her cheek. I could sense it close to her. It reared back to strike again.
“Hey!”
It stopped. I could sense it looking at me now. I couldn't see it. No one could see it. But it didn't matter. I knew everything it was doing. I'm not sure if even Judy could say that.
“That's right. I know you're there.”
I put a hand behind me to keep Cindy near the couch. She was loyal to a fault, and always wanted to be next to me. I needed her behind me. The truth was I only barely knew what I was doing. It was focused on me, and that's what I wanted.
“Leave them alone.” I smiled at it. “Deal with me.”
Judy glared at me. “Don't taunt it!”
I realized something that chilled me to the bone.
Whatever it was, it was afraid of me.
There was a loud scream. Again only Judy and I heard it. She covered her ears. Then it was gone.
They all helped Judy to her feet. I stood there motionless, almost in shock. I have to give it to Judy, she was calm and collected, unlike me.
“It's afraid,” she said. “It's afraid of something.”
There was a knock at the front door. Dan poked his head inside. “Judy! We got major shit on the EM and cameras! Come check it out!”
Judy looked at me. Suddenly, we were a team. “Will you stay here?”
I nodded. Judy and Dan left the house. I watched them disappear into a van parked outside. Cindy had a hand on my elbow.
Doug took a deep breath. “What the hell just happened here?”
Beth looked at me. I really couldn't offer much information. I knew they were all in danger. But I also knew it feared me.
“It's usually active at night?”
Doug nodded. “That's when it's the worst.”
Beth's eyes got big. “It gets worse?”
“Is it okay if I stay the night? I'll stay right here on the couch. You'll never know I'm here.”
Cindy looked at me. I could tell she wasn't happy. Can't say I blame her. None of this was part of the plan when we first climbed in the car back in Maryland.
Doug took a deep breath and shared a long look with his wife. “Can you get rid of whatever is here, or what? We don't want to live with it. We don't want to make peace with it. We want it gone.”
“I think I can.”
“If you're comfortable on the couch, knock yourself out.”
I heard Cindy make a noise behind me. She left the house. I excused myself and followed her. She stopped on the front lawn and put her hands on her hips.
“I'll get Beth to drop you off back at the hotel,” I told her. “You can pick me up tomorrow morning.”
“This is stupid, Alex. Shit, are you even thinking? What do you think you're gonna do? Play exorcist? What if you can't h
elp them? What if whatever this thing is hurts you? It bitch-slapped that woman in there.”
“It can't hurt me, Cindy.”
“How do you know?”
I shrugged. “I just do. That thing is afraid of me. I know I can get rid of it. I can help that family. Please trust me.”
She paced back and forth for a moment. I could tell she was fired up.
“You know I trust you. That's not the problem. And I know you're an amazing person. You can do things I can't really understand. But I just don't want anything to happen to you. That's all. You're playing with another haunted house. When we were eighteen I left you at Tammy's house all alone. I've never forgiven myself for that.”
I didn't know that. I was the one who told her to leave. Had she been beating herself up all these years?
I grabbed her shoulders. “Cindy, it's okay. You didn't leave, I told you to go, remember? And nothing is gonna happen to me tonight. Just come get me tomorrow morning.”
She shook her head. “I'm staying. Not getting rid of me this time.”
I smiled. “Never gonna have another friend like you, am I?”
“Definitely not as cute as me.”
We walked back up the sidewalk together. I felt a small stab of sadness. I definitely wouldn't find another woman like Cindy. I'd have to sit back and watch her date other people forever.
We went back inside. Doug agreed to let Cindy stay with me. I can only imagine how desperate they were if they were willing to let a team of complete strangers wire up their house, and two of them spend the night. We actually ate dinner with the family, and I can say I really liked them. Rachel was a good kid, and so was Danielle. Rachel ate quietly while Danielle told us all about her school life and new boyfriend. Doug took me on a personal tour of the house, and despite the cold chills, I didn't sense anything else going on. It was weird knowing that as we walked and talked, cameras and microphones were watching our every move.
Judy hung around a little while longer. She was constantly taking notes, closing her eyes, and talking on her phone. Like me, she didn't sense anything else going on. I wouldn't say she was exactly warming up to me, but she didn't give me any attitude. Eventually she left in her car. Apparently she and her team took shifts, and she'd come back in the middle of the night to basically spy on the house from their techno-vans out there.
Beth didn't stay. She left with the promise of picking us up the next morning. Strangely, my thoughts weren't anywhere near her. I wanted to help Doug and his family.
At about nine Nancy put Rachel to bed. The little girl gave me a quick hug before she ran upstairs. This both warmed my heart and made me nervous. What if Cindy was right? What if I really couldn't help? What if I let everyone down?
Danielle disappeared to her room not long after, talking on the phone to one of her friends.
It was just Doug, Nancy, Cindy, and myself, watching TV in the living room. It felt awkward at first, but after a while, we started having normal conversations. We covered a little bit of everything. How Doug and Nancy met, what they did for a living, some funny kids' stories. Nothing was out of the ordinary. The house didn't shake. I didn't sense any unusual presences watching us. We watched half a movie until around eleven. Then Doug announced he was going to bed. He hovered near the couch where we were sitting for a moment, and extended his hand.
“Thanks,” he said. “Thanks for trying to help us.”
I shook it and nodded.
He and Nancy went upstairs. A few minutes later she came back down with a few pillows and blankets.
“I'm not sure how you two want to do this,” she said. “We've only got the one couch and the chair in the corner. But this should keep you warm.”
I accepted everything, but didn't think I'd be sleeping much.
“Goodnight, you two.”
For the first time since that morning, Cindy and I were alone. We heard everyone walking around and settling in upstairs, then it was quiet except for the TV, which I turned off.
Cindy kicked her shoes off. I didn't even have a chance to move before she lounged on the couch and laid back against me. I was shocked for a moment. I had to free my arm from under her and rest it on the back of the couch. Weird position for us. Nothing sexual or anything, but more than usual. We usually only touched if our hands reached inside the popcorn bowl at the same time during a movie. If either of us had a boyfriend or girlfriend, they probably would have been mad. But I wasn't complaining.
“Just get comfortable,” I said sarcastically.
She looked at me upside down. “Are you bitching?”
I was braver than usual. “Hot woman leaning against me. I think I'm fine.”
She flashed me that bright smile, and squirmed to get comfortable. I felt a little awkward. My attraction to her still hadn't died down, and her touching me was sending my head in all kinds of different directions. She was a little more touchy than usual. She always kept her hands to herself. Weird.
I reached up and turned the living room light off next to us. The room went dark, except for a streetlight just outside the living room window.
We didn't say anything for a minute. I could feel Cindy breathing next to me. She leaned her head back against mine. Again, not very helpful. She smelled wonderful. I wanted to wrap my free arm around her shoulders, but resisted the urge.
“Sitting in the dark. Waiting for a ghost,” she said. “Should I be scared?”
“Nope. I'll take care of everything.”
“What do you think Leese is doing?”
I smiled. “Probably out guy hunting right now.”
Cindy was quiet. I sensed something was wrong.
“Everything cool?”
“Yeah. Just tired.”
She was lying. But I didn't press the issue. “Well, I can sit on the floor. You can have the couch.”
“Hot guy letting me lean against him. I think I'm fine.”
I smiled. I tilted my head toward hers and smelled her hair. It felt great to feel her hair just barely touching my face. I wanted to hold her so bad. A thought flashed through my mind of us kissing. The guilt attacked me, and I forced the thought away. I hoped she didn't feel me getting so close.
She fell asleep first. I peacefully watched her for another hour before passing out myself.
Chapter 14
I wasn't sure what time it was when I woke up, but it was late. I don't remember dreaming. There also wasn't any of that sleep lag that hits when you wake up early. I just opened my eyes. I was aware of Cindy sleeping soundly against me. She had a blanket covering her.
I was also aware of something in the dining room watching me.
My eyes slowly slid into focus. I looked in the dining room, but I couldn't actually see anything. But I knew it was there. I looked down at Cindy sleeping. My arm was around her shoulders. She held on to it like it was a pillow. I kept perfectly still.
I looked up. Instead of seeing nothing this time, I saw a shape. It was a silhouette of a large man. I could make out a pair of arms, a head, legs. He was tall. Besides that, I couldn't make out any other details.
I quickly shifted my eyes away, as if I didn't see it. I even stretched out my free arm like I was tired. I didn't know if this game would work, trying to fake out a ghost. But it was worth a shot.
I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the couch. I heard footsteps, walking right toward me. As it drew closer, I could hear it breathing. Heavy, labored breaths. It was inches away from my face. I held my eyes closed. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
“You can't help them,” it said in that strange hybrid voice that I hadn't yet gotten used to. It brought back memories from five years ago. “They're all mine now.”
Anger mixed in with my fear. I wasn't the same person I was five years ago. I wanted to reach out and grab whatever it was. I wanted to hurt it, like it was trying to hurt the Baker family. I resisted. Judy was right about one thing. We had to know what was happening first.
&nb
sp; It leaned away. It crossed the living room and aimed for the stairs. I could still hear its footsteps, slow and steady.
The Bakers were in trouble. It wasn't a ghost they were dealing with.
It was a demon.
I gently squeezed Cindy's shoulder. She slowly woke up and turned to look at me.
“What time is it?” she asked.
“Listen. Stay here, okay? I'm going upstairs.”
A look of fear touched her face. “It's here?”
I nodded. “Just stay here. Please.”
“Be careful.”
I slowly crossed the living room, vanishing as I did so. I'm not sure what good walking through walls or being invisible would do, but it made me feel safer. Walking up the steps, my feet didn't make a single noise. I felt like a ghost myself.
I half-crouched in the middle of the hallway. I couldn't hear a thing. Only a little bit of light came in from the girls' open rooms. And that light was just from the moon outside.
I heard whispering from Danielle's room.
I slowly poked my head through the wall into her room, just enough to get my eyes in.
It was no longer only a silhouette. It looked like a man. Three-piece suit, slicked down jet black hair. The only thing that didn't look human were its eyes. Pure black, like marbles.
I knew it wasn't a ghost.
Danielle tossed and turned, in the middle of a nightmare. The demon leaned over her, whispering just a few inches from her face.
“You should kill them. All of them. They all hate you. Start with your father, so your mother and sister can see. Then cut your mother's throat. Slow. You'll feel so good.”
“Hey!” I shouted. I stepped inside the room.
The demon heard me. It stood up and whirled around.
It screeched at me. I almost had to cover my ears. It reached down and grabbed Danielle by the throat. Only then did she wake up. She tried to grab a hand she couldn't see.
“Get away from her!”
I ran forward and grabbed it by the shoulders. It spun and punched me in the chest. I fell to the ground, but didn't feel any pain. The demon, on the other hand, howled in pain. It cradled its hand in agony. We locked eyes, and I could see it all over its odd-looking face.
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