Talking With The Dead Part 9

Michael climbed out of the car, staring off into the woods.

They were parked in front of a dark quiet cabin. "Fis.h.i.+ng rental. I've had to come out here a few times. People lose their keys, set the grill on fire...one woman locked her husband out because he'd spent five hours out on the lake and left her here alone."

He didn't say anything, tucking his hands into his pockets, as he looked off into the distance.

"We'll have to hike it from here. I'm not exactly sure where we are going. The lake is through this stand of trees. Jake's cabin is north of us, set back a little from the lake's edge." Daisy unlocked the trunk, digging out two flashlights and tossing one his way. "I'm not sure where. We're going to have to hunt for it."

He caught it automatically without ever looking her way. Softly, Michael said, "I can find it."

"You can find it," she repeated slowly. Daisy closed the trunk and turned to look at him. "How can you do that?" she asked quietly.

"I feel it. Let's go."

Michael smiled a little as he heard her disgusted sigh. But then, he lost track of her, of the night, of the trees. Everything faded away as the voices of the dead rose in the night around him. Not all of them had pa.s.sed on. Some weren't strong enough-it took a lot of strength for a dead person's soul to be able to cross the veil that separated life and death. The trauma alone weakened them. But being here, this close to where their lives ended, Michael felt them.

The maelstrom of emotion pulled at him. His jaw clenched as he waded through it-like wading through waist-high mud. And the closer he got to his goal, the more his own anger grew.

There were a h.e.l.l of a lot more than four victims. Mike felt the brush of so many souls that he lost count of them all. But there were dozens. He'd been killing for years.

Tanya felt him.

"You found me..."

Focusing his thought required too much effort. Out loud, he said quietly, "I told you I would."

Behind him, Daisy said, "Huh?"

He shook his head and continued to talk to the ghost. She hadn't fully manifested yet, but she had crossed over. Her own anger and pain had fueled it and soon, it would be too late. If he didn't help her move beyond this soon, she'd become one of the few things he did fear.

Poltergeists were the only ghosts that could cause harm. Their rage empowered them with a strength that was easily five times that of what they had in life. Guiding a poltergeist into the hereafter wasn't easy-Michael had done it before, but only twice. "I told you I would," he repeated, just as much to rea.s.sure himself as her. "We'll stop him."

"You'd better hurry. There's another woman here. I can't watch this again, Michael. I can't-something is happening inside me. I don't know what it is, but I can't control it. Every time I look at him, I feel so angry, I don't even know myself."

Behind him, Daisy asked quietly, "Michael...? Who are you talking to?"

"Tanya, don't you think you should be angry?" he asked as he jumped over a log. Turning, he held out a hand to Daisy only to find her staring at him with dark, troubled eyes.

"You're a spooky b.a.s.t.a.r.d, you know that, O'Rourke?" she said flatly even as she accepted his hand. She let him help her climb over the fallen tree that reached nearly to her waist. She dusted her hands off and muttered, "A very spooky b.a.s.t.a.r.d."

Slanting a grin at her, he turned back to the path and focused once more on Tanya. Nothing like trying to play a counselor to the deceased. She didn't need to try to suppress that rage-that didn't work. She had to let go of it if she wanted to move on. But they couldn't let it spiral out of control either.

"Angry...yes, I have a right to be angry. But not at her...and I scared her. He came in with her-and I lost it. Now she's just as scared of me as he is. And what did she do? Nothing. The only thing she did was be stupid. We were both stupid..." Tanya's voice and presence faded from his mind.

Michael stopped in the middle of the trail and tried to center his attention on what was around him, instead of what lay before him. Daisy stood behind him, her breathing soft and steady, but he could feel the tension rolling from her in waves. "We're close," he said quietly.

Daisy laughed-it was a high, wild sound. Her eyes were dark and terrified in the pale circle of her face, but he didn't once wonder if she would be able to handle this. "I figured that out while you were carrying on conversations with the dead. You couldn't have given me a warning about that, either?"

A bitter smile curled his lips and he looked at her. "My life is a little too weird for any warning label to cover it," he murmured. And that realization made him feel very, very bitter.

Adrenaline pulsed through him. Fear ate away at him, but he shoved it aside. He had to hear it, had to feel it-the screams weren't the same unless he felt her flesh. Until she struggled.

And it wasn't right when he was afraid.

He wouldn't be afraid once he touched her. His hands were clumsy as he went to work on her clothes and he hated it. He wasn't supposed to be afraid. It wasn't right.

At least she had finally shut up. Jake still couldn't believe that b.i.t.c.h had caused him this kind of trouble-haunting him. How could she haunt him? They'd grown up together...

A wild laugh escaped him as he cut away the soft pants that clung to Sandy's body. The sight of the cloth falling away calmed him inside. He could focus again.

The shaking in his hands eased and the roaring in his ears faded away, letting him focus on her fear. As he ran one palm down her thigh, pleasure spiked inside him. This was better. So much better.

He liked how she looked in them. They clung to her a.s.s and thighs, then loosened, draping around her lower legs. She had such a pretty a.s.s. He wanted to untie her ankles and turn her over, stare at her soft white curves, but he couldn't get careless right now. No-not now. Can't cut her loose-she'd wake up soon. Sandy had pa.s.sed out, scared to death after she had been here. Wouldn't do for her to wake up and be half free.

Still, he slid his hands under her and cupped her a.s.s, molding the soft, firm curves. Sandy moaned and Jake felt the antic.i.p.ation roll through him. Blood pulsed hot and heavy through him, pooling in his groin. His p.e.n.i.s felt thick and hard. Pus.h.i.+ng up on his knees once more, he used his knife to cut away her panties.

Her lashes started to flutter open just as he reached for the b.u.t.ton of his khakis. Lowering the zipper, he smiled at her, knowing that would be the first thing she saw.

"Jake...?"

He smiled. They were always confused at first. "Hi, Sandy." Covering her body with his, he kissed her.

She struggled to turn her head. "Jake-what are you doing?"

Fear started to crawl into her voice and he could see it when she started to remember. Her body tensed as she struggled, but the ropes only had so much give. He tied them so that she could move just enough, so that he could spread her thighs wide if he wanted. He usually preferred to keep their legs together when he mounted them. It was tighter that way. And he could feel them struggle better.

He donned a rubber before he covered her body with his. Ducking his head, he whispered into her ear, "Scream for me, Sandy."

A sob escaped her. "d.a.m.n it, Jake, what in the h.e.l.l are you doing?"

Daisy stared at the car with a heavy heart.

It was Jake's work truck. It was parked in front of the cabin and judging from the worn path, Jake came out here on a fairly regular basis. She didn't want to think about what he did out here.

The windows were covered with thick wooden shutters, but she could see light seeping under them. A perfect place for a crime-they were far away from the nearest neighbor. Sound would carry on the water, but his cabin was far enough back from the lake that it would dampen the sound. Far enough back that it wouldn't be seen. The shutters would silence even more sound.

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d," she whispered, starting to move past Michael.

He caught her arm, trying to push her behind him. That was when she saw the gun. Narrowing her eyes, she whispered, "I really hope you have a license for that."

Michael just c.o.c.ked a brow at her.

Of course he had a license. He was a f.u.c.king FBI agent. So what if he didn't exactly look like one. Daisy hissed out a breath. Still, this wasn't his job. It was hers. The women Jake had killed, they were hers. He started forward and she grabbed his arm, jerking on him. His eyes met hers and she shook her head furiously.

He glared at her.

Daisy just glared back and then she shoved in front of him, drawing her gun and holding it in a loose grip by her thigh. She heard him sigh behind her and she grinned. Nice to be the one frustrating somebody for a change.

She could hear voices now, m.u.f.fled, too indistinct to really make out. The walls were soundproofed or something. Daisy ought to be able to hear him better than this. Done to keep anybody from hearing the screams. d.a.m.n it. They were on a slippery slope here and she knew it. Jake had a woman in there, one he was planning to kill and Daisy had absolutely no legal reason for being out there.

Somehow, she didn't think it would fly if she explained to a judge and jury that the reason she arrested Jake was because a psychic had told her that Jake was a killer. Going on the word of a psychic who worked for the FBI might sound cool, but it wouldn't hold up in court. h.e.l.l, it wasn't enough for a search warrant.

She'd had a vague plan, finding some kind of evidence to implicate him, plant it if she had to, something, anything, whatever it took to stop him.

Instead, she had a killer on her hands, no reason for being here, and h.e.l.l, yes, she could arrest him, but other than a.s.sault-all those thoughts cluttered her mind as she drew closer to the front door.

Get her out of there now-details later...

Just barely she could hear a soft male laugh. A woman's terrified cry. "...what in the h.e.l.l are you doing..."

She stepped back but before she could even look at him, Michael had guessed what she wanted. He busted the solid wooden door down with one swift kick and stepped inside. Daisy followed, her gun focused on Jake's head. "Yeah, Jake," she said flatly. "What in the h.e.l.l are you doing?"

He lay sprawled atop Sandy's pinned body, his khakis shoved low, the rest of him clothed. He rolled away from her, jerking his pants up, and Daisy saw him grab the gun on the table by the cot.

"Put it down, Jake."

He laughed as he crouched on the floor behind the cot, keeping Sandy's pinned, terrified body between them. "h.e.l.lo, Daisy." Something black and ugly filled his eyes as he looked at Michael. "I don't think I will put it down. You need to put yours down, though. Otherwise..."

Nausea churned in her gut as Jake lowered his head and pressed his lips to Sandy's brow. Then he replaced his lips with the gun's muzzle. The cold, matte black metal pressed into soft white flesh and Daisy could see Sandy's flesh give way as Jake dug in. "You put your gun down, Daisy. Otherwise...she won't leave here alive."

Daisy shook her head. "You're talking to another cop here, Jake."

Jake barked out a laugh. "A cop? h.e.l.l, I'm a second rate deputy in a second rate town, playing Barney to your Andy. Stuck here in Mayberry, practically. I don't see myself as the next shoo-in for Law & Order."

He c.o.c.ked his head, trailing the fingers of his other hand along Sandy's body. She whimpered, cringing away from his touch, turning her head and staring at Daisy with wide, terrified eyes. "Now, put the gun down-both of you."

A soft chuckle drifted through the room.

Daisy s.h.i.+vered at the sound. That wasn't Michael-and by the look on Jake's face, it wasn't him either. It was soft, feminine and scary as h.e.l.l. When the voice came, it took everything she had in her to keep from dropping the gun and flinging herself at Michael in terror.

"Guns...why are you so worried about guns? That's not what killed me."

Jake shoved away from the cot, staring around the cabin. His eyes were wide, almost black in his suddenly pale face. "Go away."

"I will. When I know you're burning in h.e.l.l."

An unseen wind started to whip through the room, tearing at Daisy's clothes. She squinted her eyes against it, watching Jake. She ducked to the floor as he started to wave his gun around through the air. From the corner of her eye, she could see Michael doing the same.

"Tanya, don't scare him so bad that he starts shooting at thin air," Michael said.

With a desperate laugh, Daisy echoed, "Please, Tanya." Now, I'm talking to a dead woman... "I'd rather get her out of here in one piece, and me as well. And I'd like to make sure he can't do this to anybody else."

A soft sound echoed around them. Like a sigh. "Don't worry. He won't. He won't hurt anybody. Ever."

"Make her go away!" Jake screeched, turning his head to stare at them with wild eyes. He grabbed Sandy, fisting his hand in her hair.

He pressed the gun to her cheek, hard. "Make her go away or I'll kill this b.i.t.c.h and give her company."

Daisy stood slowly, shaking her head. "Don't do that, Jake. Come on-leave Sandy alone. This isn't her fault."

"No. It's her fault." He glanced up at the ceiling again. Unable to keep from looking, Daisy followed the path his eyes took. And there she saw her. A pale white figure just hovering there.

The wind blew faster and harder. It got colder. And the colder it got, the clearer that figure became. "My fault. My fault-you b.a.s.t.a.r.d..." Tanya started to laugh. She moved closer, a mean smile on her mouth. "You're the one afraid now, aren't you?"

Drifting down from the ceiling, she started to circle around Jake and he flinched, letting go of Sandy and scuttling away. He cowered in the corner as the misty white form moved closer.

"Nonononononono!" he screamed harshly, swinging out with one hand. It seemed like he had forgotten he was even holding the gun, just slapping out blindly in terror.

"I screamed that, didn't I? How often did I beg for help? Beg you to stop? You laughed. You wanted me to scream-now it's my turn." Tanya's voice rose and fell, getting louder and louder until it echoed off the walls.

Michael sat there, listening to that terrifying voice with dread. She continued to taunt her killer, her voice low and full of hate. The rage and anger spiraling inside her. It flooded the small confines of the cabin. All that emotion was going to explode and the results were going to be ugly and scary as h.e.l.l.

She was pulling herself back into this world, too completely. Too entirely. Leaning over, he put his mouth to Daisy's ear. "Get the girl loose. Got a knife?"

Daisy gave a slight nod and started to inch away, moving backward until she could press her back to the wall. Once there, she circled around the room, watching Jake carefully. Jake never once looked her way. He was too focused on Tanya. n.o.body else in the world mattered to him.

Michael waited until he saw Daisy kneel by Sandy's side before he spoke to Tanya. "Is he worth it?"

Tanya barely seemed to realize he was talking to her. She was too busy whirling around Jake, her laughter high, a wicked edge to it that made his skin crawl. "Scream for me!" And her voice sounded just a little more solid. Long plumes of misty white trailed from her as she tormented him, making her seem larger than she really was.

Michael focused-it was harder now than ever before. All that wild manic energy that she drew in with her was scrambling his brain. "Tanya!"

The whirling white form seemed to settle a little and she turned, staring at Michael. "Go away now," she said quietly.

Shaking his head, Michael said, "I can't. You said you could feel something odd, something inside you changing. Rage is taking a hold of you, Tanya. Ghosts and rage don't mix well. Ghosts and rage-you let rage settle inside you, Tanya, you'll never move on. Being stuck here, is that what you want?"

She stilled. "I want him to pay." Hatred filled her eyes and she stared at Jake malevolently. "I want him scared and begging for his life."

Tanya looked back at Jake and Michael cursed under his breath as she started to scream at Jake again. She reached out, her arms long, much longer than a human's, and grabbed him. Michael dove across the floor as she flung Jake across the room. "This makes him pay-but you pay as well. Don't punish yourself for his crimes. You don't want to be trapped, Tanya. Let it go. I'll take care of him."

"I...I don't think I can do that."

Michael closed his eyes as her anger began to pulse within him-getting too strong. Too out of control. "Are you ready to make us suffer with him?"

Daisy crouched in the corner with Sandy huddled against her. There had been an old, rough blanket laying on the floor and Daisy had given it to the younger woman, but Sandy was still trembling. Soft little mewls of fear kept rising in her throat and she stared sightlessly at the wall. Her entire body was shaking, She was going into shock. Daisy had to get her out of there but she didn't know how. She sure as h.e.l.l couldn't carry Sandy back to the car. It had been a good mile hike to get here and a rough one, at that.

It didn't help that the very air around them felt heavy, icy with terror. It was like the way the air felt thick and humid right before a summer storm broke open right over your head, but instead of thick, muggy air, when Daisy breathed in, it was chills and fear that clogged her lungs.

Closing her eyes helped a little. Forcing her breathing to level while she counted to ten. No-twenty. Twenty was a little better. She'd prefer a thousand, but she really needed to figure a way out of this mess.

Her mind raced. This sure as h.e.l.l hadn't been covered in training years ago, and it wasn't anything she'd ever picked up through experience either. Part of her knew she needed to get Sandy someplace safe, someplace where she could get medical treatment.

The other part didn't want to do a d.a.m.n thing that would draw Tanya's attention away from Michael. And yeah, she wanted to hear more about this us suffering with him part.