The Ghoul Next Door

chapter Twenty-Two

We pulled up to the farmhouse like a fleet of FBI agents—dark cars and vans full of equipment. Our presence had to be intimidating to the homeowner. It looked as if we were taking over her home. I’d been on this street of historic homes before, but I’d never paid attention to the house looming over us.

I still wasn’t sure if I knew the full extent of what I had gotten myself into. How long would it take before I figured out what all of this meant? Thank goodness the location had been close to home. I wasn’t sure if I could have accepted the gig if it had been too far away. I wasn’t ready to put that much distance between Callahan and me this soon in our relationship.

The house was a big old farmhouse in the neighboring town of Stephensburg. It was white with black shutters and little yellow flowers along the edges of the sidewalk. It seemed innocent enough, but I felt the bad vibe all the way out in the car. It was so strong that it could have pounded me over the head.

The front porch wrapped all the way around the house. I bet the homeowner would be happy if I got rid of her unwelcome visitor; the place would be heavenly once the negative vibe was gone. I’d be happy out there along the tree-lined street among the peace and quiet. But would I be able to help the homeowner? My negativity had reached an all-time high. I felt like a fraud considering I currently had a bad spirit trailing me.

After climbing out of the vehicle, I paused, placed my hand above my eyes to shield the sun and peered up at the house. I knew something was in the upstairs window watching my arrival. It didn’t feel human and it most definitely didn’t want me there. I turned back to Mindy and Cooper to gauge their reaction to the house. Mindy was busy chatting with Matt, and Cooper didn’t let on if he’d seen the spirit in the window too.

“Seems like a nice place,” Candy Cherry said.

“More than a few spirits here.” Mr. Fine’s hand shook as he took a drag from his cigarette.

“I’m glad you can sense them. Maybe you can help me talk to them,” I said, trying to hide my conversation from the cameraman. They knew I was a medium, but it still looked like I was talking to myself. I didn’t want to appear to be a complete kook.

“I’m not going in there,” Mr. Fine said.

“Oh yes, you are.” Candy Cherry glared at him.

What was that all about? They were a strange pair.

After helping remove some of the equipment from the back of the SUV, I made my way up the path toward the house. The gate squeaked as I pushed it open and the sound of my footsteps was amplified in my head each time I stepped across the stone path.

Being followed by a camera crew was more disconcerting than I’d thought. That high-definition camera would be the death of me. My pores would look more like craters. If the show didn’t scare people, my face in HD surely would. For the love of all skin conditions, who thought that was a good idea, anyway?

So our first case really was located in Kentucky. Matt hadn’t lied. Mindy’s fantasy of traveling to far-away locations had gone up in flames. Staying close to home was fine by me.

It was part of my job to reassure the clients. Just because I was doing my work in front of a camera crew now didn’t mean I’d lose track of the real reason I was there: helping the person who struggled with a haunting or unexplained events going on in their life. Whether it was indeed paranormal or inexplicable didn’t matter. The person needed my help.

Cooper hurried beside me as if we were in a race to see who could make it to the door first. But when we reached the steps, he paused and motioned for me to lead the way. Maybe he had manners after all. Chivalry wasn’t dead as far as this city boy was concerned. I stepped up onto the long porch, made my way around the rocking chairs, and stopped in front of the old wood door. The pretty wreath on the door did nothing to ease the fear of the possible evil waiting on the other side. I’d been in a lot of haunted houses, but apprehension never eluded me. Needless to say, demons were always the toughest.

Cooper joined me at the door—his fidgeting from foot to foot was a little annoying. But everything was getting on my nerves lately. Yeah, I was nervous too, but not because of the demons or ghosts. I was nervous because of the camera invading my personal space.

Well, I was a little nervous because of the demons, too. I realized how nasty they could be. Don’t get me wrong, Cooper was a big strapping man and looked as if he could handle his own. But, I knew he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous.

“You nervous?” I asked.

“Who me? No way.” He shook his head.

I suspected he shoved his hands in his front pockets to keep from fidgeting.

When I knocked on the door, a negative energy rushed through my body. The spirits were ready to pounce and we hadn’t even entered yet. I glanced over my shoulder and spotted Elvis. He knew inside this home was no place for him. Mr. Fine and Candy Cherry were nowhere in sight. I thought she was excited to come in, but I guessed I’d been wrong. My anxiety increased and I held my breath waiting for someone to answer.

“There are two people here,” I whispered to Cooper as we waited. “They don’t want to leave the home.”

After all this time, I still had nervousness and apprehension when confronting new spirits. I never knew what they’d do or say. Would they attack me or be a sweet potato like Elvis? It just never got any easier. Zach Duncan had been my mentor before he’d retired. He taught me everything I knew about demons and my spiritual talent. I’d been going on paranormal investigations for over three years since. I’d never imagined that one of those investigations would be in front of a camera crew.

The memories of the demon I’d encountered as a teenager flashed through my mind and left me on edge. Maybe the stress had finally taken its emotional toll on me. I attracted paranormal activity like a bug-zapper attracted mosquitoes. But I wouldn’t let it stop me. I had a deep-rooted need to find answers to the unknown.

Cooper could deny his apprehension all he wanted, but based on the fidgeting, I’d say he was a little nervous, unless he had to go to the bathroom, really, really bad. So much for being Mr. Tough-Guy.

With Cooper standing so close, I glanced over at him. He smiled half-heartedly, then gestured for me to knock again and puffed out his muscular chest. He wouldn’t be such a brave macho guy once he got a load of this demon. Why men always needed to prove themselves, I’d never know.

The cameraman exhaled on the back of my neck. I wanted to ask him if it was really necessary to stand that close, but refrained. The last thing I needed was to look like an ass on TV, although that was probably unavoidable. At some point in this process, I knew I’d make a fool of myself.

Just when I thought no one would answer, the door creaked open and a petite brunette stood in front of us. She glanced from me to Cooper. It looked as if she hadn’t sleep for days with the dark rings under her eyes and the mussed hair.

“Ms.—”

“Ms. Blake?” I interrupted.

“Yes.” She nodded.

“Hi, I’m Larue Donavan and this is Cooper Garrett.” I gestured toward my fellow medium. “We’re with Chasing Demons.” That sounded completely strange as if I was in a dream. Was I really going to be on TV? I glanced over my shoulder and saw the big camera in my face, which answered my question.

“Please come in. Thanks for coming. Call me Jennie.” She tucked a loose strand of chestnut-colored hair behind her ear and let out a deep breath.

This was it. The reality sank in. I was on TV. The cameraman was in fact taping every word I said. Every move I made would be scrutinized. By whom, I had no idea, but scrutinized, nonetheless. The public could be brutal. I hoped I didn’t embarrass my family. Cooper probably looked like a million bucks on camera. Darn him.

Cooper stuck out his hand toward Ms. Blake. “Nice to meet you, Jennie. Thank you for having us in your home.” He flashed his million-watt smile.

I was sure the camera was getting his good side and my bad side. Not that I was sure I even had a good side. Why couldn’t my face be perfect like Mr. Male Model next to me?

Jennie led us into the living room. The room was full of new furniture, but with everyone from the show crowded into the space, it was a tight fit. The whole area was cold and uncomfortable in spite of the calming décor. A sleek gray sofa was placed against the right side of the room with splashes of fuchsia from the toss pillows and a vase of deep pink gerbera daisies on the coffee table.

“Can you tell us what made you call us to your home?” I asked as I glanced around the room.

She looked down for a second, then finally met our gaze. “I’m terrified of the strange things going on in the house. Everyone who comes into the house is being affected.”

As I stood there, a flash went through my mind. In my vision there was a dark room and in the corner a young girl sat on the floor rocking back and forth. I had no idea what it meant though. Jennie was still talking, but my mind had tuned her out against my will. I tried to listen to her, but I had no control over my visions at the moment.

The flash of the young girl ran through my thoughts again. She had a huge gash across her face. Next, she appeared in the corner of the living room and told me that being dead wasn’t all that bad because she could watch the people around her like she used to watch a soap opera. A disturbing thought to most people to know that someone was watching you when you thought you were completely alone. But hey, it was like dust mites, you knew they were there on the bed, but you tried not to think about it because it would just freak you out.

This girl wasn’t the only thing haunting the house though. No, there was also something that was very bad—the worst of the worst. It was outside the home for the time being, but someone had called it to this house on purpose. I had no idea who would do such a thing.

Cooper’s voice brought me out of my trance. “What type of things are happening in your home?” he asked Jennie.

She glanced around the room as if she was looking for someone… or something. “I hear knocking sounds in the walls. And I just feel things, like people are watching me. I really think it’s connected to me. It messes with my emotions.”

“Like it’s connected to you?” I repeated. “Has this ever happened to you before?”

I felt this woman might be a sensitive too. Whether she knew she might have this talent, I had no idea. I had to know more before I could tell her for sure. Candy Cherry floated around the room looking at all the knickknacks. She didn’t seem fazed by the oppressive feeling. Elvis and Mr. Fine had decided to wait outside. I thought that was the best decision they’d made in a long time.

“Yes, it’s happened to me a lot. I always thought I could handle it. It didn’t just start here in this house.”

“So have you thought of moving?” Cooper asked.

“I thought about it, but I know it would follow me.” She fidgeted with her hands. “At night when I’m in bed, I hear footsteps coming closer and closer. They walk around and around my bed. It happens every night.”

Mindy shifted from foot to foot behind me. I knew this was making her uncomfortable. I didn’t blame her. This woman’s story was creepy as heck.

“Does this thing ever get in the bed?” Cooper asked.

“Yes,” she said quietly. “I don’t want it to follow me if I move. I go days without sleeping. I can never sleep if I’m alone in the house. I feel cornered.”

“Has anything else happened?” Cooper studied the room. Had he seen the girl in the corner too?

“When I was sitting in that corner over there, something grabbed my arm and jerked me backward. I fell right out of the chair onto the floor.”

“Has that only happened once?” I asked. Physical confrontation took this to a completely different level.

“Yes, just the one time. It had never happened before, but it scared me. I started crying and left the house immediately. It took me several days to come back. That was when I decided to call. Whatever this thing is, it’s aggressive. I tell it to stop, but it doesn’t listen.” She shook her head as if she was trying to shake the memory away.

“Thank you for sharing everything with us, Jennie. We’ll do everything we can to provide answers for you,” I said.

I might have appeared calm on the outside, but on the inside I wanted to hurl. Having the camera on me with all the lights was tougher than I thought it would be.

Cooper shook Jennie’s hand and I hugged her. It felt like the right thing to do.

“We’ll start with just walking from room to room, if you don’t mind?” I asked.

She nodded. “Sure. Go anywhere in the house you need to. I really think he likes the attic.”

I froze, then looked around the room for Mr. Fine. Candy Cherry and Mr. Fine were nowhere in sight. Mr. Fine seemed like a cranky-pants, but I didn’t think he was capable of this kind of behavior. The statement had caught me off guard though.

I walked into the foyer, then made my way down the hallway. Mindy, Cooper, the cameraman, and the sound guy all followed me. Since I was used to being alone on an investigation, this group of people behind me was throwing me off my game. They had no idea that ghosts were walking through the house with us. Random ghosts—the spirits didn’t speak or even look over at me. There was a portal somewhere in the home.

The house was sparsely decorated with neutral shades of beige on the walls. Nothing on the walls, no photos or decorations. The hardwood floors appeared to be original to the house as well. Wood could absorb a lot of energy and some of the activity could be nothing more than a residual haunting.

Cooper was behind me and, bless her heart, Mindy was beside me holding her own as we moved through the house. I knew she was a tough cookie when push came to shove.

“Things are being attracted to this house and not in a good way,” I said as we made our way to the end of the hall toward the bedrooms.

“I sense they’re some of the most powerful dead you can experience,” Cooper added.

I nodded. “You’re right. The dead here are very powerful and can cause pain to the people living here. They can even make them physically ill.”

Mindy swallowed hard. The cameraman moved along behind us with the sound guy somewhere back there too. I pulled out my digital recorder to see if I could collect any electronic voice phenomena. Cooper held an electromagnetic field meter looking for fluctuations in the air around us.

“There’s a man in that room.” Cooper pointed to the door on the right at the end of the hall.

We paused, exchanging glances. It was as if we were asking who was going in first with our eyes.

“A living person?” Mindy whispered.

“No, it’s a spirit,” I answered. “His name is Heath. He’s grumpy and nasty.”

This ghost was communicating with me, but not like ghosts usually do. He was telepathically sending me messages. I liked when the ghosts actually spoke much better than this way.

“Yeah, he’s pissed.” Cooper stepped closer to the door and I followed.

So he was doing the same thing to Cooper too. This ghost was just trying to be finicky.

“If he’s angry maybe we should let him have some space. I know I don’t like to talk when I’m having a bad day,” Mindy said.

Cooper stared at her, but didn’t respond. The cameraman moved behind me again. Couldn’t he point that thing at someone else for a change?

When I placed my hand on the doorknob, I said, “This man doesn’t like anyone who lives here. He wouldn’t like anyone who moved into the home. He doesn’t like us either.”

I knew all this and I hadn’t even seen him yet. That was how powerful he was. I couldn’t let him intimidate me though. I had to press forward. We stepped inside the shadowy room and the temperature was at least twenty degrees cooler. A small bed was in the middle of the room with simple white window curtains and matching bedspread. Again there were no items on the walls or personal effects.

“He wants us to get everyone out of the home,” Cooper said as he eased deeper into the space.

Mindy turned around so quickly I was surprised she hadn’t sprung her ankle. “Well, he doesn’t have to ask me twice.”

I grabbed her hand and pulled her inside the room. “We’ll be okay.”

The pained look on her face let me know she wasn’t convinced.

The air in the room changed, and at that moment, I wasn’t convinced of what I’d just said to Mindy. This spirit really didn’t want us in the house, so were we really safe?

Mindy eased her hand away. “I’ll just wait in the hall.”

I didn’t try to stop her this time. Based on the new vibe I was getting in the room, I wasn’t even sure that the hallway was safe for her. I wasn’t sure I even wanted her in the home. I should have warned her more about what could happen, but I had no idea it would be this bad. What had I let them talk me into?

“He won’t talk to me,” Cooper said as he walked across the room.

As I stood in the middle of the room, I rubbed my temples. The spirit was next to me, circling me like an invisible shark, but he wouldn’t speak to me either. “He won’t leave me alone. He’s trying to take control of my thoughts and actions. Everyone’s lives are in danger in this home. He doesn’t want us here.”

The man didn’t speak, but I knew his feelings. I could also see what he looked like. He wore faded denim overalls with a white T-shirt and had thinning gray hair. His skin was lined and tan from what was probably years spent out working in the sun.

Why was he sending me messages and not talking directly to me? It was as if he wanted to show me who was boss. Apparently he didn’t know who he was messing with.

“He likes hurting people. He makes agitation creep through your body, every muscle is affected and in pain. It’s very uncomfortable in here.” I stepped closer to the door.

Maybe we should get out of here. I didn’t think that often, but when I did, it was usually best to follow my instincts.