The conclusion to the story I started Friday. If you haven’t read parts 1 or 2, I recommend hitting those – this is longer than both of those, but it finished nicely I think. Off to work shortly! Thanks! —Jordy

A banging came from the door leading down to the basement from the outside causing Ricky to jump with a start and Jose hid the pipe he had just taken a hit from. Eyes bugged out he wondered whether he had time to exhale – he did and then furiously swatted at the cloud of smoke as Ricky yelled, “Who is it?”

No response.

“Dude,” Jose said after a moment of silence. “Maybe it’s a ghost.”

As if in response, the door flew open with a crash as it rebounded against the far wall. No ghost, Jason bounded down the stairs.

“Whoa!” Ricky yelled. “I locked that! How’d you get in?!”

“Key,” Jason held it up. “Under the mat?”

Jose erupted in a peel of giggles.

“Oh yeah,” Ricky nodded in recognition.

“Guys, this is an emergency!” Jason said waving his arms.

“Dude, you need to chill!” Jose replied.

“No, I’m serious guys! Jade’s in danger!”

“Jade?” Ricky asked.

“That supposed chick ghost Jason wants to psychically bang.”

“What? No, that’s not… no… it’s not like that…” Jason stammered.

“Me thinks he doth protest too much,” Ricky said with a huge grin and fist-bumped Jose.

“Guys, come on!” he pleaded. “I need your help. She needs your help!”

“What’s going on?” Ricky said.

“So, I went by there earlier this evening–”

“I’m shocked!” Jose interrupted in mock surprise.

“And she called to me from the street! I went in and she threw her arms around me and pleaded for me to save her from this demon thing that’s trying to swallow her soul.”

“Threw her arms around you?” Jose asked suspiciously.

In reality, Jade did call down to him, but specifically it was, “Jason, you good-for-nothing ass! Get up here!” He did, naturally, and she greeted him with, “Where the fuck have you been?!” After that, though, she did admit she was grateful to see him because she needed his help. She explained about the darkness-cloaked thing and how it had managed to get halfway up the stairs – each stair seemed exceptionally difficult for it to climb. But it seemed to be getting angrier, louder, and more insistent with each step. Jason said he did notice an icy cold spot coming up the stairs but couldn’t himself hear the howling. He asked how he could help and Jade didn’t have any ideas, but then something struck Jason…

“Her mom? Isn’t she dead too?” Ricky asked.

“Yeah, I thought that at first, too, but then I thought back our discussions – she had mentioned her dad—”

“Baby Daddy,” Jose clarified.

Jason rolled his eyes, “Jade’s real dad who ran out on her and her mom, and of course her step-father who killed her and himself rather than let her mom get a divorce…”

“But no mention of her mom?” Ricky asked.

“Right! I pulled up the news story while we were up there and sure enough, it mentioned the mom wasn’t home – she survived.”

“How’d Jade deal when you mentioned her mom?” Jose asked.

“That’s the thing, she teared up!”

“You’ve said she’s a pretty hard chick, dude,” Ricky said.

“Right?! I’m thinking we’ve got to find her mom and get her to the house because that’s what Jade’s been hanging around for – that’s why she hasn’t crossed over!”

Jose looked at Ricky. Ricky looked at Jason. Jason looked back and forth between them.

“Shit, bro, that’s some paranormal problem solving! That’s why we made you Elmwood High Paranormal Society President!” Jose nodded and all three traded fist bumps.

“How do we find her? I’m guessing we need to find her like… yesterday.”

“Right. That’s why I need you guys…”

“On it…” Jose said, laptop already open and typing.

“Dude, you’re higher than hell,” Ricky remarked.

“That’s when I get my best work done,” Jose intoned flatly as he focused on his search. Five minutes later, he had a phone number.

“Hi, ma’am,” Jason started into the phone. “You don’t know me, but I was a friend of your daughter Jade’s…” he looked quizzically at the phone in his hand.

“What?” Ricky asked.

“She hung up on me!”

“That’s her then,” Ricky declared.

Jose started typing and muttered, “no…. no…. that one’s bad…. Yep. Yeah, got her address.”

“Really? That fast,” Jason asked incredulously.

“Bro, I’ve got supernatural herb-enhanced hacking powers. Do not doubt my key-fu!”

Jason fake bowed, “we’re not worthy!”

Ricky brandished a keyfob and key, “To the Mystery Machine!”

“You’re driving?” Jason asked with an arched eyebrow.

“We’re not taking your skateboard, doofus,” Ricky replied.

“Yeah, no, but will your van start?”

“Ah, that’s they Mystery!”

It did start. They denied Jose’s request for another “Scooby Snack.” Jason called shotgun. In fifteen minutes Jason and Ricky crowded in front of the door of a second story apartment. Jose stood behind them, hands on the railing, staring  mesmerized at the pool in the middle of the complex, glittering with reflected moonlight.

Jason knocked and then cast a look back at Jose. “He’s okay, yeah?”

“Jose? Yeah, he’s just chillin’. He’ll be cool when we need him.”

The door opened a crack, security chain in place. “Who is it?” the woman asked.

“Ma’am,” Jason started, “I called you a few minutes ago. It’s about your daughter, Jade.”

“You boys get out of here before I call the cops! Can’t you leave me alone?!” She started to slam the door but Ricky got his Doc Martin between the door and the Jam.

“Please, ma’am,” Ricky asked more respectfully than Jason had ever heard him. “We’re very sorry to bother you. This is really important. Jason here,” he pointed to his left, “he’s been… communicating with Jade. And she’s in trouble. We think you’re the only one who can help her.”

The woman’s face gradually softened as she let the words sink in. “Jade? What do you know of her?” she said to Jason.

“She’s, err, well, her ghost is still back at the ruins of your old house. She’s stuck there. But tonight she said something is trying to get her, trying to…” he struggled to phrase it right, “trying to take her soul.”

The woman’s expression teetered briefly between belief and incredulity before pitching hard into belief. “And how am I supposed to help?”

“I think she needs to see you again,” Jason said. “To cross over, that is…” he added. “We’ve talked a lot and when I asked about you she got really sad – she never gets sad like that.”

Tears visible, she barked out a laugh at that. “My Jade was always pretty hard,” she smiled sadly.

“Ma’am?” Jason said gently, breaking her reverie. “We really need your help – she really needs your help. And we have to go now. She’s in real trouble.”

The woman closed her eyes, took a slow deep breath before saying, “Okay. Okay, let’s go.”

Ten minutes later Jade watched the headlights approach from the road heading directly for the house. Unlike normal car headlights that then made the dog leg right turn with the road, these careened down the dirt driveway before power-sliding to a stop on the weed-patchy lawn in front of the front door.

“Epic!” Jose said to Ricky as they piled out of the van.

“Sorry, Mrs. Riley,” Jason said to the woman climbing out of the passenger side. The woman… even in the wan tree-dappled moonlight Jade thought she recognized her.

No, couldn’t be… she thought. “Jesus Christ, Jason! Took you long enough! I hope you have something!” she yelled down.

“Oh, we’ve got this!” he yelled back. Then explained to the woman “she’s glad we’re here.”

“That’s not what I said, fuck-nut! Get you and the Scooby Gang up here pronto! That fucker’s like two steps from the top!”

“We’re on it!” Jason yelled back, then translated, “she wants us to hurry.”

All four hurried past the caution tape over the front door and carefully up the brittle, burned stairs. Each and everyone shivered violently as they passed the second step to the top. Jason reached Jade in her room first.

“Jade! You’re okay!”

“Brilliant deduction, Sherlock,” she said, arms crossed, but Jason could see relief in her blue eyes.

“Whoa, shit!” Jose staggered around a dark streak just inside the door. “Is that.”

“Where I bled out? Yeah, thanks for pointing out that painful memory, asshole,” Jade sneered.

“Yeah,” Jason nodded in translation.

Ricky bounded in behind him and stepped right through the spot. “So, umm, where is she?”

“Right here,” she said flipping Ricky her middle finger.

“She’s right there,” Jason said, pointing to where the invisible Jade stood.

“So?” She asked Jason, “Now that the Extraordinary League of Fuck-offs has convened, what’s the brilliant plan to get this demon off my ass?” She asked. As she finished her sentence, Mrs. Riley tentatively entered the room, hands shaking, tears running unchecked down her cheeks.

Jason looked from the shaky woman to Jade. Jade’s hard countenance sluiced away like melted ice. Her confrontational folded arms dropped to her side, and her eyes welled up. “Mom?” she asked.

“She sees you, Mrs. Riley.”

“She does? Are you sure it’s really her?”

“Jade, what’s something only your mom would know?”

“Isn’t that personal?” Jade asked.

“That’s the point.”

“Tell her… I guess I’m overdue.”

“Really?” Jason asked quizzically. Jade arched an eyebrow. Turning to Mrs. Riley, Jason said, “She says to tell you she’s… overdue?”

Mrs. Riley laughed a crying laugh at that. “We used to have dinner picnics outside the Elmwood Public Library,” she explained. “When we’d get there after they closed she would say, ‘I guess we’re overdue’.” Her face contracted as she fought a sob. When she opened her wet eyes she asked, “Where is she?” Jason pointed to where Jade stood. Mrs. Riley crossed so she stood a few feet from her daughter. “Oh baby,” she cried, “I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry! I should have been here! I should have… it’s my fault, baby!”

“No, mom, no. It’s not your fault. It’s that asshole’s fault. He’s probably burning in hell already. It’s not your fault, mom!”

“She says she doesn’t blame you.” Jason translated. “She blames him completely.”

“That goddamn coward,” Mrs. Riley bit the last word off with more venom than Jason had ever heard.

“Oh mom, I missed you.”

“She said she’s missed you.”

“Oh, baby… I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you were here. I would have come sooner, baby! I’m so sorry. I guess I’m the one overdue.”

“Mom, it’s okay. It’s okay. You’re here now. You’re here now.” Suddenly, what looked like sunlight back lit Jade. She turned to regard the source of the light. “Whoa… is that?” She turned to Jason, “Seriously, is that the fucking light they always talk about?”

Jason shook his head. “I don’t know, but it makes sense…” He turned to Mrs. Riley and the guys, “There’s bright light shining on Jade. She thinks it might be the light.”

“Heaven,” Mrs. Riley mouthed.

“Yeah, I don’t know if I deserve that…” Jade said to Jason, “but it sure feels warm. Should I?”

“Sounds like a better offer than that soul-sucking thing you said’s almost upstairs.”

Jade nodded, “Yeah. I think so.” She crossed to stand in front of her mom and put her arms around her mom. Her mom gasped as she did, then gasped again as Jade’s lighted figure solidified into view as she hugged her. Her mom stared at her as she closed her arms around her daughter for a last hug.

“Holy shit, dude!” Ricky said.

“Fuck, dude, what was in that edible,” Jose asked as they both stared at the now-visible thin girl with long black hair hugging her mom.

When they finally broke the hug, her mom kissed Jade’s forehead hard. Jade smiled and kissed her mom’s forehead in return and then stepped back. “I love you, mommy,” she said with a wide smile. “I have to go now,” she said as a sob wracked her body.

“I know, baby. I know. You’ll be at peace. I’m so sorry! I love you.”

“It’s not your fault, mom. Please don’t blame yourself. Please let it go. Let me go. I will always love you.”

Her mom nodded as she cried.

Jade stepped back and turned to Jason. “Thanks, asshole!” she said with a smile then moved in and kissed him on the cheek. “You were more than a little stalkerish – think about shit – but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t appreciate the company.”

“Thanks,” was all Jason could say as he blushed and smiled back.

“And thank you, she gestured to her mom. You really did come through for me.”

“Eh, it was nothing,” Jason said.

“Don’t get cocky, kid,” she smiled back. She turned towards her mom, “Okay, mom, I’m going to go I think. I love you!”

“I love you, baby!”

“Bye!” she said and stepped backwards where her already brightly lit figure appeared to be absorbed by light which brightened and then winked out, leaving the people in the room blinking in the darkness.

Before anyone could say anything they felt the shuddering of the floor and heard the creaking of the fire-damaged wood. “Earthquake!” Ricky yelled. “Let’s get out of here!”

Everyone hurried down the rickety stairway as the shaking intensified. The strairway itself collapsed as Jason, brinigng up the rear, was three steps from the ground floor. He fell forward and Jose caught him. Mrs. Riley burst into the front yard first, followed by Ricky and Jose helping a staggering Jason. As soon as they made it out to the van, they turned and watched as the house began to collapse, attic falling into second story, floor giving way. Jason looked up at the window he had seen Jade staring out every night these last months as the wall folded in with a crash. The four stepped back as the bottom floor collapsed, the mass of blackened, broken wood and drywall fell with an enormous crash into the basement.

Everything went silent after the din. Neighbors came out to see what happened.

“Dude! That was epic!” Jose broke the silence. “Who’s up for pizza?” he asked.