The Winged Dare [COMPLETED]

Chapter Twenty-Seven

February Thirteenth, 2014

12:25 AM

"Did we seriously have to wait until midnight?" Heath asked. 

"Monsters like Cara are active during the early morning hours. And I do mean early. This is the best time to get in touch with her," Laura said, lighting the last candle in the circle. She blew out the match, shaking the heat off of it as she sat cross-legged in front of the Ouija board. She looked up at Heath. "Well?"

"Can I sit this one out?" he asked. 

"You have to be here. You can write down the letters," she suggested. Heath nodded, pulling a notepad and pen from his pocket. "Clawd?"

Clawd cleared his throat. "Yeah, sure." He sat down across from Laura. "So, uh... how does this work?" he asked. 

"I need you to touch the planchette. You do not speak, you do not move it. The spirit moves it, our hands move with it. We remain serious and quiet. This is not a game. The last time I did this..." She shuddered. "It doesn't matter. Let me do the only talking. Except that Heath will read what the spirit has said after the message has been pointed out so I can continue communication," she said. 

"Okay," Clawd whispered. 

Laura laid two fingers on the planchette. "Come on. You do it, too," she said. Clawd did as told. "Ready, Heath?" He nodded. Laura drew in a calming breath. "Is there a spirit out there with a message for somebody at this table? A message for someone in the living world?" Laura asked. The planchette didn't move. "Spirit, this is a safe place. I only want to talk," she said. 

The planchette moved to 'Hello'.

Laura smiled. "Hello," she said softly. "Spirit, what is your name?" she asked. 

Heath's eyes watched the planchette move across the board. When it stopped, he looked down at his notepad. "Gory," he said. 

"Gory Fangtell?" Laura asked. 

The planchette moved to 'Yes'.

"Hello, Gory," Laura whispered. "May I ask if you've been in contact with Cara Heartbelt."

'Yes'.

"Do you think you could get her to talk to us?" Laura asked. 

'Yes'.

Laura nodded slightly. "We'll wait," she said. 

'Goodbye'. 

"No one move. We're waiting," Laura said. A terrible cold rushed through the room. Clawd and Heath shivered, but they didn't say anything. Laura's breathing picked up. "She's here, but remain calm," she said. The air in the room had grown thick, making it almost impossible to breathe at a steady pace. "Cara, I know you're here," Laura said.

'Yes'.

"How are you killing those girls? Those two boys?" she asked.

'No'.

"Yes," Laura said. "How're you killing them? Is it through possession?" she asked. 

'No'.

"Cara, how're you doing it?" she asked. The planchette moved from letter to letter.

"I could show you now," Heath said. 

"Sure, Cara. Leave Clawd and Burns out of it, though," Laura said. Cara's hazy vampire form appeared behind Clawd. "Don't take your fingers off the planchette. No matter what," Laura whispered. 

"Hi," Cara said. Clawd jumped in his seat, keeping his eyes locked on Laura's face. 

"Hi."

"See?" Cara asked. 

"I do. You can materialize," Laura said. 

"I'm really good at it," Cara said. She knelt down behind Clawd and pushed her cold fingers into his hair. His shoulders scrunched up in panic.

"Keep calm," Laura said. "Leave him alone," she said. 

"Why?"

"Because you're just a spirit," Laura said. "Where's you connection to the real world? How are you getting through like this?" she asked.

"I'm not going to tell you that," Cara said. 

Laura's eyes locked with Cara's. "It's in the cabin, isn't it?" she asked. 

"No!" Cara shouted. 

"Goodbye," Laura said, forcing the planchette down to the word 'Goodbye'. Cara's spirit disappeared. "You can let go." Clawd pulled his hand away from the board and rose to his feet. Laura picked up the planchette, folded the board, and placed them both back in their box. With a sigh, she stood up, the box under her arm. "I'm going home. Blow out these candles and be on your way. I've done what I can."