Page 35 of A Guardian for Christmas

But he said she was in a place where she could date anyone, and made me promise to stay away until she felt better.

I never should have listened.

And I’m never letting Esme out of my sight again.

She sleeps soundly, and I watch over her for some time. Maybe an hour.

When I feel she’s settled, sleep finally washes over me. I fall asleep with one hand on her hip.

It could be minutes later, or it could be hours later when Esme startles me awake with her screaming.

If I can even call it that.

The sound she makes causes every hair on my body to stand straight up.

I would be more adept at handling a true horror movie scream. A belting, blood-curdling wail.

This is not that. Instead, her eyes are open, her jaw is clenched, and she’s fighting something off in a state of half-asleep, half-awake.

“Sweetheart,” I say, getting in her face.

She gasps, and then her voice is a childlike whimper. “They were here. They were right there,” she says, pointing at the dormant fireplace.

I sit up and listen while keeping one hand on her. She gratefully clings to my arm.

There’s definitely something in the chimney.

At first, I think it’s nothing but a bird, or possibly a squirrel. Could even be bats roosting in there if she hasn’t used the chimney in a while.

But then I hear it. Mumbled words. A very familiar cadence, like poetry.

Human words.

My blood runs cold when my ears hit on actual words.

“Dead.”

“Walk.”

“Mother.”

“Waking.”

Shit, shit, shit.

I don’t believe in ghosts but I believe Esme does, and I believe some truly terrible shit is going on here.

“That’s it. We’re leaving.”

“You hear it?” Esme cries, gripping my arm.

“Yep. Get your shit. We’re out of here.”

There’s a pause in the noise while Esme cowers in her bed. I take this opportunity to grab some clothes and bathroom shit, then manage to find a duffel bag inside a trunk at the back of the closet.

The whispers begin again, this time growing to raspy growls and I still can’t make out complete sentences. The same cadence as before.

“Night.”

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