End of the Road (Ghost Stories Trilogy #1)

by E. J. Fechenda

  He moaned, the vibration humming across my lips and his free hand slid down my side to grab my ass as he pressed me closer to his body. My hands skimmed his bare chest, tracing the muscles that disappeared beneath the waistband of his briefs.

  Suddenly we were both wide awake and all over each other. My body responded to his, our physical connection still intact despite a year apart. What little clothes separated us disappeared and Eric flipped me onto my back, settling between my legs, which cradled his hips.

  “Are you sure?” he asked; his voice was soft yet rough at the same time. I peered up at his face, taking in the stubble lining his jaw and the concern in his blue eyes. He was giving me the control he knew I needed. I could stop if I wanted to, but I didn’t.

  “Yes, I’m sure,” I whispered and pulled him down so I could kiss him, enjoying the feel of his weight on my body and the warmth of his skin against mine.

  With one swift thrust he was inside me and I let out a gasp followed by a moan, which Eric cut off when he deepened our kiss. He drew my bottom lip into his mouth and sucked as he picked up his pace. My hips rose to meet him and I was lost to the long forgotten sensations that overwhelmed my body.

  Afterwards, we lay together, a tangle of limbs. Eric brushed a stray hair off of my forehead before placing a gentle kiss in the space between my eyebrows.

  “I missed this, I miss us,” he whispered.

  “Same here.” I nestled closer to him, my head on his chest.

  “I thought I’d be okay just seeing you at work every day. You know, I thought it would be enough, but when you disappeared behind the wall of smoke and the idea you could slip away from me forever, well, that freaked me out. I love you, Lena. Always have and always will.”

  “I love you too, as much as I wanted to hate you,” I smiled up at him. “I couldn’t. I’m sorry I shut you out and didn’t let you back in.”

  “I want to try again. Do you?”

  I couldn’t answer as my mouth was suddenly dry and my tongue felt like it was made of a loofah sponge. My pulse was pounding at the idea of starting over – of opening my heart up to this man again. No regrets, Elena. Peggy’s voice whispered through my racing thoughts. Since I was incapable of speaking, I nodded instead and hugged him, breathing in his scent, a heady combination of sex, deodorant and body wash. We both fell asleep again, wrapped up in each other.

  Chapter Sixty-Nine

  When we woke for the second time that morning, I remembered we weren’t alone in my apartment and wasn’t sure how loud we had been. After throwing on some clothes, I tiptoed down the hall toward the living room. Peeking around the corner I was relieved to see Gavin asleep, snoring lightly, with the headphones for his iPod securely placed in his ears.

  I snuck back into the bedroom, peeled off my clothes and climbed into bed where a naked Eric was waiting for me.

  Eventually we did get up and after a shower, sauntered into the kitchen where I put coffee on to brew. Gavin was awake and playing on his computer. If he heard us in the bedroom earlier, he didn’t act like it. Eric rummaged around in the fridge and brought butter, cream cheese, peanut butter and strawberry jam over to the dinette table. He then started toasting bagels. All of the sex made me hungry so I cooked some scrambled eggs and bacon too.

  Gavin complained of being hungover and didn’t eat much. Eric said he had never been better and wiggled his eyebrows at me. I stifled a laugh and almost shot coffee out my nose. Fortunately Gavin didn’t seem to notice.

  After breakfast Gavin started prepping for our usual trip out to the desert, but considering our decision to bring in a medium, I vetoed it.

  “Hey, you’re hungover and we should probably meet with this medium before we do anything else. Cool?”

  “Yeah, I have a test for my night class so it will be good to get back and study.”

  Gavin left soon after that, leaving Eric and me alone.

  Eric crossed the room then pulled me into an embrace and kissed me; a slow, almost tentative kiss. I responded by throwing arms around his neck. When we came up for air, I was pressed up against one of the living room walls.

  “You’re not having second thoughts about us?” Eric asked.

  “No, are you?”

  “Absolutely not.” He leaned in for another kiss.

  “I do have to talk to you though,” I said, placing my hands on his chest, gently pushing him off and giving me enough room to step away from the wall. “Let’s go tell the ghosts what our plan is and we can talk along the way. Okay?” I was waiting for him to object or come up with an excuse, but he didn’t. Instead he grabbed the keys to his Jeep and said, “Whenever you’re ready.”

  I brushed my teeth, pulled my hair back in a ponytail and met Eric in the parking lot. He had the top down and the seats were pleasantly warm, but not hot like they would have been just a few weeks earlier. When we were on the road, Eric asked me what I wanted to talk about.

  “I want to acknowledge that I was to blame too. You know, for us splitting up? I was hurt and shut you out.”

  “It was wrong of me to act the way I did when you became pregnant. I was such an asshole and I’m sorry.”

  I nodded and blinked back tears, grateful for the cover my sunglasses provided. “When I miscarried and you seemed relieved…it was too much…the pain, everything.” I couldn’t hide the tears anymore and when Eric glanced over at me, his swore and immediately pulled over on to the shoulder.

  “Fuck, Lena, I was in shock and didn’t even know what to do. I wish we could rewind and start all over again.”

  “But we can’t.”

  “No, but we can do things better this time.” Eric reached over and brushed a tear off my cheek, which caused me to look at him. “I won’t run away and I won’t let you push me away so easily either. You’re strong and independent and I love that about you, but it’s hard to love you when you don’t let me in here.” His placed his hand over my heart.

  I laughed and it was shaky after the crying. “I know, you sound like my mother. And I promise to be a better communicator, but I think I’ll always be stubborn, like you.”

  “I want to be with you and always have. I’m sorry for being such a dick, I was hurting too. It might not have seemed like I cared, but I did. Losing our baby tore me up and I was so relieved that you survived. The doctor told me you had lost a lot of blood. I wasn’t relieved about losing the baby. I was relieved that I hadn’t lost you too…which, ironically, I did anyway. That put me in a dark place. You’re my light, Lena.” He leaned towards me and I met him halfway. He gently cupped my face and we kissed.

  ***

  PEGGY

  I recognized the Jeep this time and the hunk driving it. When Elena and Eric walked towards us I couldn’t help but smile when I saw they were holding hands. I wasn’t useless after all. Even though I didn’t know Elena all that well, what I had learned about her is that she was reserved and withdrawn around us, not very trusting. When she was in the line of duty, she didn’t hesitate to run into a wildfire to save someone, but when it came to her own life, she had little regard.

  Elena seemed different - livelier somehow. There was a flush to her cheeks and she didn’t carry herself like she was nursing a stomach ache. Eric was smiling and couldn’t keep his eyes off of Elena. Seeing them reminded me of how Stanley and I acted when we fell for each other. My anger over dying before I was able to get married suddenly vanished and with that heaviness, I felt lighter. I realized how fortunate I was to have experienced love in my short life.

  Suddenly things grew out of focus and something tugged at me, almost like a rope was wrapped around my waist. I was yanked backwards a few feet causing me to yelp.

  “Peggy, what’s wrong?” I heard Georgia ask, but couldn’t see her. I did see Elena running and she came to a stop in front of me. She said something, but only her lips moved because a roar filled my head, blocking out all other sound. She tried to grab me even though I knew she wouldn’t be able to. I moved further awa
y. I wanted this, my inner voice was telling me I needed this to happen. Next, I was several feet in the air, suspended with my back facing the ground. I knew this because I could see the sun. Even though it was blindingly bright, I couldn’t stop staring at it. Then I was racing toward the sun and the light kept getting brighter and brighter until it was all around me. The sensation of the rope around my waist disappeared and I thought since I was untethered, a plummet back to the ground was next, but that didn’t happen. I continued moving; weightless and afloat, caught up in an invisible current in the sky.

  The air around me changed and became familiar, filled with an aroma that made me instantly homesick. I inhaled again and made the connection; it smelled like my home when my mom made Snicker doodles for me and my sisters after school. The scent of cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar made my mouth water and my stomach growl. How could I be hungry?

  The brightness faded and after blinking to adjust, I recognized where I was standing - the kitchen from my childhood home. It was exactly as I remembered; white cabinets, mint green Formica countertops with a chrome trim, and the pink and green checkered linoleum floor my mom always kept spotless. In the breakfast nook the framed picture of the last supper was still on the wall.

  I caught a whiff of tobacco smoke and it triggered a flood of memories of my dad sitting in his recliner working on a crossword while puffing away on a cigar. My senses were being assaulted from every direction; next I heard the soft murmur of the television coming from the living room. Further confirming my dad was home and had a game on. I now had substance to my body and the floor beneath my feet was solid. For the first time in decades I felt whole. I took a step and moved further into the kitchen and gasped. Suddenly my mom was in the room; standing by the oven with her back to me. I froze and pinched myself. She turned to face me with a tray of fresh baked cookies in her hands.

  “Peggy, you’re just in time. I’m making a fresh batch,” she said and set the tray down on the counter. I didn’t hesitate and ran into her open arms.

  Chapter Seventy

  FRANK

  Just like that another one of us was gone without any explanation. How were we supposed to know what caused it to happen? Peggy was here one moment and seconds later it was like she was plucked right off the planet.

  “What the hell just happened?” Elena asked.

  “Peggy crossed over.”

  “What? How? Just like that for no reason?”

  “We don’t know how she did it. This happened with Juanita and Tobin too. They’ve never come back to reveal the secret.”

  “Maybe they can’t come back.”

  We all stood in a group staring up at the clear blue sky where Peggy was last seen. A bird flew by and even further up a plane, leaving white trails in its wake, but Peggy was definitely gone.

  Eric broke the silence. “I think I actually saw her. There was a ripple in the air; I saw a face and red hair. Was that Peggy?”

  “Yes, babe.” Elena smiled at Eric and reached for his hand.

  “Wow, unbelievable!”

  “For both Juanita and Tobin, their family members were here when they crossed over, but not for Peggy. It doesn’t make sense,” I said.

  “Something had to have triggered it,” Elena responded. “But what?”

  We mulled over several possible ideas, but only one person knew for certain and that person was Peggy.

  “What if you bring my son here and see if it helps me?” I suggested.

  “Well, that’s why Eric and I are here. Gavin knows of a medium who works with a professor at ASU. He is going to reach out to her and see if she’ll help us.”

  “Really? This is great!” I was pleased. It was progress, not that Elena and Gavin didn’t mean well, but we all knew we weren’t getting anywhere. Peggy’s crossing over really caught me off guard, but also opened up the possibilities. “When will you know if she accepts?”

  “Hopefully this week and I’ll try to drive out here and let you know, but I’m working a full schedule.”

  “I’m not sure who you’re talking to, Elena, but I’m off on Friday and can drive here.”

  “Right, sorry Eric, I forgot you can’t see or hear them. You’re willing to help?”

  “Yes, just let me know.”

  “Excellent!” Elena beamed up at Eric and then turned her attention back to me. “So, one of us will keep you all posted.”

  Elena waved goodbye as she and Eric walked away. We watched as the Jeep pulled onto the highway.

  “This has been one fucked up day,” Bob said. “I’m sure as hell going to miss that redhead. She was a piece of work.”

  “Yeah, she was gone just like that.” I snapped my fingers and like usual, they didn’t produce a sound.

  Lawrence was staring up at the sky. He was faint and stood very still. I moved to stand next to him. He briefly glanced at me. “What do you think is on the other side, Frank?”

  “I hope my folks and Faye. What about you?”

  “My family, my kids and Helen. It pains me to think about it because what if there isn’t anything, just vast emptiness?”

  “We might find out soon enough.”

  Lawrence nodded, “Yes, I think we just might.” He gave me a sad smile and disappeared. A flash of movement by Juanita’s memorial alerted me to his reappearance. Lawrence was always thinking ahead. His question got me worried. What was waiting for me on the other side?

  ***

  LAWRENCE

  Juanita had her mesquite tree and memorial, Peggy and Frank had the rusted remains of their cars as reminders of where they died. I was here when Bob, Georgia, and Tobin died and I knew exactly where they breathed their last. I couldn’t remember where I died. Over the years the landscape had been altered by the elements and the highway repaved, erasing anything left behind as a reminder, but I did have an existence here. We saved people and made a difference.

  I’d been so focused on moving on and joining my family, convinced I was in purgatory, that I hadn’t considered maybe I was supposed to be here. This strip of desert could be my “other side”.

  I squatted in front of Juanita’s memorial and summoned up some energy to brush dust off the stones. “Juanita, Tobin, or Peggy can you hear me?” At least once a year I called out like this and never once received a response; now I added Peggy for good measure. All I wanted was a guarantee that a better place existed.

  Standing up, I turned to watch the others. They were off doing what they usually did; Bob stood in the middle of the highway, his arms outstretched and his eyes closed as cars drove through him. Frank was down by the remains of his car, walking in circles around the flaking shell. Georgia sat on the boulder near the spot where she was murdered. Her long hair hung like a blonde curtain, blocking her face. She seemed lost in her own thoughts and I came to the realization she was the only woman left. The dynamics of our group had shifted with Peggy’s departure.

  Change was upon us and I braced for more changes to come.

  Chapter Seventy-One

  ELENA

  It didn’t take long for word to spread at work that Eric and I had gotten back together or for Lieutenant Adams to call us into his office as Eric’s shift was ending and mine was beginning.

  “Shut the door and sit down.”

  We complied and sat in the chairs in front of his desk. He regarded us with a frown and shook his head.

  “I’ve been hearing a rumor…and normally it isn’t my business and HR will shit a brick if they knew I asked you this, but…are you back together?” For one normally in control of the room, he was flustered. He couldn’t look either one of us in the eyes and his neck turned red, standing out against his light beige shirt collar. “Because it was a real pain in the ass – you especially Hernandez – when y’all divorced. And Wilcox, you were a pain in my ass when Hernandez was in the hospital – pulling people off of their detail for her escort when any of the volunteers would have sufficed. I’m going to say this only once: if you are together, keep
the drama away from work. Understood?”

  “Yes, sir,” we said in unison. I wondered if this was what it was like to be in the principal’s office getting a warning before being assigned detention, only worse.

  “Good, now get to work.”

  We stood up and hurried out of his office. Eric followed me back to my desk and sat on the end, facing me. He was smirking and I started laughing. “How awkward was that?” he asked.

  “I thought his head was going to spontaneously combust if it got any redder.”

  I got my laughing under control and plopped down into my chair. “So you were a pain in Adams’ ass? What’s that all about?” I teased.

  Eric’s ears turned red and he glanced at me sideways. “I um,” he began and ran a hand over the top of his short hair. “I insisted on being your escort home from the hospital and may have bypassed getting approval to have you on the detail for that meth lab in Seligman.”

  “So you weren’t just following orders?”

  “No. I wasn’t thinking about my job, Lena, only you.”

  Damn, he never failed to surprise me. I smiled up at him. “You’re such a romantic. The way to my heart is a meth lab, huh?”

  “No roses for my girl,” he teased back and I laughed.

  “So are you almost done your shift?” I asked him as I read the docket for mine, which was just beginning.

  “Yeah, I’m going to hit the gym and then crash. Are you coming over after?”

  “Maybe. I’ll text you.”

  He leaned over and kissed me before standing up. “Okay, see you later, Lena. Love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  Eric walked away to a chorus of cat calls from some of the guys. He flipped them off and I rolled my eyes before focusing on the schedule for the night. It was going to be busy with a missing teenager reported in Chino Valley and a Circle K had been robbed at gunpoint. I unlocked the top desk drawer and pulled out my handgun. After securing the safety, I slipped it into my belt and snapped the holster. I grabbed a lukewarm cup of coffee from the break room and headed out to the garage.