Haunted (Book #1)✔️

ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔈𝔩𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔫

Mark and Amy sat in his office as Mark pulled out the evidence he had collected and ordered them the way the archives had done it. Amy was going through the scrapbook as Mark pulled out the same picture of an ancestor of his and laid it down on the wooden floor.

"So this scrapbook," says Amy. "You found it in an old box in our basement?"

"Yes, Sean had mentioned something about it from a vision he had," Mark responded but as he was going through the evidence. The picture caught Amy's attention as she picked it up and sat it next to her. Amy flipped through the pages until she stumbled across the same figure that was in the drawing.

"Mark..." said Amy. "You might want to see this,"

"What is it?" He asked as he made his way over to Amy. The minute Mark looked at the sketchbook, he saw the same man that had taken Sean. There was a picture of the man with the fedora followed by a newspaper clipping that looked vaguely familiar with the one he had found. Only it was different, confusion swept across his face as he pulled the scrapbook over and started reading through it. 

March 31st, 1920

Breaking news!

Earlier today, police have arrested a suspect linked to the brutal slaying of thirty-one year old Sean McLoughlin whose body was discovered outside of an alleyway, the killer who goes by the name of Damien Fischbach is charged with first degree murder and is therefore sentenced to death. 

"That can't be possible," says Mark. "My dad told me that he had been framed," 

"It says it right here that he was charged, Mark," responds Amy. Mark looked a little bit closer at the scrapbook and saw an old black and white picture of the same man with a fedora. He lined it up with the drawing he found in the Archives. The pictures were a perfect match, Mark's stomach dropped wondering what else his family had been hiding. 

"Does it say anything else?" asked Mark. Amy looked through the newspaper clipping until she stumbled across a direct quote from Damien. Police have been interrogating Mr. Fischbach who had some elaborate reason behind the murders he had committed. 

"I murdered those people because I wanted their power," says Damien Fischbach who had also looked at the officer with sheer hatred. "And I would do it again if I could!" Mark got up from the floor and started pacing around the room, he tried to think of the most logical explanation that would clear his ancestors name but nothing seemed to come to mind. All of a sudden, everything started to click in his head as he was putting the puzzle together at last, from Sean's death to the entity everything had been connected. 

"What does this mean Mark?" questioned Amy. 

"I think it means that I have to stop one of my great grandfathers from doing anymore damage," answers Mark. 

"But he wants your body and your powers," Amy chimed in. "Think about it, why else would he kidnap Sean if it was only to get to you," 

"It was the only way he could contact me," says Mark with a worried expression. "I have to find a way to stop him, but I don't know what to do,"

"I'll tell you this much, I am not going to let you do this alone," Amy said enthusiastically, she loved Mark however, she knew that one of his habits was to put someone ahead of him. His life was more important than he realized and she wanted to be there with him to the end. 

"Amy," spoke Mark who already knew what she was about to say. "You are not going with me, I have to do this alone,"

"You don't have to do it alone Mark!" Amy exclaimed. "I want to help you and if this is the only way that I can do it then so be it," Meanwhile, back in the hidden room of the cemetery, Damien had been pacing back and forth as Sean was still trying everything in his power to break free. As he was thinking about how to get free, he found himself heading into another flashback.

Sean was young about twelve years of age sitting on the steps of his now old home whittling a stick into some form of weapon. In front of him, an old car drove down the driveway until it stopped by the door. Sean's attention had been pulled away from what he was doing to the car before him, the car turned off at the same time a man with a brown fedora stepped out. 

"Hey kid," says the man. "Is your father home?" 

"Yeah, he's inside," said Sean in a small voice. "Why? Who are you?" 

"I'm a friend of your father's," responds the man. "Do you think you can go get him for me?" Sean hesitated briefly as the man smiled reassuringly at him. Without wasting another second of it, Sean got up from his spot and walked into the house. The man leaned on his car and lit a cigarette, he put the lighter away and pulled the cigarette from his mouth making sure to blow out the smoke. Sean's father looked out the window as worry flashed across his face. He turned to his son and said something that he would never forget. 

"Stay in the house, and don't open the door," said his father. "I don't know this man and I need you to stay alert, is that clear?" 

"Yes father," responded Sean. Sean's father smiled at him and stepped out to talk to the man. Snapping out of his thoughts, Sean looked at the other ghost that stood before him. He couldn't forget those features and how he looked so much like Mark that it was scary. 

"You were there," said Sean. "You came to my house once,"

"Whatever gave you that idea McLoughlin?" questioned Damien. 

"Everything, from the fedora to the clothes and your posture!" Sean exclaimed "What were you doing at my house?"

"I've been watching you," Damien said without any context. However, Sean knew better and he had hoped that Mark would figure it out before something else happened to him.