Friday, February 27, 2015

TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE ... # 133

TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE
# 133
warning...adult content



~
Steve started moving around, dancing as best he could, to the music. The band was playing a variety of styles from punk, rock, metal, country, pop...one right after another. The dance floor was full of dancers, doing whatever moves they felt like. Everyone was laughing at how crazy they all looked in their costumes. Kinsey took a minute to just look at his club. It had never been so wild.

Steve finally had to tell Ghost he had to go sit down, again. "Help me over to a table," he yelled in Ghost's ear. "I've had enough hopping around on one leg."

They made their way over to the side lines, finding a table to sit at, while they had a beer, and cooled off; both of them were sweaty and exhausted.

"Ghost, that was really fun, after all," Steve said.

"I know. I'm so happy you danced with me," Ghost grinned.

Steve reached over and ran a finger over Ghost's cheek. "Look at that, the orange hair spray is fading all over you," he said.

"Ha...it's all over you, too," Ghost said, swiping his finger over Steve's face.

"Great, we look like a couple of melting pumpkins."

"I don't care, I like pumpkins," Ghost said. "I'm gonna go get us some wet paper towels, so we can wipe it off." He made his way through the crowd, and down the hall to the bathroom. There was already a line to get in, so he decided to go to the little one, down the far back hallway.

Not many people knew about that one, so he knew he could get in. The hall was dim, and the music was muffled a bit. He'd almost reached the door, when he felt someone touch his shoulder. He jumped, and turned around. It was Trevor.

He'd taken off his shirt, to cool off, and his hair had come out of their braids, so it streamed down his back.

"Hey, Trevor," Ghost said, "you scared me. I was just gonna get some wet towels to cool off, and..." He stopped, looking closer at Trevor, who'd not said a word.

"Ghost..." Trevor breathed, right up in Ghost's face.

Ghost backed up, but hit the wall. Trevor was taller, and as Ghost looked up into Trevor's face, he knew...he knew what Trevor was wanting.

"Uh-uh, Trev..." he was saying, but he was stopped by Trevor's mouth crushing into his. Trevor's body pressed into him, and he felt his lip being cut open, by his broken tooth. He tasted blood. Trevor's tongue forced it's way into Ghost's mouth, and his hands were everywhere. One grabbing handfuls of Ghost's hair, and the other making it's way into the waistband of his jeans.

Ghost kept hitting Trevor, wherever he could get a punch in, but it was doing no good...Trevor wasn't stopping. They didn't hear that the music had stopped.

Zach had come looking for Trevor, while the band was on a break, and he now stood there at the entrance to the hallway, staring at them.

Trevor was speaking in a low voice, "I heard you're a whore, Ghost. I never had anyone but Zach, so I want to find out what it's like. He said I could do it with you...so, be still."

Ghost tried to scream, but Trevor clamped his hand over his mouth. He tried kneeing him in the crotch, and stomping on his feet, but it was impossible to get an opening, against Trevor's vice-like grip.

As Zach came into the hallway, seeing what was happening, he'd froze for a second. Then he yelled, "Stop, let him go, Trevor." He ran to pull him off of Ghost. He grabbed at him, and yelled some more, but it seemed Trevor was in a crazy state, like he was earlier, at the house.

R. J. had come into the hall, and as soon as he did, Zach hollered, "Go get Steve, or Terry, or somebody...hurry." Zach was no match for pulling Trevor away, so he tried kicking his leg, as hard as he could.

"Trevor, the evil spirits got ahold of you, again. You don't know what you're doing. Let Ghost go." Zach yelled, and kept on kicking.

"Go away, Zach," Trevor growled, "you said I could have Ghost, so I am."

"I didn't mean it, remember. It was the house...putting words in my mouth." He grabbed Trevor's hair, yanking it hard, dragging Trevor away, and finally off of Ghost. That seemed to bring Trevor out of whatever hold the evil had on him. He seemed confused, now.

He looked around at Zach, then at Ghost. "What happened? What did I do? Oh, no...oh no...Zach, Ghost...I'm sorry. It wasn't me...I didn't mean to hurt you." He kept backing up until he was against the opposite wall.

That's when Terry came rushing in, and Steve was right behind him. Ghost had sank down to the floor, when Trevor was pulled away, and was now sitting with his knees pulled up, crying and wiping at his face. It was smeared with the blood, still dripping from his cut lip.

He kept staring at Trevor, his mind telling him it wasn't Trevor who attacked him, but the evil spirit, or demon, that had followed Trevor from his house. But his heart was pounding, and aching, because he was scared of what Steve would do, and because he was hurting...he knew now, he was up against an evil he'd never knew really existed, until now.

Steve came as fast as he could, over to Ghost. "Are you ok? What did he do to you? I'll kill him, Ghost, I swear I will."

"Steve," Ghost cried, pulling Steve awkwardly down to the floor. "Steve..." he grabbed him, hugging like he'd never let go. "It's ok, I'm ok...don't kill him."

"But, Ghost...you have blood all over you...did he hit you?" Steve tried to get up.

"No, it wasn't Trevor...well, all he did was kiss me real hard, and he was gonna do more, but it's just my lip got cut. But, it wasn't him. It was the evil spirit that got in him, and made him do it. He didn't want to, and..."

"Stop it...stop making excuses for what he did, Ghost," Steve said. He looked up, as Zach and Trevor walked over to them. "I told you to stay away from Ghost...now I have to kill you," he said, dead calm, but his eyes were blazing at both Trevor and Zach.

Trevor pleaded, "It wasn't me, Steve. I mean, I think I was taken over by that evil thing from the house."

Steve sneered at him. "That's a load of bullshit... you tried to rape Ghost, not five minutes ago...and you're blaming an evil spirit made you do it? Get outta my face." Steve scrambled up, taking a step toward Trevor.

"Wait, Steve...it's true," Zach said. "We even left the house and moved in here today, because it got Trevor earlier for awhile. He even tried to kill me...and not for the first time, either. We still need Ghost to help us."

"Forget it," Steve said, "Ghost isn't going anywhere near that house."

"Yes, I am, Steve," Ghost said. He'd gotten up, and was looking determined"I will help get rid of the demon. I felt it...it was trying to get in me, too...but, we won't let it win." He grabbed Zach and Trevor's hands, and squeezed. "I promise, I'll try."

Zach breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you...and yes, we need any help you can give. We don't expect a miracle, but just you trying means everything."

Trevor was nodding, "I'm so sorry, Ghost. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Steve shook his head and gritted his teeth. "Fine...whatever, Ghost. I know I can't stop you, but, I pray to everything Holy, that it don't get any worse." He looked at Ghost. "I'm going home; you can stay here with these assholes, or come with me, I don't care."

He hobbled back down the hallway. "Outta my way," he said, as he brushed past Terry and R. J.

"I'm going, too," Ghost said, following Steve.

They went back through the club, where people were still partying, waiting for the band to start playing their last set. "We're leaving," Steve said to Kinsey, as he and Ghost went by the bar.

"What, already?" Kinsey asked, then he saw Ghost. "Hey, what happened? You ok, Ghost?"

"Yeah, I'm ok," Ghost said.

"Steve, what's going on," Kinsey asked, looking at Steve for an answer.

""Nothing, just a demon got hold of Trevor, and made him attack Ghost. But it's over now...I hope."

They left out of the back door to the club. Kinsey was confused, but didn't have time to think about it now. There was still work to be done.

~

Next part coming soon!



Peace, Love, & Writing 

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE ... # 132

TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE
# 132
warning...adult content



~

"Ok, so are y'all ready...got your show planned, Zach?" Kinsey asked. "Terry says he's ready, and will be over in, oh, probably another hour. And, R. J. called; he's going to be here as soon as he can."

"Yeah, I'm going to go over a few things, now," Zach said. He and Trevor went over to the stage, to get started.

"Did you find our costumes, Trevor?"

"Yes, they're in the bedroom."

"This ought to be fun, tonight...everybody dressed up funny. I hope I can remember the words to the songs," Zach said.

Trevor smiled..."You will, and if you forget, look at me...I'll be right in front, and I'll say them to you." He hugged Zach, and they continued the preparations. When they were finished, they went upstairs to put on their costumes.

Trevor had found a red and white, checkered, western type shirt, that he paired with tight jeans, and cowboy boots. He then made two long braids of his hair, and put on a straw hat. Zach was going for a scary look. He rubbed gel into his hair, making it stick up in spikes, and wore a black leather vest, with no shirt under it. His black and gray cammo, cargo pants were tucked into heavy Army boots. Adding a black, spiked dog collar and wide black cuffs on his wrists, he was ready.

"Let's see," Zach said, and he and Trevor revealed their looks to each other. Then, they died laughing.  "Who the hell are you supposed to be" Zach asked, "...Willie Nelson?"

"I don't know, just a western kind of guy, I guess...and, anyway...I thought you were gonna be scary, Dude," Trevor laughed. "You look like a punked out biker."

"Yeah, I kinda do, don't I?"

They joked around a few more minutes, then went back downstairs. Terry had arrived by then, and was on the stage, setting up his drums. He did a double-take, when he saw Zach and Trevor. "Hey, y'all are cool looking," he said.

"You are, too, man," Zach said, nodding at how Terry's costume was exactly right for him. Terry was in full hippy heaven...bright, tie-dyed t-shirt, bell bottom jeans, flat leather sandals, and a long leather vest with fringe on the ends. Topping it all off, he'd put on a long, ratty looking wig, with a rolled up bandana tied around his head. He had accessorized with long strands of multi-colored, beaded necklaces, and little John Lennon sunglasses.

"Yeah, this is the kind of stuff I wore, back in the day," Terry laughed. "I mean...this is me." He laughed and mimicked smoking a joint, then winked, "For later, Dudes, for real...dig?"

Kinsey came over, just then to see how things were progressing. "Love the looks, guys. Where's R. J.?"

"Oh, he'll be here," Terry said, "he called to say he'd be here on time, and not to worry."

They all looked toward the door, as if on cue, as R. J. did come in, his bass guitar case in hand. "Sorry guys, I had to fix a flat on my car."

"That's it?" Terry asked, looking at what kind of costume R. J. was wearing.

"What? Something the matter with it?" R. J. asked, looking down at his clothes.

He had on flannel pajamas, top and bottom, and fuzzy house slippers. That was all. But, the design on the outfit wasn't even for Halloween...it was for Christmas...Santa Claus and reindeer.

Kinsey laughed, "That suits you, R. J. ...I love it." He slapped him on the back. "One hour, guys, then I open the door."

They plugged in and tuned up, running a few tunes through the speakers. As they were doing that, Steve and Ghost arrived. They stopped in the office, to say hi to Kinsey.

"Hey, Kinsey," Ghost bounded in, immediately taking a picture of Kinsey, at his desk.

Steve came hobbling in on his crutches and orange cast. "How's it going, Kinsey?"

"Well, look at y'all," Kinsey said, getting up to get a closer look at them. "I'm not sure who or what y'all are supposed to be, but ya look pretty cool."

Ghost was prowling around the office, moving things around on the desk, and bookshelves. "Ya got any candy around here?"

Steve motioned to Kinsey, and mouthed the words, "No more candy for Ghost," and shook his head.

Kinsey nodded and winked, "Got 'cha. ... Hey, Ghost, why does your hat say Papa?" he asked. "What's it mean?"

"Oh, you know, one of those guys that takes pictures of celebrities, when they don't want their picture taken...one of those Papa guys...that's me. I'm gonna take pictures of everyone, tonight, then I'll put them all on the wall, later, so we can remember what a good time we're gonna have," Ghost explained. "I thought it up all by myself, and I planned it a  long time ago...and, do you have any candy...I really need some...do I gotta say trick-or-treat first?" He stopped searching the office, waiting for Kinsey to show him where the candy was. "Oh, and Steve, well he's ...he's...what is it you are, anyway?" Ghost rambled on and on.

"Get him out of here, Steve," Kinsey said. "I've got stuff to do."

"C'mon, Ghost, there's pictures to be taken," Steve said, herding Ghost out of the office, and into the club.

"Hey, we're here...we're here..." Ghost hollered over at the others. "don't pay no attention, and don't hit me, 'cause I'm a Papa." He bounced around, snapping candid shots of Zach, Trevor, R.J. and Terry.

Trevor and Zach, laughed, and shrugged. They didn't know what to expect, after their earlier talk with Kinsey, and the weird afternoon they'd had with Ghost.

Steve commented on everyone's costume, then went to find a seat at the bar. "How's it coming along?" he asked Kinsey.

"Going good. I'll open up in a few minutes, then it'll be a madhouse in here."

Steve laughed, "Yeah, just the way you like it. Oh, and when we drove up, there was already a ton of people waiting to get in here. Saw some really crazy costumes, too."

"Well, guess it's time to let 'em in, then," Kinsey said. He went toward the big front door of his club. He hollered over to the stage..."I'm opening the door, guys...y'all be playing in thirty minutes; give them time to get drinks and food, first."

Terry gave him a thumbs up, as they all headed back to the dressing room.

Ghost stood in front of the door, bouncing around hollering 'smile', and snapping pictures as fast as he could. Everyone had on crazy outfits, and were ready to have a good time. The club filled up fast; the bar area, and tables were waiting room only, and Kinsey kept the food and drinks coming. The arcade lights on the games were flashing, and a game of pool was already heating up. There were people at the wall, reading and scribbling their thoughts, and everyone admiring each other's costumes. The noise was already loud, and it was time for the band to start.

Ghost was still taking pictures, when Gumbo took to the stage, and Terry banged on the drums to get the first song started. R. J. and Zach began their intro, while Calvin, was still trying to get his guitar tuned. He'd come in at the last minute, making some excuse about boyfriend problems. He was wearing a Dracula outfit, looking the part in a cape, tux jacket, and top hat. He wore fake fangs with fake blood on them, which gave him trouble, as he tried to sing, spraying red drops all over himself, his guitar, and the stage.

Ghost had taken pictures of so many people, he was ready for a break, so he went to find a sandwich, and a beer, at the bar. He hopped up on a stool by Steve. "Hey, Steve...this is so much fun."

"Yeah, everyone is having a good time."

"What's the matter, Steve, you don't look like you're having a good time," Ghost looked closer at Steve, there in the dim light.

"Yeah, I am. I'm just tired of sitting here; my butt's gone to sleep," Steve said, wiggling around.

Ghost giggled, "Well get up, then."

"Uh-huh, and get knocked over by all the people in here."

"Sheesh, you're being crabby," Ghost said. He looked over at the crowd. "Nobody will knock you down...they see ya coming...watch..." He jumped down, and pulled Steve's hand, until he got down from the barstool, too. He grabbed his crutches, just as Ghost started pushing him toward the dance floor.

"What? What're you doing, Ghost...wait...stop... oh, no...no ya don't...I'm not dancing out there, I can barely hobble around...Ghost, stop pushing me." But, Ghost didn't stop...he kept pushing Steve, and hollering to the crowd.

"Make way people, make way...Steve is gonna dance on crutches...with me."

And, people did make way, clearing a space for him, and they began clapping and chanting, "Dance, Dance, Dance."

Steve was embarrassed at first, to have all the attention drawn to him, but then, looking at all the happy people...people who all knew him and liked him, he began to grin, and move a little. Ghost was urging him on, dancing and flinging his hair around, grabbing his shoulders, making Steve move. Steve finally started having fun.

~

Next part coming soon!



Peace, Love, & Writing

Sunday, February 22, 2015

TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE ... # 131

TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE
# 131
warning...adult content




~
It was getting dark, as they got back to the house.

"I need to get ready to go," Ghost said, "it's Halloween...time to party." He danced around the living room.

"Why are you in such a good mood, anyway?" Steve asked, watching Ghost being so hyper.

"Probably 'cause I had too much candy, today," he said, unwrapping another piece of chocolate.

"I noticed," Steve said. "All that we got for the kids, is gone."

"Yeah, I did it, I did it, I ate it all," Ghost grinned, "except this one here," he pitched the last piece of candy to Steve.

"Go get yourself ready, then," Steve said. "I'm going to go put on my vampire slayer shirt."

"Ok, but I have a surprise for you, too," Ghost screeched. "Just wait." He danced off to his bedroom.

"Oh, my, God," Steve muttered, shaking his head. The party hasn't even started, and he's all wound up...I'll be lucky to survive this night...

"I heard that," Ghost yelled, from the bedroom.

Steve went to his bedroom, put on his black shirt, and he was ready to go. Ghost came out, wearing his costume. Steve laughed, "You look ridiculous, and cute at the same time, but it is original, I have to say."

Ghost had put on the old fedora, he'd gotten at the thrift store, and had stuck a large, yellow sticky label on the front of it. He'd written in black marker, the word PAPA. He also had on his Ghost Adventures t-shirt, and the hunter's vest. Down below, he had on shredded jeans, and high-top sneakers, that he'd written on in different colored markers. He had his camera slung around his neck on a multi-colored lanyard.

"Yeah, that's me...original," Ghost said, turning around so Steve could get the full effect of his outfit.

"So, what's my surprise?" Steve asked.

"Oh, I almost forgot..." Ghost ran back to the bedroom, coming back out with a can of orange colored hair spray. "Look, we're gonna spray some stuff."

Steve smiled, "Where'd ya get that?"

"At the store...on my way to the graveyard."

"Well, cool...I like this surprise, Ghost...so, start spraying."

Ghost bent down to spray Steve's leg cast with the orange color. "Don't worry, it washes off," he said. Then he took strands of Steve's black hair, making intermingled streaks. "Anything else ya want me to spray?"

"Naw, this'll be good. What about you?"

"Yeah, go ahead...spray some in my hair, too," Ghost said, taking off his hat.

Steve ran his hand into Ghost's hair, picking out long strands to color. "That shows up real good...go look."

Ghost went to look at himself in the bathroom mirror. "Hey, yeah...cool," he hollered.

"Ya want anywhere else?"

"Yeah, maybe on the back of this vest...do a warning sign."

"Ok, turn around," Steve said, then sprayed a hex sign on the vest. The spray dribbled a bit on the fabric, making it look like graffiti. "There ya go. Hey, give me the camera so I can take your picture."

Ghost posed, being silly, while Steve played along. "Work it...looking good...sexy..."

By the time Ghost had taken pictures of Steve, they were both giggling.

"Are you ready to go, then," Steve asked.

"Yeah, it's not a party until we get there," Ghost laughed.

They locked up the house, and headed down the highway toward the Sacred Yew.

~

Earlier, after being freaked out at Ghost's craziness, Zach and Trevor had left the cemetery, discussing the afternoon they'd had.

"Dude," Trevor said, "that was just...well, I don't know what that was...is that what happens...I mean, all the time with him? How does Steve stand it?"

"I know," Zach said, "I never seen anything like that, and I've seen plenty, down in New Orleans. Oh, shit...now we got him coming over to do that hocus-pocus at your place."

"Yeah, but Steve will be there from the start. Maybe that helps?" Trevor didn't sound very convincing, though.

They drove up to Kinsey's club, and banged on the back door.

"Hey, guys, y'all are way early," Kinsey said, when he'd let them in. "What's up?"

Zach looked hopeful, as he said, "Uh, we came early 'cause we're taking you up on your offer. That is if it's still ok to move in here, awhile?"

"Oh, sure, it's ok, but what happened, now?" he looked out, seeing the car full of their belongings. "Get your stuff unloaded. The room is still there, you know where it is...up and to the left. Then you can explain," Kinsey said. "I'll be down in the kitchen, getting food ready for tonight."

It took Zach and Trevor three trips, up and down the stairs, to get it all up to the room. Then, finding Kinsey making sandwiches, he said, "Get yourselves a soda, guys. Now, what's the deal? I'm happy to let you stay here, but why now? You didn't want to, before."

"Yeah, I know Kinsey," Trevor said. He cracked open the coke, and sat at the old dinette table. "It just got worse over there, last night." He paused a moment, shaking his head. "That house is cursed. I think I finally understand. I didn't want to think that, but it's just too much..."

Kinsey turned from the counter, to look at Trevor. "I heard y'all were gonna get Ghost to exorcise the place...what then?"

Trevor shrugged, "We're having it torn down, I think. Nobody else should ever live there...and if Ghost can clear out the bad stuff, at least the grounds will be ok, for later."

"Makes sense, I guess," Kinsey said, turning back to his preparations. "It's just y'all need to be careful...what your messing with...I don't know, Trevor. Ghost isn't any kind of professional priest, or anything like that, ya know. He's just a kid with a strange gift. I wouldn't want any of you to get hurt."

"We're scared, if you want to know the truth, Kinsey," Zach said. "We just had a weird demonstration, this morning."

"What do you mean?"

"Ghost...he came by the house, acting weird...so then, we followed him out to the cemetery," said Zach.

"Yeah, we spied on him," Trevor added.

"We tried to hide, while we watched what he does out there, but he knew we were there. It was creepy, though," Zach frowned. "He told us to come out... but, he acted like he couldn't see us, even though he was talking to us."

"Yeah, Kinsey," Trevor said, "is he blind, or something? He said he couldn't see us, but...I'm confused as hell, now. Scared us so bad, we had to call Steve. Then it was ok...sort of..." Trevor shrugged.

Kinsey sighed, blowing his breath out, across his forehead.  "Guys, it's not my place to tell Ghost's story...it's very complicated. Just drop it. If he want's to say something, someday, well, he can, but for now...I don't know...just be careful around Ghost. I'm not saying to avoid him, but he's unpredictable. You never know what he's going to do...and I've known him since he was a little kid. That's all I'm saying. Oh, except me and Terry are coming out there too, when y'all do that séance thing." Kinsey looked them both in the eye. "Y'all are all so wrapped up in this haunted house business, we're gonna be there to lend some sanity to the séance." Kinsey was done talking about it.

"Thank you," Zach said, relieved. "We probably need some of that."

~
Next part coming soon!





Peace, Love, & Writing

Friday, February 20, 2015

TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE...# 130

TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE
# 130
warning...adult content



~

"What's the matter? Do you want us to take you home, Ghost?" Trevor asked, as he squeezed Ghost's hand. Ghost squeezed back, hard. Trevor could feel him trembling.

"Make it stop," Ghost whispered. "Make the sizzling stop." He closed his eyes and growled, in his gravelly voice, "Leave me alone. You have no power over me."

Zach and Trevor just stared, as Ghost's hair began to receive static electricity from the air. They were really freaked out, now. "Oh, my God...Zach, what can we do? He's acting crazy...is this for real?" Trevor asked, as he stood up, getting ready to run.

"Trev, go get my phone out of the car. Call Steve's phone, or Terry...or somebody. Tell them to come out here now," Zach said. "This isn't good, and I don't know what to do."

Trevor took off running back to the cemetery's entrance, where they'd parked the car. When he got there, he couldn't remember Steve's number, so he called Terry at the record shop.

"Terry, is Steve there...it's an emergency. We're at the cemetery with Ghost and he needs help," Trevor said, breathing hard, into the phone.

"Dude, Steve's already halfway there. He dropped everything and said he heard Ghost calling him. He'll be there any second," Terry said.

"Thanks, Terry...wait, here he comes now." He disconnected the call, and jumped in the car with Steve.

Steve drove as far as he could toward Ghost's grandmother's grave. "What happened?" he asked as he ran up to see about Ghost. Bending down, he shook Ghost, trying to snap him out of it. "Ghost, I'm here, it's ok...wake up...Now!"

Zach tried to explain what had happened. "We were all just talking, and he started acting all weird. We didn't know what to do."

"Is he going to be ok?" asked Trevor.

As Steve bent over him again, Ghost gave him a wink, and a small smile. Steve nodded, "Yeah, he'll be ok in a minute...as soon as he wakes up."

"Huh?" Zach looked confused.

Steve kept shaking Ghost. "Was he asleep before y'all started talking?"

"Yeah, but he woke up and did stuff, and then talked to us like normal...I think," Trevor said.

Steve wiped the sweat from running in his eyes, as he adjusted his position, there on the ground. "Ok, well, he does crazy stuff when he sleepwalks, and looks like he still is asleep. What was he saying?"

"He said 'leave me alone', and 'you have no power over me'," Zach said.

Steve frowned, "Oh, crap...he was over at your place, wasn't he?"

Trevor and Zach both nodded.

"That's it then," Steve said. "That evil shit ya got going on over there must have followed him here, and is messing with him."

"It's here...now?" Zach said, looking around.

"Nevermind, just get me some water or something."

Trevor ran to get a bottle of water from the car. It took a few minutes to go all the way back to the entrance, again.

Steve kept trying to wake Ghost up. "Wake up, Ghost...can you hear me?"

When Trevor returned, Steve took the bottle of water, and splashed it right into Ghost's face. Ghost sputtered, and sat up. "Why'd ya go and do that, Steve?" he asked.

"Because you were gone somewhere else, and I had to bring you back," Steve said.

"Oh, where'd I go?" Ghost looked confused, now.

"Into outer space, Ghost. That's where you always go, Dude."

"And, I'm back, now?"

"Yeah, you're back, and it's time to go home."

"Yeah, I'm hungry," Ghost said. "Oh, hey Zach, Trevor...where did y'all come from? Did y'all go to space, too?"

"I think we did," Trevor said.

"Yeah, you took us on a crazy trip, man," Zach said, shaking his head in wonder.

"I'm taking him home, now," Steve said, "we'll see ya later tonight, if Ghost feels up to it."

Zach and Trevor headed back to their car. Steve reached out a hand, to help Ghost up. He was still a bit shaky, and he leaned on Steve, as they went over to their car.

"You ok, now?" Steve asked.

"Uh-huh," Ghost said. "Did I scare 'em real good?"

Steve laughed, "Yeah, they probably crapped their pants, after that show."

Ghost smiled. "Good...except it wasn't all a trick, Steve. Some of it was for real...and I don't know which part, now."

Steve looked over at him, "I know," he said, "and that's the part that scares me."

~
They drove back home, and Ghost grabbed himself a sandwich to take out back to the little graveyard. Steve decided to go, too, so made a few more sandwiches, and a couple of cold sodas. As they walked down the little worn path behind their house, Spirit played and pounced on leaves and twigs, and swatted at a late season butterfly.

Leaning back against an old crooked cross, they ate and watched as Spirit climbed on the nearby tombstones.

"So, those guys really got scared, huh?" Steve was laughing, remembering the sight.

"Yeah, they did, for real," Ghost said. "Guess they got a preview of what'll happen over at their house, at the séance."

Steve agreed, "Yeah, but then it will be the real thing...won't it?" he looked at Ghost. "Ya know, it doesn't have to, though. You could just pretend, like today."

Ghost thought about it a minute, "I know I could, but that wouldn't help them...and I still think I can...ya know...help, or at least tell them what's causing the trouble."

"But, listen, Ghost," Steve said, "I'm scared it'll do something bad...to you...to everybody...like actually call in demons, and they'll possess us all...and...I don't know...maybe we'll all die, or..."

"You're scared, aren't ya, Steve?"

"Hell yeah...aren't you?"

Ghost shrugged, "A little, 'cause I don't know what'll happen either."

"Did you go over those instructions, again?"

"Uh-huh, I know what to do with that, then it's all up to the spirits," Ghost said.

"Meow?" Spirit said.

"Not you, silly kitty," Ghost said, as he scratched the cat's ears. "You're not invited."

"Who all will be there?" Steve wondered.

"Us and them, I guess," Ghost said.

"I have a feeling..." Steve said.

"What...what did you just say?" Ghost laughed.

"Shut it, Ghost...I said I have a feeling..."

Ghost giggled.

"Stop it, now," Steve said, and shoved Ghost. "Anyway, I think Kinsey and Terry will be coming over, too, 'cause they already heard about it, and they never want to be left out of stuff...even when they say they don't want any part of our adventures...so, I expect they'll be there."

"Oh, well, they better behave themselves, then," Ghost said, "because I'm in charge, this time." He stood up and hollered, "I'm in charge...ya get it?"

"You're crazy, man," Steve laughed.

"Yeah, and Steve is my bodyguard, and he'll kick your ass, if ya mess with me...and that goes for you spooks, too," Ghost kept on yelling.

Steve was rolling on the ground, laughing, and Spirit was climbing all over him.

"So, there," Ghost said, as he sat back down.

They stayed out in the graveyard a while longer, while Ghost wandered around among the crosses and headstones, saying a few words to the long dead Civil War inhabitants.

~

Next part coming soon!




Peace, Love, & Writing

Thursday, February 19, 2015

TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE ... # 129

TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE
# 129
warning: adult content




~

Ghost had gone on down to the cemetery, using the worn path through the woods, as he usually did. It had been awhile since he'd been to his grandmother's grave. Smiling, he took in the peaceful scene at her gravestone. It always calmed him to come here.

The fall leaves and pine needles had covered the ground, and he took in a deep breath of the crisp air. Kneeling, he traced his fingers over the engraved words on the granite headstone. Then, as he lay down, he let his mind wander a few minutes, preparing himself for any kind of communication from beyond.

"I'm here, grandmother," he whispered. He was almost asleep now, but murmured, "Tell me a story...tell me a story about good against evil."

Then, he was asleep, but in the dream that came to him, he saw his grandmother and himself, from a long ago day. He was begging for another story, as he did every day.

"Ghost child, you need stories like you need air to breathe. I will tell you a truth that you can call upon, whenever you need reassurance. To help you remember, I'll sing it for you..." She began to hum a lullaby, that turned into words of wisdom.

"When one comes upon choices in life, there are only two directions you can go...toward the goodness of creation, or toward the evil that lurks in the shadows, wanting to capture your very being. It is always your choice, but you must live with the consequences.

If you choose wisely, there are many ways to surround yourself with protection from evil. If you choose to let evil come into you, there is no one to help, nobody to guide you. You will be bereft...all alone. So, choose wisely, Ghost child. Evil is always...it has always been, and will always be so.

Throughout time, it has been God's will to prevail over evil, at all cost. Do what you must, and know you can call on me. I love you, and will always watch over you."

The made up tune as the story, had turned into the advice he'd been seeking.

~

Trevor and Zach had watched Ghost, as he'd knelt down at the grave. They were close enough to have heard him whisper. Trevor poked Zach, "Is that all he's gonna do?" He mouthed the words, so as not to be heard by Ghost.

"Shh," Zach held his fingers to his own lips, and shrugged.

They waited. After awhile, Ghost awoke. Sitting up, he ruffled his fingers through his hair, then reached into his backpack, getting a sky blue marker. He began to write on the headstone. He then went around to the back, and dug around in the tiny crack, to see if there were any new messages. He pulled out the older notes, and read them over again. The guitar pick was still there, he noticed.

He felt around even farther into the opening, feeling there was another paper wedged inside. Pulling it out the tightly rolled message, he opened it, reading for a minute, then smiled and kissed it. He put everything back, then ripped a piece of paper from his current notebook, writing his own message. Folding it into a small square, he pushed it in with the other items.

Zach and Trevor were still watching, wondering what Ghost would do next. They didn't have long to wait, as Ghost scrambled backwards from the grave, and pulled out the hidden tin box he and Steve had placed there in secret. He brought out a white candle, and a packet of matches. He lit the candle, which smelled of cinnamon. As the wax melted, Ghost stood, then dripped puddles of it all along the top of the marker. He pushed his fingerprint into each one.

Looking around the area, Ghost held the candle up, at arm's length, in front of him. Turning slowly in a circle, he began a sort of chanting...calling to the spirits of the dead, that lay all around him. His blue eyes were dilated, having a far away look to them, there in the shadowy copse.

Zach and Trevor were mesmerized, as they stared, barely breathing.

Ghost called out the names of all the familiar spirits that surrounded him. Facing the grave, now, he knelt down, holding the candle high.

"Thank you for helping me. I love you...I miss you, so much..." He made the sign of the cross, and blew out the candle.

As the spirals of smoke drifted upward on the breeze, a small blue bird flew down and landed on the top of the grave marker. It only stayed a few seconds, but left one lone blue feather behind, as it flew away. Ghost smiled and picked up the feather, sticking it in his hair. He returned the candle to the tin box, hiding it again, behind a rock.

He stood up then, and seemed to look straight at Zach and Trevor. "Y'all can come out now," he said to them.

Trevor and Zach gasped.

"Come on, I know you're there," Ghost said.

They sheepishly untangled themselves from the bushes, coming to stand in front of Ghost. 

"It's ok," Ghost said, "I knew y'all were coming out here, even before y'all did. I was expectin' ya. Thank you for not interrupting while I talked to my grandmother."

"Uh, sorry...we were just interested to see what you do," said Zach.

Ghost grinned, "It's different every time, but it's not a secret. Anyone who wants to can come watch. It don't bother me none."

"Is that what you'll do at the séance?" Trevor asked.

Ghost shrugged, "Can't say. Guess it'll be different...I never know...whatever spirit comes through. I just do whatever feels right, then after that, I don't know any more. I do some things for protection, but then, it just takes over, and ya just have to watch and tell me what happened, for real...'cause I don't know what's real and what's just in my head, ya know?"

Ghost took a much needed breath. He sat down, looking like he was going to stay and talk for a long time. Zach and Trevor sat down, too, wondering what was going to happen next.

As Ghost continued, Zach nudged Trevor, "What do ya think?"

"It's weird, Zach...it's like he don't care if we're listening or not...or even talking about him."

"Yeah, like he's in a different place or something. He just keeps on talking...and I still don't know what he's saying," Zach tried to stifle a giggle.

"I know, me either," Trevor said. "Guess we can stay here with him for awhile. If he don't ever stop, we may have to go get Steve, or just put him in the car and take him home."

They kept smiling and nodding, as they listened to Ghost ramble on.

Then Ghost said, "...and I know what y'all just said...well, in half of me, but I'm just telling' ya stuff that is how I do it, and you can or can't see it, but I do...and you can or can't believe it today...but, you'll see later, it's all true." He paused a moment, looking at Zach and Trevor.

"And, if ya want to go get Steve, he's at Terry's, and I'm not through looking at graveyards. The one behind my house is older, and I like it, too. I have to go there next, 'cause I always do, but I'm hungry, and I have to get ready to go, and...and..."

Ghost blinked a few times, and shook his head. "What's going on?" he asked, looking confused. "Where are you? Are you still here?" He reached out his hands, feeling for Trevor and Zach, until he made contact with their faces. "Say something to me, so I'll know you're real," he said.

"Ghost, what is it? We're here, right in front of you," Zach said. He and Trevor were getting scared, now. They'd never seen Ghost this weird, before.

~

Next part coming soon!




Peace, Love, & Writing

Sunday, February 15, 2015

TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE ... # 128

TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE
# 128
warning...adult content



~

Trevor was in a psychotic fugue, or something, just like when Zach first met Trevor at this house. He'd came at him then, too, trying to kill him. It had been a long time since he'd had to use his computer systems passwords to unlock Trevor's mind. He couldn't even remember what it was he'd said, that last time. Something had to work, though, so he started saying anything he could think of.

"Trevor, we have to get ready for the Halloween show tonight. We won't stay here anymore. Let's burn the place down, right now. Coffee...I'll make strong coffee for you. Mushrooms, Trevor, remember? Ghost will clear away the evil. You can sing on stage with me."

Zach kept on talking, trying to break through and calm Trevor down. Trevor kept on slashing the vines, his hair flying, and sweat running down his face, mixing with the tears. Each time the blade cut through a vine runner, Zach thought he could hear it screaming.

"I love your hair, Trevor. I love you. Draw me some comics. You can make out with Ghost, and I won't get mad. Let's go back to Jamaica..."

Suddenly, Trevor whirled around, his eyes blazing as he stared at Zach. "You're an idiot, Zach."

Zach backed up out of Trevor's reach with the knife. "What?"

"I said you're an idiot." Trevor said, breathing hard. "All that crap you just said...I heard it all. I don't need any code words to make me calm down. And, I can't believe you said I should make out with Ghost. What do you think I am...a whore, now? Now that you taught me everything, that I'd just go be with anyone but you? That kills me, Zach, that you'd think that, that I'd want to do that."

Breathing hard, Trevor dropped the knife.

Zach was afraid to say anything, now...the wrong thing might set Trevor off again, but he had to say something. "Uh, Trev...I'm sorry. I thought I could calm you down. You were scaring me, and..."

"Shut up, just shut up, Zach," Trevor said. He brushed past Zach, on his way outside.

Zach was frozen to the spot. He needed to go to Trevor, but now was afraid to...afraid Trevor was breaking up with him. He looked back into the bedroom. The vines were growing back...putting feelers out toward the doorway.

"You fucking house...look what you've done. You couldn't kill him before, so you try this way. Well, it's not gonna happen. Never...never." He ran out to confront Trevor.

As he came outside, he saw Trevor at the car, bent over the hood. He was crying. Zach came up, slowly, and reached out his hand. He smoothed back Trevor's hair. "Trev, I'm so sorry. Let me hold you, please." He thought Trevor wasn't going to turn around, but he did, and fell into Zach's arms.

"I'm sorry Zach. I didn't mean it. I didn't mean to yell at you...it's just this evil house. I couldn't stop."

"I know, and it had hold of me, too, I think. I couldn't stop the words from coming, even when I didn't want to say them."

They stayed in their embrace, there by the car, for a few more moments. Zach dried Trevor's tears, and kissed him.

"We have to go back in there," Zach said. "We have to get our stuff."

Trevor nodded. "What if we don't get out alive, Zach?"

"We will...we have each other," Zach said, more confident than he actually felt.

They walked back around to the back door of the house. Everything seemed fine to look at, but there was an underlying feeling of a presence, waiting and watching. As fast as they could, they gathered up clothes, notebooks, sketchpads, comics, food, and anything else they could carry. They dumped it all in the car.

"That's it then?" Zach asked.

"Yeah, except for the séance," Trevor said.

Zach frowned, "Are you serious? Even now, you want to do that?"

"Yeah, even now," Trevor nodded.

Zach sighed and shook his head. He knew he'd go along with it, too. He knew it wasn't really over with Trevor...maybe it never would be.

~

                                                    CHAPTER 20

After a little while, Trevor asked, "Where will we go, now?"

"Well, Kinsey said we could stay there, if we wanted to," Zach said. "That's probably what we should do, at least until we find another place. What do you think?"

"Yeah, guess we could go on over there to the club. It's early, but we can unload our stuff, get all this settled, before y'all do the show tonight," Trevor agreed.

Still, they didn't leave. For some reason, they were finding it hard to get away from the house...they kept talking of the séance, the upcoming party, and even though they felt the need to go, there was the house...trying to pull them back in. Finally, Trevor gave himself a shake, to break the spell. "Let's just go, we'll be back, when Ghost does the séance," he said. Yet, still they stayed a bit longer, discussing Ghost and what he'd be doing.

"You know what," Trevor asked, "I'm still curious about what Ghost is going to actually do over here, ya know. Do you think it will be scary, or maybe it will be stupid to even do it."

"So what if it is? We'll see what happens, when we do it, right? Don't be freaking yourself out, before it even happens," Zach said.

"Yeah, I know, you're right, Zach."

"Hey, Ghost said he was going over to the cemetery, didn't he? I have an idea...let's go find him," Zach said, grinning. "Let's find out what he does over there. He's got secrets, I'll bet, secrets of his powers. I want to..."

Trevor interrupted, "You want to go spy on him?"

Zach smiled, "Yeah."

Trevor shrugged, "Fine with me, just don't go accusing me of anything, this is your idea."

"I know, and I won't" Zach said. He started the car and pulled out to the road. They'd never been to the cemetery before, but had passed by it on occasion. They'd admired the angel statue out by the entrance.

After a few minutes, they pulled into the little cemetery lane, stopping there. "That angel is pretty cool looking," Trevor said. "I'll bet I could draw it."

"Later," Zach said, "we're trying to find Ghost. I think we should just start walking around, but maybe be kinda quiet, you know, out of respect."

"Hah, what you really mean, is be sneaky," Trevor laughed.

"Yeah, that, too."

Zach pulled the car over to the side of the little road, and they got out. "How are we supposed to find him? This place is really big," Trevor asked, as they looked around the grounds. There were so many trees, it was hard to tell how far the graves went back, and they had no idea of where Ghost's grandmother's grave was located.

"Well, guess we just start where we are and work our way in," Zach said.

It was only mid-afternoon, but very shady, and eerily quite. "Ya getting scared yet, Trev?"

"No, well maybe. Let's keep going."

They wandered down the path, looking left and right as best they could, seeing no sign of Ghost. They were almost at the back perimeter of the graveyard, when Zach stopped walking. He pointed up ahead of them. "Shh...there he is."

They tried not to crunch on the dried leaves, as they went forward, using the trees to hide behind. They got as close as they could, without being noticed, and just watched Ghost. They had gotten there at just about the same time as he had.

~

Next part coming soon!



Peace, Love, & Writing





Wednesday, February 11, 2015

TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE...# 127

TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE
# 127
warning...adult content



~

plink...plinkety...plink... Trevor woke to the sounds of plastic guitar strings. The almost full moon was giving enough light in the room, now, that he could see the toy guitar, there on the end of the bed. It was playing the notes with unseen hands.

Without taking his eyes off it, he shook Zach awake. "Didn't you take that toy out earlier?"

"What...uh...yeah...I threw it away."

"Well, look, it's back in here. Do you hear that music, or is it just me?" Trevor asked.

"I hear it," Zach said, sitting up in the bed. "Did you bring it back in?"

"Uh-uh...the house did," Trevor said.

They watched it a few more seconds, then Zach kicked out his foot, and sent the toy flying off the bed. It crashed into the wall, breaking apart...again.

"There, take that...and don't come back," Trevor shouted.

Zach clutched Trevor's arm. "What is it? What's that sound, Trev?" He turned his head to look around the room, into all the dark corners, but didn't see anything.

Trevor listened..."It...it's...it's growling at us...the house is growling at us, Zach."

The low grumbling, growling sound shook their insides, like the beat of a bass guitar on high volume.

"Hell, no...I'm not staying in here another minute," Zach said. "Come on, Trev...let's get out...hurry."

Grabbing a blanket, as they eased out of the bed, they tried to go quickly around the vines, snaking around the floor. As soon as they reached the bedroom door, they took off running, all the way outside, and out to the car. They jumped in, locking the doors.

Zach rolled down the window a little bit, and yelled at the house. "That was crazy, you stupid house...we're not scared...just need some sleep."

He looked at Trevor, then, and they both burst out laughing at the absurdity of it all. Then they tried to get comfortable in the car, one in the back seat, one in the front seat, until they finally did fall asleep. The rest of the night remained quiet. 

~

They were still asleep, the next morning, when Ghost walked up to their car and knocked on the window.

"Hey, in there," he hollered at them.

He'd been on his way to the cemetery, when he had the idea to drop by the Violin Road house. That's when he saw Zach and Trevor asleep in the car.

"Hey, guys...wake up" Ghost kept knocking on the window. He was bent down, peering in at them.

When Trevor opened his eyes, all he saw was a pale face, with frizzed out hair staring in at him. He screamed.

"What is it?" Zach asked, coming awake, not sure if it was real, or if he was still dreaming about monsters. He finally realized he was seeing Ghost, and not some evil house spook.

Ghost laughed, and moved back, waiting for them to open the car door.

"Trevor, it's just Ghost, that's all. Let's get out." Zach scrambled to unlock the door, and he and Trevor got out.

"Dude, you scared the shit out of us," Zach said, still shaking a bit. "What are you doing out here?"

Ghost was grinning, "Sorry, I was on my way to the cemetery, and wanted to come see ya."

"Hey, were you and Steve out here snooping around my house?" Trevor asked.

"Yeah, we wanted to talk to y'all, but you weren't here. I kinda needed to get a feel for the house, ya know...before the séance. It was really hard to find this place." Ghost looked around the area, seeing again the vine covered house. "This place feels creepy," he said, as a matter of fact.

"Look at my hair, it's full of electricity, all standing out, and sparkly, and tingly. Are y'all's doing that?" Ghost asked.

Trevor shook his head. "No, I don't feel anything, do you Zach?"

"Not right now, but I did earlier...and a time or two before that. What's causing it, ya think?" Zach wondered.

Trevor thought for a minute. "Maybe because both of you are like outsiders? Maybe the house doesn't like anyone that's not my original family?"

"That makes sense, I guess," Zach said, "and Ghost is psychic, so it is doubly mad, trying to warn you and me away."

Ghost stared wide-eyed at the house, then back to Zach and Trevor.

"You gonna back out now, Ghost?" Trevor asked.

"No, it makes me want to do it more. I'm not saying I know what to do, ya know; I've never done anything like it, before. But, I still want to try...if y'all still want to," Ghost said.

"Yes," Trevor said.

"Definitely," Zach agreed.

Ghost was nodding, "Ok, well, Steve and I was wanting to do it soon. He'll tell ya when, 'cause I don't really know days and stuff, so he'll talk to you at the show, ok?"

Zach looked confused. "You don't know days?"

"Yeah, so I can't say when, but now I gotta go see my grandmother at the graveyard. She might have something to tell me, and I go out there every Halloween...well, other times, too, but now I gotta go." He turned and started walking away.

"Bye?" Zach said, still confused, as he watched Ghost walk off down the road. He shook his head, trying to clear it, then asked Trevor, "What the hell was he talking about? Seems like he always talks in some sort of code, or riddles, or something. It's like he says a lot of words, but you still don't know what he's saying."

Trevor shrugged, "I have no idea," he said. But his eyes were lit up, and he was smiling, as he watched Ghost leave. It was a look that said he'd really like to get to know Ghost a lot better.

Zach saw it too. "You still have a crush on him, don't you?"

"Huh? No, well he's interesting. Maybe I could put him in one of my comics or something," Trevor said.

"Or something..." Zach said, shaking his head. "Let's go in. We can't stay out here in the car forever, and we need our stuff to get ready for tonight."

They walked back around to the back door of the house, holding hands. "Are you mad at me?" Trevor asked.

"No, not really...and you're right, Ghost is interesting," Zach smiled.

They went inside, a little hesitant to find out if the house had done any more mischief. They tried the lights and water again, and all was working fine. Going into the bedroom, however, was another story. Zach saw it first.

"Hey, Trevor, come look at this."

Trevor joined him there at the bedroom door. "Son of a bitch!"

This startled Zach, as Trevor hardly ever got riled up enough to curse. "Careful, Trev..." he said, as he held up his arm to prevent Trevor from charging into the room, without checking things out further.

The vine covered wall seemed to have exploded into the room. There were leaves and tendrils everywhere, snaking across the floor, and over the dresser, along the perimeter of the room, up by the ceiling, and hanging from the light fixture. But the focal point had to be the bed. There, right in the middle of it, was an intricately woven nest of leaves, on which the toy guitar lay, not broken at all, now.

"That's it...I've had enough," Trevor said. "We're not staying here another day. Get your stuff, Zach." He turned from the door, stumbling off into the living room, brushing at his eyes. Zach followed.

"Trev, wait, it'll be ok." He was getting alarmed, because Trevor was crying, but trying not to.

"Why...why did I ever come back here?"

Zach put his arm around Trevor. "You had to find out," he said.

"Yeah, I had to find out. And, what good did it do...none. You're right, this house is evil. It's trapped us in it's spell, and I think it was evil even before my dad killed everyone. It made him do it. Oh, I know he was an alcoholic, and an abuser before then; even when I was a kid, I knew that. But everything got worse, when we came to this evil house," he shouted.

He stomped off to the kitchen, grabbed a butcher knife from the drawer, and started slashing at the vines in the bedroom. He went at them in a blind rage.

"Trevor, stop...it won't help," Trevor said.

"I don't care, it makes me feel better to hurt it. I want to kill, I want to kill the vines, the house...like it killed my family." He kept slashing.

Trevor wasn't able to get close, to stop him, afraid he'd get slashed, too.

~

Next part coming soon!




Peace, Love, & Writing

Sunday, February 8, 2015

TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE...# 126

TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE
# 126
warning...adult content



~

Halloween day dawned crisp and clear. The trees were bursting with orange, red, and yellow leaves; it was a perfect Autumn day in North Carolina, the freak blizzard almost forgotten by now. Ghost was out on the porch, as was usual, to greet the morning, and Spirit was chasing falling leaves. Steve came outside to join them, with his coffee in hand.

"Can you smell it?" Ghost asked. "Somebody's burning leaves or something. It smells so good."

"Um-hmm, it is nice," Steve said. He gazed out across the front yard, and into the woods beyond. "You ready for the party, tonight?"

"Yeah, I got my camera and my hat...what are you gonna do?" Ghost asked.

Steve shrugged, "I don't know, but I have a black shirt I can wear."

Ghost snorted, "You got a bunch of black shirts. You need something else, though."

"Well then, when you come up with something, let me know."

"Oh, I'm going to the graveyards today...you wanna come?" Ghost asked.

"Naw, you go on," Steve said, "I'm going to go see if I can do some things over in the studio. That is if Terry will let me in there."

"How long will you be there?"

"I'll be back here later, then we'll get ready to go to the club," Steve said. He was finished with his coffee, so went back inside.

Ghost came in, too, and grabbed his backpack, a couple of granola bars, and a bottle of water. "Guess I'll go on out there, then," he said. "See ya later. He went out the back door, heading down the path. He planned on going to the main cemetery first, then coming back to the one behind their house, afterwards. It was a nice long walk out there, but he was used to it.

Steve fed the cat, got himself some cereal for his breakfast, then left the house, heading for Terry's studio, in town.

~

Over in Missing Mile, Kinsey was up early, too. He had lots of chores to do, before the doors opened later that evening. The bar was stocked, already, and on his list was floor mopping, and making the food for the hungry customers. He figured he'd need more than usual for the crowd he expected. He got chicken on to boil, for homemade chicken noodle soup, and as a nod to Halloween, he would make deviled ham sandwiches, figuring all that would satisfy everyone.

He was looking forward to seeing the crazy costumes people would wear. As for himself, he would wear black, and he'd found some orange suspenders, to which he'd pinned round buttons, with Halloween pictures on them.

~
Out on old Violin Road, Zach and Trevor had had another weird night in the murder house. As they'd gotten home, that night, they could tell someone had been up to their house, as there were car tire tracks, and more weeds than usual were mashed down in the road.

Trevor was frowning. It was dark out, but he noticed right away, as the car's headlights shone across the yard. "Zach, did you see all that? Somebody's been here. Who'd be coming all the way out here?"

Zach shrugged, "I don't know, but I can guess...Steve and Ghost. I wouldn't put it past them to come snooping around."

"Well, we weren't here, so guess they left. We'll see them tomorrow night, anyway," Trevor said.

"Yeah, but I don't like it."

"Did ya forget...we snooped around their house too, that time, so guess we're even, now," Trevor rationalized.

They got out and went around back, to go inside the house. Zach flipped the light switch, but nothing happened. "I figured as much...the house didn't like it either...now we're in for trouble." He went into the kitchen to check if they had water. The faucet chugged a bit, then dribbled out a brownish sludge. "Great," he said.

"Well, we can light a candle, or we can go on to bed," Trevor said. "We have a lot of stuff to do to, tomorrow, to get ready for the show, so I'm going to bed...try to get some sleep."

Zach agreed, and found a candle to light, carrying it into the bedroom, then setting it on the nightstand, so there would be a little light in there. The dark shadows it cast, flickered and seemed to writhe on the walls. The overgrown vines, twining all around the room, rustled a bit. They were used to them, now. They'd tried to chop them down a few times, at least to clear the bedroom out, but the deep green vines would just grow back. Still sometimes, they would release an artifact from Trevor's childhood, that had been eaten up long ago.

Tonight was no different. Lying among the leaves, was Trevor's toy guitar he'd had when he lived here as a child...before the murder of his family. Trevor gagged when he saw it, and he definitely didn't want to touch it. The leaves rustled again, to get his attention.

"Are you gonna get it?" Zach asked, as he stared at the toy.

"No, you know what happens when I pick something up," Trevor said.

Zach did know. Trevor would have violent nightmares. "I'll get it, then, and throw it out." He grabbed the small guitar, and pulled. Tendrils of vines twined around the neck of the toy, looking like it was choking it.

"Let it go," Zach demanded, and pulled harder. "Let it go, or I'll chop ya down." The tug of war between Zach and the vines continued for another minute, then in one quick movement, the vine let go, and Zach fell backwards onto the floor. He had the toy in his hands. "Ha...I got it," he hollered, then took it out the back door, tossing it into the trash barrel.

When he returned, Trevor was already in bed, staring at the ceiling.

"You ok?" Zach asked.

"Yeah, just so tired of the tension in here. It's stupid to be fighting a house."

"I know, and as soon as Ghost gets over here and clears out the bad stuff, the better," Zach said. "Let's tell them they should come over, day after tomorrow, ok?"

"Sounds good to me." Trevor said. He blew out the candle, and they both drifted off to an uneasy sleep.

A short time later, though, Zach woke up, shaking his hands, and hollering. "They're burning...Trevor...my hands...they're on fire."

It was totally dark in the room, now, so they couldn't see Zach's hands at all. "I feel like they're on fire...I need to see, Trevor...hurry."

Trevor reached over to the nightstand, fumbling for the candle and lighter. He managed to get it lit, even as his own hands were shaking. "Hold still, Zach, let me see your hands...quit flapping around."

Zach was gritting his teeth, and whining, as he held out his hands close to the candle flame. They both looked close, but couldn't see anything that could be causing the burning sensation.

"I don't see anything, Zach. Maybe it's just a reaction from touching the guitar," Trevor said.

"I need to cool them off, and we don't have any water," Zach said. "Was there any left in the cooler, or the refrigerator...maybe it's still cold?"

"I'll go check, stay here, I'll be right back," Trevor said. He left Zach there in the dark bedroom, taking the candle with him. In the cooler, he did find a bottle of water. He got a dishrag, too, and brought them back to Zach. "Here, put this on your hands. It's all I could find."

As Zach put the wet cloths on his hands, he stared hard at Trevor. "That's better, but Trev, I'm tired of us getting hurt out here. I don't know if this evil house stuff is real, or just in our heads, but really...can't you let this place go? Just go somewhere else to live...leave it, or tear it down?"

Trevor breathed in, letting it out slow. "Zach, we talked about this, before."

"But this stuff keeps happening over and over. It's like we're in a time loop of the past, or something. Please think about it...for our own safety and sanity," Zach pleaded.

Trevor took a moment before answering. "I want to try this last thing...see if Ghost can do something to help. If that doesn't work, then I'll do it. I'll have it torn down, and we can live somewhere else. I'll do it because I love you, Zach, and I want you to be safe, and not scared." He paused for a second, "I already kind of found out why my father didn't kill me, along with my mother and little brother, so I promise you, I'll do it." He took Zach's hands, looking at them. "Are they any better, now?"

"Yeah, guess so...and thank you, Trevor. I know this whole house business is hard for you, but...just thank you." He pulled Trevor in for a kiss. "I'm going to try to go back to sleep, now."

"Me too," Trevor said, and he blew out the candle.

They slept for about an hour, before the house made it's next move...

~

Next part coming soon!



Peace, Love, & Writing