A Strange There After (28 page)

Chapter
Thirty-One

My entire walk home I marveled at how vivid
the world around appeared. It was so strange. Electricity ran
through my body, charging it with positive energy. I felt alive,
like I could do anything. Strong. Wiggling my nose, some of the
earthy scent remained.

Sooner than I expected, I made it home. Torn
between wanting to update my friends on what happened and getting
this banishing Cora thing over with, I decided on the latter. Meena
hadn’t exactly said how long this super powder of hers would last.
Plus, I didn’t have the heart to see my friends’ faces again.
Knowing them, they’d want to watch or help or something, and I
surely didn’t need an audience.

Hoping to avoid running into anyone, I cut
through the empty kitchen. The sound of conversation drifted in
from the living room, so I continued out the patio doors. Being in
the dark didn’t scare me anymore. In fact, the only thing that
scared me was failure and Kalfu’s reaction if I disobeyed him.

Far off, I heard a car horn, laughter, the
world carrying on. Now, in this moment, life felt so very far away.
I padded through the grass, noting how the sounds of crickets died
off the closer I got to the far corner of the yard where Cora
always materialized—where we found the tiny headstone. This had to
be the ending place. It seemed fitting. When I reached the spot,
silence descended completely.

Near the base of the wild bush concealing the
grave, a shadow separated from the darkness and grew, morphing into
the shape of a figure. I held my ground, even as my feet danced
with the urge to run. Instead of the distorted, hideous face, a
beautiful woman emerged.

I marveled at Cora
,
the way her mocha skin glowed even without any light. Large brown
eyes, full lips and a mass of rioting curly hair finished off her
appearance. She became whole, solid, and her tall lanky frame stood
a couple feet away, staring at me with unbridled fury.

Choosing not to play games and bolstered by
the strange energy thrumming through me, I cleared my throat and
said, “Do you know why I am here?”

“You made a deal with da devil.”

“So did you.”

She considered this for a moment. “That I
cannot deny. When a man on top of you, grunting, and ya feel life
slippin’ away, what woman wouldn’t do different?”

Just the thought of it made me sick.
“Desperation does strange things to us.”

“And you think you can live with the
consequences?”

I stared into her dark eyes, marveling at how
someone so beautiful could turn out so twisted. Blunt honesty took
hold of my tongue. “I have to believe I can, even though you
didn’t.”

“No. My cost too high. It drove me mad. I
used to be beautiful, like you, but this is what will happen to
you.”

As if to emphasize her point, her youthful
exterior vanished. As the moments passed, I watched her skin
blister and rot. A hole formed in her cheek, showing her teeth. The
amber eyes materialized, chilling as ever. Her body faded, shifting
into the hovering black form I was used to. She opened her mouth,
the lower jaw hanging to the left, and a high pitched scream
shattered the night.

“Don’t you want all this to be over with?” I
shouted. “Don’t you want peace?”

“I dream of peace every day.” Her shadow
darkened. “I can’t have it. Not ‘til the last Roberts is done
with.”

“Did you learn about voodoo from your
mama?”

“Yes.” Annoyance flashed in her eyes. “But we
call it vodun. Her mama before her bring it over from our homeland
in Africa. We practiced in secret, careful not to let the Missus
and Master Amos know.”

I chewed on my lower lip, balking from
pressing further. With Jackson, I poked and prodded until he broke
and divulged the details of his death. Cora was different. She’d
harmed me on multiple occasions. I was afraid of being hurt again.
But I needed information from her before I sent her away. It had to
be done.

“
I’m not the one who hurt you,” I
said.

“His blood flows in your veins, Miss Quinn.
Blood is the seat of evil. Blood tells. And blood will be
cleansing.”

Oh, boy, here comes the crazy, I said to
myself. A breeze picked up, quickly escalating into a full blown
gale, whipping the leaves and sending my hair into my face. Pushing
it out of the way I braced, waiting for her to attack. Summoning
this strange force inside me, I kept it stoked, ready and prayed
I’d know how to use it when the time came.

“What did Amos do to you?”

Cora shuddered, or I assumed she did since
her image wavered, momentarily becoming a blur. When she collected
herself, her eyes glowed amber. It was my turn to shiver.

“I will not speak of this.”

The wind was so strong now. Debris swirled
around us, bending a nearby bush nearly in half. A piece of plastic
zoomed at my head, and I ducked. Straightening, I decided to try
something. Latching onto the charge inside me, I pushed it outward
until a bubble of calmness surrounded me. I felt the deluge on the
other side pummeling it and had to keep concentrating to maintain
my control.

“What happened in the carriage house?”

“No!”

“Did he beat you? Pin you down?” I flinched
as the questions left my mouth.

A huge burst of power hit me, causing me to
sway, test my barrier, but it held strong. I was about to continue
when she cracked.

“
Yes! He didn’t stop. Just keep hittin’
and hittin’ me. It weren’t the evil I can conjure. This the evil
that live in a man.” Her face hardened with rage, and she rose up
in the air, the shadow growing, obscuring the trees behind her. “My
life. It flow from my wounds. Blood all over the floor. Kalfu. I
called to him, the guardian of the crossroads. I want no mercy.
Only vengeance. A sacrifice was needed.”

Her ragged and ruined dress billowed around
her legs as blood dribbled from her crooked nose and those haunting
amber eyes darkened with evil.

“Isaiah.” I had to shout to be heard.

Her rage transferred to the air, charging it,
and a streak of lightning struck next to me. I jumped and screamed.
Maybe provoking her wasn’t the best idea.

“I did not know he there. My boy, he in the
wrong place. I did not find him ‘til after.” For just a moment her
rage calmed causing her tangled hair to fall into her face. “I used
what Kalfu gave me, throwing that man across the carriage room.
Then, I curse him. Say him family never be at peace. I swore to be
here always, to make sure they pay for killing my sweet baby
boy.”

Chills raced up and down my arms. Rage boiled
off of her in waves. More lightning exploded in the sky. Her dark
form grew, expanded and hovered in the air until the only things
within my line of sight were darkness and those amber eyes glaring
down. I clung to my energy as hard as I could, feeling this small
truce coming to an end. The melee built to a crescendo, a deafening
roar that pounded my senses. Fright settled in my chest. I doubted
whether even Meena’s super voodoo powder would help me survive
this.

Shouting at the top of my lungs to be heard,
I said, “It may not matter, this long after the fact, but I am
sorry for what my ancestor did.”

Some of the intensity faded, almost coming
across as relief.

“You are the last,” she said, the words
dripping with resolve.

When she spoke, her voice was filled with
glee, and for a moment, I marveled at how odd it sounded coming
from her in her current state. Cora finally moved forward, closer
to me. I felt those amber slits bore into me, assessing.

Quit stalling.
Kalfu’s voice
materialized in my head, there and gone within seconds.

She must have sensed him, too. “Ya already
let him in. I smell him’s stink on you. Every time you use your
anger, he burrow deeper. Why should I torture you more when you’s
doing it all yourself. No more talk. You won’t succeed in getting
rid of me.”

As if to emphasize her point, the darkness
inside reared up, coiled, aching for a fight. Right in front of my
eyes, her form became even darker, if it was possible. She
screeched in triumph, attacking me with incredible force. The
surprise of it caused me to lose control over my protective
barrier. It vanished like smoke on the wind. Involuntarily, I
opened my mouth to scream, allowing it to dart in. Cold trickled
down my throat, inside. Even though I hadn’t felt my heart beat in
weeks, somehow, icy fingers grasped it in their chilly embrace.
Each individual digit closed around my heart, squeezing and
stealing my air.

Gasping, I clawed at my neck, not caring my
nails drew blood or lucid enough to realize it had to be a trick.
Meena said her powder would make me stronger against Cora. This
sure as heck didn’t feel stronger. The being in front of me smiled,
at least what passed for a smile on that hideous face.

I may have given you the courtesy of a
conversation, but do not take it to mean I am capable of
compassion. You will never see your body again. Kalfu will not win.
This ends tonight.

Little by little, the pressure on my heart
increased. The pain was excruciating. Blackness dotted my vision.
Desperate, I struggled to call up my anger as well as the new,
charged energy. The only thing on my mind was survival. I didn’t
care if letting the fury in meant losing a piece of myself to the
dark side.

But panic had me firmly in its grip. I
couldn’t move past it into rage.

I tried to scream, but no sound came out.
None of my struggling made any difference. I was fading, too
quickly.

A dark shape leapt out from behind me and
hurled itself at Cora. The last thing I caught before crumpling to
the ground was the gray material of Jackson’s uniform. I lay in the
grass, sucking in useless air and wishing for more strength.

Through fluttering eyelids, I watched Jackson
manage to wrap his hands around Cora’s neck. The image was so
ludicrous I worried I was hallucinating. I’d never seen Jackson
like this—a soldier. His face was hard with determination as he
tried to maintain his hold on the now frantic ghost. Cora hadn’t
expected to be attacked herself.

She recovered quickly enough. With a gnarled
and clawed fist, she swiped at him, opening a wide gash on the side
of his face and neck. Jackson cried out, but never let go. Until
she opened her mouth wide and something darker than a shadow shot
out and knocked him loose. This time I did scream and jumped to my
feet. The sight of Jackson lying there, bloodied because of me
again, finally unloosed the anger.

I held my hands out, letting it grow and burn
through me. It mixed with whatever Meena infused me with and
created something stronger than I imagined. So strong it almost
scared me. I felt full of it, pulsing and throbbing with
electricity. The warmth enveloped every cell of my body. It coiled
there, waiting to be unleashed.

“I won’t let you hurt anyone else, Cora,” I
shouted.

The wind she’d buffeted me with before
returned, careening around us with a manic energy. Through the
roar, I heard her laughing, a sound that made me snap.

Raising my hand, I was vaguely aware of the
shadow mimicking its movement, a shadow that seemed to be attached
to me. It reminded me of Marietta and the darkness I’d watched
consume her. But I didn’t care anymore. I only knew I wanted Cora
gone.

A black shape exploded from my fingertips,
hitting Cora square in the chest. An ear shattering shriek filled
the air as the shadow attacked her own dark figure. She writhed and
screeched, a frightening sound that penetrated the air.

My other hand was already coming up when
another figure jumped in between me and Cora, crying, “Don’t hurt
my mama!”

Chapter
Thirty-Two

Cora and I both froze, mirroring expressions
of shock as the boy placed himself between us. The anger growled at
me, hungering for me, whispering to ignore the boy and continue. I
trembled with exertion. George turned his cherubic face to me, his
expression yearning.

“Please, don’t hurt her.”

“She started it,” I bit out through a
clenched jaw.

He ignored me and faced his mama. My body
remained tense, ready for Cora to unleash her torture again. If she
did something to George, I’d have to save him.

“Time to let go, Mama.” The twisted figure
stilled, and the mangled face relaxed slightly. “I scared. I so
alone.”

A deep moan came from the hovering mass. I
watched as she solidified, turning once more into a solid, vibrant
woman. Inching slowly to the left, I kept my focus on her, but
knelt at Jackson’s side, helping him up. Like the times before, his
wounds were already healing.

“Are you okay?” I whispered.

“I’ll survive,” he grunted.

“This ain’t no business of yours, boy,” Cora
chided George.

Her maternal tone sounded completely out of
place, more unnatural if that was even possible. George took a
tentative step forward, his neck craned up, holding her gaze.

“It is. ‘Nough people been hurt. I wanna go
home.”

Cora glanced around the yard, her full lips
dipping into a frown. “This the only home I know.”

Another small step closer to her. “I mean our
forever home. Heaven. Don’ you wanna be at peace? We can be
together.”

His voice cracked, and it broke my heart. I
searched Cora’s face for any sign that he was getting through to
her, reaching her on a level I couldn't. Judging by her stony
expression, he didn’t. She simply stared at him, her jaw and fists
clenching. Then, everything changed. Her face softened, and I
wondered what she’d remembered. How powerful was the memory that
got through to her? Dropping to her knees, she reached out and
hesitated in touching him, as if the simple act terrified her.