GHOST 👻 (A Paranormal Romance)

Skullduggery

Once help arrives, John carefully hands me the grimoire. "No offense Elizabeth, but I don't want anything to do with this book."

Up ahead, I see the flashing lights of the ambulance and a police car. Placing my hand on the cab's door, I turn to the elderly truck driver. "Thank you so much for all your help, Mr. King. I'm so glad you came along."

John smiles with a mischievous wink. "No problem young lady. Glad I could be of assistance. There's a lot of legends about this strip of highway. People disappearing. Some gettin hurt, even killed. You take care young 'Lizbeth." With that parting comment, he waves at me and flashes a big grin. He blows his truck's horn in a friendly salute as he takes off down the road.

Gingerly holding the volatile grimoire, I trundle back up the road. Spotting the rescue vehicle parked on the side of the road, I see the crew's already exited with a stretcher and they are scrambling down the embankment.  Questions swirl in my mind. Who was the girl on the side of the road? Was it Donna? Or, could it have been my mother?

I'm chilled by the thought my mother might have reunited with her diary, grimoire, or spell casting book. Whatever the heck it is at the moment. Under the book's questionable influence, I fear she might be tempted to resurrect herself.

Once the paramedics take over to assist Jerry, Dylan comes over to stand beside me. "Are you cold, Lizzy?" He wraps an arm around me. As we walk back towards his car, he begins updating me about the accident. "I think Jerry's going to be alright. Thank God he was wearing his seatbelt."

"I hope so. It would kill Julia if anything happened to him."

Dylan smiles for the first time in this crazy night. "I know how much Jerry means to your grandmother, but she's a tough old bird. Once she realizes he'll be alright, she'll recover from the shock."

Suddenly, he notices the book I'm holding. "Where did THAT thing come from? Wasn't it in the car?" Before I can answer, he realizes the binding twine is missing.

"Elizabeth, did you take off the twine?" The one Madame Regina told us not to remove or risk having demons enter this world."

"No, of course not." He must be terribly upset because he's using my formal name.

"A truck driver had the grimoire when he pulled over to help me."

"What? A Truck driver? This route doesn't allow trucks. It has a weight limit."

"Well, a truck driver pulled over and used his CB radio to call for help." I hold up my phone. "This place is a dead zone."

"A CB radio? Truckers don't use those any more. Are you sure you didn't imagine all this?"

"Listen, his name was John King, and he was a real as you or I."

Motioning for me to stop, Dylan shakes his head as if everything I've just told him is too much information for him to process right now. "Come on, "Let's notify the police what's happened. You can tell me about the truck driver and the book at the hospital."

He glances down at the book I'm holding at my side. "We need to be more careful with the grimoire, Lizzy. Mayhem and evil seems to follow it everywhere."