Ghost Trapped

by B L Maxwell

  “Jimbo? What’s happening?”

  “Jason, whatever’s down here is trying to use you to get to Wade. If it gets to Wade, we’re fucked. You have to push it out of your consciousness. Don’t stop fighting, you have to make it clear you’re not going to let it take you over.”

  I closed my eyes and focused. “You won’t be able to get rid of me so easily, I’ve got all the time in the world to get exactly what I want, and there’s nothing you can do about it,” a strange voice in my head said.

  “That’s where you’re wrong.” I reached into my pocket and took out what Janis had said would protect me: black tourmaline. I felt the smooth stone and clenched it in my fist as I removed it from my pocket. Instantly there was a shift, and the pulse of a shockwave hit me.

  “Jason? Are you okay?” Wade asked, kneeling next to me and holding my hand. I blinked my eyes to focus, and there he was, just like he always had been. Looking out for me.

  “I’m okay, I did what Janis said to do. She was right; the black tourmaline knocked it out of me. Now we need to figure out where it’s hiding and make it fucking leave for good.” Wade gripped my hand tighter and pulled me to standing. Jimbo was standing close and looked ready to pounce. “It’s okay, Jimbo, it’s me. Nice right hook, by the way,” I said, and stretched my jaw.

  “Sorry, man, I needed to keep you focused.”

  “Yeah, well, good job, I guess.”

  “Jason, we’re not done yet,” Wade said as he looked toward the corner where we’d set up the trap.

  “It still wants you. It’s exactly what Emma said, it wants to take over your body and your life to return to the world of the living. It kept me blocked while it was in me, I couldn’t hear its thoughts or what it has planned, but I know it’s not good.”

  “You’ll need to draw the spirits that are near and use their combined powers to trap him in the salt circle, that’s the only chance you have of defeating him,” a female voice said from somewhere near Wade. He looked to his left and nodded.

  “Emma said—”

  “I heard,” I said before Wade could finish.

  “Me too, but I don’t like it. I’ll try to control it, but believe me, we don’t want every spirit in this area rushing in here. They’d all overpower us, and we’d never be able to make them leave,” Jimbo whispered, and looked over to Dean, who now stood inside the spirit circle. “It’s okay, you can come out now. Just stick close.”

  Dean nodded and stepped next to Jimbo. “Are you okay?” he asked, while brushing his fingers over Jimbo’s head. Jimbo ducked his head and nodded.

  “I’m fine, I’ll be better once all this shit is done. Janis gave me what she said we needed. It’s in your backpack, Jason. I didn’t want to hide it, but I wasn’t sure what your reaction would be. This isn’t the type of spirit we’ve seen before. It’s mutated into a force of evil, and we’ll need to remove it permanently.” He kept his voice down while he talked, and looked around the space, looking for who knew what. “I know that you brought some other forms of protection too, we’ll need it all for this to work. And, Wade, we’ll need your friend, she may not like it, but she’ll have to be bait for the entity.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us all this shit before?” I asked, annoyed that we’d been led into a dangerous situation.

  “Because I didn’t understand it all until now. You know how cryptic Janis can be. I didn’t understand what she meant, but I took the steps she suggested.”

  “Me too, she gave me a list of a few things she said would be helpful, they’re in the bag too,” Wade said.

  “Am I the only one who didn’t have a list of items to bring?” I asked, feeling left out.

  “There were things she didn’t understand, she told Wade and I what information she could decipher. Maybe she thought it was safer that none of us knew everything, I’m not sure. Now, we should get ready for what happens next, because it’s gonna be a shitshow.” I nodded, and Wade took my hand.

  “I’ll explain more later, but right now we need to get ready. Jimbo, you get the box,” Wade said.

  “What box? What’s going on? When did you two become the experts?” I had to be in an alternate universe, because Wade was no paranormal expert, and Jimbo shied away from it.

  “Everyone gather around, I’ll explain it all,” Wade said. Once we were all in a close circle, he started in a low tone, obviously not wanting anything outside our circle to hear. “We need to trap the spirit in a crystal, for that we’ll put the crystal and the box in the trap. It’ll need to choose to cross over or to stay. If it won’t cross over, we’ll seal the crystal in the box and bury it down here where no one will ever find it.”

  “What is it, Wade? How can one spirit cause so much trouble, and why is it targeting us?” I asked.

  “It’s a spirit, he died here long ago. He’s angry because he thinks everyone he cared about left him to die alone and afraid,” Wade said. “He’s targeting us because he’s drawn to Emma, and she’s drawn to us. He was always aware of her, but he didn’t know where she was, and when she followed us back from The Vineyard House, he felt her. When she followed along with us, when we came to the restaurant, he felt her, and he trapped her along with the other spirits he keeps here under his control.”

  “So that’s why he wanted Jimbo here, he really thought he could force Jimbo to bring more spirits to him?” I asked, trying to get it all straight.

  “He nearly succeeded, some answered his call, but Emma was able to hold them back. To make them pause just long enough for Jimbo to knock the crap out of the spirit, and you.” He put his hand to my jaw and leaned in for a gentle kiss. “I’m so sorry you were hurt.”

  Jimbo rolled his eyes and shifted on his feet. “Can we get this show on the road? I’m ready to be done already.”

  Dean looked on with a fond smile.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Wade

  I quietly explained what would need to happen. I’m still not sure how I knew, but I did, and lucky enough, Jason and Jimbo trusted me. I walked to the backpack and took out the box I’d prepared earlier. It was a plain wooden box I’d filled with a few items guaranteed to weaken a spirit and keep it trapped. I also brought some sealing wax, and a large, clear quartz crystal.

  “Jimbo, you know what to do, put the box and the crystal in the trap. Jason, you stay close, and, Jimbo, get ready to use your ability. Dean, you might want to stand behind Jimbo.” He moved behind him, and Jimbo reached back and took his hand.

  “Everyone ready?” I asked, and everyone nodded. “Emma, are you ready?” I whispered into the dark. There was a brush of wind across my face, and I knew she was there.

  “Jimbo, you’re on,” I said, and watched as Jimbo took the stone he’d retrieved from the circle, out of his pocket, and handed it to Dean.

  “Hold on to this for me,” he said, with a quick kiss to his cheek. We all turned to face the darkness that lay beyond the basement walls, and Jimbo bowed his head as though in prayer. When he looked up, his eyes held an intensity I’d never seen in him before, and almost seemed to glow. In one quick motion, he thrust his head back and his chest out, and almost instantly we were surrounded by spirits. They rushed in, crawling through the opening from the outer area, flying around us in a flurry of motion and sound. Mouths agape, and eyes staring at all of us.

  “Can you see this?” I whispered to Jason, who looked around the room but didn’t seem to see anything.

  “No, I don’t see anything, but I can feel them. There’s a lot of them, a lot,” he whispered back.

  I kept the same low tone. “They’re all around us, hiding us from him. Emma’s here, she’s by the trap. Be careful, Emma,” I said softly. She nodded back to me and turned to face the darkness. For a moment nothing happened, then there was a rumbling under our feet. It was as though a force we couldn’t see but could feel was pressing in on us; it would press in, seeming to test its limits, before pulling back slightly. Suddenly it filled the room, and the spir
its surrounding us started to scream as they were sucked out of existence. I grabbed Jason’s hand and held it tight, hoping we had enough time to trap the entity.

  Emma blinked into my vision, right in front of the salt line that defined the trap. All motion stopped, and the mass of power seemed to pause and wait. “Brother, you’ve waited long enough, come with me and we’ll cross over together,” she said as she held her arms out in welcome. The rumbling became louder as the mass now took on an inky look, swirling shapes moving through it, and screams filled the area. Then a face was visible, formed in the blackness. The face of a boy. He looked to be a teen, but his features were not defined enough to be sure.

  “What do you want, sister? I’ve waited for you forever, but none of you ever came back for me,” he shouted, and the beams holding up the building shook and creaked, dust and debris sprinkled down around us.

  “We did not leave you here to die, we left you here when you were sick, too sick to travel. You would have died on the journey to our new home in Coloma.”

  “But you never returned. I waited, and then the water came.” His voice held sadness, but also accusation. “I was washed away, do you know that? My body was carried away in the flood, and ended up in an old mineshaft, where no one would ever find it.”

  “I’m sorry, Jeremiah, I missed you, we all missed you. And we did look for you. I, too, became ill, not long after you, with cholera, and was buried at our new home. Mother and Father didn’t forget you, we were going to come back and get you, when I became sick and was unable to travel. Mother was going to stay with me, and Father would travel back to Sacramento to finally bring you home. But the rains came, and it was so heavy and drenching, Father was unable to pass where the rivers had washed out the roads. He returned home, hoping the weather would clear and he could make the trip at a later date, but I was nearly gone when he returned. He stayed, not wanting Mother to suffer losing another child, alone. When he could finally return, the great flood was upon them, and the Sacramento Valley became an inland sea for many months. They did not want to leave you, it was just beyond their means to get to you.”

  The black swirling mass stuttered and seemed to lose some of its integrity. But still he did not give up. “None of that matters anymore, soon I’ll have enough power you won’t be able to stop me.” His voice boomed out, as the inky form moved closer to Emma. None of us moved, too afraid he’d see us here among the spirits he was trying to absorb, and worried the plan would fail. Emma looked scared, she raised her arm up as if to protect herself from him, but he remained where he was, not moving closer, and not retreating. Suddenly he seemed to rear back, like a great snake preparing to strike and absorb Emma, but she was too fast for him. Just as he rushed forward to absorb her energy, she disappeared out of sight, and he ended up in the trap.

  Through the clear walls it was easy to see him, he swirled around the area, looking for any way out. When he realized there wasn’t an exit, he roared out his frustration. The spirits that stood around us all glided forward to look at his form, now safely locked away in the trap of our making. “Emma, are you sure you want to trap him forever? Maybe he’d choose to cross over instead?” I asked, knowing she’d hear me even though I couldn’t see her.

  “He has chosen, he’s too filled with hate and rage to remember the love he once enjoyed. The power he’s collected has made him mad, there will be no reasoning with him. This is the only way,” she said, sounding sad and defeated. “Use the clear quartz crystal, Wade, you know what to do.”

  “Jimbo, you ready for this?” I asked. He nodded, and we all stepped over to where the spirits still stood, watching the entity that had threatened to imprison them here for eternity for his own gain. Jimbo once again bowed his head, and held his hand out for Dean, who took it immediately. Suddenly the area was filled with a bright light that seemed to somehow emit from Jimbo. At the same time, the crystal in the trap glowed with the same light, and the light seemed to draw the entity into it. With a loud whoosh, he disappeared. For a moment the crystal swirled with the inky black chaos that had filled the trap only a moment before. The light slowly faded, and all that remained was the crystal and the open box. Jason rushed into the trap and placed the crystal inside the box.

  “Can you give me the sealing wax?” he asked, while holding the box closed. I rushed to the backpack and returned with the stick of wax. He heated it over the candle and dripped a large amount of wax on all the edges, sealing Jeremiah’s spirit inside. I looked around, and slowly, one by one, the other spirits started to fade, until just the four of us remained.

  “Emma?” I said into the dark of the basement.

  “I’m here, Wade, I’ll always be here. You and I are connected. I will forevermore be your guide to the spirit world. I do this as atonement for the horrible acts my brother has performed while lost in his madness. Thank you, Wade, thank you all. If you need me, you need only say my name.”

  “Thank you, thank you for everything,” I whispered to her.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Jason

  “Wade, do you think we’re safe enough to close the trap now?” I asked, not sure if the process was complete.

  “We’re safe, let’s find something to dig a hole with,” he said, and started looking around the basement for something we could use.

  “There’s a few tools in the space by the door, maybe there’s something there you could use,” Dean said. I handed the box to Wade, walked over, and found a broom handle that I hoped would help to break up the soil, and a big serving spoon that was stored with pots and pans and other kitchen items. The four of us walked out into the tunnels and chose a place close to the mineshaft. I dug a hole large enough to hold the box, and Wade set it down in the dirt and started to cover it.

  “Wait, one more thing, just in case,” Jimbo said as he tossed a pink stone on top of the box before it was completely covered. “Rose quartz, it’ll repel all negative energy and promote infinite peace and joy.” We must have all given him the same shocked look, because he rolled his eyes and explained with a shrug, “Janis’s words, not mine.” All of us walked back to the basement area and started to gather up our equipment.

  “Wait, is it gone?” Dean asked.

  “Yes, there are no other spirits here, they all left when they didn’t have Jeremiah tethering them to this spot. While Jimbo has the ability to draw spirits, he cannot force them to stay. Jeremiah was the one holding them all here until he could use their power,” Wade explained. “Jason, can you sense any spirits still here?”

  I opened myself up to them, tried to be open to feeling them, but there was nothing. They were all gone now. “I don’t sense any at all, looks like your place is clean now, Dean. Our job here is done.” I smiled at Dean, but a disappointed expression crossed his features. “Is something wrong? Did we do something you didn’t want?” I was worried that we’d upset him somehow.

  “No, not that. I’m just disappointed you guys won’t be around here anymore,” he said, and looked around the basement.

  “You know I’m still going to be bothering you regularly, don’t you?” Jimbo said as he stepped in close to him. “I won’t let you get away so easily this time.” He leaned in and kissed him with a loud smack, and Wade and I both stood there in shock. Everything about Jimbo was so different when he was around Dean, and all of it was good. He deserved to find his happiness, both of them did.

  “Hey, Jimbo, when we get upstairs, let’s check your injuries just to be sure nothing more serious happened. We should have done it sooner, but, well, things were a little crazy earlier,” I said, jumping back into Boy Scout mode.

  “I’m okay, man, let’s get this all packed up and get upstairs. I’ve had enough excitement for one day,” Jimbo said, as he and Dean moved toward the basement door and walked up the stairs together.

  I started to follow but Wade stopped me. “I need to tell you something . . .”

  Worried, I stepped closer to him, and after adjusting my ba
ckpack on my shoulder, I pulled him into my arms. “What is it? You’re not hurt, are you?” I felt his back with the arm I had around him.

  “No, I’m fine, but something happened after Jeremiah was trapped. Emma talked to me.”

  “What did she say?” My curiosity was piqued.

  “She said that we’re connected now, and if I ever need help, to call out to her and she’ll be there. That she’s my spirit guide, and she’ll always answer my call.” He looked at me, searching for some sign, but not seeming all that sure of himself. I rolled my eyes and pulled him to my chest.

  “You always get all the good ghost experiences,” I said, and leaned in for a kiss. “I love you, Wade, and I’m so fucking thankful no one was hurt, and you’re willing to share my paranormal obsession with me. And it’s pretty damn cool that you have a spirit guide of your very own.”

  “Yeah? I wasn’t sure how you’d feel. I know it’s always been you that’s been attracted to the other side.”

  “Mostly, I’m just attracted to you, but I do love that we can share our adventures together. Come on, before Jimbo comes looking for us.”

  He laughed at that, and together we climbed the stairs, back to the world of the living.

  Epilogue

  Wade

  It had been two weeks since we’d finished the job at The Hitching Post. Once again, news of our adventures had traveled fast through the businesses of Old Sacramento. Turns out there were a lot of businesses having spirit problems down there. We’d already gone to two other jobs, one at a costume shop that also had a spirit in the basement. It was more mischievous than harmful, and at the request of the business, we left it where it was. The other was at one of the bars, and we’d need to come back and spend more time there to find out what it really was, and what it wanted.