Vision by Jade Ashcroft

‘Vision’

Written by Jade. M. Ashcroft

This has been sitting on my hard drive for four years now. I hope you enjoy it and comments/criticisms are more than welcome.

Chapter 1
Prologue

“Waves rolling and crashing on the beach, I’m watching the sun sinking into the sea. There is a cornfield behind me and I hear the wind rustling through it. Something catches my attention in the middle of the field so I turn around to face it. The stalks of corn in the middle of the field, something is twisting them together and making patterns. No, they appear to be matting together and flattening them selves!”
Kathy strained to obtain a clearer picture in her head, to try and make some sense of the blurring images.

“What else do you see?” enquired the doctor.

“Above the stalks of corn there are glowing spheres. They are bluish white but I can see through them. I smell something, like acetone” Kathy’s body tensed, she grimaced at the recollection of the odour assaulting her nostrils. She began writhing about in the chair, furrowed brow and pained expression saying, “There’s someone else here, wait, don’t do that. “
Her body softened and all the muscles temporarily relaxed.

“Now there’s just blackness” she sighed
“It’s alright move on to the next thing that you remember” The doctor urged her to continue with the recollection.
Kathy shifted in her chair, eyes tightly closed as a different scene emerged behind her eyelids.
“I am sitting in my parent’s house now. The television is on but the screen is just black. Somebody is at the door. It’s my brother. He is sitting down next to me. His voice, I can hear it in my head, he is saying,
“All will be revealed” and he is pointing at the television. The screen has started to turn blue, “Close your eyes” he says. My body feels like it is being pulled through space at an excruciating rate. When I open my eyes I am lying on a metal table in a cell like room. The walls are burnished black and there is some sort of commotion going on outside.”
Kathy’s agitation returned and her breath was coming in gasps. The doctor looked up from his scribbling, peering over the rim of his reading glasses.
“Do you want to investigate?” he asked

“Yes, I am on my way out of the door now. “ She visibly recoils from the image she perceives. “It’s my brother; he is fighting with two men and they don’t seem to have any faces. I don’t understand what is happening.”
There was a brilliant flash of light behind Kathy’s eyes as her recollection shifted location again. The doctor was furiously scribbling onto his case notes as she continued with her perception of this attempt at memory recall.

“I am in the room at my parent’s house again and my brother is sitting next to me. There is a blank textbook in my lap and the television is making some really high­-pitched whining. I can still hear my brother, his voice is echoing through my mind. I look at him and he points at the screen again. There are shapes appearing on the screen. I am copying them into the book.”

The doctor prompted her with a suggestion, “Can you describe the pictures?”
She paused momentarily, as if confused, then proceeded to relay the images.

“Pictures? Oh yeah. There’s a cloud with a lightening bolt coming from it and a circle on a map. I think its Sedona. There’s a full moon and some sort of craft.”

The doctor put down his pen and looked over at his patient.
“Craft, what do you mean by that?”

Kathy shrugged her shoulders, ‘”you know, like, a UFO. Now he’s telling me we have to go and he’s pulling me up from the chair and out the front door. My folk’s car is parked out front and he is getting in the drivers side.
We are driving now. Don’t know where to, but there’s a storm raging all around us. What is that…?”
Her breathing was really rapid now and she was shaking uncontrollably.
“It’s a hurricane and we are driving right towards it.” She raised her arms to cover her face.

“It’s ok. You are ok. “The doctor reassured her, “Breathe slowly, in through your nose and out through your mouth.”

“But the hurricane!” she cried.

He continued bringing her out of the hypnotic state. He was unsure about the dialogue she had produced as he had been convinced that she would recall nothing more than some deep seated anxieties from childhood.
"When I count down from ten to one you will slowly return to your safe place. And once there you can detach yourself from those emotions and you can tell me how you feel. Calm, relaxed and centered .Ten, nine, eight.... returning slowly to consciousness. Seven six five feeling your body and senses return to normal, four, three, two, one... opening your eyes. "

Chapter 2
Kathy

Blinding strip lights pierce my retinas as I squint at the doctor. He looks perturbed, frowning at something. Me, I think. The room feels cold, almost surgical and the white walls magnifying the light, which renders it even more unbearable. OK, so I’m guessing that the session must have been a success.
I glance over at the clock on the wall. The doctor is shifting uncomfortably in his chair and nervously shuffling the papers in front of him. I watch him as he reaches out towards the tape recorder, that has been recording all the time we have been delving into the depths of my unconscious, and he pushes the stop button. I notice that he is ever so slightly trembling and there is an almost inaudible tiny voice, emanating from somewhere, repeating the same thing over and over.
“This can’t be, it can’t be, not possible”
“Is there something wrong, Doctor?” I ask him, innocently, “I’m feeling a little tired after that. You don’t mind if we carry this on another time do you?”

He blinks at me, staring, as if in total disbelief, shaking his head and muttering to himself.
"Soon"
He reached out his hand to the tape recorder, imminently stirring an emotional response. The information contained on the cassette belongs to me. I did most of the talking and I have a right to listen to the regression before it does the rounds of the hospital, probably ending up locked in a store cupboard marked ‘psychotic ramblings’ or worse still sold to some flaky researcher who wouldn’t know reality if it took a bite out of his grey matter.
With that thought, the machine ejects the tape and it detached itself from its nestling place and hurtled across the room towards me. Deftly catching it one handed, I jumped out of the chair as quickly as I could before he had a chance to complain. There is a buzzer on the door, for the protection of the staff, in case there was any disturbance. I pressed it and almost immediately there was someone outside rushing to the door, fumbling with keys and the door swings open. Standing tall, I walk slowly, deliberately, through the door towards the hallway. Taking a second to acknowledge the assistant male nurse, who has rushed to the supposed assistance of the doctor, while concealing the tape in my sleeve.
"I’m going to lie in my room for a while, if that’s ok?” I flash him a smile and saunter down the hallway.

Lying down on the starched white linen in my box like room, I strain to remember. I have been here almost two weeks now, according to the Calendar of days that I have been marking off.
As I close my eyes, my mind drifts somewhere within the vague memories floating around in my minds eye.
There was something about the forest, and they told me that I had been found wandering in rags on the motorway, carrying nothing but a small silver sigil; which had been taken away from me the day that I had been brought here.

I cast a glance in the direction of the wall, comforted to see the small piece of paper on which I had drawn the symbol, just in case I might forget what it looked like. The glyph resembled an upside down crescent moon on a staff with two parallel spikes underneath it.
It gave me a certain feeling of calm serenity, just sitting here contemplating the symbol. A feeling of just knowing, deep down inside, that something was going to happen soon. Patience, it won’t be long now.

Chapter 3
Missy M

Most people don’t realize that we spend at least a third of our lives in the realms of the subconscious never mind being able to recall them down to the smallest details. Or the fact that you can, at will, become an active participant in that realm. I have spent years researching the different states of consciousness that we enter into and pull ourselves out of on a daily basis. Everyone dreams, whether we remember it in any great detail or not is up to the individual concerned.
Personally I prefer the lucid state of the sleep where you are still partly aware of your surroundings; you are still aware of your physical form yet fully immersed in the subconscious realm and you are in total control of what is happening. You can actively role play the kind of things that you know are far from your reach. You know, like having that dream house that you always wanted or meeting that perfect partner that would, metaphorically speaking, sweep you off your feet and you both live in bliss and comfort for the rest of eternity.

But for now, the veils of deep sleep are slowly washing over me and I am entering some of the deeper realms, where there isn’t as much control. The familiar hustle-bustle of the dream state, yet as usual it feels more real than all the waking moments put together.

My consciousness is swirling through a blue haze, descending from a void, making its way quickly across a vast oceanic scene, engulfing all light and shade directly in its path. From this vantage point it looks as if the earth is being smothered by something, a virus that is eating the light. As this scene shifted it was quickly replaced by the lolling of waves on a perfect sandy beach. Stormy clouds rolling in over the horizon as the sun disappeared behind the seemingly infinite expanse of water.
My senses starting to pick up little pieces of the surroundings, I turned around to be faced with a huge sandstone building and stood rooted to the spot as I watched a tidal wave approaching.
The thought barely had time to register as the menacing forms, the crashing waves, thundered toward the beach. I turned and ran towards the building with all the strength that I could muster and scrambled up the worn steps. I struggled to open the huge wooden door and slammed it shut behind me as an almighty crash of the first wave hit the door. As this part of the dream dissolved, replaced by a completely different set of surroundings, darkness burning in the shadows of a forest. There are trees overhanging the pathway I am walking along. There was coldness in the air that could only spell trouble. Listening intently to the rhythms of the trees when all of a sudden the silence became overpowering. In the distance a black shadow had begun to take form, which swallowed everything in its path. Was it a human shape, it was difficult to tell with the degrees of darkness swirling around it.
The wind picked up momentum, pulling piles of leaves into a whirlwind around the dark shape that was advancing rapidly.
‘Protect me lord and lady from any evil that lies within’
The shadow morphed between the human form and the shape of a winged daemon whose name had long been forgotten.
Wind raged through the clearing to an almost deafening rate, as the consciousness of this being merged all matter into it own stream and death almost touched my heart.

Shell shocked, my eyes snapped open to be looking at none other than morph my kitten, as he squinted his head to one side looking at me with his huge green watery eyes.

‘That was the strangest dream for a while, kitty’

Something niggling at me, it was going to be one of those days. Something important to do, but I hadn’t a clue what it was or why. You know that feeling.
Coffee and cigarettes, another morning and another stream of people wanting to know …
‘What do I do with my life?’ ‘Will I get this new job?’ ‘Will I ever meet my soul mate’? There was a time when I loved to see the future but it seems like such a chore nowadays. There is only so many times you can attempt to guide the misguided in the appropriate direction, only for them to completely disregard the advice you give and for them to come back hanging their heads in shame or self torture when the inevitable smacks them between the eyes. But here I am, still doing it and still asking myself why!
I think I was about 13 years old when I had realized that I was not the same as the other children in our neighbourhood. When they were playing with dolls, I was talking to Mort Walker through the ouija board that I had found hidden in the attic amongst dusty old pictures and long forgotten newspapers.

I watched the spirals of steam rising from the freshly poured coffee while the residual dream imagery faded. I glanced over at the computer sitting in the corner of my sitting room, pondering my newfound communication device. For the first time in my life I had won something! A week ago I received a phone call informing me that I was the lucky winner of a brand new Personal home Computer with all the accessories. Funny thing is that I don’t remember even entering the competition in the first place, such is life!
I doubt that anyone will have sent me any emails yet, but I switch it on anyway, you never know.... The base unit made its obligatory whirring and clicking while the tiny green and red lights flickered frantically as the computer burst into life.
I smiled to myself, at the thought that it hadn’t taken me quite as long as I had expected it would, to get used to the idea that I had a whole world of information at my fingertips. Technology was never really a subject I had delved into, in any kind of depth, and mobile phones were never really an option with my sensitivity.

Just as I was drifting off into my thoughts, a message popped up on screen, “You have Mail!”
Ok, maybe I was wrong. Daniel Grainger, that name sounds awfully familiar. But I wonder where he got my address? I don’t remember mailing anyone just yet. Oh dear, he must have found my name listed on that community I left my email address on. Mmm, I haven't talked to a guy for a long time. What am I going to say to him? Erm yeah, hi .I’m the local Satan worshipping she-devil, feared by children further than the next state. I suppose I could just tell him I am blonde...
Get a grip girl, it's only an email, it's not like the guy proposed to you or anything. Ok, short and sweet, that ought to do it.
11.11am press return.

Sensing someone approaching the door, I realized that it was time to get on with the days moneymaking. Who might cross my path today, I wondered, and will my advice make them go away and act any differently than if they had used their own psyche?

Smiling at the thought of having a new found friend, I switched off the computer.
I often wonder why so many people rely on others to tell them what is plainly there in front of them. And how come when you tell someone that there is a little psychic in us all, the first thing that they will do is flatly deny that they believe any of that hogwash? Then blatantly sit there while they let you read their tarot.

Chapter 4
Grainger.

Twenty-three earth years can feel like and eternity when you live alone. Not by choice you understand but people seem to go out of their way to avoid contact with me. I don't look any different to your average young male, except maybe the shoulder length black hair in a society that tends to frown upon anything slightly out of the ordinary. I like to watch people rather than interact anyway. They are a strange breed; humans that is, almost like being a volunteer at an open zoo or a zoologist studying the behaviour patterns of other creatures to better understand their own existence. I wouldn't call myself a student or anything but it does seem like that is what I will be for a long time to come. Student of life, that is.
Regular jobs come and go but there is never anything that manages to hold my interest for long. If it wasn't for the fact that this society deems that we need money to live, I think I would be perfectly happy to live somewhere in the middle of a rain forest, never having to worry that the animals might not accept me as part of their world because it had always been that way and there was no basis for comparison against others of my kind.
Nice dream, yeah I know, but one that has kept my sanity intact for the latter part of my struggle with anonymity. The next best thing was my parent’s lodge in the mountains. I had come up here this weekend to do some serious soul searching, to find answers and hopefully a revelation or two that would sustain my next gruelling weeks in my latest job venture. Proof reading isn't too bad really. You get paid to correct people’s mistakes. Stupid that they didn't just employ someone who wouldn't make all the mistakes in the first place, but it keeps people like me in food and gas.
My folks mean well, trying to give me a gentle push in their chosen direction for me. It doesn't really help with any of the cold decision-making but it is good to know that they care.
I tired myself out walking over the mountain and after eating an unusually anxious supper with my folks, I decided to retire for the evening and catch up on some well-earned rest. I lay down on the freshly pressed sheets, meaning to get undressed in a moment but the overwhelming tiredness rendered me paralyzed and I felt myself beginning to drift.

I opened my eyes to look at what should have been my bedroom in my parent’s house to find an unfamiliar room, with patterned wallpaper.
There were no windows and no doors. An opening appeared in the wall and, obviously, I want to investigate. I don’t actually remember walking, floating or flying but just thinking about it and then being there.
I was drifting through gloomy tunnels and openings that reminded me of a sewerage system but it didn’t smell. There was plenty of noise though. What the hell was that anyway?
Banging and shouting, the sound of Iron bars hitting stone floor. The walls and ceiling appeared to be made up of a sort of turquoise, blue metallic substance; there were numerous tiny patterns within patterns.
It appeared to be wet. At that point I regained a brief sense of feeling in my body of extreme heaviness.
I felt a bizarre burning sensation that ran down the right side of my ribcage to the top of my knees.
Every thing starts to spin and I lose consciousness, though not fully. I can still hear bizarre chanting and as I fall there are two apparently celestial beings that catch me and I can hear them conversing with each other. I’m not entirely sure if they realize that I can hear them or not, I attempt, unsuccessfully to communicate with them. They are talking about having to get me to the portal. Whispering that they don't have much time and I have been down here a lot longer than I should have been so they must hurry.
Amid all this there is chaos breaking loose and people running around and shouting to each other. I feel my body being carried up some stairs and the feeling of having form dissolves again. I feel myself being thrown through space and hear rushing wind in my ears that immerses me in disorientation.

My body jolted and I was sitting upright on the bed, blinking my eyes. The familiar pattern of the flowered wallpaper on the wall in my parent’s room came into focus once again. Hmm, that was different. I managed to pull myself off of the bed and sit down in front of the dresser. My laptop was whirring, barely noticeably, and I hit a key to rouse it from its snoozing. The screen flickered out of hibernation and I connect to the internet. Half asleep I hopped through various dream interpretation sites, until finally my subconscious took over the process of navigation and I ended up on unfamiliar URL.
I was trying all the while to shake the overwhelming sense of deja-vu while half heartedly glancing through a seemingly never-ending list of community usernames, stopping instantly at the name Destinee. I don’t recognize the name, but it strikes a chord with something in my mind, yet at the same time I got the feeling that something else has intervened here and that something significant just happened. But what do I do?
Ok, so I must be out of my mind. I am sitting here emailing a total stranger, a girl no less, because of a dream I had. I hope she doesn't think that I am some kind of internet-date rapist or something. I close my eyes for a second hoping for a reality check or to wake up in bed after realizing that the last half an hour was in fact just one big joke on my subconscious or something.
A flickering, watery image comes into focus and the most beautiful pair of green eyes I have ever seen in my life, staring right at me. My heart begins pounding as if it is trying to break free of my chest cavity. Gazing at the long blonde hair billowing around this pale creatures face sends electricity coursing down my spine. What the hell is happening to me? I rest my head on the space in front of my keyboard in an attempt to stop the world spinning underneath me.

Next thing I remember is my mom tapping me gently on the shoulder.
"Daniel honey, didn't you get to bed?" I stretch unwillingly and answer. "mmmm, I guess I fell asleep "
She knitted her brow, shaking her head at me, "I thought you said you were tired?"
"Yeah I was. I had the strangest dream though. It was kind of a nightmare I guess, but I didn't mean to stay here all night..."
"Well we are making breakfast if you want to come down and join us dear."
"Ok mom, I am just going to check my emails and I'll be right on down." My pulse was racing again as I logged back on to the net. God I hope I didn't say anything stupid to that girl.
Junk mail, junk mail.... Bingo. My hands were shaking uncontrollably as I opened the email.
"HI, Thanx for your email. Been kind of down lately and getting emails from total strangers isn't something that happens on a regular basis, well to be totally truthful it’s also the first email that I have had, you see I only got this computer the other day.
It’s like this, I won a competition, and a week later this guy comes and sets up this computer in my house. So, yeah, my name is Melany but my friends call me M for short. I guess I better tell you a little about my self. I'm 24, soon to be 25, Blonde with green eyes. Strange combination but hey, I am not complaining. I am what most people would call a psychic, but I like to think of it as being a councillor of sorts. You know like reading peoples cards and stuff like that as a way of giving them direction. "
“D, are you in the shower yet?"
"I am on it ma"
“Anyway, I have to go for now. So I guess I'll talk at you again later. M”

Chapter 5
Missy M

“Hi Sarah”
I had opened the door to find Sarah Jane standing looking bewildered with her finger poised to ring the bell. ‘How come you always know I’m here? “ she asked, “I didn’t even ring the bell”
“Just one of those things I guess”, I replied.
She looked as though she had been fighting with a bush or something. There were sticks and bits of earth clinging to her hair and streaks of mud smeared across her face. My intuition did a somersault in the pit of my stomach.
“You better come in and chill for a while. Looks like you have been out and about a bit lately. Milk and sugar?”
“What?’ she replied, looking totally startled.
“In your tea silly.”
I put my arm around her shoulders and guided her into the kitchen.
The kettle was giving out its high-pitched whine as my fight or flight response went into overdrive. An almighty gust of wind blew the doors and windows ajar and rattled the very foundations of the house. At that moment the world spun beneath my feet and blackness descended.
Thunderous chanting, ringing in the air.
“Join us, join us.”
Strobing lights interlaced with tortured faces were rushing past the back of my eyes and I could feel this burning pain in every part of my soul. Falling motion, but there seemed to be no bottom… Underneath it all I could hear the howling of animal, a wolf maybe? Yes it was definitely a wolf, but why was it crying?
I was feeling a spiralling momentum, this time but with direction, towards the distress call of the wolf. Into a tunnel now, but it’s getting smaller.
Actually I am not falling, in fact how did I confuse it with running at all? Everything looks very strange from here… and I am so much smaller faster and four legged! I stop dead in my tracks and smell the air. There is an overpowering smell of flowers but I can’t see them anywhere, just grass and tree roots.
Rustling leaves captured my attention and when I turned to see what was there I was frozen to the spot, instantly captured by the beauty that stood before me.
From a swirling mist, a figure emerged. A serene, beautiful woman with cascading golden hair; whose white robes were billowing around her, the edges of the material seemed to dissolve in and out of the air. “Shhhh there little one, there is no need to be afraid.” She whispered as she bent down towards me
“I am Leileth from the old woods. I won’t harm you.”
Feeling a little calmer and still trying to come to the terms with the fact that somehow I had been projected into an animal’s body, I let out a sigh and sat down on the grass.
“What were you running away from? Was there something chasing you?” she asked me.
Hmm, how do I answer?
I don’t speak wolf very fluently. While pondering how to answer her question she must have moved so quickly that when I looked up she was there right beside me, stretching out to touch my fur.
“It’s you isn’t it?” she said. I looked deep into her eyes, which sparkled like emeralds. There was a flash and images rushed towards me. It began with a piercing scream, from the mouth of a woman who was sprawled against a tree giving birth to a child in the woods. Creatures of every kind and some I didn’t recognize were congregating as if in some kind of animal conference.
I could hear softly spoken words in a language that seemed familiar but indistinguishable all the same. Pictures, symbols, chanting, names, were all streaming through my mind.

All I could hear was “The chosen ones” ringing in my ears as the blur started to take on some form. Linoleum, in fact my linoleum. Damn blackouts, I should really see somebody about that. I’ll do myself a serious injury one of these days
“You okay missy M?”
Picking myself up from my crumpled heap on the floor I remembered that I was supposed to be making tea.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just get a little dizzy from time to time, so did you just want to talk or is it a reading you’re after?”
“I just thought I ought to visit”
Sara Jane was trembling.
“Are you cold hon?” I asked her. Her skin was icy to the touch.
“You would be cold if you had spent an eternity wandering the outer realms waiting for revenge against enslavery.” She spoke with a metallic voice and her expression had switched to a glazed stare. She was squeezing my arm with her frozen fingertips, the grip tightening by the second.
“Let go you’re hurting my arm. Revenge against who, what are you talking about?”
Two red lights burned in her eyes as she stared at me.
“Who are you and what do you want with Sara Jane?”
It was like a nightmare that you can’t wake up from; there is that feeling of complete helplessness and fear that grips every part of your soul.

“You don’t remember me then M? Surely you remember banishing my existence to the outer realms, with your foolish child games. Did you think Mort would be able to protect you from Me, Maelficum?”
My senses flooded with foreboding. Fear rendered me completely paralyzed.

“But you were only a wanderer”, I blurted out, “Because you didn’t know the way. We helped you”
“Help, you call that help. I was no wanderer, there was a good reason for my being there and you and your little friend set me back, granted, not for a second time though.”
Next thing I know I am being thrown through the air. Almost in slow motion until I feel my body smashing against the wall. I had landed on the far side of the room, sliding down the wall coming to rest against the skirting board.

“No, Please not now.” I thought to myself.
I could feel the power surging from underneath me, the white light growing in my solar plexus. I fought to contain it, but I have no resistance to its power.
It engulfs my body with a searing white hot energy. It prickles my skin with its radiance. My body slowly rises up from its crumpled state, agitated to release the energy, it levitates and words are spoken for me, but not from me.
‘Release the child’
A ball of the light detaches itself from the growing aura and shoots towards Sara Jane’s body. On impact she falls to the floor and begins to convulse violently.
What have I done? Bright blue sparks form around the base of her skull. I fight to keep my eyes on the situation but it is useless as the darkness descends on me once again.
Floating through a void, there's no sound, no smells, or light, just perfect darkness. I know my eyes are open.
But there is nothing that I can focus on ... no shapes.
I can sense that I am not alone though. I have this feeling that there is something near me, watching and listening. I open my mouth to speak and before any words manage to form, I hear a voice that seems to be in my head that speaks softly to me.
"Do not be afraid. You are here in spirit because we wanted to speak with you."
The voice receives my thoughts and replies instantaneously.
"We have been with you for a long time, watching, studying and helping .For we need you to be an envoy"
“Dreaming, I definitely must be dreaming....” I think to myself.
"This is no dream. Merely a dream-state that makes it possible for us to interact with you"
"You know that you are different, and you have always known deep down inside that you had something that you had to do, but could never quite put your finger on it. I am here to tell you now that we need you to act on our behalf.
You know already that you have gift of prophecy. You also have unrealized gifts, the light that you fear so; it is the gift of healing.
We will teach you how to use it so that you may cure the illnesses of men whether it is a sickness of the body or a disease of the mind. Your purity of soul is what enabled you to utilize these powers that others will never fully understand. Remember that everything is connected and that all actions have repercussions, good or bad. Take everything you see as lightly as possible and remember pay attention to your breath.”
The voice resonates away from me, leaving me in darkness once again. A tiny pinpoint of white light appears, giving me something to focus on. The blackness seems to take on perspective once again, still vast space but recognizable as universal space. The light beckons me and I am drawn towards it.

"Thank you," I whispered. Tears of intensity and relief were rolling down my cheeks. The swirling tunnel of light that I had once struggled against welcomed and carried me into my physical self once again, with solid floor against my face.
So they weren’t just blackouts. Even there, lying on my kitchen floor I felt different. I was still the same person but the illumination of knowledge left a felling of certainty.
“I wonder what happened to Sara Jane” I thought to myself while using the side of the cupboard to pull myself upright. I felt as if I had been run over by a train or something. How long had I been lying on the floor this time? If I thought it would have been of any benefit to me I would have gone to see a doctor. Instinctively I had known that it would do me about as much good as putting my head through a window because I had a headache.
Blindly stumbling through the house, I made a path towards the computer chair. I sat for, I don’t know how long, listening to the silence in the house, concentrating on the movement of my diaphragm, breathing slowly and rhythmically until I felt a little more stable. The thought entered my head that
I could use the internet to look for someone who might have knowledge of dealing with possessing entities. It’s a long shot but worth a try.
But where do I start? After what seemed like an ice age, I crash landed on to a paranormal and occult search engine.
After filtering through dozens of sites associated with haunting and UFO sightings, I came across an organization called I.U.E.PP (Investigations into Un-natural Energy and Paranormal Phenomena). There was a contact email at the bottom of the page for a Joshua Ward.
So for the second time in as many days, I emailed a total stranger and tell him about Sara Jane and the scenario with “Maelificum“, A little about the vision/dream that I had concerning healing power and the fact that I read cards for people. I hope that he has the experience that his website portrays or he will probably think I am just another bored housewife craving some attention.

Chapter 6
Joshua.

I remember my so called friends lecturing me long, long ago that it was about time that I joined the real world and stopped running around chasing shadows. How wrong could they have been? I am thirty one now, how many of those so called friends are now struggling to feed and clothe the children that seemed like a good idea at the time and spending day after day dreading going to their respective dead end jobs.
Ok, so running an investigation agency isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but the way I see it, someone has to unearth the answers right?
There are just some things that you can’t explain to your average Joe without causing them great pain in their frontal lobes, so in that respect it can get kind of frustrating. I guess it’s like an addiction of sorts, searching and digging for the truth, once you get hooked there is a need for constant sensory input. But there is only so much you can take when you have investigated something so far that you keep going around in circles and being told the same old stories, making it harder and harder to believe that there is a real truth out there to be found.
So this is my existence, I have my own premises down a quiet little side street in Georgia. I research and investigate anything that happens to be thrown in my path. Working alone gives me a certain sort of satisfaction, you know, not having to constantly nag somebody to chase up reports and partly due to the fact that I haven’t met anybody with anywhere near the same enthusiasm for the subject as I harbour.
There’s something niggling in the back of my mind at the moment that something really significant is going to land on my doorstep. Hopefully it will give me that ground breaking story to inspire me to write the best selling non-fiction story of the year or at least do a couple of hokey TV shows. But advertising was never my strong point.
I always just assumed that if people were meant to find me that they would. Ironic yeah I know, me being an investigator and leaving things in the hands of fate.
Walking always makes me reflective like this. It’s kind of like going to my own personal therapist without even stepping in to a shrink’s office and reaping the benefits of it without the associated depletion of my bank balance.
I could hear screeching owls following me as I walked through the forest tonight. A mystical chill ran down my spine and the wind cut right to the bone as it rustled through the trees, breaking the silence.
My thoughts are distracted for a moment as I notice a low humming sound, all around me, and the hairs on the back of my neck prickle.
The ground before me suddenly gives way and before I can catch a branch or something to hold on to, I begin to fall; being swallowed into an abyss.

There are screams and wails, the likes of which I have never heard from an animal or human. Everything starts to spin with the constant descent down and down, but how far can I possibly fall?
If I had just fallen into a hole, surely I should have hit the bottom by now?
Could this be the underworld?
But how could I just fall into it .I’m almost certain I’m not dead, well not yet anyway.
As my spiralling thoughts were brought to an immediate halt as my body connected with something solid.
Shouldn’t I be feeling pain?
My consciousness began spreading outwards from the place of impact and instead of having a body to be concerned about, there were new sensations, the sensation of molecules vibrating and morphing into each other. My consciousness expanded endlessly, growing upwards, regenerating from the seed that I am; pushing myself through the blackness towards a radiance that I can feel.
I break though the surface of darkness to catch golden streams of light, and I realize that this is how a plant or flower must feel. I had no idea that this is what it feels like to be one though.

As I came to I realized that I was lying on the grass and the heavens had just opened with a torrent of rain. Reason and logic, and the fact that I didn’t want to end up spending a week in the infirmary with hypothermia, assisted me into dragging myself up from the dirt and staggering in the general direction of home.
I was completely dazed and confused and my brain still reeling from whatever it was that I had just experienced and never have I been so glad to see my front door. Struggling momentarily with the Yale and falling through the door, I made my way to the bathroom. I peeled off of the sodden clothes, dumping them in a pile on the floor and started to run a bath.
For some reason, as I put on a on a bathrobe, I have an overwhelming urge to check my email. Whether it is just because I have neglected it for a while or because there is something that needs immediate attention, would become apparent.
Keeping a mental check on the water level, I signed into my account to find an email from an unfamiliar handle. Destinee. Sounds familiar, but then so do most names. Maelificum, that name I do recognise. The chill down my spine nearly jolts me out of the chair. I jumped up and rushed over to the bookcase, scanning the shelves for one of my demonology reference books and settled for one which I vaguely remember containing a description of the aforementioned demon. I pulled the heavy volume from the shelf and carried it through to the steamy room. There was a box of matches lying on the top of a pile of discarded magazines that I used to light the candles surrounding the bath. I shrugged off the bathrobe and slowly eased myself into the water.
The chill in my hands and feet melted away instantly and I reached down to retrieve the book. Scanning the index for the appropriate page I relaxed into the bath and started to read.

Chapter 7
Kathy

The wind rustled the Dralon curtains as it picked up momentum. A sudden gust slammed into the window with such a force that the glass imploded into the room. Minuscule shards of broken glass scattered on the windowsill and tumbled onto the floor while the remainder of the window was held in place by the re-enforced wire; embedded, to prevent the occupants of the room from attempting to escape.
Kathy murmured something under her breath, while dreaming and shifted her sleeping position. The iron-framed bed creaked with the movement. The wind was growing in intensity, pushing and pulling at the frame. It was as if it had taken on a life of its own and had begun to breathe. With an almighty crash the wooden frame buckled and broke its latch, which caused Kathy to awaken, startled and slightly confused. Rising out of bed and making her way to the window, albeit unsteadily due to the medication that should have made her sleep right through the night.

The moon spilled its glow, shimmering and sparkling through the broken glass. Reflections of the soft blue light fell on her face as she pulled back the curtain.
‘Another broken window’, she whispered to herself.
Slowly the recognition of the situation was beginning to sink in. The latch on the window was broken and she was fully dressed.
After all this time, her little trick had finally paid off, She had learned this manoeuvre a long time ago, to be ready for any situation by sleeping with her clothes on.
She shook her head in attempt to clear ir and the effects of the sleepers and she opened to the cupboard where she had been hiding her survival bag. A change of clothes, some secretly stashed food and the little money that she had managed to save, in case of emergency. She pulled the duffel coat from the top if the pile and put it on. T hen, throwing the bag over her shoulders without bothering to check the contents, she walked back to the window.

The noise of the wind was singing its high-pitched tones through the broken glass, which if you listened really carefully you could almost hear voices. Smiling to herself, Kathy climbed on to the windowsill and pushed the destroyed wooden frame out far enough for her to climb out.
Nearly losing her footing, she scrambled to keep hold of the windowsill once she was outside, hanging by her fingertips for a split second and then jumped down on to the grass.
Quickly she scanned the grounds; she figured the best way to get out of sight would be to run to the trees.
She scampered through the pitch-dark, her pulse racing. She knew that if they caught her this time it would be ECT for sure. Faster and faster she ran until she succeeded in reaching the trees. She leaned against the trunk for support, gasping, trying to catch a breath while discerning her next move.

She knew the fence ran all the way around the grounds and that she would have to make it over that fence before they discovered that her room was empty. There was no time to waste. She ran into the woods, arms outstretched, fending off trailing branches. She kept on running until the woods around her became less dense and she could see an orange glow, silhouetted by the outline of the fence.
“Yes”, she breathed, “nearly there”
She jumped as high as she could manage and barely catching the top of the fence with her finger ends. Her feet scrabbled in an attempt to find a foothold, her heels dug into the branches that were protruding through the gaps. With all the strength she could muster, she hauled her body up, pulling with her arms and pushing herself up on the branches. She lay half over the fence, the wood cutting into her stomach, it was now or never. She swung her legs over the top and overcompensated slightly, finding herself hanging over the other side. She let go of the fence and dropped to the ground, crouching momentarily.
She had done it, she got out. The road was desolate and the only noise she could hear was the rustling of leaves behind her, and the low hum from the streetlights.
“It doesn’t matter which way I go for now”, she thought to herself, “as long as I stay out of sight of their search party they will never find me.”

Chapter 7
Grainger

Another spate of re-reading and correcting…
This is really starting to get me down. You know when you feel like you have no purpose at all, apart from doing this mundane shit just to survive. I suppose I could call myself a writer if I actually sat down and wrote something that was the product of my imagination and not the alteration of someone else’s. But that could be construed as an excuse to escape from reality and live inside my head for a while, and let’s face it, who would want to read the weirdness that goes on inside my head anyway.
I am starting to feel like a caged lion, padding up and down impatiently inside my mind. I need a break, a vision quest maybe? It’s something that I have done for years to balance my warring natures, something the shamans have to do to become an initiate into the great mysteries; losing yourself in nature up until the point where you become inseparable from it.
It’s been a while but I’m sure there is still some of the old magick left in me, somewhere.
“Ma, are you in?”
No answer.
“Ma?”
I began putting together a backpack with a sleeping bag and some food, not that I was intending on being away for a long time but it’s better to be prepared than to be stuck in an emergency. I pulled on my old Parka and searched for a pen and some paper. I scribbled a note to my folks to let them know that I might not be home that evening as I had gone for a hike. At least they were not worriers that way, insisting that I tell them my exact E.T.A and destination. That was a thing I took for granted sometimes.
As I walked away from the house, the incessant chatter of my thoughts was deafening, louder than the external noises from the wilderness. Yeah, I have to turn this noise way down before it drives me insane. I walked quickly along the well worn pathway, watching the blur of greenery as it rushed past my peripheral vision.
It didn’t take long for me to reach the other side of the mountain and by then I started feeling a little more human and a little less robotic. The wind uplifted my senses and I filled my lungs with as much air as they could possibly take without bursting. There aren’t many places around the mountain that are uncharted territory for me but my sense of adventure had crept out from its hiding place and I felt just like a child wanting to explore.
Without really thinking where I was going, I took a path through the cedars, occasionally glancing up at the light glittering through the leaves. Time seemed as though it had slowed down and was coming to a halt as I walked through the forest.
It was almost as day had instantaneously turned into night. The light shining through the leaves disappeared as the foliage thickened; blocking out any illumination and an unnerving stillness descended.
I had walked for what seemed like an hour to me, but the further into the wood I ventured, the less sense of time I possessed. My consciousness had begun drifting away from me and I felt myself attuning to the harmony of the forest. There was an opening just up ahead, which shone like an unearthly gateway.
Feelings of apprehension rose in my stomach but I strode towards it anyway.
Once through the opening I was struck by an unfamiliar sight.
An old mansion, that looked as If there hadn’t been anyone near it for a couple of hundred years. The ivy, over the years, had crawled up the left side of the building, stretching out its tendrils smothering the bricks, and its right side was almost engulfed by the shadow of the surrounding trees.
Funny, I don’t remember my parents ever telling me about this place. I wonder how far I have actually walked through this wood. My intrigue got the better of me and I walked towards it.
The sun must have been setting as the outline of the building glowed orange. Good job I had brought a torch with me! I put out my hand to test the door and realized it wasn’t locked, and it swung open with the classic movie creak. I made tentative steps inside the house.
“Hello” I whispered, “Anyone here?”
My voice hardly registered, as if it had been swallowed by the surrounding space. It smelled of musty, damp, sweet old wood.
My heart began to race with excitement as I fumbled in my backpack for the torch. There were no light switches at all, which re-affirmed my thoughts as to there being no one in the house for a long time.
As the beam filled the room it uncovered a Victorian style sitting room.
Old chairs and tables lay unattended and draped in timeworn lace. Dark blue velvet curtains hung in front of the windows blocking out any of the remaining daylight, which was rapidly waning. There were two doors, that I could see, and a wrought iron spiral staircase.

For an unknown reason I automatically made my way towards the staircase, flashing the beam around for the assurance that I was there alone while I mounted the stairs. Halfway up the staircase there was a balcony, which led on to another floor. I shone the torch along the length of the wall revealing a colony of spiders busily spinning themselves an extension to their home.
Just as I was about to carry on climbing the stairs, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, as the door downstairs slammed. There were scuffling noises coupled with unrecognizable squeaks and grunts. I had butterflies in my stomach and my immediate response was to find somewhere to hide. I crept away from the stairs and slid behind a convenient door where I hoped I would not be seen. I held my breath as heavy footsteps climbed the stairs and the noises that I had first heard began to get louder. Whatever it was, it was almost beside me now. I could hear the sound of cloth dragging on the stairs and I could contain my curiosity no longer. I peeked out from behind my hiding place only to be looking at a seven foot cloaked figure, with an ethereal glow; which was followed by hoards of little creatures.
I fought the compulsion to follow this being, as he disappeared from the stairs into what I could only assume was the attic.
“I must be utterly insane”, I thought to myself, but as quietly as I could, I sneaked up the stairs after the hooded fiend, desperately trying not to make a sound; alerting it to my presence.
As I reached the top of the stairs the door blew open with wind came from nowhere and I was paralyzed, with no escape.
The hooded figure was standing right in front of me, with his minions of half-breeds swarming around his ankles.
"Ah Daniel I have been waiting for you. Won't you come in'
Breathe; remember to breathe.
“It has taken you a little longer than I anticipated but I am glad you have joined us at last” his voice boomed and echoed through the house.

Speak, goddamnit or move or something!

“Hmm, cat’s got your tongue I see. Well let me introduce myself. I am Leethros, Watcher of the dark realms. Remember your little episode when you found yourself in another plane of existence. No? Well let me remind you. Maybe this will jog your memory a little”

The hallway dissolved before me and I found myself standing in the corridor that I had been propelled into, surrounded by the all too familiar banging and clattering.
A split second after that I was standing in the hallway of the old mansion confronted again with the tall figure.

Chapter 8
Missy M.

M was drifting in that familiar feeling of not quite conscious and not quite sleeping state. She was trying to not to lose consciousness completely to direct herself into the realm of lucid dreaming. It probably would have been a success had it not been for that one particular repetitive sound. “What is that?” she thought, straining for recognition.
“Oh, it’s my phone.” She reached for it unwillingly.
“Hello”
“Hi. “, it was a male voice that she didn’t recognize.
“Is that Melany? This is Joshua, Joshua Ward. I got your email and called as soon as I could “
He waited expectantly for a reply. M yawned and replied sluggishly,
“Yeah, I hadn’t expected you to get in touch quite so quickly “
Josh cleared his throat as he stifled a giggle.
“Early bird catches the worm and all that, anyway, I wanted to ask you some questions about your email. Can we meet for lunch or something? I mean, that’s if you’re not busy with anything else?”
M smiled letting out a sigh of relief down the phone as he didn’t seem to think she had a screw loose.
“Yeah, I guess so. There’s a good place to eat down in Murphy, you like tacos?”
Josh laughed again, “That just happens to be my favourite fast food, it will probably take me about three and a half hours to get to Taco Bell in Murphy so I might make it in time for an evening meal?”
He paused momentarily, then added,
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to start organizing your day for you, and expecting you to drop everything to come and meet me.”
M shrugged it off saying,
“Well I’ll be there for six and I won’t stand you up if you get stuck in traffic”
Josh felt relieved, looking over at the clock on his wall to check the time again and nodded, “Going to have to get going now” he thought to himself.
“Ok I’ll see you there Melany” he said and was about to ring off.
M interrupted him,
“Bye Josh, oh and by the way, call me M, my full name always unnerves me”
“Ok, see you at six, M”
M looked up at the clock after placing the receiver back in its cradle, 2pm, just enough time for an afternoon meditation and a stroll through the woods before she would have to drive out to Murphy. Any more clients today will just have to use their own intuition for once, or come back tomorrow.

Chapter 9
Joshua.

“Almost seven pm and stuck in traffic” he muttered to himself, squinting his eyes for a cause of this mayhem but there’s nothing but cars for miles. “If I sneak out through the traffic I might be able to get in the gas station and fill up the tank.” He thought to himself.
He pulled the car out into the middle of the road, indicating towards gas station and without too much trouble, managed to maneuver into the car park.

The queue for the pumps resembled the gridlock on the road. He muttered to himself again “so my next option is a cup of coffee and hope for a miracle.”
He swung around and reversed into the first available parking space, pulled the handbrake and climbed out of the car. He looked skyward as huge drops of rain splattered on his forehead.
“Great, that’s all I need”, he sighed as it started to rain heavily and he opened the back door to retrieve his jacket. Pulling the jacket on and trying to lock the door at the same time, he dropped his keys.
“Damn it”, he groaned.
After reaching down to pick up the keys he started to walk away from the car, not looking up and collided with the body that had been stumbling past his car.
“I’m sorry” he exclaimed, reaching down to aide the crumpled heap on the floor. He realized she wasn’t even trying to get up.
“Are you all right miss? I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going”

She was whispering, “Help me please”
“Here, take my hand”, he reached down and she grabbed his hand. As he did so bright lights flashed before his eyes and he started to lose his balance.
He reached out to steady himself, leaning on the window of his car, blinking through the rain, which was blinding him. He put his other arm around her waist and hauled her upright.
“Are you hurt?” he asked

She whispered again, indistinctly “Please help me”

He wiped the raindrops from his eyelashes with his free hand.
“OK, do you want to come and sit in the café and get out of this weather? I’ll buy you a coffee or something. It’s the least I can do.”
Holding tightly onto her waist, in case she was to fall again, he guided her towards the café. Once inside he found some seats and helped her sit down. Her hair was strewn across her face, covering most of her features.
“I don’t know why I feel guilty” he thought, when he reached out and wiped the hair away from her face. She stared up at him, confused, as a single tear rolled down her cheek. Something in his heart just broke there and then. His hands were trembling with a mixture of cold and rain and something else.
“Please don’t cry.” He pleaded. “It’s ok I’ll be back in a minute. I’m going to get us a hot drink.”
He staggered towards the counter with his mind racing. He was struggling with a mixture of confusion and déjà vu. Never in his life had such a little thing affected him so much. He ordered some drinks and left a ten-dollar bill on the counter while motioning to where they were seated.
He threw his sodden jacket on the seats beside theirs and sat in front of her.
“I don’t even know her name” he thought to himself as he put out his hand, to introduce himself properly.
“I’m Josh. Pleased to meet you”
Cautiously, she reached out to take his hand.
“I’m Kathy.”
She just sat there looking at him with this expression on her face that he couldn’t quite figure out. He squeezed her hand gently and let go, feeling awkward and clumsy.
“I was in a bit of a hurry and I guess I didn’t see you there. I didn’t hurt you did I?”
She shook her head in reply.
“I’m glad about that; I never would have been able to forgive myself if I had! Anyway, I ordered some coffee and I it’s my treat”
She sighed and seemed to relax a little.
‘So, where were you running to just then?’
Startled by his question she sat up and snapped,
“I wasn’t running anywhere I just…”
She was shaking again and stuttering.
“Hey, I didn’t mean to upset you I was only, you know, trying to make conversation. Let me start again. HI I’m Josh, I run a paranormal investigation agency. What about you?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you”, she muttered into the coffee cup.
“Try me!” said Josh, cheerfully.
At that point the waitress graced them with her presence and laid down two mugs of steaming coffee.
“Will that be all?” she asked, poised with her order book.
“Yeah thanks.” josh replied
The waitress shrugged her shoulders and strolled back to the counter.
He turned back to Kathy and smiled.
“Sorry. You were saying?”
He could sense her feelings of apprehension as she picked up the mug of coffee and sipped nervously from it. Kathy took a deep breath and began to talk.

“Well, I have been on the run for a few days now. They think I am a threat because of the powers that I have inherited. But you’ll know about that sort of thing right, being an investigator of the paranormal.”
He nodded his head, but urged her carry on.
“Yeah, but where were you running from?” he asked.
She blinked and stared straight at him.
“The Freeplains medical Institute”, she blurted out, the sat motionless, waiting for a reaction from Josh.
“The hospital, Oh”, he mumbled.
Feeling really embarrassed about asking her such a dumb question he figured that he should maybe change the subject of conversation, but before he had a chance she was already telling him everything.
“I don’t really remember how I got there but I do know that I had been there about two weeks. They were trying to test me because I can do things that people normally just don’t do. Like reading peoples minds and making things move just by thinking about it. But I can’t remember what I did before I woke up in the hospital. Guess I must be suffering from some sort of amnesia right?”

He nodded in confirmation, but was visibly shocked by what she was telling him. He didn’t think that they locked people up because of these things, but then again it was his job to be open to that sort of thing and not to hide truths behind closed doors. He shivered at the thought of what they had been doing to this poor creature.
“I have this, don’t know if you might have seen it before “
She fumbled around in her coat pocket and produced a tiny piece of paper that looked like it had been torn from a phone directory.
“I had a silver sigil shaped like this around my neck. They took it away from me the day they brought me in.”
On the back of the paper was a scrawled sigil. Josh recognized it instantly as a symbol that had come up time and time again in cases that he had investigated concerning abductees. Normally he had to tread so carefully in trying to get people to talk about that particular subject, for one reason or another, but here he was sitting with someone who, it appeared, had no recollection of such a thing.
“Have you seen it before?” She asked.
“Actually, yes I have” Josh replied
“Really. Where?” Kathy sat up and leaned closer so that she could hear him without straining to filter out the noise of the café.
Josh started fidgeting with the teaspoon in his coffee cup trying to think of an easy way to tell her.

“Ah, well, let me put it this way. I have not actually seen it myself but there are people that I have talked to who have seen this symbol in their dreams “
She looked perplexed.
“Dreams, what kind of dreams?’ she asked.

Josh spoke quickly, “Well, not really dreams as such but encounters with intelligences that are not, shall we say, from this planet”

“Huh. I see. But what would that have to do with me?” Kathy enquired.

Josh scratched his head, his brain was reeling at this point and then he remembered that M would be sitting waiting for him in Murphy. It had completely slipped his mind.
“I don’t want to leave this girl sitting by herself in a café; it’s obvious that she needs help of some sort.” He thought, “But at the same time if I asked her to come with me she might just run away again.”
He quickly made the decision that it would be better if she came with him, took a deep breath and asked her.

“I don’t know” he said “but I would really like to help you find out. I’m guessing that seeing as how you’ve just made a sharp exit from your living quarters in the Freeplains, you’re going to need a place to stay?”

“What, you mean come with you?”

“I know, it probably sounds insane but I really want to help you. There is just this thing I'd completely forgotten about, I had arranged to meet someone in Murphy, what with bumping into you and all, I totally forgot. She’s probably on her fourth cup of coffee by now. I mean don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to pick you up or anything like that. I just think there are a few things I could help you with and from what you have just told me, your story could be invaluable for my research.”
She sighed and looked around the café,
“Well, I guess it’s got beat sitting in this place for the next couple of days.”
Josh looked at his watch and realized that he was even later than he had first thought. If they didn’t set off now it could be midnight before they arrived.

“If you‘ve finished you coffee, we had better get going. I’ll try and call the place from my cell phone to see if she is still there. Ok?”
She nodded and started to make her way out from behind the booth. Josh rummaged around in his coat pocket for a couple of dollars to leave for the waitress and then they headed out to the car park.

Chapter 10
Grainger.

Finding your voice is one of the most difficult things that you ever have to do in this life. Especially when confronted with a scene of complete madness. Surely this must be a dream? This really couldn’t be happening could it? He wasn’t even sure if this mansion had existed until he had stumbled across it a few minutes ago and he was faltering badly to string together a couple of words to make a sentence to save his ass from this horrifying cloaked entity.
“I remember being there but I thought it was a dream”
, said Daniel while trying really hard to swallow the lump that had been rising in his throat for the past couple of minutes.
A low chuckling sound reverberated from within the creature.
“A dream. Very good Mr Grainger, but not quite. What you experienced was, I suppose, what you would call perception shifting; in which the laws and dimensions of your world as you know it do not apply. You were pulled through one of our portals just long enough for you to experience it and remember it. You humans are so limited in your experiences that you believe that the dimensions, in which you exist, are the only ones that exist. You couldn’t be further from the truth if you tried.”
Another gut wrenching sound emanated from the form towering over Daniel, while he was visibly trembling and desperately trying to catch his breath.

“The only similarity between you and me now is that we both are here, in this place, and I am going to ask you one question and you are going to give me an answer. Depending on the answer to that question will be the saving or regenerating of your life”
The creature began to make his way towards Daniel while Daniel was frantically scanning the room looking for an exit but the reams of squirming creatures had taken up the position of guarding the doorway and window.
“Will you join us? Before you give your answer I want you to carefully consider the fact that we know all about you and your life and your longing to be somewhere other than on your present plane of existence.”
Knowing that this decision was going to have to be a quick one and that he really didn’t want to die. As much as he hated the way he had lived his life it was far too soon for him to join the rest of the failed society by becoming another statistic before really making something of his existence. He looked down at his feet, then around the room and at the situation that was facing him and he took a deep breath and addressed Leethros with all the courage he could muster.
"What do I have to do?"
“Do!” the creature boomed at him, “you don’t have to do anything but accept the proposal from me and join us”
“Ok.”, said Daniel, more under his breath than actually to the monster, “I accept”

With that, a leering smile crossed the features and it raised its arms in the air as the room began to spin and Daniel felt his body beginning a rapid descent, falling so fast that his ears hurt from the pressure.
The voice of Leethros echoing all around him and swirling closer until it was right inside his head saying,
“The transformation has already begun”
His body was prickling all over, it felt like a thousand tiny needles were burning into his flesh and pulling it in all directions. No longer could he reason any of this and he screamed out in pain.
The burning sensation moved now from his body to the centre of his forehead getting more and more intense. There was a flash of what looked like lightening behind his eyes and his thought forms were pulled away and detached from his body. The creatures that had been scuttling around the ankles of Leethros now poured a greenish fluid all over Daniels limbs and head while putting a pipe down his throat and attaching it some sort of respirator.

“Welcome to the dark realms Mr Grainger. You will no longer require the use of your body for in this dimension we function merely as the energy of thought-forms. The world that you have left behind was stuck in the density of three dimensions. The astral realm has many dimensional beings. Some of those that you should know about are the non- active participants, the tortured and tormented earth bound souls and the Carriers. Of which you are the latter. There are others but this need not concern you now.
Carriers are just that, they carry out the duties of the watchers until they are reborn as apprentice of the Watchers or they die and become the former.”
“So I am your servant!”
“Yes, for the time being, until I find a better use for you. Or you surpass your usefulness. There is no use in trying to contact those that you have left behind because there is nothing that they will be able to do for you. Your body has been stored somewhere safe and has been kept alive for if your body was to die then you would almost certainly begin your life again and we wouldn’t want that now would we!”
Daniel’s thoughts rattled through the last few days, that had lead up to this event, as the laughter from Leethros resounded all around in the darkness.
“You had better forget where you came from because it will serve you nothing but pain”
There was an explosion of light and sounds that burst into focus. Daniel began to drift towards the most amazing thing he had ever seen. Tiny little opaque picturesque scenes morphed in and out and around each other. Fleeting images of places and people and events that he thought he recognized.
“This is the realm of human’s collective thought-forms that are produced by the sub conscious desires of the humans”

“Dreams, you mean dreams”

Chapter 11
Missy M

M glanced up at the clock on the wall, which registers 8pm. She sighs to herself thinking that maybe she was being a bit too hopeful about solving the predicament with Billy Joe. She stares out of the window while wondering what could have happened to Josh. Maybe he had changed his mind, or maybe another case that was more important had come up and he hadn’t had a chance to tell her before she left. The café was deserted apart from the staff, making themselves appear busy by rearranging the utensils on the serving bar and mindlessly polishing the cutlery, abruptly interrupted by the shrill tone of the telephone.
“I have a call for Melany, from a Joshua Ward”
The waitress was shouting above the noise of the coffee machines, which had just sprung to life grinding beans.

“Yeah, that’s me”, shouted M and she made her way over to the counter.
She smiled while taking the receiver from the waitress who graced her with a knowing smile for she had already served her numerous cups of coffee.

“Hey M, “, said josh “I’m real sorry I’m late meeting you but something came up, I’ll explain when I get there”
He sounded breathless, as if he had been running or something.
“That’s ok, as long as you’re alright.” She paused and added, “You sound a little out of breath!”
He laughed and replied,
“Fine, I’m fine. I’ll be about an hour if the traffic stays the way it is at the moment.”
M responded with a sigh of relief,
“I was a little worried, I must admit. I’ll see you in an hour then.”
“Bye M”

M returned to her table feeling a little calmer about things but there was something niggling in the back of her mind.
Trying to shrug it off, she sipped the remnants of the lukewarm coffee.
Putting the coffee cup down just in time for the familiar blackness to descend as the floor spun from underneath her.

It was like she was being sucked through a dark tunnel, towards a tiny pinpoint of light, with wind rushing past her ears. A scene began to emerge in front of her. Chaos. It looked strikingly similar to the Catacombs that you find underneath churches, from what she could make out in the dimly lit gloom, there were squealing and growling noises surrounding her emanating from dark figures that were scuttling around in the darkness.
She floated through numerous tunnels, all the while feeling as if she was being drawn towards something or somebody by an unseen force.
Beneath the rumblings and the chaotic murmuring she thought she could hear a voice pleading for help. The source of the voice seemed to be emanating from behind one of the marble headstones. It was crying,
“This can’t be. I shouldn’t be here. Somebody help me? Please, if you can hear me. They have stolen my essence.”
While trying to make some sense of the surroundings, a watery image began flickering into focus, while the present scene faded into non-existence.
She was now looking at a large old mansion surrounded by a vast expanse of redwoods. There was a figure approaching the door. It was a guy, who looked a little familiar but she couldn’t place a name.
He was moving now towards the door and contemplating going inside when the wind began to pick up and the sky seemed to darken all of a sudden. He pushed open the door and walked inside. A tall, cloaked figure was now approaching the door, pausing momentarily to sniff the air before making his way through.
There were lots of tiny creatures running around his ankles making lots of bizarre noises. But that guy, she thought to herself, he is in there! With that thought she was propelled inside the building to be confronted with the dark figure again and the person she had seen walk into the building was cowering before the fiend.
He was saying something to him, but she couldn’t quite make out the whole of the sentence. Daniel, that was what he said and something about waiting for him to join them. Daniel Grainger.
As that thought had registered she was being pulled away from the scene, while the creature raised its arms in the air and proceeded to let out a gruesome laugh.

A name rang out as she felt herself being pulled back to consciousness, Leethros, watcher of the dark realms.
She could hear people talking as she began to regain her grip on the earth plane. Straining to open her eyes to see who was there, she realized that she was no longer in the café but what looked like the interior of a car. Someone was sitting beside her with an arm around her shoulders, saying;
“M, are you alright? Can you hear me?”
She mumbled, “Waiting for Josh, blacked out, have to find Daniel..”

Chapter 12
Grainger

After the initial shock of his disembodiment, Daniel had become accustomed to traveling in and out of the places that exist within this astral realm. The sensation of moving around without a body was not so much unpleasant but hard to come to terms with when you are accustomed to having two legs for stability.
The trick was to use the power of thought to guide your form to wherever it was that you wanted to go.

The realm appeared to consist mostly of dreams, well the parts that he had visited so far, and there were a few places that he had passed through that could only be explained as forms of energy that he guessed were the will of the human consciousness, as they were clusters of feelings that when you passed through them you could feel emotions like passion, hate, love, fear and envy to name but a few. Also there were numerous beings guarding these places of whom he hadn’t gotten close enough, to ascertain exactly what they were.

The dreams that he had watched were scenes being played out, aspirations and wishful thoughts that manifested first in this realm and then were brought into existence by the will of the person in question. Every now and then he would stumble across a dream that would be so vivid that it was almost like watching a movie on an ethereal cinema screen. As he floated through the multitude of pictures and static, he was being drawn in the direction of a particular dream.

He morphed into the flickering image and watched four figures standing in a valley, surrounded by trees. These four were students of the occult, who had set out to embark on what they believed to be harmless experimentation with the practices of demon-conjuring.

As far as they were aware, as long as they followed their careful research, any entity or being that they brought into existence could be just as easily dismissed, with no harm done. History deems that this can be executed and has, and will, no doubt, be done time and time again
.
It is the night of Samhain and the four participants had driven four hundred miles from their hometown to a secluded valley in Wilmington to perform their ritual. Each person standing in his or her respective points, within their magick circle and the ritual was all going according to plan.
The four are simultaneously chanting aloud with both arms outstretched,
“We summon you now, seeking your wisdom, in the circle be bound, that we might speak with you”
Dark clouds swirling overhead and deep rumblings of thunder that begin to charge the atmosphere.
The blonde haired male stepped into the middle of the circle and proclaimed,
“We invoke the spirit into this circle, manifest within the triangle” then repeating a name in a low whispered continuous chant while he was pointing towards a triangle that had been laid out with salt on the sandy floor. The wind was now raging to a climax and howling through the trees all around them .The other three were desperately trying to keep hold of their ritual tools with great difficulty for the wind had almost blown them away. A lightening bolt struck about two feet away from the circle, hitting one of the overhanging branches of the tree. Startled, they all turned around to see what had been hit and the branch came crashing down towards the centre
.
‘Marcus, watch out’, shrieked one of the girls.
He stumbled forward in an attempt to dodge the falling branch and fell face down, right on top of the salt triangle.
The storm seemed to subside just as quickly as it had begun and it looked as if the ritual had been a complete failure.
The two girls rushed over to see if their companion was still conscious.
‘Are you alright? Can you hear me Marcus it’s Del?
Shaking her head she turned to the other girl and muttered,
“I think we’d better get him out of here, looks like he might have hit his head “
They quickly picked up the scattered remnants of the ritual and the three of them picked up their friend and bundled him into the back of the Bentley.
“Do you think he’s ok?”, enquired Dell, as they were driving back towards Asheville.
The driver shaking his head,
“I don’t think so. He’s not opened his eyes or anything since he fell. Maybe we should get him to a hospital or something.”
Dell screwed her face up in disgust,
“You know he hates hospitals”
The driver replied,
“I’d rather make sure that he’s ok, whether he hates hospitals or not”
Dell looked from one to the other and sighed,
“Well, if you think so”
She looked at Marcus and it seemed as if his eyelids had begun to flutter and his breathing had become really shallow. She reached out her hand and was about to let it rest on his shoulder as a screeching high pitched note began to pierce the air and a smell like sulfur rose all around them.
Condensation had misted over all the windows and the driver was frantically attempting to wipe the windscreen while two headlamps loomed towards them. The girls were coughing and spluttering with the odor and as the impact of the head on collision struck, Dell was propelled into the back of the drivers seat, with the domino effect his seat also jarred forward and he was flung from his seat, crashing head first through the windscreen.
As the car came to a standstill after sliding across the road, melded to the other vehicle, the scene was not a pretty one. The girl who had been sitting on the passenger side was slumped over the cracked dashboard with smatterings of glass fragments clinging to her hair. Dell was lying with her head over the remains of the driver’s chair and Marcus was crumpled in a heap behind the seats. On first glance all four were dead, unless you looked a little closer to see the twitching from behind the seats. A low growling sound was the only noise once the sound of the screeching tires had subsided.
Marcus raised his head to survey the situation at hand.
There was a disembodied voice speaking to him.
"You must go now, get out of the car"
'Go', he thought to himself, 'but how did I get here? What happened?'

"Do not concern yourself with that now. You must leave before anyone sees what has happened here.”

The image started to ripple and distort as it faded into non-existence.
Sinking back into the blackness, Daniels thoughts lingered with the last scene, trying to make some sense of it. He had traveled through numerous dreams since his placement here in the astral realm. But this particular dream seemed to be out of the ordinary, maybe having some significance.

Now that he was again floating though the void his thoughts turned again to his fate. He couldn’t stay here. It just wasn’t right. He had to get out of here somehow. There must be a way.

Chapter 13

Josh, Kathy and M had driven to josh’s house after making a rather lengthy detour to M’s house so that she could pack a bag as they had decided between them that the best course of action would be for all three of them to stay in Georgia in Josh’ apartment.
One of the reasons for coming to this decision, when M had mentioned the blackouts that she had been suffering from and the very fact that she lived alone was proof enough to Josh that safety in numbers was most definitely the issue here, who knows what could have happened when the demon had taken possession of Billy Joe’s body.
There had been much debating over this fact but a final decision had been made and the journey had commenced.

After arriving in the early hours of the morning all three had flaked out, sleeping like the dead until lunchtime the next day.

The drive hadn’t seemed quite as arduous as they had expected it would be as they had used the time wisely. Shedding a little light on each other’s respective lives and getting to know the interesting pieces of past history, trials and tribulations up until today. Once they had all fought their way out of bed the next day, washed up and almost returned to normal waking consciousness, hunger had begun gnawing and growling in their stomachs.
Josh relished the kitchen experience as he loved cooking, but didn’t seem to spend much time doing it nowadays and it was savored appreciatively by his guests. Once they had finished eating they resumed their journey conversation. M had just finished telling them about the email that she had received from Daniel and about the vision that she had experienced while she was sitting in the café. M had told them, while they had been traveling in the car; about her experiences when she was younger she used to talk to a spirit through an ouija board.
Josh admitted that he also had tried it and it had disturbed him slightly as the messages he received hadn’t made any sense until he had written them down and read them backwards.

M had suggested that maybe they should construct a board to try and contact her old guide or any spirit who may be close, to give them some sort of insight into the situation of the three of them being thrown together like this. Kathy on the other hand had no previous experience with speaking to spirits as such but had agreed that she would participate should her assistance be required.
Half an hour later they had cleared off the oak table, drawn the curtains, arranged an alphabet of paper letters in a circle around a chalk pentagram in the middle of the table. After much probing around in the kitchen cupboards Josh had successfully retrieved a shot glass that he didn’t mind losing and he placed it in the middle of the paper letters.
“Are we all set?” M enquired.
Josh nodded and looked toward Kathy, raising his eyebrows at her as he took his place at the table.
“Yeah, ready as I’ll ever be” Kathy said, lowering herself tentatively into the chair.
“So I just put my finger on the glass right?”
M smiled reassuringly at her, “Just the tip of your little finger will be fine”
All three were now sitting around the table with their fingers slightly touching the glass and M spoke.
“Is there anyone here with us?’
Before she had finished asking the question the glass had begun to slide across the table towards the piece of paper inscribed with the word yes.
Kathy shifted uncomfortably and Josh whispered to her.
“It’s ok, don’t worry”
He winked at her and she appeared to ease a little.
M questioned again.
“Do you have a name for us?”
With no hesitation the glass began moving fairly rapidly back and forwards from letter to letter spelling out the name Mort.

M sighed saying,
“Hi Mort, it’s been a while. So I guess you’re still keeping an eye out for me.”
The glass hovered around yes.
“So you will know what happened with the Maelificus in my house.”
The glass was circling again in an agitated fashion around the same piece of paper.
Before she could ask any more questions the glass began to rattle and repeatedly sliding between G and O. Kathy was beginning to get quite nervous at this point but still kept her finger on the glass as she had previously been informed that they should not do that until the spirit had left via the chalk pentagram.
M spoke firmly even though she herself was picking up some bizarre vibrations from the room now.
“It’s ok, you can go. Thank you for talking to us”
The glass moved back to its starting position and they all breathed an audible sigh of relief.
M turned to Josh saying,
“ There is something weird going on. Mort would never leave so quickly. We used to talk for hours!”

Josh replied, “Well we didn’t really get a chance to say much to him, did we?”

“Didn’t get a chance!” said M while shaking her head in dismay. “He seemed rather desperate to go. Maybe someone else was hovering around trying to get in .Are you up for asking again?”
She looked from one to the other and Josh nodded his head and Kathy blinked at her and said,
“I guess so” then paused and added “It’s not dangerous is it?” Josh and M smiled at her for reassurance, replying in unison.
“No!”
All three replaced their fingers on the glass and M began the questioning again,
“Is there anyone there?”
The glass began moving to spell out letters immediately and Josh had already begun writing when M started to shiver and the temperature in the room dropped dramatically.
“What does it say?” spluttered Kathy, while M was starting to sink down into her chair and her finger was slipping from the glass.
“It says Help me, please!”
M had begun to mutter under her breath.
“What’s going on Josh, what is she saying?’”
“I don’t know.”
He raised his voice a little saying,
”Are you ok, can you hear me? M”
She looked up at Josh and spoke in a masculine deep-throated tone.
“Help me, please. I’m trapped”
“Who are you”, asked Josh “and trapped where?”

“Daniel, Daniel Grainger. I am not a spirit of the dead! My body has been stolen and I have been held captive in the astral realm”

Kathy and josh looked at each other in sheer amazement.

“You must get M to do something. She’s a psychic. She can help me.”
Josh shivered and whispered to Kathy,

“It’s going to be okay, don’t panic”, he took a deep breath and asked, “What can we do?”

“My body has been hidden underneath a church. The Watcher Leethros captured me when I stumbled across a mansion in the woods near my parents lodge in the mountains. I need you to find my body so that you can get me out of there when I find a way to get my self reunited with it”

Josh had recognized the name Leethros and asked
“Where is your parents lodge? Can you tell us that much?”

“Wauyah mountain. I can’t hold this any longer, please hurry.”

M started coughing and the glass slid onto the pentagram.
Josh jumped up out of his chair and ran around to the other side of the table, arms outstretched, catching hold of her just as she slumped side wards in her seat.

Kathy was frozen in her chair, sitting staring at the two of them, looking from one to the other with her mouth open.

“What just happened?”
She questioned Josh.
“That voice, how did, I mean where did it come from?”
Josh was fanning M’s face with a magazine while telling Kathy what he thought had happened.
“You know how we were communicating with the spirit through the board?”
She nodded in reply.
“Well, in rare cases the spirit actually takes control of the body and uses it as a vessel. But I think what just happened was something I didn’t think was possible as he said he wasn’t dead!”
Kathy raised her arms in the gesture of not understanding quite what he meant.

“Well, from what he said, he’s in the astral realm not the spirit world and his body has been kidnapped and stored somewhere by Leethros, which means that he managed to communicate through the board somehow and then used M as his communication device.”
Kathy frowned and shrugged,
“So, is she going to be alright?’
M’s eyelids began to flutter and Josh motioned to Kathy to help him.
The two of them hauled M out of the chair and carried her to the sofa where they sat her down amongst the scattered books and magazines.
She opened her eyes and looked at Josh.
“What happened? Did we break the circle?”

“No, not quite.”
Said josh, “You don’t remember anything, no?”

She was shaking her head and asked,
“Why?”

Kathy looked helplessly to Josh as he came forward with the explanation.

“Ah. Well. We talked to Daniel.”

She looked confused and urged Josh to explain.

“Or should I say Daniel spoke to us through you. He told us that he needed our help to free him from the Astral realm, he said you would know what to do, he’s been kidnapped by a being that carries the name Leethros. “
M was struggling to comprehend what Josh was saying as her head felt clouded but at the same time the vision that she had experienced was starting to make perfect sense.

“Of course” she said “that’s what I saw when I was waiting for you in the café”
Kathy piped up,”But how are we going to be able to get him out of there?”

M sighed deeply and replied, “That’s where you two come in. We need to project ourselves into the astral and try and find him or hope that he finds us!”
Josh got up and went to the bookshelf and retuned with a green folder, which he opened and sat cross-legged on the floor and motioned to Kathy to come and see.

The file contained various methods of astral projection of which Josh passed one of the pages to Kathy saying, “I have tried it successfully a couple of times. It is sort of like dreaming but you are in control of where you go and what you do only it is not just dream-like beings that you can encounter while you are there, right M?”

“It is more easily understood as a different level of consciousness than a state of dreaming. Only I have been visiting it without being instructed by any of the methods that are outlined in any books. It is something that comes naturally being a born psychic.”

Josh said to M, “The only thing that I didn’t know was that all three of us could go together”

M explained, “We will have to make some sort of guide cassette that will enable us to all enter the same state of consciousness simultaneously. But that won’t be a problem. I can call in some assistance to protect us as we go.”

M instructed the others what they would need for protection and they began preparing for the journey.

Chapter 14
Rescue

Josh, M and Kathy lay sprawled out, lying on the living room floor of Josh’ apartment; heads touching so that if you were to draw a line around all of their feet you would have a perfect circle. The aroma of sage and sandalwood clung to the air, M had suggested this for removing any negative vibrations, and there were candles positioned around them in six evenly spaced points making a star.
The only audible sound apart from their breathing was the tape player on which M was talking them all though the process of disengaging from their bodies.
Their breathing simultaneously growing deeper, thoughts concentrated on leaving this occupied space. In their minds the presence of the room began to fade and all felt the sensation of falling really fast with wind rushing past their ears.

The transition was so fast, like blinking your eyes and the scene being replaced with another when you opened them again. M was taking the lead and sending thoughts to Kathy and Josh for them to follow her while they searched for Daniel.
A vast ocean of swirling colors engulfed the space around them and their senses were bombarded with noises like the howling of wind incorporated with distant ghostly voices.
They moved through this as one form, floating effortlessly while M was trying to send out a telepathic beacon to Daniel.
“Stop” thought M.

Before them, a swirl of greenish mist began to form. The space around it seemed to change in substance and was seemingly drawing light towards it, in the way that a black hole sucks things into it. In the middle of this an opaque shape began to take form. First a head came through followed by a set of shoulders and then the rest of a male form.

“I knew you would do it!”

The voice penetrated through all of their minds ringing in their collective thoughts, “Daniel”

“I don’t know if they know you are here but we should get out of here quickly, all the same “

M transmitted her thoughts to Daniel. “We will have to cloak your form and you will have to lead us to where they have kept your body. Move in to the middle of us and we will spiral around you so that you won’t be seen.”

Daniel floated in to the middle of the three ghostly forms and they began to rotate slowly around him as a shield.
“We will have to cross through a couple of different realms to get there, I can mentally guide you but I don’t want to be visible at all.”

“You tell us where to go and we’ll take it slowly”, replied M.
They floated and spiraled through the astral in to the dream state and through a couple of dreams, which let them to the place in which Daniel had been abducted. They left the mansion and traveled through the redwood forest away from the mountain towards a dirt trail. At the end of the dirt trail was a small somewhat crumbling cemetery, overgrown with ivy and windows. Set back in the greenery was the church itself with boards over the doors and windows which looked as if they hadn’t seen soapy water for centuries.

“Underneath the church is where they have hidden my body, it’s wrapped up in some sort of shell that is keeping it alive “

They passed through the door of the church and down through a maze of tunnels until they finally stopped at a row of tombs.

“I’ll be waiting for you”

Daniel moved quickly through the others and out of his cover and his form sank through the stone.

“Please hurry”, he said.

Kathy spoke to josh,
“So, what do we do now? I mean how do we get back?”

Josh left it for M to reply and she told them both,
“You need to think now of your body and the surroundings in which you left and it will bring you back to your normal waking consciousness. Ok are you both ready? “

“Yes, I think so.” Thought Kathy and josh agreed.

“Let’s go now so that we don’t waste any time.”

All three focused on Josh’s apartment and the astral realm faded as they were pulled back to their bodies.

The smell of sage was the first noticeable thing and the ticking of the wall clock. They all opened their eyes and slowly became accustomed to their bodies again.

M was the first to speak, “Stand up slowly, and we have to ground ourselves so that we don’t leave any traces of ourselves in the astral.”

They all stood up and M motioned to them to do the same as she was doing. Raising their arms in an upwards, circular motion and breathing in deeply, and bringing their arms down in front of the body, pushing downwards and breathing out while imagining this motion grounding their astral bodies back in the physical and stopping at the solar plexus.

She explained, “you have to do this otherwise you would feel ill because part of your energies could be left in the astral realm.”
Once they had repeated it a couple of times Josh went to his bookcase to look for a map so that they could find their way to Wauyah.

“Kathy do you want to throw some clothes in a bag for me, and there’s a bag in the bathroom with toothbrushes and stuff like that in it.”

Kathy nodded and went to the bedroom where she found a flight bag and began to pack some random clothes in it.

Josh spoke to M, “I had no idea that you could do things like that in there, where did you learn things like that?”

M replied, “Like I told you before, there are some things I just know but can’t explain!”

Josh laughed and unfolded the map on to the table.

“This is where we are going to have to drive to.“
, He said while pointing to a mountain range on the map,

“It’ll probably take us about two and a half hours to get to Wauyah and then we’ll have to drive past Daniels house to the forest and walk from there.”

He lifted his head up and shouted through the open door to Kathy,
“There’s a couple of torches hanging up under the stairs, can you grab those as well. Thanks Kathy”
When Kathy came through she was carrying Josh’s bag and her own. While M was struggling to get into her jacket, she enquired,

“This must be pretty strange to you all this?”

Kathy smiled replying,
‘I am used to strange, believe me. It’s nice to know that it doesn’t just happen to me.”
They gathered their traveling stuff together and Josh picked up his car keys from the desk and shouted, “Are we all set?”

M joked, “Ready as I am every going to be.”

“Me too “said Kathy.

They bundled into Josh’s car and sped out of the driveway heading for the freeway.

The journey’s conversation varied between dealings with paranormal activity and resultant high school mischievousness, mostly from Josh and M, until they steered towards ghost hunting. Meanwhile Kathy had drifted in and out of a restless sleep in the rear passenger seat. They were discussing the personal experiences with ghosts and unnatural occurrences and finding that their theories on a lot of things were very similar, even though Josh was an investigator and M was a witch. Kathy had been half listening but had found it increasingly more and more difficult to keep her eyes open as she was absently watching the scenery through the window.

She started dreaming about the hospital and the doctors and nurses who had been trying to discover why she was so different and the questioning they had put her through, about her numerous unnatural abilities.
She remembered the room they had given her when she first arrived. It had a spy hole embedded in the door so that they could carry out routine observations on her every five minutes .As she was looking at the spy hole it appeared to be expanding in size until it had grown so large she could see her reflection in it. The reflection shimmering like the surface of a lake rippling in a breeze and it morphed into a pair of huge black eyes staring back at her .Two emotionless eyes just glaring at her, and she felt as though her thoughts had been invaded by something. She heard a voice in her head.
“We are watching” the voice said, “and you will know where to find us.”
The eyes seemed to be fading backwards out of focus and she could see now that they belonged to an oval shaped face with no mouth or nose.

She jolted in the car seat, so suddenly that it made Josh and M jump.

“Man you scared me.” Said josh, “you alright?”

“Yeah,” murmured Kathy, “I think I was dreaming”

“We are almost at the mountain “said M “We are going to drive past Daniels folks and leave the car so we can walk through the dirt track to the graveyard.”
Kathy stretched and shook her head in an attempt to dispel the dream that had shaken her into wakefulness.

As they drove past Wauyah Mountain, to the left of the car they could see a small track.

“That must be Daniels folks down there,” said Josh.

M shivered and nodded “I think so”

They drove past the turning and the expansive forest filled their view.

“I think the mansion is behind those trees there “said M.
Josh pulled the car over and they all got out.

“I hope he’s alright”, said M,” we should get going as quickly as possible”

“Yeah, “replied Josh “Come on”

They stumbled blindly through the forest guided by M and after walking for what seemed like forever they came to a clearing in which the mansion stood”

“That’s it! “Said M, shivering again.

Josh pointed over towards the right. “That must be the way to the cemetery”
Somewhat cautiously they headed for the path.
“It looks just like what we saw”, exclaimed Kathy in amazement “I thought it would look different for some reason” she shrugged, and they carried on down the path.
The air seemed to grow colder the further they walked down the lane until the overgrown stones of the cemetery came into view.

Walking through the gravestones had an eerie atmosphere and josh exclaimed, “Scary when you think about it really, you always assume that everybody is dead.”

Kathy put her hand on his shoulder saying,” this is weird enough being here never mind thinking about it like that”

“Sorry, “he replied “Just freaks me out a little I guess”

He took her hand and squeezed it. M was already making her way around the back of the church to look for a window, as it was impossible to get through the door

Josh and Kathy had to speed up their pace so as to catch up with her and sure enough as they walked around the back of the church there was a window that had been left ajar.
“Looks like this will be our point of entry” sighed M. “I’ll go first and you two follow OK?”
Kathy and Josh nodded. M pulled herself on to the windowsill and climbed through, jumping on to the floor on the other side.
Josh helped Kathy on to the windowsill and hauled himself up onto it and perched while he waited for her to jump down.
Once all three were in the church Josh started up the two torches and gave on to M.
“Let’s stay together; it’s far too dark in here for us to lose each other.” joked Kathy, even though she was feeling quite nervous about the whole situation.

Kathy and Josh followed M as they navigated their way through the church, taking the stairs down towards the labyrinth of tunnels .It was so quiet that all they could hear was their breathing. Until Kathy shouted,

“I hear him, it’s coming from that direction”

She pointed to one of the tombs down the corridor to the right.
Moving as quickly as possible they walked towards it.

“We made it!” said M

Josh was first to get to the stone slab and attempted to move it by pushing one of the corners away from him.

”It’s so heavy, I’m never going to be able to shift this!” exclaimed josh.

Kathy tugged on M’s sleeve and whispered in her ear,

“Have you ever tried PK?”
M beamed at her in the darkness and replied,” You caught the very thought!”

“Daniel”, she said, “I think it’s going to need a little more than a push”

“Huh?”

Daniel stepped back away from the tomb slightly puzzled as to what they meant to do. M motioned to Kathy, “Ready?”

“Yeah”

They both stood side by side and began breathing really deeply and focusing
their energies simultaneously directed towards the lid of the sarcophagus. Both raising their right hands, palms facing the tomb, and there was an energy blast as the lid lifted about an inch from it’s resting place and shifted about five feet sideways, crashing on the floor beside the open tomb.

“Man “, said Josh, “I didn’t know you could do that”, while he was walking back towards the sarcophagus. “Daniel, can you hear me?”

He shone the torch into the darkness inside and there was a muffled noise, which seemed to be coming from the encased form that was lying there.

Kathy and M moved closer so that they could see what was happening.
“What is that stuff?” said Kathy.
M replied, “It looks like some sort of muslin wrapping and” she paused leaning forward for closer inspection, “Ectoplasm?”

“Whatever it is “said josh “we have to get it off him and quickly!”
Kath shivered and whispered to herself,
“yep, stranger and stranger by the second.”

Josh found a part of the muslin that was dislodged and started to pull it away from the body, while Kathy and M tried their best to hold him up.

The more they unwrapped, it exposed more of the green substance .M found another loose end of the muslin around the head and also began unwrapping, exposing a pair of eyes.

“Daniel” she breathed, as the form started moving and trying to free himself of the remaining shreds of cloth.

Once he had managed to pull most of the rags from his torso it revealed some tubes that were running from his nose and mouth .He pulled both of them out at the same time and immediately started with a fit of coughing. M and Josh grabbed an arm each and pulled him out of the stone coffin.

They both slipped an arm each around his waist to try and steady him on his feet and Josh asked, “Are you ok to walk?”

“I think so”, croaked Daniel.
Kathy led the way back through the tunnels with the beam of light from her torch. Josh and M struggled between them to keep Daniel from falling. Once they made it back to the window Kathy climbed out first and between them, M and Josh lifted Daniel onto the windowsill.

“I think I’m starting to get used to my body again” said Daniel as he lowered himself down on to the grass.
When he landed, he staggered slightly and Kathy reached out to offer him support.

“Thanks for that”

“That’s Ok, I’m Kathy by the way.”

“I guess you already know my name” he joked feebly.

M and Josh jumped down one after the other and between the three of them they made sure that Daniel was well supported.

It didn’t take long for them to navigate their way through the forest to locate the car. Josh got into the driver side while Kathy and M made sure Daniel was safely in his seat before they got in as well.

Kathy handed Daniel a bottle of water while asking him,
“So, how did you end up in the company of astral beings?”
Daniel sipped from the water bottle and replied, “I didn’t really take up company with them. I was lured to the mansion in the forest where my body was taken from me by Leethros.”

Josh broke in,
“Do you think they will come looking for you?”

Daniel wiped his face with his sleeve and replied, “That I don’t know, and if he does, how are we going to stop him from taking all of us? I mean I have been lucky to get out of that alive and I don’t much fancy going back!”

He turned to look at M and as their eyes met, Daniel recalled the face he had seen the day he had fallen asleep in front of his computer. He smiled shyly at her and she blushed
“I assume Daniel will want to get cleaned up before we question him on all the finer details of this weirdness”, She sat back in her chair and fidgeted with her sleeves.
“Absolutely” Josh agreed, “I’ll drive us to the nearest restroom and if you want you can borrow some of my clothes?”

“That would be real good “Daniel replied while gazing at M. “Thanks.” He paused and added, “Kathy introduced herself but I don’t know your name yet”
Josh had already started up the engine and was pulling away from the forest as he turned to Daniel and winked.
“Joshua Ward, and I’ll fill you in on the finer details later”

It didn’t take them long to reach a restroom with a neighboring super 8 motel, across the street.

Josh pulled in to the restroom car park as he propositioned them, “Ok, it’s like this. We can either, let Daniel get washed up and changed, get some gas and drive back to Georgia. Or we could crash here for the night so that I can try and enlist some help just in case anything untoward should happen. “

“You mean if they decide they want Daniel back” replied Kathy.

“If that should happen we are going to need help, so what do you think?”

M nodded and said to Josh, “The motel is probably the best idea, I mean it would be better for all of us to get some rest, “ she started fumbling around in her bag, “ Only I hope I brought my wallet with me!”

Josh waved his hand at her, “Don’t worry about that M, I have an account for things like expenses when I go on investigations. “

“What, so you’re an investigator.’ Said Daniel, “That would figure.”

“I’ll go and reserve a couple of rooms. Ok with you as well Kathy?” asked Josh.

“We’re turning out to be the regular Scooby gang don’t you think? Yeah, sounds like a good idea to me.”
Josh slammed the door and headed for the reception while the others waited nervously for his return.

Kathy was curious about the situation with Daniel and altogether perturbed by the fact that they could possibly end up being pursued by the same creature that had held Daniel captive.

“What are we going to do if that thing decides that he wants you back?”

Daniel screwed up his forehead in a gesture of pain and replied,

“Hope that Josh has friends in high places!”

M had produced two crystals from her pocket, attached together by a length of silver chain, and was staring at the one which was hanging from her hand while it was spinning around in tiny circles.

She was attempting to gain advice from one of her guides, concerning their safety when Kathy asked her,

“So, are you having any luck with your pendulum? I could never concentrate with mine for long enough to get any answers.”

M smiled and replied, “It’s like having a mobile phone with this thing, once you tune in there’s always people wanting to talk! Only, at the moment no one seems to know anything. Or they are deliberately being evasive, for some reason.”

Daniel was slightly bewildered, “What exactly is it that you are doing, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“It’s called pendulum dowsing “, replied M, “You can talk to spirits and higher beings through the movement of the crystal. You form questions in your mind and depending on whether the answer is yes or no; it will circle or be still”

They had all been so engrossed in the conversation that they hadn’t noticed Josh approaching and they all noticeably jumped in their seats when he opened the car door.

“Sorry guys” He said when he realized what had happened. “Didn’t mean to freak you. We have two rooms booked if you want to get bags and stuff out of the trunk and we can get settled in?’

“I can’t wait to shower, you have no idea how dirty it makes you feel being wrapped up in all that stuff!”

He shuddered as he opened the car door and stepped out on to the tarmac. After retrieving the bags from the trunk Josh took the lead as they went in search of their rooms.

It didn’t take them long to find them and after debating on who should stay in which room the final decision was that Kathy and M would pair up while

Daniel and Josh would take the adjoining room. They said their goodnight pleasantries and entered their respective rooms for the rest of the evening.

Chapter 15
Dream-states

M was floating through the void in the dream state and was finding it increasingly difficult to grasp any of the images that were flooding her thoughts. It was one of those dreams in which you are running away from something, being chased by the shadows of your life and they are catching up with you.
Small segments of the last few days crept in here and there mixed together with pieces of future information that didn’t quite make sense yet.

An image came in to focus of a tree-lined street, set in front of a mountainous horizon. Scanning the trees she noticed a dome shaped roof just peeking through the leaves. Slowly rising and effortlessly gliding, the higher she rose and the nearer she approached the dome, she was astounded by the view beneath her. The building with the dome shaped roof was in the middle of a huge lawn that had stones placed from its front door lining a pathway; which spiraled around the building and then led in to the wood. There were two hooded figures walking along the path towards the front door of the building. One of them appeared to realize that they were not alone and looked up, straight at M.
The shock from this made her recoil enough to wake from her slumber.

Josh was twisting and turning in his bed, restlessly dreaming. The dream scene that was causing this distress involved Kathy, Daniel and himself.

They were walking down a high street in a big city, looking for a library or something like that; it was really dark and moody. The orange streetlights were leaking out pitiful amounts of illumination, in which they could hardly even see each other. Daniel had asked him a question but he hadn’t heard him as he was looking all around them because he was convinced that they were being watched, which was making him very nervous.
Kathy was pointing to a building that was a little way down the street from where they stood. Daniel was nodding in confirmation that it was indeed where they had to go.
Josh was fascinated with a stone statue that they had passed on their way and kept turning around to look at it. The name Leethros rang through his mind when he realized that the stone st