Black Hollow: One Man's Curse Read online

  One Man’s Curse

  A Black Hollow Story

  Jennifer Wedmore

  One Man’s Curse

  Copyright 2019 Jennifer Wedmore

  Cover Art by B Creative Graphics

  Formatting by Celtic Formatting

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Ravenna Burroughs thought she was being offered the perfect job in Black Hollow. One that gave her access to the oldest books on magic. Here she could finally find out how to break a curse and fix her family’s magic problems. What she didn’t expect to find…. The family, that her’s cursed.

  Derrick Ainsworth and his whole family were cursed thousands of years ago. Something changed and the curse was setting in earlier and earlier. He wasn’t willing to let another year go by without ending it. He never expected the key to fixing his family began with the descendant of the one who cursed them.

  Derrick is running out of time to save his family from turning into the mindless moaning zombies everyone thinks they are. Ravenna never put a face to the names of the cursed, but now she can’t forget them. She knows time is running out to save those she has come to love. Together they find out what really happened to their ancestors and that one person won't let the curse end.

  Dedication

  I was writing my first book for the O My anthology with that amazing group of ladies when Black Hollow was taking off. I saw on a character list Zombies, and I begged right away for the character to be mine. I knew I wanted to do a twist on the norm and have fun with them, but I digress. I need to thank Cassidy K. O'Connor and Sheri Lyn for not hesitating when I asked for the character. For not waiting to see if I could write before agreeing to let me join the world and for reading and editing my story. The support is always a given but never unappreciated.

  Of course, I can't neglect my mom who reads my books, loves them with me and helps make them the best they can be.

  To my hubby. I never expected so much support when I started this journey. Thank you for everything!

  And to you, the reader, thank you for taking a chance on me. I am shocked every time I read a review or hear from you. You are amazing!

  One

  “Please help me! I need to find something about this curse. Why my family? Who cursed us? Anything! I need help, why won’t you help me?” Derrick paced the aisles of the library and glared at the ghosts hovering overhead. “You gelatinous spectral piles of floating poop, what is your purpose here?”

  Derrick stalked down another aisle. “We need someone who can actually help in here, the damn ghosts just stare at you. Great Uncle Horace doesn’t have time for these games.” Derrick stopped and stared at the ghost who came down his aisle. “Do you hear me? My family is wasting away, I just need someone to help me.”

  The ghost just floated away, never giving any indication he heard or cared. Derrick scanned the book titles and grabbed anything that looked like it may contain something on curses. He walked back to the table in the center of the room, grumbling under his breath. He slammed the pile of books down on the table and glared around. No one was in the room to yell at him and it made him feel better.

  He pulled his chair back and let it drag across the floor, small spiteful things but because he was in a library it made him feel better. He started to sit but was thrown into the table by something slamming into his back. He jerked up and spun around, on the ground was a book. “Are you kidding me?!” Derrick bent down and picked it up. “The Big Book of Manners, that is what you give me when I ask for your help.” Derrick turned around and dropped into his chair and pulled the first book from the pile in front of him. “A Guide to Curses and their Cures, can’t hurt to try this one. I doubt we will be listed other than the curse no one knows anything about.” Derrick shook his head, he had to stop talking to himself or people would think he was going crazy.

  “You know yelling at the ghosts won’t do you any good”. Seraphine announced as she walked to him, “all you are going to get is a book to the back of the head.”

  Derek sighed, “I know but it's frustrating, why won't they just help me find what I need. I keep searching these books and I can't find any answers.”

  Seraphine smiled “I might have something to help you. Ravenna Burroughs is going to be working here at the library, hopefully with her help we can get it organized and maybe find the information you seek.”

  Derrick growled and slammed the book he was scanning on the table. “You want me to talk to her? How can somebody just coming into this library find information that I've been searching for with no luck?”

  Seraphine turned away “Derrick trust me and have an open mind. Ravenna is the key to ending it all,” If you can’t trust a Seer who could you trust. Seraphine had powers unlike anyone he had ever met, she was like the Grandfather of the town, except you know… a woman. Derrick shook his head, that book to the head must have rattled something loose in his head.

  Two

  Ravenna walked into the library and took a deep breath, there was nothing in the world like the smell of books in the morning. She heard voices coming from somewhere in the library and didn't mean to eavesdrop but when she heard her name, she was curious. She moved towards the area she thought the voices were coming from.

  “Excuse me my name is Raveena I'm supposed to be working here today?” Raveena called out, hoping to get their attention easily.

  “Hello my dear! I’m Seraphine, this is Derrick.” Seraphine gestured to the only other person in the room.

  Ravenna smiled, “Please call me Rave, all my friends do. I am excited to be here; Black Hollow is amazing, and I can’t wait to get started.” Rave moved farther into the room, looking at the set up and peeking at the books on the table in front of Derrick. She was curious what she was supposed to help him find, that’s what they were saying when she walked in at least. She glanced up to Derrick and froze in place. “Seraphine may I speak to you in private please?”

  Seraphine frowned but nodded her head. “Sure, let me show you the office where you can keep your stuff. I need to give you the tour anyways.” She turned and started walking away from Derrick. “I will talk to you later Derrick. Have a little faith.”

  Rave followed behind her, she couldn’t stop twisting her hands. It was a nervous habit she had never broken. Seraphine walked around what she assumed was the check-out desk and through a door behind it. Rave followed her and shut the door. “I don't think I can work here.”

  Seraphine gave her a quizzical look “What happened? What's wrong?”

  Rave took a deep breath “You read my application, right? You know who my ancestors are?”

  Seraphine smiled, “yes dear, I know exactly who you are and who your family is. I think this is the right place for you anyways.”

  “You know that my family cursed another’s to be Zombies? That Derek is probably one of those descendants? And you want me to work here and help him? Are you crazy? Can you imagine his reaction to finding out my family is at fault for his being cursed?” Rave knew she was yelling at this point but how could Seraphine think this was a good idea.

  Seraphine’s eyes, one purple and one green darkened. “You
will soon learn I know more than you think. Yes, this is the place you need to be. You and Derek are both searching for a cure to the same curse, for very different reasons of course. I think you need to explain to Derek who you are and together you might be able to fix everyone.”

  Rave paced the office and glanced at Seraphine and then down to the ground. “You know why I am searching for a cure?”

  “Of course, I do. You didn’t mention it, but I figured you would in good time.” Seraphine walked toward the office door. “It’s the reason I hired you. You need something only Black Hollow can provide, and we needed someone to help in the library.”

  “Do you think Derrick will allow me to help? I mean I have my own reasons but it’s in both of our interest to end this.” Rave stared at Seraphine. “Maybe I shouldn’t tell him yet who I am. Let him get to know me before I drop this bomb on him.”

  Seraphine shook her head, “honesty is best, but I won’t interfere anymore.” She opened the door and walked out. “I will be back in a few hours, look around, get acquainted with the library and I will answer any questions then.”

  Rave followed her out the door and stopped. Derrick stood on the other side of the check-out counter staring at her. “Derrick, we need to talk tonight, I will be at the Rotten Meatball at seven for dinner. Please join me.” Seraphine patted his arm as she walked by and left the library.

  “Hi?” Ravenna didn’t know what to say, he was staring at her intensely. Had he heard her yelling? Oh crap!

  “Hello, I wanted to introduce myself properly. My name is Derrick Ainsworth, I am the current owner of the Rotten Meatball. The best Italian restaurant in Black Hollow. Seraphine said you were starting work here and since we had never met, I assumed you were new to town.”

  Rave stared at him, his silver skin was gorgeous and those brown eyes. She could get lost in them. “Uh yeah, I just drove in and came straight here. I was so excited I didn’t want to do anything else.” She realized she hadn’t introduced herself. “I am Ravenna Burroughs, but please call me Rave.” Derrick smiled, and Rave sighed. He was lethal to her nerves and he was going to hate her.

  “Nice to meet you Raven.” Aw, he created his own nickname for her. “I assume you heard me talking with Seraphine when you came in.” Derrick looked down at the desk he was leaning on.

  “I heard a bit, you need help finding something? Did I also hear something about ghosts that throw books?” Seraphine didn’t mention ghosts when they discussed the job on the phone.

  “Come on, I will show you around and tell you a bit more about the town, the ghosts and my quest.” Derrick gestured for her to come closer and she obediently moved toward him. As if he was physically drawing her closer.

  Three

  Derrick felt like an ass, this gorgeous woman stood in front of him and he just stared at her. He didn’t say hi, he didn’t smile, he just stared until she ran away to talk to Seraphine in private. Far away from him. This woman was going to be working at the library and according to Seraphine she could be the key to figuring out the curse. Derrick walked over to the check-out desk and leaned against it. He was going to start over and introduce himself properly. He could hear their voices but not what they were saying, Derrick stared off into space biding his time. The door opening snapped him out of his fog and he looked up to see Seraphine striding toward him.

  “Derrick, we need to talk tonight I will be at the Rotten Meatball at seven for dinner. Please join me.” Seraphine patted his arm as she walked by and left the library.

  “How about we start with the library and maybe I can show you a bit of the town and we can grab lunch… Oh! Where are you staying?” Why was he showing her around? He had a curse to fix, a restaurant to run and a Great Uncle who was wasting away but Seraphine said she was the answer to ending the curse. He didn’t have time for this, but he couldn’t take back the words. He wanted to show her around, you couldn’t live life by ignoring the opportunities in front of you.

  “For now, Seraphine set me up at the Sandman’s Bed and Breakfast. She mentioned there were apartments I could look into if I decided this was a good move.” Derrick turned and headed to the library doors.

  “The apartments are nice, I can show you where they are while we are out.” Derrick stopped just before the door and turned around. “The second floor is the children’s area and fiction books. Down here are the books on magic, paranormal creatures and on the far side are the books that are only available with permission from the caretaker of the library. I assume that will be you now.” Derrick glanced at Raven to get her reaction. She was looking around but had a strange look on her face. “Don’t worry about the books that require permission, the library does a good job of keeping out those who are here looking for something for nefarious deeds. Don’t forget the ghosts, they are more than enough help.”

  Raven nodded her head, ““But, first can we talk. I need to tell you something and you might not like it.”

  Derrick had no idea what this stranger could possibly have to tell him. This intrigued him even more, she hadn’t given any indication she knew him when they first came face to face. “Sure, we can sit at one of the research tables.” Derrick pointed to the closest table and followed Raven over to it.

  Four

  Seraphine was right, honesty was best, but Raven really wanted to put this off and had planned to do that until she took one long look in his gorgeous eyes. She had to tell him now, she couldn’t take the chance of him finding out later and hating her. Why she felt this way, she really wasn’t sure. Derrick pulled out her chair and waited for her to sit, then walked around the table to sit across from her. Raven took a deep breath and clasped her hands together. “So, you are a zombie?” Derrick growled under his breath. “I’m sorry Seraphine told me you don’t like that name. It’s what my family always called your kind and I didn’t know it was offensive.” Derrick stared at her with a look of confusion on his face. She was sure the reference to her family calling them Zombies confused him.

  “We are humans, we may have been cursed by that rat bastard wizard, but we were humans first. Now we just look different and age a lot slower.”

  Raven knew all this, but Derrick wasn’t aware of that fact yet. She had to tell him, their missions aligned and maybe they could fix what her ancestor broke all those years ago. “What do you know about the wizard who cursed your family? Do you know his family name by any chance?” Raven bit her lip and stared at Derrick, so much weighed on this answer. Would he recall it and put two and two together? Would he hate her instantly? Could they work together to end this curse?

  “I know I have heard it in the past, but I can’t recall at the moment. Why are you asking? Did Seraphine tell you about the curse?”

  “My last name is Burroughs, my ancestor many layers back and a few times removed cursed another person. That curse is what turned your family into Zombies.” Before Raven could say anymore Derrick jumped up as his chair hit the floor.

  “Are you telling me your ancestor is the cause of my family's misery? Your family is the reason mine have to watch our loved ones slowly waste away, and turn into mindless, moaning zombies.” Derrick slammed his hands on the table. “Why are you here? You couldn’t get enough torture knowing we were out there, you had to come see it firsthand.” Derrick glared at her, “Get out of my town, I want nothing from you and I will make sure no one else in this town does either.”

  Raven watched him storm out of the library, she leaned down and dropped her head on the table. “Well that went so much better than I expected.” Raven felt a cold gust of air around her and looked up. In front of her stood three ghosts. “Ah so you are the ghosts Derrick mentioned. Well, hi. I am Raven. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” The ghosts looked at each other and floated closer to her. “My family are witches and wizards. We lost most of our powers when my ancestor worked his curse, but we can still communicate with the dead. You can speak to me.”

  She was intrigued when she heard ghosts were in the
library. They weren’t always friendly, but she doubted Seraphine would let them stay otherwise. Seraphine probably didn’t bother mentioning them because she knew her family history. When her great great great great...How many ever greats there were in the lineage Grandfather Malachai put the curse on the Ainsworth family it rebounded and stripped her family of their powers. All they had left was the ability to talk to ghosts. Most of the family worked at funeral homes, cemeteries or as mediums. There wasn’t much else for them to do. They had searched for generations to find a way to end the curse, but sadly no one ever thought to ask the Zombies if they found anything. Hell, Raven hadn’t planned on it either, but Black Hollow had the world’s largest and most in-depth paranormal library. She knew this was the place she could find the way to heal the curse.

  Raven was drawn out of her own musings when one of the ghosts cleared his throat in front of her. “My name is Reginald; my two companions are Matthew and Jessup. It’s nice to meet you ma’am. We are happy to have someone to communicate with after all these years.”

  “Hello gentleman, can you tell me how you came to be in this library?” She was curious why they didn’t move on, what made them choose this library to haunt in their afterlife.

  “We are all scholars, though Jessup is a bit of a jokester. We chose to stay here and continue our quest for knowledge. We have tried to help the townspeople when they come in but the inability to hear us speak has been an issue.” Matthew stared at Jessup and frowned, “Jessup though likes to throw books when he gets vexed. Reginald is sure he can stop this messy habit, but I fear it’s a lost cause, especially when Derrick is in here calling us gelatinous spectral piles of floating poop. Honestly do we look like Jello? We definitely do not look like shit.”

  Raven choked back a laugh, no they looked like floating vapor with a form, if that made sense, but she didn’t want to offend them, so she didn’t say anything. She glanced at the third ghost as he stuck his tongue out and floated away. “We are sorry Ms. Raven, Jessup doesn’t speak but gets his point across as you can see.” Reginald shook his head and floated away.