Background
The Maine Paranormal Society has been hired to investigate reports of poltergeist happenings at the notorious Bellingham Estate.
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Dear Reader,
This chapter has been edited from its original submission. If you read ahead to chapters not yet edited, you will be confused. Thanks for reading!
WFD
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PREVIOUSLY:
Slumping backward into the seat, Mia exhaled with force. Her eyes fluttered open. Emma placed a bottle of water in her hands, and Mia downed its contents in several gulps.
Both women remained silent as the Medium struggled to orient herself to the present. Finally, in a voice thick with fatigue, she said, "I saw the murder of Catherine Bellingham's maid. Charles took her to a secret chamber beneath his house. He chained her to a pedestal and tortured her until she revealed the location of his wife and her lover's trysts." Mia wiped an errant tear from her cheek. "The worst part is that I could see that her spirit did not cross over."
She twisted her body to face Emma. "Mike needs to confer with Father Steven as soon as possible. I believe Charles Bellingham was a Satanist, and we're dealing with extremely potent demonic energy."
**********
Bellingham Manor, February 7, 2010
Cascading sensations scored through the nerve endings along Mike’s neck and shoulders. An alien shroud burned into his skull and chest, pulling him from the conversation. He brought a hand up to his forehead in an innate gesture of protection even as unintelligible whispering crawled into his ear and spread itself outward. The words were low, hard, and menacing-- that much he knew. Something’s trying to get me to run.
Mike leaned over--palms on his knees--and took some deep breaths. Luke, like every member of the team, was alert to changes in the respiration or appearance of a partner as warning signals of a possible spirit attachment. He scanned Mike, then looked over his own shoulder as if someone had come along and tapped on it. Looking back at Mike, he asked, "What’s happening?”
"I need to go check on the ladies," Mike blurted. "Fill in the details for Mr. Norris, will you?" Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked towards the van where Emma and Mia waited. Luke shoved his hands in his pockets and watched Mike retreat.
***
Wind shook snow from a nearby tree and swirled around Luke and the contractor. A steam vapor lifted from Luke’s lips. Getting frickin’ colder by the minute. He decided to avoid an explanation for Mike’s bizarre behavior in the interest of time.
"We appreciate you making yourself available tonight, Mr. Norris,” he said. Looking up at the thick gray clouds smothering the moon, Luke shook his head. “Especially in this kind of weather and given what you and your workers are alleged to have experienced.” He paused, hoping Jim would acknowledge the situation, but when nothing was forthcoming, continued. "It's normal for someone exposed to frightening paranormal experiences to avoid the location of such an event."
Jim Norris was yet to meet his eyes. His focus appeared to be on the scene playing out at the van. Short of spinning the man around, there was little Luke could do.
Thrusting a thumb in the direction of the van, Jim Norris said, “Something’s sure spooked your friend.” He flicked the end of the cigarette resting between his fingers, causing red dots to flare and die. His eyes were masked, but Luke could feel the full force of the man’s scrutiny as he added, “Sort of like when you shiver ‘cause someone’s just walked over your grave.”
Startled by the man’s accurate perception of the situation, Luke made the decision to relate the full story of what had been happening ever since they’d arrived from Bangor. He leaned his back into Jim’s SUV which afforded him a view of both the courtyard and his teammates. A sideways glance revealed Jim to be standing pretty much where he’d been ever since stepping from the vehicle.
“I think you deserve the straight story of what’s gone down since we arrived this morning. We believe a member of our team was the victim of a spiritual assault while interviewing Jenkins Porter at his cottage. The unprovoked attack caused her to fall, resulting in a mild concussion.”
The contractor took a long drag on his cigarette then tossed the butt across the hood of his car. “Porter’s as crazy as they come. Maybe he gave your friend a shove to scare you off.”
Luke bounced the heel of his boot against a tire. “That would be viable were it not for the fact he was passed out in his bedroom.”
Jim pulled gloves from his pocket and focused his attention on getting his hands into them.
"Whether or not you believe in ghosts,” Luke persisted, “you can see why we no longer trust the caretaker to be of any assistance in this case. If he’s under the psychic influence of Charles Bellingham's spirit, as we believe, he'll do whatever he can to obstruct our investigation. That's why we've called you in."
“Look, kid,” Jim said, “I’m here because my employer insisted I help with your investigation.”
Luke didn’t care for the man’s tone nor the inference of immaturity. Play it cool. We need the jerk.
“Furthermore,” Jim continued, “Jenkins Porter is a no-account, miserable drunk--like his daddy and grandaddy before him. But, the idea he's possessed by the spirit of a dead man--well, I can't say I buy into that demonic crap."
Holding up his hand to head off Luke's protest, he continued, "I'm going to tell you the facts of my crew's experiences and what I know first-hand. What you ghost hunters decide to do with the information is not my concern. I'm here to do what I've been paid to do... get to the bottom of what's going on and complete the renovations."
Luke sensed the axis of control was in Jim’s hands. He came across as a man used to giving orders he expected others to follow without question. Rather than provoke an argument with a valuable resource, Luke relented and allowed the contractor the appearance of calling the shots.
"Give me ten minutes lead time before you collect your team and meet me at the main entrance.” He looked toward the house. “I’ll need to get to the main fuse box and turn on the power."
***
Pain formed a tight band across Mike's forehead. He focused his concentration and called on his ability to produce endorphins at will. He released a deep breath as the pain responded.
Moving quickly towards the van, he was anxious to confirm his intuition that Mia was also under psychic attack. Just as he reached the side of the van, its rear door flew open.
"So sorry, Mike.” Emma gasped. “Didn’t mean to bash you with the door.”
Words tumbled from her in a stream, "I was just coming to get you. Mia's had a vision. Bellingham was a Satanist—she thinks we’ll need the help of a demonologist. Plus we both saw an apparition in one of the upstairs windows--which I'm pretty sure I captured on film.”
Mike nodded his head in response, and moved around Emma to the other side of the van. He pulled open the door and bent his torso to Mia’s height. “I can have Luke drive you back to the Inn. From what I just experienced, added to your vision, we’re dealing with a super nasty entity.”
Mia reached to take Mike’s hands in her own. They held onto each other, absorbing the comfort of their shared faith and affection. “You’re shaking, Mike,” Mia said. “Tell me what happened.”
Squatting down, Mike rested his knees against the van for support. "I was talking to Jim about our mission for this evening, when I felt something slimy on my skin, and then I started to black out. I knew the energy was demonic—for a moment I was filled with utter dread. Thank God I was able to block whatever it was, but I sensed you were undergoing a similar attack."
Mia's eyes assumed a haunted look. “It was horrible. I don’t know that I’ll get a wink of sleep tonight. As bad as it was, though, I've got a better grasp on what exactly we're dealing with here, Mike."
They pulled apart as Luke and Emma approached from different directions and formed a tight circle outside the vehicle. Luke punched Mike on the arm and said, “Dude, you took off like your feet were on fire. What gives?”
Mike's mouth was pinched at the corners and his face was grim. “Felt something trying to take over my mind. Had to get some space to deal with it.”
“That’s what I figured,” Luke said. “Norris thought so, too. You know, he’s a pretty sharp guy. Though he’s not on the same page as we are when it comes to believing in ghosts.”
“Where is he now?"
“He’s gone ahead to activate the fuse box and wants us to join him inside as soon as we can gather our equipment."
"Time to roll,” Mia said, accepting Mike’s hand to help her from the van.
“The offer holds, Mia. Don’t push yourself so far that you’ll do permanent damage.”
“I’m not backing down.” She looked into the eyes of each one of her partners. “We all need to take extra precautions tonight. Remember to call on St. Michael at the first sign of trouble.”
“Yes, Ma'am,” Luke answered for all of them.
The team spread out to complete their respective duties. With a flow smoothed by experience, they gathered equipment from the rear of the van: static night vision cameras, a video camcorder, portable flood lights, and digital voice recording devices. Led by Mike and Luke, they approached the front door of the Manor.
The gabled roof above the entranceway—lined with foot-long icicles--had kept the snow from gathering on the walkway. Mike turned the knob of the massive oak door and felt it give. Just as he crossed the door’s threshold, a shotgun blast reverberated in the distance. Mike's arm swept up and back, forcing Mia and Emma out of the open doorway.
"Holy Mother of God!" Luke yelled. "Where'd that come from?"
~~ to be continued ~~
Author Notes
Dear Reader,
As I am editing this series from its original format, you'll be confused if you read ahead.
Thanks for your interest and time!
WFD
MPS team members:
Emma Barlow: Team historian and investigator.
Luke Chadwick: Technical support and investigator.
Mia Langley: Co-Founder and Trance Medium
Mike Peterson: Group Founder.
Other Characters:
Jim Norris: Building Contractor in charge of the Estate's renovations.
Jenkins Porter: Estate caretaker.
Terms:
Demon: A non-human entity.
Endorphins: Endogenous morphinelike proteins found in, primarily, the brain
Paranormal: Not scientifically explainable
Psychic/Medium: A person sensitive to non-physical or supernatural forces, including the deceased
Satanist: A follower of Satan
Static Night Vision Camera: A camera used for paranormal investigating at night.
Thanks so much, Angelheart for the use of the perfect artwork.
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