by Rick Kueber
After a moment I spoke. “Dr., I am ready whenever you want to begin.” She drew a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Okay, just know that you can leave at any time, but I believe there may come a point of no return. When you walk away, you may not walk away alone.” She raised her folded hands to her face and closed her eyes only for a second as if in prayer.
“There is a piece of land and an old farm house, apparently, that has been in my family for many years. My sister and I never knew it existed, and our father died before he told us anything about it. I think that is where this evil is coming from.”
“How far away is it Dr.? My team and I would be more than willing to investigate the property, with your permission, and see what we can discover.” As I said this I held back a grin, knowing that Jenn and Katie would be all for an investigation at an old abandoned farm house.
“West Virginia, maybe an hour or so past the Kentucky state line.” Her voice was beginning to sound more comfortable with each word she spoke.
“Wow, that's a long trip. Please don't be offended, Dr. Covand, but we've been on far too many investigations, and spent way too many hours reviewing audio and video footage only to find nothing. What we can do is some internet and library research before we decide to make a trip. We'd also like to be sure there is a good potential for paranormal activity before we make a commitment. Researching the history of the location could help us decide the probability of paranormal activity.”
She spoke up saying, “Please, if you don't mind, call me Emily or Em, and I think you may want to bring the rest of your team here for the whole story....what I know of it anyway.”
“Okay, Emily,” I felt a bit awkward calling her by her first name, but I continued, “will you be able to give us any more information that might persuade my team and me to make the journey to West Virginia?”
She reached out her hand across the table. “Take my hand, if you dare.”
I reached out my hand, palm sweating, and placed it in her open upturned hand. She simply said, “Show him.” In that moment I felt the pain, like fire in my hand shooting as fast as lightning through my veins. The K-II meter lit up, green to red and remained lit while the pain pushed its way up my left arm nearly to my shoulder. Everything went black and then all I could see were the flames surrounding me, engulfing me. I was on fire! Dear god, please not again I thought.
Then, in an instant, Dr. Emily broke our touch and my consciousness returned to the sitting room, the KII meter went dark and the beveled glass shattered into a thousand pieces. The pain was gone, and I was open mouthed and speechless.
“I am so sorry. I don't know exactly what just happened, but I doubt nothing you have said now, and I hope you will forgive me for ever questioning you.” My voice was as shaky as my hands.
“No apologies are necessary.” Her voice was surprisingly steady, though her hands trembled as uncontrollably as mine. “I won’t have any trouble getting the team, Jenn and Katie, here. I can promise that, but I am afraid we may not be able to all get back here for a few days, maybe even next weekend.” I rubbed my forehead and ran my fingers through my hair nervously.
“I will be fine until next weekend. I have contacted my office and told them I was very ill with the flu and would have to be out of the office all week. I will survive.”
I felt horrible for having questioned her, but there are always those who only want to believe they are experiencing something. Those that want to experience something paranormal are typically the ones who never have, because once you experience something, you can never 'un-experience' it. I already wished I could erase these memories.
“Can I help clean up this mess?” I said shooting a glance at the shattered glass on the table and the floor surrounding it. “No, but thank you for offering. It will give me something to fill my afternoon...cleaning up the glass, and trying to find a replacement.” She stood up and I followed suit. We both looked down at the shattered table top as cautiously I picked up my K-II meter and shook the shards and slivers of glass from it. I turned off the recorder and placed it back in my pocket.
Without another word we walked to the front door. I stepped past the threshold and turned back. “I will call you when I have talked to Jenn and Katie.”
“Jenn and Katie? These women on your team must be strong, extraordinary women, or I would hope you wouldn't involve them....and for now, just email me. I would feel better if we avoided the phone.”
“Okay, email it is, and yes, they are an incredible pair. I wouldn't trade them for any other team mates in the world. I will be in touch soon.”
I slowly walked to my car and tried to absorb all that had just happened. I drove home and parked in my usual spot. Contacting the team was the next order of business, but for the time being all I could do was sit in my car and process the events of the morning. I didn't want to involve anyone else, but at the same time, I couldn't wait to tell Katie and Jenn everything I knew and had experienced.
I gathered myself and my thoughts together and headed into my home. Once again I found myself with my phone in my hand wanting to make a call, but hesitating. I needed to call them. I needed their help, their strengths, and their support. We were a team, and there was no longer an “I” in team.
I sat on the living room couch and pressed the send button.
Chapter2 TERROROUTLINED
The phone was ringing as I nervously awaited the voice of Jennifer, the team’s lead investigator and the first member to work with me on an investigation. That was years ago when no one had ever heard of Evansville Paranormal, and when there was an ‘I’ in team, because I was the ‘team’.
“Hel...looo…” answered the typically cheerful voice. Mine was not so cheerful, considering the night before and what I was about to ask.
“Hey Jenn, Sooooo…. Are you interested in hearing about a possible new case,” I asked in as calm of a voice as I could muster. “Well, duh!” she replied with her cynical laugh. “Okay, hold on to your phone…. Here goes…” I paused, waiting only a few seconds for a reassuring sarcastic comment that never came. “How do you feel about a possible demonic haunting? ...” a few seconds of silence passed but I didn’t hear the phone hit the ground. I continued. “…with unexplainable power that has been documented to cause horrific hallucinations, and feelings of intense pain without physical evidence…” still no clunking phone to floor sound to be heard, in fact, I heard no sound at all. “You still there? Did I lose you?” I asked assuming the call was dropped from one phone or the other.
“I’m here.” She said quietly and then cleared her throat and continued on with “Of course I am interested! Give me all of the details!” Her words were now strong and determined.
I felt so much better knowing I would not be facing this one alone, but I was keeping my mindset that at any moment she could back out. I breathed a sigh of relief and carried on with, “Okay, here is the kicker…. We may need to travel to West Virginia for a big part of this case and a paranormal investigation at a location where we most likely won’t be welcome and may not even be able to find. Do you think Katie is ready for something like this, and more importantly, do you think she would be willing? I would feel better with all three of us going together and trying to crack this case.”
“Of course you would!” she said smugly, and there was the sarcasm I was hoping for. “I doubt any of us would ever be ready for something like that, but you and I both know how these things usually turn out… NOT PARANORMAL!” she chuckled lightly, “...but Katie is a big girl, she can decide for herself if she is ready and willing to go. As for me, you know I’m in! Besides, you already said yourself, we may not even be able to find this place... wasting a day or two on a road trip through the foothills of the Appalachians and money for gas and food is the scariest part I've heard so far. Oh, and banjo music.... if there is banjo music, I'm outta there!
Hahahahaha!” She laughed a very honest laugh, which made me feel much better.
Static crack
led in my ear followed by Jenn shouting, “Oh Crap! What the hell was that?”
“What was what?” I replied speedily. “That noise! Geeze! That hurt my ear... It's still ringing. OK, look, I'm gonna have to go and get some aspirin or jab an ice pick in my ear, or something. It's driving me nuts all of the sudden.” I could hear her groaning in the background.
“Alright then, I think we should all meet up as usual at the Barnes & Noble coffee shop. I will give you and Katie the details that I know at this point and we will decide which direction to go with this case. I have a feeling this isn’t going to be a simple open and shut, one weekend-type situation, but I think we have a great opportunity to learn a lot and help someone out at the same time.” I said.
She responded as if I had invited the two of them for coffee to discuss a new t-shirt design, “Sounds good to me. I can call Katie when my head is back to normal, if you want... does Wednesday at 7 work for you?”
“Perfect. Let me know if we need to change the day or time, but I will put it on the calendar and see you in a couple of days. In the meantime I will try to get a grip on everything so I can give you two as much information as possible.”
“Okay, see ya.” Her words were quickly followed by the dead silence of the ended call. Part of me felt better about knowing I might have the rest of EVP to help with this. There was, however, a part of me, deep inside that felt almost sickened that these team mates, these friends might end up having similar experiences to mine, and that frightened the hell out of me. What was I thinking? I should have called in the real professionals, people who deal with evil entities and demonic presences…at least someone with some experience, as for us, when it came to truly malicious entities; we honestly had none to speak of.
I slid my cell phone into my front left pocket, same as I always did, got up off of the couch and walked into our makeshift office where I sat in front of one of the computers and stared blankly at the scrolling photos of the screen saver. Each photo was a memory of an investigation, a client, members- past and present, events we attended or hosted, but all good memories none the less. Without thinking, my hand made its way clumsily to the mouse and before I knew it I had opened a blank document and words filled the page. Bullet points were followed by topics of interest, followed by numerical sub-lists of data and questions. Before I was finished I had actually found myself downsizing my three and a half page document to less than two pages, then finally one. I was afraid too much information might be a bit tough to digest... let them ask for more if this doesn’t frighten them off. I laughed at the thought. Jenn and Katie were as tough as any paranormal investigators I had ever met, and I couldn’t see them ever backing down, not even from a situation as horrific as what I had experienced. I just hoped it would never get that intense again.
Wednesday would never come fast enough. Only two days separated the phone call from our meeting, but it seemed an eternity. My days were filled with never ending thoughts and flashbacks of what I had experienced, and my nights were mostly sleepless, and when I did finally drift off to dreamland from sheer exhaustion, my dreamland became a world of nightmarish memories. Everything somehow related to fire. Whether it was a match or lighter lighting someone's cigarette, a torch or welder at work, or the flames on the grill at my favorite bar and grill, everything reminded me of Sunday morning. I would never forget that feeling, and I began to understand Emily's distress already.
Fast enough or not, Wednesday did come. The workday came and went. I had planned to get myself ready and then head out for a bite before my team met up at the bookstore, but that wasn't going to happen. I was so stressed and nervous, there was no way I was going to be able to eat.
I found myself sitting at the bookstore coffee shop with a steaming cup of overly strong coffee in front of me. I rolled the cup in my hands, taking the occasional sip and waited on my friends. I had arrived well over an hour early, but I had nothing better to do. I sipped at my coffee, and stared down at the bullet pointed outline in front of me. I read over it several times, thinking of what to say about each point. Then just as I looked up I saw Katie walk through the door nearly a half hour early, wearing her hot pink EVP shirt and black team jacket.
Katie Collins was an attractive young woman in her midtwenties. She kept her long nearly black hair neat and always pulled back in a tight ponytail revealing a perfectly rounded face, an ivory complexion, and large, dark eyes that often times, even when she smiled, held a sadness in them. In spite of that, Katie had a whimsical girly attitude and, of course, loved all things pink, when she wasn't being the serious paranormal investigator we all know. Kate had been through many private struggles in her life already, but those struggles had built character and no one could help but love her.
I crumpled the paper in my hand and turned to drop it in the trash receptacle behind me and smiled. “Hey there Katie! What brings you here?” An ice breaking joke seemed appropriate until I heard her response.
“I don't know what I am doing here, honestly. I should be at the E.R. or the psych ward. You wouldn't believe the last couple of days I've had.” She rolled her eyes and sat down in the seat across from me.
It was perfect timing. Jenn walked through the door before I had to inquire about Katie's need for a psych ward visit. As usual, Jenn was wearing her lime green EVP shirt and black team jacket. They made quite a matching pair.
Jennifer Kirsch was a young forty-something woman and the team's rock, not to mention she was the team's token 'rocker chic'....complete with her scorpion tattoo. Most people would never guess she was a cancer survivor, but she was and had been cancer free for over 4 years. Regardless of the situation, Jenn always gave it her all and never let down the team, regardless of who the team was at the time. Just a bit taller than Katie, Jenn had a thin face with brown hair that lightened and a tan that darkened in the summer sun. Her career in horticulture and landscape gave Jenn a summer look and a winter look that contrasted each other, but
complimented her well. And though Jennifer had a passion for the paranormal, and researching history, she was a bit of a goof and a loose cannon, always speaking the truth, and sticking out her tongue anytime it seemed appropriate, or inappropriate for that matter.
“Hey kids!” she exclaimed as she walked up and hugged us both in turn. Jenn was a hugger. Every hello and good-bye came with a hug and usually a 'lub ya' attached to it. “So..... Tell me all of the juicy details!” She smiled.
“Well, I had this whole outline put together, but I abandoned that idea at the last minute. I figured you two would dissect it and I'd end up not following it anyway, so, I guess I will just start at the beginning.” and so I did. I told them every detail I could remember starting with the email, and ending when I called Jenn. When I had reached the part about the good doctor thinking the trouble started with a phone call, both Jenn and Katie glared at me for a moment and Katie spoke up.
“Mental note, we have to discuss that after you finish.” So, when I had finished, and before Katie had time to speak up, Jenn commented, “Okay, where does West Virginia come into play here?”
“Just something the doc said and I think she will fill in the blanks when we all meet up at her house this weekend for the initial investigation.” After saying this, there were questions, as I knew there would be.
Katie chimed in, “Is that were she's from?” “I really wish I knew the answer to that, but I don't. She said their family owned a piece of land there and that is where her niece had her experience...or something like that. All I can say for sure, is if we are looking for paranormal activity, I would bet we will have some with this case.” I gave one of those disappointed half smiles you give a child when you have to tell them an answer neither of you wants to hear.
Jenn turned to Katie and said, “Well, I guess we will find out soon enough.”
While they looked at each other, I replied, “I certainly hope so.” Katie sat her Frappuccino down and put her hands together forming a 'T'. “TWEET... time out
.” It was comforting to see her and Jenn laugh at the gesture. It was the first real smile she had cracked since she had been there.
“Now, about that phone thing. That seems a bit hokey, but if everything else you said is true...” she paused and looked out of the corners of her eyes at Jenn, “...did you have anything weird happen to you recently Jenn?”
“Nope. Unless you count a migraine that started in my ear of all places...AND... I blame that on E-V-Prick over there and the ear splitting static feedback I heard...” Her voice lessened in speed and volume simultaneously. “...over the phone.” Her expression went blank and she turned her head toward me, followed by her stare.
I ignored the 'E-V-Prick comment', as I had heard it a thousand times. The unflattering nickname began early on in the life of Evansville Vanderburgh Paranormal Investigations, I had been asked to make myself more available online through social media and video sharing sites in order to reach a broader array of people. On one such site I recall requesting the user name, E.V.P. Rick, but that was not acceptable due to the punctuation and spacing. This particular site took it upon itself to correct the error by changing it to EVPRick, which Jennifer found hilarious because, as she so eloquently put it, “When I read it I saw E-V- Prick!” and I have never lived that name down.
“How long were you down for with that one?” I asked casually. “Most of the day.” she said. “I laid down to try to get rid of it but nothing seemed to help. I finally gave up and called Katie anyway....and...that's about the time it ended.”
“Hmmm.” I said, but before I could finish my thought, I was interrupted by Katie blurting out. “Oh-My-God! That's when everything started going crazy at my house. I started feeling dizzy and my vision got blurry. I had to sit down. Then Sean came up to me and asked what was wrong. I told him I needed a hug and from then on it has been back and forth between us over stupid crap....and...” She smiled, but the emotion showed in her eyes.
