The Paupers' Crypt (14 page)

Then the fog parted, and the three of them stood in a small room. The walls were painted bright white, the linoleum of the floor was pale blue, and the door across from them was bright red.

“I will return shortly,” Leo said, and he vanished through a wall.

“Freaks me out when he does that,” Shane murmured.

Jenny nodded her agreement. She kept her eyes on the wall and waited for Leo to return.

Chapter 43: Warming Up

“Brian,” Jacob said.

Brian opened his eyes and shivered.

“Here,” Jacob said, taking hold of his arm, “sit up. Warm up.”

Brian accepted the man’s help and saw they were in a small room. Most of the near wall was taken up by a large fireplace. Several logs burned brightly in the iron grate and threw out a continuous heat. Brian shivered again, flexed his hands and his feet and rubbed the tip of his nose.

“Don’t think we’re hurt too bad,” Jacob said, leaning against the wall. “Sure as hell didn’t feel good, though.”

Brian nodded. He held his hands out to the fire, and then he rubbed them together. After a minute, he looked at Jacob and said, “This place sucks.”

Jacob let out a laugh and grinned. “You’re damned right it does.”

Brian thought for a moment before he asked, “Did you bring me in here?”

No,” Jacob said. “I thought you brought us in here.”

“Not me,” Brian said. “So, did you start the fire?”

“Nope,” Jacob said.

Brian frowned. “I thought I saw a friend of mine in the freezing room. But I figured it was just my head reacting to everything. And if it was, where did he go?”

Brian looked around the room and saw there was a door to the left and to the right.

And the door to the right opened.

John stepped into the room, and behind him was a man who had to duck to enter the room. He was thin, his face sharp and his cheekbones well-defined. He wore a long black cloak, over robes of soft gray and his smile stopped well short of his green eyes.

“Brian Roy,” the man said, his voice deep and powerful. “Such a pleasure to meet you. I had hoped to find you earlier, in the cannibal’s room, but alas, you slipped away. I did, however, find John there. Dead, of course. But he has been ever so helpful.”

Brian glanced at John, but the man’s face was impassive.

“I am Josephus Wahlen,” the tall man said, “and I am curious who brought you here into this room. And I, especially, would like to know how he was able to light a fire. No one has ever succeeded in doing that before.”

The door to the left opened suddenly, and Leo looked in.

“Hello, Brian Roy!” he said excitedly, and then he closed the door again.

Everyone in the room was silent.

A moment later, the door opened once more. But it wasn’t Leo standing there.

It was Jenny. Behind her, Brian saw Shane, and slightly to Shane’s right was Leo. But it was Jenny that Brian’s eyes found. Her pants were soaking wet, her feet covered with a thick layer of mud.

And she had a pump-action shotgun.

Josephus smiled at her and laughed with pleasure.

“Ah!” Josephus said, looking over at Brian. “Is this your wife, dear Jenny?”

Before he could answer, Jenny spoke up.

“Yes,” she said coldly. “I am his dear wife.”

The weapon roared twice, the sounds deafening in the confines of the small room.

Both John and Josephus vanished, the ghost’s screams of rage were louder than the shotgun’s blasts.

Chapter 44: Surprised

It had been over a century since he had experienced pain. His thoughts were as scattered as his form. When he finally pulled himself together, he stood in the main crypt.

Josephus seethed with rage and caught sight of John, who lay on the floor with a stunned expression on his face. With a howl, Josephus reached down, grabbed hold of John and lifted the spirit into the air. John tried to twist free, but Josephus held on tight. Glaring at the man, Josephus began draining John’s energy.

John’s agonized shrieks were a poor substitute for what Josephus really wanted.

Suddenly, the fog began to thicken, making it difficult for them to get away. The fog was his; both to control and to hunt in.

And he would go hunting.

Josephus continued to push until he knew the fog smothered the cemetery and the marsh. When he was finished, he turned his attention to John once more.

The man was attempting to crawl away, dragging himself forward.

Josephus smiled, moved forward and caught hold of John’s upper body. With a sigh, he slowly began to scalp John, the man’s screams pleasing to Josephus’ ears.

Chapter 45: Trouble Ahead

“Oh,” Leo said and came to a stop.

Jenny accidently ran through him, cold shocking her body. She twisted around in the fog, the shotgun still held tightly in her hands. “What do you mean, ‘Oh’?”

Leo looked to the left, and then to the right. He frowned. “This is not good.”

Brian untied himself from the man and stood by her, resting a shaking hand on her shoulder. He leaned forward, kissed her and said, “Thank you.”

“Oh Jesus, Brian, are you okay?” she asked.

He nodded and Jenny smiled with relief, as warmth and affection flooded through her. “I love you.”

“Love you, too, babe,” he said, smiling.

She saw the lines of care and fear etched into his face. His eyes were sunken slightly, and he looked older. The stranger who was with him looked even worse and smelled horrible. Like someone who hadn’t bathed in years.

Don’t judge,
Jenny told herself.

Brian looked over at Shane, extended his hand and said, “Thank you.”

Shane gave him a tight grin, shook it and said, “Who’s your friend?”

“Jacob,” the man said. He looked around and said, “This fog is thicker than usual.”

“That is why I said ‘Oh,’ ” Leo said. “We may have some difficulty returning to the entrance.”

Jenny stared at him for a minute, and then she said in a sharp tone, “I thought you said you could get us out when we came in?”

“I can,” Leo said, smiling. “It will be difficult, though. It seems as though the fog has been both thickened and lengthened. We may have quite a trip ahead of ourselves.”

“But we can still get out?” Shane asked.

“Of course,” Leo smiled.

“How long?” Jacob asked.

“That is difficult to say,” Leo said, frowning. “Possibly several days.”

“
Days?
” Jenny asked, trying to keep the anger out of her voice.

“Yes,” Leo said, oblivious to her tone. “In fact, I suspect we may have to deal with additional ghosts as we make our way towards the exit. I fear they will be rather intent on stopping us.”

“Yeah,” Jacob said, “you’ve got that right, kid.”

“Ghosts in the fog?” Brian asked.

Jenny nodded. “I met one; a little girl named Ruth.”

“She’s okay,” Jacob said. “I’ve spoken to Ruth a bit over the years. But there are others. They’re not as pleasant or as helpful as Ruth. Far from it.”

Jenny looked at the men. Brian and Jacob were worn and tired. Shane adjusted his knuckle-dusters.

They’re waiting for me
, Jenny realized in surprise.
They’re waiting for me to make a decision.

She straightened up slightly. “Okay. Leo, lead the way. We need to leave as quickly as we can.”

“Yes, Jennifer Roy,” Leo said, “you are absolutely correct.”

Leo led the way, and Jenny stayed close to her husband.

She wasn’t going to lose him again.

Chapter 46: Searching for His Prey

The world in which Josephus Wahlen lived was a strange one. Even after more than a century within its confines, he still didn’t know all of the curious physical laws. He knew, for instance, about Brian Roy. Rumors of a man who could see the dead, a rare occurrence, rippled through the shadow world.

Josephus’ curiosity had been piqued, and he had wished to meet Brian.

And how fortuitous he had been when Brian had become the caretaker of Wood’s Cemetery.

Yet Josephus’ prey was in danger of slipping away.

Josephus wished to fight the man. To challenge someone who had wreaked such havoc upon the spirits. Josephus had not had any worthy entertainment in decades.

Brian could not be allowed to get away.

Nor would Josephus ignore the insult Jenny had made by shooting him.

He bristled at the memory and turned his attention back to the crypt. The dead from the crypt had gathered around him.

All of them.

He could feel their fear as it pulsed off of them.

Josephus smiled, and they all moved back as far as they could. Each and every man, woman, and child feared him.

“You will go into the fog,” Josephus said.

The ghosts glanced at one another, uncomfortably. Going out was dangerous. Some of them had become trapped there, gone mad, their pained shrieks audible at times when the fog was thick. The crypt was neither joyful nor free of fear, but it was better, far better than the alternative.

“You will hunt down the living in there,” Josephus continued. “For each one you bring to me alive, I shall ignore you for a century.”

Many of them had felt Josephus’ wrath. Being ignored by Josephus was as close to heaven as the dead in the crypt could hope.

Josephus smiled at their excitement. Then he let the smile fall away.

“Find them,” Josephus said, his voice hard and cold. “Find them, or you will all suffer.”

He turned, faced the door and threw his will against it.

The locks shattered and the door sprang back. Beyond the world was gray.

The dead raced past him to begin their hunt.

Josephus’ smile returned as he thought of how he would torture Jenny and her husband.

Chapter 47: Brian Gets Wet

Brian was tired. Physically exhausted, his muscles aching and his head pounding. But he powered through it all. He had to.

They walked at a slow pace. They traveled through the water, solid ground being rare and hard to find. He could smell the stink of swamp mud with every step, and he wondered how long it would be before they found a way out.

When they came to a small patch of ground, which rose up a little above the waterline, Leo gestured for them to gather upon it.

“What is it, Leo?” Brian asked, wincing as he dropped down to sit.

“Something has changed,” Leo said. “Do you feel it?”

Brian and the others looked around. He and Jenny shook their heads.

“It feels colder, doesn’t it,” Shane said as he nodded.

Leo nodded. “Yes, Shane Ryan, you are absolutely correct. It does feel colder, although it is not by much. We must assume, then, that the dead have found their way into the fog.”

“How many dead?” Jenny asked, putting two fresh rounds into the shotgun.

“I am not certain,” Leo said.

“Can you guess?” she asked.

Leo closed his eyes, concentrated and then he opened them and smiled. “Yes.”

Brian sighed. “How many, Leo?”

“Three to four hundred dead,” Leo said, nodding. “At least three hundred. It is why the temperature has changed.”

“Three to four hundred,” Brian murmured.

“Yes, at least,” Leo said, nodding. “I will go and investigate. Please stay here until I return.”

Before anyone could stop him, Leo left.

The four of them sat and looked at one another.

“He’s dead,” Jacob said.

“Yeah,” Brian said.

“Was he that queer before dying?” Jacob asked. Both Shane and Jenny looked at him, shock on their faces. “What?”

Brian quickly explained about Jacob, and the shocked looks fell away. Jacob turned to him and said, “What did I say?”

“The word ‘queer,’ ” Brian said. “It’s derogatory slang for a homosexual.”

“Oh,” Jacob said, nodding. “Okay, then. Well, no, I was just wondering if he was strange.”

“Yes,” Jenny said, resting the shotgun on her lap. “Oh yes.”

“Good guy, though,” Shane said. “Really came through for us before.”

Brian nodded his agreement. “Guy’s a lot stronger than he looks.”

“Not doubting it,” Jacob said. He pulled at his beard and looked around nervously.

“You okay?” Brian asked him.

“Don’t know,” Jacob said. “Feels strange out here. Different. Usually, when I look behind me, the door is back there. It’s not anymore. If we get separated, I’ll be lost.”

“We’ll wait here for Leo,” Jenny said. “He’ll be able to lead us out.”

“I hope like hell you’re right,” Jacob said. He cracked his knuckles.

Brian didn’t like the idea of being trapped in the fog either.

And if there are a few hundred more dead out here,
Brian thought with a sigh,
then they’re probably coming for us.

“You okay, babe?” Jenny asked.

Brian smiled at her. “Yeah, I’m good. Just worried.”

She nodded. “Me too.”

“You were pretty fantastic,” he added after a moment.

Jenny grinned. “Felt good to pull the trigger.”

“I bet,” Brian said.

“Josephus,” Jacob said, shaking his head. “Terrible creature. Can’t imagine what he was like when he was alive.”

“I don’t even want to think about that,” Shane said. He fished out his cigarettes and lit one.

Jacob’s eyes lit up. “Hey, can I get one of those?”

Shane nodded, shook out a second one and passed it and the lighter over.

Jacob’s hands trembled as he put the cigarette in his mouth and managed to light it. He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, let out a racking cough as he exhaled and grinned. He passed the lighter back, saying, “Thanks. Been a long time since I had a whole cigarette.”

“Terrible,” Shane said sympathetically.

Leo appeared from the fog. He looked concerned.

“Leo,” Jenny said. “What’s going on?

“Unfortunately, there are nearly four hundred ghosts here,” Leo said. “And they are actively looking for you. All of you in general, and in particular they are searching for you, Jenny.”