Emily held out an open hand in the middle of the table. “You drive a hard bargain, but I can do that. I still don’t have the exact directions, but I will give them to you tomorrow. The item I need can be held in the palm of your hand so the directions are going to be exact and need to be followed to a T.”
As she panned back and forth between Mike and Kyle, she noticed dazed looks on both men’s faces and wondered if she had the right people for the job. Her mind began to return to normal, until she peeked over her left shoulder.
Tucker McSeamus stood with his elbow leaning on a high chair in the middle of the bar. The large man shifted around, trying to get comfortable in his out-of-style robe and leather sandals.
Emily wondered why nobody was staring at him or if they could even see him.
Normally she’d be worried and panicked, but even after two energy drinks, her steady hand and mind were working just fine. She turned back to Mike and Kyle and started to go over more of the details.
Chapter 9
The Broken Amulet
Claude Escott
Originally published in the Pumpkin Pamphlet of 1836
THE BROKEN AMULET had been redone in several mediums over the years. From books to television shows and even full-length movies based off the original short story by Claude Escott, the overall message remained the same. That doesn’t include the countless number of speculative works based off the general theme of the Claude Escott version.
The story centered around a man whose wife had just been murdered. Hell bent on avenging the honor of his wife, the man named George Houlihan was desperate. He took to the drink, absinthe was his preference, and the townspeople deemed him as an insane muttonhead.
George continued down this dark staircase of life, first taking on an ornery attitude before becoming feral. He only thought about getting revenge for his wife. Nothing else. He sat on his porch, debating suicide to join his bride in the afterlife.
Enter a dark figure, sometimes described as a tall, ruthless human, other times compared to a red lizard-like demon with long horns. One thing remained constant. This character represented the devil.
The devil persuaded George to make a deal. He agreed to give the scorned husband the names of all the people involved in his wife’s murder. George greedily jumped at the offer, barely listening to the details.
The devil made George an immortal warlock who would carry out his demonic bidding over the years for the chance at a reunion with his wife.
The odd pair dug up the remains of George’s wife. The devil grabbed a golden, heart-shaped amulet hanging from a necklace. He held the object above his head and seven strikes of lightning broke the charm in half.
Leaving one half still connected to the necklace, the devil took the second half and dug a hole near her grave and buried the broken half of the amulet.
If George could convince someone to dig up the broken piece and he matched it with his wife’s, she would come back to life. The immortal wasn’t permitted to dig it up himself and it had to occur at night. Those were the conditions.
However, that part never happened in most of the versions that stuck to the original. The production normally ended when the two shook hands, causing a thunder strike. Once dismissed as just a scary story, the theory behind the tales was starting to build momentum.
Chapter 10
MIKE FINISHED THROWING up to start the day and stumbled into his kitchen. The strong scent of vanilla caught his attention. He looked for a bag of chocolate chip cookies until he panned to the small table with two mismatched chairs.
Alayna sat in one of the chairs with her legs crossed, wearing her purple dress. “Rise and shine. And would it kill you to clean up this dump?”
Mike tried to shake the haze away. “I guess I’m seeing shit again.”
She yawned. “You still think I’m fake? You want me to punch you again?”
Mike found the blue bag of cookies and a Mountain Dew that hadn’t even been opened yet. What a breakfast! He performed his normal routine of saturating the cookie and trying to choke it down. The carbonation of the mountain dew forced him to shoot the foamy liquid out of his nose. He spat out the chewed-up cookie as he went into a coughing fit.
Alayna let out a long cackle and almost fell out of the chair. She slowed down to catch her breath, and then started patting her knee as she lost it again.
Mike asked, “This is funny to you?”
She finally calmed down, face still red and tears streaming down her cheeks. “Hilarious actually. Therefore, I am offering you help to get away from this life.”
Mike jammed another cookie in his mouth and chewed it up. He tapped the bottom of the Mountain Dew on the counter to knock out the carbonation before taking a drink, then forced down two and a half cookies and wiped his sloppy mouth with a bare forearm.
“Still here, huh?” He set his mind to find his bag of weed.
“I know what you’re looking for.” Alayna said the sentence like it was a song lyric.
“Oh, really. What am I looking for?”
She held up a perfectly rolled joint in her left hand. “You’re looking for your herbal remedy, silly.”
Mike stomped over and tried to snatch the joint as Alayna moved her hand. He got so frustrated, he grabbed her forearm with one hand and the spliff with the other.
She giggled. “I still can’t believe you have strong wizard blood in you. Are you ready to start your training?”
Mike looked around for a lighter.
Alayna said, “Ahem.” She cleared her throat. “Ahem.”
Mike glanced over, and she was holding a green Bic lighter in her left hand. He shook his head, took two steps and stopped. “Throw it.”
The corners of her purple lips curled up. “You’re learning. That’s good. I can teach you a great deal more. We could fill that empty head with so much knowledge. So much.”
Mike threw the lighter back to her and hit the joint three times. He spoke as smoke poured from his mouth and nose. “Why would I want to go back to school?”
She reached inside the neckline of her dress and tucked the lighter into her bra. “I’ll make it fun. It will be as easy as smoking a number.”
Mike exhaled. “A number?”
She jumped down from the chair and brushed off her behind. “It’s another name for a joint or spliff. Think about all the wonderful knowledge you’ll gain.”
Mike moved his fingers away from the burning cherry. “Only thing I gotta know is that I can make six grand for digging a little hole.”
“Three grand, fool.”
“What?”
Alayna held up her open hands. “Five fingers and a thumb make six. You and Kyle are being paid six thousand. Total. That’s this many.” She shook her open hand, wiggling her fingers and thumb. “You both can’t have all six. Now you see?”
Mike chuckled. “Whatever. Then I’m making...I’m making...I’m making half that.”
“Three grand.”
Mike extinguished the dying roach with the residual water in the sink spigot. He flicked the remains into the drain and whirled around to leave.
Alayna stood in his way. “What do you say now?”
“I say close the door on your way out. I don’t want no animals getting in.”
He walked outside and grabbed the old bicycle leaning against his motel-style apartment facade. The rusted Huffy had seen better days. Mike swung his leg over the worn-out seat, lined up the pedals and placed his right foot on one.
The bike began moving, and he stood up to build some speed. The harsh sound of snapping metal took Mike by surprise, and he toppled to the ground, in pain.
That cackling laugh filled the early morning air. Mike rubbed his elbow as Alayna approached him.
She stopped giggling and composed herself. “Come on, Mike. Look at yourself. Look at your life. Why are you fighting me?”
“Because you aren’t real.” Mike’s shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone
. He scrolled through his contacts and stopped at K.
“Mike, forget about this stupid meeting. These people are going to get you killed if you follow them. Do you really think you can defeat a two-hundred-year-old wizard who holds some of the strongest dark magic out there?”
Mike gave her the finger with one hand and held the phone against his ear with the other. “Yo, what’s up? I need a ride over to the meeting. My transportation is outta commission.”
Alayna snapped her fingers to get his attention. “Mike, you should listen to me. You’re going to get yourself killed, you pretty-faced son of a bitch.”
Mike turned his back on her and covered his open ear. “Alright, man, I’ll see you in a few. Thanks.” Mike ended the call and put the phone back into his pocket. He turned around. “You still here?”
She shook her head. “Get it straight, Micheal. I’m not going anywhere.” She pronounced his name correctly like the classic Michael.
The words cut through his soul. He stood, frozen in place, subconsciously wondering where those words had been during his childhood. He’d bounced around so many houses from ten to twenty-one. Tears built up in his eyes but the levy held strong. No one had called him Micheal since his mother had died, unless they were pronouncing it with an extended ‘eel’ to make fun of him.
As if she were a mind reader, Alayna soothingly whispered, “You can exact revenge for her death. I know that’s why you went into Houlihan’s Circle the other night. You want to kill George.”
Mike couldn’t figure out why this woman could read him like a book. “Let’s say you are right about some of this. How could you help me?”
She chuckled. “Mike, you have the ability to be one of the most powerful wizards on earth. Unfortunately, ability means nothing. You have to go through some training and it will be some time until you can harness the full power. I can promise you one thing.”
Mike hung on her every word. “And what’s that?”
“It will be worth it a million times over.”
Mike probed further. “And if I don’t?”
A saddened look spread over her face, and she spoke in a sobering tone. “You’ll probably be dead by the week’s end. Best of luck without my help.”
Mike started to think that maybe this person might be real. However, he didn’t want to go through extensive training when he could die at any time from the cancer. Digging a hole for three grand sounded like a good deal. He didn’t know what to do.
A coughing fit doubled him over, and he covered his mouth. Something hit his palm. He took a peek, then wiped the glob of blood on the side of his house and used his shorts to get rid of the rest.
The same thing had happened the previous week, and it had scared the living daylights out of Mike. This episode hadn’t instilled any more confidence in the young man as he thought about death.
What good am I doing here? I’m never going to be anything. This faerie can’t be real. I’m never going to amount to shit.
The rumble of Kyle’s 350 engine caused Mike to snap out of it and remember the business at hand. Kyle came to a skidding halt about six feet from Mike and turned around. The back of the truck almost smacked Alayna in the face as it stopped just short of her nose.
She stood close enough to kiss the truck. Mike jogged up to the passenger’s door. He ripped the door open and jumped into the raised red pickup with huge wheels.
Looking out the back window, Mike said, “Peel out, man.”
Kyle never needed to be told twice to go fast. He slammed down the gas pedal. Mike smiled as a kicked-up cloud of dust slowly dispersed to reveal a coughing Alayna with her middle finger extended.
Kyle shouted, “Time to go make some serious money.”
The truck cruised down the street and the dwarf faded from Mike’s sight but her words bounced around his mind.
MIKE SAT AT A SQUARE white table with Emily and Kyle. He asked, “Why do we gotta dig it up at night? Why can’t we do it during the day?”
Emily explained, “That’s the rules. For the amount of money concerned here, I’d say it’s reasonable.”
Mike turned to gauge his best friend’s response before agreeing to anything. Too late. Kyle had already started talking. “I don’t know. Those directions are terrible, too. What if we dig in the exact spot you tell us, but there ain’t no amulet under there?”
Emily scratched her long, narrow nose and replied, “No amulet, no money. The directions are correct. Exact, actually.” She nodded her head for emphasis.
Mike objected, “Taking seven paces from the northern stone toward the center of the circle is pretty crappy directions. Why don’t you come with us, and you can see that we will dig in the spot you are talking about?”
Mike stared at her full lips as she responded. “I handle the business side. If you need me to find two other guys to make a lot of money for not much work...”
Kyle jumped in. “I’m gonna be super pissed if that thing isn’t in the exact spot you said. And I can mess a lot of stuff up when I get angry.”
Emily narrowed her eyes. “Is that a threat?”
Kyle put his hands up. “Nothin’ like that. Just sayin’ that if you are messing with us...”
“Was I messing around when I gave you two that cash advance?”
Mike had forgotten that Emily had given them both some money the night before. He vaguely remembered hiding it somewhere in his house. “We’ll do it tonight. Where can we meet afterward to get our money?”
Emily thought for a second and said, “Call me when you guys have the amulet, and I will come get it. I just have to give it to the guy and get the money.”
Kyle immediately threw his hands up. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. I thought you had the money. Now you have to get it from someone else.”
Emily smiled seductively and caught Mike’s attention. “Don’t worry. It’s as good as going to the bank.”
Mike didn’t hear what she said because he was mesmerized by this older, assertive woman.
She reassured them, “You will get the money tonight. It will take me ten minutes to get there, and the same to get back with your money. Fret not, boys.”
Mike convinced himself that she was sending him sexual signals, and he sent them right back. He tried to only look at her when she talked to play it cool.
Her haunting dark complexion and mysterious brown eyes seemed to be luring him in as his chin crept closer to the table.
Her glistening cherry lips began to move again, and Mike couldn’t help but stare. “So, do we still have a deal?” She glanced at Mike, then Kyle, back to Mike, then licked her lips.
Mike opened his mouth to talk but Kyle cut him off. “Yeah.”
Mike nodded in agreement and smiled at Emily.
Emily stood up, and the two men jumped up from the table.
“Do you guys have any questions? You can text or call me if you need something don’t forget.” She winked at Mike.
Mike smirked. “Sounds good. I’ll talk to you later. I mean, we’ll talk to you later.”
They walked toward the front door. Kyle said, “Those directions better be on point.”
Emily responded but Mike never heard her because he was starting at her shapely backside as she opened the door. He snapped out of it as he walked toward Kyle’s truck, and imagined going into the belly of the beast to dig up the amulet.
Chapter 11
THE AIR GREW THICKER as they neared the area immortalized in the 1933 massacre. With each unsure step, the foul odor of rotten eggs and sour urine intensified.
“Dude, I’m getting a real freaky feeling now,” Kyle said as the sun sank behind the Gray Cloud Hills.
The woods became darker and creepier with the shifting shadows.
Mike responded. “It’s not that bad. We should go now before it gets too dark. She just said dark and the sun is gone. Let’s go.”
Kyle nodded his head but stood frozen in place, with his shovel in his right hand in the middle of the two-square-mile
plot of land known as Houlihan’s Square. The Square was pretty much all forest and a few open fields here and there.
Mike smacked the shovel head on his ankle because he was shaking so much from the trepidation. He already stood well within George’s grasp, but the lure of the six grand kept his feet moving. A howl at the moon caused Mike to drop the shovel and spin around several times.
“It’s getting freakier, man,” Kyle said, dragging his feet in the black dirt.
Mike tried to sound confident but failed in his effort. “Come on. It’s only three feet underground. We got this. All that stuff from the other night means he’s gone for a while now. We’re good. He already fed his hunger. This stuff only happens every couple of years.”
Mike had extra motivation—he didn’t want to let down Emily. He hoped she would sleep with him if he helped her make a lot of money.
A low branch snagged Mike’s shoulder. He stopped and pulled the flashlight out of his back pocket to light up the narrow trail.
Kyle followed closely behind, and his heavy breathing gave Mike reassurance. The smell persisted as Mike noticed a huge boulder straight ahead. Unhinging fear centered in the pit of his stomach and exploded throughout his body.
He stood within twenty feet of Houlihan’s Circle. The stale air grew thicker still, adding another element to this adventure.
Houlihan’s Circle was an open dirt area with a black circle burnt into mother earth and thirteen gray boulders at various points around the circle. Warm sweat leaked from Mike’s skin at the sight, and he sensed a strange magnetism which made the air seem even denser as he got closer to the Circle.
Breathing became more difficult as the two men silently searched for the largest boulder.
Mike whispered, “It’s got to be that one, right?”
Kyle nodded as he stared into the dark abyss. A wild howl scared the two men senseless. As Mike’s first step landed inside the circle, a burning sensation flowed from his heel to the tips of his toes. He felt like he was walking on coals, and tried to jump back and forth from foot to foot.
Bloodline Awakened Supernatural Thriller Series: Books 1-3 Page 45
