Page 4 of Deceiver (Soul Chasers #2)

Wilder

T hankfully, I don’t have to waste time convincing Keagan there’s a problem like I normally do. He’s already aware of the situation. That means I can get to work sooner.

We climb two flights of stairs with Keagan in front. The final three steps lead to a closed wooden door. Keagan turns sideways and presses his back against the wall.

“Sure you want to go in there?”

“It’s my job to go in there.” I step up past Keagan and twist the doorknob slowly, peering in before walking in completely. It’s just an empty attic. “There’s nothing here.”

Keagan peeks in behind me, then blows out a slow breath. “Good. There’s not supposed to be.”

There’s another loud bump that’s obviously not coming from the attic. Looking over my shoulder, I make eye contact with Keagan. “Show me the other rooms?”

He nods. “Come on.”

We descend one flight of stairs and Keagan directs me to two empty bedrooms. I check each, only picking up the stagnant energy in the rooms. “It’s not here either.”

“My room is over here.” We cross the open space to another closed door. “Here you go.”

He opens the door, letting it swing wide and standing to the side to let me enter. I do, taking in the energy of the room. The air is thick and heavy with foreboding. Unfortunate, since this is his bedroom.

It’s rather plain, with only a wood dresser that looks like it came from a thrift store and a large bed against one wall.

The only window has dark curtains blocking out the sunlight.

When I turn to look at Keagan, he’s standing in the doorway with his arms crossed, and a captivating scowl on his face.

“I haven’t slept in here since the weirdness started.”

“Why? Did it disturb you?”

He shrugs. “I couldn’t get comfortable. I’ve been sleeping in the TV room downstairs.”

I nod, placing my hand on the wall closest to me. A subtle vibration spreads into my arm. Not wanting to alarm Keagan, I pull my hand away slowly.

“It’s here,” I say softly. “I’m going to engage now.”

“What should I do?”

“Whatever you like. You can stay and watch or you can go downstairs.”

His cheeks flush red, but his face takes on a look of determination. He’s a brave one. Good. He’ll need to be. “I’ll stay.”

“Very well.”

Stepping back from the wall, I twist my neck back and forth as I close my eyes to focus. After doing this for as long as I have, it doesn’t take much effort to center myself anymore. I open my eyes slowly, lifting my gaze to the ceiling, and sure enough, I detect a hint of swirling energy there.

Keagan is staring up too, but judging from his relaxed demeanor, I don’t think he sees what I do. That’s a good sign. The Horror isn’t fully manifested yet.

“Who are you?” I ask. It’s not like the Horror can speak yet, but I’m aware of any changes, good or bad, in its demeanor. I’ll try a name I’m sure it isn’t first. “Are you Keagan’s mother?”

The Horror recoils slightly.

“It’s not,” I say to Keagan. He nods, keeping his arms wrapped tightly around his chest.

“Are you Harold Bishop, Keagan’s father?”

The Horror pulses, growing slightly in size. Well, shit.

“Did it answer you?” Keagan asks.

“In a way, yes. It doesn’t have the ability to fully form yet, but it will in time. It’s learning constantly.”

“So is it my dad?”

“Was. I believe so, yes.”

He nods, his expression perking up. “Can you ask it questions then?”

“I can, but it’s difficult to assess the answers outside of yes and no.”

His brow crinkles. “You’re not a medium?”

“No. I told you what I am.”

“Yeah, but I have no frame of reference for that. Can you talk to the dead or not?”

“Not in the way a medium can. I have the ability to see it and interact on some level when it’s still in this state. As it strengthens, I’ll be able to engage more.”

Keagan nods, biting his bottom lip. “I want to know if he killed people. If what they say is true. I want to know.”

I glance up at the ball of light on the ceiling. It changes color, taking on a darker shade and becoming almost gray. I can’t be sure that’s a positive response to Keagan’s questions, but I am sure the Horror is aware of Keagan’s presence.

“We may never know,” I explain. “My job is to get it out of here and return it to the Below. Now is the opportune time, while it’s weak.”

“No,” Keagan says. “I need to know the answers. If it’s already here, can’t we do something?”

“What you’re suggesting is allowing the Horror to manifest fully, which I cannot stress enough is very dangerous. It’s capable of anything at that point.”

“What do you mean?”

“Listen, Keagan, we don’t yet know why the Horror escaped or what its intentions are, but we do know that it’s not safe. It’s not benign. The very fact of where it escaped from is proof of that.”

“Was he, like, in hell or something?”

“It’s not the hell you may have learned about in religious settings, but it’s a place the worst souls go. It’s not easy to escape, so any Horror that does is very determined. It’s here for a reason, and I would rather we not find out what it is. It could hurt you, Keagan.”

“But…” He shrugs. “A part of my dad is still in there, right?”

“Yes. It carries your father’s memories to some extent, some lingering life experiences, and as I said before, the core of his essence. The part of him that ruled everything else.”

“So that part was bad, right? That’s why he went where he did?”

I nod. “Yes.”

Keagan drags his hand through his long tresses, pressing his full, plush lips together as he gazes up at the ceiling. “What you’re saying is that it’s possible it came here to hurt me?”

“Yes. It’s also possible it came to hurt someone else, but chose to stay here due to your connection.”

“And there’s no way it came for any other reason? No way it just wanted out and won’t hurt anybody?”

“Not in my experience, which is lengthy.”

Keagan nods. “I see.”

“I can begin if you’re ready. I’ve got some tools in my car.”

Normally, a target is more than ready to rid themselves of a Horror, but I can already tell from the expression on Keagan’s face that he isn’t.

“He’s not your dad anymore, Keagan. Not completely.”

“I get that.” He meets my gaze. “But I have to try. I went to a lot of trouble to contact him, and here he is. I have to try.”

“Try what?”

“Getting answers. I need to know. He won’t hurt me. If he wanted to, he could’ve done that days ago.”

“We don’t know that.”

His expression hardens. “I do. He came here because of me. I deserve to know the truth. I need to know.”

I want to argue with him, but I can already tell it’s a waste of my time. “Fine. I’ll leave you to it, but call me if things escalate.” I pull my card out of my coat pocket. “And they will escalate, Keagan.”

He nods, taking the card. “I understand.”

“How do you intend to communicate with it?”

“With a medium.”

Dammit. He’s a stubborn one. “I must caution you—what you’re intending to do is very dangerous.”

“I hear you, but this might be my only chance to find out the truth.”

I nod. “Very well. For the record, I very much wish you wouldn’t do this.”

“I got that part. I’ll call the medium after you leave. Hopefully, I can get this done quickly and then you can come back and do your thing.”

“One thing—hopefully your medium friend knows this, but under no circumstances should you accept any offer from the Horror.”

“Offer?”

“Possession is possible. Inadvertently trading your soul for theirs is also possible. Accept no offers and use spiritual protection to guard against possession.”

Keagan’s face goes pale, but he nods. “Okay.”

“I’ll go now, albeit reluctantly.”

“I’m sure you’ll hear from me soon.”

“Likely sooner than you think.”

I leave Keagan standing on his front porch watching me drive away.

My long life doing this has taught me how to manage the targets well.

Arguing with him would only hamper my efforts, but unfortunately, that leaves him vulnerable to the Horror.

Hopefully, he’s right that what remains of his father has no ill intent towards him, but experience tells me that’s anything but true.