The Ghoul Next Door

chapter Thirty-Four

After our investigation, we met with the homeowner one last time. We’d make our recommendations on what she should do from this point forward. After that, Jennie would be on her own again.

“Did you know who lived here before?” Cooper asked after we’d settled around the kitchen table.

Jennie had added splashes of cheerful red around the otherwise white room—probably trying desperately to elevate the negative feeling. The bright color of the towels, mixer, and blender popped against the white cabinets.

“A man lived in the home for a long time before I bought the house,” Jennie said.

“What kind of man was he?” Cooper asked.

“Grouchy. He yelled at the kids around the neighborhood. But no one ever reported anything strange with the house before when he lived here.”

I shifted in the chair. It was time for me to tell her everything that I knew. “Someone in this house is very open to the paranormal, attracting the dead from miles away.”

Jennie stared, wide-eyed.

I continued, “The man who lived here was named Heath. He mostly likes to stay upstairs in the bedroom. When Heath died, he put himself here because he wanted to be here. He lived here in the house at some point and he simply doesn’t want to leave now.”

“He doesn’t like anyone who lives here now. It’s his space… his house and people annoy him,” Cooper added.

Mindy shifted in her seat, then absentmindedly tapped her fingers against the table. I felt her apprehension from where I was sitting.

Matt pulled out a file. “Apparently, there was a gun battle here on the property. This man and the neighbor didn’t like each other. One was jealous of the other. So the neighbor pulled out his gun and shot this man.”

Everyone just stared at Matt, waiting to hear what he would reveal next.

“There’s another woman. She’s a teenager. I think she died near the house. Someone attacked her. I can see the blood on her head and face. Unfortunately, you feel what these ghosts are experiencing. She was in a lot of pain, so you probably feel some of her pain. Her name was Elizabeth, but that’s all I know,” I said.

Matt shared more of his findings. “Like I said, there was a gun fight on the property.” He glanced at me and continued, “There was also a young girl murdered and found on the property. Her murderer was never found. The person had dug a shallow grave and left her there.”

I held my face. The teenager was showing her pain to me again. Jennie grimaced. She must have felt it too.

“The girl’s face was bashed in. According to her, they just left her there. She’s grateful people searched the property for her though. She doesn’t know how long she would have been there if they hadn’t.”

“Is there a connection between the two?” Jennie asked.

“No. They are separate. I don’t think they even speak to each other, although they both stay in the home. What are you feeling?” I asked her.

She shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

“I encountered several entities. The old man is the most powerful. He has an oval face and a long nose and deep brown, almond-shaped eyes.”

“Is this the man you saw?” Matt pulled out a photo.

I nodded as I stared at the picture, then handed it to Cooper.

“Let me share more of my findings with you,” Matt said. “His name is Heath Nelson. He used to own this home and farm the land, but died during the confrontation in the back of the home.”

Silence fell over the room as we contemplated what Matt had revealed.

Finally, I said, “The minute I walked in your home I knew someone had abilities.” I pointed to Jennie. “You have psychic abilities and you attract these kinds of things.”

She stared, but didn’t respond.

“I don’t mean to scare you, but it’s just one of those things. I’ve had strange visions in this house. Now I know it’s because there are too many psychics here.” I attempted a chuckle to lift the mood. “With you, me, and Cooper… it’s causing the energy to be crazy.”

Jennie looked at me like she was confused and unsure of what to say.

I tried to explain more of what I’d seen. “I don’t usually see the spirits like this. I mean, they usually come through as clear as day. Anyway, I saw the girl being thrown into shallow grave and I saw the battle on this land between the two men.”

“What else did you see?” Matt asked.

“The back room… the dining area has a lot of dead people coming through. They just walk in a straight line through the room. It’s not good for them to be here. It’s not good for the dead or the living. It’s having a negative effect on you.” I pointed at Jennie. “It’ll give you a upset stomach, ulcers, and fatigue.” Everyone stared in silence as I continued, “I encountered Heath. He’s the elderly man who got psychical with us. He isn’t bad per se, but he can use the body and make it very painful for the person he decides to attach to.”

“I’m angry that he’s here. He’s not nice and I want him to leave,” Jennie said.

I nodded. “He likes the back bedroom. Initially he wasn’t very happy, but I think he’ll be okay with you now. Sometimes he can actually be endearing, he just hasn’t shown that to you yet. When he figured out we were here to get rid of him, he promised to be good. He’s attracted to this house, so he really doesn’t want to leave.”

Ben looked to Jennie.

“One more question about your dreams. You said they are vivid?” I asked.

“Always. I always remember them too.” She nodded.

I nodded. “Just as I suspected. Listen, no matter where you go, you’re going to open doorways.”

“You mean it’s Jennie?” Ben asked.

“She comes with a door. The dead are looking for help,” I said.

I started feeling guilty. Maybe I shouldn’t have shared so much information with them, but they needed to know the truth.

Jennie straightened in her chair. “I had a sad feeling when you were coming. I guess it was the spirits making me feel that way.”

I nodded. “The dead move in and form relationships with you. They don’t want to leave. Sometimes they’ll do jumping. That’s when they try to get inside your body. Good or bad spirits… it’s not good for the body, so don’t allow it.”

Jennie’s eyes widened even more.

I paused, then continued, “But that’s not all. There’s another entity that crawls on the roof and slips in through the windows. It wants to attach itself to you. It’s a demon.”

My heart rate increased, my stomach turned and sweat beaded on my forehead. This thing knew when I was talking about it.

“What can go wrong if it gets her?” Ben asked.

“If it gets in her, she’ll lose her mind.”

I felt Mindy’s stare on me when I answered the question. Was she wondering if I’d lose my mind?

“You have to leave, Jennie. She’s made it clear how much danger you’re in,” Ben said.

I shook my head. “She can’t leave. She just has to fight it off. Jennie has to set boundaries and not let it roam around this property or come into this home. You need to seal the home.”

“How do we do that?” he asked.

“Place salt all around the house, then sage inside the house.” They looked slightly confused, but I continued anyway. “I do this often in my home, but it doesn’t always work. You have to keep fighting.”

They nodded, but I wasn’t sure they fully understood. “I hope we gave you answers. You have to go forward from here.”

Jennie squeezed Ben’s hand. “I have the tools now. Thank you.”

“Coming to terms with the talent is hard but once you take control things will be much better.” Cooper offered his advice.

Without warning, Jennie leaned back in her chair. “I have to get out of here,” she said.

I’d noticed Jennie holding her head and her face had grown red. With a loud thud, she fell to the floor. We jumped up and rushed to her. When her eyes popped open, I knew it wasn’t her. The thing had managed to enter her body. Would I be next?

“We have to help her,” Ben yelled out.

I met Matt’s gaze and I knew what he was thinking: this would make for good TV. I didn’t like that at all. This woman’s life was in danger and it was no time to be thinking of ratings.

“Her arms are covered with fresh scratches. They weren’t there a second ago,” Mindy said.

Cooper pulled her back to the chair with Ben’s help. “We must perform an exorcism on Jennie.” He looked at me. “I can lead it with your help.”

“What? I can’t do that. Have you ever performed an exorcism?” I asked.

He shifted his gaze and I knew if he said yes, he’d be lying.

“Yes, I have,” he said.

Liar. I wanted to tell him, but I didn’t. This wasn’t the time for a confrontation, although Matt would have loved for me to add more drama. I’d give Cooper one chance to perform the exorcism, then I’d call in the priest who I knew could help. To what extent Jennie was taken over by this creature, I didn’t know, but the scratches on her arms were undeniable.

Now more than ever I regretted agreeing to do the show. I wished I was in Callahan’s arms right now. I just needed to get through the day, then I could melt into Callahan’s embrace. Or could I? I’d been warned to stay away. Not to mention that I’d pushed Callahan away.

I sighed. “Okay. We’ll give it a shot, but I don’t want to wait too long. If this doesn’t work, we’re calling a priest.”

“It’ll work. I’ll get my Bible, holy water, and cross,” Cooper said.

It seemed as if he had come prepared. Had he known something that I didn’t? Maybe he hadn’t told me everything that he knew.

“Is it really necessary to do this?” Ben asked.

Cooper didn’t waste any time answering. “Satan has sent one of his minions to your home. They feed on fear and everyone in this room has plenty of it to give them. Their sole purpose is to destroy and torment souls. The more you allow them to stay around the more fearful you’ll be and the more you fear the devil, the more he’ll hang around. They use fear to overcome you and steal your soul.”

“Will she be okay?” Ben asked.

I tried to soothe his fears. “She may have violent reactions at first, but I know she’ll overcome it and we’ll get rid the evil spirit.”

“I’ll be back in a jiffy,” Cooper said as he dashed for the door.

He seemed a little too eager for this. I thought he loved the camera a little too much.

When I glanced out the window, Elvis was pacing the length of the front porch. I knew he wanted me to hurry up and get the heck out of there. Still, Mr. Fine and Candy Cherry were nowhere in sight. I guessed the ghosts of the house had told them to stay away. I wished I had that kind of influence over them.