It's Not a Ghost

It's Not a Ghost

Jared looked out the window of his car at the darkening sky. Another day of work had been finished but at what cost? He could only go home every day and hope that his work wouldn't follow him home.

"You alright Jay?" Jared looked back to the driver's seat at his colleague who was driving him home that after noon. They had worked together for seven years now and yet, why weren't they better friends?

"I'm fine Tahlia." Was his only response before he looked back out the window. Truthfully he wasn't. He had an unsettling feeling that something had finally followed him home.

This wasn't the first time that he felt as if this was happening. Often, he would arrive home and feel eyes on him as he unpacked his things. Only once had it ever been anything of concern and that had only lasted through a smoking exorcism. Somehow, he couldn't shake the feeling that this was something more serious.

"It doesn't look like you're fine. Look, I know the case today was pretty unsettling, but just look at it as an opportunity to expand on our experience." The woman spoke in a caring tone and Jared scoffed. He knew she cared for him, but it wasn't like he was ten years old. Calling after the spirits was what he did. He got paid for it. He didn't need comforting for it.

"It's fine, really. I'm just tired. Lela's been keeping Amy and me up all night because she's teething." Jared explained in a tired voice, wiping his hands on his face. Tahlia nodded knowingly.

"Having a kid is a pretty big responsibility. That's why I'm not having any kids. I need my beauty sleep when we're not off hunting the devil." At that Jared couldn't help but smile. Tahlia often joked about things like that and he was glad that she was there to cheer him up.

"Hey, can you guys hear me?" A scratchy voice came over the handset at my hip. I unlatched it and held it up to my mouth, holding the button down before speaking.

"Yeah it's Jared. Go ahead Ray."

"Look to your left." They did. Looking over and seeing the large beach with the sunset overlooking it. "Pretty aint it?" They both nodded and Jared pressed the outgoing button in the radio.

"I'll say. The pier out there is really creepy looking though." Jared spoke into it before letting go of the button. Things in the car seemed to go quiet and Jared looked over at Tahlia to see her face filled with confusion.

"What pier?" Tahlia said in unison with Jared's colleague on the radio.

A chill was sent straight down Jared's back and he looked back at the pier to see it wasn't there anymore.

"It was there a few seconds ago." It had been. He knew it had. He had seen the cool blue waves crashing against it and the algae from the water built up in the greying wood. He could still remember every little detail of it. How had it not been real?

"I don't know what you're talking about Jared." The voice came from the radio. "There's no pier there." Then Tahlia took the radio from him and pressed the outgoing button.

"Don't worry guys. He's been tired lately because of the family at home. You know how newborns are."

The other's on the other side of the radio laughed and Jared blushed before looking out the window. The pier stood before the setting sun again. Jared looked at it and studied it, memorizing it before he had to look away or blink. Then, it was gone. It sizzled in front of his eyes, smoked, and vanished into thin air. Only a child standing on the shore staring at them could be seen.

"Maybe I am tired." He spoke and scrubbed at his eyes. In his head however, was a small voice that whispered a small poem of darkness.

When you pass through the darkened portal,

Between the worlds of spirit and mortal,

You're playing with the hands of fate,

By passing through the Devil's gate.....

Be wary the spirits of this abode,

And as you rest in peace on this commode,

Don't let those lurking in darkness lure you,

Or you'll rest in pieces, like those before you.....

The spirits will beckon with a wicked sneer,

You'll be bathed in blood, and dripping with fear,

So beware the darkness of the Devil's throne,

Or you'll be reduced to blood and bone......

So do what you came for, and make it fast,

Or you'll follow those who came here last,

Make not a sound, don't look in their eyes,

Or you will meet with a horrid demise.

You'll take your last breath and prepare for the worst,

As you enter the world of those who are cursed,

The darkness, the blood, and the bones, my friend,

These things will be your bitter end.

His limbs grew cold and heavy then. The fright slowly growing in the back of his head was nothing compared to the fear he would soon encounter. Before he could warn Tahlia of his weird feeling, the car slid on a piece of ice in the road and they were both thrown, with the car, across the center line and into oncoming traffic.

"Shit-" Tahlia cursed as she tried to get the car under control. Jared let out a mantra of 'turn the wheel the other way, the other way' and reached for the wheel.

They spun a few times and Jared vaguely realized there was an oncoming pickup truck sounding its horn as it tried to veer out of the way. Unfortunately the pickup's front tires caught on the ice sending its front barreling into the side of Tahlia's car. The impact caused the car to lurch and everything was a blur for a moment, the car flipped, rolled down the embankment onto the beach, and stopped just as it hit the tide. The car was hit with a wave of water and the two in the car were hit with the icy cold liquid before the water receded and all movements stopped.

Jared collected himself and tried to calm his beating heart, but the adrenaline was coursing through his veins at an alarming speed. He looked over at Tahlia and waited for his eyes to focus. It took a moment; first seeing her outline and then the overwhelming color of red. His head spun and his body was shaking. Tahlia didn't move. Slowly he picked up his arm to reach out to her but stopped as a wave again splashed into the car and teetered it with its power. He gasped at the temperature and coughed violently as pain spiked in his lungs.

"Tahlia," He whispered and winced as his ribs protested. Again he tried to reach for her and again pain filled his mind. "Tahlia..." He tried again but again she didn't move. Carefully he turned his head and looked out the front side of the car. His body went cold when he saw the little girl kneeling in front of the car and peeking in at them.

Her skin was pale with black veins and equally black eyes. She had a small smile on her face as she tipped her head to the side, as if asking him if he was still alive. A spike of panic ran through him and his hands scrambled for the belt he was wearing. Even with the pain in his arm and chest, he undid the belt. His body hit the roof of the car with a sickening thud and the breath was kicked out of him.

"Fuck... Jared? Tahlia?" Came another male voice. Jared lifted himself from the roof of the car and looked out the wind shield again to see the girl was gone. "Jared!" The yell came from the side of the car and Jared looked over to see Ray, the one who had been talking to them on the radio, kneeling next to the car.

"Ray... Tahlia, she's..." He couldn't finish though. The girl from before was now standing behind Ray, her hand sliding onto his shoulder. Ray noticed that Jared had stopped talking and turned around, wondering what was behind him. When his eyes met the black of the little girls', he hadn't a second before the girl morphed and let out the most vile and horrid scream Jared had ever heard. It didn't even sound human! He couldn't think on it for long though as the deformed girl tore through Ray's neck, shredded it and lunged for Jared himself.

The last thing Jared saw were the eyes of hell, before the light in his eyes dimmed and his body began growing cold. The waves of the ocean licked at his dead body, seemingly cleaning away the sin and death.

The police would later find the crashed car at the beach. They would inform the families of the deceased and Jared's wife would later start her own ghost hunting business in hopes of finding the demon that killed her father of her child.