A Little Spooky (Small Town Lovers #7)

Bram 8

I’d hoped to be dancing with Luna right about now, getting a little shit-faced, and continuing where we’d left off. Instead, we were ghostbusting. Which was cool and had to be done. Still, if it had been up to me, it could’ve waited a day or two. Why Luna needed to do it tonight baffled me. Then again, I loved her tenacity and desire to get this thing resolved quickly, even before the casket races.

Freddie returned with all our lighting equipment, as another storm raged outside, and the evil ghost decided to play tricks on us.

As we walked closer to the playroom, another breeze blew through the hallway, only this time, a few of the other room doors slammed shut. Plus, this time, the breeze blew up the stairs, instead of coming from Carrie Ann’s bedroom.

I thought the front door might have blown open again, but I also knew we were playing with ghosts, and ghosts had their own unworldly plans.

“This is a first,” I said as tension gripped my stomach. “Normally, it’s just the playroom door that slams.”

“Whatever evil force that’s haunting this place wants us to leave,” Luna said. “Let’s lock ourselves in the playroom. We might be safer in there.”

“Safer?” Freddie asked. “How can it be safer to lock ourselves up with a ghost we’ve been avoiding since we were kids?”

He had a point.

“I have a feeling it’s not Carrie Ann who’s pulling all this shit,” I told him. “I think Luna’s right. It’s that demon ghost trying to scare us away so we don’t tell her the truth.”

“That sounds reasonable,” Vince said, as I walked in next to Luna, wanting to protect her. We all were, for that matter, only we couldn’t admit it. She always told us she didn’t need protection, but every now and then, we’d find ourselves in a situation where a few male hormones came in handy.

This was one of those times.

We were dealing with supernatural forces. Physical strength didn’t compare… still, I liked to pretend that it mattered.

Luna led the charge to the playroom, holding her dress up as she walked. The dress was way too long in her bare feet. I loved it when she went barefoot. She had the prettiest feet I’d ever seen.

When we arrived, Freddie went to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. “What the hell! Is it locked?”

“I never lock that door,” I told him. “I have a master key, just in case. Let me try.”

Vince shoved the skeleton key into the lock, turned, and grabbed the knob, but nothing happened. “It’s like something is holding the door closed, which is impossible considering it opens out and not in.”

He pulled on it again. Nothing. It wouldn’t budge.

“I think it’s time you stepped in, Luna. Try talking to Carrie Ann through the door,” Vince told her.

Luna took his place. “Okay, here goes.” She cozied up to the door, then tapped on it, as if a person was on the other side. “Carrie Ann? If you’re there, I think I know what happened to you. My name is Luna. I met your real cousin tonight. Her name is Henrietta Darling Cruz. You and she have the same grandmother, the woman you wrote about in your journal, Chantel Darling. She’s your mother. Your real name is…”

Loud sobs echoed through the hallway. Then something pounded on the playroom door, and it wasn’t Luna. She immediately jumped back as the door vibrated and moved with each loud boom.

It sounded as if someone or something was trying to get out.

The sobs grew louder and louder.

“What the hell?” Freddie whispered, pulling Luna further away from the door.

“The crying is coming from inside the playroom,” Luna said. “It’s breaking my heart.”

“Let us in, Carrie Ann,” Vince pleaded. “Please, open the door. We have something to tell you.”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The entire house rocked this time, from the thunder outside and the banging inside.

The sobbing stopped.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Luna squealed and buried her face in Freddie’s chest, while he encased her in his arms. “What the hell is that? Where’s it coming from?”

“It sounds like it’s coming from somewhere inside the house, or even that the entire house is making that noise,” I answered, apprehensive over the situation we had put ourselves in.

“I think it’s coming from the front door, like it did yesterday. This evil menace likes to bang on the door and blow it open,” I said as a harsh wind blew up the stairs, dragging leaves, twigs, dirt, and rain inside. The onslaught was so forceful, we could hardly stand up to it.

We were suddenly getting soaked and pelted with crap from the storm outside. Like we were standing directly in front of the open door, instead of on the second floor, tucked down a long hallway.

When I turned into it, the wind was so strong, I had to fight to keep my footing. I grabbed hold of Vince’s arm, and he did the same to mine. Freddie had moved Luna behind him and grabbed hold of my other arm. We stood in front of Luna, sheltering her from the onslaught of wet debris that pelted us so hard, it stung in a million different places.

“What the fuck is happening?” I yelled.

“I don’t know, but it won’t break us!” Freddie screamed over the roar of the wind.

We held onto each other even tighter.

“Fuuuck!” Vince screamed.

I watched in horror as each time something hit me, it pierced my body, and blood shot out. It did the same to Freddie and Vince, ripping us apart with razer cuts, until there was more blood than water swirling around us. I could barely keep my eyes open, and when I gazed at my two best friends, their faces were grotesquely slashed with blood spraying everywhere. The vision sickened me, but I never let go, and neither did they.

Luna sobbed with fear behind us. I knew how much she hated the sight of blood, so all I could think of was how we could shelter her from this.

“Don’t let go,” I ordered, feeling as though this might be it for us. That this monster might destroy us. “Hold fucking on, no matter what! Luna, don’t look. Turn around. You don’t want to see this.”

“Oh my God! What’s happening?” she yelled.

“Turn the fuck around,” Freddie ordered, and I saw her move to face the door.

Fear of a horrendous death consumed me. My heart raced, and adrenalin shot through my veins. We were getting shredded by a force too evil to control. I wanted to give up, but I knew I couldn’t, not as long as Luna depended on me to keep her safe. Not as long as my best friends held on. If they held on, I would hold on as well, no matter what this hellion threw at us.

The wind howled, as if it had a life of its own. As if it hated us and was purposely trying to destroy each of us to get to Luna… to get to Carrie Ann.

We locked our arms in even tighter and stood closer to shield her, to protect her, to keep her from this vile evil force.

Our blood oozed down our legs and arms and pooled on the floor around us, splashing back up on us with the force of the wind. If this kept up, we would all die soon, and they’d find us lying in our own blood, together, forever haunting this evil building until one day, someone tore it down and laid waste to the haunted grounds.

It was right when I didn’t know if I could do this for one moment longer when Luna screamed so loud, my only thought was to continue to keep her safe for as long as I could stand, until my last breath.

“We’re not afraid of you!” she yelled, her body pressed up against mine, her arms wrapped around my waist. “Go away! Boris and Carmen, go away! You don’t have any power here anymore! We know the truth. Carrie Ann isn’t your daughter. She was never your daughter. You took her away from her mother, her father, from her sister and brother. You tried to make her your own, but she was never yours. Her name is Matilda… Matilda Darling. Her mother was Chantel Darling. She had a brother named Hank, and sister who still loves her, named Henrietta. Matilda knows the truth, now. We all know the truth, so go back to hell. Leave this house forever! Your power over Carrie Ann has vanished. It’s fucking over! Now gooooo!” And she threw her headlamp down the hallway, where it bounced off the wall and shattered. The light dimmed slowly, like the thing had life and was now dying.

I thought about how much I loved this brave woman. How much I loved Vince and Freddie. How I would lay down my life for any one or all of them. At once, I knew that none of this was real. Like a voice in my head told me this was all a mind game. It wasn’t real.

The blood.

The wind.

The rain.

None of it.

It was all some sort of elaborate mind game. A ghostly trick.

I felt my own scream forming in my throat, and when I closed my eyes for a moment, to gather my strength to tell this devil from the bowels of hell, to leave, everything changed.

The wind abruptly stopped, and I partially opened my eyes.

The debris vanished.

The blood was gone.

When I completely opened my eyes, everything seemed normal.

The lights were back on, and we were dry once again.

We continued to stand arm in arm for a few more moments, each of us were too unsteady to move.

Even the thunderstorm had stopped.

Then, in the very next heartbeat, Carrie Ann’s door slowly creaked open, and we were surrounded by the scent of roses.

“Do you guys smell that?” Luna asked in a whisper, as she continued to hold onto me.

“Roses,” Freddie said.

“The scent of roses,” Vince echoed.

I was still too shaken to speak, and as I slowly slipped my arms free, emotions surged through me, and I couldn’t help the tears that flowed down my cheeks. Luna came over and gave me a warm, tight hug, then Freddie embraced us, along with Vince.

We just stood there like that, loving each other as the strong scent of roses engulfed us.

Then, before we could get ourselves untangled, a high-pitched giggle bounced off the walls, and as it did, we couldn’t help laughing right along with her.

“You’re free, Matilda,” Luna finally said, as she turned away from us and bravely walked into the playroom. “You’re free to join the people who love you… the Darling family.”

The room lit up from within with a warm, golden glow. The laughter increased for a moment, joined by another woman’s laughter. In the next moment, they were both gone, and I knew Stoker House would be fine now, and we’d be fine as well.

WE SLEPT THAT night, like kittens, all curled up in the library under our blankets, in front of the fireplace. We were too exhausted to drive to our apartments. Plus, none of us wanted to sleep alone. Once we curled up, we never moved until dawn touched us gently on the shoulder and reminded us that life could be wonderful, as long as you got rid of the demons first.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw Luna’s beautiful face, albeit still green from her makeup, but beautiful, nonetheless. I thought about how great it was to wake up next to her. She wore my white shirt and black lace panties. I knew about the panties because I saw them when she slipped out of that smoking-hot red dress and pulled on my shirt. The best part was that she never quite buttoned the shirt, and her lovely, full breasts were completely exposed to me. Oh, how I wanted to reach out and run my hand over that soft flesh and feel her nipple between my fingers, but I knew it wouldn’t be right.

Still, I couldn’t help but take her soft curves in, as my cock ached for her.

When her eyes popped open, all I could do was smile.

“Morning,” she whispered.

“Morning,” I repeated, tucking the pillow under my head.

Freddie lay directly behind her, his arm lying around her middle. Vince had moved up to the sofa. I’d thought about it, but I was so glad I hadn’t, or I wouldn’t have awoken to such a beautiful view.

“You should know, your shirt’s wide open,” I told her as I stole another look.

“And do you like what you see?” she asked in a low voice.

“Very much so,” I said, fulfilling my dream by reaching over and sliding my fingers down the curve of one breast, then the other. “You’re lovely.”

She smiled. “I’m green.”

“And a very pretty green it is.”

“Umm, that feels nice,” she said, as I gently rubbed one of her pearly nipples, not truly believing I was touching her.

“Yes, it does,” I told her, as my cock swelled to a full-on erection.

“A nice way to wake up,” she said, as she reached over and ran her fingers down my chest. “I hope you didn’t get cold without your shirt.”

I flicked my shirt completely off her breasts, so I had the full view of her flat stomach and panties as well. “I’m fine now.”

Her fingers tracked down my chest, and mine did the same on her body, getting closer and closer to her pussy.

“You look fine, especially your dick. That looks perfect.”

Her words took me by complete surprise. “Did you just compliment my dick?”

“I did.”

“Were you always this dirty, or does it have something to do with what happened in this house last night?”

She bent her leg up. “I’m so turned on in this house… in this room. I don’t know why.”

I ran my hand right over her sweet mound, like it was a magnet, and I had no control. I felt the moisture through the thin fabric of her panties.

“You’re starting something that I’m going to want to finish.”

“I hope so,” she whispered, as she ran her fingers under my boxers and found my hard cock.

“But what about Freddie and Vince?” I wanted to know if we should go into another room.

“What about them? Let’s let them sleep,” she said, and she slid closer to me and away from Freddie. He stirred, but then he turned over on his other side, hogging the blanket.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I told her, as I moved my hand under her and pulled her in closer. “There, that’s much better.”

“Much,” I said, while I raked her hair off her face, then kissed each of her eyes, her sweet nose, and crushed my lips on her mouth.

She wrapped her leg around my hips, and I wanted to yell out with excitement. I couldn’t believe this was happening.

“You realize we can never be just friends again,” I said, staring into her crystal-blue eyes.

She nodded. “Lovers is a much better term.”

I chuckled. “Much better. You know I’ve always loved you.”

“Same here, but I love all three of you.”

I hesitated for a moment, then I said, “Even better.”