Page 95 of The Ghost of Ellwood
My skin tingled, and I rubbed at the back of my neck.
“Everyone who’s seen her has died,” Carter continued. “Not sure if you heard about it or not, but there was a girl named Ashley Johnson who died, like, two days ago. Total freak accident. Someone ran a red light and smashed into her. Chick got thrown through the windshield and was decapitated. Her friend said that before her death, Ashley kept screaming about seeing a woman in black. A black dress, a black veil, and a sickly pale face.”
Suddenly, it felt like a boulder dropped onto my chest, crushing my lungs. I sharply exhaled, and my hands trembled. I spilled my wine and jumped up from the couch, cursing. “Shit! That’s going to stain the carpet.”
“Darling?” Theo asked, standing up and taking the now empty glass from me. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. “Are you feeling well?”
“Yeah, Ben. You good?” Carter got to his feet too. “You’re as pale as Theo.”
First, Frank Walker had died. Then, Ashley, the girl I’d witnessed on Halloween night who’d seen the woman in black on the sidewalk. Just like I had. The woman’s pale face and eerie smile flashed in my head, and I gasped for air. My body was on fire and my heart was thumping out of my chest.
A fucking panic attack.
“Sit down, darling,” Theo said in a worried tone, guiding me back on the couch. “Carter, will you bring him some water?”
“Yeah, be right back.” He left the living room, and within a minute, he was back again, holding out a glass for me. “Here you go, dude.”
Even though it felt like my throat was closing up, I drank the water, knowing my anxiety was playing tricks on my mind. The burning sensation in my legs eased, as did the wild racing of my pulse.
“Mind telling us what the hell that was about?” Carter asked, sitting on the other side of me.
“I’ve seen her,” I whispered, not able to say the words any louder. The very air shifted around me, growing denser and cold. I focused on Carter before doing the same to Theo. “I’ve seen Lady Death.”
***
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Theo asked later that night, as we were getting ready for bed.
Carter had left thirty minutes ago. We’d spent almost two hours talking about my run-in with the woman in black and what it could mean. My friend had backtracked after I shared my story, though, saying it was probably just some stupid myth.
But I knew better. I felt the truth of it.
Death was coming for me; I just didn’t know when.
“Because I thought it was nothing,” I said, pulling back the blanket on the bed and getting under it.
“Don’t lie to me, Ben.” Theo sat beside me on the mattress and removed his shoes. “I remember how you behaved when we left the cinema on All Hallows Eve. You asked me, ‘Do you see her?’ And I didn’t. You were frightened. Why keep it from me?”
“I don’t want to talk about it. Okay?” I punched my pillow. “We’ve discussed it enough for one night.”
“No, we haven’t.” He placed a cold hand on my arm. “If there’s any truth to the legend, we need to—”
“Need to what?” I asked, flipping around to face him. “What can we possibly do that will stop it? The two people Iknowwho saw her ended up dead within weeks. My time is ticking. I could die tomorrow by falling through a floorboard or choking on breakfast. I could even die in my sleep tonight. There’s no stopping it.”
“Do not say such things.” Theo’s voice was soft. Sad.
“Why?” I challenged, flaring my nostrils as I breathed heavily through my nose. “You might have a hard time accepting the truth, Theo, but I don’t. You live in a little bubble and think that bynottalking about it, it isn’t real.”
“What does that mean?” he asked, glaring.
“You know what it means. We’ve known each other for months and you still haven’t told me how you died. Do you not want people knowing the truth? Hmm? Do you want to remain a goddamn mystery for forever?”
“Of course I don’t!” The fireplace roared to life, sending flames up to scorch the logs.
His anger fueled my own. Why I started an argument, I didn’t know. Maybe it was easier to argue than to admit to how scared I truly was.
“Why have you kept it a secret then? Why can’t you just tell me? You’re making it harder than it is, Theo.”
Theo’s body blinked out of sight before he rematerialized beside the dresser. Even after appearing again, he flickered like a candle fighting to stay lit. The bedroom door slammed, opened, and slammed again. The curtains flew upward, as if blown by a strong wind. The manor groaned.
