LOGINShare
This is Where it Lives
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Whispers of the Devil What I Have to Do
TannerEverything is fragmented, like I’m skipping through a movie and picking frames at random.I’m not in the swamp anymore. Instead, I’m standing at the back of the house where the fuse boxes are.How did I get here? The last thing I remember is Amos’ hand against my forehead, pushing, forcing. My eyes trail out toward the cemetery, but there’s no movement out there, no telltale shadows amidst the cypress trees.Why am I here? At this point, I notice a weight in my hand and look down. To my confusion, I realize that I’m holding a hammer, gripping the handle so tightly that my knuckles have gone white.I turn back to the fuse box, which is hanging open on one mangled hinge. The whole thing is destroyed. Bits of metal and plastic litter the dead grass underneath. A tang of burning electronics lingers in the air.Did I do this? I have a vague impression of swinging the hammer, but no memory of an impact.“What the fuck?” I groan as the tools slips from my grasp. My throat feels raw, a
Whispers of the Devil Killing It
BaileyThere’s so much blood.Oh God, there’s so much blood.I’m screaming, and I can’t seem to stop. My head swims at the sight of the nail gouged into Tanner’s hand. His agonized howls pierce through my skull in jagged bolts as he flails and fights against something I can’t see.And then he’s gone, staggering out into the night with only incoherent shouts trailing in his wake.I need to move. I need to get out of this fucking place.Groaning, I struggle to my feet and assess the situation. Amos, using Tanner’s body, managed to fix a panel of drywall to the bottom of the small space, and it’s too high for me to simply step over.I gather my strength and then kick out at the sheetrock. It splits with a sharp crack. At the same time, I cry out as pain shoots through my ankle and zings up my shin.“Fuck!” I sob, bracing myself in the small space as my foot begins to throb.But I don’t stop.I can’t stop.Somehow, Tanner must have broken Amos’s hold over him. I don’t know how he did it,
Whispers of the Devil The Aftermath
TannerMy eyelids close for what I’m sure is the last time as the swamp swallows me whole.I blink, and I wake up from the nightmare of mud and mire to see an angel.Bailey is smiling down at me, her eyes shining with relief and love. Muck from the swamp covers every inch of her, and brackish water drips from her hair.She’s the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.“Tanner?” she asks, her voice hushed and quiet as though she’s by a patient’s bedside. “Baby? Can you hear me?”“Yeah,” I sputter. My lungs are on fire, and my mouth tastes like I’ve been licking a sewage pipe. What the fuck happened? The last thing I remember is Amos trying to take me over again.Amos.Fear rushes through me, and I grip Bailey’s hands desperately. “Where’s Amos?” I wheeze as my eyes dart around, trying to catch a glimpse of the demon in the shadows.“Gone,” she replies firmly, her face grim. “I kicked his fucking ass.”“Good,” I sigh, settling back against the mossy soil. My whole body aches. All I want
Whispers of the Devil The State of Sunshine
Bailey“Tanner!” I yell, hoping he can hear me in the next room.I’m frozen in fear, unable to move as I stare up at my enemy.“Tanner!” I scream again.Summoned by my shouts of terror, Tanner bursts into the room. His muscular body is tense, his arms raised and ready to fight. But then he catches sight of my mortal foe and relaxes into a relieved grin.“Seriously, babe?” he asks in a teasing tone, shaking his head. “A spider?”I glare at him, finally taking my eyes off of the eight-legged freak that’s been making itself at home on the ceiling of our brand new living room. “What?” I snap as he struggles not to laugh at my predicament.“Bailey, you fought a literal demon. And now you’re afraid of a little bug?” he chuckles.“It’s not little,” I huff, but his mood is contagious, and I can’t help but crack a smile. He’s right. It is pretty ridiculous. Nevertheless, he scoops the arachnid up in a cup and carries it carefully outside, releasing it in the driveway as I watch from the safety
Whispers of the Devil Julia and Jack
JuliaI hate this place.As the movers scurry about, hauling boxes and expensive furniture under Jack’s watchful eye, I lounge in a deck chair with a glass of lemonade in one hand, trying not to cry.This whole place is ghastly, no matter where I turn. The landscapers had been out a few weeks earlier and had turned the backyard where I’m currently sitting into a patchwork of sod. Unfortunately, it hadn’t taken, and the grass is now dead and lifeless. Beyond, the yard gives way to mud and marsh. Cypress trees rise up in gnarled fingers, their roots hidden by murky sludge. Insects whine and drone amid the greenish haze.I won’t even let myself think about those dreadful tombstones. Jack’s been arguing with the town for permission to remove the cemetery, but so far, he hasn’t been able to cut through the red tape. I take another sip of lemonade and then press the side of the sweating glass against my forehead. How is it so hot? It’s early November. Even the mountains of snow we had whil
Whispers of the Devil Side Piece
Jake“I missed you, Jake.”The woman’s words linger on the humid night air.What’s her name again? Ellie something, I think. She’s a busty blonde that I’d picked up at a real estate development conference a few months earlier. After spending several raucous nights in the hotel room with her, coupled with the fact that she lives in New Orleans, she’s currently my most convenient option for a quick and willing fuck.She isn’t the only one, of course. I’ve got women scattered across the country, and they tend to make themselves available to me once they know I’ll be in town on business. But with most of my meetings scheduled for the New Orleans office, I’ve been seeing a lot more of Ellie lately.“I missed you too,” I fib. The whole truth is that sometimes I find myself daydreaming wistfully about the feeling of my cock in her cunt, but her personality is utterly forgettable.I raise my arms above my head and allow myself a luxurious stretch before settling back down onto the sheets. T
Whispers of the Devil Ding Dong Ditch
JuliaThe morning is blindingly bright and damp as hell.“Shit!” I yelp as I jump up from the rocking chair I’ve just sat in. I should’ve realized that all of the furniture out here on the back porch would be soaking wet after last night’s rain. The sun has only been up for a few hours, and with the humidity churning the air into a soupy mess, nothing has even begun to dry out from the thunderstorm.I really fucking hate it out here. Even the house’s redeeming qualities, like the luxurious deck, are rendered useless by the swamp and the unrelenting Louisiana weather.“This is why we can’t have nice things,” I mutter grumpily as I raise my mug to my lips and take a sip. At least the coffee’s good. Thank God for small mercies.My original plan had been to settle out here with my morning coffee in an attempt to make peace with the swamp. Obviously, nature isn’t too keen on this tentative truce, so I resign myself to leaning against the railing with the ceramic mug clasped between my hand
Whispers of the Devil The Artifact
ZekeJulia.I overheard her introducing herself to the foreman yesterday, which is how I learned her name.My mind conjures the memory of her staring up at me, lips slightly parted and eyes widened in surprise. I do feel bad for having startled her earlier. She’d seemed so shaken up. It makes me wonder if something else has happened to her today, something unexplainable.From where I stand amidst the crumbling tombstones jutting out of the cemetery, I peer through the twisted trunks of the cypress trees toward the house. The white façade shines like ivory beneath the unrelenting summer sun. Neat rows of windows gleam, and my eyes roam upward as I catch a flash of movement in one of them.Julia, wrapped in nothing but a towel, walks past. Her long auburn hair is twisted up in a bun, but a few strands have escaped to frame her face. She doesn’t seem to realize that anybody could see her. My gaze lowers to the spot where the top of the towel conceals her chest before the guilt kicks in.
Latest chapter
Whispers of the Devil Ramblings of a Madwoman
JuliaTo say I’m royally confused when I wake up is an understatement.I sit up groggily, blinking back sleep. My thoughts are a jumbled mess, and my body still rings from the ghost of this morning’s encounter. Logically, I know it was a dream. So why did it feel so real?An image of Zeke kneeling beside the bed flashes through my mind, and I can’t help but blush at the intensity that flared in his honeyed eyes. But he couldn’t have been here. That’s just silly.“It was just a dream,” I murmur into the empty bedroom, as if the words could convince my harried thoughts.“What was that?” Jake’s voice calls from the en suite bathroom. It takes me a moment to register the sound of the shower, and then realization hits me like a brick.Jake and I fucked last night.And we’d made love this morning, hadn’t we?It still seemed so hazy. I could have sworn it had been Zeke’s face hovering over me as he moved so reverently inside of me. Things with Jake had never been like that. They were either
Whispers of the Devil Taking What's His
JuliaAs a great woman once said, diamonds are a girl’s best friend.I stand in front of the mirror in the trendy boutique in New Orleans, examining the new strand of precious stones adorning my throat. I’d paid for the mind-blowingly expensive necklace using Jake’s platinum card, which had given me a small sliver of satisfaction.He’d called in the early hours of the morning, begging for me to forgive him. At first, I’d told him that there was no way in hell I’d let him come crawling back to me, but all the while, my heart ached until the burn was almost unbearable.One chance. That’s all I’ll give him.In the meantime, I’ll shamelessly spend down his accounts in preparation for the worst.Because it would be terrible if we divorced, wouldn’t it? I think wistfully of the lifestyle I’ve enjoyed over the last several years, excluding the months spent in solitude on the edge of a fetid swamp. I’d be losing much more than him if I left.Doubt continues to gnaw at me as I gather my bags a
Whispers of the Devil The Man in the Garage
JuliaI can’t stay here.Jake’s been gone all day. In fact, I hadn’t even heard him leave in the first place, and God only knows where he went. But I’m absolutely sure that I don’t want to be here when he gets back.If he comes back.Would that really be so bad, I wonder? It’s true that I hate it out here at the edge of the festering swamp, locked away in this big empty house with only ghosts for company. But without Jake tying me down, I could go anywhere, do anything.I could even find another man, one who would treat me better than the bastard I’d married.A fine blush rises in my cheeks as the memory of Zeke’s passion whispers across my lips. Guilt trickles through me in its wake. I can’t believe we’d kissed. As terrible as Jake’s actions have been, I’ve never once felt the need to seek out another man.But there is something about Zeke that beckons me, drawing me closer like a lighthouse in the dark. It isn’t just that he’shandsome, or even that he’snice to me. I have the uncanny
Whispers of the Devil Stolen Kiss
ZekeSomething dreadful happened last night.I’d been out in the swamp, enjoying the sound of the rain pattering off the soft fronds of the ferns in the underbrush when I’d noticed Jake stumbling drunkenly to the garage.Even worse, I watched from the shadows as he spoke to that thing as though he was just making another shady business deal. Though I wasn’t able to hear what Amos demanded, I think I have a pretty good idea what it is.Who it is.I watched Jake stagger around the property for a while before he got into his car and drove off. Good riddance, in my opinion.But I’m concerned for Julia. I don’t trust Jake for a second, and she doesn’t deserve to be used as a pawn in this sick game.And now I’m lingering at her front door, my hand raised and poised to press the doorbell. For a moment, I don’t think I can go through with it, but then the memory of Jake speaking with Amos flashes through my mind, and I know I have no other option. I have to make sure she’s all right.Thinking
Whispers of the Devil Repercussions
JakeOh God, what have I done?Panic and desperation crash over me in unrelenting tidal waves, dragging me under until I’m drowning in them. I’m sitting on the bed in the guest room, holding my head in my hands and rocking back and forth.I don’t know how long I’ve been here. Hours, probably. At some point, I’d stumbled down to the kitchen to grab a bottle of whiskey. It sits on the floor by my feet, the amber liquid significantly drained.The alcohol hadn’t helped. I’m unable to numb the tumult that roils inside of me.I hit my wife.She deserved it.The cold, foreign voice slithers through my mind, and I groan, trying to drown it out.I’ve done a lot of questionable things over the years, some more legal than others. And maybe, just maybe, I’d said things to intentionally hurt Julia in the past, but I’d never physically harmed her.Until tonight.She was asking for it.“Shut up!” I whimper, clawing at my temples. “Shut up!”I stand and start pacing in the small space between the bed
Whispers of the Devil A Slap in the Face
JuliaTears well in my eyes, threatening to spill over. But I know that if I start crying, I won’t be able to stop.“Get a fucking grip,” I mutter to myself.I’m lying on the couch in the living room, attempting to watch my favorite reality TV show. After I confronted Jake earlier, I haven’t been able to focus. Racing thoughts flutter through my brain like paper in the wind. I’d optimistically heated up a frozen dinner, but I’d only been able to pick at it before my nausea had overpowered my desire to eat. Now the meal sits, cold and congealed, on the coffee table, all but forgotten.I know I could call Nina for support, but I don’t want to go there until I have all of the facts. And the truth is, I don’t really have many of those at all right now.Yes, Jake’s reaction to my questions all but confirmed my suspicions that he’s nothing more than a cheating bastard. I have no doubt that he’s up to his old tricks, but this time, I’m not going to let him off so easily. I need cold, hard pr
Whispers of the Devil Something's in the Shadows
JakeI’m not a coward.It’s not like I was scared and ran away because a fucking light bulb broke, or because the ensuing darkness seemed bigger somehow, alive. No, it was because I simply had business to attend to. At least, that’s what I tell myself as I pull up in front of the house at the edge of the swamp.Julia probably hadn’t even cared that I’d gone. After all, I’d texted her that I had to go out, and she hadn’t ever responded. Did she even notice I left? God, she sure knows how to make a guy feel wanted in his marriage.A streak of lightning skitters across the leaden sky, followed quickly by a peal of thunder so loud that the car practically rattles around me. It’s not raining yet, though the clouds that loom overhead are the color of a fresh bruise and promise an imminent downpour. Not wanting to ruin my vehicle, I decide to park in the garage instead of the driveway.The rain starts just as I pull inside. Water roars against the roof, and once closed, the automatic door do
Whispers of the Devil Help from Beyond the Grave
ZekeGod, I feel so alive.I close my eyes and let the relentless eye of the sun beat down on me. What does it see when it looks at me? A man? Something more? Something less?And what does Julia see, I wonder?I know it’s dangerous to let my thoughts wander down this path, but it’s as though my mind has become untethered with possibilities. My hand curls around a phantom mug, remembering the feeling of the smooth porcelain against my palm and the heat radiating through my hand as Julia had questioned me with increasing interest.I’d just had coffee with Julia Carter.She wore no makeup, and her hair was mussed from sleep, but that had somehow only made her more beautiful. Her eyes, as green as moss, shone in the fresh morning light. I had the overwhelming urge to reach out and touch her, to brush my fingertips over the soft curve of her lips, but propriety stopped me in my tracks.I wouldn’t disrespect Julia like that. She is too good for me to be thinking about her in such a way.To
Whispers of the Devil Someone's in the House
JuliaI’m not sure what wakes me.It’s not the sun, that’s for sure. For some reason, the blinds are firmly shut, blocking the early morning light from filtering in through the glass.I blink the sleep from my eyes as I peer into the surrounding dimness. I’m lying in bed, the covers tangled around my legs as though I’d thrashed in my slumber. A dull soreness at the juncture of my thighs reminds me of exactly what Jake and I had been doing last night.But where is Jake now?His side of the bed is empty, the sheets cold and untouched.“Jake?” I call. My voice sounds muted in the still morning air.There’s no response.Sighing, I extract myself from the blankets. Goosebumps rise on my arms as the cool, conditioned air kisses my skin. I grab my robe and shrug it on against the chill before padding over to the bathroom.Like the bedroom, there’s no sign of Jake. I frown. This isn’t like him. Sure, he’s usually an early riser, but he’s not exactly quiet in the mornings. He runs the shower a
