Haunted

By Jordan LeBlanc

When Daniel's girlfriend is brutally murdered, Daniel finds himself struggling to cope with the loss. Driven to reconnect with his lost love, Daniel attempts to communicate with her by way of the occult, only to find that he has connected with something terrifying and powerful.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jordan LeBlanc
• Release date: Jan 30, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458045300

Jordan LeBlanc

JD LeBlanc resides in Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada. He attended Cape Breton University and graduated in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

The alarm clock buzzed annoyingly as the clock struck 6:30 am. Daniel Stevens let out a curse, which was muffled by the pillow, pressed deep into his face. An arm draped around him and his girlfriend, Amy, turned over on her side of the bed and pressed against Daniel tightly.

Is it time for work already? she groaned.

Unfortunately, Daniel replied. I hope whoever decided to start the work day so early in the morning is burning in Hell right now.

I think it’s safe to say that it was a man’s idea, Amy said, as she pulled the covers away and sat up on the edge of the bed. Women aren’t that cruel.

Touché, Daniel muttered. He adjusted the pillow and pulled the bed covers tight to his chin.

Come on, Amy said, as she playfully smacked Daniel’s ass. If I have to get up and go to work, so do you.

Daniel sighed, and then pushed the covers away. Fair enough babes, fair enough. He rose from the bed and followed Amy into the bathroom of their small one bedroom apartment. Daniel hated mornings, but one morning ritual he thoroughly enjoyed was showering with Amy. He watched her as she turned the shower on. The sound of the water spraying from the showerhead, coupled with the comforting warmth of the steam that was beginning to accumulate and the sight of his girlfriend removing her cotton underwear made Daniel’s senses snap to life.

He watched as she pulled the shower curtain back and slid gracefully into the shower. She poked her head out from behind the curtain, looking at him with that same smile that had intoxicated him the first time they had met almost four years ago. You coming? she asked playfully. Daniel quickly removed his boxers and kicked them to the side. You bet, he replied. He drew the curtain back partially and stepped into the shower, smiling broadly as he took in the beauty of Amy’s body. He watched as the water ran down her shoulders and over her supple breasts in tiny little rivers, down her stomach and over her neatly trimmed pubic hair. He could feel his penis beginning to swell slightly.

You know I love you babes, Daniel said as he wrapped his arms around her hips, bringing her in close so their naked bodies touched. She gazed into his eyes, still smiling. Of course I do. I love you too, more than anything. He took her chin in his hand, angled her face slightly toward his and kissed her softly. He loved the way shower kisses felt. The way that the water mingled between their lips added to the powerful sensation he experienced every time he kissed Amy. It was a sensation he intended to experience every day for the rest of his life.

Daniel opened the door to his car and sat in the driver’s seat. He waited a moment, sighing at the thought of another undoubtedly long day at the office, before finally fumbling the key into the ignition and starting the car to life. He backed out of his assigned parking spot, slammed the automatic transmission into drive and pulled away. Daniel turned on the radio and after only a few seconds, began scanning through the various stations before finally settling on an alternative rock station. He tapped the wheel in unison with the music as he made his way onto the main highway, which marked the beginning of a mundane trip to an even more mundane job as a telemarketer. He had been working the telemarketing gig for about a year now, but knew pretty much after the first week that he would not be able to handle it for any extended length of time -- not without going crazy. If Daniel only had to worry about himself, he likely would have quit after the first couple of days, but he was not thinking just about himself anymore. He was thinking about Amy and the bigger picture.

They had been together a long time and she had stuck by Daniel in good times and bad. Two years ago, after they had been dating for a little over a year, Daniel had taken a job as a salesman for a financial services company. He had been excited about the job, but soon learned that he was required to pay for all of his own expenses and drum up his own business by knocking on doors and trying to convince people to entrust him with their life savings. As if that were not shitty enough, the job was 100% commission based and Daniel went 5 months without landing a single account. What little savings he had accumulated before taking the job had disappeared quickly, and soon he found that he was unable to manage his monthly obligations -- including his portion of the rent. Amy had been there for him though. She had been a shoulder to lean on and an ear to listen to Daniel’s growing frustrations. She had helped him out financially, and though he was extremely ashamed, he was also extremely appreciative. The fact that she didn’t leave him to be buried alive in the financial hole he had dug for himself showed Daniel that this girl cared deeply for him.

Things had become a bit better for the two though. Daniel was now able to pay his bills on time, and his credit -- which had taken a massive 250-point drop -- was slowly rising back to an acceptable level. A level where lenders wouldn’t laugh in his face if he were to apply for credit. His score was still not high enough to commend the best interest rates offered, but at least it was there if need be. He hadn’t realized how hard life could become with a bad credit rating and had been unpleasantly surprised by how many doors slammed shut in your face once you dipped below that 620 mark that served as the line segregating responsible people from the losers that dragged down society. In a way though, it was perhaps one of the best learning experiences for both him and Amy. They had learned to live within their means and buy what they needed. They did not spend in excess and they did not lead flashy lives. They had learned to be responsible adults.

Part of Daniel wished that he could be in a position to give Amy a better life though. She had mentioned how much she would love to have a house of their own enough times that he knew it was something very important to her and it broke his heart knowing that they were still many years from making that dream even a remote possibility. Daniel also knew that the main reason for this was due to his credit rating -- and his credit rating alone -- and for this, he felt an extreme sense of guilt and shame.

The other thing that motivated him to keep walking through the door of the call center every morning was an item he was hoping to purchase fairly soon. He had known for a while (pretty well from their very first date), that Amy was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He had wanted to pop the question long ago, but the money was never there for him to go out and buy her an engagement ring. After a lot of hard work and long hours though he had finally got his bills back on track and he started putting small amounts of money aside every payday into his ‘Amy Fund’. He figured that in another 6 to 8 months he should have enough money set aside to buy the engagement ring he had picked out and insure it so that if it were to be damaged or tarnished, she would be able to have it repaired without having to worry about where the money for the repairs would come from. Whenever the calls at work got to be too much, or his supervisor was a little too pushy for sales, Daniel would imagine what Amy’s smile would like look when she saw the ring and he officially asked her to be his partner for life.

Daniel turned off the highway, and navigated his car into the parking lot of Minax Call Center International. He pulled into his regular parking spot, turned the car off and took a deep breath before exiting the vehicle. As he made his way toward the front entrance, he imagined Amy’s excitement at the sight of the ring he had worked so hard for, and found himself ready to face the day.

CHAPTER 2

Amy did not have as hard of a time as Daniel going to work each day. She did not feel challenged by her role as a data entry clerk for the power plant that was the sole provider of electricity for the small city of Durham. She had graduated Cum Laude from a fairly prestigious business school in the province of Nova Scotia, and had had big hopes and aspirations of landing an impressive marketing job fresh out of school. These plans involved moving to a larger city, likely Toronto or possibly Vancouver, and leaving Durham far behind. Life, so it seemed, had different aspirations for her though. Her Grandmother, Janice, with whom she had been exceptionally close, took sick with cancer during Amy’s senior year and had landed in the critical care unit of Durham Municipal Hospital a month before Amy was set to graduate. Graduate Amy did, but her Grandmother, unfortunately, was nearing the end. Amy’s mother had grown distant from Janice over some petty family argument more than 15 years ago, and could not swallow her pride long enough to visit her dying mother and Amy felt the need and responsibility to fill that void. She made a choice to forgo the job applications in Toronto and Vancouver, and instead took a low paying, entry-level internship at the power plant so that she could stay in Durham and be with her Grandmother for the remainder of her days on this earth. She did this so that Janice would know someone still loved her and so that she wouldn’t die alone.

Janice fought hard, and she lived a full 8 months after Amy’s had graduated. Despite knowing that her death was coming, and despite the mental and emotional preparation for that day, Amy found herself deeply struck by her Grandmother’s passing. Things were not the same for Amy for a long time after that, it was as if a large void had formed inside of her, and the void, like the cancer that ate away at her Grandmother’s body, ate away at Amy’s soul. She did not have the same passion for success that she had just eight months prior. The dream of moving to a big city for an impressive job was gone, and instead, Amy was now finding it a challenge just to find an ounce of joy in her day-to-day life.

Things changed for the better though when she met Daniel. They had met at a local coffee shop. She had been standing behind him in line. By chance he had ordered her favorite drink -- cafe mocha -- and she happened to strike up a conversation with him about it, which was weird because it was the first time she had ever really initiated conversation with a stranger with the intention of it hopefully turning into something more than just a casual comment. She was glad she did. They hit things off immediately, and before either one really realized, a few months later they had moved in together and considered themselves a happy couple.

Despite some of the hard times they endured, Amy knew she had made the right choice in Daniel. She loved him unconditionally and found herself imagining what it would be like to grow old together. It was a comforting thought, and it was this comfort that helped Amy overcome the grief that had loomed over her like a dark cloud, blotting out any rays of hope that things would be better somewhere down the road. She once believed that road would be long, but long it was not. She had found her ray of hope in Daniel, and her life with him was as close to perfection as life would allow.

CHAPTER 3

Daniel walked slowly through the corridor of the Durham Mall, completing another one of his weekly rituals. Every payday he would come into the mall and walk by O’Hearon’s jewelry store to renew his motivation to tuck money away into his Amy fund. He proceeded to his destination -- the corner case at the front left of the store entrance -- and held his breath as he looked down through the flawless glass of the display case at what he hoped to one day be Amy’s prize. The ring was beautiful, but modest. A brilliant 1.5-carat glacial fire diamond solitaire sitting atop a white gold band. He admired the ring for a moment, and then, as always, was brought back down to earth when he looked at the price tag. 1599.99 before taxes and insurance.

A sales lady in her mid 40’s watched Daniel from across the store. She had seen him in here almost every single week for at least the last half dozen months. He was always quiet, always kept to himself, and always left the store before any of the sales team could pitch to him. But not this time, the sales lady thought to herself. She was going to at least find out the name of the special lady the ring was meant for this week, knowing full well that the guy would be in again next week, or at the latest, the following week. That gave her plenty of time to customize a pitch and visualize the close. The guy wouldn’t have a chance to say no.

Beautiful isn’t it, the sales lady said as she approached the display case. Daniel looked up suddenly; his cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.

Very, he replied.

What’s her name? the sales lady asked.

Pardon me? Daniel replied, almost confused.

Well, I’ve seen you in here a few times, always looking at this one ring. You must have someone in mind to present it to.

Daniel hesitated for a moment. Amy he said, almost inaudibly. Her name is Amy.

Amy, the sales lady nodded. Well, she must be a very special girl indeed. Most men that come in here don’t have a clue. To be truthful, I’ve picked out about 99% of the engagement rings I’ve sold. But you -- you know exactly what you want. The ring speaks to you almost, doesn’t it?

It reminds me of her, Daniel said. Beautiful and strong, not tacky. Tastefully beautiful.

The sales lady smiled warmly. Now it was her cheeks that were turning red. She is indeed a lucky women. If only every woman had a man to compliment her like that. So, when were you planning on asking her the big question?

I would have liked to a while ago, but, unfortunately, I don’t have the money to buy this for her right now, so it’s going to have to be a little while longer.

Well, we have ways to help expedite the process a little bit the sales lady replied. She took a finance brochure out from a drawer underneath the display case and slid it casually across the glass countertop. We have some excellent financing options on right now. Six months no interest, no payments.

I appreciate the offer but, right now, I likely would not be approved for the financing. My credit took kind of a bad hit last year.

Well, you’ll never know until you try the sales lady countered with a friendly tone. You might surprise yourself.

Thanks, but no thanks. I can’t afford the hit to my credit score from a credit check. I’m trying to get it high enough so that when I do ask the question, Amy and me can be in the position to seriously look at buying a home. I have almost 3/4’s of the money saved to buy the ring. A few more months of sacrifice and I can buy it with cash.

Well, the sales lady began, if you change your mind, we can always try and see if that financing will go through. The ring is one of a kind, it’s the only one of that design in the entire store and it might not be around in a few months time.

"I’m kind of a