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A shiver runs down my spine as we sit. If it’s not just paranoia, there is someone else here. The air feels heavy and I can almost feel eyes watching us, waiting for their turn to speak.
Jayce shoots me a terrified look before taking his own seat. Even Lucien, the calm and collected one, looks as if he would jump out of his skin at the mere mention of ghosts.
“Hold hands,” she instructs. We do as she asks and the moment we do, a small breeze picks up.
Oh, we’re definitely not alone.
The hair raises up on the back of my neck and Raven gives my hand a little squeeze as if she knows I am thinking of bolting.
“Are we ready to get started?” she asks, a smile tipping her lips.
This is our girl in her element; where I am spooked the fuck out, she is almost at home.
“What? That breeze told me it has begun,” Jayce says, trying to control his breathing.
This gets a laugh from Raven and Lucien, but not me. I am a little grateful that I’m not the only one on edge out here.
“Okay, this time, let’s close our eyes and see if any of the dead come to talk with us. That means no peeking, I’m looking at you, Jayce,” Raven teases.
He huffs but does as Raven says and I follow suit. What does it matter to me if my eyes are already closed? If a ghost slams into me, there is nothing I can do about it. But that’s part of the gig, and we all have our parts to play.
“Oh, spirits that surround us, come into our safe circle, we mean you no harm. We just want to speak with you and help you cross over,” Raven says.
It’s quiet for a few minutes before I decide to peek and see if I’m the only one with my eyes closed. I’m not wasn’t, so I close my eyes again.
“Are there any spirits here that want to tell us anything?” Raven prompts.
After she speaks, the only thing I hear is the others breathing, but I’m not going to be the one that tucks tail and heads inside first. These visions have changed me yet I’m not going to let them win.
Raven sighs, “I guess no one is here. That’s disappointing. I really thought this would work here. Some really terrible things happened on this farm, how would we get no response?”
I open my eyes and read the disappointment on her face. She’s frustrated and understandably so. She has more at stake here than the rest of us.
Squeezing her hand, I start to talk when Jayce’s body shivers for a moment and stops. We all freeze and watch his features change, expression twisting from calm and emotionless to pure malice. My blood runs cold at the sight.
“Jayce?” Raven questions cautiously. She tries to move forward but I stop her, not trusting this at all.
A low, mischievous laugh that’s not his own leaves his lips before a gruff voice speaks, “Not Jayce, I was known as the Butcher.”
Raven looks from me to Lucien and we all share a panicked look. Jayce had told us that Iris had talked through him before, but this is terrifying. Such a malicious soul inhabiting his body has to be awful. We have to be very careful how we proceed.
“How can I help you, Mr. Butcher?” Raven asks.
“Blood, I crave blood,” he answers through Jayce. “The slither of excitement down my spine as I watch the life drain from my victim’s eyes. My heart pounding in anticipation as I chase down my prey. I want it back.”
Dear god. We went out to find Pandora and found an honest-to-god psychopath.
“That isn’t something that we can help you with. We help lost souls move on to the other side. Can I have Jayce back please?” she asks with respect.
“I like this one,” the ghost says so casually my chest tightens with panic. How do we save Jayce? We are novices at best in this field. We don’t know how to kick a ghost from a person’s body.
“You can’t have him,” Raven states calmly. She moves around me and I don’t stop her this time, though Lucien and I both stick close to her back.
“How will you stop me?” he questions her. The challenge in it has enough sadistic excitement, she shudders.
“Jayce, I know you’re in there. Fight. Fight and let this spirit know that he is no longer welcome,” Raven pleads with him as tears course down her cheeks. There are very few times I’d seen Raven cry and this time, I don’t know how to fix it.
The ghost starts to laugh but it’s cut off and Jayce's body starts convulsing before his head falls slack. The air shifts in the room, going from heavy, to cold, then back to normal.
