What if you knew that horrific events were coming and you figured out a way to protect your home and the ones you love, would you do it?
Yes? Then come along and read When Worlds Collide.
"At one time an epidemic of malignant spooks throughout Ontario brought investigators from far and near," Stacey read from the tattered dustcover on the book resting against her down-filled duvet. "Maybe it's happening again?" she wondered, remembering her own encounters and all of the sightings across the region since October.
She had borrowed, Exploring the Supernatural: The weird in Canadian folklore, by R.S. Lambert from Aimee back on Halloween. She now sat reading it in bed on a snowy night in March.
"Hmm," she paused, reveling in the distinctive odour of the old book. "Remind me to check out Red Cart Books to see if they have any gems like this on hand."
After her experiences this past autumn, she wanted to learn everything she could about paranormal subjects. So propped up against a pile of pillows, she carefully turned the pages to find where she had left off earlier that day.
She had been eager to read it, so she really didn't know why it had taken her so long to get to it.
Wait, yes I do. Stopping to look around her dimly lit bedroom, her gaze landed on the curtained window. Too creeped out from everything that happened, that's why. She just hadn't been ready to get into it yet. But since it was almost spring now and with Doug gone for a few days, it was a good time to dive into it.
Stacey took advantage of her quiet time alone and had begun reading it with her morning coffee. She then spent the rest of the day devouring it.
Hmm, she paused, and then said aloud, "No, I don't like that word. Devour." An onslaught of Hollywood werewolf images suddenly rushed through her mind, making her shudder. Ugh strange, she thought. It was as though something was listening to her personal conversation with herself... like someone was following the thoughts in her head, and even adding some.
Bang-clunk!
"What the f---?" Her body jerked. The loose auburn bun piled on top of her head bobbed from side-to-side, as she snapped a look towards the darkened hallway leading to the front of her house.
Ka-klunk!
The noise sounded again. But this time Stacey realized it was just the clanging bang of the snow plough hitting the dips in the road outside of her home. So with a deep, calming sigh, she pushed her reading glasses back up the bridge of her nose and found her spot on the pages open in her lap.
She only made it through a short paragraph though when something changed. Stacey shivered as goosebumps raised on her arms. It felt like the atmosphere had shifted somehow.
Deciding she was just creeped out by the book, she ignored it and sat quietly trying to focus. Then a crawling sensation on her skin set off a strange electrical buzz over her back. "No, something is definitely not right," she whispered, trying to figure it out."
As the howling wind sent ice pellets crashing against the window in a weirdly amplified crescendo, an odd quiet fell over the rest of the place.
Weather services had predicted a significant snowfall for the region before turning to freezing rain over night. Being safely hunkered down with everything she needed though, Stacey wasn't worried about the winter storm. She could even cook on the woodstove if the power went out. But she hoped it wouldn't come to that. She just wasn't sure if she would make it into work in the morning.
"Speaking of work," she sighed and looked at the empty spot beside her in the bed. Doug was out of town for a meeting with clients of his firm, so she was feeling a little freaked out there alone. The darkness just seemed... darker and filled with watching eyes.
Although things had improved immensely between them, Stacey was still having trust issues regarding her hubby. And she still wasn't opening up fully to him either. She was actually a little suspicious about this trip: Is he really gone on business or ...something else? And why was he working out so much now? What about all the attention he gave her? Was he genuine or was it to overcompensate for something... like guilt? He was late calling to check in so what is he doing and with whom?
Her mind was heading for an all out wreck, when a muffled sound completely changed her train of thought.
Stacey.
"What was that?" Stacey dropped the book into her lap and yanked off her glasses. Scanning the shadows, her pulse quickened. Then, she heard it again, more clearly this time.
Stacey.
"Who's there?" she called out softly, afraid to be too loud. Then leaning forward, she peered down the hall beyond her bedroom door, lit only by a small nightlight. Nothing.
But then a thought occurred to her as she sat back against the pillows. Could it be? Was that The Voice? The one Aimee had talked about?
She remembered what Aimee had told them about him, about how he appeared to her in her forest dream, and how poised and serene he was amid all the frightening chaos.
And then there was Heather's assessment. "What did she call him?" she mumbled to herself. "A Nordic alien?" Stacey didn't even know what that was, but Aimee did. She didn't want to look stupid in front of her friends, so she kept her mouth shut at the time.
Picking up the book from her lap, she ran her fingers over the ripped dustcover depicting various supernatural scenes drawn in India ink. "Maybe I should start paying a lot more attention to this stuff."
A big gust of wind sent another round of ice pellets pounding against the window, this time followed by a heavy thud on the roof.
Sucking in a sharp breath, Stacey first thought a branch had fallen on the house from the storm. But the sound continued.
Thud thud. Thud thud. A cold shock of terror hit her, as she realized that something was walking on the roof.
"Oh no! It's back!" Stacey's voice broke in a cracked whisper.
"Okay, calm down. Aimee said it seemed like these things were protecting us. So... so don't be afraid," she tried to reassure herself. Holding her breath, she listened.
Thud thud. Thud thud. It moved again, stopping directly above her just like it did last time.
With her eyes fixed on the ceiling, Stacey grabbed the bed covers and pulled them right up to her chin, as though the blankets would somehow protect her from a werewolf. But Heather showed us a bunch of videos of people claiming they were terrorized by these things, her memory reminded her. "So which is it?!?"
Stacey.
"Argh!" Startled, Stacey jumped on hearing her name spoken clearly, both inside and outside of her head. That was definitely a man's voice, she rationalized, trying to analyze what was happening. So smooth and seems friendly...
But then her thinking grew muddled, and slowed right down. Like a slug through peanut butter, she chuckled, amusing herself. Wait, why do I feel drunk? Reaching for her head, she suddenly grew dizzy.
"Huh? What's that?" she then caught a strange whiff on the air. Is that? Is that toast? And rain? To her confusion, Stacey could smell her thoughts. "What the heck?" An absurd image then popped into her head. A wet dog... standing up in the rain... eating peanut butter toast... with its hands? She snickered. "Okay, well now I'm hungry."
Her swimming senses combined with the benign, nonsensical thought-picture had completely erased her fears. So flipping the blankets aside, Stacey swung her legs to the edge of the bed, intending to head to the kitchen.
But she didn't make it. Another wave of dizziness hit her, sending her mind reeling. Falling back into the pile of pillows as the room spun around her, she clutched the blankets and sank into heavy sleep.
Come, Shield Warrior.
© 2022 by Linda Casselman
Previous: Who's There?
Next: Are You The Alien?
__________________________________
Did You Hear The Call?
Become a Shield Warrior-in-Training
