This book will be my third submission to Kindle Vella. It will be a continuous story till the book is complete. You can view the story HERE. 3 Episodes released
We all laughed as Charles dished up the food. After we ate, Braun got a call on his phone, and after he finished, he hung up and said, "Well, Abigail, it looks like you may be getting answers sooner than you thought."
Coming soon..
Possible answers and Court against Mrs. Connie
***************************************************************************
posted-
New Year's Day 2023
We woke up to the neighborhood dogs barking like crazy at 6 am. Being woken up this early after we had just gone to bed at 4 am after our community New Year's Eve party was not my idea of fun. Little did we know that when we went to bed this morning, we would wake up to a world that would surprise everyone. I leaned my head up to look out the window and saw a sight that had me rubbing my eyes. I know I had a few drinks the night before, but I thought I was imagining a seven-foot demon with black wings walking through my backyard with a hell hound. The hell hound heard my dogs barking, and they were circling my home. My boyfriend grabbed our shotgun, and then there was a knock at our front door. We looked at each other, and I got up and threw on clothes.
"Babe, what are you doing?" He whispered.
"I am going to answer the door," I said. "I am not scared, but stay back with the gun just in case."
I slipped on my shoes and headed to the door. I looked out to see the same demon I saw in our yard standing at the bottom of our porch stairs. I took a deep breath, opened the door, and went onto the porch. I knew what I was doing was incredibly risky. First of all, even with me standing on my porch, the demon and his dog were much taller than me. But I pretended to be brave and looked up and asked, "Can I help you?"
"I'm sorry," he said. "I know it's quite early, and you probably were up late celebrating the New Year, but I'm looking for an Abigail Greene."
"Well, you found me," I said. "Can I ask why you're looking for me?"
"I know this is going to sound strange--" He started.
"Strange has been thrown out the window with demons and hell hounds on my front porch," I said.
"Sorry, your right," He said. "I am not sure if you remember me. I did not want to scare you, but when you were a child, you lived on Haulover Ave, and you used to see us in your backyard. You used to wake up to seeing us out your bedroom window battling monsters."
"You're one of the demons that protected me," I said.
"That's right, I am," he said. "You were so much younger I was unsure if you would remember me."
"But why are you here?" I asked. "I see demons and ghosts walking around. Please, don't get me wrong. Everyone here sees the ghost all the time. But I did not bump my head tonight. I also know I'm not dead. Also, the guy in the window with his gun can see you. What's going on? Why can we see everything now?"
"Yeah," He said. "That's a bit of a long story. But to make a long story short, the wall between Heaven, Hell, Earth, and the alive and dead has fallen, and things will get crazy. Many of those monsters that knew of you as a child and tried to attack you will be coming after you."
"Well, I guess I should say thanks for the warning," I said. "Why would they come after me now it has been over 20 years?"
He chuckled and asked, "You don't know how special you are? Listen, kid, I don't have time to explain it right now. I need to get permission to give you that information. But I have to get my guys back. I will explain it to you soon, just be careful and don't get yourself killed. I will be sending a guard to watch over you." With that, he turned and puffed into a cloud of dust.
"Abbie, are you alright?" Charles asked as he came out the door, shotgun in hand.
I took his hand, "You remember the story about the Haulover house I told you about? Where I would see the demons fight in my backyard. That demon was one of the demons who would protect me when my dreams would bring me to their fight. But he said they were not dreams, and I did watch them fight in my yard. He told me I was awake."
"So this is all real?" He said, looking around. "Demons are walking the earth, and you know some from when you were a kid?"
I laughed, "You seem so okay with this?"
"Nah," He said, leaning down and kissing my forehead. "I have just been with you long enough where weird is a thing that defines what happens around you. I mean, as you're a writer who deals with death, monsters, and aliens."
"Are you calling me weird?" I asked.
"No, not at all, Abbie," He said, laughing. "Let's get some more sleep as things have seemed to calm down."
We went back to bed and slept until later that day. When we woke up, we both had a bunch of missed texts and calls. I looked at my phone once, then put it down and curled back into the bed. Charles nudged me and said, "Come on, we need to kick off the new year, and it looks like everyone is aware of ghosts, demons, and such."
I grabbed his arm and pulled him down, "Charles, the demon has known me since I was a child."
He laughed and said, "Well, then he will be able to tolerate your crazy."
He snuggled against me and said, "Abigail, we have always faced everything head-on, and there is no reason we won't face this head-on as well. Whatever is going on, we will do this together, so do not worry, please. But until we know what's fully going on, we don't say anything about the demons knowing you."
I sighed, "Okay, but do you think we could sleep a while longer?"
Chuckling, he said, "How about this, you sleep, and I will bring you some coffee in an hour."
"You're a good man, my love," I said as I curled back in the bed and dozed back off.
I slept for another hour when Charles came in and said, "Hey baby, drink some coffee, and it's time to wake up. The news channels are going crazy, and people think it's the end."
Taking a sip of coffee, I said, "Did any more ghosts, demons, or monsters come out again?"
"Yeah, about that! I went outside to start the outdoor oven to make a breakfast casserole, and there was a demon sitting on the patio," he said. "I asked him what he was doing here, and he told me he was to watch over you."
Sighing, I stood up and said, "We will be a popular house."
He laughed and said, "He seems cool. I started the fire, and he was like that's awesome."
"Well," I said. "Might as well make sure we have enough food for our new friend, and I will go outside and say hello," I said.
Throwing on some clothes, I headed outside and saw an 8-foot demon sitting in my lounge chair, he stood up as I walked down the stairs. He said, "Miss Abigail, you've grown up. I last saw you just before your thirteenth birthday."
Tilting my head, I looked at him and said, "You were the archer closest to my window. Your aim was awesome."
Laughing, he said, "Yes, I was. My name is Braun, by the way."
Sitting on my outdoor couch, I said, "Well, Braun, it's a pleasure to see you again. Do you have any information on why you all have been protecting me?"
Braun whistled and said, "Miss Abigail, as much as I would like to, I can't. As much as I would like to be able to give you that information, I am a lower beast on the totem pole, and they do not tell me anything. When the wall fell, I was heading to my room as I just finished my day. My commander found me and ordered me topside to watch over you."
"Well, Braun, you are welcome here. We are having breakfast, or because of the time, brunch soon, and you are more than welcome to join us." I said, "Do you eat human food?"
"Well, thank you," He said. "To answer your question, yes, demons eat human food. My favorite is Tacos. Most creatures that popped when the wall fell eat the same food as humans."
Chuckling, Charles walked out and said, "Well, you will eat here. That lady sitting there doesn't know the meaning of small portions."
Braun stood up, shook Charles's hand, and said, "I am Braun we met earlier. "Thank you for your kindness."
Looking at Braun, I asked, "Are you sure you are not from the southern United States? Your manners are so southern."
Braun said, "Amelia, with our kind, we are taught from an early age to show respect and kindness. The catholic church has given us such a bad reputation. If you could see the underworld, We live just like you do, and most demons work in jobs like the military and police. And now that there is a breach to the upper world, we are doing double time."
"What caused the breach," I asked.
"We still do not know," He said. "Bossman thinks there was some serious dark magic cast. We do not follow the dark side down south. We work with heaven, hell, or whichever religion or faith you believe in. We are the guards to the bad guys and help people who need it. You wouldn't believe the amount of people who think they should be suffering in the lower levels of hell due to the religious teachings of the church."
Looking at Charles, I said, "I knew it. I always say that there couldn't be multiple heavens and hells."
"Think of it like a hotel," Braun said. "Each floor or is a different level and each hallway a different religion."
Charles looked at me and said, "Come on, baby, you are bouncing in your seat."
I was gleeful as I said, "I knew it."
Braun laughed as I said it. Then he asked, "What religion do you follow, Abigail?"
Smiling, I said, "I am a Wiccan."
Braun smiled and said, "A daughter of the light and earth. A very fitting religion for you, Abigail."
"So no one-way trip to hell then," I asked, teasing.
"No, Definitely not," Braun said. "I see you had your doubts on that. You need to realize religions are not an end-all. I have met many souls who believe in multiple religions, and when you die, your judgment on your life and how you led it will be your fate. If you did awful things, let's say the punishment levels are there to make you get your punishment. But if you led a good life, you have many options in the afterlife."
Sighing, I said, "Well, that's good to know. In all honesty, I never really thought of it like that. My most pressing question is why I have been protected all my life from monsters. Don't think I don't like you here, as It is great to see you again, but I would like to know when I could speak to someone who could answer that."
Braun looked up and said, "The Demon here earlier, he is our General. I know he protected you as a child, but he could not give me any information as he was acting on orders. He said to tell you he is looking into it and will report back as soon as he has some information. I wish I had more answers for you, but I am as clueless as you are. When the alarms went off, we rushed back to the ready stations. When we got to the ready stations, they said the walls had fallen, and we had to make sure that we kept all the bad guys in their cells and if anyone came in to make them go back. We are afraid someone would try to get some of the bad guys from history out, but our wards for levels seven through nine are under complete lockdown, and they are all guarded."
"I never thought about people breaking in to try and get the bad guys out," I said. "What if a country tries to come down with an army to try to take over?"
"We have every breach monitored by a team," Braun said. "Thankfully, the only breach on our side was a car full of British Grandmas who took a wrong turn. After we assured them that they were alive and spoke with them, we had a spot of tea and sent them on their way."
Charles started to chuckle, and I said, "That must have been a sight to see. I know anything can be given a bad reputation, just like humans. There are good and bad, right?"
Braun nodded and said, "You're right about that, which is why we have our government and police to take care of creatures like that. As you said, there are good and bad in everything, and I am thankful there is more good than any bad in every realm."
Charles looked up and said, "Braun, I will prepare you. The resident community bible thumper is heading this way, so be ready."
Looking up, I groaned and said, "Oh god, Mrs. Connie is coming this way? Charles, I am willing to bet she will ask you to do something for her."
He groaned and said, "She knows the park rules, and she knows that she has to have the park do stuff for her, and please Abigail be nice."
"I will be good if she does," I said. "After everything you have done for her, she still loves to talk shit behind me and your back."
We watched her come up, and Braun watched with a twinkle in his eye. When Mrs. Connie got to the edge of our driveway, she looked over the gathering and said, "Why should I not be surprised that you would be consorting with a monster."
Looking up, I said, "Mrs. Connie, you are speaking about a guest in my home, and I would suggest you leave if you do not like the company."
She looked at Charles and said, "Charles, I need you to please come help me. I need things moved and a door knob replaced."
"Now, Mrs. Connie," Charles said. "I told you I am not helping you anymore, especially after everything you have said about Abigail, and we also discussed the park has told you that you have to have them do even the smallest repairs. I am not risking mine and Abigail's home so you can get around the system."
"But I will pay you," She said. "If you come with me now, I will pay you to do everything when I get my check next month."
"Mrs. Connie, you said that last month," Charles said. "You owe me over $200 in work, and when the first of the month came, you did not pay me anything. As I said, it's cash before work, before the park put that rule into place stating I cannot do work for you. Besides, you still owe me the $200."
"After Abigail had my dear sweet boy put in jail, I would think you be more inclined to help me," She whined. "It's her fault she could not do what my son asked."
Charles looked up and said, "Mrs. Connie, I think you need to go on your way. I am not arguing with you to start the new year. You were told no, and you will have to go see the park management because I will not be doing anything for you."
She turned on her heels and pushed her walker down the road. Charles returned to cooking food, and Braun asked, "May I ask what happened with her son."
Charles chuckled and said, "Abigail said no. Which for us is a complete sentence."
"It's not quite the full story," I said. "So I work from home. I work for a company where I handle email, outbound calls, and tasks or projects, and the week of Thanksgiving, we were very busy with meetings as everything slowed down and stopped from the day after Thanksgiving until the ninth of January when all the new contracts went live. I will work on and off if there is work, as we get paid hourly, while we are working when there is work to do or in staffing meetings. But it is nice to have a slow period right now, and I can get many things done for the holiday season. Since Charles and I were hosting a large Thanksgiving dinner, I cleaned the house between work and meetings. Mrs. Connie messaged me and insisted I drive Billy to Dade City, which round trip would have been a two-hour trip. I told her I would be in and out of meetings all week, and I did not have time. Around noon, I decided to run out to Culver’s during my break to get lunch for us as my next meeting was not until two. I thought it would be an easy trip, and then I could come back and work on whatever I could get worked on until we started our next meeting. As I worked on many projects in the company, that week, we had about twenty meetings in three days ranging from 10 minutes to two hours each. So when I went to get in my car, Billy came running over and said, are we going now?"
Braun asked, "Did his Mom not tell him you were not taking him."
"No," I said. "I rolled down the window and told Billy I was sorry, but I was running to get lunch as I had a meeting and could not take him. He started to go crazy and scream I need to go to my dealers, and you have to take me. I told him I was sorry again and drove to get us food as we were going to go food shopping that night. When I got back, Billy was sitting on the patio, and he said, My Mom told me to nag you, and you would take me, so I am not leaving till you do."
"Being a little shocked, I locked my car. Then I went inside the house, locking the door behind me. A while later, Charles called me and asked what Billy was doing on the porch as he saw it on the security cameras. I explained what had happened, and when I said, he said I had to take him to his dealers. Charles said hell no, absolutely not, and told me he was getting lunch and coming home to eat. I told him I bought lunch and had it staying warm in the oven for him. He told me he would speak to Billy when he got there." I said. "So I kept eating and working, and it was around 1 pm when Charles pulled in."
Charles picked up the story and said, "I asked Billy why he was there, and he said his Mom said Abigail was going to take him to his dealer's house in Dade City and bring him home. I told him flat out his mother lied and that Abigail was not bringing him to Dade City. Billy argued with me and said his Mom said so. Getting upset, I told him to go home and leave Abigail alone. I came in, ate, and told Abigail I would be home around six, then we planned to go out to dinner and then to Walmart to food shop."
"After Charles left," I said. "I finished some emails and went into the meeting. After the meeting ended at 330 pm, I checked the schedule and realized I had one more 10-minute meeting at four. So I logged out for a few and stretched. Then I decided after my meeting at four. I could run to the Dollar Tree to knock that store out for Thanksgiving decor and things we need. I started to clean and straighten the kitchen. Making a list, I checked the groceries and my baking stuff to ensure I knew what we would need from the store later that day. Knowing I had no meetings the following morning until noon, I decided to go to the Asian market since they opened at 8 am. Since we love many of their products and were running low on things, I wanted to get what we needed since it's a bit of a drive to the store. After my meeting ended, I texted Charles, telling him where I was going, and went to my car. Billy ran up to me and said, You're going to take me now or else. I told him neither Charles nor I would take him to his dealer's house, and his Mom has a car, and she could take him. He was so mad that he screamed and yelled. I told him to leave now and went to the driver's side of my car. He grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled me back, screaming, and I went flying into the road. The car coming down the road slammed on its brakes and stopped. In the car just so happened to be the park manager Margie and her boyfriend Scott. They both jumped out, and Margie ran to help me up as Scott grabbed Billy and made him sit on my stairs. Margie had already called the police."
"The police showed up minutes later, and Billy kept lying, saying I tripped," I said. "Scott called bull shit as Mrs. Connie came to my house. She said I told her I would drive her son somewhere and then changed my mind. I showed the officer my phone and the text messages. I explained to the officer why I didn't want to go. Billy's Mom said she saw everything, and I tripped. Mrs. Connie did not know. Scott has a dash camera in his car due to his work, and my security camera caught everything on video. Scott showed the officers the dash cam footage, and Billy screamed I am not going to jail. Then he charged at me and Margie. The cop stepped into the middle of his path, and Billy pushed him. Then the other officer stepped in, and Billy swung at him. The cop swung Billy around and cuffed him as Mrs. Connie screamed if you would have taken him to his dealer's house as I told you to, this would never have happened. Everyone stopped and stared at her, and she said if she had taken Billy like I told her to, Billy would not have had to take matters into his own hands."
Laughing, I said, "Scott looked at her and said are you fucking serious you wanted her to drive your son to a drug deal. Mrs. Connie said yes. The cop said Mrs., did you lie to your son and tell him she was going to drive him after she told you no. She got stubborn and said to the officer, She should have just done what I told her to do. It's not my fault my son decided to punish her."
"Charles came pulling up, and Margie pulled him aside and told him what happened as the officer asked me if I wanted to press charges." I said, "As I said, yes. Mrs. Connie screamed and yelled, and Margie told her to go home. The officers told her she was at risk of being arrested, and she walked away. The officers had me write up a statement and sign it. After I signed the statement, they drove away with Billy in the car. Margie and Scott said they would talk to the owner and see what they could do. Margie told us later that night that Mrs. Connie had started a lot of drama with other residents, so she was getting her final warning and was to stay away from Charles and me."
"So, did they try to get him on attempted murder?" Braun asked.
Charles looked up and said, "No, they got him on attempted manslaughter, harassment, assault on two officers, and then attempting to flee when he got to the jail."
"So she blames you?" He asked.
"Yes, she does," I said. "Her lies started it, and now she has to move."
Braun looked up and said, "I thought she had a final warning?"
Charles started laughing and said, "Oh, she did. On Thanksgiving day, we had a bunch of family and friends over. You should have seen it. I had two grills going. A ham, a turkey, roast beef and hotdogs, hamburgers, and sausages for the kids if they did not want traditional food, and Abigail outdid herself with all the sides and appetizers she made. No one went hungry, and everyone left with food for later that evening. During dinner, as we were all starting to eat the food, the police showed up. Abigail and Margie walked over to the officers and told them that they had a call from the park manager stating that she had reported illegal activity was happening. Margie laughed so hard and said officer, the only illegal activity is the sheer amount of food here. She told him she was the park manager and had been helping Abigail cook between family Zoom calls on and off all morning. The officer gave us the phone number that called, and we all looked at each other and said, Mrs. Connie. I took out boxes, handed each of the officers one, and told them to help themself. They each filled their boxes, and Margie told them when they went to speak with Mrs. Connie to tell her she just ruined her last chance. We watched as the officers went to her place. We heard her scream a few minutes later as she said, I called because they did not invite me to the party. The officers left, and later that day, she got the call that she had to move out by February 14th."
Braun whistled and said, "Well, she will be gone soon enough."
Charles said, "I wish it were as simple as that. She is trying to sue Abigail now."
Braun laughed, "Seriously?"
"Yes," I said. "Mrs. Connie thinks everything is my fault, and we go to court on Thursday. She is trying to get me to pay her $25,000 for pain and suffering. My lawyer said the case would not hold up in court, but she is determined. My lawyer is shocked she got a lawyer to do the case."
"Oh, I hope I can see this," He said. "Should I bring popcorn?"
We all laughed as Charles dished up the food. After we ate, Braun got a call on his phone, and after he finished, he hung up and said, "Well, Abigail, it looks like you may be getting answers sooner than you thought."
********************************EDITED***************************************
Looking up, I asked, "Will they be the answers I want?"
"You never know, Abigail," Braun said. "I would love to know as well. Especially since we fought full-out battles to keep you safe."
Yawning, I said, "Well, I will be hopeful. So Charles, what's our plans for today?"
Looking at me, he asked, "Abigail, What did you say you wanted to do this next week?"
"Get the house in order so when work starts on the ninth, I can start back to work with a clean house and over-stocked pantry," I said. "Well, I can start the pantry and food cabinets first. Braun, did you want to come inside, or do you have to stay out here?"
******************************************************************************
Smiling he said, "Well as much as I would love to come in I have to maintain the perimeter. But if there are windows open I can talk to you through them."
Patting the window I said, "This one is the pantry and there is one by the door so if you walk around you will hear me and we can talk. Charles what are your plans?"
Leaning over to give me a kiss he said, "I am going to get the pulled pork on so it slow cooks all afternoon. Walk the dogs and then the shed is a wreck and we still have to fit all the holiday decorations back in."
Going into the house I grabbed laundry baskets and some empty mason jars. Opening up the cabinets in the kitchen that held our open items I made quick work of sorting the open items and putting them in jars or containers to keep the bugs out. Throwing out the packages after emptying them or walking the cardboard out to the fire pit. While outside Margie and Scott walked up and greeted Braun. Margie smiled and said, "Welcome Braun! Abigail told me about her childhood so I understand who you are. You seem like a nice guy just chilling. Abigail so your aware Mrs. Connie is trying to cause trouble till the end she said your guest was threatening people."
Rolling my eyes I said, "Oh yeah she will. Remember Thursday is court and she expects a windfall of money because of the garbage she started."
Scott looked up and said, "That is why we are going with you and will be your witness's. It's crap that she is trying this and whoever the lawyer is must be stupid."
Margie looked at me and said, "We have you girlie and I see you and Charles have the same plan as us. I gave the kids an hour to get their rooms into shape and to keep them that way or Mama is gonna be handling it. Braun in your world do kids do the same thing?"
Braun chuckled and said, "Mrs. Margie I can tell you its the same in all worlds. However we do have rivers of fire and my Mama was known to chuck our toys into them if we did not clean up."
She contemplated it for a moment and said, "Well I do not have a river of fire but maybe I will light a fire under them and threaten the fire pit."
Everyone laughed and I went back into the pantry. After a few hours I had organized and moved things to the kitchen cabinet that were older or opened. Sitting outside with a notebook I made a store list and what I needed to stock up on. Charles looked over my shoulder and laughed as I wrote in big letters OUT OF ALL BAKING THINGS.
"I guess your going to be going to Sam's Club?" He asked.
"I am going everywhere," I said. "After organizing everything including the two freezers in the pantry, the pantry and cabinets we are out of almost everything. The pantry freezers are empty and the freezer in the kitchen is almost empty. We did a great job of using everything up."
"I am glad," He said. "Food waste is horrible and I saw some people bringing bags of garbage to the dumpsters. If you want tomorrow is Sunday I can go with you to the stores so we can stock up."
"I was going to do a quick Walmart run later today," I said. "I need some new containers and a lot of Mason Jars. Besides you know as well as I do its the day after a holiday they may have some good deals going on."
Braun said, "May I go with you? Don't worry I will use a glamour charm so instead of a 7 foot demon they will only see a 6 foot guy."
"Sure," I said. "Just be aware when we go Charles may be the one running out to the car when I fill a cart or three."
Nodding he said, "I get it. My Mom does the same thing after the holidays. Our worlds are not that different and my Mom is like you she HATES food waste. From the winter solstice to the New Year she insists we use up the food in the house and the week after New Years she hits all the stores for deals and stocking everything back up."
Charles came out of the shed and handed me a crate saying, "Hey babe I do not know how these got in the shed but these should help."
Looking in the crate I saw it was full of Mason Jars. Looking at him I asked, "Maybe we moved them when we needed space for the holiday items?"
Shrugging he said, "Well I will get as much of these as I can into the dish washer and start a load."
Watching him go inside Braun asked, "So what next?"
Smiling I said, "My office. That way I can shut the door until the nineth. But it will take a while as I have to shred all the old papers and files I have that are no longer needed."
Chuckling he said, "Well enjoy I hate clerical I will be enjoying the sun until it is time to go to the store."
I went to go inside when my phone rang. Looking at the ID I answered and said, "Hey Maggie what's up? Did you decide to give the river of fire a go?"
Maggie said, "No but still considering it. My sister just called me. The Dollar tree had a massive truck come in and all the food items in the store including freezer are half off and the same thing happened at family dollar and save-a-lot. I am heading there now."
"Girl I am right behind you," I said. "I am glad I got my cabinets and pantry organized and sorted."
Charles came out and I said, "Change of plans kinda. Three stores are having fifty percent off sales due to over stock. I am heading to them now to see what deals we can get."
Braun said, "Will we have time between those and Walmart? The glamour spell takes a bit to recharge."
Nodding I said, "Yes as I have to put everything away when we get back."
Charles said, "Let me get the coolers into the SUV for you then we can go."
Abigail Greene- Main
Boyfriend- Charles
Demon-
Braun- Demon guard
Mrs Connie- nosey neighbor Billy her son
Margie and scott park management.
Comments
Post a Comment