Echoes From The Past

“Grandma?” She looked exactly as I remembered her. My nightmare where she turned into a creature who wanted to devour me came back. Fear brushed against me, but I pushed it back. My grandmother had lied to me my entire life, but she’d done it to protect me, no matter how misguided. If she were truly the woman I had loved, she wouldn’t hurt me now. And if she weren’t ...

She morphed into the beast from my dreams and lunged towards me. Hunter knocked me out of the way and she dove on him instead.

I moved to help him, but Hunter hissed at me to leave him. “Get your brother.”

“I’ll help him,” Sandra said, throwing herself against the creature impersonating my grandma. I recognized it now as a demon. William must have conjured her to distract me. While Sandra and Hunter struggled with the demon, Penny and I ran further into the room. Carl and Deb were strapped side by side on an altar and Joseph - William, stood over them, a knife raised. On an altar next to them was the emaciated body of Thomas Blake. I could see there was light coming in from an opening on the ceiling. The moon moving across the sky as dawn approached, was slowly moving towards the altars. When it reached the altars, I had no doubt William would plunge the knife, first into Carl and then Deb.

“With their sacrifice,” William said, “two lives will be born anew: mine, as my spirit will permanently bond with Joseph, and Grandfather’s, whose spirit will be released completely and once again resume its place alongside what has been trapped all these years.

“I won’t let you,” I said. The moon was nearly to the altar and I moved to stop him from using the knife, but my feet were stuck. I looked down … weeds had pushed through the ground and were holding me in place.

“I’m sorry,” Penny said, “but it must be me. Carl’s going to need his sister." She paused, her face sad. “I am sorry, Francine.” Then she turned and ran for the altar.

The moon had reached Carl. I screamed as William lowered the knife. The blade plunged into Carl and a chasm between the worlds opened. Then Penny was there, her body coming between Carl and the knife. I saw Carl’s spirit begin to rise from his body, being pulled into the gorge and another coming out … Thomas Blake's. Penny’s spirit emerged from her body and shoved Carl’s towards his and then back in, as she took her place as William’s sacrifice.

On the other altar, Thomas Blake screamed. I could see his soul above him, looking for an entrance to the body, and finding none. Smoke rose from the pile of bones that had once been my great grandfather and he burst into flames. Standing over him was a figure. It glowed bright and stood between Thomas’s spirit and Deb, shielding her from attack. I thought maybe it might be an angel, but I couldn’t see through the light. Debbie rolled off the altar, unharmed and stared at the figure.

I turned back towards Carl. Penny stood with her back towards Carl and she struggled with William. There was a determination in her eyes as she reached into Joseph and began to pull. She was dying, but her spirit hung on long enough. Penny pulled William out of Joseph’s body, and then the two spiraled into the abyss and disappeared. The chasm closed behind them. When it did, the weeds released my feet. I ran to Carl. He wasn’t breathing.

“Please don’t die,” I cried. I breathed into his mouth, wishing I had paid more attention when they taught us CPR in Health Education. Someone touched my shoulder. I turned and Joseph reached to help me up.

“I can’t let him die,” I said. “I have to do something.

Hunter and Sandra came and stood next to Joseph. Sandra was crying. “Let he r…” Hunter pointed and I saw my grandmother… MY grandmother, not the demon William had called. She was the angelic being who had saved Debbie. Debbie stood next to her, crying, and another woman, one I didn’t recognize, stood with them.

“It’s Kira,” Sandra said. “She came through the chasm when it opened. She chased the demon away.”

Grandma bent over Carl and touched him, her hand sinking into his chest. Nothing happened at first and then Carl gasped and his eyes opened. When she was sure Carl would continue breathing, Grandma removed her hand from him and smiled at me.

“Grandma …”

“I love you, Francine. I will always be with you. Here.” Then she touched my heart.

Kira stepped towards Hunter and brushed her hand across his face. Then she kissed him. When she was finished, she took Sandra’s hand. “I will never be far.”

Then she and my grandmother were gone. I don’t know where they went, but I didn’t think I'd seen the last of either of them. It gave me some comfort knowing my grandma hadn’t left me for good. I was feeling sort of warm and fuzzy inside, and a little rumbly. Then I realized the rumbling wasn’t inside me. The ground was shaking. The ground where Thomas had spilled so much blood was beginning to crumble and the mansion was coming down.

“We have to go,” Joseph said.

He was right. Hunter took my hand, I took Carl’s with my other, and we ran.

****

A week later, we all sat in my apartment.

“I’m leaving,” Joseph said. “I have penance to make.”

“You’re going back to …” I pointed upwards.

He shook his head. “I’m too corrupted. There’s a place, a monastery, where I will go live. A place where my failings can’t be used against you or anyone else.”

“William is gone,” I said. “He can’t hurt us anymore.”

“He’s gone,” Carl said, “but he did achieve half his goal. Great Grandfather’s spirit was released. He’s in the world now, and he’ll be looking for a body to breathe his life into.”

“So it’s not over?”

Hunter took my hand. “For now, but we’ll be ready.”

“I own the Corner Shop now,” Carl said. “With Penny gone, I’m going to need help.”

“You know I’ll help with anything you need.” Sandra had been sitting close to Carl. She’d not taken her eyes off him since we’d escaped the mansion. I believe she was smitten, and from the bashful looks he'd been giving her, the feeling was mutual.

“Well don’t think you’re going to be getting rid of me and Francine,” Debbie said. She was digging in my refrigerator, looking for something to eat. “She and I will be there.”

“As will I,” Hunter said. “Trouble seems to find you, so I need to stick around.” I blushed. What was wrong with me? I think I may have even giggled.

Debbie pulled her head out of the fridge and gave me a disgusted look. In her hand, she held a pint of blood. “I’m hungry? You got any real food in here, Vamperella?”

“I’ve got some doggy treats in the cupboard.”

“It’s good to know some things aren’t going to change,” Joseph said. “I’m going to miss this.”

“Will you ever come back?” Debbie forgot she was hungry and hugged Joseph. He didn’t push her away.

“Maybe- I don’t know. I made a mess out of things and put you all in danger. It will be a while, if I do.” After he left. I wondered if I would ever see him again. Then my phone rang. It was Mrs. Roberts from the library.

“Francine, thank the gods you answered. I heard what happened. I know you’re probably not ready to face another evil spirit, but I need your help. There’s … something …  in the Occult section of the library and well … I didn’t know who else to call. It’s got Erica Bennington trapped in there.”

“That’s okay, we’ll be right there.”

I hung up and rolled my eyes.

“Someone else need our help?” Carl asked.

“Of course.”

Things were changing. Ever since word got out about what happened at the Blake mansion, we’d been getting calls for help. And Carl? He may have almost died, but he didn’t. Grandmother, when she’d reached into him, had left something behind, something connecting him to the spirit world a little more than before. He still saw ghosts, but they no longer frightened him. Instead, there was something about Carl that made them a little nervous. Sometimes all he had to do was ask a spirit to leave, and they did. If they didn’t: well, let’s say my big brother could usually get them to change their minds.

“Come on.” Debbie grabbed her jacket and stood by the door, waiting for us. “Maybe when we’re done, we can stop for a bite to eat, or in Francine and Hunter’s case, something to drink.”