Gracie played with her sister’s hair, fixing the ribbon in it. “We said we’d help you, but we didn’t say how. We’re helping you come to us. We love you, Jess. We want you
here
. With us. Forever.”
“Light the place up,” Bryan whispered to Gage. “If we’re trapped, so are they. Fire is supposed to burn things clean, right? Make things pure again. Just light it up.”
“You don’t understand, do you?” Emma said.
“If you burn the house, you’ll free all the darkness inside it. You won’t stop Riley and you
won’t
stop us,” Gracie added.
Emma grinned, and for the first time, Jess saw all the malice behind that little girl smile. “Burn the house, you’ll set us all free. We can go anywhere, then.”
“The bones,” Jess whispered.
“Yes, thank you,” Gracie said. “Too bad they weren’t ours. They were Riley’s. Papa killed him and left him in the woods for the wild things to eat.”
This was it, Jess thought. They’d die here. Worse, they’d spend eternity here.
“Here.” Bryan handed Allison the camera.
She frowned. “What am I supposed to do with it?”
“Just hold it!” Bryan closed his eyes in concentration, wincing and inhaling sharply.
Gracie and Emma began to flicker. “We won’t
stay
gone. That part only works on physical things,” Gracie hissed, and then they vanished.
Bryan swayed, then managed to right himself. Blood trickled from his nose.
“Two down, two to go,” Gage murmured. “Come on, we’ve got to find that window.”
“You heard them,” Allison said, her voice trembling. “They’ll be back. Whatever Bryan can do, I don’t think it works the same on spirits.”
“That’s an understatement,” Bryan muttered.
“Yeah, well, we’ll take whatever time we’ve got.” Gage flicked the lighter and moved along the wall with it, searching. Allison righted the camera, aiming it at eye level.
“You okay?” Gage asked. Bryan nodded.
They fumbled their way to the next window, which wasn’t broken either, and the sick feeling in Jess’s stomach worsened. Had Brandt lied about the broken window to get them down here? Beside her, Bryan wasn’t looking so good. Apparently, zapping spirits took more out of him than dead birds, keys and abusive fathers. Jess took him by the arm to help steady him.
A support wall stopped their progress. Jess’s panic was nearly unbearable now. Gage must have sensed her fear. He leaned in and kissed the side of her head.
“Don’t worry. We’ve just got to follow this wall until we reach the next window.”
Jess didn’t mention the obvious. That following the wall meant going back to the center of the basement. No one spoke as they inched their way in the near darkness. It felt like an eternity. Finally, they reached the end of the wall. Now, all they had to do was follow it back toward the windows. Jess wanted to run, just bolt toward it, but without lighting, they could get turned around.
Gage stopped and flicked off the lighter. He turned to Jess and whispered. “Hear that?”
Everyone stopped and listened.
Jess shook her head. She heard absolutely nothing.
“I don’t hear anything,” Allison said softly, stepping past Gage.
He grabbed her arm and pulled her back. “Exactly. That means Brandt is probably around the corner.”
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Brandt was ahead of them, somewhere around the support wall. Gage was certain of it. He moved away from the corner. “I have a plan, but I need you all to buy into this, okay?”
“Sure,” Jess whispered.
Bryan simply nodded, looking pale. Gage had no way to know for certain, but if Bryan used to get killer headaches before, he could only imagine the mother he must have right now.
Allison eyed him suspiciously. He didn’t expect her to like his plan any better once he explained. “I’m bringing back Mrs. Hirsch.”
“What?” Bryan managed to say.
Allison stepped away from them. “No way! You want
her
to come after us, too?”
“Do you have another plan? Because we’re listening,” Gage asked her.
Allison shook her head. “Maybe if we run, we can get past him.”
Gage was losing patience and they were wasting time arguing. “Really? That’s your plan? We’re not bringing back a ghost, Allison. We’re bringing back a
person
. She might not even have a soul. I don’t know what happens when I bring things back.”
“Just have Bryan zap him!” Allison hissed.
Jess motioned to Bryan. “Look at him, Allison! Does he look like he can keep this up all night?”
Allison glanced at Bryan. Even in her fight or flight induced craziness she had to realize it was impossible for Bryan to nuke Brandt
and
every entity into oblivion without hemorrhaging to death.
“Look,” Gage said. “We still have to get through Riley and the
Evil Sisters
are likely to make a reappearance at any time. If Bryan is going to use his mojo on anyone, it’s got to be them. Maybe we can use Mrs. Hirsch to take out Brandt.”
Allison shook her head. “She’ll kill us.”
Jess lightly shook her arm. “Wake up, Allison! It’s not like we’re going to stand around and watch! She’s going to gain us some time.”
“Go for it,” Bryan said.
Jess nodded. “Do it.”
Gage thought about Mrs. Hirsch. Saw her in his mind. He pictured her as though he were standing right in front of her lifeless body, concentrating on her as he’d last seen her alive. He exhaled through his mouth, as though blowing air onto the faces of the images in his mind.
We need you, Mrs. Hirsch. Are you there? We need to get out of the house. Brandt is blocking us.
Would it work? Mrs. Hirsch was much different than a bird or dog. He kept concentrating. He sensed the housekeeper stirring. Although he wasn’t in front of her to see it, damned if it hadn’t worked. He had no way to know her thoughts or even what she was doing. He only sensed her and her emotions and man, was she was pissed.
“She’s coming,” he said at last.
He wondered if the communication worked both ways. Could Mrs. Hirsch hear him? Sense their fear? Their hesitation? Even so, what would it mean?
Allison tried to push past him. “Wait,” he cautioned. “Not yet.”
Allison pulled away, dropping the camera Bryan had handed her. Jess scrambled to catch it before it hit the ground. Allison bolted, forcing Gage to go after her.
“Damn it, Allison! Wait!” Bryan was right behind him, as well as Jess. Allison ran ahead, still in full freak-out mode. It didn’t do much for not giving away their location, and it wasn’t helping them find the broken window.
Gage feared Allison would be right. By chasing after her, they’d probably put themselves directly in Mrs. Hirsch’s path—or Brandt’s.
“
BRANDT!
” came Mrs. Hirsch’s gravelly voice from deep within the basement. She didn’t quite sound like she had when alive, but then, she was in a body that had been dead a couple days.
More shuffling and banging noises he couldn’t identify. Mrs. Hirsch sounded closer now. “
BRANDT!
”
Allison stumbled, tripping over something she’d run into in her blind attempt at escape. Gage grabbed her and she kicked and fought against him. “No!” She wailed. “Let me go!”
Something crunched beneath Gage’s shoe. Jess panned down with the camera. Glass. Thank God for broken glass.
“The window!” Jess exclaimed, panning the camera to reveal their escape route.
“Jess, you should go first,” Bryan said. “Then Allison. Gage and I will try to hold off everyone else.”
Jess shook her head. “Get Allison through first. Then I’ll go.”
Allison had stopped struggling but was still crying. Without waiting, she scrambled toward the open window. It was several feet above the basement floor, and not a full-sized window. Gage hoisted her up and Allison grabbed the window frame. Once her feet wriggled through, he called to Jess. “Just run, okay? I’ll find you.”
She didn’t seem so sure, but nodded. “You’d better.”
His only thought was to get Jess to safety. That meant more than getting her out of the house, but he had to start somewhere.
Jess handed Bryan the camera and Gage lifted her enough for her to grab onto the windowsill and finish pulling herself up. Once she wriggled through, she poked her head back in. “Come on.”
“Bryan’s gotta go next,” he said. “He’s not doing well.”
“No,” Bryan said. “I’m the only one who can make them vanish. Go, on.”
“I’m not arguing with you,” Gage told him. “Once you’re up, you can help pull me through. Now move!”
Bryan tossed the camera up to Allison and let Gage give him a leg up.
“
BRRRAANDT!
”
Jess helped guide Bryan through. “Gage!”
Her warning made him turn to find Riley coming at him, his ashen face contorted with anger. Gage braced himself. There was no time to get out of Riley’s way.
“Run, Jess!” Gage shouted.
“No!” Jess screamed as Bryan pulled her away.
Riley flung himself forward, and unexpectedly went right through the window.
“Jess!” Gage yelled. “Jess!”
Shit! He was after Jess. More screaming. Jess’s voice. Allison’s. Bryan’s, too.
Gage backed up and took a running leap, grabbing onto the window frame, cutting himself on jagged glass. He pulled himself up, and pushed his way through.
Bryan had Jess behind him, trying his best to guard her. He was squared off with Riley. And Allison was running for the woods.
Something grabbed his foot and Gage kicked. Brandt? Hirsch? Whoever it was, they were strong. The pain in his ankle felt like they were trying to snap his leg in two. He rolled over, ignoring the pain. Brandt. He was halfway out the window. The Dr. Brandt they’d known was lost behind those crazed eyes. Gage brought his other foot down on Brandt’s face a few times—hard. Brandt rocked backward with each kick, his nose bleeding and clearly broken.
Gage managed to free himself and scoot backward. He might have knocked him back into the house, but Brandt kept coming. Gage stood and an intense bolt of pain shot up his ankle. He’d twisted it, but at least he was able to put weight on it.
And the hits just keep on coming
, he thought.
His only hope was that Mrs. Hirsch would do something to Brandt. At least slow him down.
Bryan and Jess hurried to his side, Bryan helping to steady him.
“I’m good,” Gage said, hobbling. “We’ve got to go. Did you get him? Did you get Riley?”
Bryan sighed. “No. I tried. He’s gone, but not because of me. Maybe he went after Allison, I don’t know.”
Gage forced himself to put a little more weight on his leg and they made their way toward the front of the house. They couldn’t leave, not without sending Riley to the Twilight Zone first. Even then, he’d be back. “The front gates.”
“We’ve tried that before,” Bryan reminded him.
“Yeah, but this time, it’ll be different. He’s coming for us. I hope you’ve got enough juice for one more shot. When Riley comes for our asses, hit him.”
Bryan frowned. “I don’t know if I can get rid of Riley as long as I did the girls. He’s stronger.”
Bryan really didn’t look well. The moonlight made them all seemed pale, but Bryan’s complexion looked downright gray. Gage mustered what he hoped was a half-assed but comforting grin. If they didn’t get out soon, Bryan wasn’t going to make it.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Jess had a horrible thought—what if Brandt killed the power to the front gate? What then? Maybe they should try the woods. Make a break for it. With any luck, they might get to the road. Maybe Allison would reach it before them. She glanced toward the line of trees only to see Allison’s form heading back toward them.
“There’s no way out!” Allison called.
Jess hurried to her. “What happened? Are the woods fenced off?” She didn’t want to think about the other possibilities—that if Siler House was able to control the doors and windows, it would be able to control other things. Jess shuddered thinking of what might lurk in the woods.
Allison’s wavy hair was as wild as her eyes. “There’s something in there,” she whimpered.
Not good
, Jess thought.
Not good at all
. Gage had a sprained ankle. Bryan’s nosebleed was pretty bad, as was the mammoth migraine that threatened to drop him where he stood. They were still no closer to getting out of here.
Jess looked back at the house, wondering what she’d ever seen in it. Brandt had finished making his way out of the window. “Shit,” she said.
The others turned to look.
“Well, now what?” Bryan asked. He’d wiped at the blood on his face, but already a fresh trickle was visible under his nose. His shirt was bloodstained, reminding her of just how much it had taken out of him to make the girls vanish.
Gage shook his head. “Sorry, man. I’m fresh out of plans.”
He exchanged glances with Jess and she wondered if he was thinking the same thing. The only defense they had would be for Bryan to get rid of Brandt, after all. And the girls when they came back. And Riley, too. Jess looked at Bryan. It would kill him.
Gage stood, waiting for Brandt, ready to fight if necessary. Jess would fight alongside him if she had to.
Laughter, dark and bitter, came from up in the oak tree. Riley crouched on one of the wide, lower limbs. “A duel to the death. Who will win? My wager goes to the good doctor.”
Jess glared up at him, nearly blind with fury and fright.
“GO AWAY!”
She searched the ground for anything to throw, a rock or discarded brick, and came up with a small metal hinge most likely left over from when the renovation crew had built the new iron fencing around Gracie and Emma’s graves. She hurled the hinge at Riley, hitting him dead-on. He cried out as a red burning hole appeared on his chest.
A hinge?
She glanced at the gravesite, recalled the man (Dad?) standing under the oak, pointing to her, then to the gravesite and back to her again. Riley said he didn’t kill Mrs. Hirsch, even though he could have. Why? Because of the pendant. It was made of the same material as the hinge.