Tag Archive: creature


New Scene from My Paranormal/Horror/Mystery novel “THE SHIP”

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April 23, 2012

I know this is the first post I’ve done in two weeks, but things have been busy at college and at home.  I haven’t had as much time to write, but rest assured that progress on the novel has been taking place.  I’ve managed to bring “THE SHIP” up to 57,000 words in length so far.  I’m aiming for about 90,000.  So it’s more than halfway done.  I just have to try and get more writing done when I can.  However, college will be wrapping up in about another 5-6 weeks and projects are due, so we’ll see how much progress I actually get done.

In the meantime, here is another snippet from “THE SHIP” where Cassandra Elliott, heiress and psychic, demonstrates one of her more unusual talents “POST-COGNITION”.  Instead of seeing into the future, Cassandra will usually see things/events from the past either in dreams or visions.  Whenever this happens it means a piece of information or knowledge is being conveyed to her about something she has already or will soon encounter.  In this case, she has already met the threat while trying to learn how to surf.  While out on the water a frightened sea lion pup climbed aboard and tried to urge her to leave the area.  Unfortunately, the two of them get knocked off the board by an unseen force and she hears the pup scream in pain and perish.    At this point of the story, she still does not know what attacked or how dangerous the thing is.  But she’s about to gain a little more insight to the situation.  I hope you enjoy this scene…

            In the bedroom Cassandra seemed to be sleeping quite peacefully, however her dreams were anything but. 

            She found herself standing on a vessel from another time.  Tall masts and rigging swung loomed overhead.  The word ‘frigate’ came to mind.  Yes, that was what this ship was.  She’d seen drawings and images dozens of different types of early vessels in history books.  There was even a refurbished frigate on display at her family’s shipping facility back in England.  But unlike the pristine colors and highly polished brass fixtures, the ship she was on was not for tourists to admire.  This one was a working vessel and it was being buffeted around by a turbulent sea and intense winds.  The sound of a storm roared loudly in her ears.  All around her men scrambled fore and aft to keep the vessel under control.

            Water came pouring over the sides sweeping some men off their feet.  But quick reflexes and years of experience prevented them from being sent over the side and to their doom.  She marveled at the way they reacted and moved.  Even more importantly, their clothing caught her eye.  Every man was wearing the gear of a sailor from the late 1700’s.  And from the condition of the outfits this was no movie or film set.  Their wardrobe would not have been deemed colorful or sensational enough for something like that.  No, this was the real thing and somehow she was in the middle of it.

            Again the ship seemed to pitch to the side and then straightened up, but she wasn’t afraid.  There was no danger for her in this place.  She was merely a spectator to the events unfolding before her.  This was not the first time she’d had such dreams, they had been a part of her life for as long as she could remember.  On all those previous occasions she was there to learn or see something of importance.  And they were not always pleasant things. 

            During the 25 years since her birth she’d witnessed weddings, births, duels, deaths, and even the circumstances surrounding Jerome’s passing.  The story she had told Julie had been based on that vision as well as notes she’d found inside old journals and letters some weeks after the dream.

There was no doubt in her mind that this was another one of those vision/dreams into the past.  In all the previous ones Brandon, Roxanne or another deceased member of the family was at her side bearing witness to the events unfolding before her.  And this one was following that same pattern.

No one seemed to notice her or Brandon who was keeping one arm protectively around her shoulders.   It was reassuring to have him at her side.  She could barely remember a time when he wasn’t somewhere near.  There were times when she even had dreams of looking up and seeing the sides of a crib and mobile overhead.  And there he was smiling down at her with his wife or Jacob next to him.

A loud shout from a raised area drew her attention and she looked up.  There manning the great wheel was a towering figure.  The captain of the ship no doubt, he was tall and solid.  Not fat, just powerfully built.  A large beard and moustache combined with long wet hair to give him an almost bestial look.  From amidst the long dark tresses whipping across his face from the storm she saw a pair of bright blue eyes with an almost fanatical gleam in them.  All this, coupled with his great height and massive chest and shoulders made her think of a bear that had somehow taken on some aspects of human countenance.

Yet it was that powerful physique and determination that made him so effective at controlling the ship under these circumstances.  Another wave crashed over the railing and nearly took the man closest to him.  But with a speed that belied his size, the captain’s hand shot out and caught his crewman by the belt and saved him from being washed over the edge.  At the same time, the human mountain kept his other hand on the wheel and pressed his great chest against it to help keep it on course.

One of the other men shouted his name and she did a double-take.  Mordecai… Captain Jason Mordecai!  She couldn’t believe her eyes.  Oh there had been paintings done of the man, many of them by Brandon who later became his business partner.  But those had been all done under much calmer conditions such as in the man’s cabin or at home.  Getting to see the legend in action was practically a treat for her.  But she knew better.  This glimpse into the past was being shown to her for a reason.  But what was it?

A scream from up in the rigging caught her attention.  Looking up she saw another member of the crew, a young man barely out of his teens from the look of him.  A look of absolute terror was etched into his face making him look much older.  “CAPTAIN!” he screamed at the top of his lungs, desperately hoping to be heard over the storm.  “WE’VE BEEN SPOTTED!”

Mordecai didn’t look up.  His entire focus was on controlling his vessel, but something in the young man’s tone had registered in his mind.  “WHAT ARE YOU ON ABOUT BOY?  ARE THEY ENGLISH, FRENCH OR PIRATES?” his loud voice boomed back.

The reply was partly lost to her as thunder roared overhead and all she could catch was “IT’S…THE… SHIP…. THE DEATH…” the rest of his words became lost on a sudden blast of wind.  But his fellow crewmembers must’ve heard him because every man on deck stopped whatever they were doing and froze.  Several crossed themselves while others began to wail like frightened children. 

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Ominous Images from my 2nd Novel “THE SHIP”

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March 24, 2012

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I took these photos at the Long Marine Lab located on the campus of the University of Santa Cruz.  All of them are of a young Gray Whale skeleton that is 25 feet long and is obviously outdoors. Please make sure to click on each one to get a bigger and better view of each image.   The creature has been put up on metal pipes to keep it off the ground and give it that more caught in the moment feel.  As you can see in photo #3 it has been placed next to a path and a mere 20-30 feet from a fence that allows visitors to look over a cliff and out at the ocean.  The view there is breathtaking and can really inspire a person’s imagination.

In my case it inspired a terrifying scene for my second novel where a young female reporter has been snooping into matters regarding  Cassandra Elliott (billionaire heiress) and her lover Julie DeLuca-Cloudfoot (shamaness and internet erotic lesbian wrestler) my two leading characters for this novel.   They have been stalked by a strange figure wearing clothing straight out of the late 18th century.  He appeared in my first book “THE BRIDGE”, where he nearly captured Cassandra at one point.  The mystery man failed and managed to survive being shot several times (including int he face), and was later at the center in a fiery explosion that took out an entire structure.  Cassie and Julie thought he had been killed and are completely unaware he is still around.

He  has plans for Cassandra and has followed her here to Santa Cruz, while she is on vacation.  He cares nothing about Julie, she is just a nuisance who may need to be eliminated if she tries to interfere and protect her lover.  His plans involve only the heiress, but the moment has not come and he must keep her safe in the meantime.   But, a new threat has arisen and he must keep Cassandra safe without her knowledge.

Unfortunately, a female paparazzi has been making a nuisance of herself while pursuing Cassandra and Julie to get photos and juicy details about the couple.  Her goal is to out the heiress unless offered a good sum of money to let her stay in the closet.  But now the reporter has just run across the mysterious figure and plans on making him part of the story.  It is a fatal mistake.  For although the he appears to be alone, he has an inhuman ally with him.  His compatriot proceeds to animate the giant skeleton as if it were alive once more.  The young would-be paparazzi will be grabbed by the bony jaws tossed about and eventually flung over the railing you see in photo #3.

How this idea came to me was interesting.  I had visited the Long Marine Lab before and had simply wanted to look at the view from the fenced area.  I heard a creaking behind me for a panicked moment my imagination went wild.  I pictured in my mind the great skeleton just behind me had moved and the pipes holding it up were being bent in the process.  Looking around I quickly saw that this was not the case.  You see right nearby is a large Desalinization Plant and the metal noises were coming from there.  But still the image stuck in my mind and I filed it away for later use.  It was too good a scene to let go.  Now I’ve finally gotten the chance to use it.

So now you have an example of how just simply roaming around and checking out places, can lead to some interesting ideas for writing.  I hope you enjoyed this little view into my world.  Please leave a comment and let me know if you’d like to read more about how I get other ideas and inspirations.  Until next time, take care and thanks for reading.

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A New Post At Last… Plus Another Sample from Book #2

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February 16, 2012

Hello everyone.  Sorry for the long silence, but as you read in my last entry I lost a dear friend, Brenda Smith.  I didn’t know it at first, but she died of cancer.  She never told me or many of our other friends.  That was just Brenda’s way.  I spent part of the morning, after I heard of her death, down at the beach taking photos of the waves.  Brenda had always loved the ocean.  While I was there I got a great inspiration.  She had been one of the staunchest supporters of my writing efforts, next to my wife Helen.  Brenda even offered to get me to WorldCon last year, just for a day so I could see the HUGO Awards in person and get a look at one up close.  Unfortunately, my schedule did not allow me to take up her offer.  

So while I was at the beach I realized that my 2nd book, which is currently up to 38,000 words in length, involves the ocean and a dark secret.  So I’ve decided to dedicate it to Brenda as a thank you and to keep her memory alive in a way.

So here’s a peak at Book #2.  This takes place at an actual location here in Santa Cruz California.  In time, I’m planning to also start a Video-Log or VLOG as it’s called.  Taking you all to some of the locations that appear in my writings, or just to show you where I go to get inspiration and ideas.   In the meantime, please enjoy this small offering from my novel-in-progress “THE SHIP”

Outside the multi-million dollar beach house, the black of night ruled.  Among the few shadows that owed their existence to the outdoor lighting, was one particularly dark shade.  It had lain just outside the window of the dining room, where Cassandra had been sharing her tale with Julie.  Now, with both girls out of the room, the darkness seemed to slide down the side of the house and across the sand.

Its trajectory brought it to the water’s edge where it continued on its journey unabated.  Across the gentle waves it traveled until it reached an odd structure at the end of a pier several hundred yards away.

It looked like an old ship that had broken in half some years ago.  This was S. S. Palo Alto, more commonly known as ‘The Cement Ship’.  It was called this because the hull of the great vessel had been made of concrete.  Construction of this unique ship had begun during World War I, when materials began to become scarce, but finished a year after the war had actually ended.   She had been mothballed by the navy 10 years later and sold to a private entertainment company who had brought it here to Seaside, not far from Santa Cruz.

Once settled into its new home the ship had been built into a showplace with dining, entertainment, even a swimming pool.  But when the company went belly up during the Great Depression, the ship was stripped of its luxuries and abandoned.  Eventually the middle section broke in half and it had since been turned into an artificial reef and sanctuary for marine life.  No one was allowed onto the vessel these days.  A tall chain link fence kept it human free, but still provided easy viewing to curiosity seekers.

But tonight, a figure was standing on top of the far end of the wreck.  He had long white-hair and a flowing black cape that seemed to taper and stretch all the way down to the water some 30 feet below.  It was towards him that the living darkness moved because it was actually part of the flowing garment around his shoulders.  It had stretched itself all the way to the structure where Cassandra and Julie were making love for the first time.

The man smiled, having heard everything the two women had discussed.  He marveled, not for the first time, at the abilities of his associate.  The creature was intelligent but not wise to the ways of this world or its inhabitants.   In some ways the thing was almost animal-like in its behavior; survival and hunting were of high priority.

Mere seconds before the police had electrocuted the creature on the bridge his ally had detached itself from the main body.  It had been the first of what was supposed to have been hundreds, but its siblings had not broken off in time and were annihilated along with their progenitor.

He himself had tried to stop Cassandra and her friends from escaping the bridge, but that damned Brandon had interfered and forced him to withdraw.  This had not been the first time the son of Jerome had thwarted his efforts.  There had been others all the way up to Great Conflagration of 1887 where his enemy had finally fallen.

A smile crossed his face fleetingly at the memory.  At the time he had foolishly believed that encounter had been their last, but no.  Even death had not stopped Brandon.

But, now that he thought about it, it wasn’t really a surprise.  The members of the Elliott family were made of much sterner stuff than most people.  He knew that better than anyone.

Strange that Cassandra should be talking about Jerome and the birth of his son in particular.

The peeling of the chapel bell, from that night so long ago, still rang in his ears.  Hidden away in the darkness among the trees he had witnessed everything that had transpired.  Even he had marveled at Jerome’s tenacity to talk and move even after his heart had long stopped beating.  And the sight of the man racing out of the chamber and grabbing the child startled… no shocked him.  For a brief instant he had wondered if in fact the pathway had been sealed, but then Jerome fell to his knees and he knew better.  What he had been witnessing was an act of sheer willpower.  Driven by an overwhelming desire to protect his child Jerome had put off his own fate, but only for a few brief moments.

“Who would’ve thought it possible?” he murmured quietly.

No one who entered the chamber ever left it under their own power… except once.  Smiling inwardly he began to make plans.  Cassandra’s time was drawing closer.  He would have to keep a closer eye on her since she was the key to… the rest of his thoughts were interrupted by the stirring of his cape.

Frowning he glanced downwards and saw it was stretching down into the water once more.  Ah, you’re hungry again, he thought and waited.

Standing motionless, eyes closed, he barely noticing the gentle caress of the night breeze across his face.  Suddenly, there was a commotion in the water below.   There was a pulling sensation around his shoulders, but still he did not move.  Eventually the splashing ceased and a grayish mass, tangled in the black strands was lifted out of the water.

It was a great white shark, young, inexperienced and no longer moving.  The poor thing had not realized the tantalizing wriggling shadow that had caught its attention was something more fearsome than itself.  Hungry and dazzled by temptation it had lost its life and was already being digested in a most horrid fashion.  Already the living darkness had swallowed the snout and upper jaw containing the razor-like teeth.

The man could feel his garment pulse as it feasted, yet he did not feel any of the weight of the dead animal.  His companion was bearing the strain without affecting him.  This seemed to defy all the known laws of physics since the creature hung from his shoulders.  “Truly you are extraordinary,” he remarked quietly.  “Would you mind sharing?  I’m a bit peckish myself.”

Silently the blackness brought the body up to him.  Even though it had only been a young shark it was still over 2 meters long and taller than him.  As the animal’s remains were pressed to his chest, he did not raise his hands to grasp it.  Instead he simply stood there while the blackness enfolded them both.  Soon only his head and white hair were visible, perched atop an awkwardly shaped mass of darkness.

Closing his eyes he waited.

His expression became a grimace as the muffled sound of flesh splitting open could be heard.  Then a look of deep satisfaction crossed his features while the ebon folds beneath his chin shifted and squirmed.  Slowly the black swelling below his neck began to shrink in size.

‘Incredible,’ he thought silently.  The two of them had slightly different dietary needs, but the shark’s remains contained more than enough to satisfy the two of them and then some.  There would be very little of the body once they were finished.  And if what passed for his companion’s equivalent of saliva worked in water as well as it did on land, there would be nothing at all.  In time the talent would pass because of biological and chemical changes that would happen as it matured.

It had been a pity that he could not save the original creature.  What a magnificent specimen it had been, but Cassandra and her friends had forced the being to take desperate measures.  The moment its bond with the baby had been severed, the thing had been forced to emerge from inside the bridge.  But it had been too soon.  A few hours more and the spawning would’ve taken place without a hitch.

Alas, only this one had survived, having broken off from the main body just minutes before its parent was completely destroyed.


 

 

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Still More From My Novel, “The Bridge”…

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October 9, 2011

I’m using italics here to separate the story from what I have to say.  This takes place a bit after the last section I posted.  At this point my male lead Alex has been rescued by the three female leads.  His police girlfriend Veronica, Cassandra a petite beauty and friend of his who is also a billionaire heiress, and Julie a tall muscular girl who is Veronica’s best friend.  They were all featured in the last scene I posted.  I won’t be posting too much else from “THE BRIDGE” in the future only because I don’t want to give away the main secrets of the story.  Suffice to say that the other figure who appears (the white-haired man) plays a crucial role in the sequel, which I am currently working on.  I’m tentatively calling it “The Door”.  I thought it only appropriate to introduce you to him before I start posting any sections of that book in the near future.   I also wanted to assure you that all the characters in this scene will be appearing in the 2nd book and will still be in the leading roles of that story.  In the meantime, please enjoy this section of “THE BRIDGE”.

 

The infant in Veronica’s arms cried out loud, breaking the spell.  Alex could sense the baby’s terror and the reason behind it.

Cassie sensed it too and cried, “Alex I think it’s coming.”

“No,” he corrected, “It’s already ‘ere.  It’s always been ‘ere.”

At that moment the stones beneath their feet slowly move up and down.  The bridge seemed to be breathing.

Julie knelt down by Alex and began assessing his condition.  They needed to get out of there, but she didn’t want to risk causing him further injury in the process.

“You all right?” he asked her quietly.

“I’m pissed if you must know,” she replied bitterly. “You and Cassandra have abilities I understand, but don’t have.   Veronica’s keeping the baby safe.  And me, I’ve been pretty much useless until now.”

“You’ve done more than you realize,” Alex interrupted. “I ‘eard everything you told Cassandra, especially the bit about the part about the stone in the water.”

“Is that significant?”

“The stone you saw in the vision was built into this bridge.”

A startled look crossed Julie’s face.  “The Shaman said it had to stay in the water otherwise that thing would eventually break out.”

“It broke out years ago, it just couldn’t leave.  It needed another to merge with,” Alex told her and glanced over at his lady.  The infant had quieted down in her arms, “It still needs ‘er.”

Julie followed his gaze, and straightened her broad shoulders. “Well, IT is going to have to learn to live with disappointment.”

Alex gave her a weak smile and then winced while clutching his leg.

That’s not good, Julie thought and reached into her bag where she always kept an ace bandage and other emergency medical items.  “Cassie I need that flashlight over here,” she called and waited.  There was no response.  Looking up spotted the heiress slowly moving towards the end of the bridge leading to Jason’s old cottage.   “Cassandra!” she yelled.

Cassie blinked and shook her head, as if coming out of a dream.

“I need you over here.  Bring the flashlight and that walking stick you took out of the limo,” Julie instructed.

Cassie raced to over to where she’d dropped the items earlier, when she’d first spotted Veronica trying to rescue Alex.  Gathering them up quickly, she rushed over to where Julie was working on Alex.

“Shine the light down here so I can see what I’m doing,” the big girl instructed. “Good.  Now as soon as I have him bandaged up we get out of here.  It feels like we’re being watched.”

“More like sized up,” replied the heiress.

“You feel it too?” asked Ronnie joining them, “Why doesn’t attack already?”

As if in response, the bridge shifted slightly beneath them.

“Veronica, as a friend, I love you dearly.  But if you give IT any more ideas I’m going to hit you,” Julie muttered without looking up.  She was completely focused on her friend’s wound.  He had lost a fair amount of blood and…

Suddenly, the bridge gave a violent heave.

The muscular girl quickly splayed her body across Alex to keep him from being jostled, as the stones heaved and settled back down.  “Is everyone all right?” she shouted.

Clinging to the railing with one hand and hanging onto Veronica and the baby with the other, Cassie replied. “We’re okay, how’s Alex?”

“Doing jolly well down ‘ere,” came a muffled reply, from beneath Julie’s ample chest.

The big brunette rolled her eyes and sat up.  “Congratulations you’ve been where no man has gone before.”  Then she turned to Veronica, “Are we getting any back-up?  Or are we on our own?”

“Roy’s supposed to be on his way,” Ronnie replied, repositioning the infant in order to reach her shoulder radio.

The bridge gave another shudder.

Cassandra immediately grabbed the walking stick, “Do you want him to use this or lean on one of us?”

“Neither,” replied Julie reaching down and lifting Alex in her powerful arms. “This’ll be quicker,” she told them.

He stared at her in amazement, “You know you never struck me as the kind of girl who goes around picking up blokes.”

“Only if they didn’t get out of my way,” replied the muscular brunette, adjusting him carefully. “Back in school I used to stuff them in the nearest locker.”

“I thought I recognized you from somewhere in my embarrassing past,” he replied.

Julie laughed, if Alex could joke, he was hanging in there.

They turned to head back to where their cars were parked and stopped.  There was a figure standing at the end of the bridge blocking their path.  A flash of lightning gleamed off his long white hair.

“Ronnie?” murmured Julie.

“Other way, we’ll try and get to the mansion.” Veronica replied, pulling out her service revolver.

They were just about to turn and flee when they heard the cracking of stone behind them.

Cassie swung the beam of the flashlight at the source of the sound.

The ornate slab in the center of the bridge had cracked and black tendrils were emerging.

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“The Bridge” another section that brings us full-circle gang…

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September 28, 2011

This scene takes up exactly where my last entry leaves off.  It also brings us full-circle to the prologue that i posted a few weeks back.  Let me know if you all want some more of my mystery/horror/sci-fi novel “The Bridge” or a sample of one of the sequels to it.  Again I apologize for the strange-looking breaks and paragraph shapes.  WP just seems to love messing with the format of things I copy and paste here from MS Word.

 

“Rachel?” Ronnie repeated staring at the girl, who had now fully emerged from the water with Alex’s jacket draped over her shoulders.  “You’re not alive are you?”

The girl shook her head.

Roy stepped forward and said in a tight voice, “Tell us what happened to you child.  We can’t undo what happened, but by God we can get whoever did it.”

The teenager opened her mouth and brackish water spilled out.

“I’m so sorry,” Ronnie whispered, tears running down her face.  “I let you down.  I wasn’t there for you when you needed me.”

The ghostly figure shook her head in disagreement.

“Did you kill my Uncle Jason?” asked Julie, breaking her silence.

Rachel shook her head again.

“Then why are you here?”

The dead girl replied by grabbing the lapels of the jacket and pulling them closer.

“It’s the jacket.  She’s been trying to get to Alex, but the jacket has kept changing hands,” said a voice nearby.

All heads turned to look at Cassandra.  The heiress’ eyes had taken on a strange look that made those standing near her shudder.

“Are you saying she’s haunting the jacket Miss Elliott?” asked Roy incredulously.

She nodded, “Alex thought she’d fallen in the water and put it around her and the water soaked into the fabric.  She’s bound to that water and wherever it is she can appear.”

Veronica’s mind worked quickly.  “You had the jacket in the trunk of your car the night you fainted outside the bar.  You said a girl rose up out of the trunk.”

Cassandra nodded apologetically. “Yeah, I still wasn’t myself at the time though.

My mind was still on that man who’s been following me.  When she appeared I freaked and passed out.”

“She must’ve appeared in front of that poor bastard at the dry cleaners too,” muttered Roy, remembering the look of horror on the man’s face.  “The shock must’ve been too much for his heart.”

Listening to all of this Julie turned to Cassandra, “Why are you able to understand her?”

The heiress looked away and said quietly, “Alex and I are psychics.”

Mouth hanging open, the muscular girl turned to Ronnie and asked, “Is she shitting me?”

The older woman shook her head, “No, Alex is a psychic.  I didn’t know about her, but I was beginning to suspect.”

Julie shook her head. This was all getting too much for her, yet at the same time it made a strange kind of sense. “If Alex is psychic why couldn’t he tell Rachel was…” she gestured at the dead teen.

Cassandra answered, “We can’t always tell when we’re meeting someone who’s no longer among the living.  If the personality is strong enough they can seem as real as you or me.  And this girl has incredible amount of power.  She must have been a psychic when she was alive.”

Nearby, Officer Patrick Danson began to stir.

Meanwhile, Julie asked the question that was on everyone’s mind.  “So why has she been killing people?”

The drowned teen looked over at her and tried to speak.  But, once more only dark water spilled out of her mouth.

“It wasn’t her,” Cassie said, acting as the girl’s translator.  “She’s been trying to prevent these deaths.”

Veronica moved closer to the dead teen saying, “Rachel, do you know who’s responsible for the killings?”

The girl nodded and began to open the jacket, just as Danson opened his eyes and spotted her.  Scrambling to his feet he grabbed the nearest person, who happened to be Cassandra, and threw her at the nightmare figure.  Then he raced down the corridor screaming before anyone could stop him.

Julie watched in horror as time seemed to slow and the heiress went head first into Rachel’s chest, which rippled as if it were made of water.

For a moment no one could move or speak as Cassandra slowly plunged further and further into the teen’s torso.  The moment was finally broken when Julie lunged forward and grabbed the heiress by the ankle.  Roy followed suit and grabbed the other one.

Together they prevented the woman from being swallowed, but at the same time, they could not pull her out.

As the phantasm stared at the back half of the woman who was now sticking out of her, while Ronnie called out to Cassandra to see if she was all right.  Upon receiving no reply, she slowly moved around Rachel to see what was going on.  Suddenly, her hands flew up to her mouth.

“Is she okay?” asked Roy, tightening his grip.

“I don’t know,” Ronnie replied shakily, “She’s not there.”

Just then Julie and Roy were yanked forward.  Something or someone was pulling from the other side.

 

Cassandra found herself under dark water.  A flash of light above showed her she was not far from the surface.  With a lunge she broke through and gasped.  Rain struck her face as thunder and lightning raged all around her.

How had she gotten here?  And why could she feel someone grabbing her ankles?

She reached under the water to see what was going only to find a set of exposed rib bones encasing her waist.  She tried not to panic, but it was an uphill battle.

The cool rain hitting her face helped to calm her.  Bravely she looked around and gasped.  Looming over her head she saw the all familiar shape of the bridge.  I’m at the Graham estate, she thought.  “How did I…” she began when a banshee-like wail pierced the night and her psyche.

A second later, lightning lit area and she spotted a limping figure heading towards the bridge.  It was Alex, but he wasn’t alone.

Standing on top of the slope was a girl with long dark hair.  At first Cassie thought it might be Rachel, but quickly realized this was not the case.  Waves of evil hatred were pouring out of this girl as she stared murderously at the Alex’s fleeing form.

As the heiress watched helplessly, she heard the stones of the ancient bridge groan.  Then, out of the corner of her eye she thought see spotted movement among the stonework.

Staring she thought, Did that bridge just…

Suddenly, she was pulled back under the water just as Alex reached the bridge and collapsed.

 

Cassie found herself on the floor of the police station and spitting up water.   As she lay there coughing, a pair of strong arms reached around her middle and squeezed.  Another great gulp of water was forced out of her and she was able to breathe once more.

“Is she okay?” asked a man’s voice.  Before she could answer, she heard Julie reply, “I think so.  Are you all right Baby?”

Cassie looked up and saw the object of her affection and Chief Peterson studying her anxiously.  “I’m okay…” she nodded and coughed again.

“What happened?  Where were you?” asked Veronica joining them.

“In the water… near the bridge at the Graham estate…” she gasped.  “I saw Alex… he’s in danger,” another coughing fit racked her trembling form, “… some girl is trying to kill him.”

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