Page 29 of Stronger Than Blood
Chapter twenty-seven
Rory
Iwas shocked into inaction. In an instant, chaos swirled around the room in the form of a black cloud. However, neither Mick nor Madam had seen that. Next, Mick was thrown physically across the room.
By the time I regained my senses, I couldn’t move, and Madam and I were forced to watch as the entity tried to strangle the life out of Mick.
I saw it when his expression changed from fear to anger.
I also felt a shift in the energy around me, and seconds later, I could move again and went to Mick just as he was about to lunge at the monster.
Madam and I reached him at the same time, holding him back as she assured him the entity was dissipating. Unfortunately, even I could tell he was only backing off because he was losing strength, not because he was actually leaving.
I held onto Mick long after the fear and adrenaline faded. There were no easy answers here; Preston Garrison would be back, and there was no way to know what level of maliciousness he’d bring when he returned.
As I held Mick, Madam toured the house, and when she came back, she talked about how to set the house up so Mrs. Ida could come home. “We can put the bed in the dining room here,” she said. “I recommend you put the table and chairs in storage if you can.”
She rambled on, and I knew it was more to get Mick’s mind off what happened as it was planning. Mick had stopped shivering, which I took as a sign that her rambling was helping.
“I’ll sleep down here with her during the night, but you’ll need to have a nurse sit with her during the day so I can get some rest.”
“I’ll stay with her,” Mick said. “I only work for Brenda on the weekends, so we’ll need a nurse then and when you need nights off.”
His voice was rough and monotone, but if he was planning for when his great-grandmother was home, I figured it was a good sign.
“That works. Maybe your cousins can sit with her some too. From my experience, the more people who help, the easier it is for everyone, including your Granny. She’s gonna get sick of having the same people around all the time.”
He nodded. “So I want to go home and get a proper shower, then I’m going to head over to speak with the doctor about having her released into our care. Not just because of the asshole spirit, but because that’s what she wants.” Madam agreed.
Madam Bellamy followed us to Mick’s apartment because neither of us wanted him to go alone. After giving him a long hug, I kissed him, and we left once he was in the shower.
“So,” I said when I was in the car alone with Madam, “have you ever dealt with something that strong?”
She shook her head. “Not me personally, but I watched my grandmother deal with a possession once, and my mother took on a poltergeist in New Orleans. I was only a witness, though, never actively involved."
"Should we back off? Maybe encourage him to sell the place or something?”
She shook her head. “Oh, honey, no. This isn’t just a haunted house; the entity wants to hurt him.
Today, when I stood between it and Mick, I could feel Preston Garrison’s emotions.
He sees Mick as the one who got away. As fucked up as it is, he believes Mick belongs to him.
He was angry at me for standing between him and Mick. This is one fucked-up ghost,” she said.
“It’s a fucked-up situation in general,” I replied. “I think it’ll do Mick good to get out of here for a while. I mean, Memphis is one of the most haunted towns I’ve been to, but at least those ghosts aren’t trying to kill him.”
She smiled at me. “Yeah, and it’s nice that he’s willing to come help. I’m happy about the sale and excited about my future, but closing a chapter, even when it’s a happy closure, is still difficult.”
I sighed. “Yeah, I’m sad, and I only helped run the place for a year.”
“Try twenty years,” she said. “Anyway, enough of that. I propose driving back to Memphis after your boy finishes his weekend shift. We’ll get everything squared away and maybe go play tourist for a while.”
“Sounds perfect,” I said, feeling happy about having some quality one-on-one time with Mick that didn’t involve dirty, hard work.