"No!"
The piercing scream, from the dark spectre of Sister Evangeline, caused Rachel to sink down against the door, her heart threatening to burst from her chest. Never had she known such fear in the presence of the dead. Is this how she would die?At the hands of darkness, seeking to destroy her?Her head spun, feeling the evil emanating from the spirit before her.
Her throat felt constricted, dear God, where was Galen?
And then she heard it, an almighty growl coming from the other side of the door. She closed her eyes, sliding away from it, when she heard him, throwing his weight against it.
Looking up, she saw Sister Evangeline rising from the rocking chair.
"We shall meet again, Rachel,and when we do,you won’t be so lucky,"she said ominously, before vanishing, leaving no trace that she'd been there.
The wooden door shattered as Galen came through it. Rachel
"Playing hookey?"Rachel attempted to smile as Becca opened the door to her apartment. She saw her sister take in the sight of her uniform."My shift starts at eleven,"Rachel answered. "Becca, I need to talk."Becca took her by the arm, pulling her in. "I've made some tea, come on."Rachel silently trailed behind her sister as they walked to the kitchen. Three days had passed since that night and she hadn't heard a word from Galen.He had taken her words to heart, it seemed. He was done with her. Not only had she put his life in danger, but she'd also broken his heart. It seemed hurt was the one thing she could dole out at lightning speed.Becca handed her a cup and she took it, sipping absentmindedly, not even tasting it."What's wrong, Rachel?Is it about Buck, maybe closing the diner?""I wish it were that simple
Rachel brought her car to a halt at the well beaten path, leading to the asylum. She'd asked Buck if she could come in later and he agreed. Business was slow and she could take all the time she needed."Breathe, Rachel,"she told herself. "You're about to take your little sister's advice and run after a man, who you left in a world of misery."Saying it out loud to herself, didn't make it any less hurtful. What would he do when he saw her?This could all be for nothing. He could easily tell her to take a long walk off a short pier, and he would be justified in his anger.It was true what Becca said. She'd taken the choice away from him, making it all about her and what she wanted in that moment. She didn't give him a chance to decide for himself, what he wanted to do. It was selfish of her and she knew that now.She made her way to his cabin, when she didn't see him in the garden. His tool
Rachel bristled with rage. The nerve of this woman. Mentally, she prepared herself, for a good old-fashioned catfight. There was nothing she would love to see more, than every strand of bleached blonde hair, lying on the floor."So, where is he?"Rachel asked, surveying the cabin and seeing no trace of him. Her heart sank, thinking he might be in the bedroom, awaiting the return of his vixen."He's not here,"the blonde said. She reached for her pack of menthols, offering to Rachel, who declined with a sarcastic smirk.She casually lit one, blowing rings of smoke. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Anita James. An old friend of Galen's from high school. I work for Enid Morris, the woman who owns the asylum. That day you saw us at the diner, was us seeing each other again, for the first time in fifteen years.""Touching, "Rachel replied snarkily. "Your reunion was so spectacular, it led you to his bed."
Allison,the name of the girl in her vision, the one giving birth. Why would she assume the identity of Sister Evangeline? And how did this Anita woman know so much about it?"Wait, hold up,"Rachel said. "You're telling me there's no nun, but there is a girl posing as one. Are you saying I'm being terrorized, by a spirit, with a split personality?"Rachel felt her stomach turn. Of all the things she'd seen in her life as a clairvoyant, this beat all of it, hands down. A mentally disturbed ghost, what more surprises would there be?"In effect, yes,"Anita replied. "There was a Sister Evangeline, working at the asylum to give spiritual comfort to those who needed it. An orderly raped Allison and she birthed his baby. She was a child herself, and Sister Evangeline made sure the baby was put up for adoption. In a rage, Allison killed her, by pushing her over the third-floor balcony. ""How do you know all this?"Rachel ask
Hours passed and Rachel called Buck to tell him she wouldn't make it in at all. He sounded sympathetic as she told him what was going on and she asked him not to say anything to Becca or their mother, until she knew exactly what she was dealing with.A comfortable truce had been reached, between her and Anita, and in spite of herself, Rachel was warming up towards the other woman. Especially when she learned Anita was gay and happily in love with her girlfriend.It irked her that Galen had such drop-dead gorgeous lady friends, but it was par for the course, probably. It would be ludicrous, to think a man like him could have lived like a monk his entire life.She wondered what she would say to him, when he walked through the door, and more importantly, how would he react when he saw her. She rehearsed their coming conversation in her mind, and was still going over it, when the door to the cabin opened, wh
Rachel gently pulled away from him, the excitement of the moment, overshadowed, by the lurking threat of Allison. Part of her was jumping for joy, while another was almost cringing in fear. She couldn't forget how terrified she was, that night in the asylum. The spirit was intent on killing her that night, and Galen too. The memory of him, lying bruised and battered in her arms, was almost too much to contemplate and she struggled to focus on the problem at hand."You okay?"he asked. "There's no more secrets between us, Rachel. It’s us against the world, and my money's on us."She smiled at the assurance in his voice. This man had no need for deception, or hidden agendas. He was honest to a fault. "It’s still a frightening prospect, Galen. Going up against this spirit won't be easy."He led her to the couch. "I know, but I hope that what I learned from Mrs Morris, can help us defeat her."Rachel looked at him
"No, please don't do this!""You have to be stopped Allison, once and for all!"Allison struggled in vain as the two men violently grabbed her, pushing her to the ground. Next to her, she saw the young boy, his neck broken and her face bleeding from where he'd scratched her as she strangled him, before ending his life."Hold her steady, "one of the men commanded. The other one sat down on top of her, pinning her with his weight.The one who'd spoken, gagged her, then tied her hands and feet with rope.They dragged her outside, in the dead of night, with her struggling in vain against them. Her white dress tore and ripped with the force of their anger."You will suffer, as you made others suffer, at your hand. "Allison's eyes widened in terror, as they rolled her into the open grave, and the last thing she felt, was dirt being heap
Days Later. . . ."Rachel, are you sure you don't want me to come up there and help?"Rachel switched her cellphone to the other ear. "Yes, Becca. I'm sure. I don't want you to be here. We don't know what will happen when we confront Allison."Becca sounded agitated. "All the more reason for me to be there Rachel!""No,"Rachel said firmly. "This is my fight, Becca. I want you to stay out of it. I need you to be safe."When the call ended, Rachel stuck her cell in her jeans' front pocket, watching Galen and Anita walk up the pathway. Mrs Morris was with them, her face set in a mask of grim concern. After introducing her to Rachel, the four of them went to the cabin, where Rachel had made a fresh pot of coffee."I always knew, it would someday come to this,"the grey-haired woman said, in her crisp English accent. "My entire life has been defined by this woman, a