Call out to the Dead

I threw the door open. Although -in retrospect- what was a girl in her pajamas going to accomplish in the given situation?

My room looked out to the west- to my back yard.

The edge of the woods was no more than 20 yards away at any given point and there was still something out there. I felt eyes on me from the woods.

As that came to me fear unlike any I experienced since my parents death struck me like a lightening bolt. I started slowly backing toward my door hoping that moving slow would make whatever less likely to pounce. My eyes were sweeping from corner to corner trying to make sure nothing would come out after me.

Then, as the sun made its way higher in the sky and the rays started pushing towards the woods, the eyes were gone. Whatever was out there was retreating. Whatever -whoever- was -I feared- after me wasn’t coming after me during the day.

My heart rate returned to normal... Well normal-ish. So as I calmed I went to inspect the hand print.

I ran my hand over the inside of the door pane and the print didn’t smudge. It was definitely on the outside. That was relieving and my eye cast to the ground to let the sigh out. Then I noticed the muddy boot prints. My feet weren’t large enough to explain them nor would any woman’s. It confirmed there had been a man on my balcony.

Examining further, there wasn’t a single smudge on the steps up to my balcony. Another fucking mystery that I totally didn’t need.

Instead of obsessing as I could have done I went inside, grabbed my laptop, and worked on some of my classes. I worked in the living room so I wouldn’t be in my room staring at the print on the glass that would torment me so.

It felt like a life time before Jo came meandering out from the guest room looking like she’d had a rough night. She took a seat on the couch next to me wordlessly folding her hands in her lap.

“Your house does have something going on.” She spoke quietly. “It’s an old house, it’s always had sounds, but now... These are new.”

I wasn’t crazy. She heard it too.

I sat my computer down on the coffee table and gestured for her to follow me. I just wanted her to have the whole picture. I longed for total validation for my sanity.

“Seeing as I know you don’t think I’m insane will you just look at this with me? Help me make sense of it?” I spoke as we entered my room. “You see the hand print on the door right?”

She walked over, examining it much like I had, coming to all the same conclusions.

“There are boot prints out there too. I walked out to check it out and felt eyes from the woods. It wasn’t like a passing deer or a raccoon either. Someone was out there.” I added as she continued with her own little investigation.

We were both all about the details. I went into “House” mode and she got all “Criminal Minds” on the world.

She noticed the steps lacking prints and the hand print was on the outside before even opening the door. “Did you look around outside to figure out why there are only the foot prints by the door?”

“No. I was afraid of whatever was in the woods.” That was the vaguest outline of the tale.
She opened the door taking every step gingerly as if not to let her bare feet disturb any of the ‘evidence.’ “Give me a play by play of what was going on.”

I explained the dream, waking up, seeing the hand print in the light of the coming dawn, and my idiotic investigation.

“After you were outside?” She asked only briefly glancing at me as we tiptoed down the steps.

“Yeah that’s when I felt the eyes. I started moving back toward the door and the sun started peeking over the house and whatever was out there left.” I finished trying to keep the same level of analytical indifference she seemed to be functioning on as well.

Jo started muttering to herself as we reached the bottom of the steps. “Mother fuckin’ ouiji boards.”

We walked around to the cemented area in front of it and there were about 2 strides worth of prints matching the ones in front of my French doors.

“Do you have any idea who the other two girls were?” Jo wasn’t even up for talking about how little sense it made. She ran a hand through her sleep disheveled hair and started pacing nervously. Now she was honestly worried. That was terrifying to think about.

“Do you really think this is serious?” I just couldn’t wrap my head around all of this. So many years I’d bathed in science and rationality and so much has distorted everything I thought to be true.

Her honey brown eyes were burning with intensity. “I’m afraid it could be.”

I heaved a sigh and made my way to the patio table dropping into the chair. “Umm, the one girl’s make-up threw me off to much to really identify her. I think the other girl was our class secretary Junior year.” Names were never my strong suit. “She was dressed as a gypsy.” I groped for more information.

“Janet West?” Jo added.

“Yes!” The name that eluded me so rang true in my head.

“She works at the diner in town, lets go check on her.” She suggested easily. It was like she’d lived through this scenario again and again.

I rose and ran my hand down my face. “We should. Let’s get ready. Do you need clothes?”

We started up the stairs. “Girl your clothes won’t fit me. Plus girls who bring big purses to parties are usually prepared.” She was trying to get both our minds off the chaos at hand.

“You have a boyfriend and you still need ‘walk of shame’ clothes?” I went with her distraction just fine.

“Hey I didn’t say who’s house I’d be walk of shaming from.” She spoke faux defensively. “Me and Kev could always go home together.”

I just shook my head. “Dude I really need to know nothing of your sex life.”

She shrugged and walked out of my room so we could both get ready.

Honestly Jo was a better driver than I was so whenever she reached out for my keys I forked them over without a thought.

As we were speeding toward town my eyes just gazed off into the woods that surrounded. I was hoping that Janet would be at the little diner. I wasn’t sure what to hope for everything else. If I hoped she’d felt nothing than I might be crazy. If I hoped she did things could be worse for us all.

The place was in the older part of town with classic architecture. You knew you were there when you saw the light blue trim come into view. When I saw it I felt anxiety twist up through my body. What if she wasn’t here?

Jo gave me a reassuring look and nodded telling me to get out of the car. We walked in slowly but we spotted her straight away.

Her long chemically blonde hair was messily tossed up into a clip. When she turned I saw it wasn’t just her hair that was a mess.

“Hello ladies, just take a seat where ever. I’ll be with you in a minute.” She sounded run down. Like she hadn’t slept for days.

We moved to the closest booth to the door deciding we’d at least order a coffee. I glanced around and noticed there were at least 3 tables between us and the nearest patron. That would make this a little less awkward.

I watched Janet as she ran around like a maniac keeping a fake smile in place to placate the clients. I wondered if this was what she was always like.

Finally she made her way to our table doing everything shew could to avoid eye contact. “What can I get for you ladies?” She spoke with eyes on her notepad. “Start with a coffee?”

“Yeah two coffees.” I spoke anxiously.

“And can we ask you a couple of questions by chance?” Jo added.

Janet did not look excited by that prospect. You could all but see the gears in her head turning to find a good reason to run away from our table.

The bell at the window from the kitchen rang and the chef shouted out an ‘order up’ before disappearing. Janet was sure that was her saving grace. Her pad and pen were back in her apron instantly.

“Ok, I’ll have your coffees right out.” She blurted quickly running off to grab plates.

I looked at Jo. “I think we should take that whole scene as a indication she doesn’t want to talk.”

Jo nodded. “But something’s going on. She’s all but wearing a button saying, ‘Fucked up shit is happening’ on her chest .”

“You’d have to be blind to miss that.”

When she returned with our coffee cups in hand she seemed to have had a change of heart. “You want to talk about Halloween don’t you?” She abruptly spoke not waiting for us to say a word. “I’m not the only one sensing weirdness?”

“No. Not at all.” I spoke empathetically.

“I haven’t heard from Tiffany since the party last night.” She added.

Tiffany Fortworth, Lydia’s high school BFF, must have been the third girl there that night.

“She left the party with some guy -at least that’s what she told me I didn’t see him- and hasn’t called me. She and I have a system for when we hook up with some one at a party. So we know the other didn’t...” She could finish that statement. “We call the other the next morning. She never calls later than 10 and I’ve tried to call her all morning because she was supposed to be here too.”

“I have to step out.” I spoke quickly just before walking out impulsively.

I propped myself up on the hood of my car, my feet on the bumper, my elbows on my knees, hands in my hair. I needed to figure out how to protect myself from whatever was out there.
Janet had said all I needed to hear. Two of the four of us were toast -call it premature but not showing up to work says bad things- and someone has already been casing my house.

Note to self #1: Sage is ineffective in warding off whatever I called. So now it was time to figure out what would.

Jo joined me and was trying to get my attention for a minute before I noticed her.

“You think Tiffany’s dead?” Jo extrapolated from my reaction.

“I think I need to protect me.” I chose my words carefully. “I’m gonna take you home. You belong no more tied up in this mess than you already are.”

I hopped off the car and reclaimed my driver’s seat. Nothing else was said the rest of the trip both our minds were moving in too many circles within themselves.

When I finally got back home I was at a loss. The circles my mind had spun in the car had taken me nowhere. I wanted to do something but I didn’t have any ideas.

As if something else was driving me I went to the closet I had my mother’s jewelry -along with many other things- stored. I carefully pulled the box out and sat right in the middle of the floor. I opened the box reverently. Her rosary was right on top where I put it after the accident. This was with her without fail. It was under her pillow while she slept and in her purse in a little silk pouch if it couldn’t be worn with her outfit.

I was never really Catholic. My parents were but once I got older I never saw the logic in a religion that wanted you to confess your sins to a fellow sinner. Yet, right then having the jade rosary in my hands was the only comfort I could find.

When I slipped it over my head letting it fall on my shoulders I felt that subtle relief run through me.

I don’t know how long I sat there with my mother’s jewelry box in my lap but the next time I was aware of time is when the doorbell ripped me from my revere.

People weren’t in the habit of just randomly knocking on my door, I lived too far out of the way for that. People usually planned for their little trip out of town to my neck of the woods. If it were dark out I probably wouldn’t have come to the door.

As I got closer a voice I knew far too well started calling through. “Girl! These books weigh a ton!” Joanne obviously was a better friend than anyone deserved.

I opened the door quick as possible and got right out of the way. Her arms were full of books and she had a shoulder bag that I knew had to have been book laden a well. She must have used one of the books to hit the doorbell.

“I have more bags in my car. Until this shit’s settled you’ve got yourself a roommate.” This was Jo, stubborn in the most loving way ever. There was no telling her no.

I ran out to her car to help. Found that she had three decent sized suit cases in her backseat. She wasn’t leaving anytime soon.

We just brought them in and left them in the entry way, locking up behind us.

“I brought as many of my books as I could. We can go through them and see if anything in here could help.” She spoke as she pulled the books from her shoulder bag out to sit with the rest on the coffee table.

I nodded and looked up at the vast array of books scattered across the table. All the titles mentioning something of occult, spirits, and demons.

“Does that book really say Vampire Encyclopedia? Fuckin’ vampires Jo?” I asked with not so subtle amusement.

“Hey I wasn’t going to leave any stones unturned in this. This isn’t about sparkly high school students either. This contains classic myth and folklore. What people really believed in before science and rationality wiped all their beliefs away.” She was passionate about believing in something. Anything really.

“You know I used to have an open mind.” I said with a straight face. “But my brains kept falling out.”

Her brow dropped in a faux glare. “You always make it so much fun to help you.”