Read Online Jake's Wake by John Skipp Cody Goodfellow - Free Book Online
Authors: John Skipp Cody Goodfellow
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clomped up the stone walkway that girded the house with long, elastic strides…
Inside, the lights flickered back on, strobing unnervingly all the way down the hall to the back. For the first time, Emmy found herself staring down its length. It looked, suddenly, like a low-rent version of the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland: up until to night, the scariest place she’d ever been.
Mathias stood at last, and she clung to him, half dragged him toward the door.
Then the phone rang, and she actually screamed.
“JESUS CHRIST! Just wait, please!” Esther grabbed the phone. “Hello…? Yes. Yes, it is, Officer. Thank you. But this isn’t a good…what?”
Emmy opened the front door, but didn’t quite exit. Watching Esther’s whole body tense.
“I don’t…oh my God…”
“What?” Evangeline’s shoulders hunched up defensively, and Emmy noted with awe that she was terrified, too.
“Oh, Jesus, God…” Esther moaned into the phone, her narrow eyes widened as far as they would go.
Emmy backed out of the doorway, onto the front step, into the strobing porch light…
…and there was a man striding toward her in the darkness. Her own eyes widened to accommodate the sight. The flickering lightning lit him from behind, so that she could only see his shape.
But the silhouette was huge, and impossibly familiar…
…and as the first rays of the porch light hit him, she knew for a fact who it was…
Chapter Fourteen
Esther hung up the phone, let it dangle from her hand. All eyes were upon her as she struggled toward speech, unable to believe it herself.
“There’s been a…” she stammered. “They said it was a massacre, at the chapel.”
“No…” Evangeline moaned, letting the word stretch out.
“And Jake’s coffin—the—”
“Omigod…”
“The body is missing—”
BLAM! Emmy raced into the room, slamming the front door behind her. She fumbled with the lock, flush with panic.
It went
click.
And as she turned to face the rest of them, a huge black silhouette filled the stained glass window behind her.
For a moment, time itself went paralytic. No motion in the room. No sound. A universe in stasis, locked between off and on.
Jasper felt the paralysis in his bones, for that long frozen moment. It was a feeling that he recognized,very clearly, as terror: the kind you normally only had in dreams.
Then the moment unfroze.
And things started happening very fast.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
A fist slammed against the wooden door, so hard that the stained glass began to shatter.
Everyone screamed, including Jasper, his adrenaline jacking up into the red zone.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
As the wood began to splinter as well.
“Who IS it?” Esther yelped, cringing back.
“It’s not him. It can’t be him—” Emmy muttered mechanically.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Then the doorknob started to furiously jiggle, at speed-freak speed.
“God damn you!” Evangeline shrieked.
And that was enough of that shit. That was all that he could stand. Her scream broke the spell, popped him out of inertia.
It was time to beat the fuck out of someone.
Jasper stepped forward, nudged the Bible babies out of the way. Behind him, he heard Eddie run to Esther, heard her moan as he held her close. He shot a quick glance at his friends behind him. Saw Christian come up beside Evangeline, the both of them wide-eyed, still blank with fear. He flashed them his very best wink and grin.
Then he turned around, just in time to watch the door blow off its hinges like a church exploding, stained glass flying everywhere…
…and Jake stepped into the room, as the door hit the floor: flesh mottled with death, funeral makeup still on, eyes blazing like bloodred coals…
From Jake’s point of view, the moment was priceless. So many gaping faces to enjoy. So much awe in his presence.
He couldn’t have asked for a better resurrection crowd.
It was kind of surprising to see Jasper Ellis there, dancing back from the door as it skidded toward him. But
Inside, the lights flickered back on, strobing unnervingly all the way down the hall to the back. For the first time, Emmy found herself staring down its length. It looked, suddenly, like a low-rent version of the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland: up until to night, the scariest place she’d ever been.
Mathias stood at last, and she clung to him, half dragged him toward the door.
Then the phone rang, and she actually screamed.
“JESUS CHRIST! Just wait, please!” Esther grabbed the phone. “Hello…? Yes. Yes, it is, Officer. Thank you. But this isn’t a good…what?”
Emmy opened the front door, but didn’t quite exit. Watching Esther’s whole body tense.
“I don’t…oh my God…”
“What?” Evangeline’s shoulders hunched up defensively, and Emmy noted with awe that she was terrified, too.
“Oh, Jesus, God…” Esther moaned into the phone, her narrow eyes widened as far as they would go.
Emmy backed out of the doorway, onto the front step, into the strobing porch light…
…and there was a man striding toward her in the darkness. Her own eyes widened to accommodate the sight. The flickering lightning lit him from behind, so that she could only see his shape.
But the silhouette was huge, and impossibly familiar…
…and as the first rays of the porch light hit him, she knew for a fact who it was…
Chapter Fourteen
Esther hung up the phone, let it dangle from her hand. All eyes were upon her as she struggled toward speech, unable to believe it herself.
“There’s been a…” she stammered. “They said it was a massacre, at the chapel.”
“No…” Evangeline moaned, letting the word stretch out.
“And Jake’s coffin—the—”
“Omigod…”
“The body is missing—”
BLAM! Emmy raced into the room, slamming the front door behind her. She fumbled with the lock, flush with panic.
It went
click.
And as she turned to face the rest of them, a huge black silhouette filled the stained glass window behind her.
For a moment, time itself went paralytic. No motion in the room. No sound. A universe in stasis, locked between off and on.
Jasper felt the paralysis in his bones, for that long frozen moment. It was a feeling that he recognized,very clearly, as terror: the kind you normally only had in dreams.
Then the moment unfroze.
And things started happening very fast.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
A fist slammed against the wooden door, so hard that the stained glass began to shatter.
Everyone screamed, including Jasper, his adrenaline jacking up into the red zone.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
As the wood began to splinter as well.
“Who IS it?” Esther yelped, cringing back.
“It’s not him. It can’t be him—” Emmy muttered mechanically.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Then the doorknob started to furiously jiggle, at speed-freak speed.
“God damn you!” Evangeline shrieked.
And that was enough of that shit. That was all that he could stand. Her scream broke the spell, popped him out of inertia.
It was time to beat the fuck out of someone.
Jasper stepped forward, nudged the Bible babies out of the way. Behind him, he heard Eddie run to Esther, heard her moan as he held her close. He shot a quick glance at his friends behind him. Saw Christian come up beside Evangeline, the both of them wide-eyed, still blank with fear. He flashed them his very best wink and grin.
Then he turned around, just in time to watch the door blow off its hinges like a church exploding, stained glass flying everywhere…
…and Jake stepped into the room, as the door hit the floor: flesh mottled with death, funeral makeup still on, eyes blazing like bloodred coals…
From Jake’s point of view, the moment was priceless. So many gaping faces to enjoy. So much awe in his presence.
He couldn’t have asked for a better resurrection crowd.
It was kind of surprising to see Jasper Ellis there, dancing back from the door as it skidded toward him. But
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