The Door - Luci Has a Dark Secret But She Doesn’t Know It.

By Craig Wickersham

his is the story of Luci Comburet, a trailer park teen who’s being hunted by a cult of religious fanatics that want to kill her because they think she is half human, half angel…

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Luci, whose mother died when she was a baby and never knew her father, is suddenly alone. Her grandmother has passed and she has to live with an uncle she never knew she had. Last night, in her new bedroom, Luci started hearing a strange man's voice. An hour later, she found an ancient relic hidden inside an old dresser. It was a small black door carved with mysterious angels and a two-headed snake. After touching the snake, Luci awakens with the man's voice inside her head, and he's warning her to get away.

Fearful and confused, Luci barely escapes a deadly fire and finds herself on the run from a killer cult that won't stop hunting. The unwanted chase leads her into the world of those who could save her from the cult, but when they come across the door, Luci quickly discovers they have their own agenda.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Oct 25, 2017
• ISBN: 9781483474564

Book preview

The Door

Craig Wickersham

Copyright © 2017 Craig Wickersham.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-7457-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-7456-4 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 09/21/2017

For my son Miles and his wife Julie,

and the many readers who enjoy my work.

With gratitude and love.

Nothing ever happens without help.

It’s an honor to thank and acknowledge the many people in my life who have supported and inspired me over the years, especially my wife Teresa and my son Miles. My editors Jake Houle and Mary Rakow. All the members and attendees of the San Francisco Writers Conference, and a special thanks to the professionals who have moved me into the light: Michael, Ken, and Laurie, and many other agents and editors whose sage advice and encouragement keep the fires of creativity burning.

Also, I want to thank you the reader for taking your time to read this work. Please enjoy.

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Chapter

ONE

A part of me is still a bit confused, and though I’m sure that this has happened to me before, I can’t remember it. I can recall everything else though, like my name and where I live, but for some reason the very thing I want to remember eludes me: Who am I?

Hi. My name is Luci Comburet. I am almost done with high school -almost but not quite. Fate -not the word, but the all-powerful pagan goddess, she has a way of messing things up. Like when my father left me and my mother and was never seen or heard from again. I was a baby so I don’t remember him at all, but my mother, well…that’s a painful subject, too.

I should probably start with my grandmother, Gloria. I live with her in a rundown trailer park in a small nowhere town in Arizona. One of those towns you see in old black-and-white western movies: A collection of sun-bleached, paint-peeled buildings that resemble an abandoned movie set, all of them falling apart and broken down in some way. This is more obvious when a sleek new car drives into town, the shiny paint and clean glass beaming with promise. Nothing about this town has promise, including me. I have stringy black hair and pale, bleach-white skin. I have a chipped front tooth, and dark, almost coal-black eyes, magnified by big, goofy-looking glasses. Basically, I’m the same misfit outcast that this town is.

I woke up today in my squeaky, old pull-out sofa bed and smelled the pungent aroma of human shit; not a pleasant thing to wake up to. Grandma? Did you forget…? Fuck it. I got up and kicked my way back to her end of the trailer, opened the bedroom door and doubled over. Oh my God!

I gagged my way back few steps, fighting the urge to vomit. Grandma, your diaper! Let me… I turned away and took a deep breath before going in. Her small, cluttered bedroom of old furniture and piles of clothes smelled like an open sewer and it was all I could do to force myself back inside. "Grandma? Grandma, wake up. We need to wash you. I have finals today and I don’t have much time. Grandma?"

Somehow the foulness of the air moved to the background as my heart skipped a few beats. She was lying, mouth open and eyes closed, and she wasn’t moving. I touched her bare arm. Grandma? She was ice cold.

I don’t know how long I stood there before I broke down, and by ‘broke down’, I mean tears were streaming down my face. I don’t recall when I came back to life, either, but I did. Then it hit me and I ran to the kitchen sink and threw up; twice. For some reason, vomiting made me think of school and my all-important finals. I’d never missed any school, let alone a test, and this was the big one, the last and final. Shit! I grabbed my school binder and took out a piece of paper. Okay. I can do this. I wrote a short note to the park manager and pulled on my faded black jeans and a dark T-shirt. Without drinking or eating I ran to the manager’s office and stuffed the note in between the old screen and the front door. Shit! Shit! Shit!

I made it to my desk just in time for the bell. Then my teacher’s voice was filling the room. Miss Comburet, you forgot to pick up your test. I looked around the classroom. Everyone was glaring at me. Then I felt guilty for leaving my grandmother.

Sorry, I muttered with a slight tremor in my voice. I went up to her neat wooden desk and grabbed the last copy, feeling a room of hateful eyes on my back. I kept mine on the floor as I returned to my chair, trying to ignore the mean whispers as I sat down. Like I said before, I’m not popular, not pretty, and not well liked at school. It’s not that any of these kids are any better off than I am. It’s just that–

Hey, Stinky, the boy behind me said. Tommy. Him I knew well. His constant torment of name calling and brutal pranks had followed me all my years in school. In fact, it was Tommy more than anyone else who had pushed me to the sidelines of the town’s social arena. Don’t forget our deal, he added in a threatening whisper. The deal was that he wouldn’t beat me up if I let him cheat off my test. The thought of being left alone, of not being tormented, was a very real motivator at my age and later I would find, one that applies to any age group.

At the sound of the bell, you may begin. At the sound of the second bell, I want your pencils down. If I see even one of you fail at this part of the test, you’re all going to detention. No groaning! A sharp knock at the classroom door made everyone flinch. When the door opened I knew what was about to go down.

Principal Hendricks? How may I help you? Our teacher was clearly annoyed as the principal came in and whispered something to her. One of the town’s four police officers was standing in the hall and students started chattering. Quiet! she snapped. Luci, get your things and come up here. With a sigh, I carried my backpack and test up to the front desk.

Miss Comburet, the principal said. Come with me, please.

I followed him and the officer down the empty hall and around to his small, familiar office where a kind-looking woman with red hair and a brown suit stood waiting to greet us.

Luci? she said with her hand out. I shook it and swallowed a dry gulp. I could feel my heart thumping in my tongue of all places, and pounding hard in my ears, too! After all, I knew what I’d done.

Luci, please have a seat, the principal urged. There was one chair left so I glanced at the officer, studying his clean-shaven face and stern expression. He gestured to the empty chair and I sat down, keeping my backpack between my knees as my eyes began to well up.

This is Mrs. Colton from the Social Welfare office.

You’re not in any trouble, she began. We just have some questions, and… Mrs. Colton stalled, glancing at the officer for a moment, then at the principal. We received a call from the manager at the trailer park where you live.

I didn’t know what else to do. I have finals today! A hot flash singed my cheeks and tears started flowing. She was… I started shaking my head.

It’s okay, Luci. Mrs. Colton’s voice was soft and sympathetic. Tissues came from out of nowhere and I stuffed a wad of them to my face as I buckled over, sobbing to my knees. Then I felt a hand on my back. It was huge. I assumed it was the officer’s, and it made me think of my father. Where are you, Dad? You should be here!

Don’t worry about your classes, Luci, the principal said. We’ll sort that all out later. Mrs. Colton is going to take you to her office. I sat up and looked at her closely. She was young and pretty, with green eyes and straight, copper colored hair. She smiled. Her teeth were pretty, too, not like mine. I started crying again and she slid close, taking me in her arms. It felt good at first, but then I felt self-conscious and pulled away, sniffling with a forced smile.

Thank you, I managed. She gave me some more tissues and looked at the men.

Could you give us a few minutes, please?

They left and Mrs. Colton squared her chair up to mine, looking me right in the eyes.

Luci, are you okay?

I’m all right, thanks. It’s just now hitting me I guess. I never saw it coming. I didn’t know what to do. I panicked.

You’re not in any trouble. You didn’t do anything wrong.

I feel like I did. I feel… A tingling riot welled up in my eyes again. I started blinking as hard as I could. I wanted to stop crying. I wanted to be cold and hard, I wanted an impenetrable shell around me.

That’s okay, Luci. It’s normal to feel like this.

Is it? Is it normal to feel like… like the whole world hates you?

No one hates you, Luci. Your grandmother died. She was old and that happens. It wasn’t your fault.

My mouth was dry again and my eyes burned. I got up and bolted out of the room, smacking right into Officer Big-hands. Sorry…I’m thirsty. I hurried across the hall and jammed my face in the water fountain, wishing I could drink enough to drown, but I couldn’t. Mrs. Colton was standing there when I stood again. She looked so concerned. I’d only ever seen that expression on television actors, or after a school fight, when everyone gaped at the loser.

Come on, Luci. Let’s go to my office, now.

I looked down the long, empty hallway. It was so quiet and I felt so lonely. Tears came again, but I fought back. I fought back hard. My grandmother was dead, and I didn’t know what to do.

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Mrs. Colton had one of those nice new cars: clean, perfect, and it smelled so good. I sat in a state of numb awe as we drove from the high school to a small office building. She parked right in front and I got out, looking over at the old sign: Social Services.

Come on. We have donuts and juice.

I followed her in like a stray dog, pausing to take a quick sniff, to be sure the donuts actually existed. I detected something sweet in the air and relaxed. Come on, Luci. It’s okay. I forced a smile at her, looking around the sparsely furnished, lobby. The almost-white walls had a few posters of gleeful teens and the words ‘Virginity Rules’ in flowery script. I thought about my mother and how young she was when she had me. Abstinence… I’ll try to remember that.

In here. Have a seat. I’ll be right back.

I went into a small, windowless conference room. There was a round wooden table in the middle and four wooden chairs with brown upholstered seats. I sat down with my backpack at my feet, reading a few posters on drug abuse and cigarettes. The sudden urge to smoke hit me from out of nowhere, and I thought about the half deck hidden in my backpack.

Okay. Here we go. Some juice and a couple of donuts.

Mrs. Colton laid down a paper plate of sprinkled and plain and slid over a foam cup. I took the cup and looked inside. Orange juice: Nice. I took a sip and watched as she opened a manila folder and started reading the paperwork. She went through a few pages before she looked up. They’ve taken her to the county morgue. Mrs. Colton looked up and smiled. It’s normal. Nothing to worry about. It says here that she has a younger brother, Morten Wills, and he lives in Nevada. Sixty-nine years old. Do you know him?

I swallowed another bite, thinking about the question. Not really. Grandma mentioned his name, but I’ve never met him.

He lives in Cactus Springs, Nevada. On Dusty Trail. 42, Dusty Trail. No phone number listed. No details. Do you have any other relatives?

"My mother died. I never knew my father. Grandma Beech is…was all I ever knew. She raised me. I didn’t even remember that she had a brother."

Well, this is what’s going to happen. You’re still a minor, and we can’t keep you here. Her grin was a little alarming, and when she continued talking, I spaced out completely. All I could think of was my dead grandmother’s face, frozen still like a strange thing. Not human, not alive.

Did you hear me? she said. I’m going to call Cactus Springs and find your great uncle. It may take a while. I’ll be right back. She left the room and I sagged down in my chair, staring at the plate of donuts. I drank the rest of my juice, eating another donut before Mrs. Colton came back. Well, he does live in Cactus Springs. The local sheriff knows him and said that he’s been living there for twenty years. There’s an Air Force base there, and when he retired, he must have stuck around. The sheriff is going to find him and call us back.

So I’m moving to Nevada?

It’s going to be new and different, but they have a school there, a small school.

But there’s only a few weeks left!

They go until the end of May. You can’t live by yourself, and we don’t have foster homes here. This is a small town.

I can stay in the park, I can finish school… But the expression on Mrs. Colton’s face was clear: I was moving to Nevada.

You can stay with me tonight, and in the morning, we’ll pick up your things at the park. It will be your uncle’s responsibility to make arrangements for everything else, including the funeral. Now I’m sorry about all of this, Luci. I know it’s hard, but life is hard sometimes. Things don’t always happen the way we think they will. She stood and held out her arms. I was brimming again and when we hugged I just started sobbing.

I can’t b-believe it. I can’t believe s-she’s gone. Mrs. Colton ran her hand over my head and I felt like I’d been unplugged. I could have dropped to the floor.

H-how am I s-supposed to get there?

The sheriff’s department will drive you. It’s only a few hours away. Now wait here. I’ll be right back.

Right then I thought about my father, wondering where he was, wondering if he might know Grandma’s brother.

Chapter

TWO

I slept on Mrs. Colton’s sofa. Everything in her house was so clean, just like her car, and the pillow and sheets she gave