The Return (Haunted Series Book 21)

by Alexie Aaron

  Rory’s clothes were sweat-soaked by the time he reached the woods. He ran until his lungs were bursting and then walked fast until he could run again. He could not live with himself if anything happened to Deb. He saw the PEEPs vehicles and changed course. He would have to enter the woods from the west side. He didn’t want to be delayed by any of the investigators.

  He pushed the barbed wire down with his jacket, aware that he would have to explain the holes in the material to his mother. “Well, it’s better than explaining the holes in me,” he said under his breath. He ran to the edge of the woods and stopped. He looked around and picked up a small fallen limb. He pulled out the smaller branches until he had a sturdy stick with which to test out the ground before him - also, a weapon, but he doubted it would stop a bullet.

  She smelled him the moment his foot touched the thick carpet of leaves and needles. Curious, she moved to intercept the one she had fought so hard to save. She stopped as she sensed others. All had familiar scents. Which were friends and which were foes?

  Ethan stopped Tub, pointing out the camera at the end of the hall which was facing into the room beyond. “Let’s go this way,” he said. He opened a large closet. “I hope it’s still here. Keith used it to get away from Blair when he was in one of his moods.” Ethan started to pull away a standing shelf, but the weight was too much for him.

  Tub stepped up and lifted it and its contents off the ground.

  “You’re a handy guy to have around,” Ethan said. He pulled a loose piece of paneling away from the wall. Behind it was an old dumbwaiter. “The original owner’s staff used to use this to send laundry down. It passes between the fireplace and the library but doesn’t stop on the main floor. I think it also goes upstairs to the attic, but I’ve never been that way.” He opened it up and climbed inside.

  “I’m not going to be able to fit in there,” Tub said.

  “I didn’t expect you would. But could you send me down and keep sending it down every few minutes. Its reset is this floor,” Ethan explained. “That’s the only problem with it. It’s a one-way ride alone.”

  “What if it doesn’t work, and you get stuck inside?”

  “Then you get out, wait an hour, and call the fire department anonymously.”

  “Is this worth the risk?” Tub asked.

  “Doing nothing is not in the cards. As it is, Blair probably has something on me to send me back already. I’m determined to rescue the lady.”

  “I think you’ve been selling yourself short all your life, man,” Tub said.

  Ethan closed the doors and waited for Tub to push the button.

  The old mechanism groaned and shook, but it started to slowly move downward. Ethan lost light as it left the second floor. He had been much smaller when he last sat in here. At the time, he and Keith went down together, so Ethan was confident that it would hold his weight.

  The air wasn’t good. Ethan didn’t think about how long it had been since he and Keith had used it before, nor did he remember how cold it had gotten as it passed by the old stone fireplace.

  The compartment filled up with an odor, one that Ethan couldn’t mouth-breath away, Axe body wash and pot. Ethan felt something brush his feet. He pulled them in tight to his body. It was so dark. He didn’t want to look, but Ethan knew that his imagination could be worse than reality at times, so he clicked his cell phone screen on.

  A misty pale image sat across from him. Like him, the boy sat with his arms around his knees, being careful that the two didn’t touch, as was consistent with the homophobic fears of some young teenage boys. He raised his head and looked at Ethan. His battered face seemed more like a black and white image than the fleshy one Ethan remembered. The teen’s eyes had lost the color that ran through the Summerfield family. Black pupils with gray irises stared at Ethan.

  “Keith, it’s been a while,” Ethan managed to whisper.

  The ghost smiled. “I knew you would find me,” Keith said.

  “How long have you been here?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t remember much. All I know is, I woke in the woods all alone. I walked home.”

  “Long walk,” Ethan said, keeping his voice even.

  “Yeah.”

  “I got arrested,” Ethan shared.

  “Oh?”

  “Yes, I’ve been in juvie. They think I killed you.”

  “Did you?”

  “No, something else did. Don’t you remember?” Ethan asked.

  “No. I remember coming back here. The pull was so strong.”

  The dumbwaiter stopped, and Ethan opened the door. “I’ve got to rescue a lady. Do you want to come along?” he asked, getting out.

  “Is this a game?”

  “Yes, it’s us against Blair. Blair has taken a woman hostage. I’m not sure who’s watching her, but if we rescue her, then we score big points.”

  “Like capture the flag?”

  “Yes, but the flag is the hardware store lady.”

  “I don’t remember her.”

  “Do you remember Rory? The Helpful Hardware Man?”

  “Yes. Blair wanted him for something…”

  “Bait. He’s still bait. But we have to rescue the lady and then… I haven’t thought that far. I’m making this up as I go along.”

  “You were always good at improv,” Keith said. “Where’s the lady?”

  “Here someplace. Have you seen anyone?”

  “No. I’ve been hiding in there.”

  “The whole time?”

  “I feel safe in there.” Keith pointed to the dumbwaiter. “It can’t get me in there.”

  “What’s it?”

  “Glowing eyes and teeth,” Keith said, his face filling with fear.

  “Keith, it can’t get you here,” Ethan said confidently. “If you want, you don’t have to stay here. You can come home with me.”

  “But you don’t really like me. You don’t like anyone.”

  “I’ve changed, asshole,” Ethan said. “I almost died.”

  “I did.”

  “Well, you were always better on follow-through,” Ethan said, twisting his face into a smile. “Come on. Where do you think Blair would hide the hardware lady?”

  “Two places come to mind: the furnace room and the old sauna.”

  “Let’s split up. You go to the sauna, and I’ll try the furnace room. If you don’t find anything, meet me there. If I come up empty, I’ll meet you at the sauna.”

  Keith nodded and disappeared.

  Ethan moved quickly down the dark hall to where he saw a sliver of light coming out from under a door. He carefully turned the handle and stepped inside.

  Mia landed beside her husband. “Batman, are you ready?”

  “I thought you said I couldn’t go.”

  “That was for the crone’s benefit. I thought she would baulk and not go in if you too were not allowed.”

  “Why didn’t you share the plan with me?” Ted asked.

  “I’m not sure, but she may be an empath. Your courage would have sent signals to her that you were lying. Instead, all she got was your frustration.”

  Ted smiled. “So what’s the plan, Mighty Mouse?”

  “I’m supposed to fly you into position three. I’ve already attached your communications booster to a tree that’s centralized to all your positions. Tom and Lazar have two thirds of the triangle completed. We want to make sure that Blair doesn’t slip away this time.”

  “While you were gone, Burt said that Cid picked up Rory on camera. He entered the west woods five minutes ago.”

  “Poor brave Rory. I’m sure She knows he’s here by now.”

  “That’s a given. I’m sure she knows we’re here too.”

  “Yup. Here,” Mia said, handing Ted the knife she had tied to her thigh.

  “Whoa, that’s nasty.”

  “It’s a demon knife. I’m not sure it will work on her, but you may be able to slice your way out of trouble.”

  “No, this isn’t how Batman wor
ks,” Ted said, returning the knife. He jammed his hands into his pockets and pulled out fistfuls of gadgets. “I’ve got toys.”

  “That’s the man I love,” Mia said. “Come on, you drew the short straw; you got the swamp.”

  “I don’t remember any straws?” Ted protested.

  Mia drew her husband’s face down to hers and kissed him. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right above you,” she said, releasing her wings and taking off.

  “You know that was entrapment,” Ted said.

  “Yup,” Mia answered, gliding down in a slow circle.

  Ted could hear Tom and Lazar communicating through his earcom as soon as his feet touched the soil.

  “I think you’re on the outer range. I would suggest you move a few yards closer.”

  “No, I can hear them,” Ted assured her. “How about you?”

  “I’m not connected the way you are, but I am connected.”

  “Show off,” Ted said. “Now get out of here before you give me mites.”

  “You’re going to pay for that, Martin,” Mia said and flew away.

  “I hope I’m around here for you to collect on it,” Ted said as he faced the pool of quicksand before him. He walked around it, placing a Rem-Pod as soon as he found his watch position. “Ted in position, over.”

  Burt looked at the infrared image Mia was transmitting of the woods as she circled above. He could see Blair and his flunky walking close together. Ted, Tom, and Lazar were motionless. He saw a slow-moving heat source. “This could be Lazar’s grandmother.”

  Cid made note of everyone’s position.

  Burt tapped the screen to show Rory walking in from the west side. A cold blue blur appeared to be moving towards the teen. “Jake, ask Mia where Murphy is?”

  “Si, si, mi capitán,” Speedy Gonzales answered.

  Cid put his head down and waited.

  “Is this how he works with you?” Burt asked Cid.

  “Pretty much,” Cid said, hiding his smile.

  “Okay, I’ve got a question regarding the Gonzales impersonation: is that racist, considering Jake is Hispanic?” Mike asked.

  Audrey walked over and pulled down a large three-ringed binder. She ran her finger down the pages. “This is a new one,” she said and wrote something down in the book.

  She put the binder back and went back to her research.

  Burt looked at the large binder a moment before he pulled it down and opened it. Inside was one word:Gotcha!

  The trailer was filled with laughter.

  Burt blushed and put the book back. “I consider my cranky self, got.”

  “Mia responded that she left Murphy with Lazar,” Jake reported.

  Cid adjusted the screen, and sure enough, there was a faint blue shadow almost attached to Lazar.

  “Tom wants us to lay low until he gets word that Deb Booker has been found,” Burt reminded everyone.

  Blair watched Sean labor under the weight of the packs. He didn’t do anything to lessen the burden. He just sighed when Sean fell over an exposed root.

  “Young man, are you okay?” an elderly voice asked from behind them.

  Blair whipped around and barely stopped himself from shooting the old wrinkled woman standing there. “Who the fuck are you?”

  “Such language,” Babcia dismissed and walked over to Sean and offered him a hand up. “Let me look at that knee. It appears to be bleeding.”

  Sean looked over at Blair, confused.

  “He’ll live. Tell me, what are you doing here?” Blair demanded.

  “I’m picking mushrooms,” Babcia said, holding up her basket. “One needs to be careful not to pick the wrong ones.”

  “I’m sure that is interesting, if you’re Nicholas Evans, but I’m not going to eat fungus from the ground.”

  “These woods are filled with bounty. Look how beautiful it is.”

  “Granny, these woods are filled with terror. I suggest you get back to the home before you end up a corpse. Or did you come into the woods to die like an old bitch?” Blair spat.

  Babcia looked at the young man and sensed the evil that permeated his soul. “Once every so often a złej krwi is born. You are he. You will die and fall. There is nothing you can do about it. You will fall,” she said.

  “Get out of here before I hasten your already predicted death.”

  Babcia turned to Sean and said, “Son, you’re not this man’s donkey. Come with me.”

  Sean looked at the old woman and then at Blair. “I’ll stay with him so he doesn’t harm you. He’s nuts.”

  “I’ll go. Please remember you have choices,” she said and walked behind a stand of trees.

  Blair followed her, drawing his gun.

  “Run, lady!” Sean screamed.

  Blair walked around the trees and was surprised that’s all that was there, trees and bushes. The old woman just seemed to have disappeared. “Where the hell did you go?” he asked. “Maybe the creature got you.” He walked back around and found the two packs were emptied out and the materials were scattered around the clearing. Sean was gone.

  “Shit, the creature got Sean too. I wasn’t finished with him yet!” Blair yelled.

  Mia had her hand around Sean’s mouth. She flew the teen to the PEEPs command center, calling out, “Incoming!” before she dropped him unceremoniously on the ground.

  Cid and Mike helped the teen up. He was shaking.

  “Holy shit, what just happened?” he asked. “My mind is blown.”

  “I don’t know. We just found you here. Would you mind if we interviewed you?” Mike asked, guiding the teen past the command console and to the lounge chair in the back.

  “Me?” Sean focused in on Mike. “Hey, you’re a ghost buster…”

  “Close enough,” Mike said. “What are you on by the way?”

  “Molly.”

  “By choice?”

  “No, Blair made me eat it. I normally use blow. Do you have any blow?”

  “No, but we do have some coffee that will make you think like you’re on coke,” Cid said.

  “Caffeine is cool. Less nose bleeds.”

  “Where is your mother?” Audrey asked as she shined a light into the teen’s eyes.

  “Monaco. She and my dad are probably in a casino somewhere. I’m surprised they haven’t noticed that we’re gone.”

  “We?” Audrey asked.

  “My brother Vince and me. I’m Sean Smithe of the Chicago Smithes.”

  “Is your brother in the woods?” Audrey asked, feeling Sean’s forehead. She pulled out the first aid kit and started to clean his damaged knee.

  “No, he’s at the Summerfield mansion. I got him in trouble.”

  “Does he need help?” Cid asked.

  “He’s stuck guarding this woman Blair and I kidnapped. She’s Rory’s flag.”

  “Flag?” Mike asked.

  “It’s a game. I’m Blair’s flag and whatshername is Rory’s flag. Evidently, the game must be over because someone captured me. Last thing I remember is a beautiful woman whispering in my ear, ‘If you scream, I’ll cut your nuts off.’ And then I was flying.”

  Burt swallowed wrong and started coughing. He held up his hand and squeaked, “I’m alright. Jake, send a message to Ethan that we have Sean Smithe, and he says his brother is guarding Deb Booker.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Ethan’s phone vibrated. He saw the text and smiled. He pocketed the phone and walked boldly into the room. “Vince, it’s Ethan!” he shouted.

  “Help me!” Deb called out. “I’m behind the old hot water heater.”

  Ethan ran over to her. He pulled out a penknife and cut through the cotton clothesline. He examined her wrists before he helped her up.

  “Heavens, my legs are both asleep,” she said. “They feel like wood. Crap, they’re waking up.”

  “Can you walk?”

  “I’ll run if I have to,” Deb said, stamping her feet to get the blood back.

  “No, you’ll stay right there,” Vince
demanded, walking in. “Ethan, how the hell did you get in here?”

  “Doesn’t matter. Here, look,” Ethan said, tossing the phone to Vince.

  Vince read the text.

  “How do I know this is real? I don’t know any Burt Hicks.”

  “Give it here,” Ethan said and called the number. “Put Sean on.” He put the speaker on and handed the phone to Vince.

  “Sean?” he asked.

  “Hellooooo,” Sean said.

  “Are you alright?”

  “I went flying, and now a pretty redhead lady is bandaging my knee.”

  “Are you high?”

  “Molly.”

  “Shit, Sean, I’m going to kill you.”

  “Stand in line. Come and get me. I’m starting to sober up.”

  Vince hung up the phone. He turned to Deb. “Please accept my apology. I didn’t want to do any of this,” he said, setting the gun down. He started walking for the door.

  Deb picked up the gun. “Until Rory is safe at home, you’re not going anywhere.”

  “But Sean?”

  “Sean has a pretty redhead to take care of him. You have me,” Deb said. “Come on.”

  Blair took a moment to think things through before he restocked one of the backpacks and hefted it on his back. He picked up the long case and headed for the old houses.

  The woods had changed since he last was there, but some things could not be overgrown. Two large megaliths of granite marked a familiar path. This route would take him straight to the houses and, most certainly, early for his rendezvous with Rory.

  Rory probed the soft ground and cautiously moved forward. He knew that the houses were in a low area after a ridge of moss-covered granite. He saw the ridge up ahead, but between it and him was questionable ground. He heard a strange creaking coming from the interlaced canopy of old trees. He looked up and thought he saw movement, but it could just have been his imagination. He jabbed the ground again and took an uncertain step.

  She looked down at the boy whom she remembered being a little smaller. His nature had also changed. Gone was the fear. It was replaced with determination. Armed only with a cottonwood staff, he moved between two mires. She was ready if he made a wrong move. She would not lose this child to the swamp, not if she could help it.