LOGINShare
The Body
Last Updated:
2024-07-10 19:16:48Dalton
After I put Layla to bed, I return immediately to the shed. I look down at the dead man with a mix of pity and rage. He’s not much older than me. He was handsome, with blond hair and eyes that used to be blue. But now, they’ve started to decay into his skull. The skin is flayed from his fingers, revealing bone, but the rest of him is in surprisingly good shape considering how long he’s been here.
I remember him. Henry, that was his name. Henry Swanson, from Mississippi, an architect apprentice who never made it back after traveling here to visit his girlfriend.
The last night nurse.
I wrap a bandana around my nose and mouth and crouch, picking up the knife Layla discarded upon discovering the poor bastard.
That’s what he is, too. Discarded. This wasn’t his fault.
I wonder what was going through that young nurse's head as she put each brick in place. A glance at
Related chapters
Whispers of the Devil Leave
LaylaI wake up in Dalton’s bed around 5:00 in the morning, and he is no longer there, of course. I have no idea where his studio is located in the tangle of hallways on the third floor. It’s the only place I assume he’d be right now.The house is quiet as I pad downstairs after checking on my aunt and Bailey, both of which are still asleep. I go through my normal morning routine. I’m wearing nothing but a pair of boy shorts and one of Dalton’s shirts. I smell like him, which makes me think of him, and thinking of him makes me wonder if I’m falling in too deep with a man I barely know.I make a pot of coffee and pour myself a mug before stepping out onto the back porch to watch the sky turn from a dark gray to a pale silver, but as the morning shadows stretch across the grass, memories of last night come flooding back to the forefront of my mind.I clutch my mug so tight my knuckles turn
Last Updated : 2024-07-11Whispers of the Devil Into the Den
Layla“Layla!”I skid to a stop in the hallway between my bedroom and Aunt Penny’s room. Bailey shuts Aunt Penny’s door with a soft click and beams at me. I force a smile to my lips, but it wobbles as she looks me up and down.“I’m headed out. She’s asleep. She’ll probably sleep all night, I’m guessing. I’m going to take off, but I’ll see you in the morning. Did you talk to the lawyer?”“Yeah,” I manage to choke out, but my mind is reeling, and my throat tightens as I continue. “He’s going to talk to the estate executor about the assisted living home the doctor mentioned.”“Oh, that’s good news,” Bailey says with a sigh of relief. “She’d do so much better there. Anyway, I’m glad I caught you before you left because I just got a call from my mom.”“Oh, yeah?”
Last Updated : 2024-07-12Whispers of the Devil Deal with the Devil
DaltonI sealed my fate by telling her this. I can feel the shadows beginning to crowd the room as I step toward her, reaching out to her, looking at her for what could be the last time.I made a deal with the devil in her name. I signed it with blood. I was tricked. I failed to protect her.I knew Vera would do this. Her plan was already in action years ago before I was hired to start bringing this hellhole back to life–a life Amos was desperate for. He wanted to see the return of the golden age of the property, when parties raged, and there were plenty of minds for him to plunder and the promise of further generations to keep fueling his fire.Layla, a young, impressionable nursing student, stood out to Amos. She has no idea he’s been stalking her from afar for years now, biding his time. Why he waited to try to get into her head until now, I’m not sure, but I imagine it had something to do with the way
Last Updated : 2024-07-14Whispers of the Devil Too Late Now
LaylaI don’t look behind me as I run out of Dalton’s studio. Whatever was in the room with us–I don’t want to see it. The feeling of it watching me—watching us–still drifts over my skin as I grab the banister and slide down the stairs, nearly falling all the way down in my haste to get to Aunt Penny’s room.I can’t hear myself think over the blaring music. The song plays over, and over, and over, the screeching of the ancient record sending shockwaves through the house.But I know one thing is true. Dalton isn’t lying. I believe everything he told me. It’s unbelievable, but so is everything that’s happened to me since I arrived at this place, and Dalton has been the only real, tangible thing keeping me grounded.There has to be a way out of this for both of us.I yank Penny’s door open and fly into the room.“It’s
Last Updated : 2024-07-15Whispers of the Devil Pulled From the Flames
LaylaDeath is cold and empty. It’s silent. It’s lonely.I feel weightless, like I’m being carried. But there’s no sound, no feeling in my body. Just a faint, flashing light.Everyone talks about seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Follow the light--into death.Whenever people talk of the light they follow into heaven—or in my case, it’s probably hell—I always imagined it would be bright white.Not flashing red and blue like this light.“Come on, darling. That’s it, now. Breathe deep.”Air fills my lungs–cool and rich, and my body explodes back to life. My eyes fly open, the flashing lights of half a dozen police and fire vehicles filling the space all around me, blurring my senses.“Big breath for me now,” Robert Wilson says, one of his hands cupping the back of my head as the other keeps an oxygen mask fast
Last Updated : 2024-07-16Whispers of the Devil Epilogue
Julia“It’s… Well, uh–”“Can you imagine it, Julia? The garage will go there, and over here–” He waves his hand to the far side of what looks like it used to be a driveway of some kind, but grass has started spreading through every crack in the concrete. “I’m thinking three, four stories. With a pool, of course.”I cross my arms under my breasts, my heels clacking on the concrete. “I’m not seeing it, Jake.”Jake, my husband, rolls his brown eyes as he turns his back to me and spreads his arms wide. “This is twenty fucking acres, babe. We can’t get this in New Orleans.”“I wanted ocean views.”“Then I’ll cut down some trees, baby. Hell, the Gulf is right out there.” He whirls back to me, giving me that charming, cocky smile that made me fall in love with him three years ago. “I promised I’d build you
Last Updated : 2024-07-17Whispers of the Devil An Unfortunate Accident
BaileyI watch the sun gleam off the roof of my car through the window of the breakroom at the Sunshine Clinic, a little urgent care tucked on a busy corner on the outskirts of New Orleans. I check my watch. It’s nearly 6:00 P.M., which means my shift is almost over, thank God. I roll my shoulders and slouch in the creaky, plastic chair, drumming my fingers on the vinyl table top. Jazzie, a fellow nurse and the clinic manager when the doctors aren’t around, walks into the breakroom looking bored and withdrawn. She opens the fridge and pops open a can of diet soda with a heavy sigh. “It’s hotter than hell.”“At least it’s slow today,” I say, glancing at my watch again. It’s now 5:57 P.M., just three more minutes….“Just go, Bailey. None of the doctors are even here right now.”I glance up at Jazzie as she leans against the counter near the fridge and presses the cold soda can to her temple. Her blonde hair is pulled back in a tight bun, and her hairline is peppered with sweat. “Are
Last Updated : 2024-08-09Whispers of the Devil Rebuilding
TannerI wipe my brow and look down at the scattered, broken power tools lying at my feet. This is the fourth time this has happened in the past month since we started framing. My guys sometimes keep their tools in one of the old outbuildings that survived the fire that destroyed the main house, but lately some strange stuff has been happening. I look up at Jose, my framer, who’s standing with his arms crossed a few feet away. He gives me a shrug. “You check the cameras?” I ask, motioning to the outbuilding–nothing more than a decaying shed that’s probably as old as my grandparents, who are well into their nineties. “Nothing. Not even a raccoon. And the padlock was still on the door.”I run my tongue along my lower teeth. Shit. I nudge one of the drills with my foot. It’s melted, literally. Like someone threw it into a fire. The yellow plastic is now a charred black, and the rest of the tools aren’t in any better shape. I had cameras installed around the property after the second
Last Updated : 2024-08-09
Latest chapter
Whispers of the Devil The House at the Edge of the Swamp
JuliaIt’s hard to believe that a whole year has passed since peace came to the house at the edge of the swamp.I roll over in bed, blinking lazily in the golden sunlight that filters in through the windows. Zeke, already awake beside me, smiles.“Good morning, beautiful.” He greets me in a voice that’s husky with sleep. He scoots closer to press a kiss to my lips.It’s chaste at first. But as the grogginess of slumber flows from my veins, the warmth of his body against mine starts to become awfully distracting. A stirring between Zeke’s legs shows me that he’s no more immune to our current situation than I am.The kiss deepens as Zeke rolls on top of me, caging me in against the mattress. His body is deliciously firm against mine. No matter how many times we do this, I can never seem to get enough of him.“You’re insatiable,” he murmurs against my lips.“Only for you,” I counter.Can he really blame me? After so many years trapped with Jake as my partner, I didn’t exactly get a chanc
Whispers of the Devil Yours for Eternity
JuliaThe whole house feels different now.For the first time since moving here, I’m not plagued by the sensation of being watched. No more creaks or bangs plague the endless rooms. The laughter and running footsteps of ghostly children no longer echo through the halls. All of the noises I attributed to the settling of new construction are gone.It’s quiet now.Empty.“They’ve all moved on,” Zeke explains when I ask if he notices it too. “They gave everything to help defeat Amos.”“Moved on?” I repeat, morbidly curious. “To where?”Zeke shrugs. “Heaven, I guess. Or maybe another dimension. I don’t really know for sure. I suppose if there were bad ones, they got sucked down into the portal with Amos.”It strikes me that these spirits must have become family to Zeke over the last century that he’s walked this land. Even the annoying or unpleasant ones must have grown on him.“Do you miss them?” I ask gently.The glimmer of sadness in Zeke’s honeyed eyes confirms my suspicions. “I do,”
Whispers of the Devil Through His Eyes
ZekeI’ve been given a tremendous gift.I hover for a moment next to the vacant body that floats limply in the mud and glance down at the harrowing scene below.The ghoulish red glow emanating from the gaping maw of the portal illuminates the tableau, though I see a soft white light as well. Jake’s soul, now cleaved from his flesh, is dragged ever downward into the abyss in Amos’s wake, but I’m hopeful that change in the light means his last act redeemed him enough to save his soul.As much as I despise Jake for having harmed Julia so deeply, I’m also filled with a grudging sense of respect for the dying wish he imparted onto me. I have no doubt that he understands that he wasn’t capable of coming back and living a life that would make up for all he has done. Offering me his body wasn’t for him, not one bit.This is for Julia, a final act of the love that once flared between them.I’ll do my best to honor Jake’s last request. But can it even be done?I’ve never heard of a spirit inha
Whispers of the Devil So This is Death
JakeFor once in my life, I’m absolutely sure I’ve done the right thing.I can’t believe that I fell for Amos’s empty promises. Even now, I wonder how much influence it exerted over my mind and actions.Every shout, every slap, every nasty thought about Julia swims through my brain as my soul is torn to pieces. How much of that was Amos? I shudder to think about how much was me.Because I do hold a hell of a lot of blame, don’t I?None of this would have happened if I’d been stronger.But I was weak, and now, I have a terrible feeling that Amos knew that from the start.As soon as I struck that deal in the driveway, Amos invaded my mind. The process itself was horrible. My brain and body was only big enough for one soul. The ordeal of adding another passenger wa sunbearably painful, and though my memories are hazy, I’m pretty sure that I passed out.At first, it wasn’t so bad, not after that first part. Amos promised me anything and everything, and I had stupidly believed it.It wove
Whispers of the Devil The Sacrifice
JuliaThe whole world spins.The driving rain is relentless, sloughing down my skin in cold rivulets. My hair hangs limply in a sodden curtain around my face, blocking my view of everything except the swirling muck below. There’s a rank taste in the back of my mouth, and I understand dimly that I must have bitten my tongue when Amos hit me.The place where the branch slammed into my skull throbs with every step the demon takes. Even though I can’t see it, I’m pretty sure that I’m bleeding. My vision swims as I’m drawn deeper into the swamp.“I’m going to break you on your husband’s cock,” Amos croons as it carries me over its shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “I’m going to fuck you until you plead with me to release you from your sorry life.”There’s nothing I can do to block out the filthy, horrible things that spill from its twisted mouth. Instead, I fight against its hold, kicking my bare feet into the torso of Jake’s body and pounding my fists against its back.But my efforts don’
Whispers of the Devil Fight for Domination
ZekeI’m not strong enough.After Amos tossed me like a ragdoll from Jake’s body, I barely have any energy left. Still, I won’t stop until there’s nothing left of me. I have to fight for Julia. I can’t let Amos take her.As Julia runs outside into the storm, I square up to the demon. It’s wearing Jake’s body like an ill-fitting suit. While it’s clumsy and uncoordinated, its movements are still powerful.“I told you not to get in my way, Hezekiah,” Amos growls. It doesn’t seem in any rush to chase after Julia. What game is it playing? Whatever it is, I don’t want to find out.“I won’t let you hurt her.” I stand firm, unwavering beneath its midnight stare.“I will destroy you,” the demon threatens as it stalks forward. “I will devour your very soul.”I parry to the side as it attempts to dart around me, blocking it from pursuing Julia’s retreating form. “You can’t kill somebody who’s already dead,” I snarl.Amos laughs. The sound is something that a human throat shouldn’t even be able t
Whispers of the Devil Back to the Swamp
JuliaThis is a terrible idea.Every nerve ending in my body screams for me to turn around, but it’s way too late for that.I’m already here.The house on the edge of the swamp rises up before me, blotting out the overcast sky. Clouds the color of fresh bruises creep overhead, threatening rain. It’s barely evening, yet the darkness is already encroaching.There’s no sign of Jake. I’d half expected him to be waiting for me in the driveway, but the whole place seems deserted. I can only hope that Amos is lurking out in the swamp and is unaware of my arrival.I survey the building in front of me. It looks like years have passed since I was last here, though it’s only been a few hours. It looks like it could crumble into the swamp at any moment.The front door hangs open, as though it’s been waiting for me this whole time. I approach it cautiously, scanning for movement within, but everything is still.Waiting.“It’s just a house,” I whisper to myself, though I know now that it’s much mor
Whispers of the Devil Ganging Up
ZekeI’m going to kill Jake.It’s all I can think about. I didn’t have the energy to intervene as he hurt Julia and shattered their relationship beyond repair. I’d tried to manifest myself, to fight against Amos’s hold on Jake, but it was no use.I wasn’t able to protect Julia.I failed her.A powerful surge of anger flows through me as I think about how distressed she was as she snuck outside, jumped into the driver’s seat of Jake’s car when he wasn’t looking, and sped off into the rainy night. Even though I desperately wanted to go with her, I’m unable to cross the invisible line marking the boundary of the property. I can only hope that she’s taken refuge somewhere safe, some place where Jake can’t follow.It’s morning now, and there’s no sign of Julia. Jake lays in the driveway amidst a mess of mud and gravel, unconscious. I’m itching to kick him, but I’m still too weak to summon my corporeal form. Instead, I spare him a scathing glare as I bypass his prone form and head toward th
Whispers of the Devil An Open Door
JuliaIt’s over.There’s no room for doubt as I drive through the worst of the storm. I feel violated, all the way down to my soul. My face is red and streaked with tears, and my lungs constrict with every breath I take, as though my chest is trapped in an immovable vice.Jake’s actions are unforgivable.And it had been Jake, not Zeke. I’m absolutely sure of that. Aside from the fact that Zeke would never treat me so horribly, we’d simply spent so much time together during Jake’s absence that the ghost was all but drained of energy by the time my husband returned home.But there was something else wriggling through the back of my mind, insidious and full of venom.How had Jake even known about Zeke in the first place?He didn’t look at all surprised when I spoke the spirit’s name aloud. In fact, he played along with it, lulling me into a false sense of security until the point of no return.Only then did Jake reveal himself.Somebody must have told him about Zeke. Somebody must have p
