Chapter 18

Eighteen

"Damn this thing," I groaned, smacking the bulky radio before tossing the bulky radio into my bag. The batteries must've died, leaving it useless. Just my luck. Clouds slowly began to fill the sky, concealing the light of the moon and stars as darkness befell the land. "We should probably head back the direction we came," I spoke to Alastair, my flashlight in hand. "If that was Lazarus who whistled, then he's probably trying to find us."

Alastair and I began our trek back down the path we had started on, the wind picking up as the trees swayed and dead leaves gathered around us, dancing in the cold air. I hadn't experienced any additional paranormal incidents, aside from the unsettling feeling of being watched, which had sadly begun to feel ‘normal' in this ancient little town. We continued, taking our time as we traveled back, observing the various tombstones and hand carved statues. The beam of my flashlight began to flicker as an odd feeling tapped my shoulder.

"What?" I smacked the plastic light, the golden beam flickering as I hoped for it to stop. I tipped the flashlight around to check the batteries when it suddenly began to surge with each blink, the beam growing in brightness until the glass bulb popped, shattering in my hand. A faint sliver of neon green fire trickled from the broken bulb and faded into the air. The plastic handle burned, causing me to open my palm with a loud gasp. I dropped the flashlight, smoke trailing from the hot, broken bulb. Alastair looked up at me, his eyes glowing with concern. It felt as though something, or someone, was toying with me.

The feel of something breathing against my neck frightened me, my body whipping around to see who was there, but I was alone. There was nothing but a faint night breeze. Fear overcame me when I felt as though someone was standing directly in front of me

I see you.

The same disembodied voice from earlier in the night hissed, the weight of those words scratching against my skin. I could feel the color instantly draining from my face, my stomach sinking with absolute fear. Something was out here with me. Something evil.

The startling presence vanished immediately, my body exhaling in relief. Alastair stopped, his ears raised high, a seemingly different noise pulling his attention away. I glanced at Alastair, my brows scrunching in confusion. "What is it?" I whispered. The sounds of footsteps crunching against the dry autumn leaves could be heard in the distance.

The steps increased, as if someone was shuffling towards us, closing in. I became anxious, my hands glowing as my magic reacted to my emotions. Alastair surprisingly didn't growl. He didn't change his posture or act defensive in any way, only observant. That's odd; usually Alastair only acts this way if—

A tall, dark silhouette appeared, catching my attention as it moved through the graveyard, heading in our direction. Before I could mutter a word or even think, I rotated my hand and aimed a ripple of my magic in its direction. The shadow weaved, the blue fire missing its target, slamming into the torso of a nearby statue as the flames fizzled away.

"Holy shit!" I knew that voice.

"Lazarus?" I lifted my other hand, my magic illuminating the features of his face as he slowly approached us, his eyes wide and perplexed. Alastair immediately flounced to him, licking his hand.

"Man, I know I've seen that trick before, but hell, being on the other end of it is pretty fucking terrifying." He pointed to the still-smoking impact mark. "Talk about power." A heavy sigh of relief fell from my lips. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scare you," he stroked Alastair's head, "but I rushed this way after I heard you whistle. When your voice cut out, I assumed your radio died—"

"I thought you were the one who whistled?" He lifted his head, an odd expression across his face.

Lazarus shook his head, sighing. "This is the last time I listen to Cain and let you just wander off to investigate alone." I completely agreed with him. My eyes examined him, admiring his physique when I realized he had trekked all this way in darkness.

"What happened to your flashlight?" I asked.

"Oh." He pulled it from his bag. "It randomly just shut off on my way up here. It was really weird, ‘cause it started glowing green? I've never seen it do that before. I know I replaced the batteries in all of them after what happened in the last investigation." Strange. It seemed something indeed was messing with us both.

"We should probably head back and find the rest of the group. It's been an interesting night, but I'm ready to get out of these woods." I gripped the straps of my bag, uncomfortable with all that had occurred in the last twenty-four hours, particularly uneasy at the idea of being toyed with. Something about this cemetery seemed off.

"Did Ruby and Jinx not show up?" He asked. I shook my head. "That's odd. They said they were heading your way when I started walking back, I figured they would have found you by now." He glanced around the cemetery. "They probably got lost in this maze. I'm surprised I was able to even find you."

"This whole place is odd." Lazarus turned, glancing at me. "I can't shake the feeling of being watched." My eyes looked all around, taking in the scenery. "There's something different about this place. Not just this cemetery, but the woods, the cabin, the whole town of New Bedeville."

"Well that's not ominous." His smartass tone pulled me back as he tried to shift the mood of our conversation. "On a lighter note, have you had any luck with the investigation?"

Part of me wanted to tell him about the memorial for the Hemlock victims, but I also wanted to respect their peace and, despite Cain's ghost story, I didn't think there was any relevance on the matter. So, I decided to keep their existence to myself. "The only thing I've experienced all night is bad luck. Both my radio and flashlight died. Seems as if something in these woods doesn't want me here."

"Or," he crossed his arms, "Cain's been messing with our equipment again. I'm telling you, after what happened with the last investigation, he's purposely—"

"You really think Cain is sabotaging our things?"

Lazarus shot me a look. "He does seem to enjoy watching the rest of us suffer." He wasn't wrong; Cain always did seem amused by any displeasure or misstep we seemed to experience. "Oh, I have something for you," Lazarus said, reaching into his bag. "I was able to photograph a fox tonight."

My entire demeanor lighted. "Really?" He nodded, shuffling through a stack of prints. "I know you take photographs in hopes of capturing a ghost, but your nature prints always make me smile." Our eyes locked for a moment, the moon peeking from behind a layer of clouds, its light revealing his handsome face.

Lazarus smiled, his expression warm yet playful. "You know," he returned the stack of photos to his bag and stepped closer, "since we're all alone out here," his burned hand gently glided along my cheek, tucking my hair behind my ear, "we could easily slip away into the shadows."

I swallowed, my cheeks burning at his delicate touch. His face leaned towards mine, his hand gripping my jaw as my mouth dropped open. "What do you say, darling?" he breathed into me. "Want to join me in the darkness while I make you howl at the moon?" My hands slowly began to glow, the obvious blue light reflecting in his chestnut eyes. Lazarus smiled. "I'll take that as a yes."