The Haunted_Edit Copy 4-7-17

But that didn’t change Tucker’s situation. I should have just
asked Gunner from the beginning instead of shouldering the issue
myself. Sure, it was still possible that he had some psychological or
physical condition going on, but I couldn’t ignore the other option
that had been presented. It sounded more likely the more I went
through his strange behavior. Something malicious wouldn’t be
comfortable wearing a necklace meant to keep negative things at
bay. It certainly wouldn’t be able to stay in a room with smoke
meant to cleanse the place of dark energy. And it would have no
problem hurting anyone else — it might even enjoy it.
My stomach kept on bucking and pitching like a pissed off
horse trying to throw its rider. I wanted to go to his apartment and
chase the bad thing away myself. I wanted to hide in my room and
hope it never found me. I wanted to apologize to Tucker, who was a
prisoner in his own body, for the coldness I’d shown him and the
failure of my trust in him. God, my head was on fire.
The next morning, I woke up early just so I could call the
heads of Lark Hollow Paranormal Research. Richard picked up on
the fourth ring. “Hello?”
“Hi, Richard, it’s Chelsea Keller.”
“Well, good morning, Chelsea. What can I do for you?”
“Uh, it’s about Tucker.” My nerves weakened as the word
loomed in my head. If I said it out loud, somehow it would make it
more real. “I think — I think something might have happened to him
at the investigation of the Johanssons’ house.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s been acting weird. I think … something might have
attached to him.”
Richard drew in his breath. “Chelsea, this is a very serious
assumption. I’m going to need to know why you feel this way. Do
you have time to come over today?”
I had class that night, but Tucker’s well-being was just
slightly more of a priority. “I can come after work. Around six?”
“No problem. We’ll see you then.”
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