Time Conjurer II (eBook)
360 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3178-0717-7 (ISBN)
Michael Kennedy has had a love of poetry and writing, particularly horror and science fiction, since the third grade. During his undergraduate years at Harvard, Michael published several student magazines and continued his creative writing informally throughout his residency and fellowship. In 2002, Michael began writing short stories, eventually branching out into writing his first full-length novel in 2019. Michael has always loved a well-told story that stretches his imagination. He marvels at humans existing at the boundaries of possibility and seeks to bring the magic of these narratives into his own writing. A son, brother, husband, father, uncle, and grandfather, Michael currently practices Medicine in Delaware, where he resides with his wife and their multiple cats. In his free time, he enjoys travel, good food, photography, African art, jazz and smiling faces.
Psychiatrist Kenny Lawson is in for a surprise when he receives a call from his time-traveling Great Aunt Delilah! Delilah is in 1955 with a main who reports witnessing an evil spirit dissolve a human being. At his great aunt's request, Kenny time-travels from 2019 Philadelphia back to 1955 Charleston to help Delilah solve this mystery. After interviewing the witness, and using his own previous experiences with spirits, Kenny has reason to believe the killer is Lucas Mobley who died in 1919 and who's spirit Delilah had previously used to protect her family. Lucas's spirit had escaped Delilah and has become a thing that southerners believed moves at night and can possess people; a haint. Returning to 2019, Kenny discovers the murder they are investigating is only one of 55 murders committed against men who had participated in Charleston's 1919 Race Riot. The murders had remained unsolved over the years, spawning macabre new folklore and paranoia that rippled out all the way to contemporary Philadelphia. But folklore wasn't the only ripple in time caused by these strange new killings Now it's up to Kenny to travel back to the past, stop the murders before they ever happen, and undo the changes to history the haint has caused. But ensnaring a haint 64 years in the past isn't easy, and Kenny winds up putting his own life on the line as well as his family's as the mystery gets ever more complicated the more Kenny digs. Perfect for fans of series like "e;The Twilight Zone"e;, "e;Supernatural"e;, "e;The Dresden Files"e;, or "e;American Horror Stories"e;! This thrilling supernatural mystery will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the end!
CHAPTER 1
“How do you melt a person and not burn his clothes?” the wary, wide-eyed Oscar Taylor asked from a bed in the corner of the room in the basement of Reverend Booker Ashford’s church. The man’s South Carolinian accent was thick, but his words were clear.
It was 1955 Charleston and Dr. Kenny Lawson had just arrived from 2019 Philadelphia. It was also the middle of the night. He had to not only overcome his sleep deprivation, but refamiliarize himself with the local accent. It was important he clearly understood the only person to have ever seen a haint kill a human.
“I don’t know,” Kenny responded. “Can you tell me what happened?”
Hunkered in a near-fetal position with his arms around himself, Oscar sat at the head of the bed with his legs folded under him. One shoulder was lodged into the corner like he was trying to escape through the wall of the room. His left ear looked fused to the wall, but his head was turned so he could see Kenny. He looked afraid of anything or anyone approaching from behind him.
Waiting for a response, Kenny asked, “You saw what happened, right?”
When Oscar didn’t reply, he regarded the man, but saw the same hypervigilant expression. Now he was glad he’d sat in the center of the room. There, he was as nonthreatening as possible. He’d learned this from his psychiatric training and experience, but tonight he was especially glad to be closest to the door for this interview. Oscar had a wild look in his eye.
“Yeah. I saw it ’cause they kicked me out of the Satin Club. All I did was try to talk to one of the dolls in there, but she was taken. How was I supposed to know Dapper Al had claimed her? It ain’t like they got signs on ’em.”
Kenny asked, “So how did you see it?”
“I was passed out. Those cats ruffed me up, and tossed me out the back door. I was layin’ on the ground when I woke up and saw it.” He turned his head to stare at the wall and stopped talking.
Kenny waited for him to finish. The silence was long and uncomfortable. He knew to let his subject articulate his memories and frustrations at his own pace, but grew impatient. He had been awakened in the middle of the night and he stifled the urge to demand a quick and concise description.
“What did you see?” he asked gently.
Slowly Oscar turned his head to look at Kenny with fear in his eyes. He shook his head and began. “Th-th-there was this dark thing on top of the guy. It stuck somethin’ on his face and started suckin’ on him. I’ll never forget it. With all the noise from the club and the street, I remember that sound. I thought maybe somebody come outside and was sucking the barbecue sauce off his fingers or somethin’, but there wasn’t nobody else out there.”
“It was coming from the man and the . . . the thing on top of him?”
“Yep. The thing moved its sucker down to the guy’s neck, then his chest. But it was still layin’ on top of him. When the sucker part got to the stomach, the next thing it did scared the shit outta me.” The man became quiet again.
After a brief pause, Kenny prompted the man again. “I know this is tough, but I can’t help you unless I know what happened. What scared you?”
“Th-th-the thing turned into a man. I mean . . . it looked like a man by the time it was suckin’ from the guy’s stomach.”
“How could it suck from him and turn into a man at the same time?”
“I don’t know, but the thing was suckin’ from the guy’s belly button by then.”
“Are you sure he wasn’t making it with one of the girls from the club? Maybe she had on a costume?”
Oscar’s eyes widened, and anger filled his face. “Mister, I can hold my liquor. And I wasn’t drunk that night. I remember it was one thirty in the mornin’. I know ’cause I looked at my watch. The Satin Club usually has a revue of new girls around one. It was one thirty. There was a whole buncha hootin’ and hollerin’ from the club just about then. That’s how I know there wasn’t nobody else outside. And that’s how I know it wasn’t one of the girls. Everybody was busy inside!” He stared at Kenny like he was upset his version of events wasn’t believed.
“And you still heard the sucking noise?”
“Hell yeah. I’ll never forget that sound as long as I live. It was like somebody slurpin’ some good soup, and kissin’ real deep at the same time.”
“Kinda hard to do both, isn’t it?” Kenny felt free to project incredulity now that Oscar was opening up. It would help the man clarify his statement and, hopefully, challenge him to show consistency in his story. He’d made a food reference during both descriptions, but added a sexual one during the second description.
“That’s what I said! How can anybody do both them things at the same time? Ever since then, I try to eat or drink quiet. If I slurp or smack my lips like I used to, it reminds me of that . . . thing. I can’t kiss no girl neither ’cause if I did that I’d think of that thing. I can’t sleep right ’cause I hear that noise when I lay down. That’s when I think it’s in the room with me.”
“So you haven’t slept right in a week or so?” Kenny asked after making sure Oscar was finished.
“Naw.”
Oscar’s tale intrigued Kenny. Was Oscar just a drunk needing a safe haven to regain his senses before returning to his vices? Or was he an innocent bystander who had witnessed the unthinkable? Maybe Oscar had fatigue and delusions. Rather than let him wallow in both, Kenny shifted his approach. “Didn’t the guy fight back?”
“Naw. He didn’t put up much of a fight. Maybe he was worn out from a round with one of the girls out in the alley before that thing got ’im. But I’m tellin’ you, this wasn’t no girl that was doin’ what I saw.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t one of the ladies rolling him?”
Oscar finished turning his body toward Kenny and sat with his legs folded underneath him. He tightened his face and jaws and pointed at Kenny. “You ain’t listenin’ . . . I said it wasn’t no lady! No lady looks like that. And I said I wasn’t drunk. The goddamned thing finished suckin’ the life outta him and stood up. It burped and turned around. Next thing I know it was lookin’ right at me. When I saw them red eyes burnin’ right through me, I screamed and shit myself. I thought it was all over. Wasn’t no place I could hide and I couldn’t run!”
“What did it look like?”
Oscar stood up on the bed and gestured in the air. He shouted, “It was as tall as me, and was naked. Skinny with no hair. It was black as tar so I couldn’t see no mouth or nose. But the damned thing spoke. It talked like it had hot coals in its mouth. Even then, he sounded like a local guy.”
“How’s that?” Kenny said, raising his eyebrows.
“I got Geechee blood in my veins, man. I know Geechee when I hear it.”
“So it saw you witness a murder. A murder it had just committed. Then it spoke to you. Why didn’t it just kill you right there on the spot?”
“The thing didn’t want me. It said it didn’t have no quarrel with me, and bid me a good night.” Oscar hesitated before saying anything else. He sat down on the bed and backed into the corner. He looked around warily and hung his head. “Then it flew away.”
Kenny looked at the man and waited for him to flinch or amend his statement. Maybe Oscar’s delusion created a scenario wherein he could escape a manifestation of his inner demons. Or maybe he had seen a rare apparition known to those familiar with Southern folklore. A haint was a spirit that traveled by night in search of a soul to possess. When Oscar looked up, their gazes met. Despite locking eyes with Kenny, Oscar wasn’t pressured by the stare.
Kenny asked, “He flew away? Are you sure about that?” Kenny pushed Oscar to help determine if the traumatized man would be consistent from beginning to end.
“I told you I wasn’t drunk! The thing lifted straight off the ground and flew into the sky. I looked up and that sumbitch was gone into the night. The scariest thing I ever seen.”
“It just floated off the ground, and . . .”
Oscar leaned forward and exclaimed, “It flew away!” He rested his back into the corner and wrapped his arms around himself again. He looked around the room as if he was being watched. “I didn’t know what to think. I figured it had some rope or somethin’, but I never saw any. I got up real slow. Then I looked around the alley to see if it had tricked me. That’s when that smell got me.”
“What smell?”
“I don‘t know what it was, but man, it was foul. Right where it was standin’ was the foulest odor ever. And I’ve worked on the big Davis farm and the Overton slaughterhouse. When I looked down, the guy he attacked wasn’t there no more!”
“But you said his body was—”
“There was somethin’ there, but it wasn’t no body. There was just jelly inside his clothes,” Oscar interrupted. “I ain’t been in no war, but I hearda people bein’ burnt to death in Japan when they dropped the bomb. That’s what I thought happened to this guy. All that was left was some clothes filled with jelly. But how do you melt a person and not burn his clothes?” Oscar looked at Kenny with eyes that begged for an answer.
Kenny shook his head. “I have no idea.” He had heard enough.
“I couldn’t make heads or tails of it, so then I got drunk. I mean...
| Erscheint lt. Verlag | 12.9.2025 |
|---|---|
| Sprache | englisch |
| Themenwelt | Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen |
| ISBN-13 | 979-8-3178-0717-7 / 9798317807177 |
| Informationen gemäß Produktsicherheitsverordnung (GPSR) | |
| Haben Sie eine Frage zum Produkt? |
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