Dead Not Gone
By
Theresa Chaze
The rays of sunset melted into mauves and lavender as it faded into the west beneath the sliver of moon. All around her, Anna could smell the intense sweet of the lilac bushes intertwining with a hint of smoke from a neighbor's bon fire. The first of many, she thought looking across the field. The neighborhood was quiet except for the barking dogs in the distance. Shifting her backpack, she waited hidden among the lilac bushes, watching the burned out remains of house at the top of the hill. She had to be sure. There could be no mistakes. The remaining color paled to gray then darkness; it was time. Saying a prayer of protection to the Goddess, Anna surrounded herself in the Mother Earth's energy to cloak her from what she knew would appear. On the spiritual realm, she would now be as invisible to him as he was to most in the physical world.

It started as a small spark from what was the back of the house, growing intensity as it moved through it and out the front door. On the remains of the porch, it took shape. As in life, he was a large man both in statue and in weight. His hair was dark and well combed. While he was alive, Anna only met him once. He had towered over her; his vacant blue eyes examined her as if she were a piece of meat lying behind a butcher's display case. The encounter had been brief, yet it still had left her drained and ill. It took her several days and a healing from a friend for her to recover. Now looking up at his spirit, her stomach again became queasy. The Writersville police had ended his life when he refused to surrender, choosing instead to shoot at them. A volley of bullets gave cover as the smoke bomb crashed through the front window. The house burst into flames. He refused to leave. Hours later, his chard body was carried out, but Davis was far from being contained.

The night after his remains had been laid to rest, his spirit appeared on the burnt remnants of his porch. His appearance had awakened her from a sound sleep and she watched him wander the neighborhood, search for a vulnerable home. She had quickly thrown up her shields to hide her home from his sight. His passed and found entrance on a ranch further down the street--the home of one of the children he had victimized in life. Moments later, a child’s screams echoed. Lights appeared in the windows. An ambulance arrived soon after. The family never did return to the home. That had been three weeks before. Each night since it had been a different homes and different children screaming. Each time the attacks became more violent. The night before the child nearly died. Anna vowed it would never happen again.

From the porch, his spirit looked down. Most had lights shining behind curtained windows. Families were settling in for the night. Two blocks away, her home also had a light shining as a beacon for her, only it had so much more. Before she left, she set her shields and called her patron dragon to protect her fur-kids. She needed to know they would be protected; it wouldn’t be safe for either if her attention were divided. Now she had to wait. While he was on his home turf, he was to powerful for her to face. He needed to choose his new victim and attack. It was only after he left his power source was he vulnerable. She had no choice but risk another child.

Okay, I'm evil. To read the rest of the story it's going to cost your .49 and a trip to my site at www.theresachaze.com