Demon in Salem

by Laura Cabrerizo

  11. SARA

  Sara sat on a couch at a small mom and pops coffee shop she found in the area. It was across the street from the local community college branch, and kids came and went in a constant stream, some staying to study while others grabbed a quick coffee before their next class.

  At first, the barista said Chico couldn’t come inside, but since it was pouring out, after a while, she relented. Either that or it was the twenty Sara slipped the girl, she wasn’t sure which one. Now he lay next to her snuggled deep in a blanket, sleeping the rain away, oblivious to the rest of the world. He hid enough that no one noticed him there, anyhow.

  With her laptop balanced on her knees, Sara did something she thought she would never do. She searched the internet forums for information on the paranormal and haunted houses. After several hours of dead ends and unbelievable balderdash, she found a person who ran a paranormal antique shop specializing in haunted items and all the paraphernalia needed to search out your own ghosts.

  Leery of the shops claims at first, she contacted the person with her story. Mr. Gregory Marshall replied to her within minutes. After an hour of chatting on messenger, she found out he was close to the same age as her and his shop was located in downtown Salem. Tourists made up the main clientele of the shop, looking for haunted heirlooms to take home, but they also sold supplies for more serious buyers. He preferred to be called Greg.

  He told her about some mirrors he had that would allow the user to see supernatural entities. Sara told him she didn’t want to buy something like that since it sounded too far-fetched and she felt it could be a scam. He said he would let her borrow them for a few weeks if Sara would try them out and let him know if they worked or not. He could stop by tomorrow in the morning and install them for her if Sara liked.

  Sara contemplated it for all of fifteen minutes. If the mirrors did what he claimed, she could see her imperceptible housemate. If they didn’t work, she wouldn’t be out anything and could simply return them to Greg’s shop with her verdict.

  It surprised Sara that someone would allow a stranger to borrow something like those mirrors as they sounded expensive, but Greg had seemed genuinely intrigued by her story. When she told him where she lived, he grew even more excited, and Sara surmised he must know about the house’s reputation. Perhaps this was the reason he was willing to let her borrow the mirrors, because of the rumors about her property.

  Accepting his offer, she slumped back further in the couch and flicked open her favorite dating application. Online dating might not work for some people, but she was far too shy to meet someone at a bar or even a coffee shop. Working from home put a severe dent in a person’s social life. Being an introverted woman of the twenty-first century, online dating was her best chance to meet new people in the area. She just wished the men were looking for more than a one-night stand. Maybe her picker was off.

  There was a guy she chatted with several times, exchanged pictures with, and talked to on the phone until she felt comfortable meeting with him. They went out for drinks the previous weekend and it appeared they hit it off, so he asked her out on a second date. When she agreed, he offered to pick her up. Since she already met him in person and he seemed okay, she told him yes and gave him her address.

  Looking at the time, her eyes widened when she realized she needed to get home to have time to get ready and clean up the mess from this morning. She put away her things and gathered Chico into her arms, thanking the barista on her way out of the coffee shop and leaving another sizeable tip in the jar on the counter.

  12. SAMUEL

  Samuel lay on the couch and stared at the ceiling, waiting for Sara to get home. Every second felt like a century passed while she was gone, he hadn’t realized how accustomed to her presence he became. As a way of apology, Samuel found a bunch of flowers in the woods behind the house and brought them back, placing them on the kitchen counter for her. The process of leaving the immediate area around his body took massive amounts of energy, so he rarely left the house. As it was, his energy reserves were near tapped from his exploits last night and getting the flowers this morning. He hoped she appreciated the gesture.

  The lock clicked in the front door, and she opened it, releasing Chico into the house and putting down her bag.

  “Not in the kitchen Cheeks, momma needs to clean in there.” Sara used her foot to block the dog from going into the kitchen and pointed him towards the living room. The little dog pranced over to the couch and jumped up looking at Samuel. It watched him for a moment before curling up on the pillow next to his head. This was the closest Chico had ever come, and Samuel had a certain feeling of inclusion in the act.

  Peeking his head over the couch, Samuel watched as Sara walked to the kitchen, pausing and picking up the flowers he had left for her. She brought them to her nose and inhaled, a soft smile spreading across her lips as she gazed at them for several heartbeats. He loved seeing that smile, it did something to his chest every time he witnessed it.

  “If this is an apology, you’re forgiven. Just, please leave the coffee alone in the future.” Sara chuckled, and Samuel was glad she felt better. She placed the flowers back onto the counter and went into the utility room, coming back with a broom and a dustpan, and went to work on the kitchen floors.

  When she finished cleaning, she went to the television, untangled the cord, and plugged it back in. Sara turned it on and set it to the cooking channel, placing the remote on the coffee table and walking down the hall towards her bedroom. She hummed softly to herself as she went.

  She didn’t appear again until the doorbell rang in the evening but she looked amazing when she did. Her hair was parted off to the side and spiked. Sara wore makeup like he had seen in the television ads, but hers was lighter and accented her face without making it look artificial.

  Tight jeans outlined her figure, hugging every curve and leaving little to the imagination. The strappy little black blouse she wore flowed around her upper body, and he wanted to run his hands over the silky fabric. Samuel wondered which would be softer, her shirt or her skin. He was betting on her skin. She looked delicious.

  Picking up Chico, she kissed him several times on the head, then placed him in the crate she used when she left the house. He hmphed but settled down as she opened the door and Samuel realized a man was standing on the other side. He jumped over the couch, frowning as he followed her to the door. He didn’t like the stranger, his aura was wrong, though Samuel couldn’t place why.

  “Are you ready to go? You look amazing.” The man’s eyes devoured her in what Samuel though was a very disrespectful gaze, but Sara said nothing to put him in his place. Samuel wanted to tell her not to go with him.

  “Thanks, you look good too.” Sara smiled at the stranger and walked out the door, shutting and locking it behind her.

  Samuel stuck his head through it and watched as the guy helped her into his pickup truck, his hand practically hovering over Sara’s bottom as she climbed in. His thoughts and mood took a turn for the worse as they backed out of the driveway. Sara was his, how dare she go off with another man! But that was merely wishful dreaming. He couldn’t claim her when she couldn’t even see him. Again, he cursed his fate and the witches who trapped him in it.

  Several hours later Sara returned with the guy in tow. Samuel’s head popped up over the back of the couch where he had taken up his vigil for her return, and he stood when she came into the entryway.

  “I had a lot of fun tonight, thank you.” Sara smiled at the stranger while standing just inside of the doorframe, the door clutched in her hand but closed enough that Samuel could tell she wasn’t offering the man entrance.

  “What, no nightcap? No cup of coffee?”

  “It’s late, and I want to get to bed. We already stayed out longer than I wanted to.” Sara’s tone became forced. Samuel walked up behind her, crossing his arms over his chest, and glared at the other man.

  “Don’t worry, we won’t take long.”

  “T
ake long for what?” Sara’s posture stiffened, and her grasp on the door became firmer, her knuckles turning white. Samuel knew by her stance she was expecting an answer she wouldn’t like, and he wasn’t disappointed.

  “Obviously we’re going to sleep together.” The stranger grinned like an idiot, either not seeing her body language or not caring. Samuel growled, taking another step forward, wondering if he should make his presence known. He was already exhausted but he would do whatever it took to let Sara know he stood behind her.

  “Yeah, no. I told you I don’t do sex on a first date.” She placed her free hand on her hip in a guarded gesture. “It’s time for you to leave.”

  “First of all, this is our second date. I know you don’t mean it, you’re just playing hard to get. You’ve been flirting with me all night.”

  Sara’s head cocked to the side as she snipped in reply, “First of all, coffee doesn’t count as a date. The answer is no. Please leave.”

  Samuel couldn’t believe she was so polite to the little ass. If he had his corporeal form, he would kick the fool down the driveway and tell him never to come back.

  “I bought you dinner.” The man took a step towards Sara, causing her to step back.

  “I offered to pay half, and you said no. I’m not sleeping with you. End of story.” She tried to slam the door in his face, but the man held his hand out, stopping the latch from catching. With great force, he pushed the door open and sent Sara stumbling back. Samuel would never forget the look of fear that passed over her face as the much larger man stepped into the house.

  He ramped up what little energy he had left, and the light over their heads burst, showering sparks down on them. The little weasel screamed and jumped back.

  “What the hell was that?”

  “Oh, this house is haunted. We’re talking like Poltergeist level shit, I must have forgotten to tell you. I don’t think the spirit is happy. You better run while you still can!” Sara channeled the fear on her face into a convincing mask as she warned the man.

  “Bullshit!” The stranger’s voice wavered and cracked, and he took a step towards the door. Samuel caused the rest of the lights to flicker and the blinds on the front windows to rattle. The creep screamed and ran out of the house, Sara jumping up, slamming and locking the door behind him before leaning on it with her forehead pressed against the cold metal.

  Turning as she stepped away from the door, she sighed. “Thank you. I have the worst luck with men.” She went to let the dog out of his crate and waited until the truck disappeared down the street to take Chico outside. When she was finished, she went straight to bed looking sad and dejected. Worst of all was the loneliness he saw reflected in her eyes. Samuel knew the look well, it was the same darkness he had glimpsed in his own a million times throughout his life.

  Samuel’s heart softened towards her another fraction. Maybe she didn’t have to go, she should go, but just maybe she could stay.

  13. SARA

  “Mr. Wentz, I don't understand what you mean when you say you will not pay me for my services." Leaning back in her chair, with one leg crossed over the other, Sara cracked her knuckles while speaking into the microphone on her headset. She was sharing a conference call with the client she delivered her project end report to.

  “We don't believe you could breach our security as quickly, or with as much ease, as you claim,” said the voice on the other side of the line. It snuffled and harrumphed before continuing. “You must be running a scam, have had an inside connection, or some different tactic. We demand you reveal your accomplice so we may take proper legal action.”

  Sara rubbed her forehead, leaning her elbow on the arm of her office chair. She took a long swig from the steaming cup of coffee in front of her and counted to ten. This was not turning into a good morning, the downhill spiral starting when Sara received an email from her client stating they believed they didn't owe her the fees she charged. The misogynistic bastard on the other end of the line was wearing thin any patience she had.

  "Mr. Wentz," Sara spoke with a firm tone, "I don't have an accomplice nor am I running any scams. You hired me because your company believed your software was unhackable. I have proved your company incorrect in that assumption. You hired me because you wanted the best. I am the best." Sara’s claim wasn’t baseless either. After winning several national hackathons, she made a name for herself in the industry. The most significant hardship she ran into was feeling out clients to make sure their requests were on the right side of the law.

  “I still don't believe your skills would be enough. Tell us the name of the man who helped you and we will pay him the fees directly.”

  Growling, Sara took another long sip of her coffee. She knew the long pauses between her answers drove her client crazy. For some reason, some men liked to discount the achievements of women in technology, wanting to feel superior to their female counterparts. "I assure you, I am the one who breached your software. You will pay me. The money your company owes me will be in my account tomorrow by the end of the business day. If the money isn't there, I will enact my contractual right to halt the functioning of your website."

  “You're insane,” came the upset voice from the other end of the line. “There is no such provision in our contract.”

  "Page thirteen, paragraph four, section seven dash A." Sara waited until the shuffling of pages subsided, picking at her thumbnail with her forefinger.

  “You can't-,” he stuttered.

  "I can and I will Mr. Wentz." Sara cut him off without allowing him to finish. "Even if you could find a company to fix all the outlined security flaws I sent you in one day, it wouldn't matter. I would still be able to break through them. Your website will go down, you will lose millions of dollars in revenue from the loss, and your company will suffer from a PR nightmare."

  “Are you threatening me?” The man was yelling into the phone now, sounding like he was about to have an apoplectic fit, and Sara knew she had him. She couldn’t help the smirk that spread across her lips.

  "I never threaten. I simply inform. Threatening would be to tell you it would be a shame if the people who referred me to you found out you are trying to bilk me." Sara hid the smugness in her voice as she replied, tapping her fingers on the desk in front of her. She sometimes worked with a group of people who advocated for internet security and didn't take well to harassment. It was one of these contacts who recommended her for this job.

  Sara could hear the man on the other end of the phone working himself up for a good yell. Instead of letting him start in on her, she said, "Tomorrow by five pm Eastern Time, Mr. Wentz." She clicked the icon on her computer to end the call and sat for a moment, breathing deeply and trying to calm herself down.

  It was rare that she had to take such measures but now and then there was a client who thought they could use force to take advantage of her. She learned early in her career to stand up for herself. There was always someone who thought you weren't good enough or worth your asking fee.

  Shaking her head, she stood and grabbed her coffee for a refill. When she walked into the main room, she watched as Chico took off after a stuffed toy that flew across the room. He brought the plush sheep doll back to the couch and placed it on the ground below a cushion, looking up expectantly. The dog wasn't disappointed when the toy was picked up and thrown again. He chased it with the exuberance of a puppy. At least the boys were getting along.

  After refreshing her cup of coffee, Sara returned to her computer to see a new message flashing on the screen. It was from Greg at the antique shop, asking if he and his people could stop by later in the afternoon to drop off and install the mirrors. She consented and went to work on her next project. At least, she tried to get to work. She fell into the bottomless dark pits of internet videos before relaxing to a few games.

  The next thing she knew, the doorbell rang, announcing that time had gone by faster than she anticipated. She came around the corner to the sight of Chico barking at the door, jumpi
ng around like a maniac wanting to get at the visitors.

  Pushing him back, she opened the door and stepped out to greet her guests.

  "Nice to meet you!" Sara shook Greg’s hand and smiled in a welcome.

  "Good to meet you too. I've wanted to look at this house. We tried to come to see it while it was still for sale, but they wouldn't let us take a tour unless we proved we could afford to buy it." Greg frowned looking over the front porch but then cracked a smile when he saw the fake flowers in the planter boxes.

  He raised an eyebrow in question, and Sara laughed. “I can barely keep the dog and myself alive much less a bunch of plants.”

  "This is my girlfriend, Nicole." Greg’s face lit up as he gestured to the girl standing behind him.

  Sara greeted the girl with a smile before turning to look at the other guy with them. He was opening the back of a cargo van with the logo of the antique shop on the side.

  "That's Tony, my delivery guy. I normally don't come out for deliveries, but I couldn't help it. Nicole insisted on coming too. We can't wait to see if the mirrors work."

  "It's cool. What do you expect to see?" Sara watched as Tony brought a smaller mirror out of the back of the van. It was a full-length looking glass set on a dark wooden stand. The knobs on the sides of the frame would allow the owner to adjust the angle.

  "The mirrors are made of a crushed crystal composite with arcane symbols etched under the frames. They are backed with silver, and the frames are made from stained Alder. You can't see the symbols, so I'm only trusting the person who brought them to me on that account. The previous owner told me you will see anything that gives off even the slightest energy signature in the highest detail."