The Haunting E-Book

Jo Wilde

• Herausgeber: Next Chapter
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

Micki is in trouble again. A Ghost of a former school mate is haunting her to find the vampire responsible for her death. 

Meanwhile, T-Dawg - Candy's big brother - has returned from Afghanistan and blames Micki for the disappearance of their father. While Candy and Micki's relationship becomes difficult, Valentine returns in Micki's life, and something has drastically changed about him.

Can Micki still trust Valentine, and why do young girls keep popping up dead in the Louisiana swamp? It will take all of Micki's resolve to figure out what is going on in the small town of Eastwick Louisiana.

Leseprobe

The Haunting

Chronicles Of Micki O'Sullivan Book 2

Jo Wilde

Copyright (C) 2020 Jo Wilde

Layout design and Copyright (C) 2020 by Next Chapter

Published 2020 by Next Chapter

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the author's permission.

Soldiers Must March On

A year had passed in the small town of Eastwick, Louisiana after that life-altering night at the old barn like a warm summer breeze on a lazy Sunday morning. I still trembled from the reality of how close I'd come to losing everyone I loved, including myself.

Though with every silver lining, loss often intertwined. I lost a friend dear to my heart. Dealing with the guilt, time and time again, I pondered about the sacrifice he'd made; his life for mine. Yet, soldiers must march on. Life continued, and as if he were whispering in my ear, he would say live life with fervor and have no regrets. But life didn't always afford us a fair opportunity. It certainly didn't for Valentine.

Grandpa, at the ripe old age of seventy-five, settled into his new life as easy as soft butter smoothed over fresh-baked bread. He'd found love and moved in with the widow on Elms Street, Missy Wells. She reminded me of Grandma Martha. She possessed a certain brio for life. It was apparent in the way she carried herself with her bright red hair twisted in a bun to her soft pink dresses with bright red roses, Ms. Missy was a southern lady in every way. She never failed to bring a special touch to each of our lives. The southern lady kept Grandpa on his toes, a full-time job in itself. He fussed a bit, but he didn't fool anyone. He loved every minute, as I witnessed many times by the sparkle in his deep blue eyes.

Since that night, Grandpa had taken a sabbatical from driving. He'd totaled his El Camino by barreling through the barn, running over Grace Eastwick, a very powerful vampire. Since Grandpa suffered from memory lapse and forgotten that night at the Eastwick barn, Henry, my dad, and I told him he'd lost control and smashed into a tree. Grandpa seemed resolved with our explanation. What did he care, anyway? He no longer needed a car.

Things had a way of working out. Ms. Missy, driving her gold Plymouth, was often spotted by the locals carting Grandpa around town. Apart from the pleasantries of gossip among the small town of Eastwick, the new couple had become social butterflies. The locals welcomed the two with plenty of smiles whenever they'd catch the couple having breakfast or lunch.

Ms. Missy had won us over as well. Every Sunday, we would all meet at Henry's, my dad's house for dinner. I looked forward to greeting Grandpa's sparkling blue eyes and the bright smile on Ms. Missy's face.

Henry seemed to have forgotten that night. He never spoke about it and I never asked. I figured let bygones be bygones. My dad stayed busy working, as usual. Life was grand, and his business was busier than ever. He'd hired Ms. Mable, Candy's mother, full time, and she took to the position of the bookkeeper as if she was called to do. She kept things in order, making life at the job easier for Henry.

Cindy and Ella were like phantoms. No one knew of their whereabouts, and I couldn't recall anyone asking either. I understood that not even their best friend, Wendy, bothered to make any inquiries about the two girls.

I'd lost contact with Wendy, but I'd heard she had moved somewhere upstate to live with her uncle. Accepting that Wendy and I would never become best friends, I did have the opportunity to make peace with her. Discovering she'd been under a spell by Grace, it seemed unfair to hold her responsible for wrongs that she couldn't control. My heart softened toward her when she voiced her deep sorrow for her unspeakable deeds. Discovering the truth that Grace had murdered Wendy's biological parents and kidnapped her as an infant, helped me to see Wendy as a victim rather than a villain angst this terrible atrocity. She and I were able to have closure. I hoped she found happiness with her uncle.

Candy and I remained BFFs, but there was a shift in our friendship. Though I couldn't quite put my finger on exactly what. We still were tight and never a day passed that we weren't talking to each other. Life went on as we continued with our silly banter.

Looking back as if that night at the Eastwick barn was a faded dream, hidden where forgotten dreams go, no one spoke about it. Maybe we all wanted to wipe the slate clean and forget that something as horrible as Grace Eastwick existed in our world. Grace, a vampire sire, had kept her secret hidden for more than a century. We discovered she was a master of deceit. As the truth was unveiled, Grace never wanted my dad. She had cast a spell, tricking Henry into falling in love with her and proposing marriage. It was my ability of seeing auras that she sought after all along.

The mighty Grace Eastwick's endeavors failed. To her surprise, she met her brutal fate, along with her minions, Diablo, and Romeo. And regrettably, Valentine had perished with them.

A victorious ending but not without cost. Valentine, a mélange, a half-vampire, had crossed when Grace offered her blood to him. Little did she know that he had planned to use his newfound strength to betray her. He dealt the final blow, stabbing Grace with a wooden stake. My dear friend had paid the ultimate price.

It seemed the end justified the means. But did it really? Valentine possessed selflessness. He didn't deserve death. He deserved a chance, but he chose to save my life over his. Guilt rode hard on my heart. Valentine was supposed to have lived, and life was supposed to have continued. I'd be forever grateful to him, but it didn't ease my pain. I loved him. I guessed I always would.

As we had hoped, I returned back to my ordinary self, back to a human, and my reading auras had vanished as other things took its place. I now saw ghosts. If you asked me, not exactly a fair trade. I'd rather go back to seeing auras any day than getting confronted in the middle of the night by an angry ghost. I supposed it was my life now.

Hats to the Wind

Candy and I wiped the dust off our feet at Eastwick High's graduation, tossing our hats to the wind. As we watched our hats soar into the clear blue sky, it symbolized our farewell to high school and hello to a prosperous future. Neither one of us bothered looking back.

That summer, I knew I'd cherish the carefree memories of Candy and I sailing off on an enthralling adventure to my old stomping ground, New York. Henry had paid for a companion airline ticket, so Candy could accompany me to visit my mom, Joan.

As I predicted, my stepfather, Phil, left my mom, Joan, for a younger woman. Despite the messy divorce, Phil provided Joan with a little nest egg of money that purchased a small apartment on The Upper East Side. Though the apartment lacked the bells and whistles of her Manhattan penthouse, Joan finally got her happily ever after. I confirmed my suspicions when I saw her cheerful face for the first time in almost a year. Smiling ear to ear, we ran into each other's arms, tears of joy streaming down our faces as we stood in the middle of the JFK airport.

Our visit couldn't have gone smoother. Joan fell in love with Candy, and they became instant buddies. The two shared an interest in the Housewives show on the Bravo channel. Who would've thought?

Mom and I had the pleasure of showing Candy the bright lights of the Big Apple. Knowing my friend's love for food, I couldn't let him go home before tasting some of New York's finest restaurants. I made sure he had the pleasure of dining out at Denino's Pizzeria. No one made pizza like Denino's. The experience had such an impact on Candy that he'd talked non-stop for a week. I suspected he loved the pizza even more than his mom's sweet potato pie. Big shocker!

We had a blast at Coney Island. By the end of the day, between the death-dealing rides and the warm sandy beach, we had worn ourselves out and could barely hold our eyes open.

When our visit neared its end, Candy had expressed his zest for New York and was eager to return. Something told me if he ever decided to take up residence in this massive city, he'd fit in like a nice expensive pair of gloves. I guessed you could take the country out of the boy after all.

Shortly after our return, it was crunch time to pick a college. Joan wanted me to attend Columbia University in New York. I appreciated our new and improved relationship, but I had grown attached to Eastwick, and I couldn't see myself leaving Henry or my BFF.

Candy and I applied for Eastwick University and got accepted. We managed to end up as roommates in the co-ed dorm. Ms. Mable nor Henry ever expressed their concerns about us sharing the same room. I didn't worry about Henry. He knew my friend was gay. I had let the cat out of the bag last year when Candy and I first started hanging out. Unclear whether he'd ever spoken to his mom, I never asked. I figured even between friends, some subjects were best left private.

Though there wasn't any mention, Candy and I suspected that we might soon become siblings. Henry and Ms. Mable were dating. Considering you never saw one without the other, I suspected a marriage proposal was in the forecast. In the past, I'd been totally against my dad remarrying. I certainly didn't want him going back to my mom. I guessed if Henry were ever to marry, at least it was someone I liked. Ms. Mable was cool, and I considered her family. So, if my dad and Ms. Mable decided to tie the knot, I would give them my blessing. A wedding would be a welcome change, giving us a great excuse to pull out all the stops with lots of cake celebrating their new lives as a couple.

Candy and I were as thick as thieves. We pretty much shared the same classes. Apart from our moments together, he did manage to find time for new friends. I was still a bit socially inept. I didn't mind. I put my energy into my studies, enjoyed listening to my favorite tunes, Charlie Puth, Young Blood, and a few oldies like James Taylor. I did get time for my art. I took art as an elective. Apart from ghosts interrupting my beauty sleep, my new normal was doable.

Like most young women my age, dating was a huge part of our lives. I still hadn't caught up with my peers. Occasionally, I'd get asked out, but no one interested me enough to trouble myself. My feelings for Valentine clung to my heart. But he was gone, and I knew the time had come for me to leave it in the past. So, I stayed busy.

Pushin' Daisies

Candy and I were facing our third week of school, adjusting to our new adult roles. The college was as old as the town, maybe even older with its squeaky floors and drafty windows.

We were roomies, trying not to invade each other's space, while at the same time attempting not to kill each other. Our dorm room with two twin beds and only a little room for personal belongings, is hardly big enough to fit two people. But we were finding a way to co-exist.

The dorm wasn't my spacious attic. The lumpy bed took me a few sleepless nights to get used to. Despite all the inconveniences, I was with my BFF, elated about our new life. I couldn't think of anyone else that I'd rather share this extraordinary adventure with other than Candy.

Ms. Mable supplied us with blankets and sheets. Henry hooked us up with a small fridge, plenty of snacks and soda-pop too. Although for protection, I hid my Butterfinger stash. Candy had a sweet tooth that would've put Homer Simpson to shame. In two days, Candy managed to polish off all the Oreo cookies. I learned my lesson and started rationing treats. Candy pursed his lips and sulked for two days. I guessed his sugar buzz had worn off. Come what may, he learned a vital lesson; don't hog the sugar or pay the penalty.

* * *

The last two days rained mad dogs and hissing cats. Cooler weather blew in with a stiff gale. It was just enough to chill the skin and drag out the hot cocoa mugs. The trees were starting to thin, blanketing the lawn with vibrant orange and earthy brown leaves, along with the aroma of wet soil hovering in the air. It brought me back to the countless times I'd taken leisure strolls in Central Park. A sure sign of autumn.

Candy and I had a big test, first thing the following morning. I hated Mondays. The dread of the early alarm blasting in my ear. Then adding a test to the day made me one crabby girl.

That night, we decided to get a good night's sleep and went to bed by 10 p.m. We didn't even do our usual nightly chat in the dark. Candy fell asleep the second his head hit the pillow, but it took me a bit longer to doze off. I always had a bad habit of insomnia the night before a test. I finally nodded off to sleep reviewing my study material for my Anthropology class.

It was about two in the morning when I jolted up in bed. Beads of sweat collected across the bridge of my nose as I dragged in clumps of air.

Another bad dream. So vivid and seemed just as real. I recalled lying flat in an open coffin while two men shoveled dirt on top of my stock-still body. The smell of moist soil smothered my breath as the men continued in a rhythm flow, burying me alive.

Relief washed over me as I stared at a small shaft of moonlight between the curtains. “What a nightmare,” I mumbled, taking in a deep breath.

The room's temperature had dropped, making my skin prickle with goosebumps. My breath shot out in white puffs, as I listened to Candy's faint snoring. I combed the room but spotted nothing out of the ordinary. “What the heck?”

I started to drift back into a restful slumber when I heard a soft voice piercing my drowsy mind. My eyes popped open, and there in the window, stood a silhouette of a young woman, staring out. Her face remained hidden. But judging by her long rusty hair and fair complexion, she couldn't have been much younger than me. I watched as she flickered to a solid form and then into a white film, transparent like a threadbare cloth. Water dripped from her gown, relentlessly tapping the floor as a puddle of water gathered around her bare feet. Crimson blood streaked her neck and soiled her white gown. At the base of her neck, I spotted two puncture holes. A vampire's trademark, no question. Confliction curled from her shoulders as I didn't dare move or breathe. Ghosts were unpredictable. One unexpected move, and they'd come unhinged.

She spoke like a seraph, soft and filled with sorrow. I stared at her tangled red hair that hung to her waist. “You have to find him.” Her tender voice vibrated inside my head. “He's killing innocent lives.” Slowly, she turned, pinning me to her lifeless eyes, though, I still couldn't make out her blurred face.

“Find who?” I whispered back.

“An eye for an eye,” the ghost explained.

She began to move, her shoulders swaying back and forth like a satin scarf flowing in the wind, chic and purposefully. Her long thick hair continued to obscure her face.

In a blink, she disappeared and rematerialized, looming merely inches above my body. I flinched from her foul breath of dead fish. “The animal that murdered me says it's your fault.”

All at once, her mood veered dark. Lifting my body as if I were feather-light. She hurled me across the room, smacking me into the wall above Candy's head. I dropped, landing on his torso. Hand's flailing, he bolted up, startled, as I leapt off him and onto the floor.

“What the hell!” Candy screeched. “I'm flattered, but you ain't my type.” Candy's green eyes glistened.

“Shush!” I whispered, gritting my teeth. I looked up as my eyes collided with the ghost floating above my head. I attempted to remain calm. I wanted to avoid another violent attack. “Did a vampire take your life?” I asked, needles pricked my neck.

“He's coming for you,” the ghost warned.

I tossed a curt glance over my shoulder at Candy. The poor boy had balled his body into the corner of his bed; his face paled as his teeth chattered.

“What is your name?” I inquired in a low voice.

Before I realized what hit me, the ghost swooped down, grabbing my feet out from under me, jerking my body upside down. I fought to free myself but to no avail. I screamed, hands flailing into the air as terror shot through me.

Like warp speed on a merry-go-round, the woman pummeled my body through the air, whacking my head against the computer, the glass lamp, picture frames, crashing everything to the floor. Then she abruptly dropped my body as I landed into the shattered glass with a loud thud. “Ow!” I mumbled, rubbing the back of my head.

Unfortunately for me, she hadn't finished. Less than a tick-tock away, she wrung a fistful of my hair, lifting my body into the air, leaving my legs dangling. I screamed in agony. “Stop!” Tears racked my mind.

“Murder my killer,” she screeched, “and I won't harm you!” Then the ghost vanished from sight. I landed hard on the pile of jagged shards.

Candy leaped off his bed and darted to my side. “Gul!” Worry churned in his eyes. “Are you hurt?”

“I'm alright. Just a little blood.” I smothered a giggle as I held up a crimson palm, raking air into my lungs. I never liked pissed-off ghosts, especially when things got physical.

“What the hell was that about?”

“Who knows. Some crazy ghost.” I picked the small pieces of glass out of my palms, flinching.

“For real? Not sure how I feel about Casper, the unfriendly ghost sneakin' in our room.”

“That makes two of us,” I eased out a frayed breath.

“Boo, you look like a ghost yourself.”

“I think she was a friend from school, but I can't be sure who.”

“If you ask me, no decayin' dead girl pesterin' my beauty sleep is a friendly mofo spook.”

“Hey man, brother,” I said.

“What did she say?”

I shook my head, heavy tension bored down on my chest. “I don't recall exactly,” I lied. “Something about finding a person in her former life.” I held back the particulars. Candy often overreacted. I wanted to avoid giving the boy a heart attack. Besides, I needed to investigate this further before I gave up the rag and bone. For all I knew, a gator might've killed the girl. Like I said, ghosts were often confused.

“You don't remember?” he squawked.

I shrugged, raking my fingers through my hair. “I thought when Grace died, things would go back to the run-of-the-mill. Not this stupid supernatural drama. My bad.”

“F'sure,” Candy blotted his forehead with the back of his pink-plaid sleeve.

“I'm positive she won't return,” I flinched, dreading another encounter as my head throbbed from a headache.

“Just thinkin' about that mofo ghost returnin' gives me the willies. I ain't gonna eat for a week You know how much I love my pie.”

“Yep, and I wish you'd shut that pie-hole too.” I rubbed my temples.

“Boo, you is tacky. You did not need to go ther'.” Candy crawled back in his bed, pulling the covers up to his neck, turning his back to me. “I ain't turning the light off neither.”

“Good night,” I smiled to myself as I gathered to my wobbly feet. Candy was full of attitude and a mouth to boot, but that was what I loved about him. I never took him seriously. Through thick and thin, he had my back. That was what mattered to me, despite his bedside manner.

I climbed back into bed and laid awake for the rest of the night. My mind filled with menacing possibilities. What if we hadn't destroyed all the vampires? What if there were other sires?

Then a thought spurned my skull. Could Valentine have survived Grace's death? If so, that explained the fang marks. I hated to think of Valentine as a cold, heartless creature. But I saw him with my own eyes that night at the barn. With no uncertainty, he'd crossed. If Valentine had become a sire, could it have freed him from any ties to Grace? If I hit the nail on the head, it meant he was a very dangerous vampire on the prowl. I pulled the covers to my chin as an icy dread scurried down my spine.

A bloodbath was encroaching. I sensed it deep in my soul. If dead people were terrifying, vampires were the mega of horror.

My heart went out to Valentine, but I couldn't help hoping he had died with the rest. Forced into vampiredom wasn't any kind of future I wanted for my friend. Creeping in the shadows, never seeing daylight, must be a very lonely life. But even worse, always fighting the dark thirst. Never free from the obsession of blood. Not a life I wanted.

* * *

The next morning Candy and I, droopy-eyed, headed to our class when he started probing me for answers. “You never told me what that pissy spook wanted.”

“Yes, I did.” I'd hoped he'd forgotten, but I should've known better. Candy never lets anything rest until he picked at it until it festered into impetigo.

He stopped to a grind in the middle of the crowded hall causing students to nearly trip over us. “You gonna tell me?”

I bent to his ear, speaking in a low voice. “Can I tell you later when we're by ourselves?”

“No. You're hopin' I'll forget.”

“Fine!” I shifted my books on my other hip. “The ghost didn't make any sense. She was talking babble.”

Candy studied me for a minute. “Boo, you ain't tellin' me every thang?”

“I don't want to deprive you of your delicious pie,” I teased, well sorta.

“I'm not lettin' this go, yonno.”

“Of course not,” I paused. “Look! She stated something about an eye for an eye. Like payback, I think.”

Candy's chin dropped to the floor. “That spook was threatening you!”

I shrugged. “Maybe.”

“We need to talk to Mama,” Candy insisted.

Then a sudden alarm furrowed my brows. “Ms. Mable won't tell my dad, will she?”

“Most likely not, but I can't stop any pillow talk.”

“Eww! Did you have to go there? Under no circumstances do I want to know about my dad and your mom doing the deed,” I huffed. “Dude, they're not even living together.”

“Are you sure about that? We live on campus. Our parents are alone a lot.”

I pressed my palm in his face. “Not another word, or you're sleeping in the hall tonight.”

His eyes narrowed. “When are you gonna accept that our parents might be gettin' married?”

My mouth fell open. “How did we start by discussing a ghost to switching to our parents' love life?”

“You best prepare yourself. A weddin' is in the air.”

“I don't have a problem with our parents. I like your mom. I just don't want to get into their relationship is all.”

“If you'd come off your stuffy horse, our parents would be married by now. Your pop's holdin' off cuz you can't deal.”

Annoyance started to blister my face. “I do deal. I deal every day. Did you know just this week alone, I've had three ghosts visit me. They all are looking for the light, or they're disoriented about what happened to them. I should start a business solving otherworldly crimes. Two of those spooks were murdered.”

“You ain't lyin'? Did they tell you who done it?”

“No, how could they? Most ghosts have no idea they're dead. Their reality is adrift.”

“Have you ever tried asking them?”

“You might be onto something. Maybe I'm asking the wrong questions.” I bit my bottom lip. “I do need to tell you this.”

“Oh Lord, have mercy!” Candy fanned his face with his hand.

“You're not going to faint, but we're late for class. Have you forgotten? Test!” I arched a brow.

Candy's eyes orbed. “Krite! I forgot.”

As we proceeded to class, I wanted to come clean. Dealing with this crazy supernatural stuff hadn't been easy on my friend. “Listen, I'm not sure about anything. All I want to do is put all this voodoo stuff in the past and move forward. I'd like to be a regular college kid, complaining about some crappy professor than worry about some fang-banger or a broom carrying witch.”

“Don't you think I want the same? I hate dartin' under my sheets every time I hear a bird chirp.”

“Candy, I'm sorry. I desperately want to stop this madness, but I haven't a clue where to start.”

“I'm about to fly over the cuckoo's nest.”

“I'm right there with you. Maybe your mom has a solution?”

“Maybe we should rethink our major?”

“Parapsychology?” Surprised fluttered through me.

“Yup! We're askin' for trouble. We might as well invite every spook in town and have a ho-down.”

“This major was your pea-picking idea!” My brows collided.

“When have you ever listened to me? You know I ain't right half the time.”

“Yeah, you right,” I poked back.

“You don't gotta agree,” he pursed his lips.

“Why rush?” I asked. “Right now, we're taking prerequisites. Get through the basics. Then decide.”

“Yeah, I guess you're right,” Candy shrugged, though observing the tight expression on his face, I suspected he might be doubting himself.

We entered the classroom in the nick of time before the bell rang. Relief washed over me that our conversation had ended. I knew the ghosts-and-Valentine subject didn't sit well with Candy. I had a funny feeling my BFF might be shell-shocked. Watching me sail through the air, did a number to his psyche. Maybe our field of study wasn't suited for him. The course wasn't for everyone.

Though some may differ, parapsychology wasn't a useless degree. It was the study of mental phenomena, which is the fancy way of saying the unexplained. At first, I thought Candy was joking about the major, but after researching it, I decided it'd be an excellent study. It had all the perks of a psychology degree, yet its boundaries touched on more of the unknown sciences. In my opinion, people should broaden their horizons. Look outside the box for a change. If only folks would wake up and realize that dark, vile creatures lurked in the shadows. At any rate, I had a hunch most would be ill-equipped to handle the ugly truth.