To celebrate the upcoming release of my paranormal mystery novel, By Your Side, I’m sharing random excerpts of the story each week from now until July 22 when the book goes live.
Click here for more info on By Your Side and to pre-order the ebook for $2.99 from Amazon, Kobo, Apple, Nook, or Smashwords.
I hope you enjoy the following scenes from Chapter Four – Just in Time
“Heather…”
Matt was alone when he awoke panicked and disoriented. It had been a few days since Lena’s death. He had hoped it was all over, but the ghosts weren’t finished with him yet. Matt heard a name in his head but wasn’t sure if he’d spoken it aloud. He just knew that he had to help Heather, whoever she was. He had to tell someone about her now. He pressed the call button strapped to the bed rail. Even such a simple motion had become an effort as of late and he let his arm drop to his side. A moment later, Matt was relieved when Jackie hurried in. She was his favorite and she treated him likewise. Her wavy red hair smelled of strawberries and was soft against his face whenever she tucked him in.
“Hey, Matt. What do you need, sweetie?”
“Heather’s next. You have to get to Heather.”
“Relax, honey.” Jackie reached for his hand. “Who’s Heather?”
Matt closed his eyes and whispered. “They told me, the twin girls. They told me her last name… Marceta. Her last name is Marceta. She’s going to kill herself.”
“You had a bad dream. That’s all.”
“No, this wasn’t a dream. None of them are dreams. Heather’s in trouble. Someone’s coming for her. The same one who took your sister.”
Jackie backed away from his bed. “I asked you not to talk about…” She trailed off, her voice raspy. “Lena… killed herself, Matt. Nobody else took her life. Now, I just buried two people I loved dearly. End of discussion.”
“The ghosts are killing people,” Matt went on. “They took your sister and now it’s Heather’s turn. You have to believe me this time.”
“Stop it!”
On the day before Lena’s death, the twins had warned him that she would be the next to die. Jackie had refused to believe him, but she spent the night at Lena’s house anyway. Now, Matt was afraid that Dr. Schell and the nurses would start blaming him for these suicides. No one had made an accusation, of course, but it was in their eyes. He could sense it and he was afraid of what they thought—or what they might do.
Matt was moving to hospice care soon, which meant he was going home, but he wondered if someone might hate him enough to make sure he didn’t make it. He knew that one day, the portal of light would open for him—but he wasn’t ready yet. The girls had told him that there were a few more deaths to come. Then, all would be settled. Whatever that meant.
Another nurse, Lilly, leaned into the room. “Everything all right in here?”
“Yep.” Jackie forced a smile. “Everything’s fine now. Matt was just upset about a nightmare he had.”
“Please, Jackie,” he pleaded. “Call Doctor Schell. She believes me now. She told me to let her know if I had any more…” He shot a glance at Lilly. “…nightmares.”
Jackie sighed. “OK. Lilly, can you get Doctor Schell on the phone, please? I’ll be right there.”
“I’m sorry about Lena,” Matt said. “I liked her a lot.”
“She liked you, too. We all do. So, who’s Heather Marceta?”
“I don’t know, but at least this time, I know where.”
***
In the doorway, Kyle raised his hands. Tammy and Miranda stopped a few steps behind him. The meager glow of a streetlamp through mini blinds provided the only illumination in the room. Miranda could see Heather kneeling on her bed. She held something outstretched in one hand, but it was indistinguishable in the darkness.
“Stay away from me.” Her voice quivered. “All of you, just stay the hell away from me.”
Kyle moved his hand toward the light switch. The movement was enough to allow Miranda to see the silver gun in Heather’s hand.
She backed away from Kyle and pressed herself against the wall in the hallway, out of Heather’s line of sight. She brought a hand up close to her chest, thumb and forefinger outstretched in the symbol of a gun. Tammy’s eyes went wide.
“Heather,” Kyle said. “I’m turning on the light. Maybe we can—”
“I want it dark. Just get out.”
“Why? Please, tell me what you’re doing.”
Heather doubled over, sobbing. Kyle glanced over his shoulder at Tammy and Miranda. He waved them back with his raised hand. “Heather, please let me help you.”
His sister caught her breath before she spoke again. When she did, her voice was hoarse and tired. “You can’t stop what’s happening. None of you can, not even the medium. Believe me, I never wanted this, but I have no choice.”
“I don’t understand.”
“This doesn’t involve you. Please, just leave. Take your girlfriend and the medium with you. I don’t want to hurt any of you.”
“Of course this involves me,” Kyle insisted. “I’m your brother. You and I are all the family we have. I don’t want to lose you. I’m putting my hands down now, but I’ll stay right here if you want.”
Tammy pulled Miranda into the laundry room. “We need to call the cops.”
“That isn’t Heather in there.”
“What?”
“She’s not in control of her actions.”
“Are you saying she’s possessed?”
“Possibly since before we got here. I’m not sure. I need to get to her.”
“What we need to do is call the cops.”
“If they show up, this could end badly. If I can contact the entity that’s controlling her, I might be able to talk her down.”
“And if not?”
“Get out of here as quietly as you can. Wait by the car. If you hear gunshots, call the cops.”
Tammy shook her head. “I’m not leaving either of you.”
“We need someone far enough away to be able to call the cops if she starts shooting.”
“I’m sorry I got you involved in this.”
“This isn’t my first dangerous case and it won’t be my last. Now go.” Miranda nudged Tammy toward the door before making her way back to Kyle.
“Heather, where did you get the gun?” he asked.
“From Nick. He gave it to me before he deployed. We went to the range. He taught me how to use it. I want to be with him again. I don’t want to live without him.” Heather turned the gun and pressed the muzzle to her chest.
“No!” Kyle lunged forward.
Miranda chased after him, slapping the light switch on her way in. Heather yelped as Kyle seized her wrist and twisted her arm downward. The gun dropped to the carpet. Miranda grabbed Heather’s flailing legs, but not without taking a random kick to the side of her head. She was grateful that the woman was wearing only socks as she wrapped her arms around Heather’s calves, binding them together.
“Get the fuck off me!” With her free arm, Heather pummeled Kyle between the shoulder blades. “I want to die. Dammit, just let me die!”
* * *
“Leave me alone.” Matthew Meade struggled against his mother’s embrace. “Just let me die!”
His father, Robert, hurried into the room with Jackie in tow. “I’m not sure why he’s doing this.”
“Matt, honey, please calm down. It’s going to be OK.” April glared up at Jackie. “What are you people doing to my son in here?”
“He’s been having occasional nightmares and hallucinations,” Jackie said. “But they’ve never been like this.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
Check back next week for more spectral scenes from By Your Side!