Gray

Chapter 17

Gray

I was cold. I reached out to pull the blanket over me and felt nothing - no blanket, no Luke, no Silas, Sean, or Owen - nothing. I hesitantly opened my eyes, blinking several times as my sight adapted to the near blackness around me. I could only make out dark silhouettes and the faint smell of damp earth. Pushing myself upright, I felt cold stone and a bit of dirt. "Hello?"

My voice echoed around me, but no one answered.

I didn't know what to do. Do I stay put, do I try to figure out where I am? What if I move and can't find my way back? Oh fuck, what if I'm dead again... My mind whirled with possible scenarios - none of them good. Sucking in a deep breath, I placed my feet on the damp rocks and stood carefully. I shuffled my feet as I moved, trying to keep my hands before me and not stumble. From the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a shadow or two shift, but I couldn't be sure.

"Hello?" I called out again. "Look if there's anyone out there, it would be really helpful if I could get some light. Ow, shit!" I cursed as my toe collided with a large rock. A faint rustling sound reached my ears and I froze. "Uh, look I'm sorry, no need for lights, I'm good," I stammered wishing I'd stayed put.

A hazy green light shimmered several feet to my left. Knowing I'd regret it, I turned to look at it directly and felt my heart begin to pound. There was the same man I'd seen that morning in the storm...the one who tried to run my truck into the water. I tried to scream, to yell, but no sound came out. "Welcome back, little spirit," his raspy voice spoke and my world went black.

Sean

"Shit, her heart stopped," I yelled as the monitor went nuts. Silas and Luke quickly began chest compressions, as Owen ran for the AED machine. Victor was visibly shaking but kept the cameras rolling. Tears were streaming down as Silas let out a low cry. Gray wasn't responding at all. "Don't," I told Owen as he prepared to charge the machine. "We know this isn't the first time, and I have to believe she's going to come back to us. Without knowing exactly who or what she is, I'm afraid of using modern equipment on her."

"Come back to us, baby," Luke whispered as he pulled her to his chest. Silas held her limp hand as we waited not knowing what would come next.

"Hey, uh, something's happening in the house as well," Victor said, pointing to the monitor. The cameras inside the house had all started to show a faint green glow. The one camera trained on the guys showed their sleeping bags unchanged as all four sat up staring, but the house was once again gone. A large shadowy shape moved toward Gabe as they scrambled to move, and then the feed went black.

"I'm going in there," Owen said, grabbing a flashlight and radio. "Keep the trailer secured and don't let her out of your sight.

"I'm coming with you," Luke said, placing Gray in Silas's arms. "No one should be alone." Owen nodded in agreement as Luke grabbed a flashlight of his own and they headed out the door. Victor locked it behind them and went back to watching the screens. The three of us watched helplessly as Owen and Luke stepped into the dark ruins of the house and just like the others, vanished from our sight.

Kota

We scrambled backward trying to move faster than the creature coming toward us. It seemed to be honing in on Gabe, who was pale and shaking as he spoke, "I...I remember you." The thing stopped, hovering just above the rotted floor. "You're her father. I was in this house...I asked your permission to marry her...or at least the body I was in did." Gabe shook his head, "She called me Reid, but I wasn't really him, was I?"

The shadowy form seemed to shift and take on a more human appearance albeit very gaunt. "You're not Reid," it hissed in a low voice. "How could you know?"

As if his voice snapped Gabe back, he straightened and spoke confidently, even stepping closer to the shade. "I don't know, but I do remember you. It was part of Gray's dream. You asked if I was going to make an honest woman out of your daughter or just keep fooling around in the barn with her." The shade made a choking sound, but Gabe continued, "I asked for her hand and you agreed. Then I hugged and kissed her, but she bit me. It made me feel strange, like a drug."

The shadow shifted more and took on the look of an older man with thinning hair. He looked like he'd spent many years working hard labor, his shoulders slightly hunched, and wrinkles etching across his face. "Can't be...so long ago...she's gone...lost," he whispered.

Just then, Owen and Luke stumbled into the room, their mouths gaping at the specter before us. It shrank back from their lights slightly before they turned them off. "What do you mean she's lost?" Nate asked.

The creature looked at him, its eyes not quite human, but still sad, "You can't know my Gracie. We lost her so long ago, she's gone...lost to us."

"Why are you here?" I asked him.

He looked around the room, "This is my home. Where else would I go?"

We exchanged looks, "Sir, you know you're dead, don't you?" I waited for him to argue, but he simply shrugged his shoulders and started to turn away. "She's not gone. She's here somehow, and we want to help her. Who took her, sir?"

The man's form swelled as he became enraged, "He took her from us! Never wanted her, left her and her mama like they were nothing. I raised her, protected her, loved her as my own!"

"Oh fuck, He's her father," North breathed. His statement made the spirit furious as he lashed out at North.

"Don't you dare call that bastard her father! I'm her father, not him - never him," it growled as he flung North across the room, then turned to all of us.

"Papa?" Gray's soft voice spoke, her form not quite corporeal. He spun towards her, his size shrinking instantly as he fell to his knees before her. She moved toward him, her hand outstretched, tears glistening on her cheeks. "Oh, Papa," she cried.

She fell to the floor with him as they embraced. "Gracie, oh my little Gracie, you can't be here. It isn't safe, sweet girl."

She cupped his face in her hands, "It's okay, Papa, they will take care of me." She nodded her head toward all of us. The man cried even harder but still clung to her.

"Baby, where did you go?" Luke asked her. She put a finger to her lips and shook her head, turning her focus back to her father.

"You need to rest, Papa. I'm never very far, I promise," she told him, wiping away both their tears. She placed a kiss on his forehead, and he did the same for her. "Tell Mama I love and miss her."

Her father looked at us, "Don't let Him take her again," then he vanished.

"Gray, where are you?" Gabe asked her.

Her chin dropped as she sighed, "Where you can't reach me. He pulled me in somehow and I can't get back to my body. It took everything I could do to even show up now. I'm so sorry." Owen's hand reached out to touch her, but passed through, making her form shift and flicker. "I...I don't know what to do. Please find a way to end this - even if it means letting me go. I don't want to stay with Him. I can't...I won't be his weapon."

"What do you mean, love? What kind of weapon?" Nate asked, but suddenly Gray let out a piercing scream, her head falling backward and then her form vanished completely as the sky lightened all around us.

Author's Notes:  The pieces are starting to come together my lovelies...