We are getting into the homeward stretch on this month’s Halloween serial. It’s about to get really bumpy.

This story is part of a Halloween serial (notice I said that just a second ago). In order to keep readers up to speed, you will find the links to the prior installments just before we get into the story section.

She is Watching
There will be Flood
Will you do the Fandango
Awake in Dreams
Trip to the Doctor
Night Sweats
Visions of Breakfast
After the Fire
Sweet Dreams are made of These

After the Fire

“What the hell was that?” Lisa glanced at the house in hopes to see through he front window. “Seriously, you saw it right? I’m not going insane. Tell me I’m not going insane.”

Shan pulled her close, rubbing her back. “I saw it. I don’t know what it was, but I saw it.” Their front door hung open, forgotten in the rush from the kitchen, the house. “I never would have believed it…”

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“That’s it then? The house is haunted, we lose.” She fought against his embrace and moved a few feet away from him. “The realtors never said anything. Aren’t they supposed to disclose oddities and such. This is pretty damn odd.”

He turned away, his gaze landed on the street that ran in front of their house, quiet for a few moments while Lisa fumed. “She kinda did,” he said, his body shook with tension. He didn’t look at her.

“This must be why the people before us all left. It’s a great house, at least until the dead start walking… Wait… What the hell did you just say?”

His brow creased as he turned to face her. “She mentioned something about a murder a long time ago,” he said. “I didn’t think anything about it, I mean, it was a long time ago. And you fell in love with the place. I didn’t want to jinx it…”

“It’s pretty damn well jinxed…”

“I know what you’re thinking,” he said. “I did some checking. I saw something odd a little while back. So after work one day I did some searching at the library.” He reached for her hand but she pulled away. “Look, I thought it was all crazy, and you were already having too much trouble sleeping. I didn’t want to make it any worse.”

“Really? You didn’t want to make it worse? What the hell is wrong with you?” she said.

“I was afraid something like this would happen. You get so worked up sometimes,” he said.

“We bought a haunted fucking house,” she waved her arms at the house. “I think there might be something here to get me worked up.”

“Listen, just for a minute…” He grabbed her arm and pulled her to him, then placed his hands gently on her cheeks. “The bodies were never recovered.”

Deep breath in, slow release. “Bodies? Whose bodies?”

“Her name was Michelle O’Malley,” he said. “At the time of her disappearance she had been pregnant. She disappeared one day. The thing is they couldn’t prove anything at the time. Her husband, Michael, claimed she ran. They believed him too, no body, no witnesses. Until a year later he was caught. Killed another woman in the backyard. Even with that investigation they couldn’t find Michelle’s body.”

“You think she’s still somewhere in the house?”

“I think that’s what she’s been trying to tell you.”