Haunted Read online

  Chapter 9

  The headlights in the distance twinkled like stars in the backdrop of night. I can hear the rev of the engine underneath the still and quiet of the night - crickets chirping and grass rustling in the breeze. My feet are firmly planted on the asphalt. In the distance, you could probably have heard the cows mooing before the car came into sight.

  Its engine grows louder. I just look down at the road, grinding the stray stones under my red Chuck Taylors. I slide my hands in my pockets. When I look up I see the lights are brighter; bright enough to illuminate me entirely. The engine roars so much louder than before, like some wild creature racing through the night. I smirk.

  An explosion of twisting and bending metal cuts through the night. The car having slammed against something unseen just inches in front of me. Glass shatters, spewing everywhere. I can feel the wind from the force of the impact blow against me, rippling my white t-shirt and shooting through my hair.

  I drink in what I imagine is an awesome scene when that same wind blows back my old, navy blue Darkbreakers work shirt, making it ripple in the wind. My name in red lettering on a black patch and red border on my left breast. The emblem on my right bicep of a white sheet ghost emerging from a black biohazard symbol inside of a black triangle with yellow background.

  I can’t help but chuckle while I look down and marvel at the inconspicuous rubber tubing laid on the ground, stretching from one side of the two-lane road to the other. “Jesus Fucking Christ!” Wyatt shouts from the side of the road; his heavy country accent clear and apparent.

  I look over and laugh a little “I know, right?” I bend down and pick up one end of the rubber tubing and start wrapping it from my thumb and around my elbow. “Water, salt and iron shavings. All individually consecrated, bottled in a rubber tube and you’ve got a barrier nothing can get out of!”

  I walk towards Wyatt’s dirty white tow truck while he leans against the driver side fender. The door reads “Redneck Rebel’s Automotive & Giant Robot Repair” in red. Dumb name, but it actually gets him business. Wyatt’s a pretty large guy, bigger than me. Ginger as well, but he keeps his head and face pretty clean shaven. You can still tell by his complexion though.

  His eyes are wide behind his aviator-style glasses, staring at the car. “I think that fucker’s starting to fix itself!” I toss the rubber tubing into the truck and look over at the car. The interior is empty of any driver or passengers. I stand and watch the metal pop and whine as the crumpled fenders begin to slowly stretch back out.

  I nod, “Yeah, don’t get near it. It’ll suck on your bioelectric field to speed up the process.” Wyatt looks back and me, an eyebrow raised, “My what?” I smirk and reach over, patting his chest. “Your soul power, boy!” His whole brow lifts as he gives a nod, “Ah, ok.” I smirk, leaning on the door.

  Inside, I thank God or whatever creator deity there is that helped me put all this on-the-job experience to good use. Nevermind the schooling I had to do to become an occult profiler within the company. They wrote it off as “in-company training.” They didn’t even give me any official certification. I was told I could be tested by most community colleges for it, but I wasn’t about to go through all that bullshit.

  Wyatt and I just lean against his truck and watch as pieces of the car which had shattered and fallen out start to scrape across the asphalt and scoot themselves back into place on the car. Pieces of the headlights reassembling themselves. The bumper strained to straighten itself out. I still think it’s actually pretty cool to watch, even if I’ve seen shit like this for the last nine years.

  Wyatt tilts his head and starts to recognize it as it comes together, “Hey, it’s an old Coronet!” I look over, quizzically “A what-huh?” He smirks and slaps me on the shoulder, “It’s a Dodge Coronet. Looks like a ‘56 coup. Probably a V8, but I can’t tell from here.” I shrug and ask, “Coup means two-door, right?” Wyatt just laughs. I sigh as the car puts itself back together.

  I can’t take my eyes off of it as it starts to resemble something more roadworthy again. I hear Wyatt sigh and move off his truck fender “Well, better hook the fucker up before it runs off again.” I nod and start to step away from the truck. However, this means getting closer to the car as it finishes fixing itself. Wyatt jumps into the truck and starts it up, the lights reflecting brightly off the car’s black paint job.

  Once I step away from the truck, I start to see the blurry figure of a woman in the front seat of the car. It’s as if she just appeared there once I started getting near it, like how a reflection becomes clearer from a different angle.

  She’s sporting a long and wavy mane of golden blonde hair that curiously blends into the black leather bench seat. Her pale white skin almost glows in the darkness. I can’t help myself as I quicken my pace towards the woman in the car. I can just start to see her clearly; her neck line… She was naked!

  “What the fuck?” I mumble to myself. I leap toward the car, grabbing the driver’s side door. No sooner do I do that, the naked woman disappears. Wyatt drives his truck forward to swing around.

  What did I just fucking see? Was it a trick of Wyatt’s headlights reflecting on something in the car? I ran my hand along the door as I tried to rationalize what I’d seen. However, as my hand ran down the door, I couldn’t help but admire the smoothness, the shine from the clear coat of paint atop the black.

  I lean on the door, trying to come up with an answer to what I’d seen. I wasn’t so much confused as I was… disappointed, or even sad that I couldn’t see this woman again. Trying to picture her face became harder.

  She had… blue eyes, right? No, they were green… No, I was right the first time. Her smile, though; that I can remember. Sultry and seductive. Had she been wearing lipstick?

  No, that’s crazy… about as crazy as thinking I’d just seen a naked woman in the front seat of a car that just repaired itself in the middle of the road. Wait! Her breasts, of course I’d clearly remember those. They were small, but perky… an A cup, more likely… possibly smaller B? Her nipples were long though…

  Wyatt rolls past me and I just stay leaning on the door, hoping his headlights will illuminate the illusion again. Wow, I’ve gotta be a special kind of stupid to expect that. Once he rolls past, the sound of his tires rolling on the stray pebbles and loose bits of asphalt echo in the car.

  I lean my head in a bit, sighing heavily in my disappointing reality check. Just as I do so, I hear something inside the car. It could’ve been any number of sounds from the truck; the engine rumbling, the tires on the rocks, the exhaust rumble, maybe even the radio in the truck. However, I swear on my life I heard a woman whisper “Please.”

  Wyatt starts to lower the tow bar on the truck. I look to him and then look back into the car. The gleam from the moonlight hits the dangling trunk key hanging off the ring attached to the ignition key pushed into the starter. That’s when I start to smell it. A fruity kind of smell with a floral undertone. Perfume… Goddamnit, there was a woman in this car!

  I hear the voice again, this time it’s louder “Please!” It begged for me. I can’t tell you how I knew it, but the only way I was going to see her again was if I got in the car immediately. I take a deep breath as my heart starts to pound in my chest. I grip the door handle and open it.

  Wyatt gets out of the truck, watching me as he calls out “Hey!” I get into the car with an air of authority about me. Something starts to pump its way through my veins. I feels good… Great, rather! I slam the door shut and suddenly, you can hear both of the doors locked. I doubt they had automatic locks in the 50’s, but I don’t care at this point.

  My left hand grips the steering wheel while Wyatt calls out again, “Rick, what are you doing?” I can’t help but give a smirk as I mutter to myself “Do you like…” I paused for dramatic effect to no one but myself as my right hand grips the ignition. Turning it doesn’t just start it, but a loud and vicious mechanical roar rattles the whole car. I finish my intended sentence with an almos
t evil smile “...My car?”

  I grab the shifter and throw it into reverse. I stomp on the gas pedal as hard as I can and the tires peel backwards. The squeal against the asphalt sounds like the screams of the damned while it gains enough momentum. Throwing it into first gear, I slam on the breaks and cut the wheel hard to the right. The front end swings 180 degrees. The tires on the asphalt echo through the night, ripping through the stillness of the night like tissue paper.

  I chuckled to myself as I start to haul ass, like I should be. Like I’m supposed to be. The road is dark, but I can see everything. The headlights aren’t even on and I can see everything clear as day! I’m laughing to myself as the adrenaline pumps through my veins. For the first time in a long time, no in forever, I feel real freedom!

  Chapter 10

  Cocaine doesn’t feel this good.

  My heart is pounding in my chest. Left hand death-gripping the wheel while the right swings around the shifter. I’m laying it thick on the gas pedal with every straight away. Hollering at the top of my lungs as I jump every hump in the road. I’m hugging every turn as I drift around it, like some shitty movie. I’m roaring through the night and disappearing just as fast.

  Wait, did I say I’m drifting around every turn? I don’t know how to drift… I don’t even know how to drive a stick! “I’m helping you with that.” She says. I can’t pin her accent, which is a rarity for me. She heard me? She heard me talking to myself? In my head? “You are?” I ask out loud, eyes still locked to the road. Only a few quick glances help me realize she’s in my lap.

  Why didn’t I notice any sort of weight change, or obstruction of my movement? Her legs are across the seat, her toned ass in my lap while her arms are draped around my shoulders. How long has she been here? She’s still naked. Why in the Hell does she have to be naked?

  Why is that my only complaint?

  “How?” I manage to ask. She buries her face in the left side of my neck and begins to kiss it; soft and reassuringly. Her golden hair draped down her side and my shoulder, as if she’s shielding herself from prying eyes. “Just leave everything to me, baby.” She whispers.

  I cut the wheel hard, drifting around another turn. The tires screaming into the night as gravity pushes us both to the other side. She’s gripping onto me, giggling as we do so. Her fingernails are like talons! “Who are you?” I ask. I’m met with another soft giggle and more seductive neck kisses. “I’m Lilith.” She whispered into my ear, trailing her tongue up my earlobe.

  It clicks in my brain, like a flash. I flash back to a specific childhood memory. A 7 year old me asking my uncle, “Why didn’t God make Eve the same way he made Adam?” I wouldn’t get an answer until I was 22, trying not to fall asleep during my demonology class. The first woman God made. Adam’s first wife. The same woman who left the Garden of Eden because Adam wouldn’t serve her.

  I shift into fourth and stomp on the gas again, my hands and feet moving all on their own. I’m getting high off driving like some panicked madman. I’m actually enjoying how little control I have. I’m a passenger in my own body. I’m just along for the ride.

  The infamous Black Betty of Back Road is actually Lilith? I remember the stories in high school; a car that kills mechanics. A black car that tears through the night at top speed. They say it’ll either run you down or make you drive it until it kills you. I thought it was just some gearhead urban legend. I took this case on a fucking dare? That’s the last fucking time Wyatt goads me into anything.

  “I’m not really a car guy, you know? You would’ve been better off with my friend back there.” I quipped with a cocky smirk. She groans, her limbs losing their strength and hanging off my shoulders in response. “Car guys are boring.” She explains, “I’d rather have a tough guy like you. You stood in front of me without a worry in the world. Your eyes have seen death before, I can see it.” I smugly tilt my head with a shug, “Well, I do know what I’m doing.” I’m met with another giggle, “I’m sure you do.”

  “So, you clearly want something.” I blurt out, trying not to show desperation. She slides her cheek up the side of my face. Her arms tightening around me. Her talons running through my hair. “Mmm, I do.” She purrs. I chuckle, sounding as cocky as possible. “So, why don’t we pull over somewhere and start off in the backseat?” She laughs before she runs her tongue along my earlobe again, “You’re already giving me what I want, slick.”

  I growl in frustration, yanking the wheel hard to the left. The tires squeal as I drift the sharp turn, leaning on the car for all she’s got before righting it again. I’ve gotta get her to let me go! The more time that passes, the more I get this feeling in the pit of my gut. I’ve made the worst mistake of my life. If I have to ram this car into a pole and pull my bloody, broken body out of her grip, then I fucking will!

  “You should just stop fighting it, you know.” She whispers, “Shouldn’t we be running away from what's behind us?” The rear view mirror moves all on its own, adjusting so I can see clearly. Like some nightmare straight from Hell, this flood of black ooze is flowing towards us. It’s spilling over itself as it barrels towards the car. This tsunami of ink-like death isn’t just crashing towards us, like some gigantic wave, but there’s something else about it.

  I look closer and see it’s erupting tentacles and tendrils; flicking out with unreal speed, despite their size. They’re quickly wrapping themselves around trees, fence posts, mailboxes; anything it can grab onto for leverage. It’s not just spilling towards us, it’s actually pulling itself forward! I had to look closer, the massive flood swallowing houses, yards, cars and even whole fields in its wake.

  I leaned forward, getting a clearer view in the mirror while pure terror grips my chest. There were eyes all over it! They shifted and knocked into each other, even fusing together before they grew large enough to pop, like they were bubbles only for new ones to emerge anew from under the blackness.

  “Jesus Christ!” I exclaim loudly. I probably shouldn’t have. I press harder on the gas pedal, this time begging my body to drive like a bat out of hell. My eyes darted from the road in front of me and back to the rearview. I couldn’t look away; likening it to the horror of a train wreck. The tendrils were quickly wrapping onto houses, the sheer strength of them cracking and splintering the wood from under the plastic siding. What the fuck does it want? Me? The car?

  The woman, if you could call her that, doesn’t give me any answers. None that are useful, at least. All Lilith does is giggle in my ear, “Don’t you remember?” I bark at her in anger, “Of course I remember that fucking thing!”

  I’m met with more giggles and a sultry tone. “Yes, remember that feeling. The one when you first laid eyes on the Valley. That unsettling feeling in your gut. That feeling that was verified when you ripped it off your shoulder all those years ago.”

  My heart pounded in my chest. What the fuck was she getting at? She calmly stroked the back of my head, juxtaposed by my body spinning the wheel and the tires squealing along the asphalt. She’s whispering “Remember the day you moved here.” I growl in her ear as she hums in mine, “Would you get out of my head and fuck off?” I cut the wheel to the right hard as I drift around another turn. I’m praying to God this thing won’t snag us as I did so.

  Chapter 11

  I remember sitting in the back seat of that ‘88 Cutlass Ciera Mom had at the time. I was leaning on the cooler which took up most of the back seat. It was kinda pushing me against the door. I couldn’t even take a nap, but I guess that’s why they stocked it up with soda.

  The sun was shining overhead, the windows cracked to let the last of the summer air in. It was September; the first week of school that year. However, I was spending my Saturday shoved between a cooler and a car door. Could’ve been considered a rock and a hard place at that point.

  Mom’s boyfriend looked back at me; his glasses gleaming in the sun, a wide grin from behind his salt & pepper mustache and beard. Alan was a slender guy; worked for the post offic
e his whole life. He had long hippy hair under a blue trucker cap; also salt and pepper.

  “Rickie, you’re gonna love Potton!” He said, enthusiastically. He’d always had bad breath, which I think could’ve either been halitosis or the acute alcoholism. I didn’t say anything back; I was too pissed off at the both of them. This was was a “Group Decision” as Mom put it.

  I just leaned my head against the window as we passed through two towering mountains. With the road winding between both of them, I imagined how big of an explosion it probably took to create this pass.

  I’d looked up at the mountain on my side and I felt no sense of wonder or excitement. Instead, it was boredom mixed with frustration. The trees appeared as one messy green blob, broken up by tan, dirt colored shading. If I squinted, I thought I could make out red-colored houses on the mountain.

  No sooner did we get to the other side, Z104 began to sputter and static. It was my favorite radio station at the time. There used to be commercials for it on TV, which showed quick clips of music videos. These clips were intercut with some pale woman emerging out of dark water, saying “Z104.” with a robotic voice.

  I lifted my head off the window and silently looked to the two of them. They couldn’t see me, since they were focused on the road ahead. I was trying to convey my want for another alt-rock station. It was 1999 after all; the greatest stuff came out then. From Greenday to Oasis, Spin Doctors to Metallica.

  Alan leaned forward and took hold of the station knob. When I was in the car, that was a bigger offense than treason, but it had to be done. He started cycling through the stations, coming up on more static than I’d ever heard between stations at the time. Finally, he landed on something that came in clearly. To my annoyance, it had been a country station. “Here we go!” He called out with a cocky growl, “Something to get us in the mood!”