Don't Wake the Dead

by C. C. Wood

My mouth quirked into a half-grin. It was beyond my control. Though I didn’t want to like this guy, his sense of humor was similar to my own. Still, that didn’t mean I was going to let him film at my house.

  “Okay, Mal. I have to tell you, I haven’t experienced anything weird. I think that the small town gossip mill sent you on a fool’s errand.”

  No sooner had the words come out of my mouth when Teri appeared behind Mal.

  “Oh, he’s cute.” She tilted her head sideways and bent down at the waist. “And he has a very nice ass. You should let him do whatever he wants here.”

  I glanced over his shoulder and gave my head one small shake.

  “God, you act like you’re an old biddy. You’re young and gorgeous. You should be dating. Or at least getting your freak on with hot geeks like him,” she insisted. “The nerd glasses are a nice touch.”

  I bit my bottom lip to keep from telling her to shut the hell up. If I spoke to her, Mal would think I was a complete nutcase.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  I looked back toward him and saw the curiosity in his gaze. “Uh, yeah. Sorry. I thought I saw the neighbor’s cat. He’s a bit of an escape artist.”

  Out of the corner of my eye I saw Teri slowly open the screen door. Before I realized what she was doing, she released it and it slammed with a loud bang.

  Mal jumped to his feet and whirled around. “What in the hell was that?”

  Suddenly, the porch light overhead started flashing off and on, over and over again. I knew it was Teri and cursed beneath my breath.

  “Does this sort of thing happen often?” Mal asked me, his eyes wide.

  I shook my head. “This is the first time.”

  And it was. Teri pulled this shit when she was trying to freak out Jonelle or my mom and only when I wasn’t around because she knew it pissed me off. If she was going to play poltergeist she could have at least been original.

  “This is amazing,” he breathed, staring up at the light as it flickered a few more times.

  “Whatever you say,” I replied, shifting so I could see through the small windows that ran down each side of the doorjamb. When my eyes met Teri’s, I glared at her. She grinned, completely unfazed, but she did let go of the light switch.

  “These sorts of phenomena are extremely common in hauntings of residences. I would love to record here and see what we can find,” Mal stated.

  “Look, I don’t know-”

  “I’ll pay you. One thousand dollars.”

  I blinked at him. “Uh, just to film at my house?” I asked incredulously.

  Mal nodded. “Absolutely.”

  Staring at him in consternation, I queried, “Do you, um, pay people often?”

  “No, not usually. Typically, people contact us and ask us to investigate or try to cleanse the areas. I’ve never seen this kind of activity as soon as I enter the premises.”

  I heard Teri’s giggle behind me and knew she’d returned to the front porch. “He said enter the premises.” Then she snorted and dissolved into gales of laughter. “Please say yes. I want to know if he can see me on video or hear me on one of those….what are they called?” She paused for a moment. “I remember! EVP’s!”

  I ignored her, even though her giggling made me fight a smile of my own.

  “Mal, seriously, this kind of stuff just doesn’t happen here. I’m sure it was just the wind or something.”

  My excuse sounded lame, even to my own ears. The door, yes, it could have been the wind, but the overhead porch light wouldn’t have flickered for several seconds because of it.

  He studied me closely for a moment. “Just think about it for a couple days and call me when you decide. I’ll pay you fifteen hundred dollars.”

  I squinted up at him. “I thought you said a thousand.”

  “Something tells me you need a little more incentive before you’ll consider agreeing.”

  He turned and bounded down the steps of my front porch. I watched him walk away and I had to admit that Teri was right.

  He had a fantastic ass.

  Later that evening, I was going over my bills and bank statements for the month. I was drinking my second bottle of hard cider for the night because looking at my finances was stressful enough when I was gainfully employed. Now that I was relying on my temp work, it was downright terrifying.

  Looking at my bank balance and calculating how much income I would need to get by, I realized that I was going to have to start dipping into my savings soon. I usually worked at least two or three days a week at my temp jobs, but there were weeks they didn’t need me at all.

  My eyes strayed down to the card that Malachi Flemming had left earlier that day.

  Leaning back on my couch, I lifted the card up and studied it. The glossy black surface looked sleek and minimal until you tilted the card. Then thin tendrils of smoke or mist seemed to appear around the edges. The only information on the card was his name, job title, phone number, website, and email address. They were all in bold white typeface.

  I tapped the card against my fingertips several time before tossing it onto the keyboard of my laptop. With a sigh, I snatched up my cell phone. I’d canceled my landline a few weeks after I’d been fired in an effort to save money.

  “Hey, girl. What’s up?” Jonelle greeted after one ring.

  “I’m having trouble making a decision,” I responded.

  “About what?”

  I told her about Malachi and his offer of fifteen hundred dollars to film a paranormal investigation show at my house.

  “Hang on,” she said. “I want to look this up.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Why? It’s all bullshit anyway.”

  “Says the woman who has a ghost in her house that she sees and talks to on a daily basis. And let’s not forget the zombies that rise out of their graves to greet you or the ghouls that follow you around like little lost puppy dogs, desperate to hump your leg.”

  I grumbled beneath my breath at her last comment. “Fine, so those things happen to me, but you can’t see or hear everything I can. Neither can most people. I don’t think five thousand dollar infrared cameras and digital recorders will change that.”

  “Maybe, but I am curious what the show is like. That should have some bearing on your decision.”

  She was silent for a few more moments. “Holy fucking shit, you didn’t tell me that he was a sexy geek type.”

  I shrugged, even though she couldn’t see me. “I didn’t notice.”

  “There has got to be something wrong with you. That man is hot. Not only hot. Hot and nerdy.”

  I sighed. “If you say so.”

  I could hear the murmuring of her computer in the background, but not the dialogue. After a few moments, I heard the click of her shutting her laptop.

  “You should do it,” she stated.

  “Why?”

  “Well, he seems to take it seriously and he has a very scientific approach.”

  “How would you know?” I argued. “You watched all of two minutes of one episode.”

  “Okay, forget if he’s scientific or not. It’s fifteen hundred bucks and he’s fucking hot. Take the money then take him. You need both the cash and to get laid. It’s a win-win situation for all parties involved.”

  I choked on my hard cider. “Oh my God, I’m not going to sleep with him.”

  “Why not?” she asked.

  “I barely know him,” I sputtered.

  “So?”

  “So, I don’t have sex with strange men. It’s one of my personal standards.”

  “Why not?” she repeated.

  “God, Jonelle. I realize not every woman feels the way I do, but I’d like to at least know a guy well enough to decide if he’s an asshole before I get naked with him.”

  She sighed. “You should give it a try. Sometimes the assholes are the best lay.”

  I shook my head. “Whatever you say.”

  “Fine, forget the sex. I still say you should take the money and let them fil
m. Fifteen hundred dollars will help you a lot, right?”

  “Yeah,” I answered quietly.

  “So do it. It’s not like he asked you to be on the show, did he?”

  I thought for a moment. “No, he didn’t. Even if he did want me to appear, I’d say no.”

  “I figured,” she replied dryly.

  “Hey, I’m just not comfortable on camera.”

  “Sometimes you need to push yourself outside your comfort zone, Zoe Thorne. You might be surprised.”

  I huffed out a breath. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

  “Just try something new. It’s a YouTube show, not a marriage proposal. Who knows, there are probably only five or six people who watch it anyway.”

  “Fine,” I grumbled. “But only this one time.”

  She laughed. “Good girl. Now, I need my beauty sleep. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  After she disconnected, I picked up Mal’s card and ran my fingers along the edges.

  Then I deliberately set it to the side and settled my computer on my lap. It was time to do some research. If I was going to let Mal film his show in my house, I wanted to know more about it.

  I pulled up the YouTube site and started searching.

  Chapter

  I woke up well after ten the next morning.

  It was the strangest thing. The night before, when I started watching the episodes of Mal Flemming’s YouTube show, The Wraith Files, I was hooked. I watched all fifty episodes, back-to-back. I didn’t fall asleep until after two a.m.

  Mal was charismatic and articulate, and I never got the sense that he was acting.

  There were several episodes in which he debunked all the claims that the areas were haunted. That was what finally convinced me to allow Mal and his crew to film in my house. I felt that he would treat me, and my home, with respect rather than a circus sideshow.

  After I rolled out of bed, I took the time to shower and drink a cup of coffee before I picked up my cell phone to call Mal.

  Our conversation was brief, but I could hear the undercurrent of excitement in his voice. He explained that he would want to come over and walk through the house before he filmed. Then he asked if he could come by today.

  Since the temp agency didn’t need me the rest of this week, I was definitely free.

  After we settled on a time that afternoon, I hung up and stared out my kitchen window, fighting the urge to call him back and tell him I’d changed my mind.

  “Is that gorgeous hunk of manmeat coming over again today?” Teri asked from behind me.

  I sighed. “Yes, he is. Would it be too much to ask for you to be on your best behavior?”

  A wicked chuckle was her only reply and I felt her leave the room.

  Later that afternoon, my doorbell rang. Teri didn’t appear by the front door, but I knew her well enough to know that she was loitering nearby.

  I opened the door to reveal Mal standing on the other side. Today, I wasn’t distracted by his sudden appearance and I took the time to study him. His dark hair stood up in spikes all over his head. I realized that his face wasn’t conventionally handsome when I watched his television show, but there was something about him. I couldn’t have explained it out loud, but his features were strong, striking, and they drew the eye.

  I also hadn’t realized how tall he was yesterday, or how broad, but standing a few feet from him I felt as though he dwarfed me. He looked as though he worked out. A lot. For a split second, I worried about how easily he could overpower me and how Preston wasn’t next door, but pulling a forty-eight hour shift at the firehouse.

  My fears dissipated quickly as Mal stepped inside and looked around.

  “Wow. This place is gorgeous,” he stated. “I’d heard it was abandoned for a while, but it looks as though it was just built.”

  I felt a surge of pride. “It needed quite a bit of work when I bought it, but it has come together nicely in the last couple of years.”

  My house was neater than it ever had been when I worked full time. One benefit of unemployment was plenty of time to clean. I had picked up some of the clutter that was scattered in the living room and my bedroom, but there wasn’t much else to tidy before he arrived.

  He walked through the living room. “Did you do this work yourself?”

  “Most of the cosmetic stuff like the floors and the walls. My dad helped with the bigger things and I hired a plumber to handle the bathrooms and kitchen.”

  He turned back toward me, his gaze speculative. “You seem young to own a house like this.”

  I shrugged. “I got a great deal.”

  Somewhere upstairs, Teri slammed a door. He jumped, his eyes moving quickly to the ceiling.

  Then he looked at me again and chuckled. “I’ll bet.”

  I heard heavy footsteps upstairs. Teri was sure as hell playing it up for Mal. She walked through the hall and started down the steps, stomping on each tread like a damn elephant.

  He whirled as though he expected to be able to see her, which of course he couldn’t.

  Teri grinned cheekily at me as she hopped with both feet down the last two steps, making the table at the base of the staircase shudder.

  “Do you hear that?” he asked me, his voice rising. “Tell me you heard that.”

  Teri moved forward and grabbed a handful of Mal’s muscular ass.

  “Holy fucking shit!” he yelped, leaping at least two feet into the air. “It just touched my ass!”

  Teri dissolved into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. “God, I wish I could have really felt that,” she gasped. “They’re such pretty buns, I couldn’t resist.”

  It was difficult for me to keep my mouth shut, listening to Teri guffaw wildly and seeing Mal’s wide, wheeling eyes. Somehow I managed it.

  Chest heaving, Mal stared at me. “What in the hell was that?”

  “I don’t know,” I answered, desperately trying to keep a straight face.

  His eyes narrowed. “You’re lying to me.”

  “Why would I lie?” I shot back, squaring my shoulders.

  Silent, he continued to watch me for several long moments, his breathing still accelerated. “Okay, okay. You’re right. Why would you lie? I’m overreacting.”

  It was clear he was making an effort to take slow, deep breaths and I felt a stab of guilt.

  I shouldn’t be laughing, even if it was internally, at the poor guy. He had no idea what was going on. He couldn’t see or hear Teri to know that she was just playing with him and didn’t mean any harm.

  My conscience pricked and I exhaled hard. “Okay, so I’ve seen and heard some weird things since I moved in, but not much. I don’t think that she means any harm.”

  “She?” He perked up.

  Shit, I’d slipped up.

  “Yeah, I think the spirit or whatever is a she. And she seems more like a goofy practical joker than anything else.”

  “Okay, good to know. Have you seen her or heard her? Maybe tried to call in a medium?”

  If he only knew.

  I shook my head. “Just a glimpse of her. I just got the impression the ghost is a female. She seems harmless, even if she can be annoying, so I didn’t call anyone.”

  “Hey!” Teri exclaimed. “I’m not annoying.”

  I forgot myself for a moment and glanced at her, giving her a hard stare.

  “Okay, so maybe I only annoy you,” she grumbled.

  “Do you see something?” Mal asked me.

  “Uh, no. Sorry.”

  Once again, he studied me and my scalp tingled. For an insane moment, I thought perhaps he was reading my mind.

  “I’m going to talk to her for just a moment, then I’d like to continue to look around your house.”

  “Knock yourself out,” I replied with a shrug.

  Teri moved across the room and stood shoulder to shoulder with me. I rubbed my left arm, which was covered in goose bumps from where her transparent flesh touched mine.

  “What do you think he’s gonna say?” she aske
d.

  I shot her a sidelong glance but didn’t answer.

  “I think he knows you can see and hear me,” Teri continued. “He looked awfully suspicious earlier.”

  I shifted slightly away from her, annoyed by her comments.

  “If you’re still here,” Mal began, “I just want to learn more about you and talk to you if you’re willing.”

  Suddenly, I didn’t feel like laughing at him. He seemed so earnest in his desire to talk to Teri. I felt like a heel for enjoying his earlier freak out.

  Then I felt Teri lean closer to me, her mouth near my ear. I shivered from the cool sensation, but didn’t swat at her as I usually would have.

  “Should I grab his ass again?” she whispered.

  I dropped my head and stared at the floor to keep from laughing out loud. Teri might do her best to irritate the hell out of me, but she also made almost everything funny. She rivaled Jonelle in her ability to crack me up.

  “Would you mind if I brought a medium in to try and communicate with the spirit when we film?” Mal asked me.

  At his question, I brought my head up. “I guess not.”

  He nodded. “This is going to be a great place to film,” he stated, rubbing his hands together as he looked around my living room.

  “He’s right, this is going to be fun!” Teri cried out in my ear.

  Wincing, I muttered beneath my breath, “If you say so.”

  Chapter

  Later that evening, after Mal left to do whatever ghost hunters did at night, I read through the paperwork he left for me. Legal jargon wasn’t my forte, but I understood the gist of one particular section and I did not like it at all.

  Frowning, I snatched up my cell phone and called Mal. He didn’t answer, so I left him a message.

  “Hey, Mal. It’s Zoe. I’m reading the contract you left me and I have a problem with one of the sections. We need to discuss it. Please call me back.”

  I disconnected and re-read the entire contract again. I was fine with everything else.

  Within five minutes, my phone rang and it was Mal.

  “Hey,” he greeted me, sounding slightly breathless. “Sorry I missed your call. I was at the gym. What’s wrong with the contract?”