The Haunting Season

by Michelle Muto

  Like some sort of one-way mirror. No. Don’t think of it like that. Don’t think of Riley and whatever else is there.

  Part of her wanted to scream, to run away. Yet, some other part wanted to see this—wanted to know if she truly could see even further into the unknown.

  It’s the house. Allison is right—it’s doing something to us.

  It can’t. You’re not in the house. Don’t blame it for what you want to know. You can do this. You’ve come this far. It’s just dirt. Dirt! Just sticks, leaves and Georgia clay. You’ve let ghosts touch you and you can’t even touch a patch of dirt?

  Jess shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. “Okay.” Shaking slightly, she knelt down to the moonlit earth, the girls standing on either side of her, and placed her palm on the ground. At that same moment, the girls rested their hands on Jess’s shoulders. The cold of their touch bit into her, and she cried out in agony. Her vision grew fuzzy. A sense of frigid air and darkness swirled through her.

  Jess blinked and found herself standing alone in the woods. It was daylight now and the air had a different smell—more earthen and pine, and something else, too.

  …you’ll see it when.

  When. As in time. Jess understood where she was, but more importantly, she had a good idea when she was—August 1909.

  “Gracie? Emma?” she whispered. No answer. Up ahead came the sound of someone shoveling dirt. She wanted to call out again, but didn’t dare. If all she had to do was see what happened, then maybe she’d return or wake up.

  Heart hammering, Jess made her way toward the sound. His back was to her as he fervently dug into the earth. Same dark hair, same tall, thin build.

  Riley.

  Gasping, she ducked behind a tree, mentally cursing herself for making noise. Surely he’d hear her. But he didn’t. He grunted as he continued to shovel sprays of earth.

  He was digging their graves!

  After a few minutes, Riley stopped and tossed the shovel aside. He walked out of her line of sight, behind a thicket of trees and then returned with a blanket and a wicker basket. He set the basket down and spread the blanket out neatly between a couple of trees.

  What the hell?

  Riley took a seat on the blanket and extracted silverware from the basket, along with a red apple. He bit into apple and looked up into the trees, taking in nature and the sky above him.

  She cursed him for being so nonchalant about enjoying a picnic before burying Gracie and Emma’s bodies. She should have been glad that he’d been caught, except he’d still gotten away with it—the girls remained his captives long into their deaths.

  Finishing the apple, he tossed its core aside. After taking a moment to pick his teeth, he got up and went back to where he’d been digging, putting his back to Jess once more.

  Riley reached down and pulled at something—a flash of white skin caked with dirt. Dizzy with horror and disbelief, Jess nearly fell backward. He wasn’t digging a grave for Gracie and Emma.

  He was digging them up.

  Jess fought to catch her breath and stay on her feet as Riley dragged the girls from the ground and onto the blanket, propping up each against the base of a tree. Muddy dirt, twigs and leaves covered them. Dark stains along the neckline of their dresses indicated they’d bled heavily.

  Jess wanted to move, to order her legs to take her away from here. But the shock and fear froze her in place. Her stomach began to rebel and she gagged, then wiped at her mouth, fighting against it.

  He’ll hear you!

  Riley knelt down between the girls and examined each girl’s neck where he’d clearly slit their throats.

  He began to sing. “He cut off their heads with a carving knife, have you ever seen such a sight in your life!”

  Again, Jess’s stomach lurched hard enough that her eyes watered.

  Run. Run!

  Her traitorous feet remained motionless as though stuck in quicksand. Jess was helpless to do anything but watch. Her breath came in quick, ragged bursts and she fought to not pass out. If she did, Riley would find her. Even now, she was certain he had to hear her, hear her breathing and the pounding of her heart.

  Riley stopped his singing and bit into Gracie’s cheek, tearing away a chunk of flesh. He chewed slowly and swallowed. Jess’s eyes watered again and she wretched, unable to silence the sound, but nothing came up. Her heart pounded so hard now she swore it would burst. Her vision began to swim, yet her eyes remained glued to the grizzly scene. Her knees buckled and she fell to the ground.

  Turn your head, look away.

  Omigod! The smell!

  The girls might only have been gone a day or two, but given that they’d been buried in shallow graves in Savannah’s summer heat, they’d already started to decompose badly. Jess wretched again.

  Riley leaned closer to Emma and took a bite out of her, too.

  And then Jess blacked out.

  It was dark when she woke. Riley was nowhere to be seen. Neither were the girls. Relief poured over her when she recognized she was seeing the here and now. But relief began to ebb as the full realization of it all crashed down on her. She’d returned to the spot where the girls had taken her—the place where they’d told her to touch the ground—the place where Riley had dug up their bodies.

  The place where Riley had begun to eat them.

  “Oh my God! Oh my God!” Jess scrabbled backward a few feet. Her hands! Her hands were covered with dirt, her fingernails caked with mud. Her eyes settled on something smooth and hard poking out of a small section of earth. That hole hadn’t been there when she first arrived. Somehow, in her time-travel trance or whatever it was, she’d dug up this spot… the spot Gracie had told her to touch. The shape was unmistakable—the eye socket of a human skull stared up at her, the rest remained interred in the earth.

  He separated us.

  He cut off their heads with a carving knife, have you ever seen such a sight in your life?

  Jess scrambled backward again, meaning to stand, but her legs were unable to support her weight and she fell backward, onto her bottom. “Oh my God!” she cried as she scooted farther away before finally getting to her feet.

  How could Riley do that? How could anyone be capable of such a thing? He’d not only killed them, but buried their bodies, and then he’d come back later to…to…eat them. Why did they have to show her that part? Where were they? Had it worked? Had Gracie and Emma moved on?

  Jess’s head buzzed with questions and fear.

  If the girls had moved on, Riley wasn’t going to be happy about that. If they were finally free of Riley, there’d be hell to pay.

  But the more she thought about it, she knew Gracie and Emma were still here. They’d told her they had been separated. That’s why they couldn’t move on. And heaven help her, but Jess knew what they’d have to do. But right now, she had to get out of these woods.

  Jess ran, blindly, hoping she was headed in the right direction.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Gage had expected to find Jess with Allison when he and Bryan snuck out of the house. Allison had been alone, though, pacing on the lawn and looking rather anxious. Her already pale skin seemed even paler in the moonlight.

  “She’s not with you?” Allison asked. The subtleness of her question didn’t go unnoticed. “No.” Gage shook his head. “Didn’t she come back to your room?”

  “She did, but when the alarm went off, she was gone. I thought she might be with you.”

  “Shit!” Something was wrong. Gage scanned the yard, hoping Jess just couldn’t sleep and was already out here.

  Bryan frowned, looking as worried as Allison. “I hope she’s not still in the house. You don’t think—”

  Allison’s eyes went wide. “I don’t think so.” She whirled to look up at it.

  Gage looked, too. It seemed different than before, darker. More ominous. He rubbed his eyes.

  It’s going down. It’s done playing. Riley and Siler House are knocking over the dominoes.
/>   “We’ve got to find her. Something’s not right.” Gage walked on, hoping his first thought about Jess’s whereabouts was correct, that she was out here somewhere and just hadn’t seen them yet.

  “Maybe Dr. Brandt caught her, or Mrs. Hirsch,” Bryan offered.

  “No,” Allison said. “I don’t think so. It’s one of them.”

  Allison said what he’d been thinking: Riley. He didn’t want to think of Jess trapped inside a room with that monster. But she was known to go off exploring. What if she’d ventured into a room with an uncovered mirror? If Riley could make knives appear, Gage had no doubt he could close and lock doors, too. With Jess’s ability, he didn’t think it’d be long before Riley found a way out of a mirror, or a way to get Jess in.

  He had to keep calm. He could feel the paranoia trying to creep in. Gage resisted the urge to run back and search for Jess inside the house, to scream her name as he went from room to room.

  The basement.

  The music room.

  Stay cool, man. She’s not in there.

  He closed his eyes, recalling Jess—how her hair smelled of shampoo, how her skin had felt like silk under his touch. No, she was out here. Somewhere. He could feel her.

  “Maybe she’s already out back waiting on us.” Gage was running now, hoping with all his might they’d find Jess by the oak tree.

  “She’ll be okay,” Bryan said, catching up with him. “I know she means a lot to you. We’ll find her.”

  Anger began to stir inside him, replacing the hint of panic. He’d be damned if he was going to let something happen to Jess.

  “That bad, huh?” Bryan said, eyeing him on the run.

  Gage glared. “We’re friends.”

  “Yeah, I saw that,” Bryan said with a smirk.

  They rounded the house and headed toward the oak. Gage had picked this spot because the tree and nearby area were cloaked in shadow, making it impossible for anyone to see them from the house.

  When they reached it, Jess wasn’t there.

  “Damn it!” Frustrated, Gage scrubbed his face as he scoured the yard for any sign of her.

  “Gage, I think it’s okay,” Allison said as she joined them. “I don’t know where, but Jess is out here. I can sense her, too. I told you we were all connected.”

  She walked toward the graves. Gage didn’t follow.

  “She’s right,” Bryan said. “Chill, okay? We’ll find her.” He studied Gage’s face. “Gage, she’ll be okay, I promise, man.”

  Gage clenched his jaw and scanned the grounds one more time. Where the hell was she? The estate grounds were huge.

  Come on, Jess. Come on, sweetheart. Where are you?

  Bryan shifted uneasily. “You know, I’m starting to buy into this collective thing. I mean, I didn’t at first. I thought Allison was nuts. But now? I dunno, man. It’s like I can pick up on all of our…vibes or something lately. What do you think?”

  Gage looked at him without saying a word. He wouldn’t admit it, mostly because it sounded girly, but he understood exactly what Bryan was saying. It was like they had some weird connection growing between all of them—and it seemed stronger almost every day.

  Not just between them, either. The house, too. That part couldn’t be good.

  “There!” Allison pointed toward the woods. “It’s Jess!”

  A dark figure emerged, running toward them. Jess. Gage breathed a sigh of relief and he quickened his step. What was she thinking, going out into the woods at night by herself? “Jess?” he called.

  Reaching them, she flung herself into Gage’s arms. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  She nodded yes, then shook her head, no. “I know how the girls died,” Jess sobbed, clinging to him tightly. “I saw what he did.”

  Gage stroked her head. “It’s okay, Jess. It’ll be okay.” He gently pushed her back so he could look at her. Her eyes were wide with fright. “What happened?”

  Jess took a long, shuddering breath.

  “It’s okay,” Gage repeated. “Come on. Tell us about it.” He led her back toward the shadowed concealment of the oak tree and took a seat, pulling her up against his chest. Bryan and Allison took seats nearby.

  Jess leaned into him, her body tight with fear as she filled them in about the girls leading her into the woods, the strange vision, and how she’d woken up next to partially unearthed bones.

  “So, you’re saying you don’t remember digging anything up?” Bryan asked.

  Jess shook her head. “No. But how can that be?” She picked at her fingernails, which clearly had dirt under them. She turned to Allison. “How can that be?” she repeated, as if not wanting to admit that she’d either been under Gracie and Emma’s influence, or had done something without the slightest recollection of it. But Gage knew the real reason—Allison was the only one of them who’d ever been under the influence of something or someone else. Jess was looking to Allison for answers, and damn if Gage didn’t agree with that.

  Allison had grown quiet. She wasn’t blocking them out or shutting down as she sometimes did. Allison had heard every word Jess had said. She was probably just trying to figure out a tactful way of saying the obvious. That Gracie and Emma had become strong enough to take over Jess. They might not be demons, but they’d essentially done the same thing. Possession.

  Jess, sweetheart, you’re playing with fire.

  He gave her a little squeeze. “Hey, maybe it’s not such a good idea to talk to the girls for a while.”

  “I agree with Gage,” Bryan said. “Skills or not, I think we’re above our pay grade on this one. They’re stronger than us if they can take you over like that.”

  Jess stiffened. “We’ve been saying it’s the house keeping us here, but I think it’s more than that. Allison was right. Siler House is sick. But it didn’t start that way. It has something to do with Riley. What if we bury the skull I found with the rest of their bodies? They said they’d been separated. Maybe if we bury it—”

  “They’ll be at peace,” Bryan finished. “They’ll stop haunting Siler House. And us.”

  Allison laughed bitterly. “And you believe that?”

  Bryan shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe Jess has a point. Maybe part of breaking Siler House’s hold is to set their souls free from Riley’s control.”

  Allison got to her feet. “They’re spirits. Spirits who are drawing their strength from Jess. I don’t trust ghosts. Not one.” She turned her face up toward Siler House.

  “We could still use them to help us get rid of Riley,” Jess said. “They might not be what they appear, but how could they side with Riley? Evil or not, that doesn’t mean they don’t want him gone.”

  Gage sighed. This wasn’t going to go down easily or end well. He could sense that, and wondered if the others could, too. Sure, he’d be happy to use Gracie and Emma to get rid of Riley, and then he’d be just as happy to send them packing, too. Good riddance.

  Allison turned to Jess and knelt down inches in front of her. “If they’re such saints, Jess, then where the hell are their cute little girl angel wings?”

  Jess tensed. “I never said they were angels. Never. But you’re the expert on demons. Am I right?”

  Allison didn’t answer.

  Jess pushed away from Gage and got to her feet. Damn. This was going to wind up in a fight.

  “Jess—” he said, reaching for her.

  She shoved his hand away and stood over Allison. “You said Gracie and Emma weren’t demons. Is that still true?”

  Allison stared up at Jess in that emotionless, freaky way of hers.

  “ARE THEY DEMONS?” Jess demanded.

  “No,” Allison admitted.

  “Okay, then,” Jess said, taking a few steps away, her arms folded across her chest. “Look, I’m not saying I’m turning into their big sister. I’m just saying that if we are over our heads here, and since the girls aren’t demons, we see if we can use them against Riley before we put them to rest. Why don’t we just give it a try?”<
br />
  Allison rolled her eyes.

  Jess sighed and threw her hands into the air in exasperation. “Why would they help Riley, Allison? Why would they want to help the person who killed them and then ate part of them?”

  “But then why show you that, Jess?” Bryan asked. “I mean, what’s the point? Why not just tell you?”

  Jess sighed. “Because ghosts don’t operate the way you and I do.”

  Gage thought the twin dead girls were just creepy, no matter what their intentions. Hell, for that matter, all dead things were creepy—especially when they came back.

  Allison finally got to her feet. Gage watched carefully, but it didn’t seem like Allison was in a catfight mood.

  “Okay,” Allison said, her voice soft and calm. “We’ll see if they can help us against Riley. But then we get rid of them, too.”

  Jess nodded. “Fair enough.”

  “But it’ll have to be in the daylight,” Gage said. “No wandering around in the woods at night.”

  Allison’s gaze returned to the house. “I wish there was another way to get out of here. Let Siler House and everything in it be someone else’s problem.”

  “That is the problem, though, isn’t it?” Jess said. “The house isn’t going to let us leave.”

  “No,” Bryan admitted. “I tried. The day after that whole knife thing. I got as far as the gates, and…I dunno. It was weird. It was like I had this…panic attack or something.”

  “You tried to leave?” Jess asked.

  Gage shrugged. “Can’t blame him, really.”

  Allison nodded. “We’re bound here. Bound to each other until we break whatever’s holding us.”

  Jess relaxed as if all the wind, all the fight had gone out of her. “Sounds like we need to just do this thing with Riley and the girls. Get it over with. The sooner, the better.”

  Allison let out a nervous laugh. “You know the house is going to be so pissed, right? It’s going to be so freaking pissed.”

  “Yeah, I think so, too,” Jess agreed.

  Gage dusted himself off. “Well, good to see you two are BFFs again.”

  “So, what’s the first step, Gage?” Bryan asked, motioning toward the house. “Because if the ghosts are taking control of Jess, Riley isn’t too far from freeing himself from wherever he is, either. And since Jess is the most susceptible to ghosts, he’ll be coming after her first.”