10. Cade

10

CADE

T he next morning brought bone-chilling temperatures and clear blue skies. A common sight on the Canadian Prairies and an endless landscape of freshly fallen snow. It might have been pretty, if I knew I didn't have to go out into it, but the looming travel back to the city meant I'd have to endure the harsh winter scape.

I released the drape I'd pulled back to view the outside as Jay called me into the kitchen.

"Breakfast is served!" He puffed out his chest as he scooped out hashbrowns drizzled in cheese sauce. A bowl of scrambled eggs complete with sauteed peppers and onions sat next to a pile of pancakes.

"Holy smokes! You went all out. Not necessary, you know." I smiled though. It all looked delicious and the aroma of melted sharp cheese filled the room, followed closely by the thick sweet scent of maple.

"Dad's pancakes are the best!" Sam said while drenching a short stack in the gooey goodness.

I chuckled. "They sure look good!"

I sat down at the table as Jay came over and poured me a cup of coffee. The velvety aroma, rich and earthy, instantly enchanted me and pushed away last evening's unpleasantness with Sam's child ghost friend. It did, however, remind me of the fun times I'd had with Jay before Olivia had made her appearance. And now, I couldn't wait for the weekend to arrive. I wanted Jay naked and on top of me.

"Dish up, bear-man. There's lots of food, and I don't want a bunch of leftovers."

"Yes, sir!" I scooped out a pile of cheesy eggs, picked a slice of toast, then fixed my coffee the way I liked it, milky and sweet. I hadn't got the cup to my lips when my phone buzzed.

I had left it on the kitchen counter with an extra charger Jay had laying around. I stood from my chair, but Jay motioned me to stay put and grabbed my phone, unplugged it from the wall socket and then gave the device to me.

It was still ringing so I pushed the button to answer the call.

"Well, finally." Uncle Gally said.

"It was only a couple of rings. Jeez." I said.

"A couple of rings on the tenth call of the night. Where the hell are you?"

"Still in Camrose. The blizzard forced me to stay here, but it wasn't all bad. I think I've found a home!"

"That's great, Cade, but you need to come back to Edmonton, like now."

"Why?" I could hear the tension in his voice.

"It's Aunt Lavinia. She's not good. I had to rush her to the hospital just after midnight. She was yelling for me and clutching her chest."

You had to take her to the hospital in the storm?" I asked.

"Wasn't nearly that bad. We got a few inches, but that's about it. Regardless, the doctors are saying you should come."

"Who is it?" Jay asked.

"Who was that?" Uncle Gally asked.

"My real-estate agent." I said into the phone then glanced toward Jay. "It's my Uncle Gally. I'll want him to come down and take a look at the McCauley home."

Jay nodded as Gally laughed into my ear. "You slept with your real-estate agent?"

"No, I most certainly did not." I said, lying a little. After all, we hadn't really had the opportunity to do much of anything and Sam was sitting right beside me. "Look, I have to wait until the roads are ploughed. I'm not going anywhere just quite yet."

"Well, don't wait too long, and remember that Jeep will go through just about anything. Seriously Cade, she's not good. She needs us with her."

"Okay, I'll get ready and get on the road," I said, then took a swig of coffee and stabbed some eggs.

"See you soon." Gally hung up.

"Everything okay?" Jay asked.

I sighed as I chewed, loving the tangy deliciousness Jay had prepared. "Not really. My Auntie Lavinia was rushed to the hospital last night."

"Oh no! I hope everything is okay?"

"I'm afraid not. Lavinia is well into her nineties and hasn't been in the best of health. I kinda need to eat and go. I'm sorry to rush off."

"I'm so sorry. No, I totally understand. Don't worry about it. I can make a care package for you." Jay's face crumpled with a frown.

"Thank you. Lavinia has been unwell for a long time, so this isn't unexpected. Still, she's family. Care package, huh?" I said, taking another bite of breakfast. "This is really good." I pointed the fork at the eggs.

"Secret recipe." Jay winked. "And, absolutely, you get food to go." Jay started scrounging through his cupboards and pulling out plastic bowls with lids.

"That just means you have to come back to return the containers. And then Dad can make it again for you." Sam piped up.

"Did you sleep okay after…well, you know," I asked the little guy.

"Thanks. Yeah, I did." Sam grabbed the amulet that I'd given him. "Do you think she'll come back?" He looked up at me with fear and anxiety plastered all over his face.

I nodded my head. There was no point in lying. If there was something the ghost child wanted from Sam, chances were really good she would make another appearance. "Sorry, bud, but probably. The thing is you have the ability to protect yourself. Remember? Use the necklace, and make sure you pour a ring of salt around your bed at night. You'll be okay."

"Will you come if we need help?" Sam sounded desperate, which broke my heart. I glanced over at Jay, who had gone pale.

"Now Sam, we can't have Cade here every night."

"But I'm scared!"

I reached over and put my hand on Sam's shoulder. "Olivia may not be scary again. She might just ask for what she wants. If you can give it to her, she'll go away. But—" I looked up at Jay. "—if you need me, you can call. I will come straight away."

"Promise?"

"I promise." I did a slight nod toward Jay, intended to mean so many things. I wanted to help, I would be here if he needed me, and more importantly, I wanted to see him again.

I hoped he got all the different levels of meaning I tried to convey with a simple glance and a head gesture.

The drive back to Edmonton was brutal. The clouds had returned as well as the snow. Uncle Gally was right though. His tank of a vehicle managed to plod its way through any snowdrift. And there were plenty of drifts that had blown across the highway overnight, not to mention the scattered patches of black ice.

Thank all the gods for decent winter tires and good grip.

As I drove, trying hard to concentrate on where the road might be in front of me, my train of thought replayed the better parts of last night. Jay McClaren had been a surprise. From an online realty ad to an in-person meeting with a hunk of a man.

Sure, he was good-looking and ripped, but there was more to him than a body. He seemed genuine. I got the sense he really did want to help me find the perfect home — which we did — and my lousy curse managed to screw up a perfectly lovely day. Okay, the snowstorm might have added to it, but then I wouldn't have had the invitation to stay with him.

That poor lady…what was her name? Jay's assistant.

Pam! That was it. Once again, an overly aggressive attack from the spirit realm. What the hell was going on?

An image of Jay on his knees pushed its way to the front of my brain.

Funny how pleasure seemed to outrank fear, after the fact. Some horrible things had happened yesterday…and yet, all I seemed to be able to concentrate on was Jay.

Sam was damn cute though. And another reason to think that Jay was good people. He'd raised a stellar kid. A kid with a gift.

Poor child.

I flipped the windshield wipers on to clear away the built-up snow, then redirected the vents to blow hot air on my hands that were turning white from gripping the steering wheel so hard.

After several moments of staring into the white and grey before me, thinking about the possible fun Jay and I might get up to this weekend with the promise of another "date" and relishing the tropical warmth blowing across my fingers, I let one hand stray to the console in order to turn on the radio.

I pushed the power button, and as the centre control panel lit up, a ghostly hand gripped my wrist and squeezed tight.

"Cade." A scratchy whisper slithered its way across the car seat to where I sat.

I recognized the voice.

I didn't want to turn my head. Dammit, I was too late.

"Cade." My name spoken aloud once more now sounded more insistent.

I put my foot on the brake, slowly coming to a stop in the middle of the road. I took a quick look in the rear-view mirror to ensure no traffic was coming — but there hadn't been a single other car for the entire drive. No one was crazy enough to drive through this. In my periphery, I could see her. That ethereal blue glow that seemed to surround all apparitions. The edges of the ghost fluttered and blinked.

I couldn't look. I just couldn't.

I strangled the wheel, my fingers aching as I clenched them over the leather-covered circle. My head bowed forward until it touched my now-cold fingers.

The hot air still blew from the Jeep's vents, but the death wind of the entity next to me overwhelmed whatever warmth the car had held.

"Cade!"

I blew out a breath trying to steel my guts for what I knew I would see. A fog formed in the car from my exhale.

Snow swirled around my dead stop in the middle of the rural highway as I raised my noggin and glanced directly ahead. Everything was cast in grey. Slate. Cold. Dead.

I shifted my head to look at the passenger seat.

There sat Auntie Lavinia. Eyes bugged out, face sunken. Panic pulled at her sagging flesh, making her appear grizzled, worn, and terrified. It wasn't her age that made her grotesque — it was the death pall that seemed to wrap every ghost. A layer of rot that permeated the energies, making them look hollow and decayed.

But the panicked expression surprised me. It wasn't what I had expected from a ninety-plus year old woman who had been waiting for death. A powerful psychic who had spent her entire life looking into the beyond. She had always been so self-aware, so confident in her senses and what they told her.

"Cade, where are you?"

"I'm right here, Auntie. Right here," I whispered, afraid she might actually hear me.

"I can't see you. It's so dark. Everything is dark. There should have been a light. Where's the beacon? There's nothing but bodies." A moan escaped her lips but the noise had held a high-pitched whine to it that relayed her fear. "Why isn't there a light?"

"Auntie Lavinia, you're not making any sense."

"There are so many." The spectre's head jolted from one position to the next, as if spying out a world in front of her — a scene I couldn't see. All I saw was snow, and ice.

I shook my head. The dead were often confused. But this seemed out of character for Auntie Lavinia — a woman who knew about the other side.

"Auntie," I said.

She stared off into the distance, looking down the snow-covered highway. I wasn't sure that was actually what she saw. Her face contorted into a grimace.

"Auntie," I said with force and authority.

She turned her rotting face toward me, now frowning, her lips quivering like she was about to cry.

"What is going on?"

The light behind her eyes shone momentarily, as if she had gained some lucidity. Like she could suddenly see clearly.

"Cade! There you are. Oh, my goodness, Cade, you have to help. We're all trapped."

"Auntie, what do you mean?"

"Death isn't here."

"I don't understand, Auntie. You died."

"Yes, fool, I know that. But Death didn't come. No one here had Death come for them. We've fallen into the in-between. We can't go to what's next."

"You mean heaven?" I didn't understand half of what she was saying. I had never been a religious guy. That might surprise some, seeing as how I had a direct conduit to the afterlife. But the concept of a God, of an eternal, peaceful resting place, or a fire storm death scene of torture didn't ring true. It felt odd to me. I couldn't see it. I don't know what happens after someone dies, other than some folks become ghosts. I knew that ghosts often moved on, but I wasn't sure if that was to a heaven, or a hell, or some other destination like Valhalla, or Tatarus, the Summerlands, or the fields of Aaru.

Truthfully, the most plausible explanation for me was that we transitioned into another flesh and bone vessel. Reincarnation seemed more plausible. It explained why some people succeeded in life, had better wits about them, and seemed to always make better choices — it just meant they'd been through life numerous times and knew how to avoid life's pitfalls.

Others, the new souls, or ones that rejected the life cycle, struggled to get by. They couldn't adult. They were the forgotten ones in society, the homeless, and the lost.

After all, energy is neither created nor destroyed, so, in some way, we had to continue.

At least, that's what felt right for me.

Yeah, I hadn't really figured out where new souls came from. Maybe there was some kind of supreme being, or a creationist entity. Who was I to know?

"No one escorted me through to the other side, Cade. You have to find Death. We're all jammed up. Oh no!" Auntie Lavinia's eyes grew wide in terror. "No! Oh my God, no!"

She screamed, threw her hands up as if she was protecting herself, then she disappeared. Evaporated.

Where she had sat on the seat of the car a delicate pattern of frost crystals had collected. Her death presence had affected our reality.

The vents' warm air brushed past my cheeks, pulling me back to my current situation. I shook my head, put the car in drive, and inched my way back up to a reasonable speed.

The closer I got to Edmonton, the less snow covered the road, and fewer flakes fell from the sky.

In the distance, traveling up Highway14 , I could see blue sky peeking out from behind the banked-in, dark-grey clouds.

Maybe the storm had finally blown itself out.

But in reality, it had only begun.