Part 5
When Joshua saw Frank Callohan slide into the car next to Rupert, he’d been fearful. Angry even. Those emotions gave way to real terror when three more specters appeared in the car with them.
“Mary!” Joshua yelled to his wife who was trying to keep pace with him but had lagged behind. “Bring the stuff from the trunk! Hurry!” Then Joshua began to run.
Keeping his eyes on his son, he took the quickest path to the the old Pontiac, climbing over the wooden fence that stood rotting between them. Though he watched them, he couldn’t make out what exactly was happening. There was a brief moment when everyone disappeared and Josh feared he’d lost his son forever. Then, inexplicably, Rupe had reappeared with only Frank in the car with him. This didn’t alleviate Josh’s worries. The way the ghost had been stalking Rupert, calling him to the car, and appearing in the boy’s room in the middle of the night, Josh was certain Frank had an evil purpose for Rupe. One that Joshua needed to put a stop to.
Mary had struggled to keep up with Joshua, but his long legs soon left her behind. From her vantage point, she saw little of what was happening to her son. When Josh turned to yell for her to bring the supplies, the terror in his voice found its mate in her heart. A sob rose from her chest, she fought to swallow it down. Turning back toward the driveway, she ran full out, thankful she’d decided against wearing her pumps.
Her breath was ragged and labored when she pulled up short at the family car. The family huddled together unsure of what was happening out in the fields or how to help.
“Dad!” Mary called, gasping for breath. “I need your help! Get in. Mom, take the kids in the house. Make them stay there.”
“Mary, what’s going on?” Her father asked, stepping up to the car.
“I can’t explain now,” Mary said, jerking the door open and sliding behind the wheel.
“I’m going with you,” Gloria said, climbing into the back.
“Mom!” Bethie called, tears choking her words. Grams wrapped an arm around the girl and whispered soothing words to her.
“Just go with Grams!” Mary shouted, cranking the key. The engine fired up and she dropped it into reverse. Careful not to back over anyone, Mary spun the car around and headed for the lane that led from the barn to the fields. At the barn, she skidded to a stop and leaped out.
“Help me,” she pleaded to her father and sister. They followed her.
From the trunk she dragged out three new hoses and began to loose them from their trappings. Ned and Gloria joined her. Mary’s hands were shaking so badly, she could barely make her fingers function. Frustration gnawed at her. Cursing as the ties slipped through her fingers yet again, she gritted her teeth and tried once more. Gently, Ned pushed his daughter’s hands away and began removing the ties himself.
“What do we need to do?” He asked as he worked to free the hoses. Using his pocket knife he sliced through the plastic ties and began unraveling the hoses.
“Hook one to the faucet, link them together and drag them to the field. I hope they’ll reach,” Mary said, doubt clouding her face.
Ned glanced at the cardboard circle containing the hose description.
“Are they all the same?” He asked.
Mary nodded.
“They’ll reach.” He centered his gaze on his son-in-law, out in the field. Mary followed his eyes.
Joshua stood next to the old Pontiac, struggling to get the door opened. Mary leaped to her feet. Wringing her hands, she turned to her father. Before she could say a word, he spoke.
“Go, Mary,” he said. “Gloria and I have this. Go help Joshua.”
Mary grasped her father’s hand in gratitude then jumped into the car and sailed away in a cloud of dust.
As Joshua ran for the broken-down old car, he saw the phantom figure lunge at his son. Rupert struggled to free himself from the dead man’s grasp, his screams reaching Joshua’s ears and driving terror into his heart. Pounding at the metal, Joshua tried to gain the attention of the specter, hoping that by doing so his son would be released. Neither occupant looked in his direction. With all his strength, he yanked at the passenger side door, but it would not open. He pulled again, his arm muscles strained with the effort, yet nothing happened. The car rocked, but the door remained sealed.
A rock, a rock! Joshua thought desperately. Find a rock!
It didn’t take long, though, to Joshua’s frightened mind, it seemed an eternity. A large stone lay half-buried in the silt, nestled against the front passenger tire. Joshua kicked at it with the heel of his boot until it slid free of the dirt. Quickly, he scooped it up. Holding it tight between his hands, he swiveled to the left and slammed it against the door window. The glass shattered, spraying shards across the front seat. Joshua said a silent prayer as he tossed the rock aside, that he’d missed his son. He used his elbow to break up the pieces that remained and let them fall to the floor of the car. Reaching in through the gaping hole, he wrapped his arm around Rupert’s chest and heaved. Rupert didn’t budge. Bracing one foot against the car frame, Joshua heaved again. This time, Rupert flew backward through the window and they both tumbled to the ground.
From inside the car a voice screeched, “No!”
A scraping, dragging sound reached Joshua’s ears. Clutching his son tight to his chest, he scrambled away from the car, his heels digging into the soft soil. He managed to propel them back another foot, passing over sagebrush that popped and broke beneath his weight, sending a cloud of fine dust into the air.
Behind him, he could hear a car flying across the field toward them. There was a brief moment of panic at the thought that he may have saved his son from an evil spirit just to be crushed under the tires of the family car when the brakes squealed and the car skidded to a stop. Loose dirt and debris pelted his head and chest but otherwise, he and Rupe were safe.
The car door slammed, and footsteps thundered up to his side. Mary dropped onto the ground next to him. Her face was ashen, her hair a mess. A few tangled curls had escaped her braid and were now perched on her head like a bird’s nest in need of an occupant.
“Joshua!” Mary said, brushing more curls away from her face. Her lips trembled and her eyes shimmered with tears. “Oh, Joshua, will he be alright?”
“Rupert? Rupe?” Joshua gave the boy a gentle shake. Rupe’s head rolled from side to side at the movement, but did not move of his own volition. The boy remained silent and still.
Mary pressed her hand to her quivering lips, tears spilling from her eyes and rolling down her cheeks.
“It’ll be okay, Mary,” Joshua said sternly, his concentration on his son. “Help me get him to the car.”
Hugging Rupert tight to his chest, he struggled to his feet. Mary wrapped her arms around his waist to help him stand. When he was steady on his feet, they made their way to the car. Joshua handed the boy to Mary, who slid into the passenger’s seat with him cradled to her chest.
“What the blue blazes is going on?” Joshua’s father-in-law demanded from behind them, startling Joshua. The old man’s chest heaved, his breath huffing in and out from the hike across the fields. “Mary wouldn’t tell us a thing, just asked us to help with the water hose.”
“There’s too much to explain right now,” Josh said. “I promise, Ned, I’ll explain it all when we get to the house. Where are the rest of the kids?”
“Doris took them into the house,” Ned said.
“Good.” Relief sounded in Joshua’s voice.
Gloria trotted up to his side dragging a water hose behind her. Deftly, she spun a trigger sprayer onto the hose end.
“The hoses are connected and ready,” she said. Handing Joshua the end with the pressure gun attached, she leaned against the open car door to catch her breath. “Good God! What is that?” She pointed a finger at the Pontiac.
A skeletal hand gripped the window frame. As the family stood stunned, it pulled the rest of its body up to the door. A skull appeared. Somehow the eyes had remained intact, the startlingly blue orbs glaring at them, unable to blink. Joshua shook under their menacing gaze. Instinctively, he pressed the depressor on the hose. A pressurized stream of water shot into the car, pelting the skeleton. A howl of rage erupted from between the teeth, his remains melting away to dust and disappearing from sight. The last scream hung in the air, then it too was gone.
“Mary, pop the trunk,” Joshua said, scurrying to the back of the vehicle.
“I don’t understand what’s going on,” Gloria whispered hoarsely. “What was that thing? Is it gone?”
“I hope it’s gone,” Mary said, leaning across the seat to pop the trunk. Rupert slid off her lap. Mary pulled him into a tight hug against her chest, barely saving him from falling to the floorboards. With difficulty, she wiggled back up to a seated position, Rupert once again motionless on her lap. She brushed a lock of hair from his face and murmured softly, “Oh, Rupert, please wake up.”
Gloria patted her sister’s shoulder, her mind churning over what she’d just seen, trying hard to make sense of it. “I’m sure he’ll be fine, Mary.” She said, absently.
“Ned,” Josh called from the back of the car. “Can you give me a hand?” Pushing the lid all the way open, he extracted a can of kerosene, a large box of wooden match sticks, and bottle of lighter fluid.
The old man hustled to his son-in-law’s side. Josh handed him the can of kerosene.
“Splash this over that car,” Josh said, pointing to the Pontiac.
Ned started to argue but stopped himself. With a shake his head, he fell into step with Joshua. There was no denying that something he couldn’t explain had been peering at him through the window. The kind of something that should have been long dead and buried, not hanging out the window of an abandoned car.
The breeze had turned chilly, carrying the scent of rain with it. Ned wished he’d grabbed his jacket from his car before traipsing off across the fields. Above him, he could see the blue sky being eaten up by thick, fluffy, dark clouds. A storm was brewing. Hopefully, they’d finished this strange task before the rain began to fall.
“All over?” Ned asked when they reached the car. Cautiously, he peeked through the window, looking for any sign of the specter. Seeing nothing but the rotting seats, he huffed out breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.
“Inside and out,” Josh answered, dropping the hose on the ground.
Ned uncapped the kerosene can, careful not to spill the acrid fluid on his clothes. While Josh spritzed lighter fluid over the front of the car for a starting fire point, Ned began splashing kerosene over the seats and floor. The fumes quickly filled the space. Ned stepped away from the car to take a deep, breath of clean air. Moving to the driver’s side, he splashed the fluid over the dash and steering wheel.
Suddenly, Ned gave a yelp and staggered back away from the car. He stumbled over a tromped down sagebrush and sprawled in the dirt, dropping the can as he fell. Kerosene rushed from the can to soak the weeds and ground. Ned batted it away from him with his foot.
“Ned!” Joshua said, his voice just shy of a yell. “Are you alright?”
“Matches, Joshua!” Ned hollered back, ignoring Josh’s question. “Hurry! He-he’s back in the car!”
Joshua leaped to the old man’s side, moving with a quickness he didn’t know he had. The spectral image of Frank Callohan leaned out of the car reaching for Ned.
“Whoa!” Josh cried out. With a strength born out of fear, he shoved the car door closed, not thinking of the fact that the ghost could move through solid objects. Shaking, he fumbled the box of matches from his pocket, pushed the cardboard open and snatched out a fistful of the wooden sticks. Most of them tumbled from his trembling fingers, but he managed to hang on to three. He dragged the match heads across the strike plate breaking one and sparking the other two into life. With a flick of his wrist, he sent them tumbling into the car through the broken window. The kerosene caught with a whoosh! To his surprise, the fire ran a line towards Ned. Snatching up the can, he tossed it onto the car’s top, then grabbed the old man’s coat collar and dragged him backward out of the way.
Ned scrambled to his feet, brushing the dirt and weeds from his pants as the flames engulfed the Pontiac. Joshua ran for the hose, spraying down the line of fire that threatened to light up Ned. The flames were climbing high now, sending a thick column of smoke into the air. Josh’s eyes followed it up to the sky. Heavy dark clouds were rolling in across the valley. The sun still shone in a small patch of blue, but the clouds were quickly catching it.
Over the crackling and popping of the fire, Josh could hear wailing and pounding coming from inside the car. Through the windshield the men could see the ghost of Frank Callohan slamming against the interior of the burning car, trying to break free. Joshua had no idea why he couldn’t slide right on out, but he was relieved his plan seemed to be working.
The wind picked up, pushing the clouds across the sky, blocking out the sun and its warmth. As if to offer a consolation prize, the wind whipped the fire into a frenzy.
“Holy, moley!” Ned exclaimed, snatching the hose from Josh’s hands and running around to the other side of the car. The weeds had caught fire, edging their way across the field to the fence. Ned sprayed them down then added water to the fence line.
In Mary’s arms, Rupert stirred.
“Rupe?” Mary said, stroking his hair. “Rupe, can you hear me?”
Rupert woke with a start, flailing and struggling to be free of Mary’s grasp.
“Rupe, stop!” Mary said. “It’s me, Rupe!”
“Mama,” he said in a small voice. His arms dropped to his chest, his eyes searching hers. “Mama? Where are we? What’s burning?”
“It’s okay, Rupe. We’re at home,” Mary said, smiling down at her son, thankful he was awake. “Pops is burning the car.”
“What?” Rupert struggled to sit up. “But it’s a beautiful car! Pops said so himself.”
“It had to be done,” Mary said. Silently she wondered if Rupert remembered anything about his ordeal. Would he remember his ghostly assailant? Would he think it was only a nightmare? Mary thought that would be the best outcome, but she kept her questions to herself. There would be time for that later.
They sat silently watching the flames grow for several minutes. Finally, Rupe turned to look at her.
“Can I get out, Mama?” Rupe asked.
Mary contemplated for a moment, then agreed. What harm would it do, with all of them there with her son. They slipped from the car to join the men at the fence line. Gloria walked with them, holding tight to her sister’s arm.
“Can you explain this to me?” Gloria whispered to Mary.
“Later,” Mary whispered back.
Rupert slipped a hand into his father’s. They stood like that until the flames had died down to embers.
When the car was little more than a smoking shell, Ned used the hose to put out small flames sputtering in the weeds. A fine drizzle began to fall, the drops hissing when they hit the hot metal. Together, they stood in the rain watching the fire die away.
Mary wished she’d thought to bring the umbrella. Already her hair was sticking wetly against her face. “Let’s go back to the house,” she urged her son.
Pops gave Rupe’s hand a squeeze before letting go. “How you feeling, son?”
“Better,” the boy said with an impish grin. “Like a million bucks.”
Joshua looked at his son in surprise. “Never heard you use that phrase before.”
“I think it’ll be my new saying,” the boy said. For a second, his eyes seemed to glow blue. Josh’s jaw dropped open. Before he could speak, Rupe blinked and his eyes were green again.
Rupert turned his grin to his mother. “I’m hungry. Can we have supper now?”
“Sure, Rupe,” she said, softly. Hand in hand the two headed back to the car, Rupert skipping along side his mother.
Gloria grabbed hold of Josh’s arm, her eyes on her nephew. “Oh my God, did you see that?” She asked. When he didn’t answer she turned her eyes to him. “Was it my imagination, or did his eyes look baby blue there for a second?”
“I-I don’t know,” Joshua said. He wanted it to be her imagination, but he’d seen it, too.
“Just a trick of the light,” Ned whispered.
“I hope you’re right,” Gloria said. Calling out to Mary, she trotted after her, hoping to catch a ride back to the house.
Joshua and Ned stood in the rain and watched them go.
“You don’t suppose…” Ned began then stopped, not wanting to voice his fear.
Joshua rubbed at the stubble on his chin. “I don’t know. I just don’t know.”
He was still contemplating when the rain turned to snow.