Page 48 of Midlife Vampire Unexpected

“Where are we going?” I got into the police car next to him as he gunned the engine.

“There’s a problem at Crown Hotel. We’ve got to check it out. It’s a woman, so I thought it was best if I had you come along.”

A few moments later we were at the Crown Hotel and Heather, the blonde curly haired girl behind the counter, was showing us around.

“I’ve worked here for two years,” she said. “Never needed the police and now I’ve seen you guys twice in two days.”

“Just take us to the room,” I said.

“It’s all I was doing,” she said.

By the time we got to the room, I had a feeling of dread as we got closer and closer. “Which room number is it?” I asked.

“Thirty-eight.” Heather smacked her gum as she answered.

Kartika’s room.

I quickly texted to Mae and the rest of the coven there was a problem with Kartika.

It wasn’t till we got to the room that I knew exactly what had happened. Kartika was lying on the bed, her head thrown back, hair flowing. she had an expression of absolute horror and terror on her face.

You need to get down here right away, I texted Mae. There was no way I was going to be able to bring Kartika out of this on my own. I didn’t even have the tools to figure it out. I needed a witch.

“Have you ever seen anything like it?” Sheriff Ted asked me.

“I was going to call the medics,” Heather said. “But then I thought I’d call you guys first. Do you think there’s been some foul play here?”

“I’ve never seen anyone in a position like this,” Sheriff Ted said, scratching the scraggly beard on his chin.

“I’ve got some friends coming over,” I said.

“Don’t tell me you’re mixed up in all this kind of weird stuff,” Sheriff Ted said.

“Not really, sir,” I said. “I’ve made friends since I moved to Cougar Creek and some of them might know something about this. It looks like she might have eaten something that was bad for her.”

“We need to call the medics.” Sheriff Ted turned toward Heather. “Call 911 and get the medics from the next town over to come to Cougar Creek.”

Mae showed up moments later with Trina and Hilda in tow. The three witches ushered Sheriff Ted out and shut the door. They took one look at Kartika.

“Wraiths,” Hilda said.

“How do you get someone out of a wraith trance?” I asked.

“Very, very carefully,” Trina said. Kartika’s skin was glowing a pale white and glistening from sweat. Her eyes underneath her closed eyelids flickered right and left rapidly, as if she was watching something.

“What’s wrong with her?” I asked.

“Wraiths can go in and infect your brain,” Hilda said. “They keep re-running the images of your past misdeeds or anything you feel bad about. They keep running it over and over again in your head. For example, we know she’s emotional about her discovered adoption. so, she might be reliving the moment of finding out again and again. The shocking horror of it or the self-loathing, the lack of love, the feeling discarded, all of that.”

“Oh my God.” My heart went out to her. I knew all those feelings all too well. I had experienced them in Indianapolis and I was only now realizing how toxic that environment had been for me.

“Poor Kartika,” Hilda said.

“How do we disrupt the cycle?” Mae asked. “Will my lightning, do it?”

“No, that would probably kill her,” Hilda said.

“Let’s not do one then,” I said.

---