Ghosts of Coronado Bay

by J. G. Faherty

  Gavin looked up, his eyes widening. The wind died down slightly. Behind him, the terrifying opening in space wavered around the edges. Then his brow furrowed in anger and he returned to the spell. The wind ratcheted up to storm force again, and the beastly faces in the oval seemed just a bit clearer.

  He felt that!

  Maya raised her voice even louder.

  “Drop the book, your time is done...”

  Chapter 24

  Stuart’s stomach churned as he watched Blake get blown away by the freaky-colored lightning. Could ghosts die? He didn’t think so, but he also couldn’t imagine taking that kind of punishment and not be majorly hurt.

  The sight of Maya’s ghost friend taking on solid form and going to her rescue - again! - had unnerved Stuart in a way the whole deadly situation hadn’t managed to do. While Maya and Lucy and the other humans were trapped inside the room, there was no reason for Blake to stick around. He could’ve just disappeared, let that Gavin fellow - who apparently wasn’t a ghost any longer - do whatever he had in mind. Left Maya to her own fate. After all, Blake wasn’t in danger unless he put himself there.

  The damn fool had even passed up the chance to become human again when the other ghosts touched Maya’s blood. How that worked Stuart had no idea, but finding out his ex-girlfriend could bring ghosts back to life was no weirder than finding out she could talk to them.

  Or that they even existed.

  So what was Blake’s deal? Why was he risking eternal life on the one hand and refusing the offer of a real life on the other?

  Somehow, it all came down to Maya.

  And that’s why Stuart’s stomach felt like he’d taken on the whole defensive line in a punching contest.

  He’s doing it for her. Thinking only of her.

  Totally unselfish.

  And in realizing that, Stuart had suddenly seen himself as Maya must have seen him. Selfish. Angry. Jealous.

  In other words, a total douche.

  I can still change, though. I can do something to help, too. And he’d tried. Only he’d had no success.

  The doors to the hall refused to budge. He knew that because he’d crawled to them, fighting the heavy winds and flying debris, as soon as he’d seen that freaky thing forming behind Gavin. He’d played enough online video games, watched enough horror movies, to know a portal when he saw one. And although he had no clue where this one led, they almost always ended up with demons coming out of them, which was never a good thing.

  Of course, with running for help no longer an option, he had no idea of what to do next. Attacking Gavin head on was out of the question. Maybe ghosts like Blake couldn’t be killed, but dumb jocks wouldn’t stand a chance against supernatural lightning.

  So instead he’d remained hidden behind a wrecked cabinet, desperate to think of something he could do. Anything.

  And that’s when Maya had called out for her Grandma Elsa.

  What the hell? Maya’s grandmother died before Maya was even in kindergarten. Everyone knows th--

  An old woman appeared behind Maya, a woman whose face Stuart recognized from the photos in Maya’s house. She took Maya’s hand, and together they started speaking.

  At that moment, Stuart knew what he had to do.

  * * *

  “Drop your book, your time is done.”

  The moment Grandma Elsa joined in, Maya felt new life flowing through her. Not much, just a trickle, but it gave her hope. She took the energy and channeled it into her words, mentally throwing them at Gavin as if they were solid objects.

  Her combined psychic and verbal assault had an effect. She saw it in the way Gavin ground his jaw as he spoke, the way the vein in his temple bulged out, the way he raised his voice as he repeated the words of the spell.

  “Oh most hideous and cruel of species

  Dwellers in the abyss and darkness

  Hear my call and answer me!”

  C’mon. Die, you bastard! Die!

  He wasn’t dying, though. In fact, he seemed to be getting stronger, gaining ground on her, as he recited the blasphemous words. The shapes behind him grew more distinct, forming into something resembling a giant face seen through a foggy, warped mirror.

  The same way I’m drawing power from Grandma, he’s drawing it from that damn book. Or maybe the portal itself. It’s hopeless. I’ll never beat him.

  As if he heard her thoughts, Gavin flicked his gaze towards her and let the corners of his mouth curl up in a look that was more sneer than smile.

  And, then, something happened. Someone took her other hand, the one not gripping Grandma Elsa’s. For a brief moment she thought Blake had woken up and come to help. Except the hand was...warm? She turned her head, and her words caught in her throat, so great was her surprise.

  “Stuart?”

  “Don’t stop,” he said. “Let me help.”

  “But...”

  He shook his head. “No buts. I’ve been a major jerk. I’m sorry.”

  Maya wanted to press the issue, but there was no time. “Thank you.”

  She opened herself to Stuart’s energy and it rushed in, hot and vibrant instead of cool and gentle like Elsa’s. Not much stronger, though. Not enough to shift the balance of power.

  But if she could tap Stuart’s energy...

  She pulled her hand away, ignoring his protests. “Hurry! Get Lucy! We need her too!”

  She expected him to argue like he always did. He surprised her again, though, by nodding and rushing off. Moments later, he was back, a shaken but determined Lucy holding his hand, both of them fighting their way against the fierce gale still blowing through the room.

  He clasped fingers with Maya again, and this time the difference was immediately noticeable. It was like putting a finger against a live wire, except without the pain.

  Across from them, Gavin’s spell casting faltered. He paused and took a deep breath. When he spoke again, his voice carried a hint of pain that made Maya’s heart sing.

  “You’re strong, but not strong enough. My will is greater, fueled years of agonizing lessons in the dark arts and nurtured by a century of waiting. In but a few moments the Great Dark Ones will enter this world, and I will see you all dead.”

  He returned to his spell, but Maya noticed sweat beading on his brow for the first time. No denying it. They’d hurt him.

  And, if they could do it once...

  “C’mon, everyone. Concentrate! We have to stop him.”

  Grandma Elsa moaned softly, but didn’t falter. Maya felt it more than heard it. She never even had a chance to worry, as a vibrant humming filled her ears, the same sound you might hear when standing under heavy power lines. The mix of hot and cold energies flowing set her entire body buzzing, like the time she and Lucy had snuck cigarettes and a small bottle of tequila in the backyard.

  She hoped she didn’t end up puking like she had that night.

  Gavin’s body jerked, and he took a step back. His jaw clenched tighter than ever, but the anger was gone, replaced by determination and something Maya hoped was a touch of fear. He’d stopped reading from the book, and for an instant she thought maybe they’d succeeded in ending the spell. Then, she felt something hard and nasty slam against her brain, and she realized Gavin had turned all his energies towards stopping her.

  Instinctively, she knew if he managed to break through her defenses, get inside her mind, she was as a good as dead. She pictured a steel dome closing around her brain, blocking the dark, slimy creature outside from getting in.

  It’s a test of wills. Him versus me. I have to be stronger.

  Time seemed to slow down around her. Each heartbeat was a booming kettle drum inside her chest, steady and hard. Thump! Thump! Thump! Her peripheral vision faded away, and she saw Gavin as if through a telescope, bright and clear, outlined by the hellish glow of the gateway coming to life behind him. To her left and right, her family and friends grew blurred and indistinct. She felt each of them, though, sensed the similarities and differences of t
heir energies as they mixed with her own.

  Elsa, wise and secure and made of nothing but love.

  Stuart, all traces of jealousy and anger gone now, his negativity stripped away until nothing remained but the same bullish determination that made him such a force on the football field.

  Lucy, her fierce loyalty so different from the sarcastic, carefree attitude she projected to the outside world.

  And still it wasn’t enough. The pressure continued to build against Maya’s psyche, growing more painful with each second. Foul tendrils of energy spread around her mental dome, black creepers that pushed and probed, searching for any weak points. Gavin’s psychic being no longer contained any traces of pain or doubt. Instead, he radiated a feeling of confidence that he’d eventually best her.

  Behind him, the grotesque beings waiting beyond the gate took on more detail. Their faces parodied human features, with twisted noses, narrow heads, and eyes that sat far to the sides, in fish-like fashion. Some had twisted horns, while others sprouted eely tentacles from their heads.

  Maya forced herself to look away and concentrate harder. She, then, remembered something from her karate lessons. It’s all about focus. Focus on success, focus on the target. Do not let thoughts of failure enter the mind.

  Pretend he’s a block of wood to kick.

  The air around Gavin crackled with sparks and miniature flashes of lightning. Maya ignored the supernatural pyrotechnics and pictured her mental energy as a foot, lashing out and crashing through the barrier surrounding Gavin’s essence.

  Gavin groaned out loud, but instead of faltering, he launched an even stronger counter attack, one that hit her so hard she actually felt a sharp pain in her chest. A surprised cry escaped her, and the hands holding hers tightened in response. Her lungs froze, refusing to work, and terror filled her for a split second. Then, her chest heaved, and she took a huge, gasping breath.

  This is it. I can’t give anymore.

  She wondered if she could hold him off long enough by herself for her friends to escape.

  “Don’t give up. You can do this.”

  For a moment, Maya thought it was her own brain arguing with itself. Then she realized the voice was outside her head.

  And male.

  She spared a quick glance to the side.

  “Blake?”

  It was he, disheveled hair, tattered clothes, and all. He looked worse than dead, yet still managed a wan smile.

  “It’s time to end this once and for all.”

  Then, to her amazement, Stuart nodded at Blake and let go of her hand so Blake could step between them. Icy fingers took hers, and she couldn’t believe it as he and Stuart clasped hands.

  A jolt of power surged through her, stronger than anything she’d felt from the others. More than love, more than adoration, more than tenacity, it was...

  Righteousness.

  For over a hundred years, Blake, nothing but a simple stowaway when the Black Lady set sail, had devoted himself to making sure Gavin didn’t accomplish his evil task. Like his ancestors before him, he’d risked his life, and possible eternal damnation and torture if he failed. He hadn’t done it for personal gain, or publicity, or any other selfish reason.

  He’d done it because it was right. Because the evil living inside Gavin Hamlin needed to be stopped. She felt it in every muscle, every bone, every fiber of her being. The power of pure, unadulterated goodness.

  The one thing they’d lacked.

  Maya surprised herself by laughing out loud. “To hell with you, Gavin Hamlin! Eat shit and die!”

  She reached deep inside, pulling every ounce of power from every fiber of her being. Hot and cold energies fused inside her, creating something greater than their parts. She focused her eyes on Gavin’s chest. Just like Master Spiegel had told her, she pictured a spot not on the target itself, but rather a point a few inches behind her target.

  “Pretend there is nothing at all between your hand and the impact point.”

  She imagined Gavin’s body as that of a ghost still, with no more substance than a cloud.

  And she struck.

  As she’d been taught, she never took her eyes off her target, not even when the neon-pink energy bolt shot out from her and struck Gavin dead center in his chest. Behind him, the glowing oval shattered into radiant darts of light, and the blackness within began to shrink in size. Inside it, the sea-demons’ mouths opened in silent cries of frustration as they saw their portal disintegrating.

  “Nooo--” Gavin’s cry ended in mid-scream, and he dropped the book as several green, scaly tentacles burst free from the gateway and wrapped around his body. He struggled against them, holding out his hands to the watching humans, unable to call for help because of the thick appendage encircling his neck. Maya gasped at the size of it, understanding for the first time that the creatures beyond the gate were much larger than they’d appeared to be. In fact, they were gigantic.

  The tentacles lifted Gavin in the air, and then the strangest thing in a night of strangeness happened. They turned Gavin’s body sideways and pulled from both ends. Maya raised her arms, afraid she’d be splattered with blood and guts when he got torn in half.

  Instead, they pulled something out of him, a ghostly image of Gavin Hamlin, identical to his human body, and retreated back into the dark void with the twisting, fighting shape. A second later, the dark oval shrank down to nothing and disappeared, leaving Gavin’s lifeless form on the floor.

  For a moment, silence filled the room.

  Then Maya broke it with an exultant shout.

  “We did it!” She let go of Elsa and Blake. With Gavin’s defenses shattered, her own power was more than enough to keep the other sailors immobile. She wrapped her arms around Blake and squeezed with all her might, then turned to hug her grandmother.

  Just in time to catch her as she collapsed.

  “Grandma!”

  Elsa looked terrible, her face drawn and pale, her eyes half-closed.

  “I’m alright, dear,” Elsa said, her voice barely a whisper. “There’s not much left to me after all that.”

  “What can I do?”

  “Let me go, child. I can’t stay here any longer. It’s time for me to go home.”

  “Grandma, no!” Maya wanted to hold her tighter, but Blake pulled her away.

  “She knows what she’s doing, Maya. By keeping her here, you’re just making it worse.”

  “Everything will be fine.” Elsa’s lips curled up in a weak smile. “Take care of yourself. I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Grandma. I--” She never finished, as Elsa faded away into nothing.

  Maya turned to Blake. “Will I ever see her again?”

  Before Blake could answer, Stuart and Lucy joined them, hugging her, pounding her back, forcing her to wipe away her tears and put her grief on hold. With all the laughing and shouting, it took her a moment to hear Blake’s voice.

  “We can’t celebrate yet. There’s still work to do.”

  Maya broke away from her friends. “You are so right. I want this over with. How do we do it?”

  “Do what?” Stuart asked.

  “Kill them,” Blake said.

  “Kill who?”

  “All of them.” Blake motioned towards the immobilized sailors.

  “Hell, yeah.” Lucy flipped her middle finger towards Gavin’s lifeless body. “Send ‘em right back to the bottom of the ocean.”

  Blake ignored Lucy and continued talking. Maya gave him mental points for that. He’s learning.

  “Maya’s power has them helpless for now. But they are still alive and dangerous. We have to kill them all, starting with Gavin.”

  “Gavin? But he’s already dead.” Lucy’s voice was full of surety, which Blake’s next words shot to pieces.

  “No, he’s not. The demons took his spirit, his soul, back to wherever they dwell. But his body was human, remember? It still lives, although it is empty. For now.”

  “For now?” Stuart asked. “Wh
at’s that mean?”

  “It means another spirit - any spirit, good or bad - can fill it and bring it back to life. It could even be Gavin himself. We cannot take that chance. The next one could be even worse, and we would be at a disadvantage.”

  Maya nodded. Her struggle had weakened her, she could feel it. If they had to go through something like that again, there’d be no chance of winning.

  “Dude, they’re ghosts.” Stuart frowned. “You can’t just kill a ghost.”

  “They’re not ghosts anymore,” Maya said, and she knew exactly what Stuart was feeling as his eyes went wide.

  “You’re talking about--”

  “No,” Blake interrupted. “It’s not murder. They’re alive, but they’re also not really human. Maya’s blood...it made them something more. They cannot die of disease or old age. In fact, they could live forever, unless...”

  “Jesus.” Stuart bit his lip. “I didn’t know...I don’t think I can...”

  “You don’t have to.” Maya put her hands on his shoulders. Although she no longer felt attracted to him, she was proud to have him as a friend. He’d come through in the end when it mattered most. “You and Lucy take care of Curtis and Gary. And think of a story to tell the police when we call them.”

  Turning to Blake, she said, “Show me what to do.”

  He picked up a jagged piece of wood from the floor. Without saying anything, he walked over to the grizzled old sailor who’d tried to kill her.

  And stabbed the wood into the sailor’s chest.

  Like a scene from a vampire movie, Anton Child’s body exploded into gray ash.

  “Wicked!” Lucy said from where she was kneeling by Gary.

  Blake grinned. “That felt good. I always hated him.”

  He stabbed the next sailor in line, who also turned to dust.

  “My turn,” Maya said. She went over to Gavin and picked up the knife he’d planned on using to kill her as part of his ceremony. Put her face close to his.

  “I hope you rot in Hell.” She raised the knife.

  And gasped as his eyes opened.

  Maya let out a startled cry as his anger reached her through the energy suddenly connecting them again. It was nowhere near as strong as his former power, which was the only thing that saved her. Still, she felt him pushing against her mental defenses, fighting to break through and take over.