Ashes to Ashes (Experiment in Terror 8)

CHAPTER ONE

It’s been two months since I first told Dex Foray that I loved him. Two months since we’ve lived together, as an actual couple, in his Seattle apartment. And two months since Rebecca Sims joined us as our welcomed third wheel in the Experiment in Terror show. It goes without saying that they’ve been the best two months of my life.

But, like most things, it hasn’t been perfect. My relationship with my family is now awkward as all hell—I mean more so than it used to be, and that says a lot. I’ll talk to my mom and dad maybe every two weeks, and it’s just one of those please shoot me in the head kind of moments where you’re grasping for shit to say and your mouth is moving and suddenly you’re talking about the weather or the latest celebrity scandal or things you can’t even remember just to keep the conversation going, just so it doesn’t lag and you don’t have to address the giant flaming pink rollerblading elephant in the room.

Yeah … about that giant flaming pink rollerblading elephant. That would be that I left my parent’s house, where I had spent most of my twenty-three years, and decided to move in with my partner. Dex. The guy that my parents absolutely hated because I had an ill-timed fling with him back when he had a girlfriend (no judging), and he turned into a dick right after I slept with him (please no judging), and I ended up miscarrying his baby (okay, the judging is inevitable). I’m not saying any of that lightly because it pretty much ruined the fabric of my being and introduced demonic possession into my life experiences, but I mean, you can kind of understand why my parents think Dex Foray is public enemy number one.

Obviously, they don’t approve of my new life. I can tell that from the things they aren’t saying and the questions they aren’t asking. They don’t even wonder when or if I’m coming home; it’s just such a non-issue that it’s become an issue. At least for me. I want them to care. I want them to say something, even if it’s just to scream at me.

The only person that I talk to truthfully on a daily basis (even if it’s just mainly through texts) is my younger sister Ada. She’s happy for me, happy that things are going well with Dex (even though she often starts the conversation with, “You guys still together? Yes? Okay cool,”) but she doesn’t pull back from telling me how badly she wants me to come back home, even just for a visit.

The thing is, I’m totally scared. One part of me wants to go back, to try and smooth things over and make things right. Maybe if they see Dex again, months later and in a better context, they’ll learn to like him. To see the things I see. To see how well he treats me. And I want to see Ada and hug her and make her feel like she doesn’t have to face my parents alone. But the other half of me thinks it could be a mistake—that they’d never open up to him, and I’d regret even trying to make amends. I could make things worse.

I needed a sign.

“Ouch, Jesus,” I swore at the stabbing pain at my wrist. I glared up at the burly, bearded tattoo artist who was glaring back at me.

“Try not to flinch,” he said gruffly, his gloved hand hovering over my bared wrist.

“You’re almost done, honey,” Rebecca said in her soothing British accent, patting my other hand. “Few more minutes. Looks fab.”

I sighed and tried to relax my body. Now that I wasn’t daydreaming, everything was very real. I was with Rebecca, lying on my back in a Seattle tattoo parlor, getting some ink on my wrist. My first tattoo, and though it didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would, it was still extremely uncomfortable. It probably didn’t help that it was on one of the more sensitive areas. I was just lucky I decided to go with one color of ink—blue—instead of getting it filled in.

Oh yeah, I was getting a tattoo of an anchor. Cliché, I know, but I got it for Dex. After all, he had a tattoo inspired by me on his shoulder, and I figured it was only fair. And, you know, he was my anchor. When he’d given me the anchor silly band back on D’Arcy Island, that stupid little gesture meant so much to me. Then, when I’d ripped it off after, well, the “incident,” I’d missed that symbol. Through all the ups and downs we’d gone through, in the end, he was still my rock. And an anchor was a hell of a lot sexier than getting a big ass boulder tatted on you.

“He’s going to be so surprised,” Rebecca said as the tattoo machine resumed its buzzing.

I ground my teeth together against the vibrating prickles. “Uh huh. I hope so.”

I asked Rebecca to accompany me here so I wouldn’t have to go through it alone. I wanted it to be a surprise for Dex, so I just told him we were going out and doing girly things. I know his dirty mind was probably imagining us heading to some International Pillow-Fighting Convention, and a tattoo parlor was the last place he’d think of. I wasn’t really the tattoo type—my interests in life were so wavering and fleeting, but my love for Dex was as permanent as ink. I wanted him to know that.

“Okay, you’re done,” the man said, lifting away the needle, the room growing temporarily quiet without the constant buzz.

“For real?”

He grunted in response and motioned for me to sit up. I slowly did so and stared at my left wrist. It wasn’t bleeding like I thought it would be since I’d felt him periodically dabbing it with cloth as he worked. The tattoo was shiny and raised, the skin around it red, but it looked beautiful. Simple but beautiful. And I suddenly felt infinitely cooler.

I looked up at Rebecca for her approval as the artist started wrapping it in black plastic. Her matte red lips were stretched into a smile, her eyes sparkling with delight. In fact, she looked borderline ecstatic which I found almost odd.

“He’s going to love it,” she said. “Really, really. It’s going to mean so much to him.”

I smiled. “Good.”

It’s not that Dex didn’t know how I felt about him. After what happened to us in New Orleans, and how he’d almost died right before my eyes and I almost lost him in so many ways, I’d had verbal diarrhea of the lovey-dovey kind. But for some reason, at times I could tell it was hard for Dex to believe me. When I told him I loved him, he had a knack for turning it into a joke, like, “You say that to all the boys,” and while he played it off in his cheeky way, I could tell it came from somewhere. I hoped the tattoo would ease that for him.

Like I said, they’d been the best two months of my life, but things weren’t perfect. It’s hard to truly appreciate things when somewhere in the back of your mind you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I swung my legs off the table, admiring even the black plastic around my wrist. That, combined with my new twelve-hole forest green Doc Martens and my leather jacket that was too hot for the surprisingly warm May weather, I felt better than I had in weeks. See, along with the whole impeding feeling of doom that I couldn’t shake (and I had no idea what it was about either), I’d gained some weight after moving in with Dex. I could blame his diet all I wanted, but the fact was he ate fairly well and still went to the gym every day, so there goes that excuse. I knew they were “happy pounds,” like the in-love equivalent of the freshman fifteen, but it still had me a bit bummed out. Dex loved me the way I was, but I still felt like I had to be something he could show off, something like his ex-girlfriend Jenn. I’d lost the shape I worked hard for over Christmas, and I always had the fear that one day he’d realize I wasn’t good enough for him.

“Come on,” Rebecca said, tugging on my arm toward the cash register. “Let’s get you home to your man.” She clicked her way over to the counter in her sky-high red heels, her small ass sashaying in her pencil skirt. Rebecca was the opposite of me. Since she and Emily broke up, she’d been doing nothing but losing weight, something she didn’t need to begin with.

It didn’t help that when we had our last meeting with Jimmy Kwan at Shownet over Experiment in Terror, he brought up the fact that Rebecca should be in front of the camera. He wasn’t trying to boot me off, so he said, but that two hot girls were better than one. Luckily Rebecca refused, saying she was only good as a production manager and that her days of hosting ended when Wine Babes did. And even though Rebecca was his good friend, Dex agreed. I probably would have hit him if he didn’t.

Ever since we’d come back from New Orleans, we’d done about five shows together as a “threesome.” It wasn’t until the fourth show—investigating the haunted town of St. Augustine in Florida—that we really found our rhythm and clicked. Though filming hadn’t changed much, Dex and I had to adjust to a more regimented schedule, running on Rebecca’s time now and not our own. I had to admit it helped—we never wasted too much time in one space, and we were always in the most opportune areas, but there was a learning curve all the same. We had to stop being “Perry and Dex” and remember that Rebecca was counting on us as well. Then there was the fact that Rebecca wasn’t, well, she wasn’t like us. She rarely saw anything supernatural, and I know it started to bug her too when Dex and I would be freaking out or talking to ghosts, and she’d be staring at nothing. By the fifth episode, a haunted library in Eureka, Rebecca decided she’d only be around the actual filming when we needed a hand—otherwise she’d be somewhere else and leave the ghosts to us.

“I wonder where we’re filming next,” Rebecca commented as we walked down the street to her car.

I shot her an odd look, wondering if she’d heard my thoughts. I still had this tendency to project my thoughts and lately I’d been picking up on other people’s. It usually happened with Dex, though on occasion I’d find it in some random person. But Rebecca had never been on the receiving end of Perry telepathy. At least not yet.

“Did you hear what I was thinking?” I asked.

She smiled. “No, and believe me, the day I hear you, you’ll know. It’s just we both know that Dex is having that meeting with Jimmy today. I’m assuming it won’t be about me being a host since I nearly ripped him a bloody new one. Hopefully it will be another assignment.” She unlocked the door to her hatchback and I got in in the passenger seat. “I mean, it’s been three weeks since we returned from California and I know the library episode wasn’t a complete disaster.”

I nodded as she took us out of the Queen Anne district and headed back to downtown Seattle. I rubbed the plastic over my tattoo, wanting to peek at it again but having to restrain myself. “I know. It’s like I know there are tons of paranormal hot spots all over the country—more now than ever, according to websites.”

She brought out a cigarette and rolled down the window before lighting it. “I sent a bunch of suggestions to Jimmy too, but I think after Florida, he wants to keep us closer to home.”

“Because he’s cheap.”

She exhaled a cloud of blue smoke. “I guess having a sponsor didn’t really help.”

“At least it’s paying for your salary. We didn’t have that before.”

She gave me a shy glance. “So you’re saying you don’t totally resent me for being on the show with you?”

I looked at her incredulously. “What? No! What makes you say that?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I feel like the third wheel sometimes.”

“You are the third wheel,” I said. She gave me a half smile and I quickly continued. “Meaning, you’re the wheel. You steer us, you keep us going in the right direction. Yeah, it’s different for me and Dex, but sometimes I think it’s because our relationship has changed too. Everything is different from the way it used to be and that’s not a bad thing. Thanks to you, the shows are tighter and we’re not wasting as much money, and Jimmy doesn’t yell at us as much. The shows look better too—just having you around to put up a second light or whatever. Seriously, Becs, you’re awesome. You’re the reason Dex and I can still do this. You’re a lifesaver.”

“Well, you’re way more fun to work with than Jenn,” she said. “Though that’s a given.”

Sometimes I’d forget that Dex started out at Shownet by being the cameraman for Wine Babes, filming Jenn and Rebecca as they talked about pairing certain wines with McShit from McDonalds. That’s how he hooked up with that bitch to start with. I tried to shrug off the questions, wanting to ask Rebecca what they were like when filming together versus the way Dex and I are. I was under the impression that they were off humping like bunnies every time they worked together, and though Dex and I weren’t that different, I think he was slightly more professional around me. Which was good…right?

I rubbed my lips together, keeping my mouth shut, and sat back as Rebecca put Lana Del Ray on her stereo. I let the music rush over me and fidgeted in anticipation of Dex’s reaction to my tattoo. I really hoped he wasn’t going to think it was too much. Sure, we’d been together for two months as an actual couple, but things were still so fresh and new for us in so many ways.

CHAPTER TWO

We found parking on the street just as the monorail trundled past our apartment, heading down 5th Avenue, and made our way up to the apartment. As soon I as stuck my key in the lock, I heard tiny little paws and claws scampering on the ground and knew Fat Rabbit was launching himself across the floor at rocket speed.

I turned around and eyed Rebecca’s bare legs. “Be prepared.” Fat Rabbit had already ruined countless pairs of tights from jumping on her, much like Dex had ruined countless pairs of underwear by ripping them off of me.

I eased open the door to see the drooling, elfin little face of Dex’s French bulldog jumping up at me, emitting frantic barks of joy. I’d gotten used to the little bugger, but Dex was still his master, his alpha. Fatty Rab treated me like another dog, which was fine since I didn’t have to be the one to discipline him. Actually, it was kind of charming when Dex did have to lay the smackdown on him (not literally of course). There was a warm feeling in the back of my head, the surprising idea that he’d be a very good father.

But that was my silly brain always getting ahead of everything. I constantly needed to remind myself to concentrate on the present before my mind started fantasizing about all these ridiculous plans for my future. One step at a time….

I shooed the dog away with my boot, knowing Dex wasn’t home yet, and we walked into the apartment. Not a lot had changed since I moved in. It was my place too now, and it felt like it, but it wasn’t like I’d always harbored dreams of redoing Dex’s place. I had some vintage travel posters framed and put on the walls alongside signed concert posters, a few skull-embossed pillows added to the couch, a potted plant in the corner near the balcony, and a small herb garden I started on the windowsill, but that was about it. It was very us—whatever that meant.

I made Rebecca and I a cup of coffee with our new espresso machine, somehow managing to spray coffee all over my shirt. While I was in the bedroom changing, I heard Dex come in. Well, I heard Fat Rabbit erupt into a chorus of happy barks.

I slipped on a long-sleeved Henley, unbuttoning the top few buttons (Dex always said you gotta work with what God gave you), and made sure the sleeve covered the plastic over the tattoo. I poked my head out the door to see him throwing his car keys into the bowl on the kitchen counter before scooping Fat Rabbit into his arms.

Dear Lord, there was never anything hotter than watching Dex cuddle his dog. And as usual, he was looking good. The “pinch me, is he really my boyfriend?” kind of good. I literally asked myself that every single day.

He was wearing his only pair of blue jeans (most of his pants were either camo, grey, or black) that were so worn it looked like he’d had them since he was a teenager. They made his ass look amazing, regardless. On his feet were his black army boots. His t-shirt was white, not too tight, but you could still see his amazing shoulders and pecs, and his biceps popped with that early summer color. He’d picked it up at some thrift store, probably because it said Ride the Mustache across it.

He gave Fat Rabbit a kiss on the head and said hello to Rebecca.

“Where’s Perry?” he asked. Before she could answer, his dark eyes quickly flew over to me and he smiled as bright as day, his dimples showing on his scruffy face. “There’s my woman.”

It felt like warm honey poured down my spine and feather-winged butterflies flew up my limbs. All it took was to see him, to hear those words that I was his, and I was falling in love, so hard and so fast all over again. It made me forget all my problems, lifted that ominous weight off my back. He worked better than any anti-depressant.

I grinned back at him as he put Fat Rabbit on the ground and walked over to me. He put his arm around the small of my back and pulled me close to him before kissing me softly on the lips. He pulled away and brushed my hair behind my ear. From the way his dark eyes were glinting as they searched mine, I had to wonder what was on his mind, if somehow he already knew about the tattoo.

“Hey kiddo,” he said, voice rough and soft at the same time.

Rebecca cleared her throat from across the room and Dex looked back at her.

“Sorry,” he said, though I knew he wasn’t. “I guess you don’t want to get in on this action. Do you?”

She rolled her eyes and I quickly smacked him across his chest. He grinned cheekily back at me and ran his hand through his thick black hair before taking mine in his and leading me over to the couch.

“Now I can tell you two are hiding something from me because you both have these devilish little girly smirks on your faces,” he said as he sat me down.

I looked over at Rebecca, eyes wide, and she quickly shrugged just before he turned to her.

“But,” he continued, giving her the stare down, “before I get it out of you by nefarious means, we have to talk about the show.”

I swallowed hard, a lump forming in my chest. I really hoped Jimmy wasn’t ragging on him again about making Rebecca the host. Dex noticed the look on my face and said, “Don’t worry. I think this is very good news.”

Rebecca stepped closer, folding her arms. “Well, what is it?”

“We’ve got a show. And it seems like it’s going to be a good one.”

I exhaled noisily at that.

“It’s about time,” Rebecca said. “Where?”

He took in a deep breath before saying, “A haunted school. On the Oregon Coast.” He looked at me expectantly. “It’s just an hour away from your Uncle Al’s.”

I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. “Oregon?”

“We’re going back to the beginning, baby,” he said, wagging his brows. “Only there’s no lighthouse this time. As shit-your-pants scary as that Old Roddy fucker was, we’ve got a school of dead children. But we can handle it. And if we can’t, well that’s what Jack Daniels is for.”

Rebecca pursed her lips. “Okay, I’m going to need a bit more information than school of dead children, Dex. What was wrong with all the suggestions I kept giving to Jimmy? There are heaps of haunted places around with actual documented phenomenon. In all my research, I’ve never come across any kind of haunted school before on the Oregon Coast.”

“To be fair, Becs,” Dex said with a leveling gaze, “you’ve only been doing research for, what, two months? Jimmy said this just came to his attention the other day. He’s already discussed it with the sponsors and the school and they’ve all agreed to it.” She frowned at that, probably feeling that her role as production manager was getting stepped on a bit by Jimmy himself. “And anyway, he showed me the location and gave me the lowdown on the whole place. It seems legit.”

He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a beer. “Anyone want one?”

Rebecca and I shook our heads while he came back, swigging on a bottle of Heineken. He sat down on the couch beside me, his arm coming around my shoulder.

“Where on the coast?” I asked him, my mind still stewing over the fact that I’d be not only returning to Oregon, but near the place that started it all, the place where I first met Dex. It was a fucking trip to think how full circle this could be, to go from running into him in the lighthouse and staring at his face for the first time to sitting beside him in our apartment, his arm around me, in love. Did I even realize at the time what this strange man would become to me? Everything.

“There’s a small town called Gary on the coast, just north of Tillamook. I know you and I have driven past it before.”

I frowned, my memory jogging in place.

He continued, “There’s a giant smokestack there leftover from a mill that no longer exists. I remember you telling me it looked creepy. I thought it looked like an ancient dildo.”

“You would,” I said. I had a faint image of it in my head. “Is there a large G carved into the mountainside?”

He nodded. “Yeah. The town itself is nothing to look at, but there used to be a sanitarium there. Sea Crest. Until the 50s it was used for children with Tuberculosis. They believed the fresh ocean air would, I dunno, clear their lungs or something. But it never did. There was no cure until there was a cure. It was basically a house of death. The kids would die in the end, all of them dropping like flies. You came in to Sea Crest by the front door and you came out by the morgue.”

I shivered despite it being warm in the room.

“Sounds like a bloody good time,” Rebecca said under her breath.

Dex slapped his knee, making me and Fat Rabbit jump. He seemed to be a little too enthusiastic about this. “Speaking of blood, when the patients died, the doctors would put them on this special slab and drain their bodies of blood. Apparently in the upper floors of the school, you can see the rivers of blood in the floor that they couldn’t seem to clean away.”

“How is this still being used?” I asked. “I mean, a school?”

He shrugged. “I know. Apparently it’s a grade school for artistically gifted children. Their old school was in Tillamook but it burned down a couple years ago. Parents didn’t want to have to pay for a new building with an increase in tuition so they decided to take over the old sanitarium.”