Ghosts ⚔️ Blackbeard's Treasure

Chapter 3.

"What's that noise?" Curious, Julia peers into the dark void of the night. The wind lifts the fog. Leaves swirl around our feet before racing down the narrow, deserted alleyway.

I pull out my phone. "We're not finding out—I'm calling Blair—she'll know what to do." I'm psychic, but my best friend's a rogue witch who can whip a protection spell out of her designer ass before you say, Make my day, demon.

On the other end of the phone, I hear a heavy thump and then agonized moans as if a large feline has rolled off the couch. "Blair, wake up—It's Lizzy." Keeping my eyes trained on the alley, I stage whisper into my phone.

Turning to Julia, I hiss, "Where's your car?"

She points down the road to end of the street. "The caddy's parked behind the Haunted Ice Cream Shop." The violent wind works against us, pushing us in the opposite direction.

"Lizzy, don't be mad. I promised to help out with your Ghost Walk, but that was before—wait, am I on speaker?" Grouchy as usual, Blair's oblivious to our peril. "I hate being on speaker phone."

"I'm at the waterfront with Julia—I think I may have accidentally summoned Bloody Mary's ghost during the show. What should I do?"

"How could you have opened that hellacious portal? It's a level one ghost tour, not a satanic soirée."

Julia grabs my phone. "Blair, come down to the Pirate's Republic. We'll make it a girl's night out."

"Shhh!" I wrestle the phone out of my grandmother's reach as another scream tears the air.

"What should we do? We're trapped in the alley with a demonic entity." I start coughing as the ozone intensifies. My senses tingle, like I've stepped on a live wire. Without Blair's protective spell, I'm a psychic magnet for ghosts. Wiggling bait on a hook. All I want to do is speed down the highway away from impending doom.

"That sounded like a stray cat." Yawning, Julia tosses her long, scraggly black wig into her bag, then begins vigorously removing her pancake makeup with a pack of towelettes. "A Bloody Mary sounds really good about now."

"Forget the bloody cocktail, Julia. I'm talking about a nightmare we've summoned. A specter with enough clout to marshal the leagues of hell."

"No cocktail? I'm disappointed this isn't going to be a girl's night out." I can't see her face, but I'm sure she's pouting.

I grab her arm. "Julia, this is serious. We're in danger —we have to go." Grandmother in tow, I run down the lighted street towards the Ice Cream parlor. As we round the corner, a wall of mist rises from the ground, blocking our path, followed by wet noises.

"Shit!" My grandmother and I bump into each other as the fog is sucked upwards. A terrifying specter is revealed. This is the bloodiest ghost I've ever seen. Dark, red imprints appear on the pavement, marking the thing's progress as the shrouded form advances. The creature fades in an out of visibility like a worn 8mm film. Backing up, I drag Julia with me.

"Eww, that's gross." Julia says.

"Quick." Blair shouts on speaker. "Do you have a mirror?"

Julia rummages around in her bulky tote bag. "Here, I brought this to apply my makeup." She hands me an oversized hand held mirror. I hold the glass up in front of us to block our view of the bloody ghost.

"Both of you stay behind the the mirror and navigate around her. If she looks at her own reflection, she'll fuck herself. Whatever you do, don't stare at her." Despite Blaire's warning. I can't help glancing at the ghost. I tear my eyes away when I see fiery orbs shining in the spirit's bloodied eye sockets.

"She's like Medusa. If she locks gazes with one of you, you'll be cursed forever." Blair's voice is breaking up. I hold my phone up to get better reception while the buoy's frenzied clanging shatters my nerves.

Curious, Julia tries to look at the entity. I grab her and pull her back into our huddled stance. "I don't like this stunt you've added to the tour, Lizzy. It's hurting my neck," she grumbles.

"Slowly, walk to the car," Blair orders. "Don't be afraid. She feeds on fear and negative energy." With agonizing slowness, we scuttle towards Julia's Cadillac, parked across the street.

"Julia, give me your keys." I hold out my trembling hand as the wet footsteps close in on us.

Slamming the door, I insert the keys into the ignition and rev the engine.

"Don't look out the windows." Blair orders.

"I'm not." I pull out of the parking lot, nearly swiping an iron lamp post in my haste.

"Careful with my caddy." Julia yells.

"Drive, Lizzy, drive!" Blair screams.

I don't stop speeding until we're safely on the highway, two miles from the Bloody Mary creature and the possessed buoy.

"That was close." I sigh.

Julia whips her head around and her feathery bangs jump against her forehead. "The fog's following us." Within minutes, the car's enveloped in soupy condensation. My visibility drops to near zero. I reach into my purse and grab a sage bundle. "Here, light this."

Julia follows my orders, lighting the smoky bundle of herbs. Leaning over, she yells into my phone. "Blair meet us at the bar —I need a friggin drink. I'll text you tell the directions."