Darkhouse (Experiment in Terror #1) (16 page)

The light from the lighthouse came on then, and in that instance of stark illumination, I could see that other figure. It was me.

It was me, standing there as plain as day, and slowly reaching for the shoulder of the man in black.

I felt fingers grasp my own shoulder.

I turned and screamed.

I was back on the beach in the daylight. Dex was standing beside me with his hand firmly on me. It took a good few seconds to stop screaming and realize what I was looking at.

He grabbed my other shoulder. “Perry. Perry, it’s me, Dex. Are you OK? What happened?”

My eyes flitted across his face, unable to focus. He squeezed my shoulders and brought me closer into him. It would have been nice, if only I wasn’t freaking the fuck out.

“Perry, look at me.
Look
at me.” He put his face in closer until I had no choice but to focus on those brown orbs of his. I could see he was just as frightened as me. “You’re here now. With me. OK? Everything’s OK.”

I nodded and took in a deep breath. He didn’t let go of my shoulders or get out of my face. He searched my face relentlessly.
That frown line of his is really etched in there
, I thought absently.

“What happened? You turned and you froze. Went completely white. I kept calling your name over and over again. Couldn’t you hear me?”

Shaking my head, I told him I couldn’t hear anything, “I wasn’t here anymore. I was...somewhere else.”

“Where?”

I looked away. “I don’t know. Nowhere. I thought I was dreaming.”

“Where did you go? What did you see?” He shook me slightly. It reminded me of something. I wondered if he had ever seen Hitchcock’s
Vertigo
because he was starting to go all Jimmy Stewart on me.

I pulled away from him and walked a few feet towards the ocean, conscious of the waves’ foamy fingers but needing the space to breathe.

“We should go back,” Dex said and turned to gather his equipment.

“No!” I yelled, surprising myself. It surprised him too.

“Sorry, but no. Let’s just go to the lighthouse, plan the shots for the night and get this over with,” I said through gritted teeth. I was not about to let this whole operation turn to shit just because I was having nonsensical episodes. I would not let my imagination—because that’s all it had to be—get the best of me.

“Perry, I don’t know what just happened to you, or where you went, but there is no shame in calling this whole thing off.” He looked earnest and a tad anxious, the way I imagine I looked when I was dealing with Ada. The last thing I needed or wanted was for him to be worried about me.

“It was nothing, Dex. I was daydreaming. All right? Let’s do this.”

“I feel responsible for you.”

“Why? Because you called me up and was all like ‘Oh, hello there, little girl, do you like scary movies?’” I imitated his growly voice and talked into my hand. “‘I was hoping we could make a scary movie together; maybe then I could make some money off of ya. Hope you like to read history books at gunpoint.’”

“That’s a terrible impersonation,” he commented. “And just to set the record straight, there is no money to be made here. Do you think I’m getting any money to do this? I paid for my own gas, I’m paying for my own hotel room, and this equipment is all mine. Do you think you can get rich off of the internet just because you’ve had a few hits on your blog? That’s not how it works. You do this because you want to do this or because you don’t have a choice. And you have a choice, Perry.”

I was abashed at his reply but put on a haughty face. “And my choice is to keep going. Now, I can film myself alone if you’d rather go right now.”

Dex grinned—it wasn’t a happy grin—and shook his head. “Hey, I’m not going anywhere. I can just tell you’ve been unsure about this whole thing from the start, and I’m giving you a way out.”

“Well, excuse me if I seemed hesitant.” I rolled my eyes. Did he have no idea at all what it was like to be in my shoes? I consider myself to be a very easygoing person but that only extended so far. Two days ago I was basking in the glow of having written my blog. Now, I was back at the lighthouse with someone I barely knew and who I was increasingly convinced was slightly “unhinged,” and filming the whole deal—again—hoping to turn it into something for the whole world to see. I thought I was rolling with the punches as quickly as I could.

“OK.” Dex finished stuffing the tripod into the bag and handed it to me. He then offered his hand. “Friends?”

I balanced the tripod with my shoulder and slowly extended my hand. I wasn’t sure if Dex was my friend or not; I wasn’t sure if I could trust him. But there was something that compelled me to be a part of his life, somehow. Even if it was just for two days on this wild west coast.

Ugh. I was doomed.

“Friends,” I said, and smiled shyly.

I shook his hand. His hand was hot, and once again I felt that surge of energy rush through me, creating internal goose bumps. I squeezed his hand to match his firm grip.

Everything seemed to slow down. The waves were muffled; the wind ruffled my hair in a hazy stupor. In my mind’s eye I could see myself, shaking hands on this beach, committing myself to...something.

***

I’m happy to report that the rest of the lighthouse excursion was uneventful. I managed to push my fears out of my head, not letting myself think about the dreams and what it could all mean. It was hard, especially when I felt tiny pinpricks of terror, rooted in some hazy memory, creeping upon me around each corner. I told myself it was merely deja vu from being there only a week ago.

Even though it was light out, the lighthouse was still creepy as hell. Maybe even more so considering you could make out every decrepit line and grey cobweb in detail.

Uncle Al had boarded up the window that I had kicked in but luckily Dex was leaning toward the more rational method of entering via the skeleton key.

The lock on the door clicked open with a satisfying sound. The door itself needed a hefty push or two from Dex, but it swung open with a very dramatic creak that echoed across the room. Dex stepped in and looked around. I remained outside.

“Not coming in?” he asked. “Would you rather stay out here while I go look around?”

The air coming in from the room was stale, as if nothing had breathed in there for hundreds of years. It was as dark as coal and I could only make out the faint outline of a table. But standing outside by myself didn’t sound very safe either.

I shook my head. I gingerly stepped in and coughed at the thick air. Dex pushed the door even further to allow more light and flow inside.

“I guess you wouldn’t have a flashlight on you?” He asked.

“iPhone?” I showed it to him.

He waved it away and looked at the far corner of the room, squinting. “I’m just gonna try that door over there and see if it works. Don’t want any surprises tonight.”

I watched him disappear into the ombre mist of suspended dust particles. I looked around the room, inspecting it. The table was made of oak (or some sturdy tree) and was held up by thick, sculpted legs. I made a brief comparison to my own body build. It was bare and covered with a good inch of slimy murk. The walls were bare and grey, save for a few nautical oil paintings that still hung there, out of place. A stack of chairs and an armoire looked to be in the corner while one wall housed a rusted stove.

I heard Dex wrestling with the lock in the darkness.

“So, tell me,” he said, his voice echoing. “Where did you read about the two women who were aboard the ship that sank?”

I shivered and pushed the thoughts out of my head. “I made it up. Can we not talk about it here please?”

He paused in the darkness for several seconds before saying, “OK.”

The key resumed rattling.

“Bingo!”

I heard the door creak open.

“Great. Can we get out of here now?” I asked. The longer I stood there watching my shadow dance in the dust around me, the more my eyes were starting to play tricks on me.

“You don’t want to check out the second floor?” I heard his voice getting more muffled, as if he was out of the room and onto the staircase of the interior hall. I could see it in my head—the trails of kelp on the stairs. I wanted to warn him to not go up there, to watch his step, but instead I scooted myself out of the building and into the bright, howling wind outside.

I looked up at the sky, eyes wide open and took in the deepest breath I could imagine.

“Sorry.”

I jumped and looked over at Dex, who had come out of the building.

“We don’t have to go up there until later anyway. Though I’m sure there will be enough interesting events downstairs.” He turned and locked the door behind him.

I didn’t even want to begin to think about what “events” could transpire.

CHAPTER NINE

Despite the fact that we would be returning to the lighthouse later that evening, I was especially glad (and relieved) when we came back to the house to find it warm and cozy, with the twins playing video games and a giant mess of Chinese food on the kitchen table.

“Right on time!” Uncle Al exclaimed as we walked in the door. “Please sit, you must be hungry. You’re both pale as...ghosts!” He laughed at that last line.

I managed a wry smile and plopped down in the chair.

“Boys!” Al yelled at the living room, his voice booming. “Put down those video games and come eat your damn food!”

I heard the twins moan from the other room, and in a few moments they appeared, looking bleary-eyed as if they had just gotten up from a nap or a graphic-induced coma.

“Hey, cuz!” Matt slapped me hard on the back. He looked over at Dex then back at me. “This one of the ghosts you found at the lighthouse?” He exchanged a mocking look with his brother.

I rolled my eyes. “Har har. This is Dex. Dex, these are my cousins Matt and Tony.”

Dex gave them a casual salute and nod. “I’d ask which one is the evil one but you’re probably both evil. Am I right?”

Matt and Tony exchanged a worried glance but smiled once they realized Dex was kidding.

Tony laughed and looked at me. “Where did you find this joker?”

“At the lighthouse, sheesh,” Dex joked.

“Boys, sit and shut up!” commanded Al, throwing paper plates down on the table in front of us and keeping his eyes on Dex and the twins. I could tell he wasn’t sure how well his sons would mesh would Dex. Something told me that he had been in a similar situation before. The twins did seem volatile at times, but I didn’t know Dex well enough (or at all) to know what to expect from him either. “Expect the unexpected” seemed to be his life’s motto.

The boys sat down obediently and started scooping mounds of chow mein on their plates.

“Boys!” Al barked again. “The guests eat first.”

He shot Dex and me an apologetic look.

“Don’t worry about it, Uncle Al,” Dex said. I couldn’t help but smile at his choice of words. “Back where I come from, it’s customary for guests to eat last. You know, how like the lioness eats first before feeding her cubs.”

“And where do you come from?”

“Seattle,” was Dex’s sincere reply.

Al laughed. “Remind me not to eat at your house then!”

“Oh, but you’d be missing out. My girlfriend is an amazing cook.” He leaned back in his chair, the smug smile returning. His eyes sparkled brightly. I did not appreciate how much more relaxed, and adorable, he looked when he mentioned her.

“Girlfriend?” Matt questioned and looked over at me suspiciously as he handed over a carton of sweet and sour pork. I gave him a look, trying to let him know that Dex was in no way a love interest to me. “Is she hot?”

“Oh phfff,” I chided him. ”What does that matter?”

Dex looked at me, surprised. “Of course it matters.” He looked at the boys and Al. “For your information, yes, she is.”

Oh geez. Please don’t say it’s Jennifer.

“How hot?” Tony asked, goading him.

Dex pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and took out a wallet-sized photo. He handed it across the table to Tony, who shared it with Matt. I couldn’t see it from where I was.

Tony and Matt’s eyes widened. Even Al looked over and let out a low whistle.

“Seriously?
This
is your girlfriend?” Matt asked incredulously.

“Either that or it’s some random hot girl I’m groping in a photo booth. Still win-win.” Dex grinned, and for the first time I was not charmed by his smile. I felt low. Lower than cave dweller in a really low cave. I busily stuffed food in my face.

“She looks really familiar,” Tony mused.

“Well, she was in Maxim,” Dex announced.

I choked on a piece of pork at the same time the twins cried out “Maxim?!?”

I started coughing, my face turning red. Everyone turned to look at me.

“Are you OK, Perry?” Al asked, about to get up.

I nodded frantically and waved for him to sit back down. This was the last thing I needed.

The boys turned their attention back to the photo, but out of the corner of my eye, I could see Dex was watching me. I refused to look at him.

“Why was she in Maxim? Is she famous?” Tony asked.

“Ever seen the show
Wine Babes
? It’s on the Shownet website but also gets viewed a lot on YouTube.” Dex was still looking at me as he said this.

“No way!” Matt cried out. “I love that show! I mean, I’ve seen it. She’s one of the babes.”

“Is this the video of the girls with wine who recommended what McDonald’s hamburger it should go with?” Al asked. I looked at him, surprised. He gave me an explanatory look. “I don’t even know how to operate the internet half the time, but I’ve seen that show.”

Dex turned his attention to Al (thank God). “You have? That’s excellent! Good to know the demographic is broadening. Yes, that’s my girlfriend Jennifer Rodriguez, and I’m the show’s cameraman and music composer.”

“
She’s
your girlfriend? What the hell are doing with her?” Tony said, looking disgusted and obviously referring to me.

“Hey!” I exclaimed indignantly.

Dex laughed. “Management. Gotta do what the boss says!”