Dead Spots

by Rhiannon Frater

  A pang of doubt filled her when she realized the funeral home had not reacted like the farmhouse had the day before. She had completely restored the farmhouse without even giving it much thought. Dying had significantly lowered her ability to shape the dead spots just like Grant had warned. Placing a hand on a post, she concentrated. She felt an inward strain, like a rubber band being drawn taut, then the sudden release as the building transformed before her eyes.

  Grant peeked inside, flipped on a switch, and a hallway adorned with a red carpet and simple chandelier filled with light. “Perfect. I’ll meet you in the carport.”

  “That was so cool,” Johnny whispered, grinning.

  “It’s like magic, right?”

  “It is magic.”

  “I feel like Harry Potter right now,” Mackenzie joked, walking along the restored walkway that led to the rear of the building.

  “Who’s that?”

  Mackenzie hesitated, looking at the boy sadly. She kept forgetting that technically he was older than her. “Well, he’s a little boy with magic powers in a book from my time.”

  “That sounds like a cool book.”

  “It is.”

  The hearse was parked in the restored carport, but was a rusted hunk of metal with flat tires, shattered windows, a missing hood, and no engine. The hearse appeared to have been pale blue and its shredded curtains may have been cream colored.

  “I think this is definitely from the seventies from the color,” Mackenzie decided with a shiver. “That decade was messed up.”

  “You can fix it though.” Johnny gave her a confident smile.

  She was glad he had faith in her abilities. After restoring the funeral home she felt a little light-headed, but she wasn’t experiencing a headache yet. She had a feeling the restoration of the car might provoke one.

  Johnny set his hand on the car. “I’ll help you.”

  “Why, thank you. That’s very kind.” Mackenzie set her hand next to his and again felt something inside of her straining, building, then finally releasing. This time the sharp jagged pain behind her left eye didn’t surprise her. She gasped slightly, pressing her hand to her brow, her vision abruptly dimming.

  “Macky?”

  “I’m okay,” Mackenzie answered quickly. The stabbing pain dissipated slowly into a more manageable throbbing headache. Clenching her eyes shut, she waited a few seconds before checking to see if her vision was restored.

  The Buick hearse sat before them perfectly polished, the chrome edging the windows and the headlights catching the light. The ivory curtains were fully restored and the lightly tinted windows reflected her and the little boy.

  “I knew you could do it,” Johnny said proudly, patting the car’s restored hood.

  “Let’s hope it turns on and actually runs.” She fished her Advil out of her purse and swallowed two of them dry.

  “Did it make your head hurt?” Johnny cocked his head, studying her thoughtfully. “It used to make my brother’s head hurt.”

  “I’ll be fine.” Trying the passenger door, she found it locked.

  Johnny cupped his hands and pressed his forehead to the dark tinted windows in the back of the hearse attempting to see through the crack in the privacy curtains. “There’s no coffin. And it’s not as nice as Lucas’s car.”

  “Johnny, don’t mention Lucas to Grant, okay?”

  “Why?” There was a plaintive note in his voice.

  “Because Grant doesn’t like Lucas. He thinks he’s a bad man.”

  “That’s because Grant is a bad man.” Johnny gave her a sour look, his small shoulders hunched. “We should run away from him.”

  Unnerved by the boy’s adamant viewpoint on the subject of Grant, Mackenzie sighed. Distrust of people made complete sense in this bizarre world where a stranger could be a friend, killer, or wraith. If not for Grant, she wouldn’t have survived through the first day. She shuddered at the memory of the woman in the café. What had she been? To be upset at Johnny for his misgivings was unsympathetic to all he had suffered.

  “Grant is my friend,” Mackenzie said at last. “I know you don’t trust him, but I do.”

  “You shouldn’t.” The seriousness in the little boy’s look was disquieting.

  “Okay, I found the keys,” Grant said as he emerged from the building. He held up the key chain with a white rabbit’s foot dangling on one end and a big car key on the other. His gait paused when he saw the restored vehicle. “That’s impressive. It might actually work.”

  Johnny edged closer to Mackenzie and grabbed her hand. His dark brown eyes regarded Grant suspiciously. Either not taking note of the little boy’s look, or not caring, Grant walked around to the driver’s side and unlocked it.

  “Well, at least we know the key is for this car,” he said, grinning.

  The smile alleviated a lot of the stress Mackenzie hadn’t even realized was building inside of her. Returning the smile, she waited for Grant to slide behind the driver’s seat and unlock the passenger door and the one directly behind it.

  “Kids ride in the back,” Grant said firmly. His eyes locked with Johnny’s for a second. With his bottom lip jutting out defiantly, Johnny clung to Mackenzie.

  “It’ll be more comfortable in the back,” Mackenzie said encouragingly.

  “Fine.” Johnny scooted into the rear seat, his wary expression not altering.

  “Fingers crossed it starts,” Mackenzie said, closing the door.

  Johnny slid the curtain open and made a show of crossing his fingers.

  The interior of the car was all faux wood, chrome, and cream leather. She slid inside, tucked the purse at her feet, and belted herself in. “Love the décor, huh?”

  “I think the whole idea was to move away from the dourness of mourning,” Grant observed.

  Having experienced a funeral recently, Mackenzie understood the sentiment, but it fell short in her opinion. There was comfort in the long-held traditions of mourning. The black hearse, the black funeral attire, and the solemnity of the service felt like reverences to not only the deceased loved one, but also the grieving survivors. It was hard to sit in the hearse and not think of Joshua.

  “Shall we try it?” Grant made a big show of pushing the key into the ignition.

  Nodding, Mackenzie rested her hand on the dashboard. She wasn’t sure if the car needed a little push to start, but she was ready to do her so-called magic.

  Twisting the key, Grant pumped the gas. The vehicle roared to life in an instant. Mackenzie shot Johnny a grin over her shoulder and he gave her the thumbs-up. Grant shifted gears and reversed the car out of the carport. The engine purred smoothly while the tires kicked up bits of gravel.

  “So far so good.” Grant lightly touched Mackenzie’s arm. “You did a good job.”

  The hearse slowly rolled up the drive behind the restored building to the parking area that was enclosed by an overgrown hedge. An old wood gate loitered in the tall grass blocking their way.

  “I’ll get out and move it,” Grant said, parking the car.

  “Need my help?”

  Grant gave the gate a quick study, then shook his head. “I’ll be right back.”

  The car door shut with a slight bang.

  “We could go without him,” Johnny said grumpily.

  Mackenzie watched Grant pull away vines and branches from the gate, then start to drag it open. “He’s a very nice man.”

  “He’s not a man. He’s like that zombie. A monster.” Johnny scooted along the backseat and pressed his face to the window. “Just like that guy.” He tapped the glass, indicating the zombie lying among the graves.

  Not having had a ton of experience with small kids since her days as a babysitter in her teens, Mackenzie felt frustrated at her inability to calm the tension between the little boy and Grant. They were both acting like petulant children when it came to each other and it was annoying.

  Glancing out the windshield, she saw that Grant was almost done. Maybe once they were on the ro
ad things would settle down.

  “Macky, the shark is still there. I can see it.”

  Craning her head, Mackenzie caught a glimpse of the dorsal fin circling the pond. “Well, it’s stuck there.”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “Me neither.”

  Grant finished shoving open the old wood gate and kicked some dead branches off the road. Mackenzie was glad that they were finally leaving. Despite her earlier calm, she felt the familiar annoying buzz along her nerves.

  “Macky!” Johnny wailed. “It’s coming!”

  “What?” Mackenzie darted a look at the boy. The child was utterly terrified.

  “The shark! It’s coming!”

  Whipping about, Mackenzie immediately saw the source of the boy’s ashen complexion. The dorsal fin no longer cut through the dark waters of the pond. Instead, it was slicing through the ground, tossing up clumps of dirt and rock. It was headed straight for them.

  CHAPTER 22

  The impossibility of what she was witnessing froze Mackenzie in place. Her mind was unable to adjust to the terrifying sight of the tall dorsal fin slicing through the earth as though it were water. The sharp tip of its tail shimmied back and forth, propelling the creature toward the hearse.

  “It’s coming!” Johnny shouted again. “It’s coming!”

  A strangled cry of fear burst out of her lips. “Grant!”

  The windows were rolled up and he didn’t appear to hear her. She flung the door open and screamed his name again. This time, he heard her and turned about with a quizzical look.

  “Get in the car!” Mackenzie shouted. Her heart was beating so rapidly, she could have sworn it was pounding against her sternum. “There’s a shark!”

  Confusion molded onto his features, Grant hurried to the car. Mackenzie was relieved that he had lived long enough with the bizarre nature of this world to not question her. She ducked back into the car, slammed the door shut, and pulled on her seat belt.

  Johnny’s fingers clawed at her shoulder. “Macky, it’s coming!”

  Grant caught sight of the massive dorsal fin and tail right as he reached the driver’s side door. Horrified, he flung himself onto the hood just as the dorsal fin swooped into the ground and vanished.

  “Get in!” Mackenzie screamed at him through the windshield.

  The car rocked violently. The seat belt pinched her chest, pinning her to the seat. Behind her Johnny whimpered. Grant held on to the car, legs and arms spread wide to brace himself. The dorsal fin smacked the side mirror on the passenger side. Again the car was jostled as the huge shark slid past it.

  “It’s circling!” Mackenzie gasped, her fingers unfastening the seat belt. “It’s circling!”

  “What does that mean, Macky?”

  “It’s what they do to prey!”

  Diving across the seat, she swiftly cranked the lever, manually rolling down the driver’s side window. Grant saw what she was doing and pulled his body closer to the windshield. The enormous dorsal fin rose menacingly among the tombstones a couple hundred feet away. The fin was equal in height to quite a few of the headstones. Mackenzie felt her stomach drop: it was now bigger than it had been in the pond.

  Finished opening the window, Mackenzie scooted into her seat while Grant slid to the side of the hood and swung his legs into the window. Holding on to the edge of the roof, he maneuvered his tall frame into the car.

  “Hurry!” Mackenzie urged. She was unable to look away from the shark fin bearing down on the hearse. It was only a matter of seconds before the beast reached them. “Grant! Get in!”

  Grant was too tall to climb in easily and he had to slant his upper body outward so he could completely fold his body inside. Behind his frantic motions, Mackenzie saw the shark head rise up from the dirt, its black shiny eyes coming into view.

  “Grant!”

  She dug her fingers into his shirt and heaved him into the car. His body buckled, pulling his upper half into the hearse seconds before the shark lunged out of the ground. The shark rose up, mouth gaping wide, attempting to snag Grant. Grant threw himself backward, falling into Mackenzie.

  Shoving her body against the door, Mackenzie screamed in terror. The shark’s mouth was massive and filled with row upon row of razor-sharp jagged teeth that were marred with dirt and bits of grass. The metal protested with a loud screech as the teeth dragged along the surface of the door before the shark vanished under the earth.

  “Go! Go! Go!” Mackenzie shouted.

  Johnny had yet to stop screaming.

  Shaking violently, Grant settled into his seat, slid the car into gear, and shoved his foot on the accelerator. The hearse rolled forward and out of the cemetery gates. The road was narrow and not well maintained. There were huge potholes and the edges were crumbling. A mix of oak, pecan, and hackberry trees lined the road along with overgrown bushes. The cemetery was visible through the trunks of the trees to one side and a wide-open field was on the other.

  “Are we out of the dead spot?” Mackenzie asked. It was difficult to talk. Between screaming and holding her breath in fear, she was a little winded.

  “Not yet,” Grant answered tersely, checking his mirrors.

  “Can it follow us?”

  Grant didn’t answer, the hearse continuing to accelerate.

  “Grant! Can it follow us?”

  She was answered by the car jolting hard to the right. Having forgotten to refasten her seat belt, she was tossed into Grant, making him tug on the steering wheel. The hearse clipped the bushes along the side of the road, but Grant quickly recovered. With frantic, shaking hands, Mackenzie buckled her seat belt while Grant secured his.

  “Johnny, put on your seat belt!” Mackenzie ordered.

  The little boy was still screaming.

  Twisting around, she saw he was on his knees, gripping the headrest on the rear seat while he watched the giant dorsal fin following the hearse. The dark gray triangular shape slid alongside the car, towering and majestic in its horrific reality.

  “Johnny, put on your seat belt!”

  The fin edged closer to the hearse. Mackenzie tried to stretch her arm over the back of the seat to grab Johnny, but she couldn’t quite touch him. The shark hit the car again, sending it careening across the road. Grant fought the wheel, struggling to direct the car away from the trees. Johnny toppled over, landing on the floor of the car. The hearse fishtailed for a few seconds before Grant recovered control.

  Sobbing, Johnny cowered on the floor. “Make it go away!”

  “Get your seat belt on, Johnny,” Mackenzie ordered as she shaped one into existence for the boy to wear. The silvery fin rose up behind the hearse again. “Get on the seat and put it on! Now!”

  “He’s doing this,” Grant growled through gritted teeth, his eyes flicking between the road and the rearview mirror.

  Shooting Grant a disapproving look, Mackenzie unlatched her seat belt and leaned over the back of the seat to grab Johnny.

  “I’m not doing it,” Johnny sobbed. “I’m not.”

  Her gaze kept shifting to the dorsal fin. It glided through the asphalt as though it were water. It even left a long furrow in the road in its wake. The shark skimmed along the surface, its snout churning up the blacktop and dirt layers beneath it. The flat black eyes were visible again and Mackenzie had the eerie feeling of being watched. It was about ten feet behind the hearse and gaining speed.

  Snagging Johnny under his arm, she heaved him upward. The seat was shoved into her diaphragm making it hard to breathe, but she was determined to get the little boy secured. Overcome with fear, Johnny wept, his huge sobs wracking his body.

  “I don’t want it to eat me!” he wailed.

  “It won’t!” Mackenzie’s fingers shook, making it difficult to secure the buckle at Johnny’s waist.

  “Mackenzie, it’s about to hit us! Get into your seat!” Grant’s voice was a growl of frustration.

  Another quick look revealed that the shark was directly behind the car now,
its massive dorsal and tail fins rising above the roof of the hearse.

  The shark was even bigger than before, its massive maw opening to close on the back of the hearse.

  Mackenzie was so terrified she couldn’t even make a sound. The buckle clicked, locking, just before the shark struck.

  The jaws snapped shut, catching the end of the hearse. The window shattered, showering them with glass. Metal groaned as the roof bent inward. The car came to an abrupt stop, momentum propelling Mackenzie into the rear seat headfirst. She landed painfully on the floor, her body flipping over her head to smash into the seat and Johnny. Disoriented, she tried to right herself.

  Johnny was beyond sobbing or screaming now. Panic filled his tiny face. He grabbed her arm, helping her up. The scent of urine filled the car along with the smell of dead fish and burning rubber. The wheels squealed, and the engine roared. The vehicle was held captive by the giant shark. As it shook its head violently, the people inside the car were jostled about, and Mackenzie’s head slammed against the window. Her vision swam for a second. The metal frame gave another terrible groan. The ceiling over the spot where coffins once rested collapsed further.

  The shark gnawed on the hearse, its huge body thrashing. Mackenzie attempted to regain her balance, but it was nearly impossible. From the front seat Grant was swearing and grunting with anger. Still locked in place by his seat belt, Johnny pawed at her, whimpering, desperate for her to hold him. She knelt on the floor beside him, her arms locked around his small frame. She could not help but gaze at the monstrosity holding the car captive.

  If only the massive mouth that filled her vision belonged to an animatronic shark, its teeth foam rubber, and its black predatory eyes simple plastic. She could see past its sharp teeth into its throat and see its gills flexing. She did not want to end up in that mouth.

  “Grant, we need to go!” she called out.

  “I know that! But we can’t! The boy made the shark! It won’t let us go!”

  Johnny shook his head violently. “No, no.”

  The shark abruptly released the hearse, and slid back underground. The wheels caught and the hearse limped forward. The steady thumping and jarring ride spoke of the two ruined rear tires. When Grant accelerated the rims threw up sparks.