Signs Book One: The Unwanted Read online

  Contents

  The Unwanted

  Introduction

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter One Part Two

  Chapter Two Part Two

  Chapter One Part Three

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Two Part Three

  Did you see the Sign!!!

  The Unwanted

  Book One: Signs Series

  By: Andrew Michaels

  02/14/2015

  Published by: Artisan Publishing Guild, LLC

  [email protected]

  Edited by: Adele Symonds

  Cover by: Katherine J.

  Introduction

  Let this intro serve as a warning to those that have stumbled upon this manuscript, the contents you’re about to read will change your life and unfortunately not for the better. It is my hope that I can dissuade even the most curious soul from continuing. You see, my motivations for writing this are purely selfish, only not in the ways that may come to mind. It is a compulsion that must be satisfied, perhaps compulsion is the wrong word, it’s more of a need to explain the things that I have witnessed. More importantly, if I don’t put pen to paper I may completely lose myself; truth be known, this has already started and I have to attempt to reverse it. As I said, completely selfish.

  Again I will attempt to halt you, if you value your wellbeing at all, stop reading this book. At this point you’re more than likely asking yourself ‘Why would someone continually attempt to divert me from reading a tale that they have taken the time to write.’ The answer is simply because nothing positive can come from the “story” you’re about to read. I can’t explain why just yet. Not until you have fully committed yourself to knowing. And knowing is the end of everything. Unless you set this down and walk away before I have finished you can never go back.

  Let’s take a page out of mythology, if ever there was a time for the Trojan people to have listened to Cassandra’s predictions of doom it would’ve been in the days leading up to the fall of Troy. Yet Apollo’s curse prevented those fated people from seeing her as anything but a madwoman who they refused to listen to. In the end Troy did fall, and so too will my warnings go unheeded. Yet I will ask one last time, please do not turn the page.

  Chapter One

  I apologize for the introduction, it had to be done. In order for me to tell you this story, I found it necessary to remove as much guilt as possible from myself. You see now it’s too late, now ‘They’ know. More specifically, if you made it this far I urge you to continue, the allotted “safe” period has passed. Introspectively I understand the taboo of breaking the fourth wall. However, this is not what I’ve been doing. In the rare situation we find ourselves currently in there was no fourth wall to break. I have established that I’m speaking directly to the reader from the very beginning, and during this time I did try to tell you to stop, I’m sure you’re thinking, ‘Get on with it!’ It’s just a terrible feeling knowing that I have condemned you to the very same fate I have been enduring, simply because you picked up this manuscript. I also know beyond certainty that by the end you’ll wish I had told you to stop one last time, and even more so than that you will wish you had listened.

  You’re now a part of something unbelievably horrible and like most other things that take place in our world there are rules to this as well. Fuck, perhaps I should start at the beginning so that you can understand who I am, or was, before all this started. Yes, I think that getting to know me will help you to believe that what I am telling you is, in fact, the truth. To the beginning then… The rules will need to wait.

  Chapter Two

  “What kind of asshole designed this road?” I distinctly remember those being the first words I spoke that day, even if they were to myself. Like every other day I was driving on Sugar Hollow road right around 5am on my way to work. I drove that road not because it saved time, and surely not because it was a remarkable feat of engineering. It was fun driving on it, a winding snake of never knowing what was around the next corner. I swear the road itself changed every day. Fog, deer, rocks from the side of the road, and even new sink holes in my little yellow pickup truck’s path made Sugar Hollow road the only way I would start my day. Oh, my name is Ezra Michelle LaGrange. And I’m an electrical engineer.

  Like many other engineers I took after my father. Having been an only child I spent a lot of my time listening to him talk about circuits and different types of problems that he faced at his place of employment. It was like a leg up for me, I started getting practical application quizzes when I was in elementary school.

  I had started to say, I remember the drive that day as being unique, even for a living road. It seemed that even the signs on the side of the road were alive. I was about to start heading up the large hill by the vineyard when I had to stop for three deer that were standing frozen in my way. When I noticed a sign that I hadn’t ever seen before, it was simple, a red circle with a line through it and the word ‘Tailgating’.

  As I looked at the sign it… well, it sparkled and sort of waved at me. I had a strange feeling wash over me that started behind my eyes and tingled its way along my brain to the back. Have you ever experienced Déjà vu? Now imagine that but on steroids. The strangest part, everything turned purple and I could distinctly smell garlic. As the purple faded I saw a small red car sitting on the other side of the deer waiting as well. I closed my eyes very hard attempting to clear the effects of whatever had happened. When I opened them again I had changed where I was, I now stared at a little yellow pickup truck that was heading up the hill with ME in the driver’s seat. I closed my eyes one more time…

  Chapter One continued…

  Do you remember when I said ‘They’ know? ‘They’ are the reason the rules have been established, and it is ‘Them’ that following these rules protects you from. The rules vary depending upon the type you’re encountering. But I will explain more about the types later, for now, let me explain the rules.

  The first rule, never say anything about ‘Them’ out loud, ‘They’ will know and ‘They’ don’t like to be spoken about.

  The second rule, if you see something out of the corner of your eye, don’t look, it may be nothing, but then again, it may be ‘Them’ and ‘They’ don’t like to be seen unless ‘They’ choose to be.

  The third rule, when you feel something is watching you or you think you hear whispering, you’re not going crazy. Some of ‘Them’ like to draw your attention so ‘They’ can scare the hell out of ya. If you are asking why would ‘They’ be in the corner of my eye, why would ‘They’ be listening to me speak, and why would ‘They’ whisper if ‘They’ don’t want to be noticed? I never said ‘They’ didn’t. There is a substantial difference between wanting to and liking it.

  Having lived with this for a while now I have learned very little about ‘Them’ but I have learned how to survive (at least for now).

  The fourth rule, you may learn as much information about ‘Them’ as you wish. While this is true, be warned that the more you learn about ‘Them’, the more interested in you they become.

  The fifth
rule, never lie about knowing. If a stranger approaches you and hands you a note asking if you know about ‘Them’. It’s in your best interest to answer honestly. You may also wish to start carrying a note book with you as these encounters are more frequent than you would think.

  Chapter Two cont.

  One of the deer walked up to my car and asked if I was ok. I shook my head to clear it and noticed that the deer was actually a man, in fact, it was a police officer.

  “Hey, buddy, I asked if you are ok.” He asked again.

  “I’m fine.” I rolled down the window. “There were deer in the road. I couldn’t get them to move and I must have fallen asleep while I waited on them.” I said, looking out my windshield down the hill to the vineyard in the sunrise.

  “Let me see your license and registration.” The police asked.

  “Yes sir.” I replied and started to get into my glove box.

  “Where were you headed?” he asked while I looked.

  “Headed home from work.” I removed my registration from the mess.

  “Which is where?” the police officer asked.

  “Sorry, I am currently working the night shift for the call in center at the paper mill.” I replied.

  He took the license and registration when I handed them over and read, “…Edward Steven Clark. Mr. Clark, you seem to be ok but I’m going to need you to blow into this,” He said holding out a Breathalyzer.” After a few moments the device read 0.00. “I thought as much, remember the deer are in rut so they’re insane this time of year, especially on this road. Drive safe.” He waved a car past as he handed my documents back to me. I rolled up the window and waited for the officer to drive away. I continued down the hill on my way home, my sister wasn’t going to believe this.

  Chapter One continued…

  To date my research shows that there are seven different types of ‘Them’, but thus far I’ve only noted four in my day to day life.

  Crisis Apparitions, or CAs, I call them this because ‘They’ are the least dangerous and also the most common. On any given day I have two to three CAs following me and unlike the other kinds, CAs actually go out of their way to get you to see them. ‘These’ pose the greatest threat to weak hearted people as they will scare the shit out of you multiple times a day. ‘They’ can change the way they look, this may be unique to ‘Them’.

  Vandals are the second most common type, ‘They’ are also sometimes referred to as noisy spirits or poltergeists. It seems like ‘They’ pick a person, or at least stick around for a while ‘They’ are called Vandals because ‘They’ steal, break, and/or move your stuff around. As pets are overly sensitive to all types, you really shouldn’t have pets. Vandals seem to be the most offended by innocent animals noticing ‘Them’, and quite often kill pets in horrible ways. A person typically has only one or two Vandals at once but there is no reason people couldn’t have more.

  Artisans are not as common as CAs or Vandals but are typically harmless. ‘They’ produce music, or singing, where there should be none. ‘They’ make doodles which are sometimes elaborate on your windows that show up the next sunny day or during a cold spell. Artisans have been known to have full conversations with people, as long as the person doesn’t search for ‘Them’.

  Regionals are rare, ‘They’ cross over only when a dwelling is built upon the place where ‘Their’ life was irascibly changed or lost. The builder or owner unwittingly invited this new one into the home, forever. Most house hauntings in movies are due to this act.

  Lurkers, ‘These’ are the dangerous ones, I believe by the time you’ve learned about ‘Them’ you probably already have one, in rare cases, two. Most of the rules have to do with ‘Them’ and ‘They’ are normally the ones that will kill you. It is important to know, if your lurker is standing right in front of you ignore it at all costs, even if you must harm yourself to do so.

  Legends, this type is vastly different from the others, ‘They’ sustain and even grow stronger through people knowing about and fearing ‘Them’. So instead of being angered by people talking about ‘Them’, it would seem ‘They’ encourage it. Some legends are so powerful that it seems like there are many of ‘Them’ but each is unique. Examples of legends are Dracula, Baku, and the Boogeyman. Consider yourself lucky if you never have to deal with a legend as encounters with ‘Them’ are almost one hundred percent deadly, there are exceptions however, Baku would rather keep his victims alive indefinitely. You’ll know when one has chosen you because all of the others will have left. It will feel like it’s the first moment of peace you’ve had in a long time and then your worst nightmares begin.

  The last types are Star-Specters, which are more of a demon than a ghost. It is heavily debated as to whether ‘These’ types are even part of the group at all. The fact is ‘They’ are so rare you would encounter three Legends before you run across one Star-Specter. If you end up doing something that you have no memory of, like waking up next to a dead body you may have fallen under the control of a Star-Specter.

  Chapter Three

  I arrived at my ugly little blue house, why anyone would ever have designed a tri-level was beyond me. There was so much wasted space, an entire third story of just storage. I parked my car, leaning back in my seat going through the events of the previous day. I was so damn tired from having to stay up and listen to whiny housewives complain about this or that. Their true agenda is always getting free shit. I have to listen to them but I truly feel like asking, “Bitch, what free shit are you trying to get.” It would really save so much time. Thinking about the episode with the deer and then the cop, I got out of the car and walked into the house. It was always hard sneaking in without waking up my sister, Annabel. I call her Nelli unless I’m mad at her. She had moved in with me a couple years ago when she started college, and although she is pretty and has always had a lot of attention from boys, luckily she has not brought any to my house.

  I opened the door and snuck in with all the grace of a church mouse. Only to find that little shit going through one of my notebooks. “Aren’t you just a nosy Nelli?” I asked.

  The notebook flew into the air. “You scared the living shit out of me. What are you like ten years old again? ‘Stay out of my stuff Annabel’,” She mimicked. Nelli was all of five foot tall, if she used extra stiff hair spray anyway, truth being told she embraced her height, to such an extent that she never even wore heals. Her red hair however, she fought tooth and nail against on a daily basis, engaging it with different types of hair dyes and bleaches. I swear one day she’ll wake up without hair.

  “You better hope not, that would make you what, six years old? You don’t want to go through your first period, first broken heart, and the whole losing your virginity thing again do you?” I asked.

  “Fuck you Edward.” Her green eyes shined malevolently.

  “I’m serious, one of these days you’re going to regret going through my shit,” I said and walked up stairs to go to bed.

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Annabel said.

  Chapter Four

  The alarm went off a few hours later. ‘I hate sleeping.’ I thought rolling out of bed and got dressed. After making a couple eggs I sat down in front of my computer to catch up on everything from emails to stock trades. The ladder, to be honest, was only done on a spreadsheet as I lacked the assets to really play in the market. Still I filled in the new values of the stocks, populating the spreadsheet as if I really owned them.

  “Hey only Fifty thousand down this year.” I laughed and opened my email account. Spam, Spam, Spam and then, “What the hell?” The email that caught my attention was from an old buddy, Richard Schmidt, who I hadn’t spoken with since High School. The Subject line was ‘Please Read Entire Email!!!’

  ‘Edward,

  ‘I know this may come off as a bunch of nonsensical bullshit and a long stream of gibberish, but I want you to take it seriously and in a couple days the gibberish will all make sense. I have learned about a strange group of ent
ities that have come to be known as the Unwanted Watchers. Listen, I know what this must seem like but you really can’t stop reading now. Ever since I found out about ‘Them’ my life has been fucked. When it first started I thought I must’ve been hallucinating. There was no way that my closet actually contained monsters.

  ‘I’m not fucking around here, ‘They’ are real, I swear on my mother’s eyes. I need to tell you a couple hints about ‘Them’ that you are going to need to understand in order to live. Because with your learning of ‘Them’, ‘They’ too have learned about you. The primary rules I will tell you for now, do not speak of ‘Them’, ever, and do not make eye contact with ‘Them’, even if ‘They’ are standing right in front of you.’ Beyond those words the rest of the email was, as advertised a complete gibberish code. At the end of the email, I can’t believe I made it to the end, that really said a lot for my level of friendship, ‘Edward, from here forward carry a pocket notebook and multiple pencils everywhere you go.’

  I shut down my computer. ‘Richard must be into some serious messed up stuff,’ I thought and felt bad, but seriously, what was that email supposed to mean. I shook the thought and went about with the rest of my day. Working out, showering, and I eventually built up the nerve to get ready for my work shift. Leaving for work I caught Nelli walking up the little path leading to our front door, “How were your classes?” I asked.

  “This is all about the ‘sheep-skin’ I can’t stand my classes.” She said, “Try not to give too many freebies away. You got to make those bored housewives work for that free shit.”