Ghost Trapped

by B L Maxwell

  We all loaded into the car and headed back to Old Sacramento. The directions said to meet at the railroad museum, so after finding a parking space, we walked over and joined the small group already gathered. It was a warm day, not uncomfortable, but I thought for a moment about how things would be cooler once we were underground. I stepped closer to Jason and brushed his fingers with my own. He turned to me and smiled before taking my hand and weaving our fingers together.

  A man dressed in period clothing, including a top hat and a waistcoat, walked over to the group and introduced himself as the tour guide. “This is so exciting,” Mom said as we all followed him to the first stop on our tour. The tour guide explained how many times this area had flooded and then been rebuilt. How it started as a tent city, and finally was built with more permanent structures, but those had been nearly destroyed when there was a flood that changed the landscape, leaving a huge lake in its place for several months. It had rained for forty-three days straight, and left the valley flooded, from Redding to Bakersfield. It was unknown exactly how many had died, but it was in the tens of thousands, according to the guide.

  We made our way into the first area that would take us underground; this was one of the buildings that had been lifted in hopes of saving the city if another flood were to happen. We stepped in, and the smell of dank earth and rot seemed to permeate the place. I was hit with the feeling of being trapped, and felt a bead of sweat roll down my back.

  Jason squeezed my hand and looked at me with concern. “Are you okay?” he whispered to me.

  “I’m okay, just a weird feeling is all.”

  “If you get uncomfortable and want to leave, let me know. We don’t have to do this,” Jason said.

  “Are you boys okay?” Mom asked as she leaned in close to us both, and Jimbo looked between us with a serious look.

  “You need to learn how to block them,” he said.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked.

  “You know what I’m talking about. If I didn’t close off myself to them, they’d all be here, and you’d really be miserable. You’re feeling a small part of what’s really here. I felt it at the restaurant, but not like this.” Jimbo leaned in close as he said this, not wanting to alarm the other people on the tour.

  To say I was alarmed would have been an understatement. My nerves were stretched tight, and every little movement or noise made me want to flinch. I squeezed Jason’s hand, relieved he was so close and I could touch him without worrying what his reaction would be.

  “If you want to leave, we can leave,” Jason said again, looking into my eyes with that same intensity I was used to seeing from him when he was talking about his latest paranormal mystery.

  “I’m okay, but I think Jimbo’s right, I need to start working on how to control what I feel when I’m in a place that has a lot of activity.”

  “Is it worse since The Vineyard House?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I used to just feel nervous, but I thought it was just that. Me being nervous. But this is more intense. I feel like I’m crawling out of my skin,” I said to Jason.

  “Everything okay over here?” the tour guide asked, drawing everyone’s attention to us.

  “Yeah, we’re fine, thanks,” Jason answered.

  “Okay then, let’s move on to the next stop, I think everyone will like it. Where this is a small area, the next one is huge. It was where many businesses once were, after the building above had been lifted. They used that newly created area for their businesses. Sadly, when it flooded again, most of them were washed away, or drowned under the building.”

  We walked out of the small area and I took a deep breath of fresh air, as we followed him down one of the small cobblestone-lined alleys, until we came to the back wall of one of the larger buildings that faced the main street. He slid open a barn-type door, revealing a space that was cavernous. The ceilings were low, and the braces and piers they’d set in place after jacking the building up were still standing. The crushing weight of the building was tangible, and obvious in the timbers that were bowed under the weight they supported. But that wasn’t the only weight I could feel.

  “Jason, it feels so heavy in here. I know you felt it in the basement at the restaurant, but this is something else.” The heaviness made me cringe away from the space, the only thought on my mind getting the fuck out of there.

  “Babe, let’s get you out of here. I’m not sure what’s happening, but you can’t stay.” We’d barely crossed into the big open space. It was sectioned off to keep the public from falling into the areas where they’d been excavating, most likely looking for hidden treasures left behind from the distant past.

  “No, I want to stay, I’ll be okay.”

  “Dude, let me talk to you for a second,” Jimbo said, and took my arm and led me over to the side, away from the rest of the group, who were spreading out and exploring the area. “You have to visualize, imagine putting a wall around your consciousness. Imagine there not being any weak areas for someone or something else to enter. You need to protect your mind, or they’ll get in and fuck with you.”

  I nodded and took a deep breath. Closing my eyes, I visualized a strong barrier around myself, a bright light surrounding me and keeping me safe. I felt Jason take my hand, but I still kept my eyes closed. I could do this.

  “I’m sorry, Wade, I didn’t know this would be so hard on you,” he whispered close to my ear. I looped my arm around him and pulled him close.

  “I didn’t either, I think it must be all the energy trapped under here. I probably left myself open to feel it, after what we experienced before . . . it’s like that experience opened something in my mind I can’t control.”

  “You’ll be okay, we’ll figure it out together.” He leaned in closer to me, and somehow, I knew he was giving me strength to keep myself safe.

  My eyes slowly opened, and he was right there with a worried look on his face. “I’m okay, let’s see what else we can learn. But stay close, it’s easier to block out the feelings when you’re closer.”

  “You’d have to drag me away,” he said, and kissed the side of my head. “Let’s catch up with the tour. Oh, and Jimbo, thanks.” Jimbo nodded to us both then walked back to where Mom waited.

  “Everything okay, guys?” she asked, weaving her arms through ours.

  “Yeah, Mom, we’re fine.” Jason looked behind her and met my eyes. I gave him a smile I didn’t feel and hoped we really were okay.

  Chapter Four

  Jason

  Something was wrong. Wade had never been affected by any of the places we’d visited before. He was great at reading people, very aware of their emotions. But he had never felt the presence of spirits.

  “How are you feeling?” I asked as we followed the rest of the group to explore the underground area.

  “I’m fine, I’m not really sure what came over me,” Wade answered.

  “You know exactly what came over you, Wade, that’s what I’m trying to tell you. Once you open up that door you can’t close it,” Jimbo said, his normally brusque manner now gone. He was clearly concerned.

  “Jimbo, you don’t know it was anything like that, maybe he just doesn’t feel well? It’s hot down here, I was expecting it to be cooler, maybe he’s dehydrated. Speaking of—do you need something to drink?” Fuck, now I was concerned.

  “Jason, I’m fine, I just felt weird for a while, but now it seems to be gone.” I knew him well enough to know he was lying, I just didn’t understand why, or what, exactly, had happened to him. I could sense there were many spirits down here—some were here because they wanted to stay, but I wasn’t sure why some seemed unable to leave. Maybe they stayed because they felt some pull to finish their existence out where they’d worked so hard for a new beginning. I had no way of knowing, but Jimbo’s sister did.

  “Jimbo, I think we need to talk to your sister. Maybe she can help Wade figure out what’s happening. And if she’d be willing, maybe she could investigate the basement of
Dean’s restaurant and see if she gets any readings while she’s down there.”

  “I can ask, but she’s not fond of putting herself into any situation she can’t control. She’s had too many experiences that didn’t end well in the past.”

  “What do you think, Wade?” I asked.

  “That sounds like a good idea, I have no idea what I feel, or why I’m feeling it. I think we need someone who’s experienced feelings and emotions like these before. I’m not even sure it wasn’t just my response to being underground.”

  “You’ve never been afraid of being underground before, how many times did we go through the drainage pipes and wander around under the streets in the storm drains? We’ve been in confined areas many times, you’ve never reacted. This was something different,” I said as I rubbed his arm, hoping to give him some comfort and support. Jimbo pulled his phone out and tapped out a text. “Can you get a signal down here?”

  “One bar, I’ll know soon enough if it went through.” His phone pinged with a message he read before tucking it away. “Janis said to come by when we’re done here. That she could feel the ripple of whatever you tapped into and we all need to meet. Fuck.” He scrubbed his face and walked back to where Wade’s mom stood listening to the tour guide.

  “Are you okay with that? I know Janis is a little much,” I asked Wade.

  “I think it’s a good idea. I’d like to understand what’s happening, usually it’s you that’s the expert in all things paranormal. Are you slacking?” Wade teased, and shoved into my side.

  “Nope, not slacking. I just have no clue what’s happening. I could feel there were spirits around us, just like I felt it in the basement at Dean’s restaurant. But this was different, and it was almost like they didn’t want me to know what they were up to, or they were trying to hide.” I didn’t want to alarm him any more than he already was, but something was definitely going on, and I hoped Jimbo was right and Janis would know what it was and how to deal with it.

  She’d warned us about this, said we needed to learn how to protect ourselves, and we hadn’t listened. I was so anxious to take this job and finally start a business as paranormal researchers that I’d put Wade in danger, when Janis had known, and tried to warn us.

  “I know what you’re thinking, but I won’t let you blame yourself. I was there when she said we needed protection, and neither of us made the effort to contact her and get some training. This is on us all. Jimbo included,” Wade said.

  I knew he was right, but it didn’t make it any easier to accept that I’d put him in danger over something we’d known in advance.

  He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close, resting his forehead against my own. “We’ll figure it out,” he whispered.

  There was a breathy sigh to my right, and I pulled away from Wade to find his mom and Jimbo right next to us. She had a look on her face that made me picture her with little hearts popping out of her eyes, while Jimbo just looked annoyed.

  “You two are just adorable,” Mrs. Rivers said. Jimbo rolled his eyes and walked toward the exit, following the rest of the group.

  “Come on, let’s finish this and head over to Janis’s house,” Wade said, pulling me along behind him. I followed him and hoped Janis really could help us like she said she could, because there was no way in hell I was putting Wade in danger. Not for anything.

  We walked back to the museum where we’d started, and the tour guide thanked everyone. The four of us stood there for a moment while the group started to break up, wandering off to do other things or return to their cars.

  “What are you guys waiting for? Let’s go talk to Janis,” Jimbo said.

  “Oh, can I go too? I’d love to meet your sister,” Wade’s mom said as she took Jimbo’s arm.

  “You might regret that,” Wade mumbled, just loud enough for her to hear. She turned and smiled, while Jimbo shot him a dirty look, before rolling his eyes—again. We all walked back to the car, and since Janis lived close to the downtown area, it didn’t take us long to get to her house. I once again marveled at how normal her house looked, with its neatly maintained yard and bright white trim, and I wondered if her neighbors had any idea who lived next door to them, and what spirits she invited into their space.

  I waited for Wade to walk to my side of the car and took his hand as we walked up to the door. Jimbo again stayed behind us, as hesitant as he was the first time we’d been here. “Come in,” I heard Janis call from inside before any of us could announce our arrival.

  “That’s so creepy,” Wade whispered.

  “She has a camera, dumbass,” Jimbo said as he pushed past us and walked into the small house.

  “Back here, James,” she called from the backyard. We stepped through the house and out to her covered patio where she sat on a lounge, looking the picture of relaxation. Yep, we should have talked to her before now.

  “So, I guess you realized why I warned you about learning to protect yourselves?”

  “Don’t lecture them, you know they don’t have any experience in this shit,” Jimbo said, looking between the two of us.

  “Language,” Mrs. Rivers and Janis both said, before turning to face each other and laughing.

  “Hello, I’m Wade’s mom, Deidre.”

  “Lovely to meet you, Deidre, I’m Janis. I’m sure James has told you all about me,” she said with a warm smile. Both of them dissolved into laughter I didn’t even pretend to understand, before walking farther into the backyard and chatting like two old friends.

  “Do they know each other?” I asked Jimbo.

  “Fuck no, they’re just really enjoying the fact they’re annoying the hell out of me. Two of a kind,” Jimbo snapped back at me.

  “Oh god, what have we done putting them together?” Wade said, shock and horror plainly visible on his face. And with that I barked out a laugh, admittedly enjoying both of their misery.

  Chapter Five

  Wade

  I watched as Mom and Janis walked around the backyard and shared an occasional laugh, while glancing at the three of us, then laughing even more. “What the hell is happening?” I thought out loud.

  “This is why I try to avoid my family as much as humanly possible. My sister lives to give me crap. It’s not just the whole ‘we’re a family of psychics’ thing, it’s the ‘James, let me annoy you until you want to scream’ thing.” He scrubbed his hand down his face and flopped into one of the patio chairs.

  “Well, that wasn’t dramatic at all,” I said as I looked between Jason and Jimbo. “Why did we come here again?”

  “You need my help,” Janis called from across the yard. She walked closer, and when she stood right in front of me, she took both my hands in hers. “I tried to warn you—all of you, but you didn’t want to listen. I know now you weren’t ready. I’m not sure all of you are at this time, but, Wade, you are. And you’ll need to listen and heed what I tell you.”

  Jason moved closer to me and stood so close I had to drop Janis’s hand to lace my fingers with his. “Can you help him? Help us all?” I looked at his expression and realized I’d seen that look on his face before, when we were at The Vineyard House.

  “I can try, you’ll need to work on building your mental defenses or the spirits will have their way with you. Wade, you know you’re an empath, but something has changed, grown stronger. The veil has been altered, and for some reason I do not understand, there are spirits there that will try to use your gift to rip a hole into this realm.”

  “But why would they go after Wade?” Jason asked.

  “They can sense he’s been touched by the spirit world before,” Janis explained.

  “I was touched by them too, literally. I still don’t understand why they’d target Wade.”

  “Your experience made you stronger, your sense of them is more clearly defined, and you know how to deal with them now. You’ve lost any fear you had of the spirit world. Wade, you were already afraid of all the things you could not understand, and you
didn’t want to know more about that side of the veil. But in a way, the experience you had split you wide open. You can’t control the power they have over you, and they know it. They’ll do anything they can to get your attention, in the hope of taking over your body and, perhaps, never letting you take control again,” she said, her voice quiet and full of dread.

  “Wha—what can I do? I could feel them earlier. There are so many down there, all of them wanting something. I’m not sure what, but they were all very blatant in wanting me to know they were there. Even at The Vineyard House, it didn’t feel so menacing. They all want something.” I thought back to the feeling of dread I’d felt in the basement, and a cold chill ran through me at what that might mean.

  “You know what they want. You may not want to admit it, but don’t discount your gut feeling. You’re not wrong.”

  “What you said before was the truth. They want me, they want to take over my body and never give me back control. Those are the thoughts that kept running through my mind while we were down there. If they had the chance to do it, I’d never get the chance to be free again.” I blinked before turning back to face Jason, and the blood seemed to drain from his face.

  “Wade, you’re mine. I don’t give a fuck what they want. You fought for me, and now I’ll fight for you. If they think you’ll go willingly, they have no clue what a fight they’re in for,” Jason said as he cupped my jaw. I covered his hand with mine and breathed him in.

  “What do we need to do?” I asked Janis.

  “You’ll need to cleanse your spirits, both of you. Clear out anything negative that could affect you when you’re dealing with spirits or anything to do with the spiritual realm.”

  “How do we do that?” I asked.

  “I know what do to,” Jason spoke up. “Do you think smudging would be enough?”

  Janis put her finger to her lips in concentration before looking at Jason. “No, you’ll need to gather a smudge stick, a white candle, salt, and water. Choose a space that is peaceful for the two of you. Someplace in your home that makes you happy, and where you feel love. Arrange the candle to the south, the smudge stick to the east, salt to the north, and a bowl of water to the west.”