Avescope HORROR

Gage stared in the indicated direction; a grim expression on
his face. “A Shaman, you say.”
Dela looked between the ghost and her partner. “No one
said that.”
Gage looked at her. A blush radiated over his cheeks. His
stare appraised her. Dela could see the war raging behind
his eyes. When he came to a decision, he sighed. “There’s a
reason The Society sends me on investigations. In addition
to my objectiveness, I have a connection to paranormal
manifestations. Jeremiah doesn’t communicate in the same
way as the living, but he does communicate.”
“I can accept that,” Dela shifted, flicking her eyes up to the
dark rider. “But I’m beginning to wonder why they sent
me.”
Gage gave a brief smile, “I requested it. You...have a singular
reputation.” Dela gave him her own penetrating stare. It
took less time for her to come to her own conclusions. She
nodded. Her sixth sense still hounded her, but she wasn’t
going to let it get in her way.
“So, what’s he telling you.” Dela said. “Jeremiah riled up the
town knowing that they would call The Society for help. A
presence has manifested in the woods. It’s grown powerful;
beyond what Jeremiah can handle by himself. He wants us
to help him deal with it before it starts attacking the
town.”
“So, Jeremiah is the town’s guardian?”
“Primarily. Jeremiah lived in Jasper before he died. He has a
good number of descendants there.”
“Well, that clinches it,” Dela set her hands on her hips, “Let’s
hunt us a Shaman.”
Gage blinked, “You believe me?”
“Don’t sound shocked. I have a good sense of people. While
the situation has me on edge, I never doubted you.”
A smile crossed Gage’s face. He had a nice smile; rare in her
line of work. Most men in The Society had one of two smiles.
It was either conceded, which made them insufferable or
they had an oily smile that spoke of an unnatural propensity
for the depraved aspect of the paranormal - more so than
anything actually paranormal. Gage was a refreshing
change of pace.
Clapping his hands together, Gage nodded to the
apparition. A gleam of excitement overtook Gage’s
expression. His doubts vanished as he set himself to work.
“Excellent.” Gage broke away, heading back towards his
vehicle.
Within moments, he pulled out various contraptions. One
looked like a pipe with bits stuck to it. It had a shoulder
strap, which he settled crossways over his body. The two
others were smaller. One was an angular box with a pistol
handle attached to it. The other looked like a grappling
hook except the hooked end was a glass cup.
Once Gage settled himself, he reached into the driver’s side
and pulled out the key. The buggy shimmied into silence.
Dela imagined that it did so in relief more than anything
else.
Gage flipped the keys through the air, making Dela fumble
to catch them. “Hold on to those, would you?”
Before Dela could question his motives, Gage trudged past
her and through the underbrush. She didn’t know if this
was bizarre behavior for him. She found it quite odd. None
of her other partners ever let the idea of her driving spring
up as a serious conversation. That was one thing about men
she couldn’t understand. What was so important about
their transportation that they couldn’t share the
responsibility of driving. She shrugged, depositing the key
in the safest place she had; the cleavage of her corseted
bosom.
Dela hiked up her skirts and headed after her partner.
Before she reached the demarcation line, the horseman
road up beside her. His shadowy hand reached down. This
one act of gentility, offering her a ride upon his steed,
astounded her. Whoever he had been in life hadn’t
degraded now that was dead. The kindness made a smile
bloom upon her face.
“I thank you ever so much, but I must refuse. A lady like me
can’t rely on the generosity of a gentleman. I have a
reputation to uphold.”
The horseman’s shoulders bowed in acknowledgment. His
horse cantered in place before it trotted into the woods. The
underbrush and other hindrances failed to work upon the
specter. They did, however, do a better job keeping Dela
from being the least bit graceful. Tangling vines and thin
pointed branches snagged and scratched her as she
pushed through.
Once she entered the forest proper, the shadows danced
around her. An eerie stillness pervaded the area. Every
sound was muted even their footfalls.
Gage slowed his decent into the darkness. The box-like
device he held moved from side to side. Dela closed in,
peering at the screen which glowed with green light. Lights
clumped in the upper corner, shifting like fireflies.
Her partner corrected his heading, moving once again. The
horseman followed them. He paid no heed to the solid
looking trees. If one got in his way, he walked through it as if
they weren’t there. Dela tripped over every bit of detritus.
Neither her shoes nor her outfit were doing her well today.
Each step brought them into a darker bit of the woods.
Before long, the darkness would completely overcome her
sight. The silence became more keening. It buzzed like the
anticipation of a raptor before a kill. Even the air felt heavier.
Stopping, Gage held up a hand signaling her to do the
same. Her intuition goaded her into arming herself. She slid
out two daggers. Gage holstered his detecting device,
pulling the pipe up to his shoulder.
A wrenching cry split the air. The high-pitch ululation made
Dela’s grip tighten on her weapons. The horseman’s mount
charged, disappearing into the darkness. Gage slid the pipe
off his shoulder, dropping it. He pulled out his last device,
running in after the guardian.
Avescope | 36