Delaware St. John - Desperate Measures - Chapters 1 and 2

The following is a reimagining of a book I co-wrote years ago. I'm now completely redoing the book on my own and taking it in a new direction.  I'm posting this because I'm looking for feedback. Please read the opening and let me know if you think it's interesting enough to want to read more. Thanks!


Delaware St. John: Desperate Measures

1.

He cautiously followed the stairs down into the darkness as each wooden step released a decrepit whine under the weight of his foot.  The air was heavy and grew distinctly colder as he descended.  There was a familiar smell he’d been exposed to many times before.  It was heavy, dreadful, and often overwhelming. The smell was death.  While repulsive, the odor was a welcomed sign that he was in the right place.  Now he only had to find the source.  The quiet was broken when the sound of quick, small footsteps hurried across the cold dirt floor below.  He quickly flashed his light around, trying to catch a view of the source of the sound. Out of the corner of the light he caught a dull glimpse of something moving across the room.  It disappeared behind an old work bench that was smothered by a filthy sheet.  From what he could make out, the figure was about the size of a child, another sign he was in the right place.

The little pen light he carried wasn’t ideal for navigating in the dark but his usual flashlight sat in the passenger seat of his truck with two dead batteries.  As he struggled to make out the details of the dank environment, it crossed his mind he really should prepare himself better in the future.  It then crossed his mind this was not the first time he came to that same realization.

“Hello?” Delaware called out.  Only silence replied.  He rarely got answers in this situation but that didn’t stop him from trying.  He took another step down.  The pungent, moist air didn’t bother him but spending more time than he needed to down here did.  “Look, I know you’re down here.”  He said in a louder, sterner tone, “So let’s just cut the crap, and get this over with, huh?” Still no answer.  The last step creaked with release as he lifted his foot and set it down to the dirt floor.  The air grew riper with the melody of decaying smells as he followed the light.

The basement was large but cluttered.  The house had a “For Sale” sign in the front yard but, judging from the condition, it was obvious it’d been on the market for a very long time.  He’d seen the same situation many times; locations with a haunting caused odd feelings in people.  Even if they didn’t actually see or experience anything themselves, just the sense of unease was enough to make them uncomfortable enough to settle, regardless of the “too good to be true” price.

Delaware cautiously looked around the basement, searching for what caught his eye seconds earlier.  “Just come out so we can get this over with and I can get out of here, okay? It’s late and I’m tired!”  A child’s laughter echoed from the darkness.  Delaware turned towards the source of the laughter and began walking in that direction.  He noticed all of the windows had been painted over, making the dreary room even more like a tomb.  As his eyes moved to where he heard the laugh, he noticed it was leading him towards a door.  “So we’re gonna play this game?” he said to himself as he walked.

As he approached the door, he heard a faint clicking sound coming from the other side.  Delaware walked quietly to the door and put his ear up to it.  The clicking sound was now louder and more rapid.  He looked down at the doorknob and saw it start to move.  He stepped back a bit and shined his little flashlight on the knob.  It was as if someone was trying to open it.  The movement stopped then quickly started again.  He stepped forward, moving his hand to the doorknob and just as he was about to open it, the door flung open, hitting him square in the head.  Delaware fell backwards onto the floor, as he heard a terrified scream.  He groaned in pain as he put his hand to his head to check for injuries.  He was relieved to see there was no blood.  He promptly sat up and looked up into the blinding light of a flashlight.

“Oh no!” a female voice said.  At first Delaware thought she was addressing him but then realized she was looking down at something she was holding in her hands.  It looked like a big calculator.  “If you broke this EMF reader, you’re gonna be buying me a new one!”

“I’m sorry,” Delaware said as he lifted himself off the floor, “I guess I should be more considerate of annoying people slamming doors in my face.”

“This is private property! What are you doing here?” she interrogated while beaming her flashlight directly in his face.  As she questioned him, she noticed he was tall, a lot taller than she was. She guessed he was about her age. His hair was short and black and framed his face that held the darkest eyes she’d ever seen. He was a klutz. He was also one of the most attractive men she’d ever met.

“You mind getting that outta my face?” he asked as he put his hand up to block the beam of light.

As she lowered the flashlight, Delaware could finally see who he was talking to.  She was young, he guessed early twenties.  She was pretty but could use more makeup.  Her hair, long and blonde, was pulled back into a very tight ponytail and her face was framed with a pair of small, black rectangle glasses.  She also seemed overdressed for the weather.  It was chilly outside but she seemed more appropriately prepared for a long stay in Alaska.  He’d seen this type before; a suburban girl who hopped on the ghost hunter bandwagon since they started showing it on TV.

“What are you doing down here?” the young woman insisted.

“I could ask the same of you.” Delaware led with feigned interest.  “I don’t see any cheerleader tryouts going on down here.”

“My name is Kelly,” she said, obviously offended by his remark, “And I don’t cheer. I’m a paranormal investigator here looking for someone… or maybe some-thing.”

“There it is,” Delaware immediately thought to himself, “Paranormal investigator.  It just sounds so much more official than “ghost hunter.”  He smirked at the idea of yet another amateur in over their head.

“Well, which is it?”  Delaware asked as he raised his eyebrows.

“Well…both, I suppose,” she said.  “I’m looking for a spectral being that used to be named Michael.”

“Spectral being, huh?” Delaware said dismissively.  “Which horror movie did you get that from?

Delaware couldn’t pass up the opportunity to antagonize Kelly but he did realize she knew more about what she was doing than he thought.  Michael.  The name brought back his most recent series of nightmares where a woman was shouting the name “Michael” desperately.  From the desperation in her voice he knew it was her son’s name.  Only a mother’s voice could echo such deep love soaked in heartbreak.

“Spectral being is what they’re called.  But clearly that’s too complicated a phrase for you so maybe you’ll understand better if I call them ghosty-boos.” she responded.

“And what do you intend to do if you find one?  Date it?” he asked.

Delaware’s poking was doing just as he hoped; getting her worked up to the point where she’d leave.  However, Kelly gathered her composure, ignored the latter question, and responded, “I would document it while attempting to communicate with it.  These aren’t the violent creatures they’re depicted as in movies and that’s just one of the many points I intend to prove through research.” she said.

Delaware was surprised by her deflection.  Maybe he had misjudged her.

“And you still haven’t told me your name. Or should I just call you Mr. creepy basement guy.” She continued.

“Delaware.” He answered as the feeling of the room began to change. It grew colder, somehow darker.  The air seemed to thin.

“Delaware?” She paused for a second, not knowing if he was still goofing around. “Your name is Delaware?”

“Yes,” he replied, “don’t be jealous.”

“Well, Delaware, you still haven’t told me what you’re doing down here.” She resumed her interrogation but Delaware’s attention had already drifted away from her on to something right behind her.  It was an apparition of a young boy. It was mostly transparent and illuminated by a bluish glow.  He was standing near a big pile of junk that was held up against a wall with rope.  The boy smirked as his head turned to Kelly and his ghostly limb reached for the loose end of the rope.  Delaware instinctively reached out for Kelly, grabbing the sleeve of her coat.

“Hey!” she screamed at him, suddenly scared by his attack. “I’ve got pepper spray!”

 He quickly yanked her by her coat, pulling her towards him just as the wall of boxes and junk broke free.  The huge pile collapsed with a loud series of thuds and clangs, landing right where Kelly had been standing.

Kelly screamed.

The items settled almost immediately but left a dusty cloud hanging in the air.

Kelly’s heart was beating out of her chest.  “How’d you know that was gonna happen?” She asked, still in shock.

“He’s here.” Delaware said, not looking at her, but looking around the room.  But he couldn’t see him.  “The boy, Michael, he’s here. But he’s not alone.”

“How would you know that unless... Can you see ghosts?” Kelly said excitedly.  She was now intrigued by him. “Are they here now? What do you see?”

Delaware grabbed Kelly by the arm and started to pull her up the stairs.  “I can see you need to be somewhere else. It’s not safe here.” he said, practically dragging her.

Kelly yanked her arm from his grasp.  “No! I came here to prove the existence of supernatural beings and this is the closest I’ve ever gotten!  I’m going nowhere!”

Just as Kelly finished her sentence, the device she had been holding began to tick rapidly.  A deep growl came from the dark area in the back of the basement and the room began to suddenly shake.

Kelly was immediately and unexpectedly filled with fear.  It was as if the warm blood in her body hardened into an ice cold dread.  The sounds, the shaking room, and then a feeling of hopelessness washed over her, paralyzing her.  It was an overwhelming feeling she never experienced before and it was terrifying. Delaware grabbed her and pushed her towards the stairs.  She didn’t even realize she was walking on her own, she felt like she was gliding across the floor.  The stairs, that only moments ago were a coward’s retreat, now seemed like salvation.

“Go outside. Get out of the house.” Delaware said calmly as he looked straight into her eyes.  It was important she understood the urgency.

“What about you?” Kelly asked as she put her foot on the first step.

“This is what I do.” Delaware answered. “Now get out of here!”

The shaking intensified and the growling from the dark grew deeper.  Kelly’s walk up the stairs quickly turned into a sprint.  As soon as she was out of sight, Delaware turned his attention back to the basement.

            With the shaking intensifying, one of the panes of the painted window shattered and the little light that came through took the room from pitch black to merely dark.  This was especially helpful as the batteries in Delaware’s pen light were now running low.  The shaking subsided and everything was quiet again.

            Delaware turned his attention to where the boy had released the junk from the wall. He walked up to it and put his hand on the cinder block.  Up close he could see that a small section of the wall had noticeably newer bricks.  He realized he needed something to break through the wall.  Just then a deep sigh came from behind him.

            Delaware turned around to face an apparition of a husky man in his 40’s dressed in a dirty mechanic uniform.  He was holding a sledgehammer. “I told you not to come down here.” The man said in a deep, angry voice.  He then raised the hammer over his head.  Delaware dodged quickly as the metal struck the concrete wall with a cracking sound.  The figure quickly turned towards Delaware and swung again, this time hitting Delaware in the right side, instantly dropping him to his knees.

            “I told you don’t touch my stuff!” the man yelled hysterically. “You never listen!”

            The hammer came down hard but Delaware was able to roll to the side just enough to miss the crushing blow as it struck the floor with a loud crash of metal hitting packed dirt, leaving a large dent behind.  While on his side he realized a softball lying on the floor in front of him.

            “You disrespectful little shit!” The man yelled as he lifted the hammer above his head again. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

            “Yeah,” Delaware groaned as he looked up into the monster’s eyes.  They weren’t human; they were soulless black pits of rage. “Lighten up.” He replied before throwing the softball through the ghostly beast and into the painted window.  The frame cracked and the remaining panes of black glass shattered, falling away in shards and releasing a blinding stream of sunlight into the room.

            The man howled in pain as the morning light passed through him.  The sledge hammer dropped to the floor as he looked at his hands which were now dissolving into dusty ash rapidly.  Delaware watched on as the being dissipated, burning in the warm rays of light.  Though it seemed to go on for an eternity, it was actually only a matter of seconds before the being was gone and the sounds of agony subsided.

            Delaware laid on the floor, now becoming aware of the intense pain in his right side.  He slowly got himself to his knees then, eventually stood up.  Throwing the ball had been painful but he needed just to endure a bit more before he was going to be done here.

            He reached down and picked up the sledgehammer with his left hand.  With his side throbbing, he tuned out the pain and shifted the hammer into both hands then lifted it over his head.  With all of the force he could muster, he smashed the hammer into the wall.  It exploded with fragments of cinder block and dust as Delaware released a painful yell.  He immediately dropped the sledgehammer and put his left hand to his side under his right arm.

            As the dust settled, he could see the false wall was gone and the contents behind it were unsettling.  The boy he’d been dreaming about, his remains sat in the dirt.  The only thing left was a skeleton in decayed clothing; jeans, a t-shirt and two little shoes.  The skull had a section missing at the top where the boy had been struck by a sledgehammer by his step father.

            The sight sickened Delaware but he knew there was no point in getting emotional about it.  He had no control over events of the past.  He accepted that long ago.

“Sorry, kid.” he said, knowing his words offered no one any comfort.

As he began to limp toward the stairs, the air around him lightened.  The dark, morbid feel was no longer in the basement.  This happening, however, did not offer Delaware any comfort.  As with every incident before, he knew the darkness didn’t vanish.  It had been absorbed by his heart, where he’d carry it for the rest of his life.

                                                              

2.

Kelly paced back and forth.  The feeling she’d experienced, the coldness, the dread.  It had worn off physically but mentally it still clouded her perceptions. In all of her years investigating, she’d never experienced anything like this before and it was something she never wanted to feel again.  It was a dark mix of sadness and anger that cumulated into a stark feeling of dread.  This guy, Delaware, there was something about him.  Was what happened because of him?  She’d read before that a haunting could be sensitive to specific individuals.  Maybe he was one of them?  He could see things she could not.  Or was it a hoax?  But why would it be a hoax?  How could it be a hoax?  Did he know she was going to be there at that very time?  Kelly’s spinning thoughts came to a focus the instant she saw Delaware coming out the front door of the house.

As Delaware dragged himself out of the dilapidated house, Kelly went running to him.  She had been trying to see in through the basement windows, which were almost completely painted over except for very small patches.

“What happened to you?!  What was down there?!” she yelled while looking over his dirty, disheveled appearance.

“What’s left of the kid is in the wall down there.”  He said as he slowly made his way towards his truck.

“What’s left?  You found a body?” Kelly said, excited and aghast.  She knew the people who lived there years before had a son who had vanished but was it true they hid his body?  The realization was both sad and chilling. “We should call the police!”

“Knock yourself out.” Delaware said as she followed him to his truck. “I’ve done my part.”

“Your part?” Kelly responded to his callus comment. “Justice hasn’t been served! If there’s a body, there’s a killer and…”

“You go get your justice.  I don’t know who that boy is, I don’t care.  He needed help and I did that.  Like I said, I did my part.”

“How can you not care? You must…”

“Kelly, you should consider getting a new hobby.” Delaware interrupted. “You could have been hurt down there.”

“Concerned for the safety of a stranger? Don’t take this the wrong way but you don’t seem the type.”

“I’m not.” He assured her, “But if you die, you become more work for me and, in case you didn’t pick up on it, I’ve already got enough to do.”

“What is it, exactly, that you do?” She asked, seizing the opportunity to be direct.

Delaware just gave her an annoyed look as he opened the door to his truck and climbed in.

“That feeling I had.” Kelly changed to a more important discussion. “What was that?”

Delaware closed his door and looked at her through the open window.

“It was so cold,” she continued, “It felt so sad and angry.”

“You felt death.” He answered.

“Death? As in a being?”

“Death isn’t a being, it’s a thing.  It’s a chilling, life-sucking, darkness.” He explained, trying to bring the conversation to an end.

“I mean, I’ve been hunting for years and never saw or felt anything like that! I got a picture of a partial apparition in a mirror once,” she unintentionally bragged.  “But I guess that’s nothing compared to what you see on a regular basis, huh?”

“Right.” Delaware said as he turned the key.  She wasn’t getting it.

There was so much she needed to ask him but he was leaving.  In an effort to delay him she shouted out a name; “Michael Bale!” she yelled.

“OK?” Delaware responded to the outburst.

“The boy you were looking for in the basement, his name was Michael Bale!” She had his attention! “He vanished right before his parents moved from the house.  Some of the neighbors thought the stepdad had killed him.  They said they witnessed abuse previously, but police ultimately had no proof.  You must have searched all over for him.  When I got here I knew what I was looking for was in the basement, that’s where readings were strongest!”

“What’s the moral of this teen drama?”  Delaware asked, as he shifted into drive.

“My point is I have clients; people who pay me to investigate places they think are haunted.”  Kelly explained.  “I do ok but you can see things I can’t.  I know things that could help you out as well.  I don’t know, maybe we could kinda pair up and work together?”

Delaware raised his eyebrows. “That’s a great idea!” he began, “And we can buy a van and get a lovable wacky pooch to provide us with silly and mischievous comic relief while we investigate!”  Delaware finished then smiled. “But I’m gonna want half of the royalty rights.”

His ability to annoy was like no other.  It took years of practice but it did what it had to do; it kept people away.

“Well you certainly speak sarcasm fluently.” She replied as the truck began to move. “But you really should work on that jerk tone!”  Kelly yelled as he drove away, waving sarcastically as he did.

Kelly shook her head in disappointment and went over to her own car.  It took her a while to load all of her tech equipment back up, something a certain rude someone could have offered to help with!  Every piece had to be carefully packed and placed.  After all, it represented just about every spare dollar she had.  After everything was in its place, she closed the door and sat down behind the steering wheel.  She let out a frustrated sigh as she started the car and began heading home, the same direction as Delaware had gone.

As she drove down the dirt road, the morning sun was rising higher in the sky.  It was going to be a nice day.  So why did she feel bad?  Did he take her the wrong way?  Did she come off as an amateur?  Was she over-thinking things again?  She took great pride in her work and thought it showed.  Then again, she never met someone like him before.  Whatever his abilities, they were more advanced than her gadgets.  Sure, he was a jerk but could she have handled him better?  Clearly the guy had issues but was she too quick to judge him?  If her father had taught her anything, it was to be sensitive to others and what they’re going through.  Our first impressions are very rarely an accurate telling of a complete person, he used to say.  Then something he used to say very often played through her head; “It’s far easier to know what we know than put effort into getting to know the truth, but the truth is always worth it.” After mentally abusing herself for what seemed like an endless amount of time, she came to the conclusion her brush with him was brief and that’s all it’d ever be.

It was about the moment Kelly came to this realization that something up ahead on the road caught her attention.  It was a truck pulled to the side of the road.  A big grin spread across her face when she realized who it was.  She pulled up next to the truck.

“I’m out of gas.”  Delaware said, embarrassed.

“What a shame.  And to happen to such a nice guy,” she said sarcastically.

“Okay, fine, I deserved that.  But could you be a little sympathetic and give me a ride into town?  I’ve got an empty gas can in my truck.”  Delaware explained.

“I could,” Kelly said as she smiled, knowing she had the upper hand, “but you’re a strong, independent man and I wouldn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that.  You’ll figure it out.”

            Delaware smiled at her wit but his expression turned dumbfound as she shifted into drive and drove away with trail of dust kicking up behind.  He definitely misjudged her.

~

            As he sat in his truck under the hot sun, Delaware regretted not having a cell phone.  But the tradeoff of anything convenient was a contract that required more personal information than he was comfortable sharing.  It wasn’t easy living off the grid but it was a necessity.  It usually wasn’t bad though it did often mean staying in seedy motels where they didn’t require an ID and accepted cash payments.

            After about fifteen minutes of absolutely nobody passing by, he accepted his only choice was to walk to town.  With a deep huff, he opened the door and stepped into the road.  He walked to the back of his truck and grabbed the gas can.  For the second time today the thought of being better prepared came into his head.  He really needed to get better about this.

            Just as he began walking he saw a dust cloud in the distance; someone was coming.  He took a few steps back and leaned on the front of his truck.  As the vehicle came closer he could see it was a tow truck.  It was a stroke of luck, a good sign that his luck was changing.  The tow truck pulled over to the other side of the road and a large man with the name Eddie on his shirt got out.

            “Man I’m glad to see you.” Delaware said.

            The man reached into the back of the truck and pulled out a large gas container. “Outta gas, huh?” He said as he walked over to Delaware.

            “Yeah. How did you…” Eddie handed Delaware a folded piece of paper. He took the paper and opened it.  There was no message, just an address, date and time.  There was a smiley face for a signature.  Kelly.  She didn’t leave him stranded, she sent the driver.

            Eddie began to empty the contents of the gas can into his truck.

“Whadda I owe ya?” Delaware asked, knowing his funds were low.

“It’s taken care of.” Eddie said as he finished pouring the last of the gas in.  He then walked back to his truck, put the gas can in the back and climbed back in. “Have a good one.” He said as he drove off.  He was a man of few words and right to the point.  Delaware appreciated that.

            As he climbed back into his truck, Delaware pondered Kelly not only sending a tow truck to his aid, but paid for the gas as well.  He was now in a position he found very uncomfortable; he owed someone something.