Paige couldn’t hear anything over the hammering of her own heart. Her lungs burned, and her legs throbbed from exertion. She sprinted blindly in the dark, down a major road she didn’t know the name of. What she knew for certain, was that she needed to get the hell away from that abomination and its minions.
That poor family! Tears blurred her vision and rolled down her heated cheeks. This wasn’t another dream. This time was for real, and those people paid a terrible price. She could feel the racking sobs of regret coming up from her chest. Not now! You have to keep it together.
Street lights blazed in the distance, marking the signs of civilization and a healthy nightlife. She needed to get her bearings, which wasn’t going to happen if she started blubbering like a child. Swallowing the wave of remorse that threatened to drown her, she wiped the tears away with the back of her sleeve. She slowed to a jog so her heart wouldn’t explode, and continued on to the myriad of outlet stores, restaurants and coffee shops waiting ahead.
The whole area looked pretty new. Future growth was evident in the unfinished buildings and construction vehicles littering the sites yet to be given names, but there was a large portion that was already well established. It stretched for about a mile, running parallel to the highway, and might as well have been Shangri-La.
She staggered into one of the small coffee shops on the strip, and went straight to the ladies room. She locked the door and went to the sink. A glance in the mirror more than illustrated what she’d gone through the past half hour. Disheveled blond hair, red puffy rings around her eyes, and a deathly pale complexion said it all. Imagine that, I look like hell.
The shakes hit her like a meth addict jonesing for a hit. Her knees buckled, and she grabbed the sink for support. She’d never realized how vulnerable she was, until that moment, trapped in the elevator. The spirit world in Salem had always been an open door, granting ghosts full access to her, even when she didn’t want it. Now she knew how dangerous that could be.
She couldn’t do anything, but stare at her reflection and tremble.
“You okay in there?” someone asked through the door.
Paige crawled out of her funk. “Yeah, just a second.” She splashed her face with cold water, and then patted dry with a paper towel. Another look in the mirror gave her some hope of recovery.
Steeling her nerves, she stepped out of the bathroom. “Sorry, it’s that time of the month,” she said to the heavy-set woman waiting by the door.
“Not a problem, dear,” she replied, knowingly. “I feel your pain.”
Paige smiled lamely, and then made her way around to the counter.
“Can I take your order?” asked a guy that couldn’t be much younger than her. He was dressed in forest green and khaki.
“Actually, could I use your phone? Mine just drove off with a couple of friends...” she put on her most pathetic facial expression, which wasn’t that difficult at the moment.
The guy looked unsure. “I don’t know, I can’t do—”
“I just need a few seconds,” she interrupted. “I’m really in a bind here, man.” That was no lie. She was knee-deep in creepy monster shit, and in desperate need of a shovel.
He glanced around. Thankfully, the place was pretty dead and coworkers were scarce. “Okay, there’s a phone back here. Come around the side.”
“You’re a lifesaver.” She went around to the employee-only door where he let her in.
“Make it quick, okay,” he said, pointing to the phone on the wall.
Paige nodded as she picked up the receiver. “Thanks.”
She dialed information and asked to be connected to Levi Walker. As luck would have it, there was only one Levi Walker in Norman. This wasn’t the way they had planned on contacting Nova’s brother, but the extenuating circumstances forcing her to do so didn’t give her much choice.
I wonder if he sounds the same in real life? Memories of the dreams she’d been having of him flooded her thoughts like the cleansing waters of a mountain stream. They washed away the recent horrid events, if only for the moment, that would surely haunt her for the rest of her days.
“Hello?” Levi answered.
Paige’s heart skipped a beat. He did sound like the dream. She couldn’t speak, the relief of hearing something familiar and kind was so overwhelming.
“Okay, I’m hanging up now,” he said.
“No, wait!” she blurted, terrified of losing her only path back to sanity. “Is this Levi?”
He hesitated for a moment before answering, “Yeah, who is this?”
“Paige. Paige Eastick,” she answered, mouth dry. “I was friends with your sister. We need to talk.”
Another pause. “When?”
“Now, if possible.” She glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was just after ten.
“It’s kind of late—”
“I know this is sudden,” she interrupted. “But I’m not going to be in town for long, and I have some information about what happened to Nova.”
More silence.
Paige’s nerves were shot. She wasn’t sure how much more stress she could take. If he wouldn’t meet with her, she’d have to cut loose of all this heinous shit and leave him to the mercy of that thing, which she didn’t want to do.
“How did you know my sister?”
“It’s kind of a long story, and part of what I want to speak with you about.” Out of desperation, she pushed for an ultimatum. “If you’re not interested, that’s fine. I’ll be on my way.” She held her breath. The man and his long pauses were going to be the end of her.
“I’ll meet you at my office, the Sam Noble Museum on campus. You know how to get there?”
She almost cried with relief. “Yeah, I can find it.”
“I’ll be there within the hour.”
“Okay.” Reluctantly, she hung up. Then immediately called information again to get a cab to pick her up. How she’d get back to the hotel and pick up the rest of her things was a problem for another time. Right now her focus was on Levi, and getting herself out of this mess.
The cab pulled up to museum. She used what little cash she had on her to pay for the ride, and then walked up to the entrance. The light-colored stone, rounded entrance, and squared columns were actually quite inviting. Even at night. There was enough lighting to put her at ease, and to see the tall silhouette of a man she assumed to be Levi. Given her recent experience with things trying to kill her, she approached cautiously.
“Levi?”
The man stepped out. It was him, though he looked different with the under-lighting. He almost looked menacing with his darkened eyes and furrowed brow, but having spent time with him in the dream, she was familiar with the expression. He was concerned, and rightfully so. His sister had been killed by an abomination, and he could be its next target. If it didn’t kill Paige first, that is.
“How did you know my sister?”
Direct. I suppose I can’t blame him. She stopped, not wanting to get too close. “It’s a little hard to explain.”
“What’s hard to explain? You either knew her or you didn’t, Miss Eastick.”
“Please, call me Paige,” she said.
Mainly because I want to hear you say it. She almost laughed at the reasoning behind the thought, but wasn’t sure if it was because she was on the verge of hysteria, or because it was actually funny.
“All right, Paige, how do you know my sister?”
Hearing him say her name was as nice as she thought it would be. Now if she could just get him to say it while looking at her the way he’d looked at her in the dream. Focus. This is about saving him... and possibly myself.
Talking with the man in person turned out to be more difficult than she’d thought it would be. This scenario had made sense back at the coffee shop, when she was a complete mess. She’d tell him his dead sister wanted to warn him about the creepy monster hunting him. He’d believe her story, and everything would work out fine. Easy. Now however, that scenario didn’t make a lick of sense.
“Look,” she began. “I think you might be in danger.”
“So which is it?” He started walking toward her. “You know my sister, or I’m in danger?”
Paige stood her ground as he approached. “Both. She was afraid what happened to her might happen to you.”
“You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t believe—” He came to a juddering halt a few feet away. Recognition touched his eyes as he looked her up and down. His mouth worked as if he tried to say something, but only one word came out. “You.”
She blushed under his intense stare, realization hitting her. Oh, my God. The dreams. He was actually in them too.
Her throat went dry, and she swallowed in vain to bring the moisture back. Up close and in person, he was even more attractive than in the dream, though she didn’t know how that was even possible. The maroon sweater he wore fit snugly around his shoulders and torso, showing off his athletic body. His jeans were just as well fitted, and mesmerizing. There was something she hadn’t noticed about him in the dream—a single, diamond earring in his left ear. It was a small stone, but stood out against his tan skin.
“Who are you?” His dark brow furrowed in confusion.
Paige didn’t know what to say. She was pretty sure telling him she was a witch was out of the question, for the moment at least. He wouldn’t believe her this early in the conversation. “Is there somewhere we can sit down and talk?”
“I... Yes,” he said, awkwardly. “My office is inside.”
She nodded, “Okay, that works.”
His long, black hair was down and blew unchecked around his shoulders as he turned away. He set a healthy pace to the entrance, forcing Paige to quick-step to keep up. The glass doors came open with the swipe of a keycard, and they waltzed in.
The atrium vaulted at least four stories high and stretched the entirety of the building. Passages on either side of the great room displayed many different exhibits and antiquities. Levi strode past them as if they were commonplace. He’d probably seen them a million times over, making him numb to their rarity and splendor. A downfall of the human condition that Paige herself fell prey to during her tours back in Salem.
She whistled. The sound echoed far up into the arched ceiling. “Wow, this place is pretty cool.”
“It has its moments.”
There was a presence in this place. Paige couldn’t pinpoint what it was or where it came from, but there was definitely spiritual power here. Not dark and cold, like back at the hotel, but constant, warm, and strong. Her gaze fell on the numerous artifacts they passed, and she wondered which of them held the powerful energies pulsing through these halls. Maybe it was more than one. Maybe it was all of them. Who could say? Not me.
Levi turned left into one of the hallways, and continued on to the door at the end.
Thankfully, his office was on the first floor, so they didn’t have to get into an elevator. Paige didn’t think she could handle getting into another one for awhile, if ever. She waited, not-so-patiently, as he unlocked the door. Her gaze drifted to his backside and found it to be far more than satisfactory. Between the desire and fear she’d experienced this evening, she was going to be an emotional wreck tomorrow.
Levi walked into his office and clicked on the lamp that was sitting on a cherrywood desk. The small room overflowed with books, ancient tools, and clothing that looked ceremonial in purpose. He took a seat in the tall-back chair behind the desk and offered the sofa to Paige with a wave of his hand.
She closed the door behind her and sat. “Nice office.”
His dark brown eyes bored into her with impatience and frustration.
No small talk, I guess. She tried to smile, but the attempt withered under his harsh scrutiny. There was no good place to start. Nothing she had to say was even close to believable or sane.
“Do you know who killed my sister?” he asked without preamble.
Not the best place to start, but it was better than sitting there in tortured indecision. “Yes, I think I do.”
The muscles in his jaw tightened, an unspoken question in his continued stare.
“You don’t know him,” she answered, quickly. “Not many do, I would think.”
“Still, I would like to know the name.”
“I don’t know him by name, only by acquaintance,” she replied, not sure how to answer. This would be a lot easier if Nova was here. Where the hell is she?
The ghost had told her she was going to check on the very man sitting in front of her. There was no way to know if Nova had actually been able to do so, or where she might be at the moment.
Levi’s expression soured, more than it was already. “I think I’ve heard enough.” He picked up the phone and began dialing. “I didn’t want to do this, but the police are better at dealing with situations like this.”
“No!” She came to her feet. “What I know doesn’t make much sense, even to me. And it sure as hell won’t make any to the police.”
“Then tell me something!” he demanded.
“Your sister was killed by a poltergeist, and she’s afraid it’s coming after you,” she blurted. “She came to me as a spirit a few days ago.”
Levi didn’t say anything, but his eyes slowly narrowed.
She couldn’t believe she’d just said that aloud. He thinks I’m crazy. Shit, I think I’m crazy.
Eventually, he lowered the phone onto the receiver, and stood. The sound of his footsteps, as he made his way toward the door, were like nails being hammered into a coffin. “You need to leave.”
A wave of guilt crashed over her. She’d failed. “But what about the dreams,” she said in desperation. “I know you remember. I saw the look on your face!”
“I don’t know what that was,” he replied, heatedly. “Just like I don’t know what you’re getting out of these ridiculous lies you’re telling me.”
“They aren’t lies!” She wasn’t sure if she was going to cry or scream. It wasn’t only the failure that stung, but his rejection of the dreams they’d shared pierced her heart as if he’d put a knife into her chest. Then suddenly, she realized those dreams hadn’t been shared, they’d been stolen. Against his will. Now she was paying the price for that theft. “I’m sorry. This was a mistake.” She headed for the door.
Nova passed through one of the walls into the room.
Paige skittered to a halt in surprise.
The lively spirit scanned the area frantically. What she was looking for, Paige couldn’t say, but it was good to see her.
“Thank God, you’re here,” Paige said, as she stepped toward Nova.
“What?” Levi asked.
“You have to help me with him,” Paige continued, ignoring Levi’s confusion. “He doesn’t believe me.”
Levi shook his head. “You really are nuts, aren’t you?”
Nova looked up at her brother curiously. She walked right through Paige as if she didn’t exist, and stopped beside him. She stared at him stupidly, as if she couldn’t understand what he was doing.
“Hey?” Paige asked, exasperated. “What the hell?”
“Look, I don’t know how you knew my sister, but at this point, I don’t really care.” Levi gestured out to the empty hallway. “You need to go. Now!”
Nova’s eyes widened, and she looked around the room again.
“Would you give me another minute for Christ’s sake?” Paige asked, while attempting to figure out what Nova was doing. “I’m trying to save your life here!”
“I think you’re trying to complicate my life,” he replied, taking hold of her arm.
“Paige, are you here?” Nova finally asked.
A sigh of relief escaped her as she was being dragged from the room. She grabbed hold of the doorframe. “Yes, I’m here! You’re looking right at me!”
Nova frowned as she continued to watch Paige getting manhandled by her brother. “I can’t see or hear you, but if you’re actually here you need to tell him I told you about Heather.”
“Nova told me about Heather!” she yelled, still clinging to the wall.
Levi stopped. “Who?”
“Heather from the pool party,” Nova replied, keying in on her brother’s response. “When we were in high school.”
“High school, pool party,” Paige relayed.
He let go of her. “How much did she tell you?” A look of concern settled on his chiseled features.
“Later that night, after the party, he was calling out her name in his sleep,” Nova answered. “The mess that followed was pretty gross. I ended up telling Heather about his wet dream, and she never spoke with him again.”
Paige’s mouth dropped open. Even though Nova couldn’t see or hear her, she turned to face the ghost. “You really are a heinous bitch!”
The sound of Levi’s facepalm echoed down the hall. “She wasn’t suppose to tell anyone else about that.”
Paige spun back around. “You poor, poor man. That was so wrong of her to do.”
“Tell me about it,” he replied.
“Tell him I’m sorry,” Nova said, desperately.
“She says she’s sorry,” Paige repeated.
“She should be!” he shouted, and then paused, a look of shock on his face. “Wait. What are you saying? She’s here, right now?”
Paige nodded. “I’m a medium, of a sort.”
That skeptical look people got whenever her power came up in a conversation crossed his face. “I can’t believe that. She could have told you the story before she died.”
“Yeah, but what about your earring? Your grandmother split a matching set, and gave them to you and Nova when you were young. And what about the time your father gave you the whooping of your life when he found out you peed on the corn they were taking to the farmer’s market, which, eew...” She continued to relay everything Nova divulged about his past, until he held up a hand in surrender.
“Okay, I believe something is going on here, and I’ll hear you out.” His cheeks glowed red from embarrassment. “Just no more personal history, please.”
“I don’t know,” Paige drawled. “That was kinda fun.”
“You joke,” he replied with a smirk. “But it’s not your laundry being aired out here.” He stepped back into his office. “Let’s try this again. I’ll be a little more open-minded this time.”
They settled in their seats, while Nova poked about the room. Paige had a lot of questions for the ghost, but she needed to focus on Levi, now that she had his attention.
“Your sister asked me to help, though after what happened this evening, I’m not sure I can.” She shivered from the memory of the headless apparition.
“I don’t follow.”
She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. “I saw what killed your sister, and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever encountered before.”
“As a medium, you mean?”
“As anything.”
He leaned back in his chair. “Why did it kill her? Did she say?”
Nova was leaning against the wall next to a painting of a Native American Dancer. Her arms crossed and brow furrowed. “I don’t know,” she said. “That’s part of why I need Paige’s help.”
“She doesn’t know, but we need to find out,” Paige answered. The whole, “she can’t see or hear me, and he can’t see or hear her,” thing was kind of awkward, but becoming manageable.
“If she’s so convinced that this thing is after me, why hasn’t it come yet?” Levi asked.
Paige shook her head, as did Nova. “I don’t know. Have you noticed anything strange since your sister… died?”
“Maybe, I guess.” He rubbed his chin, while pondering the question. His brooding demeanor was almost as attractive as his smiles in the dream. Almost. “When she died, things were so screwed up, I didn’t really think to look for anything out of the ordinary. Everything was already out of the ordinary. Though there were a few things that seemed odd, now that you’ve brought it up.”
Nova moved away from the wall, and took the chair next to Paige. She looked intently at her brother, as if she wanted to help him but of course, couldn’t.
“My place got broken into a few days after she had passed,” he continued. “Whoever had done it, trashed the place. I had to move into another apartment, it was so bad. Thankfully, my landlord didn’t come after me for the damages.”
“I suppose that could be something,” Paige said, a bit doubtful.
“That wasn’t the weird part though,” he said. “All of the family photos I had, that weren’t digital, were shredded and scattered around the apartment. At the time, I thought it was just collateral damage, but now, I’m not sure what that was about. Why take the time to tear up individual photos when you’re vandalizing a place?”
“That is kinda weird,” she replied. A chill ran down her spine. Tearing up someone’s family photos sounded personal, and that specter in the elevator was the last thing anybody would want holding a grudge against them.
“I haven’t had any trouble at my new place.” Levi continued to rub that handsome chin. “But up here at work, there’s been a few times, late at night, I thought somebody was in the building with me. I searched around, but never found anyone.”
That could have been Nova, Paige thought, glancing at the ghost.
A look of concern darkened his sister’s face.
Then again, maybe not. The chills were non-stop tonight it seemed.
“Anything weird happen to anyone else in your family?”
“My father drowned in the Washita, and my uncle was torn apart, we think, by a wild animal...”
Paige whistled. “I don’t know a lot about how this stuff works, but it sounds to me like your family is cursed.” She did know a thing or two about vengeful spirits, and they could get pretty nasty, though most of the ones she knew were pranksters. This creature and his minions however, wanted more than a good scare.
Levi chuckled. “You sound like my great-grandmother.”
She shook her head. “You wouldn’t be laughing if you saw this thing.”
“I may need to see it,” he countered, “before I actually believe an evil spirit is after me and responsible for Nova’s death.”
“I know this is a stretch for you. I can’t believe it half the time myself, but it’s real,” she said. “Give me some time, and I’ll prove it.”
“You’re pretty close already.” He smiled. “I just can’t wrap my mind around it yet.”
“Fair enough.” She rubbed her temples. The fear and adrenaline from earlier were wearing off, leaving room for a killer headache and exhaustion to fill the void. “Do you have any aspirin?”
“Yeah.” He opened one of his desk drawers and handed over a few pills. “I’ll get you some water.”
“Thanks.” She looked over at Nova as Levi left the room. She’d been pondering, in the back of her mind, why the ghost couldn’t see her. It has to have something to do with the spell.
There was no other explanation, but she was too scared to take her necklace off to test the theory. Instead, she picked up a pen and scribbled a message on a notepad she found on the desk. She then slid it over in front of the ghost.
It took a few moments before Nova noticed it, as if she hadn’t seen the notepad slide over to her. “You cast a spell, to protect yourself?” Realization dawned on her face. “I saw the aftermath at the hotel. I’m so sorry.”
Levi came back in with a paper cup filled with water. “Are you going to be okay?” he asked, handing over the cup.
“I think so,” Paige answered, and then washed down the pills. “I’m in a bit of a pickle though. I don’t have a place to stay at the moment.”
He frowned in thought. “You’re welcome to sleep on the sofa for tonight.” He gestured to the little couch.
“I don’t want to put you out like that.”
“It’s okay, I won’t be getting much sleep tonight anyway,” he said. “I’ll be in the museum doing some research.”
She couldn’t express how grateful she was... well, she could have, but that would be a little forword considering they didn’t really know each other. “Thanks, again.”
“Get some sleep,” he said, as he went to the door. “We’ll get a fresh start in the morning.”
Paige nodded and went to the couch. She looked around for Nova after Levi was gone, but the ghost had disappeared. That wasn’t a bad thing at the moment; she was so tired she couldn’t hold a conversation worth a damn anyway. She just hoped she would actually be able to sleep.