Fairview Hills Cemetery: North County Paranormal Unit #3

By Amanda McCormack

It’s nearly Halloween and the North County Paranormal crew is working overtime on a never-ending flood of fresh cases. Gabriella is finding her confidence in the work, embracing the weirdness and the sense of purpose it brings her. But when the mysterious Father McEnerney arrives with a case of a cemetery Ouija board session gone wrong, the team must move carefully to investigate without alerting the higher ups at The Foundation for Paranormal Studies. What they find is an entity capable of wreaking havoc in both the physical and the dream world, whose mission is nothing more than chaos and malicious fun.

Between this secret case and a potential new boyfriend whose only flaw seems to be that he doesn’t believe in ghosts, Gabriella’s new confidence is going to be put to the test. Will she and her teammates be able to send the entity back where it came from? Or will they get caught in its chaotic web?

Fairview Hills Cemetery is Book 3 in the paranormal fantasy series North County Paranormal!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amanda McCormack
• Release date: Apr 20, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005632717

Amanda McCormack

Amanda McCormack is a writer, performer, and lifelong Massachusetts resident. In a past life, she was a librarian in both public libraries and private research institutions. This led to a passion for research and writing which, combined with her love of New England’s history and culture, formed the foundation for Enfield Arts.She loves getting lost on the back roads of Massachusetts, chocolate chip cookies, and a good slow-burn romance story. She hates pears and driving in Boston. You can usually find her at home with a cup of coffee in hand and at least three pens stuck in her hair for safekeeping.

Book preview

1

Chapter 1

Gabriella should have worn a thicker coat. She’d even thought it as she was leaving the house earlier. She’d stood in front of her closet, thinking that the black one would be thicker if it got cold. It was late September in New England, so she knew that the weather could change quickly. But no, it had been sixty-five degrees when she walked out of her new apartment and went to her car that afternoon. So she’d gone with a thin pink jacket and no hat, just pulling back her long hair and hoping for the best.

But now the sun was down and it was in the low forties in this overgrown field she was standing in. She was trying not to show that she was shivering as the North County Paranormal crew were investigating strange lights outside of a barn in Westminster, Massachusetts at nine o’clock at night.

Anything on your end? she called through her phone as she shined her flashlight along the side of the antique wooden structure, trying to ignore the chill of the damp grass brushing her ankle at the top of her sneakers.

Nothing, Amelia, the team’s second-in-command, said over the speaker. They said the lights were visible from the road, but I haven’t seen any indicators since we’ve been here.

Did the Foundation do any research on this beforehand? Bradley asked, frowning in the dark beside Gabriella from under a heavy beanie. Because most times someone is seeing mysterious lights, they’re looking at a reflection of some sort. And if we’re out here because a car headlight bounced off the side of a cow, I’m not going to be happy.

Bradley, where are you from that the cows are reflective? James, their captain and Gabriella’s older cousin, called over the speaker from his position back at Headquarters. Because I’ve seen one or two in my time and I can’t say I’ve run into any with a mirrored surface.

You know what I meant, Bradley muttered, shining his flashlight into one of the broken windows of the barn.

They were on a wide stretch of property a few miles from any other signs of life. A dilapidated house was visible just over the dip of the hill nearby and it clearly hadn’t been inhabited in several years. But the barn, which was visible from the street that wound past the empty fields, was right here and the reports had said that the lights seemed to dance through it, the rhythms and movement consistent, yet unpredictable enough to seem potentially intelligent.

I’m not seeing anything on the Foundation’s end either, Madelyn said over the speaker. Graham is looking through the report they sent again to see if anything jumps out.

Graham was the newest member of the team, relieving Gabriella of that position after almost five months. He was James’s housemate and the Foundation for Paranormal Studies had hired him about a month ago after he’d helped them subdue a cryptid on the campus of the college where he’d taught. Now he was in the middle of his training program and currently shadowing Madelyn to learn more about working from the base during cases.

They said they had someone interview the owner, Graham said, his voice far away from the speaker as he came back to the comms. They live in Florida most of the year and had no idea what he was talking about when he called.

That makes sense, James said before anyone could comment. If they want us doing more investigation work, they’re not going to do more than the basics themselves before they hand it over.

Not that they had enough time or resources to be doing both. In fact, they scrambled to cover the duties they already had. The Foundation was reluctant to hire anybody new and Gabriella had a feeling that Graham’s hiring was partially a peace offering after their previous captain, Robin, had tried to murder Gabriella within her first few weeks of working there. A peace offering they’d happily take, but no one was naive enough to believe that they’d be getting any more help with their new tasks.

A light blinking inside the barn window caught her attention. She nudged Bradley, who turned and glared at her in the dark. What?

Look, she hissed, pointing toward the light.

They both paused to watch the little ball of light glowing inside the barn and Gabriella ran through all the possibilities in her head, dismissing them as they arrived. Too big to be a firefly, too low to be a smoke detector, too inconsistent to be any kind of alarm. The window was too high for her to see the floor of the barn, so there was a slim chance that there was a very elaborate hoax going on here, but she was running out of other possibilities.

James, me and Bradley have the light in our sights, she whispered. It’s in one of the windows.

Can you see inside? James asked eagerly.

The window frame was just above her head, so she couldn’t see beyond what was immediately visible in it. And when she turned to look at Bradley, who was almost her exact height, she could see him raise a skeptical eyebrow even in the thin light.

Can you give me a boost? she asked, keeping her eye on the light.

He weaved his fingers together and lowered his hands so that she could step up into them. Then, with a gentle push from him and a few seconds of awkwardly pulling herself up onto the windowsill, she was able to get a better view inside the barn.

Gabriella ran her flashlight along the dusty floor of the abandoned structure. No feet, no machines. But the light seemed to have disappeared. Shit, she murmured. It’s gone.

No, I’ve got eyes on it, Amelia said over the speaker, her voice a low whisper.

Gabriella jumped down from the windowsill, landing on a slick patch of grass and nearly losing her footing. Adrenaline buzzed through her, even now that this was a routine case. Because they really were going after a ghost. And there wasn’t much risk to this one. The Foundation wanted documentation and confirmation for the owner of the property and a paper trail in case the activity escalated in the future. But there was no need to attempt a cleansing or make contact with the entity, whatever it was.

Where are you? Bradley asked Amelia.

Behind the barn, Amelia replied. Come over here, you need to see this. But do it quietly.

Bradley and Gabriella exchanged a look, then slipped around the corner of the barn, nearly bumping into Amelia, who had her back to them. She spun around and held a finger up to her lips, then gestured into the field.

There were at least four of them now, glowing orbs bouncing among the overgrown grass no more than ten feet away from where they stood. Gabriella had a camera strapped to her chest, so she hoped the others back at base were seeing them through it. But if she said a word, even if she breathed too loud, she knew that these spirits, whatever they were, would scatter.

But it was a beautiful sight. The light was fuzzy around the edges, almost filmy. And though she thought there were four of them, they merged and separated enough that she couldn’t say for sure. But there was an energy in the air, something peaceful, and it seemed to be coming from whatever these were.

Guys, talk to me, James said over the comms. What’s going on?

Amelia jumped. They’re here, she whispered so softly that even next to her, Gabriella strained to hear. Can you see them on the camera?

I can’t see anything, Madelyn said. I’m looking out over a dark field, I think?

They’re there, Gabriella said, keeping her voice as quiet as possible.

Okay, so the film isn’t picking them up, James said. That’s fine. What about energy readings?

Still watching the orbs, Bradley slowly pulled an EMF reader out of his pocket and turned it on. Immediately, the reading went haywire, colorful lines spiking across the silent screen, and Gabriella heard Madelyn take a sharp breath.

Oh my God, she said. Are you near power lines?

No, he said. It’s the spirits.

Jesus, James said. Okay, take as many pictures of the area as you can. I’m capturing screenshots. If we can’t get visible evidence, they’ll have to deal with it. Try some EVPs too. Then head on back.

Got it, Amelia said.

They were silent again as she took out her voice recorder and hit play. The glow had dimmed slightly now and the elaborate loops were getting simpler. Gabriella took pictures of the orbs as they danced, knowing full well that none of them were going to come out. But she could feel the energy pouring off of them, surrounding the team as they watched the movements. This wasn’t a prank. Whatever they were, they were here and they were real.

The lights began winking out seconds after she took a few pictures and before Gabriella realized what was happening, the field was dark again and the three of them were standing in silence.

The entity is gone, Bradley said after a second.

Roger that, James said. Alright, come on back. I’ve got the evidence you sent over, and it’s as good as it’s going to get. We’ll get eyewitness testimony from all of you when you get back. So follow the rules on that.

Rules on that? Gabriella had never been in a situation where she was called to give testimony, not even after Robin’s death. But the other two seemed to know what to do as they turned their flashlights on and started walking back to the van where they’d parked it a little ways off of the road.

Ten minutes later, Amelia was pulling the rickety van onto the main road back toward their headquarters. Gabriella sat shotgun while Bradley was doing something on his phone in the backseat.

That was incre- Gabriella started to say, but Bradley cut her off with a loud shushing noise.

What? she snapped.

We don’t want to talk about our experiences until we give testimony, Amelia explained as she turned onto a wooded road away from the fields. That way we don’t accidentally influence each other’s accounts.

That made sense and Gabriella was a little embarrassed that she hadn’t thought of that. But he didn’t need to be a dick about it, even if that seemed to be Bradley’s default. His active malice toward her seemed to have cooled somewhat over the past few months, but that didn’t mean he was actually nice to her. But whatever. She would just ignore it and enjoy the quiet for the ride back to headquarters.

2

Chapter 2

When they got back to Headquarters, a small raised ranch house in an old suburban neighborhood, Gabriella, Amelia, and Bradley were split up and told to write down everything they’d seen on site. James explained to Gabriella that it wasn’t a procedure they had to use often, so that was why it had somehow slipped through the cracks with her training. He’d then handed her a half-filled composition notebook and a pen, then left without a word.

After about fifteen minutes, she had written everything about the orbs in rushed handwriting, trying to get it all down before any of it faded away. Finally, she set her pen down, then sat back and glanced around the room as she shook out her cramping hand.

Despite being part of an elaborate society based out of Boston, the branch organizations were usually located in unassuming houses in ordinary communities. The North Worcester County branch was no different. It was based in Leominster, an old mill city in Northern Massachusetts, dull on the outside but teeming with paranormal activity. Gabriella had grown up in the area. She’d known about the supernatural phenomena because of her family’s connections with it, but not the extent to which it was here. No, she had been introduced to all that when she joined the team back in the spring.

Gabriella was sitting in the dining room, which had been somewhat converted into a workspace when the team took over the house a decade or so ago. A large dining room table took up most of the space and the walls were covered in a mix of important charts and old, dusty landscape paintings. Across from where she was sitting was James’s office. Though even now, it was still weird to think of it as his. Up until a few months ago, it had been Robin’s. Then, after Robin’s death, it had stayed closed for a little while. Even the thought of going in there had made everybody feel sick until James had finally taken an afternoon and cleared it out. Now it was officially James’s office, whenever he remembered to actually use it. Right now, the thick wooden door was closed as Amelia sat inside, working on her own account of the evening.

Gabriella stood up and walked through the dining room into the living room area. Again, this was a blend of secret organization and grandparent’s home. A worn couch and an equally tired recliner were situated around a wooden coffee table, which was scattered with James’s paperwork. Beside it was a small bank of computers pushed up against an unused fireplace. The combination was surprisingly cozy, which was nice because they all spent a ridiculous amount of time at work these days.

Graham walked into the living room and smiled at her. How are you doing? he asked.

Good, she replied. I just finished my account. How was your night over here?

Graham shrugged. Good too, he said. I liked seeing how Madelyn handles the communication portion over here. It’s such an interesting part of this whole thing.

Looking at Graham, Gabriella could tell he was being sincere. He was a little shorter than her, and stocky, with short hair, dark skin, and a kind smile. He’d been an adjunct professor at his last job and was approaching his new position with a mix of academic curiosity and wide-eyed excitement. Gabriella was actually a little jealous of how easily he’d taken to working here, especially compared to her nightmare of a first month.

Gabriella had been hired to be killed. As much as it hurt to think of it that way, it was true. Robin, the team’s captain, had given James permission to bring her on under the pretext of filling an empty role. But he’d actually done it so that he could orchestrate an elaborate plan to show the Foundation that this under-served branch needed more resources to keep themselves and their community safe. It had culminated in him manipulating Gabriella into isolating herself from the rest of the team and eventually attempting to murder her in the woods.

But she was fine. She was over it, it had been nearly six months after all. At least that’s what she tried to tell herself when the nightmares continued to wake her up