Always Dead (Welcome To Dead House Book 2) Read online

  I could hear Tamara’s radio blaring in the kitchen and smell food cooking. Even though I felt as if we'd made up somewhat, I didn’t want to burden her with all my concerns. Instead, I shouted, “Hey!” as I climbed the steps and raced to my room. I opened the door and tossed the bookbag in the chair. Joey was already there. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor. He patted the seat beside him, and I wasted no time collapsing there.

  To my surprise, I cried. I wailed, actually, like a big old baby. Tamara’s music continued to rock the kitchen, so she didn’t hear me. I was glad for that. I couldn’t face her right now.

  Joey lay on the floor beside me. He kindly didn’t touch me since his hands always dropped my body temperature, but he smiled. It was a winsome smile.

  Winsome. I like that. What does that mean exactly?

  Hell if I know.

  That was Joey’s voice in my head. I didn’t normally like having long conversations with him in this way, but at the moment, I found it quite comforting.

  He smiled again. It means charming, I think. Even I know that, and vocabulary wasn’t my strong suit back in the day.

  I let the tears flow, but at least I wasn’t bawling like a kid now.

  There are worse things, Chloe. He’s too dark for you, trust me. He’s too dark. And she’s not much better.

  “What do you mean?” I asked him as I wiped my nose with the back of my sleeve.

  Gross. Those two are following in their family’s footsteps. What can I say? The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. They are cursed, and they are all in their curse together. They choose to be cursed, whereas you don’t have a choice. Neither did your mom.

  “So it’s true. Mom is being blocked from coming to me. Like a curse?”

  No, not like a curse. It is a curse. You are cursed.

  She couldn’t be here with me, no matter what. I felt so desperate I reached out and cautiously touched his face. I don’t know why, I guess because I just needed a friend. A real friend.

  "Just this one time, Joey. Help me reach out to Mom just this one time. I will never ask again. I promise. I know you can do it. I need this." He wasn't very luminous, but his expression conveyed his understanding. Another tear fell, and it dripped on the carpet beneath me. I let it flow and reached out to Joey again. I knew his skin would be chilly, but he very kindly manifested himself like a real human. Like a living person.

  Part of my brain screamed at me, "Think about what you're doing, Chloe! You're asking him to push past the curse. Don’t do this to him!” He heard my thoughts and knew my mind and put me at ease.

  I will do it. I think that's why I'm here. I need to make this right for you and then maybe... Let’s try, shall we? I can do this.

  He closed his eyes and, following his lead, I closed mine. In our shared mental space, I could see what Joey was doing. He was focusing on a dull spot on the black wall before us. It was a wall of darkness.

  Joey, what am I looking at?

  Hush...and focus.

  I heard him whisper my mother’s name. Tina Louise. Your daughter is here. She needs to talk to you.

  Slowly the dull spot began to look like an erasure mark. A kind of smudge. We had managed to remove some of the darkness. I couldn’t say how Joey was working against the darkness, and all I could think to do was focus on manifesting light. A bright, white light, like the kind I used when the dead needed to cross over. My whole body tensed, and I hurt from my head to my toes, but I stared at the spot and willed it to brighten and show what was hidden from me.

  A woman's face briefly appeared before me, blocking my view of the wall of blackness. With a nasty scowl, she screamed at me in a language I did not understand.

  Alice? Go away! There was another woman too, another ancestor of mine. They were related, but I couldn’t quite catch her name. Please move aside! I need to talk to my mother!

  I whispered Joey’s name to make sure he was okay, and that he was still with me. He squeezed my hand, and strangely enough, it didn't feel cold. It was as if we were both ghosts. Two ghosts with cold hands. If I died, then it is what it is. I needed this. I need to talk to Mom.

  Don't think negatively, Chloe. Not now! Focus on the spot. Look for Tina Louise. I don't know how long I can hold her back. She’s a...oh, God, she’s a witch!

  Who? Alice?

  Focus! Joey screamed at me.

  I caught my breath and continued to focus on the wall. I used all of my abilities to visualize the light with all of my strength. To my surprise, the darkness began to fracture and it became brittle, like paint chips, and flakes of black crumbled and fell to the floor.

  Joey moaned beside me and I could sense he was wrestling with the woman, my ancestor who wanted me to leave this place for good. As he twisted and grunted, she began changing shape. Her arms and legs vanished, and she became a snakelike creature. The woman turned herself into a snake, and a shrieking Joey was working hard to prevent her from snapping at him with her fangs. With a renewed sense of purpose and fear, I walked closer to the wall. Large chunks of the barrier were gone, and I became keenly aware there were others. Not like Alice or the snake thing but other spirits, and soon they would see the wall was down. I had to move quickly, think fast, and find Mom.

  As I felt the sting of tears in my eyes, I spotted a woman to my far right. I saw her red hair. She was not far away, still on the other side, kind of frozen like a sculpture or a wax figure. Then her glittery green eyes moved. She was aware of me! She saw me, and with her awareness of me, she became animated—not a thing of wax, not an image but my mother!

  Mom? It’s me, Chloe. Mom? Can you see me?

  Mom smiled at me briefly, but then her smile vanished.

  No, Chloe. You cannot be here. It’s not safe for you. Not at all. You have to leave. Please, go. This is a place for the dead. She keeps us all here. Annabel...

  I sobbed as Joey swore at my left. The snake with the woman’s voice was getting the best of him and threatening to drag him into the darkness on the other side of the crumbled wall. The woman’s scream shook my soul and filled me with fear.

  Please, Mom. I need you. Come back with me. Together we can break the curse, and then you can come home. Please...Mom.

  I reached past the wall, ignoring the painful shock wave that struck me. It felt like a strong electrical current. It not only hurt but filled my mouth with a bad taste. Mom wasn't strong enough to pass through the wall, but if I could continue tearing it down, continue reaching for her, she would be free. She could do it if she just tried! She should be free. Always and forever! I suddenly became aware of Joey struggling.

  Maybe I could bring her back to the house. Dead people liked our family home. Why shouldn’t Mom come back with me?

  Joey screamed as the snake thing came toward me. His voice echoed in my mind. No, Chloe! You can’t bring her back! No one can come back! Just you! Just you!

  What do you mean, just me? You’re here! Mom can come back! Mom belongs with me!

  The air shuddered a bit, and I could hear the chandelier tinkling. That was funny. I was nowhere near the chandelier. I was with Joey. We were in my room, but we came for Mom. There was the wall of blackness and dozens of people on the other side. The crack, the gap, it was becoming a problem because the dead she kept there saw it. No! Not them, just Mom!

  I found you! I found you, Mom!

  I love you, Clovie.

  How long had it been since I’d heard that name? Only Mom would know that name, my nickname. I’d always had trouble pronouncing Chloe when I was little, so Clovie stuck for a while. Mom’s sparkling red hair and shiny eyes began to darken like she was a character in a noir movie, all black and white. Things were changing, Mom was fading, and the wall was reassembling around my extended arm. I couldn’t stop reaching for her.

  Oh, it hurt! It hurt so bad!

  Mom, please! Take my hand!

  You have to go back. Take her back, Joey. Please...go!

  No!

  12


  Mrs. Loper

  Someone wheezed beside me, and it was an atrocious sound. Was that my child? No, it couldn't be. Annabel was gone, and Betsy was in my lap. Why was I on the floor?

  I’d come down the hall to check on the children; that was the last thing I remembered. I thought I heard the girls crying. I could not find Anita. She was supposed to tend to the children during my absence. I suspected she had snuck out and abandoned her post at my children’s side but to leave them sick in their beds? Would she leave me as well?

  That would not be tolerated. I couldn’t understand. She had been a faithful servant until now. I would have to ask Mr. Loper to speak with her, that was for certain.

  I was in the nursery, but I didn’t know why. My girls should be sleeping in their beds. How did I get here? Betsy was in my lap, asleep, and not moving at all. Such a good girl. Yes, of the two of them, Betsy was the better behaved. Only time would tell how long that would last. The room was dark, but I could see through the window a crease of daylight breaking through the darkness. It wouldn't be long before the sun was full up, and maybe then I could move. Maybe then I would be able to breathe.

  It was me wheezing and struggling to breathe. Was I dying? My head hurt so badly.

  I detected the faint aroma of cigarette smoke. I struggled but managed to lift my bobbing head. Had I fallen with the child in my arms? Then I saw his face in front of me.

  "Mr. Loper, help me. Andrew..."

  I imagined I was screaming, but I could not hear my voice. Betsy did not stir, and she felt so heavy. As daylight began to fill the room, I could see something disturbing.

  Blood on the floor and on my hands. Blood was all over me. Why could I not speak?

  Andrew’s expression worried me. He was sad, so very sad. How long have you been here? Help me!

  I could only think the words, not speak them. Mr. Loper had shed his jacket and was wearing only his pants, suspenders, and undershirt. He had always been a tidy man, so it was surprising now to see him half-covered in dirt. As if he had fallen into and crawled out of a very deep hole. Without a word to me, he reached down and took Betsy from my arms. He was weeping and crying. She was dead. He laid her on her bed as I struggled to make my legs work. I didn’t know how I had become so broken.

  Unwanted memories flooded my mind. I was on a ladder, a rope around my neck, Anita crying out beneath me...

  “Annabel? Where is Annabel?” Mr. Loper demanded, but I could not answer him.

  Andrew had returned too late to save his daughters. Too late to save them. I could not recall.

  Remember yourself, Mrs. Loper. Keep your wits about you. It's not too late. Oh, but it was.

  Some strange resonance deep in my soul assured me of that. It was far too late after all. Andrew was back, and the bedroom door was closed behind him. He had something in his hands. A short stick, like a club. He clutched rags too. He was crying and mumbling, but I could make no sense of it. He rubbed his mustache and peered into my eyes. There was an emptiness in his. He was a lost man, and I had done this to him. Was he weeping for me?

  It was then I realized I had never loved Andrew Loper. Not like I’d hoped I would when I stole him from my sister.

  “Where is Annabel? I can forgive you for everything but not her. Tell me where she is? What have you done to yourself, Lavinia?” He sobbed with heartbreak. “You are broken, all broken. Let me help you, I think I can set some of those bones.”

  Mr. Loper continued to weep, but before I could summon a protest, I felt a solid blow to my arm. A whack of the most painful sort. The shock of being physically struck by my husband rendered me speechless, but I was already speechless because of my face. What had he done to my face? My jaw, he broke my jaw. Was he going to kill me now? No. Not him! It had been me! Why was he calling me Lavinia? I was Alice! Now and forever!

  The creaking of the rope...the tinkling of the chandelier...Anita’s screaming...the children crying. Yes, that had happened. All of that. Not a dream.

  With my hand raised, I tried to fend off further abuse. He did not touch me again, but he was so close I could smell his sweaty body. Andrew grabbed my leg and pressed another piece of wood to my skin. The pain was so intense it sickened me. I moaned in agony.

  Let me die! That’s all I want! I want to die!

  He sobbed and wiped the blood off my face. He studied my jaw and probed with his fingers. "Why did you do this? Why?” Heavy tears fell on my face. I was lying on my back and staring at the brightly painted ceiling of my daughters’ nursery.

  You killed me, Andrew. You know who I am, and I could not live with that. You killed me, I whispered, but my tongue was too heavy, and there was blood in my mouth. If I could not swallow soon, I would drown in it, but I could not swallow.

  Andrew, I think...

  My eyes closed.

  I could hear Annabel crying, and as I left my body, I finally found her hiding in the closet inside the hatbox. Smart, clever girl.

  Annabel, you must avenge me. You must...I am leaving you my precious possession...take it...

  Then there was nothing. Nothing at all.

  “Joey! Where are you? Oh, God! What have I done?” I picked myself up off the rug and hurried out of my room. Tamara was in her office, pounding on her laptop keyboard. She immediately stopped what she was doing and spun around in her chair. The lingering effects of the vision left me feeling sick and discombobulated. It was a struggle to stand upright, as if Alice Loper had left a little of her pain with me. Or maybe this was guilt. I should feel guilty for what I put Joey through.

  “Chloe? What’s the matter? What is it?”

  I sagged into the only other chair in her office and began telling her the whole horrible story. Tamara had neat stacks of paper on her desk, and her bulletin board was loaded with pictures and maps. I saw the photo of Andrew Loper amongst them.

  A very old photo.

  “That’s him! Andrew!”

  Looking at it made me shudder. I cried of course, but I plowed on and bared my soul to Tamara. I told her about the locker incident and seeing Andrew’s menacing face staring back at me. I regretfully told her about Joey and how I asked him to assist me in reaching out to Mom, practically forcing him to do it. I told her about the vision of Alice Loper being found by her husband and her last words to Annabel.

  “Chloe, your mother? Oh, God! She’s trapped? Why would anyone want to keep you apart? That’s horrible?”

  Wait, when did Tamara start wearing glasses?

  “I don’t know! I really don’t know! I’m not worried about a curse right now. It’s Joey! I don’t think he came back with me, Tamara. He said only one of us could come back. He was fighting with the witch. She changed into a big snake, but she had this horrible face, and she wanted to destroy us both. I can’t believe this. I am so sorry. I’ll never forgive myself.”

  She handed me a few tissues from her box and wheeled her desk chair close to me. “Stop, Chloe. Don’t blame yourself. I’m sure Joey is okay. He always comes out on top. I mean, he’s Joey. He’ll find his way home, and this is his home. We are his family. Don’t beat yourself up. I swear it will be okay.”

  As if to defy her attempts at comforting me, we heard a strange whirring, an odd squeaking sound. “Are you hearing that?” Tamara asked as she removed her glasses and tossed them on her desk. We followed the sound, and it led us to the front room. The massive light fixture above us swirled and swung as if it would fall at any moment.

  “I remembered now! Alice and Lavinia were twin sisters. One killed the other, and it’s not clear who did what to whom. Mrs. Loper was mad, quite mad! I am not sure she even knew anymore. She called herself Alice, but she was really Lavinia, her sister. Maybe. She was so crazy. Oh, God. I can see it all in my mind. Her mind is so cluttered. She thinks she’s possessed by her dead sister’s spirit. She was up on a ladder. Tamara! I think she tried to kill herself, but it didn’t go right. It didn’t go right at all.”

  Tamara had no chance to
answer me. I grabbed her hand and took off running as the chandelier crashed to the floor a few feet away from us. Shards of glass scattered around our feet, and the house went entirely still as we held one another.

  Alice or Andrew had just tried to kill us.

  13

  Tamara

  “Thanks for coming over, Kevin. As you can see, the chandelier is a goner, and to be honest, I thought Chloe and I were goners too. We were in the room when it fell.”

  Chloe was holding my hand and agreeing with me. “We heard the chandelier swinging, making some sort of weird sound, and when we came in here, it was swirling around.”

  Kevin squatted next to the massive light fixture and examined the wiring. “It looks pretty old, but not old enough to come down on you. You’re right, you are very lucky. I’m glad you weren’t hurt. I don’t see any cuts or anything that would make me believe this was deliberate. So, was it moving around like before?”

  I nodded my head, and Chloe agreed with me again. “It was weird. It was spinning. I know what you’re thinking. I mean, I’ve heard the chandelier tinkle when a heavy truck went by or there was a boom in the house. But other things would move too if that was the case. That didn’t happen in this instance. The chandelier was the only thing moving, and I think I know...”

  “I saw it swinging too the other day. I want you both to know you can trust me.”

  Chloe agreed to tell what she knew but refused to talk in the front room. “At least let’s go to the living room. There’s glass everywhere. We’re going to have to call someone in, Tamara. What do you want to bet the chandelier damaged the floor?”

  We hunkered down in the living room, just the three of us. Kevin had no one with him, and I was grateful for that. It would be hard to explain all this to an unbeliever. Chloe began with her experience at school and even took the time to describe Andrew Loper. She left out a few parts, about the snake and the curse, but Kevin got the idea. “Just to be clear this Joey person, this ghost, he’s the one you guys know. He’s the friendly one.”