Shadows of the Past: A Supernatural Suspense Mystery (Shadow Slayers Stories Book 1)

by Nellie H. Steele

Josie crossed her arms. “Yeah?”

  “Well, perhaps you should try a therapist. I mean, this nightmare is starting to affect more than your sleep. Perhaps it’s smart to see someone and try to get a handle on this,” Damien answered.

  “I don’t understand how a therapist can help, but…” Josie paused. “It is getting really aggravating. This limited sleep is going to lead to more problems.”

  “So, you’ll make an appointment?” Michael asked.

  “Yeah, I will make an appointment with someone from the list. I’ll try it, can’t hurt, right?”

  “Good, I’m glad you’re doing that,” Michael said. “I’m going to work here today, that way I’ll be here if you need me.”

  “I’m glad you’re going to see someone, Jos,” Damien chimed in. “Unfortunately, I can’t work from home today so I’m going to head into the office but call if you need me, okay?”

  “I will,” Josie said, squeezing his shoulder. Damien was always protective of Josie and often considered himself responsible for her. She hoped the simple gesture reassured him she would be fine.

  “Text me when you get an appointment made with the therapist, okay?” he said, patting her hand before standing and heading to his room to get ready for work.

  “Okay!” Josie called after him.

  “Just us,” Michael said. “You should continue to rest today, too. Want your laptop on the couch?”

  “Okay, will you stop with ‘Dad mode,’ I can work in my office, I am fine.”

  Michael held his hands up to demonstrate defeat and said nothing further. Josie left the kitchen, intent on getting some work done after dressing for the day.

  When 9 a.m. rolled around, Josie decided she wouldn’t put off calling for an appointment with one of the recommended therapists from her ER visit. Grabbing her phone she forced herself to dial the first number on the list and waited while the phone rang on the other end. After a few rings, the receptionist answered, dashing Josie’s hopes that no one would pick up. She recounted a succinct version of her story of ending up in the emergency room after fainting and that Dr. Reed was one of the recommended therapists for a follow-up. Within short order, the receptionist was offering dates and times for the next available appointment. The doctor had an appointment open at 6 p.m. the following evening. Hoping Damien would go with her, she booked that appointment since it was well after he was home from the office.

  The rest of the day dragged. Josie struggled to stay awake. She considered napping, but worried it would cause her to be unable to sleep that night so she opted to fight to stay awake.

  When evening came, she elected to turn in early, hoping it didn’t take long to fall asleep and that she would stay asleep. She told Damien he didn’t have to sleep in her room tonight, hoping that her weariness would be enough to keep her sleeping through the night. A small part of her was almost afraid to close her eyes for fear of having the dream again, but within minutes of her head hitting the pillow she drifted off to sleep.

  Regrettably, she did not remain asleep for the duration of the night, as she hoped. Around midnight, she awoke out of breath, drenched in sweat, having dreamt again of running through the cave, frightened and panicked. As she took several deep breaths attempting to lower her heart rate, the dream raced across her mind. She hated to continue to think about it, but she couldn’t help herself. Something was bothering her about it; something seemed different. She replayed it in her head over and over. As she lay back down, a new thought struck her. She bolted upright again. The difference in her latest dream was subtle. As she ran through the cave carrying the book, terrified and panicked, she turned to look behind her. That was usually when she awoke from the dream. In this dream, she did not have the book and continued running after her glance backward. As she began to run again in her dream, someone called her. Except they weren’t calling to her, they were calling to someone named Celine.

  Celine. There was that name again. She recalled that was the name used in the note with the music box. She wondered if her mind had added that detail; had that incident crept into her nightmare or did she wake up and add that detail? Either way, she had a strong urge to go look at the music box. She threw off her covers and crept downstairs, trying not to wake the others in the house. Where had she put that box, she wondered? She remembered she had shoved it into the closet after Michael had invited himself to stay. She made her way to the closet and retrieved the box. Sitting on the floor, she pulled it open and took out the music box, opening it. The tinkling music filled the air; it calmed her frayed nerves. A peaceful mood settled on her. Her hand rubbed the necklace inside. As if on autopilot, she took it out and put it on, sensing its weight around her neck. She pressed a hand against it as she listened to the music.

  “Josie, Josie! Josie, hey, Josie!”

  Was someone calling to Josie in the distance? She felt her body shake. As if being pulled out of a dream, she slowly came to her senses, blinking her eyes and glancing around. Damien and Michael were both standing above her. “Josie,” Michael said again, “hey, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, yes, why, what’s wrong?”

  Damien and Michael exchanged a glance. “What’s wrong,” Michael began, “is that we found you here at two in the morning dazed sitting on the living room floor listening to this music box. We’ve been trying to talk to you for the last five minutes.”

  “What?” Josie remembered that she had come down after her nightmare looking for the object. “2 a.m.?” Josie was perplexed, had she been down here for almost two hours?

  “Yes, it’s two in the morning, what are you doing up and listening to this?” Michael asked.

  “I…” She stammered. “I had the nightmare again, and I got up and I don’t know, I was thinking of this music box.”

  “So you weren’t sleepwalking?” Damien chimed in.

  “No. I was awake. I remember coming down here, but it seems like I just did. But you’re telling me that was hours ago.”

  “You were unresponsive, Jos, we were talking to you and you were just staring into space like you were sleeping with your eyes open,” Damien said.

  “I’m more fatigued than I realized, I must have been lost in thought,” Josie answered. “I should go back to bed and try to sleep. The upset the nightmare caused has passed now.”

  Josie stood up to head back upstairs. “You going to sleep in your jewels, princess?” Michael asked her.

  “Huh?” Josie grabbed her neck. “Oh, right. I don’t know why I’m wearing this. I must have been in a daze, I don’t remember putting this on,” she said, removing it and placing it back in the music box.

  “You said you wanted to see the music box? Is there a reason?” Damien asked.

  “No. Wait, yes. When I had the dream again, before I woke up, I could hear someone calling the name Celine. I was thinking of the music box since it came with that note addressed to Celine.”

  “Probably been on your mind since it was kind of disturbing,” Damien said.

  “Here give me that thing, I’ll put it away,” Michael said, reaching out to take the music box from Josie.

  “No!” Josie snapped, snatching it back from him.

  “Whoa, okay, sorry,” he said, holding his hands up.

  “Sorry, I don’t know why I did that, sorry, I think I’m just drained. I wanted to take this with me. The music relaxes me, maybe it’ll help me sleep.”

  “Okay, yeah, whatever helps you relax,” Michael answered. “Hope you sleep.”

  “Thanks,” Josie said, calming down and heading up the stairs.

  Damien began to follow her when Michael grabbed his elbow and motioned for him to stay behind, holding a finger up.

  “Have you ever seen her like that before?” he said, when Josie disappeared down the upstairs hallway to her room.

  “No, and I’ve never seen her sleepwalk either.”

  “Why was she so worked up about the music box? The music calms her?”

  “No idea. Like I
said, I’ve never seen her like that before, never saw this music box when we were growing up, never heard that music ‘til the day it showed up on our doorstep. I don’t know why she’d find it calming. I just know this therapist appointment can’t come soon enough.”

  “Agreed. Not much longer now. All right, I’m heading back to bed, see you in the morning.”

  “Yeah.” Damien yawned. “See you in a few.”

  Chapter 6

  When Josie awoke the next morning, she was amazed at how well rested she felt despite experiencing the nightmare again and being up for hours in the middle of the night. The little music box was still tinkling away on her nightstand. She shut the lid as the memory of how it got there flooded back to her. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she prepared for the day. Her therapist appointment was this evening. She dreaded going but if it managed to help her, she would do it.

  Her run didn’t help to clear her head, and she found herself distracted for most of the day. As much as she dreaded the appointment, she was relieved when they were finally on their way to the doctor’s office. Damien agreed to go with her and Michael insisted on tagging along. Josie was rather nervous so she didn’t argue, but was glad to have the support of both men.

  The wait for her appointment seemed like an eternity for an apprehensive Josie. As her impatience reached its peak, Josie was called back. Both she and Damien stood to enter the doctor’s office since Josie had asked him earlier to go in with her.

  “Usually only the patient goes back,” the receptionist said.

  “I’d be much more comfortable if he came with me.”

  “Okay, right this way, Ms. Benson.”

  They entered the doctor’s office. It was nicely appointed with dark, muted colors and comfortable looking chairs, probably designed to make a patient relaxed. The doctor sat at his desk. Upon their entering, he stood and motioned for them to take the two leather armchairs to the right of the desk. He took a seat across from them in another armchair. “Ms. Benson, nice to meet you, I’m Dr. Reed. Can I call you Josie?”

  “Sure,” Josie answered. The doctor’s tactful manner was irritating her already. She wanted to cut to the chase.

  “May I ask who your friend is?”

  “This is my cousin, Damien. We’ve lived together since we were five years old. It makes me more comfortable to have him with me.”

  “Of course,” the doctor said gently. “So, tell me, Josie, what brings you here?”

  Josie recounted the story of how she had received the doctor’s name after fainting in the food court of the mall. She also described the nightmares she had been having, telling him that they had been increasing in frequency. The doctor listened without interrupting. When she was finished he said, “Okay, let’s start by talking about what’s going on in your life, specifically, stressors. How is work?”

  “Work is good. I’m self-employed, I run a cybersecurity business. I don’t really have any issues, I have a steady stream of work but I’m not drowning in work, I’ve got a nice balance going on right now.”

  “Any issues with a boyfriend or husband?”

  “No. No husband or boyfriend, no issues there.”

  “How is your relationship with your parents?”

  “Fine. I’ve always had a good relationship with them, no issues lurking on that front. I know you probably are wondering if there is an issue between D and I, but there isn’t, we get along great, we always have, no stress there. He’s more like my brother than my cousin. We’ve always been close. I’ve dealt with far more stress before and never experienced anything like this. I wouldn’t even consider myself to be stressed right now. There’s nothing on my mind or worrying me.”

  “Stress can manifest itself in several ways. It may be something that you don’t even realize is bothering you.”

  “I can’t figure out what it would be.”

  “I’d like to try to get to the root of that through your subconscious with your permission. There are a number of methods we can use. I’d like to start with hypnosis. It’s a noninvasive procedure. I’d like to determine tonight if you’re susceptible to being hypnotized and if we can get any information that way about the dream or its source.”

  “Oh, um, I guess that’s ok. I mean, I’ve never been hypnotized before but I’m willing to try.”

  “Great. Damien, I’m going to ask you to step out for this,” he said, turning to Damien.

  Josie was quick to answer, “Oh, no, he stays, even during this.”

  “Okay, if that’s what makes you comfortable, Josie. I’m going to dim the lights a bit.”

  “Okay. Do I lay down or what?” Josie said, a bit nervous.

  “No, that’s not how we’ll approach this. I will start this pendulum here. I want you to follow that, just focus on that, try to shut everything else out and listen only to my voice, okay?”

  “Simple enough,” Josie said.

  “Okay, let’s begin, Josie,” the doctor said, starting the pendulum moving. “Now just try to relax, let your body sink into the chair, relax. Your limbs are beginning to become tired and heavy and your eyes are starting to close. You’re starting to feel completely relaxed, and when I count backwards from ten, you will become even more relaxed. When I finish counting, you will be completely relaxed and asleep.” The doctor counted backward from ten, pausing after each number. When he finished, Josie was under.

  She sat motionless in the chair, eyes closed, limbs slack. “Josie,” the doctor began, “I want you to find a safe place, a place where you are happy. Tell me when you’ve found one.”

  “I have one,” Josie murmured after a moment.

  “Good. I want you to remember this safe place. If you become afraid while we’re talking, I want you to go to that place, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Josie, I want you now to recall the dream you described to me earlier. Can you remember that?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t want to remember that. I want to stay here.”

  “Josie, you can go back to your safe place anytime you want, but right now I want you to recall the nightmare you’ve been having. Tell me when you remember it.”

  “Okay,” she said, after a momentary pause, “I’m thinking of it.”

  “Can you tell me what you see? Tell me what’s going on.”

  “It’s dark. I’m running; the walls are cold and wet, like a cave. I’m scared. I have to get out of here. He’s coming. I can hear him. He’s coming behind me. I have to run.” Josie began to breathe harder. She pinched her eyes shut and wrinkled her forehead before speaking again. “Aidez moi, aidez moi. Il arrive. Aidez moi. Mon Dieu, aidez moi.” Josie panted, gripping the chair, her voice rising to a fever pitch.

  “Josie, Josie, you’re okay, it’s just a dream.”

  “Non, non, il vient. Je dois partir.”

  “Josie, please speak English.”

  “HE’S COMING, I MUST GO!” she shouted, tears rolling down her face.

  “Josie, you’re safe. It’s just a dream. Can you tell me more?”

  “NO! NO!” she shouted, wincing in pain as the tears continued to stream down her face.

  “Josie, go to your happy place. Tell me when you are there.”

  In an instant, Josie’s demeanor changed. While tears still streaked her face, her breathing slowed and the pained look left her face. “Are you in your happy place, Josie?” the doctor prompted.

  “Yes, I’m there.”

  “How do you feel now, Josie?”

  A smile crossed her face. “Happy, at peace.”

  “Good. Now, Josie, I’m going to wake you up. I want you to forget about the dream and I want you to remember how you are feeling at this moment, okay?”

  Another smile. “Okay,” she said, content.

  “Okay, Josie. I’m going to count backwards from ten and when I am finished, you’ll wake up as content as you are right now.” The doctor began his slow count backwards.

>   When he said the word “one,” Josie’s eyes opened. She blinked a few times, glancing around the room. “What happened?” Josie asked. Realizing she had tears on her cheeks, she wiped her face with her hand.

  The doctor answered, “Well, I was able to hypnotize you, and we did induce the dream.”

  “Did you find anything about what’s causing my nightmare or what it means?” Josie asked.

  “No. We witnessed firsthand how upsetting it is to you.” Josie frowned, let down. “It takes time, Josie. This is a process. We’re not going to solve this in one session.”

  “I was hoping to get SOME information,” Josie said.

  “We got some. But like I said, this takes time. It was upsetting to you, so we want to keep trying until we can get to a point where you can discuss the dream without becoming frightened. We’ll get there. I’d like to see you back in a week; you can make an appointment with my receptionist. Until then I want you to relax, don’t push yourself to overthink the dream. Would you like me to prescribe a sleep aid for you?”

  “No, thanks, I’d rather not get into medication. I’ll do my best, and if it’s still an issue, we can address it next week.”

  “That sounds like a good plan, Josie. Do you have any questions for me this evening?”

  “No, thank you, Dr. Reed.” Josie stood to exit the office, along with Damien. After making an appointment for the following week, she left the office with Damien and Michael.

  “Okay, so what happened in there, D?” she asked as soon as they were in the car.

  “I’d like to know the answer to that myself,” Michael chimed in from the driver’s seat.

  “Um, well,” Damien started out, unsure, “you were having that dream or whatever. I mean first he asked you to find like a happy place where you felt safe and remember it so you could go back there if you needed to.”

  “Happy place? You had the dream? Did you go to sleep?” Michael said, rapid firing questions at them.

  “No, he hypnotized me. And then I had the dream. I don’t remember anything. Although, I woke up serene, nothing like when I wake up from the dream at night.”