Only After Dark

By S. Peters-Davis

An SPI (Spectral Paranormal Investigations) shorty starring

Bri Lancaster and Kyle Benton of the Ghost Guardian Team.

“Thank goodness you arrived before dark.” Mr. Woodard strode toward the vast barn. The double doors lay on the ground about fifteen feet from the gaping doorframe. Shattered glass streamed a path from the blown-out windows to about twenty feet out, and so many pieces of straw around the barn had the green grass looking golden. “I’m assuming James from SPI relayed everything about what happened, and you’re here to capture the entity creating havoc.”

“Yes. We’re on a deadline for your upcoming Halloween Party to happen inside the barn.” Kyle grabbed my hand. “How’s the worker that fell from the ten-foot ladder?”

“You mean got pushed off the ladder. He’s fortunate he didn’t break his back, but he did bust an arm and a leg from his fall.” Mr. Woodard glanced at our vehicle parked a distance away. “I’m assuming you have equipment inside that SUV. You can drive it up and unload it, but I wouldn’t leave it parked too close to the barn if you don’t want it damaged.”

* * *

Kyle and I unloaded everything we needed, made a circle trail of lavender and sea salt in the center of the barn, and positioned several smoky crystal and amethyst stones around to help relax the highly negative energy pressing against me.

“Bri, are we all set?” Kyle set the recorder next to a wall, which would record any sound and energy readings inside the barn.

“Do you have a taper candle and lighter?”

“Yep, all set.”

I glanced out the double door opening. “Get ready. Light the taper and point it toward the middle of the circle.”

Kyle handled it like a pro.

I lit mine and said, “Guardian angels of everyone inside this barn, ministry of healing angels, ministry of sensitive emotions angels, we call upon you. Come now.”

Shimmering light bodies dropped through the ceiling, landing silently around the circle, and several landed around Kyle and me.

Suddenly the barn turned back in time, I guessed at least eighty or more years ago. A rope hung from a beam in the center of our trail circle, swinging as if someone were hanging from it. A woman appeared, staring at the rope. A terrifying scream came out of her mouth, along with an unsettling force of wind. “Why? Why? Why did you kill my William? He’s done nothing but keep this farm running. What would make you do this?”

I could only see the woman, no one else.

Then she saw me, her eyes settling on mine as she drifted closer. “What are you doing here? Did you kill my husband?” Her face blurred, becoming something far more like Halloween, with lips spreading wider than they should. Teeth lengthened and became pointed. Her body puffed up, and her fingernails elongated, acting like claws. “I will slit your throat!”

Just then, the shimmering angels gathered around her, shielding her.

“Bri, what’s happening? Your face tells me something bad is going down.” Kyle stood across the circle from me, staring and still pointing his taper toward the woman he couldn’t see. “Tell me what to do.”

“The angels are handling it, but I need another. Stay put.” Then I called, “Mother Earth, I call upon you. Come now.” Greenish gold light came up from the floor beside me, and suddenly, Mother Earth, with her tree-limbed arms and legs and leafy hair and clothing, stood right beside me.

“Yes, my child. You’ve summoned me, but I believe the angels are what Annetta requires to take her where she belongs. William and their eight children await her in the light realm.”

A deep and masculinevoice said, “Annetta, darling, we are waiting for you to join us.”

The angels moved away, leaving a stunned, beautiful Annetta alone. “William?”

An elongated shimmering light unfolded into a brilliant doorway in front of Annetta. The manly voice called to her along with children’s voices. Her Guardian Angels surrounded her and walked her through the door. The doorway folded in on itself and diminished into nothing but an electric pop. Then all the remaining shimmering bodies lifted and disappeared through the ceiling.

“She’s gone, Kyle.”

He blew out his candle and turned on his cell phone flashlight, checking around the room. He walked to me.

“Just a moment, Kyle.” I turned to Mother Earth, who had remained beside me. “What happened?”

“William was accused of stealing from some of the neighboring farms. A group of farmers came and hung him for it. Then they burned the house down with all their children inside. Annetta had entered the barn when the house went ablaze, and she had no idea as her full attention stayed on her husband’s body hanging from a rope. She lost everything that night and lay down with her husband’s body. She let herself die of a devastated broken heart. Thank you for helping her find her place after such a long wait.” Mother Earth shimmered into golden and green particles that spun and disappeared through the floor.

Tears rolled unchecked down my face. I couldn’t imagine that kind of devastation. I repeated what happened to Kyle, hoping he understood it because I couldn’t stop blubbering.

“A woman created all this craziness, terrifying everyone and pushing a man off a ladder?” His mouth dropped open.

“What a mother wouldn’t do for her husband and eight children…”

“Eight kids?” He pulled me into his arms and squeezed me close. “You aren’t going to want eight kids, right?”

“Can you imagine all the Halloween candy we’d have with that many kids?”

We looked at each other, wide-eyed with a full moon brightening the barn interior, and then we broke down giggling our butts off, happy as ever that our night ended as it did.

Spectral Paranormal Investigations

Ghost Guardians

Book Two

S. Peters-Davis

Genre: Paranormal Suspense Romance Thriller, Paranormal Romance, New Adult, Suspense-Mystery

Publisher: BWL Publishing, Inc.

Date of Publication: July 2023

ISBN 9780228626442

Word Count: 54,000

Cover Artist: Pandora Designs

SPI (Spectral Paranormal Investigations) The team’s mission: Rescue ALL spirits left behind, even the evil ones. Murder, Mystery, and Mayhen…in ghost form

Book Description:

Bri Lancaster and Kyle Benton (SPI ghost detectives) investigate an 1880s rundown, haunted mansion in the middle of nowhere during one of the harshest winters remembered.

The SPI team uncovers that the evil entity bound to the mansion has trapped innocent spirits into an endless loop of abuse, sorrow, and the ultimate…death. In order to rescue the captives, the team discovers they must first defeat the crazed, abusive ghost.

But what happens when SPI team member, Kyle, goes comatose and the only way to rescue him is to extract the horrifying evil entity from Kyle’s body?

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Excerpt

Bri’s point of view

“We’re fine but a bit rattled.” Kyle glanced at me and then back at his father. “Sorry for the late visit, but I wanted you to hear what happened firsthand. Let’s sit at the kitchen table.” Kyle grabbed my hand and pulled me to a chair.

Miles shook his head as he pulled off his outside gear and settled into a chair across from Kyle and me. “I had no idea the weather would turn into a snowstorm, more like a blizzard. It took some time for you to get back here, didn’t it?” Without waiting for an answer, he continued,

“Sorry about that. Glad you made it without incident.”

“Well, about that…” Kyle nodded toward me. “Tell Dad everything.”

I did, not leaving out the woman in the window or the scary-looking man in the mansion doorway, or how the appearance of the building went back in time to brand new. Nor did I skip describing the sign I saw that disappeared or the distance we’d driven when we saw the last two women and how something must be keeping them stuck there.

“Wow, I had no idea that kind of history was attached to the old mansion. It makes me think of the bordello stories my grandparents shared. Turned out more of a horror story.” Miles stared at me. “Did you open doors to any of the rooms upstairs?”

“None. The vibe came across as pure evil.” A chill zipped up my spine like a sawblade, making me shiver, and my eyes slammed shut. Everything went dark.

Then suddenly, I popped back to the mansion, reliving each moment there. Only this time, my trip ended with me standing in front of the black-eyed man at the door. His arms reached toward me. My paralyzed body couldn’t move as he grabbed my shoulders with stabbing force. I said, “I have no fear,” repeating the mantra. His mouth stretched open, long and wide, and his pointed teeth lengthened. The familiar stench coated my face, the same as my earlier visit. Then I said, “I am filled with love and light; the Divine is my shield.” Before I could repeat the mantra, his mouth closed, and he vanished into a cloud of black smoke.

Voices called my name, echoing inside my brain until I forced my eyes open to Kyle’s handsome face. His warm hands released each side of my head.

“What happened to you? It’s like you passed out in the chair, then after a bit, you’re repeating a mantra. Dad and I hollered your name, but you couldn’t hear us.” Kyle studied my face. “You did pass out, didn’t you?”

“I’ve never experienced anything like what just happened. I’m not sure how it happened, but I returned to the mansion and got a good picture of that man’s appearance. I believe his clothing dates back to that of the 1885 plaque. That’s a starting point for research of when the place was built and who owned it.” My heart beat like a mountain of drums in my chest. “Some horrific trauma must have happened to that man to make him so vile. He wanted to hurt me, maybe even kill me.”

About the Author:

S. Peters-Davis writes multi-genre stories but loves penning a good page-turning suspense-thriller, especially when it’s a ghost story and a romance. Paranormal suspense-thriller romances are her favorites. When she’s not writing, editing, or reading, she’s hiking, RV’ing, fishing, playing with grandchildren and her dog, Sparky, or enjoying time with her favorite muse (her husband) in Southwest Michigan.

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