It took some time for the noise to register as a cellphone, let alone Chelsea’s own. The haze of many shots of tequila and amazing food blended with the dark hotel room. Only her dog, Bentley, warm at her feet, felt familiar. For a woman used to living out of her car, the single room just big enough for the bed seemed vast and empty.
So she wandered out to the kitchen.
“How is this any different from what our parents did?”
“I asked Andy the same thing. And he reminded me that your parents didn’t go as a team. We are. We also know that La Llorona is a phantasm, which your parents didn’t.”
Chelsea licked her lips. “And this isn’t a ghost?”
“Oh, who knows, really.” Andy sighed. “I’m not a biologist or cryptozoologist, I just read the stuff they put out. And the team in West Virginia studying teleporters right now says that teleporters and phantasms are two different things, and neither are ghosts.”
Well, hello, my little nun.
This is a series of short stories, detailing the adventures of Chelsea Childling. You can start with her origin story or pick something from the index.*** The barest slit of a moon opened the sky above her as Chelsea pulled off the highway. The last week of practice had imprinted the route firmly in her mind. Which was […]
When she’d gotten a job in Tucumcari, Chelsea could hardly contain her excitement. An authentic piece of Route 66 history. But like the highway system, the world had moved on.
This is a series of short stories, detailing the adventures of Chelsea Childling. You can start with her origin story or pick something from the index.*** Beer and fists flowed around her, but Chelsea barely noticed. Oklahoma City’s haunt could have been anywhere. Small, dirty, and full of the usual brawls; it felt like home. […]
This is a series of short stories, detailing the adventures of Chelsea Childling. You can start with her origin story or pick something from the index.*** The badly lit hotel room was dirty. Not in the well-used and loved sense, but in the Chelsea-very-much-didn’t-want-to-take-off-her-shoes sense. She sighed and pulled her feet onto the bed. The […]
Twilight brought twinkling lights and absurdly suggestive slogans at the roadside attraction. The place was famous for its risque name, and fudge, and lived up to the touristy promise of the billboards. All of of four stores and bawdy signage; the sheer over-the-top nature of the “town” overloaded Chelsea’s sense of maturity and she giggled as she contemplated buying a t-shirt.
Words That Burn Like Fire 