“I’ll put up some more defenses before I go. It’ll be fine.”
I nod. “Thanks.”
I watch him leave the table as I slump down in my chair. My head is spinning, and I’m really starting to wonder if I can tell the difference between reality and fiction anymore.
Chapter 11
Wilder
After leaving Keagan at my house, I make the short drive back to Beverly to check on the status of his house. By the time I pull into his driveway, I think I have a fairly solid plan in place. I’ll get a read on all the activity in his house, see if there are any low-level spirits I can deal with easily, and then I’ll call Calliope and see what we can do to help Keagan with his problem. Between all that, I have to figure out how to banish the Horror. But if the Horror managed to get the other spirits on its side, that’s going to make my task even more challenging.
I put the car in park, exit, and make my way inside the house. I’m stunned by the destruction around me. It seems that while we’ve been away, the spirits have been having a good time. Just about every book or decorative item has been knocked off the shelves and is lying on the floor.
The energy in the room is thick, and there’s a palpable hostility to it that is unnerving. I rub my forehead. None of this makes sense. I don’t understand how these other spirits got through in the first place or why there’s hostility. It’s just not supposed to be this way.
I walk through the house, surveying all the damage. I’m really not looking forward to telling Keagan what’s happened since we left yesterday, but obviously I’ll have to.
In the kitchen, the cabinets hang open with dishes and glasses shattered on the counters and floor. There are even claw marks on the drywall. What in the hell?
Right now, the house is silent, and I’d bet the spirits were more active at night and are now regaining energy. It’s a good opportunity for me to see if I can do anything to get rid of them.
I make my way up the stairs and back into Keagan’s bedroom, where I last saw the Horror, but it’s eerily quiet, almost as if it’s not here anymore, except I can still feel some lingering energy.
I glance up at the ceiling, noting only a tiny swirl of light.
“Where are you, Horror?” I say out loud, hoping to antagonize it into making an appearance.
But again, I’m met with silence.
“I took Keagan away from here,” I announce, gazing up at the ceiling, “You’re not going to get near him again.”
Nothing happens, which is actually concerning. There’s no way a Horror went back to the Below on its own. So that means…
The sound of crashing glass gets my attention, and I turn to glance over my shoulder.
It’s coming from downstairs.
I hurry in that direction, finding a mirror on the floor that was on the entryway wall when I entered.
“Show yourselves, spirits,” I say aloud, but still, nothing happens. “Come on. You want to show off? Show off in front of me. Let me see you, unless you’re afraid to deal with me.”
Nothing happens except the air around me turning frigid.
“Is that you, Horror?”
Once again, silence. This is so unusual. Normally a Horror can’t wait to flex its power.
As I start to walk up the stairs again, my body feels heavy, my legs like trudging through wet sand. Okay, they won’t show themselves, but I’m definitely feeling their presence.
“Hey, so you guys can’t stay here, and you know that.” I look around the room, hoping to catch sight of one of them, but there’s nothing. The only way I know they’re here is from the coolness in the room. Someone without my skill set wouldn’t even notice anything was off.
“I’m not leaving, so you might as well face me.”
Nothing.
I walk to the chair by the window and sit down in it, waiting patiently for something to happen.
And finally, it does.
