The Haunting Season

by Michelle Muto

  “Look,” Jess whispered to Gage. She didn’t want to alarm Allison, who seemed to be dozing. Mrs. Hirsch was pressed up against the gate, her face puffy and greenish, indicating bacteria had set in. Even from this distance Jess smelled her decay. She couldn’t think of anything worse than being trapped inside a rotting corpse.

  Except maybe sitting here, waiting for Riley to find a way to open the gates and kill them.

  Gage was watching Mrs. Hirsch, too. “I don’t know why it didn’t work the same on her as Ben’s dog and the animals. Maybe because I wasn’t standing in front of her when I called her back. Who knows? All I do know is I’m done. I’m never bringing anything back again.”

  Jess nodded. “I wish things were that easy for me. I wish I had a choice—to never see ghosts again.”

  “She’s able to touch the gates,” Bryan said quietly. “Mrs. Hirsch.”

  “Because she’s not a demon or a ghost,” Allison explained.

  “Riley’s gone!” Bryan said. “Where did he go?”

  “No idea,” Gage replied. “Maybe it’s a trick.”

  “Think we can get to the front gates before he shows back up?” Bryan asked.

  Gage sighed heavily. “Even if we could, they won’t open until Riley’s gone. The house is tied to him.”

  Jess was listening to the guys talking, but her attention was also on Mrs. Hirsch.

  Mrs. Hirsch lifted the pendant hanging from around her neck. With a quick yank, she broke the chain, and held the pendant out to Jess. She stood, ignoring Gage’s quiet warning to be careful.

  “It’s iron,” Jess whispered. “The pendant. It’s made of iron.”

  “Jess!” Allison protested as Jess walked closer. “Stay away from her!”

  Jess ignored her. If Mrs. Hirsch was offering her the pendant, she didn’t mean her any harm.

  She hoped.

  Mrs. Hirsch’s cloudy eyes narrowed on Jess. “Take it!”

  Jess jumped at the gravelly, hoarse command, but she slowly reached for the pendant. Mrs. Hirsch grabbed her with her other hand and tugged Jess to the fence, inches from her face. Jess wanted to cry out, but the scream remained trapped in her throat. Mrs. Hirsch’s flesh was cool to the touch, like Grams’ hands at the wake. Her eyes remained focused on Jess.

  Gage and Bryan jumped to their feet and pulled at Mrs. Hirsch’s hands, trying to get her to release Jess. She ignored them and only held on tighter, making Jess cry out in pain.

  “Wear it. Then be careful what you let in.” Mrs. Hirsch’s breath was the foulest thing Jess had ever smelled.

  With that, she let go. Jess staggered backward, rubbing the red marks on her wrist. Mrs. Hirsch tottered back a couple steps. Jess glanced down at the pendant. It was iron all right, with a raised Celtic cross.

  Be careful what you let in, Jess.

  Her eyes met Mrs. Hirsch’s once more. She’d never told anyone what Grams used to say. Not Allison, not Gage, not even Brandt. And certainly never Mrs. Hirsch.

  Gage examined her wrist.

  Mrs. Hirsch narrowed her eyes. “Fix it.”

  “Maybe we should make a run for it,” Allison suggested.

  “What if it’s a trick? Riley didn’t just up and leave. And now. We’ve got Mrs. Hirsch to worry about,” Gage replied.

  “We’ll take our chances,” Bryan said.

  Gage rubbed his forehead. “You know I hate to ask this. Can you do it? Can you get rid of Mrs. Hirsch and Riley? And live to tell the tale?”

  Bryan’s face fell. Jess didn’t think it was possible for him to look any worse. The nosebleed had slowed overnight but a small trickle remained and Bryan wiped it away with a rust-stained hand. “No. Sorry. I might be able to do it once more. But beyond that?”

  “Then we’ve got to take care of Mrs. Hirsch first. Somehow.” Jess understood the gravity of what she was saying. There was no need to clarify who Bryan needed to save his strength for.

  “You mean kill her?” Bryan asked.

  “She’s already dead,” Gage said. “You said so yourself—bringing someone back from the dead means they’re just zombies. Besides, look at her, Bryan.”

  Jess took another look, as well. Mrs. Hirsch had been dead long enough that she’d already bloated the way corpses did as they started to decompose.

  Allison had been too quiet. She was on her knees, her head against the sidebars of the gravesite, her right arm extended through the fence into the dirt on the other side. What was she doing? Once she finished, Allison joined them.

  “One? You can only send away one?” Allison asked. Her face had taken on a determination that Jess hadn’t seen before. “Think about it, Bryan,” Allison went on. “If Mrs. Hirsch was willing, are you positive you could send her to wherever it is you send things?”

  “I guess so.”

  “No!” Allison snapped. “Are you sure. We need to know, Bryan.”

  “Why is it so important?” Jess asked.

  Bryan seemed to think about it for a second. “Yeah,” he finally said.

  Allison bit at her bottom lip and tears threatened her eyes. “Where do they go, Bryan?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. But Riley won’t stay gone for long. He’s a demon. Not a person.”

  Allison brushed her hair from her face. “Okay, then. When I tell you to do it, you do it. Okay, Bryan? No matter what.”

  His forehead scrunched in concern. “Sure, okay.”

  “Can I borrow this?” Allison asked, tapping the pendant in Jess’s hand. “I promise you can have it back.”

  Jess reluctantly handed her the pendant. Allison gave her a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Her sad gaze fell on all of them, one by one, and finally back to Jess. “It’s for the best.”

  Then Allison opened the gate and stepped outside.

  “Allison!” Jess screamed. “No! Come back!”

  Allison smiled faintly. “Then tell them I did it, Jess. Tell them I killed Dr. Brandt and Mrs. Hirsch. Tell them the demons came for me. It won’t be a lie.”

  She walked over to where she’d been playing with the dirt. Mrs. Hirsch barely glanced her way, her focus still on Bryan and Gage—the person who’d put her in this position, and the one who could remedy it. Clearly, Allison didn’t think Mrs. Hirsch was a threat. She’d said they couldn’t trust Mrs. Hirsch, and yet Allison had walked out of the gates and passed right by her without hesitation.

  What is she doing?

  Jess ran to the side of the gate. In the dirt, Allison had written the letters of the alphabet. Above, on opposite sides, she’d written the word Yes and the word No. Beneath it all, Good-Bye.

  “It’ll work,” Allison said as she knelt onto the ground. She held onto the chain and dangled the pendant above the makeshift Ouija board.

  “No!” Jess said. “Allison! Get back in here!”

  “Are you here?” Allison asked, opening the session. The pendant swung to the word Yes.

  She mumbled something else too faint for Jess to hear. Riley appeared out of nowhere, standing right behind Allison.

  “Allison, hold onto the pendent!” Jess said. “For the love of God, hold onto the pendant!”

  Allison stood slowly. She leaned against the fence. “Me, Bryan. Send me.”

  Nothing could have prepared Jess for what Allison was doing—offering herself up for possession. The thing she feared most.

  “What?” Bryan said. “No! Allison! Get back in here!”

  “Do it!” Allison hissed. “Then run. I don’t know how much time you’ll have. I’ll hold onto him for as long as I can.”

  “No!” Jess screamed as Allison turned and dropped the pendant into the dirt and raised her arms in welcome. “Come to me, Eurynome! Come to me, the demon we call Riley. I welcome you.”

  She looked at Jess once more, her eyes filled with terror.

  “Run away, Allison! Hide. To your tower. Don’t look,” Jess called out.

  The demon swept down on Allison and wrapped his arms around her. She open
ed her mouth to scream and the demon covered it with his, dissolving into black smoke and insects. Allison remained in pose, rigid and mouth still open in a scream as the demon entered her.

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  Bryan’s face contorted as he stretched a hand toward Allison. Eyes closed, his head had dropped against his chest, blood flowing freely from his nose over his mouth. Gage could see he was giving it everything he had.

  He wondered if Bryan’s all would be enough. If Bryan failed, Riley would use Allison’s body to open the gate.

  You can do it, Bryan. You can.

  You’ve got to.

  Jess was squeezing his hand tightly.

  Grimacing, Bryan cried out and fell to his knees, still working his mojo on Allison.

  Allison faced them now, teeth bared. She walked toward the gate. Gage picked up one of the shovels. “Grab the other one, Jess!”

  “What?” she cried. “Gage, I can’t. I can’t. It’s Allison. She’s in there.”

  Gage moved forward. “Well, she’s going to be in here if we don’t stop her. And just a reminder—she’s got company.”

  Gage cursed under his breath.

  The air began to crackle with electricity. Allison was almost at the gate. God help him, he was about to hit Allison with the shovel if she took a step closer.

  Yellow light burst from Allison’s abdomen and a roaring sound like a thunderclap echoed around them. Gage stumbled back and shielded his eyes from the light. When the cracking and popping subsided, Gage opened his eyes. Behind him, Jess was sobbing.

  And Allison was gone.

  He dropped the shovel. Jess was holding Bryan, who lay on the ground. He was conscious, but not in great shape. Blood soaked his shirt. How much had he bled, anyway? He’d never seen anyone who’d bled as much.

  Bryan grinned up at him, weakly. “Just like the spider, Dude. Chicks dig it.”

  Jess laughed through her tears and kissed Bryan’s forehead. “You did it, Bryan. Oh my God, you did it.”

  But they weren’t in the clear. Not yet. They still had to get out of here and off the property. With Bryan’s condition and Mrs. Hirsch still hanging around, it wasn’t going to be easy.

  And the girls would be back. He had no doubt about that. In the meantime, Bryan could bleed to death.

  “Come on. We’ve got to get out of here,” Gage said, bending down to help Bryan to his feet.

  “Is he going to be all right?” Jess’s face looked as tired and worn as his. She reached through the gate, keeping an eye on Mrs. Hirsch as she retrieved the iron pendant Allison had dropped.

  “Yeah, I think so. We just need to get him out of here.”

  Jess looked to the spot Allison had last stood, tears pooling in her eyes.

  “She’s okay,” he told her. He hoped that wasn’t a lie.

  Bryan managed to stand but it wasn’t what Gage would call graceful. “We don’t have a lot of time. Like the girls, Riley’s absence is temporary.”

  Except for Allison. Gage doubted Nowhereville was temporary for Allison. Wherever Bryan had sent her, he knew she wouldn’t be back. He only hoped she’d found a place where there were no demons. Not even her own.

  The tears on Jess’s cheek told him she felt the same. Allison and Jess had been at odds with each other now and then, but Jess was taking it harder than he’d expected. Even when confronted with the shadowed figure blocking Riley the way it had, and then Mrs. Hirsch possibly being the world’s most helpful zombie, Allison still saw demons.

  And Jess still saw angels.

  Which is probably why he cared for her.

  “Riley won’t stay inside her,” he said, hoping it’d be some comfort.

  Jess could only nod as fresh tears spilled onto her cheeks.

  Mrs. Hirsch stared at them from the other side of the fence. However useful she’d been, odds were good that at Siler House, she wouldn’t stay that way much longer. They couldn’t get Bryan out of here without getting rid of Mrs. Hirsch first. If nothing else, she’d force them to end her form of existence, too. One way or the other.

  “Keep Bryan steady,” Gage said to Jess. She threw one of Bryan’s big arms around her.

  Limping, Gage picked up one of the shovels, earning him a frown from both Jess and Bryan, who swayed on his feet. Gage returned to them, using the shovel for a cane as Bryan wrapped his other arm around Gage’s neck.

  “We’re going to need the shovel,” Gage explained.

  “What for?” Bryan asked.

  “Mrs. Hirsch,” Gage replied quietly. “I don’t know how far we’re going to get once we open the gate, but we can’t take any chances. And like Jess said, we can’t leave her like that.”

  Mrs. Hirsch didn’t respond to their movement. She stared blankly as they made their way to the gate. Jess released the latch and pushed the gate open. The housekeeper continued watching, but made no moves.

  “You’re going to have to keep him upright.” Gage eyed Mrs. Hirsch. “I’ll take care of it.”

  “Okay.” Jess accepted more of Bryan’s weight. “Just help me through the gates first.”

  She’s not going to be able to keep him on his feet, Gage thought as he helped her guide Bryan through the gates.

  Mrs. Hirsch continued to stare after them. He wasn’t sure whether her intelligence was now equal to a bag of hammers, or whether she was just waiting for the right time.

  Five feet outside the gate. Ten. He glanced back. Mrs. Hirsch was beginning to follow them.

  Fifteen. Twenty. Thirty feet. She was closer now, beginning to pick up the pace.

  “Keep him upright,” Gage reminded Jess. “Can you do that on your own for a few minutes?”

  “No,” Jess replied. “Gage, I can’t.”

  “You have to, Jess. She’s coming for us.”

  “Leave me,” Bryan said weakly.

  Gage shook his head. “Not a chance, Bro.”

  This was impossible. Even if they got Bryan to the road, what then? They didn’t have a phone. Sure, the estate was off a fairly decent-sized road, but that didn’t mean anyone would stop. But he wasn’t leaving Bryan behind.

  “Hold onto Bryan,” Jess said. “I’ll take care of it.”

  “Jess—” Gage protested.

  “Just do it!” she snapped.

  Bryan shifted his weight to Gage and he winced at the extra pressure on his injured ankle.

  “Give me the shovel,” Jess said. Tears flowed down her cheeks, but her voice remained strong. Determined. “I’m not big enough to support Bryan. You’re the only one who can help him, even with your ankle. Like you said, it’ll only take a second.”

  Gage looked at her, then Mrs. Hirsch, who was less than ten feet away now. “You sure?”

  Her bottom lip quivered. “To the head, right?”

  He nodded and handed her the shovel. “Hard as you can.”

  He wanted to tell her she had courage, but the words seemed lost in the situation. Jess was doing this because it was a logical decision. And because she didn’t want to see Mrs. Hirsch like she was any longer.

  Come on, you can do it, Jess. I know you can.

  He hated that she’d have to be the one to set this right. Fixing it, as Mrs. Hirsch had called it, should have been his cross to bear since he had brought her back. Jess shouldn’t have to go through this.

  Shovel in hand, Jess met Mrs. Hirsch halfway. The housekeeper stopped and waited. Jess paused for only a second, then drew herself up and cried out as she swung the shovel hard, making a direct hit to Mrs. Hirsch’s left temple.

  Thwaaap!

  Jess stepped backward, holding the shovel like a bat, sobbing freely now but ready to swing again if necessary. Mrs. Hirsch wobbled on her feet a second before falling to the ground.

  “Fix it! Fix it!” Mrs. Hirsch’s arms flailed at her sides.

  Gage was ready to ease Bryan to the ground and take care of the situation when Jess raised the shovel high and brought it down hard into Mrs. Hirsch’s forehead. Jess let
go of the shovel and backed away. The shovel remained upright, protruding from the housekeeper’s head. She lay still in the grass. Jess stared at Mrs. Hirsch, then wiping the back of her hand against her mouth, Jess began to sob.

  “I’m so sorry, baby.” Anything else Gage might have wanted to say was lost on him. Jess returned to him and Bryan, choking back more tears. What could they say? Any of them?

  Without another word, they made their way to the front gate, and from there, to the road.

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  Fourteen months later…

  Jess held flowers as she and Gage walked through Highland Cemetery outside Asheville. The weather had turned unusually cool for late October. The flowers she’d brought probably wouldn’t last long.

  But they’d last long enough.

  “Have you heard from Bryan?” she asked. Once in a while, Bryan would call her, but mostly, he kept in touch with Gage. He’d vowed to visit them over Christmas break, but they both knew he wouldn’t. They’d most likely never see him again. He only kept in touch to make sure life was still normal. To make sure it was truly over and that nothing had followed them out of Siler House.

  Bryan thought they might be pushing their luck for all three of them to be in the same place at the same time. There was no sound evidence to prove his theory, but he wasn’t taking chances.

  Jess understood. Some days, she felt something was there—waiting. She knew Gage often felt the same, even though all of them now wore iron pendants. Gage wore his on a strap of dark leather and Jess wore hers on a chain of sterling silver. So far, her dorm roommate hadn’t questioned Jess’s only choice of jewelry. But she had noticed Jess’s weird habit of covering up the mirror in their room before going to bed at night.

  “Bryan called last weekend,” Gage replied. “His mom is getting remarried.”

  She smiled. “That’s good. I’m glad he’s doing okay. He could use a little normal in his life.”

  “I checked on the house this morning.” Gage didn’t need to tell her which house. “It’s been reopened as a bed and breakfast.”