"I think we should put his leash on him in case he gets too scared and tries to bolt," I told Kade quietly, keeping my voice soft so as not to excite Alex. "I don't want him running off into the woods. We would never find him. Besides, that would make him vulnerable to all sorts of dangers and we need to keep him safe."
Kade leaned into the car and grabbed the leash from the center console. He snapped it on Alex's collar then wrapped the other end around his hand several times. "Best to keep him as close as possible."
Once we shut the car doors and secured the locks, Kade grabbed my hand and pulled me close. He pressed a kiss to my temple and murmured against my skin. "Here we go."
Although the car offered no security against something like the Big Bad, it still made me feel more vulnerable to leave it. The fog closed in around us, swirling thick and chilly. It rose from the ground and moved to a current we couldn't feel. There was not even a slight breeze. In fact, it was so still and silent, it was as if the world had shut down.
I pressed closer to Kade and was glad to feel his body heat. Alex walked between us, his head down, his eyes ever vigilant, sweeping this way and that. Although the sun hadn't gone down completely, it was near to setting. Not that it really mattered for the cloud cover and fog blocked most of its light. Just enough penetrated our eerie world to cast everything into a shadowy gray. We could see a few feet in front of us and no more. The dirt road was our guide back to the house and I couldn't wait to get out of the woods. Surely we were nearly to the clearing of my front yard?
When Alex suddenly growled low in his throat, Kade and I stopped walking. Here we go.
Alex lowered his head and swung around to look behind us. Kade and I did the same. Though I could see nothing definitive, I could almost swear I saw the outline of a man just a few feet away. My heart pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears, it was all I could do to squeeze Kade's hand. Fear had a terrible way of paralyzing the body. And that, of course, made one weak to the threat. I needed to combat this fear or we were in really deep trouble.
"I think I saw him." Somehow I managed to speak through the tightness in my throat and it felt so nice to hear my voice out loud.
Before Kade could respond, Alex lunged forward. Because his leash didn't have much give, he didn't get far and rose in the air on his hind legs, barking like crazy. Kade managed to pull him back to us but he had no sooner done so and Alex ran around Kade's legs to bark at whatever now seemed to be behind us. We ended up going in circles for several seconds before we finally managed to calm him.
Since it felt as if my legs wanted to give out, I knelt on the ground next to Alex and wrapped my arms around his neck. His body was taut with fear and shivering hard. Because I thought it might calm Alex as much as myself, I started praying out loud, my voice sounding strange in the quiet world around us. I prayed for protection and guidance and for the angels to surround us. I prayed for strength and courage and for help conquering my fear. Kade stood quiet and alert beside me. I knew he was doing some praying of his own for his head was bowed, his lips moving silently.
As soon as I let Alex go and stood up, he tried to back away from us. Kade wrapped his leash around his wrist a couple more times to shorten the lead even more and Alex responded by tugging harder against it. Since Kade didn't want to hurt him, he had to take a step forward every now and then so the dog wouldn't choke. Alex didn't make a sound as he tugged and pulled against Kade's hold. I couldn't help but wonder if he was leading us somewhere and within a few short seconds of having that thought the shadowy outline of Kade's car came into our view.
"Right back where we started." Kade looked at me and though I couldn't see the expression in his eyes, I knew he was a little worried. "Seems the Big Bad doesn't want us out of the woods."
"It seems so." Alex started whining again and Kade scooped him up.
"We need to get out of here, Tess."
"Yes we do." I wrapped an arm through Kade's and pressed as close to him as I could without hindering our ability to walk. "Get your protective light glowing, Kade."
"Got it."
"Please, Sheila! Please help us get to the house."
Once again we walked away from the car but as soon as we were out of its sight, the swirling fog became so thick it was hard to keep track of which way to go. Following the road didn't help much because we once again ended up back at the car. Now I was really getting worried for the chill in the air was getting worse and the Big Bad was closing in.
"What the hell." When we came to the car for the third time, Kade leaned against it and motioned for me to press close. He had to use both arms to keep Alex detained for the poor dog kept squirming to get free. "I'm not sure what we can do to get out of here."
A strange sort of wail sounded not too far away and it sent a shiver from my prickling scalp right down to my toes. Kade and I turned toward the sound and a few seconds later another wail, more like a long moaning noooooooo filled the air. "What is that?" I didn't expect an answer but I had to say something.
"Sounds like a woman in distress," Kade whispered. Alex began to whine though I couldn't be sure if it was out of fear or recognition.
"Oh God, Sheila, please, please help us!"
Never had I felt as desperate for some divine help as I did at this moment. I didn't even feel this sort of desperation when Kade and I were trapped in a tunnel and facing the possibility of being buried alive. That tunnel felt safer than these woods.
"Tess, what's that?" Kade nodded toward a shadowy movement on the ground. We both stared at it without moving so much as a muscle. Whatever it was, it was coming straight toward us.
"Dennis!" As soon as I realized it was our cat, I couldn't have been more surprised. "What are you doing out here?" I knelt down and held out my hand in an attempt to lure him closer. "Come here, Dennis."
His tail straight up in the air, his head held high and proud, Dennis prodded slowly to me. When he was close enough for me to run a hand along his thick furry back, he let out another loud wailing sound. It really was the strangest sound. "What are you doing out here, Dennis? Huh?"
The cat sat down and looked up at Kade then watched as Alex squirmed like crazy to get down. Kade set him on the ground and the two animals touched noses. Satisfied with his greeting, Dennis stood and started walking away. He stopped after going only a couple feet to turn his head and look at us and I knew, just knew, he wanted us to follow him.
"I think he's going to show us the way home, Kade."
Alex tried to run after him but of course he didn't get far. Despite Kade's efforts to get him to heel, Alex kept the leash taut as he struggled to follow Dennis and barked once as if to tell Kade to let him go.
"Okay, boy, okay." Kade gave him a little more lead and slipped an arm around my shoulders. "I sure hope that cat knows where it's going."
Dennis slipped from our view every now and then but Alex never lost track of him and within a few short minutes my house loomed into view. Just as it did so, the quiet still world exploded into sound and movement. A wind kicked up and the shrill call of birds filled the air. The unmistakable howl of a coyote joined in the cacophony. Feeling like every hair on my body was standing on alert, I tugged on Kade's arm to urge him into a quicker gait. "We need to get into the house, Kade."
Dennis stopped to crouch on the porch steps, the sounds obviously scaring him. He looked back at us and let out another long yowl of distress. Alex once again began fighting the restrictions of the leash, his body twisting this way and that.
"Okay, let's run for it." Kade slid his hand down my arm until it caught my hand and then we broke into a run.
Pressure pushed at my back and I nearly fell to the ground but Kade managed to stop my fall without even breaking stride. We made it to the porch and that's when Kade let go of Alex's leash.
Instead of darting up the stairs, the dog turned and snarled at something behind us. Fear for his safety rushed through me. Didn't animals always get the shaft in horror movies
? Well it felt like I was stuck in one of those and that worried me immensely. I made a grab for his leash but missed and Alex took off into the swirling fog.
"Alex, no!" I turned to follow him but Kade put an arm around my waist and swung me up onto the porch with him.
Dennis was now clawing at the front door and at first we couldn't get it open but then I saw Kade stop, close his eyes, breath slow and deep and then turn the knob. It opened as easily as a door should open and then he was motioning for me to enter the house ahead of him but I turned and looked for my dog instead. I could hear him barking ferociously and when another howl joined his, I knew that the coyote was getting close.
"Alex, come. Come now, Alex!" I turned to Kade in full panic mode. "We can't leave him out here!"
Kade nodded, his face grim, and headed back down the steps. I grabbed his arm before he went out of reach. "What are you doing?"
"Going after our dog." He pulled from my grip and bounded down the steps before I could even try to formulate a reply.
Fear for him clogged my throat as tears blurred my vision. Oh God, this was all becoming such a terrible mess! I felt like I was losing control of everything and it was the worst feeling to have. I heard Kade calling Alex's name and kept my eyes glued to his shadowy form. What if he got lost in the fog again? Then I thought of the lights. Of course! I ran into the house and turned on the porch light and every other light I could find. Running room to room, I lit up our house to be a beacon of light in the dark of the night.
Not a minute later, Kade and Alex came rushing through the door. I ran to Kade and threw myself against him nearly knocking him down. He braced for the impact and managed to keep us both from hurling to the floor.
"Turning on the lights was a brilliant idea, Tess. That coyote was having a face-off with Alex and when the lights came on it bolted." Still holding me close, he pushed the door shut with his foot and turned to lock it. "Okay, we really need to figure out who the Big Bad is and get that thing off this property."
"I agree."
Alex and Dennis sat a few feet away staring at us and looking for all the world as if nothing had just happened. Kade went to Dennis and reached down to pat his head and scratch him under the chin. "Thanks for rescuing us, Dennis."
"Isn't that the oddest thing? How did he know to come out there and get us?"
"How does anything happen, Tess? You are always telling me that it's divine guidance ... the universe at work. So why question it?"
He was an amazing man, my Kade. "You are so right." I reached up to give him a kiss and let my hand slide along his cheek then down his neck to his broad chest. "It's that divine help that's going to aid us in vanquishing this Big Bad spirit and I don't doubt that anymore."
"So, let's get us some dinner and figure out a plan for tomorrow. I'd like this to be settled once and for all. I'm supposed to attend a conference at the University of Maine in Orono next week and I am not going anywhere if this is still going on."
"We'll finish this tomorrow, Kade. One way or the other. We'll finish this tomorrow."
I kept repeating that like a mantra throughout the rest of the night, not stopping until sleep overtook me and plunged me into disturbing dreams where I fought shadow figures that kept morphing into strange shapes. In response I would morph shadow weapons into something more combat effective. The shadows eventually merged together and grew so big that it became a dragon and flew in swooping circles around my home. Its forked tongue and razor sharp claws cut through the air, coming close but never making contact.
Somehow I ended up on the roof of my home and fought it off valiantly, never cringing from its great size and the seeming futility of defeating it. Over the horizon of the marsh, the sun rose and as its rays burst across the dark, the shadow dragon melted into obscurity. But it was not gone and would come again with the night. This I knew with certainty.
When I woke from the dream, I snuggled close to Kade's warm body and gave it all some considerable thought. First, I had nothing to fear. My dream showed me that much. Second, I could triumph over it but unlike my dream, I didn't want the victories to be fleeting. I needed to find out who the Big Bad was and I needed to do it today.
Chapter 20
It wasn't until we were eating breakfast in the kitchen while perched on the stools next to the center island that Kade asked me about Mary's call.
"So did Mary get the necklace done then?"
I swallowed my bite of French toast, took a sip of coffee and nodded with enthusiasm. "Yes! I can't wait to actually wear something that used to be adorned on the chests of some very powerful shamans. It's pretty cool."
Kade nodded thoughtfully and I wondered what he was thinking. It didn't take long to find out. "It doesn't bother you that the last person to wear it was murdered?"
"Well his spirit is strong so I wouldn't say that I've much to worry about. He wanted me to find those beads after all."
"Do you think it will help you with your own psychic powers?"
"I'm not sure. I mean ... the beads are made of hematite and that alone has some magical properties. They've a lot of spiritual energy infused into them and that ought to be helpful when making connections with the Tri-State."
"I haven't heard you refer to the afterlife in that way in quite some time." Kade grinned when I met his eyes. He was remembering when we first met. He hadn't encountered anyone quite like me before and was skeptical about my explanation of the Tri-State being the place between life, death and whatever came next ... be it hell or heaven or whatever.
"Well we've been dealing with some pretty strong stuff right here in our own reality so I haven't been giving the Tri-State much thought."
"So what's the plan for getting the Big Bad's name?" He finished his coffee and pushed his cup aside. "I'd like to have it by nightfall."
"Oh you would huh? And why is that? The things going bump in the night beginning to bother you?" I laughed when he gave a small growl of annoyance and lunged for me. Somehow I managed to elude him and the next thing I know we were running through the house like two kids. He caught me in the Sun Room and we both went tumbling down on the sofa where he then proceeded to give me a very satisfying kiss. Which would have led to other things if my cell phone hadn't started ringing. I pulled it out of my back pocket and glanced at the caller ID. It was Mary again.
"Hi, Mary. How are you feeling today?"
"I'm much better. A little queasy but so far I've managed to keep breakfast down. So how are you and Kade? What happened last night, I've been worried."
"We are fine. Dennis rescued us."
"Dennis?"
"Our cat."
"You have a cat? When did you get a cat?"
"Just after we got our dog."
"You have a dog too? Wow, Tess. That's wonderful."
"We are hoping to find out who the Big Bad is today. Once we get a name, we'll be vanquishing his bad ass from this property once and for all." Kade lifted up away from me and crossed over to his painting. I watched as he lifted it from the easel and held it up to the light streaming through the window.
"The Big Bad?"
"That's what Kade named the spirit. I'm going to give Janet a call today and see what she knows."
"Just be careful okay, Tess? I had the strangest dream last night that you were fighting with a huge dragon. It was almost as big as your house."
"That's amazing, Mary, because I too had a dream like that! Did you by chance see where it came from?"
"It rose from the ground not far from your house. It was near a long pile of rocks ..."
Whatever the Big Bad was, something dealing with him was out in my woods. First on our agenda after my phone call to Janet was a trip to the hardware store. We needed to do some digging. "Yeah, I think I know the place."
"We'll be home late tomorrow. I'll give you a call in a couple days and we'll get together and talk. We've lots to catch up on."
"Okay, Mary. Safe journey to you and the family."
; I disconnected from the call and joined Kade. "What are you looking for?"
"More clues."
"Do you see any?"
He heaved a sigh and set the painting back on the easel. "No, but I think you need to write some more."
He was probably right. But first that phone call. "I want to call this Janet person first. You know, the sister of that mover."
"You still have her number? You didn't leave it in the car?"
"No, I've got it. And speaking of the car ... we should probably go get yours and bring it back here."
Kade folded his arms and stared off into space. He was formulating a plan. I just knew it. "Okay, here's the plan ... first you'll call Janet, then we'll go get the car and head into town for shovels and whatever else we think we'll need. Then when we get back here, you work on your story while I start digging out there next to the house."
"It's a good plan. I concur." After snapping him a quick salute, I crossed over to the sofa and plunked down upon it. Seconds later, I was waiting for Janet to answer my call.
"Hello?"
"Hi, my name is Tess Schafer and I'm looking for Janet Soper."
"That's me. You must be the girl my brother told me about ... the one who moved into the Baker house?"
"Yes, that's me. So he told you I might call? Good."
"Is everything okay? I can't imagine living in that house."
"Well, Janet, I'm hoping you can give me some information about this place that I can use to get rid of whoever is haunting it."
"My brother told me a lot of crazy stuff happened while they were there. Doesn't it scare you?"
"A little. Which is why I intend to remove the source of fear."
"Well I wish you luck with that because you are going to need it. I was friends with Kevin Baker for a while back in school. It was right after he broke off with Robin ... have you met her? She owns a metaphysical shop here in Bucksport."
Vanquishing Ghosts (Tess Schafer-Medium) Page 28