The White House - Book 6, The Porth Kerensa Series

Chapter Twenty-Six

Elise drove up to the white house and parked in her usual place. James’ bike was not there, which wasn’t unusual for that time of day, and she was glad. As much as she disliked the idea of going into the white house alone, she dreaded more the point when she’d have to voice the news of Val’s death yet again. Wearily, she wiped away the tears that were falling again and got out of the car. 

She saw Ben crossing the road, heading towards her and her throat constricted when she thought of Val, darting over the busy main road on her way to a meeting, never imagining she was about to get sideswiped by a lorry.

‘A fucking lorry,’ Elise thought, angrily. ‘For fuck’s sake, Val; how could you not have seen a fucking great lorry, you daft bitch?’

“I’ve left you a couple of messages, but you didn’t answer me,” Ben called, breaking into her trance.

Elise started and stared at him, hollowly. “Sorry,” she said, eventually. “I got called away and forgot to pack my charger. My phone ran out of battery somewhere on the M4 yesterday.”

Ben touched her shoulder, gently. “Are you okay, Elise?”

She shrugged, nodded, shook her head and said, “I don’t know.”

Ben smiled, wryly. “Well, I’m glad you cleared that up for me.”

“Sorry,” she said, again. She opened the back door and pulled her overnight bag from the car. “What were you trying to get hold of me for?”

Ben took the bag, despite her faint protestations and walked towards the house with her. “You wanted Kay to come over today. You left a message on my phone asking me to arrange it.”

“Yes, you’re right, I did,” she replied, absently. “Jesus Christ, that feels like a lifetime ago now.”

“She’s over at mine, but she won’t come into your house” Ben said, apologetically. “She’s happy to see you if you want to pop over now?”

Elise glanced back at the white house, shivered and nodded. She put her overnight bag by the front door and followed Ben over to his cottage. His friend, Kay, was standing in the doorway, with her arms wrapped around herself, staring fixedly at the white house opposite.

“Hello, Kay,” Elise said, politely. “Thank you for coming to see me.”

She flashed Elise a strained smiled and said, “Ben filled me in on some of the phenomenon you’ve witnessed and I had every intention of performing a cleansing spell for you, but there’s something dark in your house, Elise. Something so dark I can see it from here and I know already that I can’t help you with it, so forgive me for not wishing to go in there.”

Elise’s voice trembled when she asked, “What do you mean you can see it? What is it?”

“To me it looks like a black cloud of energy enveloping the entire house. Elise, it’s feeding off you and your husband, and it’s getting bigger and stronger. You have to leave there. You have to get out as soon as you can.”

“I thought it was just a little boy,” she whispered. “A lonely little boy trapped in my house.”

“Trapped is the right word,” Kay said, gently. “Whatever is there is desperately trying to escape. It’s so very dark and it’s using you and your husband to grow stronger. There's a woman there too; he killed her and he keeps her with him, but now he wants you. They're both trapped in there.”

“Do you believe in possession?”

Kay winced and looked at Elise, properly, for the first time. “I believe in things you probably haven’t even thought of. You have to leave that house, Elise, as soon as possible.”