The Haunting at Morgan's Rock

by M. L. Bullock

  “Two for two, he said. He’ll give me Julie and Zach for Megan and the baby.”

  “What?” I was dumbfounded.

  “That’s what he said. ‘I’ll trade you, two for two.’ And he hinted that Megan’s baby, our baby, isn’t mine. He said I’d been cuckolded, whatever that means.”

  I shook my head at hearing such a thing. “That woman loves you, Alex. I wouldn’t believe anything that evil spirit had to say. He might very well want to kill Megan and, God forbid, the baby, but he can’t give you Julie and Zachary. He can capture them and hold them in that elevator, but he can’t bring them back to life.” Surely Alex wasn’t considering this crazy offer, was he? Surely not.

  “I don’t understand any of this. I am tempted to hop on a plane with Megan and never come back. Which reminds me, my assistant, Lucy…could spirits from the house have influenced her? She wasn’t acting like herself recently. She called me by a nickname that only Julie called me. She’s never come on to me before, but this was shameful. I shudder to think what would have happened had I accepted her invitation.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “You wouldn’t be sitting here talking with me, that’s for sure. Yes, it’s possible that he used her as bait. He was trying to tap into that grief. You have unresolved grief, Alex. It can lead you down a bad road. Thankfully, you didn’t make that choice this time, but what about the next time?”

  “I’m not the kind of guy who cheats on his wife. I love Megan. I love her deeply. Why is this happening to us?”

  I smiled sadly. “I don’t know why, not really. Nor do I know how it happened, but those spirits are at Morgan’s Rock, and they are trapped. Including your loved ones and God knows who else.”

  The cheap dollar store clock ticked loudly on the wall. It felt as if all time had stood still for this horrible conversation, but it was only an illusion. We didn’t have time to wait. Time was not on our side. The commanding spirit at Morgan’s Rock grew stronger by the minute. Could we beat him tomorrow? No, but if we tried again today, maybe we could.

  I gripped Alex’s hand and looked him square in the eyes and said, “And now you must fight. You must fight for your living wife and child. And with any luck, we will set Julie and Zachary free too. But we have to leave Megan out of this. She can’t return to Morgan’s Rock, not now. Not as long as he has his sights set on her. I’m not guaranteeing that distance will save her, but it will be harder for him to find her because I have placed barriers around my home. The dead can’t stay here, except the ones that I invite. We have to go back to the house—both of us. We have to go back. We have to free them. We have to make things right. We can do it, together. Will you help me?”

  “Yes, of course I will help you. No matter what it takes, I want Megan and the baby to be safe. And if it’s possible, I want to set Julie and Zachary free. But I have no idea how to do any of that.”

  “You leave that all to me. The answers will reveal themselves as we do our work. I’m going to do some things to prepare, some protective work. It will take me about thirty minutes or so. I would prefer to have longer, but time is not on our side. I don’t want to leave Megan alone, though. Would it be all right if I invited Loretta to come and sit with her?”

  Alex breathed a sigh of relief. “That would be ideal. Loretta is a great friend and comfort to her. To both of us. But the less Megan knows about what we intend, the better. If she happens to wake up or ask, I’ll just tell her we’re going to get some clothing or something.”

  “I’ll leave that to you, but Alex…”

  “Yes?”

  “Whatever you believe in, whoever you pray to, pray now. We need all the help we can get.”

  A few minutes later, Alex and I were driving to Morgan’s Rock. Megan wasn’t happy about our plans to return there, but she would’ve been less happy if we had told her the complete truth about why we were going. Alex was right…it was wise that we did not. As he drove, I began to whisper a prayer and then tried to make contact with my friend.

  Freya! I’m coming, Freya. I told you I wouldn’t leave you.

  I had hoped to hear something back. A whisper. A warning. A plea for help. I heard nothing, and that made my heart sink even further. But I would not give up. Not until my last breath would I leave my friend at the mercy of that horrible entity.

  And then we were there too quickly. Morgan’s Rock loomed above us like Dracula’s castle. It was pitch dark out, and the trees were swaying and moving as if they too were warning us not to step inside. The entire top floor of the historic home was lit up like someone was having a party. But then the lights began flashing off and on, as if to warn us, and then it went completely dark.

  “He knows we are here,” I announced solemnly. With that, we got out of the car and prepared to do battle.

  Chapter Sixteen—Alex

  As we walked up to Morgan’s Rock, I was keenly aware of the fact that I did not have a weapon, not one thing that was going to help me other than the woman beside me. I wasn’t sure what gifts she thought I had, but I only had her word to go on about that. And right now, that was going to be as good as it was going to get.

  I didn’t dare say his name aloud for fear of pissing off Sylvia, but I spoke to him in my mind. I am coming for you, Dan Petit. Sylvia glanced at me as if she sensed that I was challenging the entity that terrorized my home, but if she did detect my unspoken anger, she didn’t say anything. We walked inside, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. Perhaps we would find everything turned upside down, maybe the drawers open, the dishes broken, but there was nothing like that. Nothing was out of place. The icemaker kicked on, and the heater was running. Yes, it was very chilly in here, but everything appeared normal, just like it had for months before all of this craziness began.

  Why now? Why did this have to happen when life was becoming all I ever wanted it to be? I watched curiously as Sylvia dug in her pocket and pulled out a small plastic baggie. Was that dirt? No, too granular for that. Sand? Something else. Black material.

  “It’s black salt. Very potent stuff. I’m tossing it in the corners of every room we passed through. That way he can’t get out.”

  “We don’t want to keep him here, Sylvia. I don’t understand.”

  “Trust me. There is a method to my madness. Tossing salt is a way of banishment. By the time we’re done with him, he’s going to have no choice but to leave, and he’s not going to be able to come back.”

  Her words echoed through the bottom floor of the house. And they did not go unnoticed. I could hear a growl, like an animal but not, directly in my ears. Sylvia heard it too because her eyes narrowed and her lips tightened. She didn’t seem afraid of it, more ticked off about it. That encouraged me.

  “You aren’t going to scare us away. Enough with these games.”

  How was it she told me not to challenge the spirit but was doing it herself? I shivered at her boldness, but it made me feel better. I needed to know that we could do this—that we could be victorious.

  “Stay behind me, Alex. We’re going up those stairs now.”

  What about scattering all the salt? I wanted to ask, but Sylvia reached her hand out to me and I took it. We began to climb the staircase, and as soon as my foot hit the first stair, I heard the music begin to play. We both paused. “I hear it too. Sounds like we’re invited to the party. No matter what, you stay away from the elevator. We’ll work our way up to that location. We take this nice and slow. Okay?” With her free hand, she sprinkled salt along the staircase as we ascended.

  “Okay.”

  That’s when I noticed the balloon bobbing up the landing ahead of us. Suddenly I had the feeling that we weren’t alone on this staircase. Footsteps tapped beside me, behind me and ahead of us. There were many feet. Many invisible people—many ghosts racing to the party above! Oh, this would be a hellish party indeed. I felt so smothered by the presence of these others that I couldn’t do anything but hold my breath as we went ever higher. Sylvia finally released my hand; it mu
st have been too sweaty, too shaky to hold. I couldn’t blame her for letting it go. The only reason she was here was to retrieve her spirit guide, anyway. She didn’t belong here. Not really.

  That’s right, old man. She doesn’t belong here at our party. Get rid of her. Now. Do it.

  “Damn it!” I muttered as Dan’s words assaulted my mind. I didn’t like that the ghost could speak to me so directly. I remembered Sylvia’s words and visualized a barrier of white light around me. I stood on the step a minute with my eyes closed. It must have worked because he left me alone, but I knew it wouldn’t last forever. Dan Petit was a rotten, mean bastard who wouldn’t be happy until we were all dead. And maybe even that wouldn’t please him.

  Bright music echoed from the Great Room. Voices, laughing, whispering and the tinkling of glasses startled me, but Sylvia didn’t let that deter her. Maybe she didn’t hear them. She said my gifts were different from hers. Maybe she didn’t hear things that shouldn’t be there the way I did. Or see what I saw.

  There was a man at the top of the stairs.

  He was dressed in service white with a white bow tie and gloves and neat, seamed black pants. I called out to the psychic, but before a word came out of my mouth, Sylvia’s face changed. Transformed. She kind of morphed, actually. She looked like a watercolor that had been too deeply saturated with water. Her salt-and-pepper hair was a wild swirl around her face, and the pink tones of her face became awash with gray color. She was fading now—fading before my eyes. I stepped back in horror. The horrible illusion only lasted a few seconds.

  Sylvia was gone, and in her place was none other than Vivian Kemal. Her bright cheeks glistened with glitter; adorning her head were short feathers almost as black as her hair. Vivian’s smile was catlike, lazy, lovely but dangerous. She wore a sleeveless dress that plunged deeply in the front and back. Before I could object to her invitation, she slid her arm through mine. I should be repulsed! I should run! I should run for my life, but I felt a strange kind of warmth permeating my body, like I’d partaken of my favorite whiskey. I felt warm inside, and it was a pleasant enough feeling.

  Her satin-gloved hand caressed my arm, and she smiled at me. “Don’t be naughty, Alexander. Don’t you dare run away! Promise you will stay for the party.”

  “What party?” I heard myself asking. Was I allowing myself to be seduced by Vivian Kemal?

  “Come with me, sugar. I’ll show you how we party around here.” Her arms reminded me of velvet-covered metal, soft to the touch but immovable. She was not going to take no for an answer.

  As I climbed the steps with the slinky woman beside me, the music became louder and the voices clearer.

  I shouldn’t be here. I had a purpose for coming all this way. I had to…what?

  The fellow in the white jacket snapped his head in a neat bow. “Mr. Wagner, good to see you again, sir.”

  “Thank you,” I said as Vivian clung to my arm. The warmth inside of me grew with every step I took. Again? I don’t recall being here at all. Have I been here before? It sure felt as if I belonged here. Yes, I needed to be at Morgan’s Rock. What a place! This must be the party of the century! Yes, but which century? some part of my mind asked. I brushed that thought aside and immersed myself in the sights and sounds of the activity. My excitement grew by the second. What a party! A man in a brown suit grinned and raised a glass to me before he turned his attention to the woman in red beside him. She tilted her head and blew me a kiss as the notes of the Charleston filled the stairway.

  “Here we are, ducky. The gang’s all here!” Vivian purred beside me. “I imagine if you look hard enough, you’ll find someone interesting. There’s one lady in particular who’s been dying to meet you. I’d say she was peachy keen on you, Alexander. You are all she talks about. She’s a regular chatterbox.”

  “Who?” I asked as Vivian slid her arm out from mine and disappeared into the sea of dancers who filled the Great Room. The sounds of men’s shoes and high heels tapping on the polished wood astounded me. There must have been a hundred people up here. Arms and legs moved in perfect time. The couches and other furniture had been pushed against the walls, and all the doors were open. These people were partying like this was the last day of their lives. That’s right, Alex. They’re dead. All of them. All dead. That’s why we’re here! We have to help them.

  I heard a voice calling me from the balcony, soft and sweet and familiar.

  Wait, what about…what was her name again? I’m here to help…

  My purpose was lost to me. I walked toward the balcony like a man prepared to meet his destiny. That’s what this was, right? My destiny.

  She was my destiny.

  Julie…

  Chapter Seventeen—Sylvia

  “Alex! No!” How was this possible? I’d seen plenty of apparitions disappear right before my eyes but never a living person. Just as I half-turned back to encourage him, to tell him he was doing great, he vanished.

  “Freya! Help me!” I waited to hear the familiar fluttering sound that often accompanied my spirit guide, but I did not hear her at all—not even her usual angry muttering when I displeased her or ignored her advice. The only thing I heard was the beating of my own heart, a dull reminder that I was now the only one living amongst all these dead. I should have come by myself! Why had I brought Alex back to Morgan’s Rock? I knew better. I was a seasoned psychic medium. I knew firsthand how strange things could get on an investigation like this one. Now this wasn’t an investigation—this was a straight-up rescue mission. I had come here to rescue Freya, but I needed to rescue Alex too. And all those souls trapped in that horrible vortex.

  I couldn’t quit—despite the fact that I’d broken out in a sweat and felt sick to my stomach, so sick that the nausea threatened to stop me. And to top that off, I was shaking; my entire body was shaking. No, there was nothing to do but continue on; with tears in my eyes, I took one step and then another. I visualized a white light of protection around my entire body as I repeated the Lord’s Prayer quietly and reverently.

  That’s when the sounds started. I heard things, scratching in the walls, wails coming from above me. Not Alex’s screams, though. At least they weren’t Alex’s screams. I couldn’t live with that…but how to get him back? I had to free him and Freya. As I walked, I tossed salt behind me. I was sticking to my plan. I would salt this place from top to bottom.

  And then I am coming for you, Dan Petit. There, see? I’m not afraid to use your name. I will use it, and I will call on it and command it when I have finished my task. You will not be victorious!

  BITCH!

  Even as the word assaulted my mind, it also soured my stomach. “Ah!” I gagged as I clutched my stomach. Oh yes, he’d gotten me good, but it wasn’t going to matter. Even if I did throw my guts up, the fact that he hit me gave me hope. If he could do anything more than that to me, he would have done it. Although he was strong, he wasn’t as strong as me. Not yet. It would be a close fight, though.

  “Shut up, Dan! I do not give you permission to speak to me! Shut your mouth!” I said with sudden boldness. “You don’t belong here!”

  I was on the top floor now, standing in the Great Room. Such a strange room. The air felt electric, as if there were a great many things going on in here, many things that I couldn’t see. But I wanted to see them all. I wasn’t afraid to see the dead.

  It’s not that, Sylvia. He does not want you to see them or hear them or talk to them. He is hiding them; you are not allowed to talk to them. And I can see the other living man. He is here with me. I can see him…

  “Oh! Thank God!” That wasn’t my own voice in my head. It wasn’t Freya either but another, quiet spirit guide named Madu. Madu was a male, he’d lived a thousand years ago but refused to move on because he…

  And then I heard the front door open. Huh, the house was so quiet now. So d-e-a-d that I could hear the front door open two flights below me. I walked back down about five or six stairs.

  “Hello? Sylvia? A
lex? It’s me. Where are you?”

  And for the second time today, my heart broke into little pieces. This was a terrible turn of events.

  Loretta, how are you going to explain all this? How are you going to make it right for this family?

  If I walked back over the salt, it would be no good. I’d have to resalt my steps. Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. I kept quiet, just in case. There was the possibility that this was some sort of trick. Danny Boy would certainly be one to do such things. But it wasn’t Dan, and it wasn’t one of his tricks. I was looking at Megan. Her shoulder-length blond hair was tied up in a ponytail. Her hazel eyes stared up at me, and I could see fear there.

  “Sylvia? Where is Alex?”

  “You should go back to my house, Megan. It’s safer for you there. Much safer. Please, don’t take another step up here.” I held my hand up to stop her, but she didn’t listen to me. “Megan, please!”

  “Loretta couldn’t stay any longer. There was an emergency with her grandchild. Why can’t I come up? This is my house too, you know. Where is Alex?” She paused and tilted her head up as if she were listening for something. “Is there a party going on up there? Who’s having a party?”

  Oh no! She could hear it too! “Megan, please. If you leave now, it will be alright. I promise I will find Alex. I won’t leave here without him.”

  “What do you mean? You lost him? I’m not leaving until I see him! I mean it, Sylvia! Tell me what happened!” She was becoming hysterical, and she began to cry and scream at me. I could feel Dan’s presence getting stronger by the second. Oh yes, he enjoyed all this. He liked it when people cried, especially Megan because it threatened the baby. Dan thrived on fear and so much more. Revenge. Cold, calculating revenge. That was his specialty.

  Might as well tell her the truth. Lying about it wouldn’t help either of us. “He disappeared right before my eyes. I have never seen anything like it. I have seen the dead disappear but never the living. I don’t know. He may have made another decision, Megan. He might have chosen to be with Julie and Zach. That’s a possibility, my dear. But I’ll keep looking. I can’t lose you too. Please go back to my house. I’ll come as soon as I have Alex.” I let the words pour out without measuring them, but the fact that time was passing by was very much at the front of my mind.