The Halloween Collection (7 page)

OR 13 was ready for its next case.

Tomorrow was Halloween!

* * *

You can read more about Dr. Julie Charmaine and her
strange dream cases in the twisted horror thriller
The
Unnatural
.

Alan Nayes was born in Texas, writes in California,
and will probably die...someplace else.

http://www.anayes.com

“Finally, we can show our true forms.”
Keegan giggled and shook her hips to make the bells jingle.

Keegan, Anna and Lauren had decided to humor
themselves and dress as their true forms for Halloween. Keegan
attached exaggerated elf ears, a short green dress and boots along
with the elf hat. She could pass for one of Santa’s helpers at the
mall. Anna rocked an awesome witch outfit—it was all black but
ripped-up, and, of course, she had a broom. Lauren wore a flowing
purple fairy dress, wings and a magical wand.

“This is hilarious.” Anna laughed. “We spend
our whole lives hiding who we are from humans, and one day a year
we can be ourselves.”

Lauren lived downtown, so they decided to
walk. They wanted to see all the kids trick or treating.

“We probably should have worn jackets.”
Lauren wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed her arms.

“Yeah, but then no one could see our cute
outfits.” Keegan twirled around and laughed.

Anna looked up at the crescent moon in the
dark sky and sighed. “I love this time of year. Halloween is the
best day ever.”

“You know they say this house really is
haunted. I wonder if it will be scary.” Lauren turned to face the
girls as she walked backwards.

“Turn around before you hit Harry Potter.”
Keegan laughed.

Lauren turned to see the group of children
dressed in various customs. The cutest was a tiny girl about two
waddling in a big pumpkin outfit. Her little arms were sticking out
on the sides. The costume was much too big, which only made her
cuter.

“I wish we could get some of their candy.”
Keegan eyed the pumpkins as they walked by.

“Keegan, you are always thinking about food.
Don’t even think of taking candy from a kid.” Lauren shook her
head. “Anyway, back to the haunted house. Aren’t you guys a little
scared?” Lauren bit her lip, her eyes wide.

“It probably is haunted.” Anna shrugged. “We
all know spirits are real. I heard a woman was murdered by her
husband and her ghost still lives in the house.”

“How did he kill her?” Keegan looked at Anna
curiously.

“Well, there are several stories, but the
most common one she was found hanging at a height that meant there
was no way she could have done it herself. It was over fifty years
ago. I doubt it’s a true story.”

“That’s creepy. I think I’d be worried if
her husband’s ghost was haunting the house.”

When they reached the house, the line was
around the corner. A loud scream startled the girls, causing them
all to laugh. Of course there was screaming, it was a haunted house
after all.

“The house does look kinda scary,” Lauren
whispered. She swallowed hard and wondered to herself if this
really was a good idea.

Keegan looked up at the big grey house,
shivering.

The paint was chipping off of the weathered
walls. On the porch, an old rusty swing moved gently as if someone
was in it. Some of the windows were cracked and a couple of
shutters were barely holding on. Leaves floated all over the place
despite the fact the breeze wasn’t very strong.

Suddenly, the screen door opened and slammed
loudly, causing everyone waiting in line to jump.

Someone laughed. “Those are some good
special effects.”

People relaxed and laughed.

An hour later, it was finally their turn to
enter the house. Keegan grabbed a hold of her friends’ arms after
they entered through the main door. Haunting music was blaring and
cobwebs were all over the place. Once they turned the corner a
screeching dude in a zombie mask jumped out at them.

“Wow, that was really pathetic.” Keegan
rolled her eyes and they pushed by the zombie.

Cliché haunted house decorations were
everywhere. Giant cotton spider-webs graced the doorways, while
skeletons that rattled and moaned hung from the rafters. In one
room, a strobe light flickered on walls splattered with red, and in
another, a man dressed as a vampire threw open the lid to his
coffin, startling them. Keegan had to grin at it all.

They came to another room with a long table.
The ghoul behind it motioned for Keegan to come closer.

“Go ahead. Stick your hand in this
bowl.”

The opening of the bowl was just big enough
for a hand. Narrowing her eyes at the girl, Keegan did as she was
told and squealed, jerking her hand out and wiping it on her
legs.

“Eyeballs!” the ghoul cackled gleefully.

“It’s peeled grapes.” Anna sighed, bored, as
she rummaged around inside the bowl.

The girls shared a laugh, relaxing as they
tried the other bowls before moving forward in the haunted
house.

“Ok, guys this is lame.” Anna put her hand
on her hip and stared at them.

“We could make it more interesting.” Lauren
leaned in as if she had a secret to tell.

“What do you have in mind now, Lauren?”
Keegan raised an eyebrow.

“Well, they have the upstairs closed off,
but I bet we could get up there unnoticed. It’s dark in here and
everyone is occupied.”

“I like how you think.” Anna smirked.

No one was paying attention to them so they
casually walked towards the stairs and quietly made their way up.
The stair beneath Keegan’s boot made a loud creaking sound halfway
to the top. It caused them all to giggle nervously.

Once they made it to the second floor,
Keegan laced her arms through her friends’ and they shuffled down
the long hallway, huddled close together. It was dark, but,
thankfully, the glow from streetlights streamed through the windows
giving a little illumination. The frightening music drifting up
from the floor below gave Keegan the creeps.

“Maybe this wasn’t the best idea.” Lauren
gripped their arms tighter.

“Shhh, be quiet.” Anna elbowed her.

A closed door waited for them at the end of
the hallway.

“Should we open it?” Anna asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe we should just go back
downstairs.” Lauren’s voice wavered.

“Let’s just peek in. We can’t sneak upstairs
at a haunted house and just run back downstairs.” Keegan grasped
the handle and pushed the door open.

It was a large, empty area with high
ceilings and a beautiful crystal chandelier that swayed gently
above the center of the room. The walls were wood-paneled, dark and
dingy with several empty, built-in bookshelves.

Anna pushed Keegan through the door and
followed behind her with Lauren hanging on to the back of her
dress. They had only taken a few steps on the scarred, hardwood
floor when the heavy door slammed shut behind them. Jumping, they
exchanged wide eyed looks.

Lauren ran over and tried to open the door,
but it wouldn’t budge. Planting one foot firmly against the wood,
she grasped the antique door handle and tugged with all her
might.

“You’re going to hurt yourself. Let me try.”
Anna pushed Lauren to the side. Wrapping both hands around the
doorknob, she jerked and twisted her body, groaning with the
effort.

“If you guys can’t do it, I’m not going to
bother,” Keegan joked when Anna finally pulled away.

“Guys, we’re locked in a haunted house. No
one would even hear us if we tried to scream over the noise below.”
Keegan wrapped her arms around herself and stared up at the
chandelier.

“Do you think that is where the woman was
hung?”

“Shut up, Anna! You’re freaking me out!”
Lauren inched closer to Keegan.

“I wish we could see better. Try the light.”
Anna reached over and flipped the switch, but nothing happened.

Anna laughed, closed her eyes, and willed
the flames to rise from her palms. “We almost forgot I’m a witch.
Ready made flashlights.” At least there was something she could do.
Anna had just recently gained a mentor to teach her about her
powers. It was a slow process and she had a long way to go.

“Well, use your witchy ways to get us the
hell out of here,” Lauren’s voice cracked as she spoke.

“Wasn’t this your bright idea, Lauren?”
Keegan glared at her and tried the door herself, but it still
wouldn’t budge. She banged on the door and screamed. “Help us!” But
no one came to their rescue.

“At least we can see better thanks to Anna.”
Lauren sounded relieved.

Suddenly, the chandelier started swinging
more forcefully. They watched it with their backs pressed against
the wall. Keegan squeezed tight to Lauren whose entire body
trembled. Anna’s hands were shaking, causing the flames to
waiver.

“If there is a spirit in here, we are not
scared of you,” Keegan loudly proclaimed. She hoped she sounded
braver than she felt.

The door they had just come through open and
shut quickly. Anna let out a scream, her flames disappearing from
the loss of concentration, and Lauren grabbed Keegan’s arm with a
death grip.

Keegan jumped then said quietly, “Ok, maybe
we are a little scared.”

“Please, let us go. We were just having fun.
We didn’t mean to disturb you.” Anna sunk down on the ground and
circled her arms around her knees. “We’re sorry your husband killed
you. My mother is a spirit walker. I’m sorry you have not been able
to move to the other side.”

A beautiful woman materialized in front of
the window. Her long black hair and wan skin shone in the pale
light of the moon shining through the window.

As she floated slowly towards the girls,
they involuntarily moved backwards. “What do you know about me?”
Her voice sounded musical to Keegan’s ears. How could something so
scary be so beautiful?

“We have heard rumors that a woman was
killed by her husband in this house and her ghost still haunts
here.” Anna said meekly.

“That is all?” She sighed and looked up at
the chandelier.

“Although, no one really believes the story.
They think it was made up.” Anna’s voice sounded a little more sure
this time.

“Your mother is a spirit walker?” The spirit
asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

“Yes. She helps spirits crossover after
death.” Anna smiled slightly, thinking of her mother.

“Do you think she could help me?” The spirit
floated closer to the girls.

“How could she help you?” Anna scratched her
head and stared at the spirit.

“She could take me through to the other
side. I have been stuck in this house for over fifty years. The new
owners are boring. It’s not even fun to scare them anymore. I swear
if I have to spend one more day around those bratty kids…”

“Why didn’t you go after you died? What made
you want to stay in this world?” Lauren wondered aloud.

Her jaw hardened and her fists clenched
tightly at her sides. “I wanted to see if my husband paid for what
he did to me.”

“Did he?” Keegan asked curiously.

“No, the bastard got off scot-free. They
wrote my death off as a suicide. I haunted him until he eventually
died of old age. After that, I could no longer cross over. I think
I might have missed my chance. It makes me so angry to think he was
able to cross over and I am stuck here.”

Lauren looked up. “You can’t leave this
house?”

“No, I died here and this is where I have to
stay, since I refused to go when my spirit walker came for me at my
death. I have regretted it for years.”

“I’m going to call my mom, if that’s ok?”
Anna opened her phone and stared at the woman.

The woman nodded her head and Anna called
her mother and explained the situation. Anna closed her phone and
said, “She is on her way over.”

“Why didn’t we use our cell phones to begin
with?” Lauren groaned.

“Because we were too scared to think
straight.” Keegan laughed.

“This is so cool.” Lauren clasped her hands
together and grinned.

“You didn’t think it was so cool a few
minutes ago when you were about to cry.” Keegan nudged her.

“Yeah, yeah, I admit it. I was terrified.”
Lauren smiled sheepishly.

“Well, fairies aren’t exactly known for
their bravery.” Keegan smirked.

“Hey, that is not true. I didn’t see you
tapping into your elfin powers. I think we were all too scared to
think straight.”

“Why did your husband kill you?” Anna
asked.

“He thought I was cheating on him with his
brother.”

“Were you?” They all said in unison.

“Of course not. He was just a crazy
fool.”

Just then Anna’s mother, Jennifer, breezed
through the closed door. “Wow, Anna, your mom is awesome.” Lauren
clapped her hands together smiling. “It’s so cool to see her in her
spirit form.”

Anna’s mother stood before the other woman.
She was just as translucent, although Anna’s mother had a golden
aura surrounding her.

“What is your name?” Jennifer asked
softly.

“My name is Olivia. I am very grateful you
agreed to come see me. Your presence humbles me. I was hoping you
could help me move on from this life? I made a mistake, and I do
not wish to be left here for eternity.”

“This is against regulations. You missed
your opportunity. When death arrives you should not hold onto your
old life.”

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t let go at the time.
The spirit walker explained the rules and I still refused to go. If
I could turn back the hands of time I would. I allowed revenge to
cloud my judgment.”

“Tell me your story Olivia,” the spirit
walker said gently.

The girls listened in awe while the woman
told the story of her life and how it ended at the hands of her
husband.