First let me say Thank-you to all that read and reviewed the last chapter: Earl Allison, CajunBear73, readerjunkie, screaming phoenix, , Invader Johnny, princessvmlg, Katsumara, and Reader101w… Y'all Rock!

One thing I haven't done is state when this occurs during the series. It's early on, somewhere between Season 1 and 2.

My little Disclaimer thingy: Once again, don't own the KP characters…

Chapter 3

Kim's jaw worked up and down a couple times without making a sound, and after a few seconds of imitating a guppy, she was able to at least speak a few words. "I'll… talk… to you later… Wade." She clicked the unit off before Wade could say anything more.

Sitting on her bed, Kim stared at the blank screen of her Kimmunicator for a few more seconds, and then dropped it in her lap. Her mind was going a mile a minute after she had received this information from Wade.

This is all just too… coincidental. She thought, and then took a breath after realizing she had been holding it ever since she had shut off the communications device. It's going to happen again tonight. I know it. This Ginny…She… She… is going to call again. What do I say? What do I do? Or should I even answer? It could be someone playing a very sick joke… but why? Kim then picked the device up again and stared at the unit, as if she was trying to glean information from the piece of plastic and metal.

"Aaauughh!" The redhead almost screamed out loud, and tossed the unit back onto the bed with a bit more force than she had planned as it bounced onto the floor. "This is driving me nuts! I can't be speaking to someone who is… who is a… ghost? Can I?"

"Kimmie?" The teenager heard her mother call up from below her bedroom entrance. "Are you OK dear?"

"Yeah Mom, I'm fine." She replied in a calm voice trying to hide her frustration, what with everything that was coming into play. She had both answered her mother and retrieved the Kimmunicator all while leaning over the edge of the bed. "OK… you better get some sleep."

"Sure mom. Anything you say."

Her Mom's statement was easier said than done. Her mind kept racing, thinking, calculating like a super computer at the space lab. This was one sitch that wasn't going to get the best of her. There had to be a perfectly logical explanation to everything that was going on. And yet, one of the things that disturbed Kim the most, was that she thought she had forgotten something important.

Finally exhaustion reigned supreme, and Kim did eventually fall into a disturbing sleep. For a while.

…x x x x…

bwweeep

bweeep

beep

dwweeep

At 2:13am Kim's eyes snapped open, and her hand snatched the strangely beeping Kimmunicator. She mashed down the button, before the caller could say anything and spoke, "Ginny… I need to ask you something before you say anything… Are you… dead?"

"Yes." Was the simple answer, and Kim turned as white as her bed sheet.

"This… isn't a joke… is it…" Kim's words were more of a statement than a question.

"I need help with finding something. I hope you…" Once again the connection started to fuzz a bit.

"Ginny… I'm losing you… What is it you need me to find?"

"I can't rest without it Kim! I hope you can find it… (static) I need it… before it's too late!"

"Can you tell me where it is, or at least where to look? Or even what it is?" Kim quickly said.

Ginny's answer was short, cryptic, and confusing to the redhead. "You'll know when you see it… MMP… TH… 2… (static) Please Kim… My time is running shor…" The connection again went to static.

"What the heck does that mean?" Kim said to herself. "MMP-TH-2?"

Her head flopped onto the pillow, and Kim lay there for a good one to two hours with her mind not willing to even entertain the thought of sleeping. When she finally did fall asleep, her alarm seemed to go off just mere minutes later.

Her alarm was set for radio, and Kim's eyes cracked open to the morning news. "Good morning Middleton… It is now 7:30, time for the morning weather and news. First, we are in for a deluge of rain, starting this afternoon… As if we haven't had enough over this past week. The clouds are getting thicker as we speak, and the forecast is that we will get at least 2-3 inches more of the wet stuff making this the wettest October on record. But after this, the weather models are showing a much drier weather pattern. So be careful out there today. Canals and rivers will be full, and remember… if you come to a flooded road, turn around. Don't even think about crossing.

"Now on to political news… Governor-elect…" Kim's hand smashed down on the off button, cutting off the newsman. She groaned, rolled to the side of the bed, and swung her feet down to the floor. While still trying to clear her mind of sleep, the phone next to her bed rang.

"Hello…" She mumbled.

"Hey KP…" It was Ron. "Where were you yesterday? I waited for you to come by last night to go play miniature golf, but you never showed up."

Kim's hand went to the bridge of her nose. "Ohh, Mannn… I'm sooo sorry, Ron. I completely forgot. I was on a fact-finding mission for this… thing I have going on." She still didn't want to tell her best friend about possibly speaking with a ghost.

"No big… Just wish you could have called me though. Rufus was looking forward to playing." Kim could hear the disappointment in her best friend's voice, and she hated it.

"Tell the little guy I'll buy him a pound of Swiss later as an apology." Kim said as she stood and walked to the bathroom, phone in hand.

"Do you have plans for anything today?" Ron asked

"Not much… Just thought I would hang around here at the house this morning. I heard on the radio that there's a really big storm heading here. Thank goodness it will be the end to a soggy week." Kim picked at her tangled mess of hair while looking in the mirror.

"Yeah… I heard that too. I also heard the news say that Mount Middleton Park was going to be closed off at noon in case of flooding in the area from run-off from the mountain. That hasn't happened in like… years."

Kim's head snapped up. "Did you say...Mount Middleton Park, Ron?"

"Yeah… I haven't been there in quite a while. It used to be the biggest park around until Middleton became a large city, and then Middleton Central Park was built."

"There's trails all around that park, aren't there?" Kim asked, a plan formulating in her mind.

"Oh yeah… MCP has trails all over. Hiking, biking, jogging…"

"No Ron… I mean the other park." Kim responded a bit agitated at Ron's babbling.

"Oh… You mean MMP? Yeah. A lot of them are probably overgrown by now, but there are a few trails there. Why?"

"Ron… You're a genius!"

"Well, I am what I is…" Ron started to say.

"Can I talk to you later Ron?" Kim said, interrupting him again. "There's something I need to go check out real quick, then I'll call you back this afternoon. OK?"

"Oh… OK." Ron sounded a bit surprised. "I'll talk you later then. Bye."

"Bye…" she said, and they both hung up. She hated not telling Ron what was going on, but telling him she had been talking with a ghost on her Kimmunicator for the last few days just didn't seem like something you would tell your best friend over the phone.

I'll tell him this afternoon. She thought.

…x x x x…

After talking with Ron, Kim took a quick shower, got dressed, and had a light breakfast. She was then able to bum a ride from her neighbor, who took her to MMP… Mount Middleton Park.

"I'll be OK, Mrs. Mahoney. I can get a ride back in an hour or two." Kim said before shutting the door on her neighbor's SUV. She watched as the dark green vehicle drove out of the park.

Kim looked around the small parking lot, and her eyes fell on an old wooden map stand, in which the trails of the park were etched into a slab of wood. She walked over and began to study it. It didn't take long, and the other mystery of what Ginny had said fell into place. There, on the trail map, was Trail Head #2.

"MMP; Mount Middleton Park, TH-2; Trail Head #2." Kim said aloud to no one, and then proceeded towards the trail.

Sure enough it was an older trail, and was overgrown from neglect. The park had pretty much been forgotten by the Forest Service recently, as the park itself was running low on funds. She had heard once that it was slated to be bulldozed for new housing, but the town's Historical Society was able to get an injunction, essentially saving the old park. Now the city just had to come up with the funds to clean it up, and clear out the trails.

Kim pushed an overgrown branch out of her way, stepped into the heavily forested area, and tried to stay on the trail as long as she could. It wasn't long before the trail had completely disappeared. The young heroine wasn't worried though, as her Kimmunicator had an electronic compass, and she could easily find her way out. So she trudged on for a bit, not really knowing what she was looking for, but she was bound and determined to find it.

Ginny was counting on her.

With the sun light fading as a result of the dense trees overhead, Kim pushed her way through an area of solid undergrowth. It was kinda like a dense jungle, but with bushes and shrubbery knit close together instead of vines. Watching where she was placing her feet so as not to trip and fall, she hazarded a glance up to make sure that she was still on her original course when she caught some movement out the corner of her eye. She wasn't sure if it was a play of shadows from the blocked sun, or something else.

"Hello?" Kim called out, her voice eerily not echoing one bit, and then she broke through the other side of the foliage. "Is… is someone there?"

Once again, she saw the flitter of something behind the trunk of a good-sized pine, and Kim picked up her pace now that she was free from the offending pieces of greenery. She called out a third time as her eyes picked up what seemed to be a small figure darting amongst the tall trees. Kim wasn't quite sure exactly what she was following as the figure seemed to blend in with the background, but she knew that she was following… something.

Without warning Kim burst into a small clearing and pulled up short. There, about 30 yards in front of her on the opposite side of the clearing, was a little girl who looked to be about 12 to 13 years of age.

"G… Ginny? Is… Is that you?" Kim said hesitantly but with emerald eyes wide open, not quite believing what she was seeing. A small shiver crossed her arms, and Kim wrapped them around herself, wishing she would have at least brought a light jacket.

The little girl gave a small giggle, and once again disappeared into the forest. The young heroine jogged across the small clearing, and as soon as her foot landed on the over-grown trail, something caught her foot and she went face first into the dirt. Her hands went up in an effort to protect her head and face, but she was a bit slow, and almost immediately her consciousness went black.

…x x x x…

When Kim finally came to, her vision was still black. She felt lost and as if there was no hope, as no light was to be found. She tried to move but couldn't. It was like her hands and feet were paralyzed. She tried to regain her bearings but her mind was still a bit fuzzy. Moving her fingers around Kim suddenly realized that her hands and feet were tied together. A rough, irritable voice suddenly spoke.

"So… you're finally awake."

There was an edge to the tone. A very sharp edge that she didn't recognize, and she could feel her heart race and blood pumping faster with each syllable spoken by this strange voice she didn't recognize. It reminded her of something. Almost like something that she had experienced only once in her life, but what was it? As the voice got closer, she could feel the hot breath on her face, and sweat bead on her forehead. Fear. It was fear she was feeling, and it cut through the haze in her mind like a hot knife through butter.

"Don't try to struggle my dear. You will only make things worse," the voice said right next to her ear and then turned away from her.

Kim went to open her mouth, but found that she also had a gag stuffed between her lips, and all she could do was mumble her response. Rough hands pulled at the cloth removing it, and before Kim could say anything, a scream escaped her lips that wasn't hers.

"Help! Someone help me… Please!"

It was Ginny's voice! Kim would recognize that voice anywhere as she had heard it on numerous occasions at 2:13 at night.

What is going on here? She thought.

Kim then realized that her hands were tied at the wrists in front of her, and her feet were tied together at the ankles as well. She felt the rough hands remove the blindfold, and light stabbed into her dilated pupils like a close up camera flash, causing her to blink rapidly while trying to see who it was that had bound and gagged her.

Before she could see what was going on, the next sensation she felt was those same rough hands untying her ankles. What is this guy going to do? Kim thought, but then she realized the thought wasn't completely hers. It was a very strange feeling.

Her eyes were finally able to focus and Kim saw someone she didn't recognize, and yet she did. It was almost a sense of déjà vu, but it was also that strange feeling that the thought wasn't completely hers.

The man started to inch his face closer to hers again, and she felt a hand rubbing along the side of her leg. Realizing what might happen if she didn't fight back, she felt her hands clench together in a double fist and then felt them swing up and into the man's nose! He stumbled back cursing and grabbing at his face, and she could see a bit of blood running down his chin.

With no time to celebrate the damage she had inflicted, Kim felt herself rolling to one side, and then lurch forward and out the side door of a van. As soon as her feet hit solid ground, her legs pumped and she ran headlong into the nearby forest trail.

Having been chased by thugs and villains before, Kim didn't feel any fear, but she sensed fear… a great deal of fear from… somewhere else. No it was from someone else. Her body continued to move forward with a mind all its own, and Kim saw that she was running off the edge of the trail and into a dense area of trees and bushes. Her arms, still tied at the wrists, went up in front of her face to protect it from the small branches she was running through. Kim could feel the branches whipping at her bare arms, causing numerous cuts and bruises.

Finally she felt herself slow down, and then lean against a large tree trunk. She was bent over and breathing hard, really hard. Running like this was taxing her muscles to their limits, as adrenalin pumped through her entire body. It was like running a marathon, but how could that be? She was in better shape than this.

Exhausted, tired, and simply worn out… Kim was finally able to take some time and try to figure out what was going on as she rested. Her head was swiveling back and forth, and she was still a bit disoriented from the movement of her eyes. It was almost as if she was seeing out of someone else's eyes.

That's it! Kim suddenly thought. I must be reliving something through someone's eyes. But… A thought then entered her mind. Ginny… I'm reliving Ginny's… murder! And I can't do anything about it!

The young heroine confirmed this when she tried to move an arm, but it stayed down at her side. Kim was just along for the ride, and she hated it. She hated every single moment of what was going on, and the helplessness ate at her.

Suddenly the sound of a twig snapping caused her head to twist to one side, and again she started to run, but this time in a different direction. She heard the man's rough voice calling out to her. "You're dead, girl… Dead!"

After only running for a few more feet, Kim felt her foot trip on something and she stumbled down to the leaf-covered ground. She rolled and then pushed herself up with her still tied hands. Tossing her hair to one side out of her eyes, Kim looked up and saw her attacker standing about twenty feet in front of her. His stance was wide, and he was breathing hard, most likely from chasing her. In one fist he held a small hand ax.

Kim then saw his hand raise that held the small ax, and before she could say or do anything, she saw it tumbling end over end directly at her! It rotated through the air as if it was moving in slow motion, and Kim tried to bring her arms up to block the flying weapon, but they stayed locked in front of her. Most likely Ginny couldn't move because of her fear.

Kim felt her eyes close milliseconds before the ax was buried into her…

…x x x x…

Suddenly Kim's eyes snapped open and she sat up from her lying position on the forest floor. She was drenched in sweat and the sudden movement caused her head to throb. She then brought a hand up to her forehead where the pain was emanating from. There Kim felt a large bump, and brought her hand down to see blood on her fingers. Looking around with a dazed feeling, she saw a fairly large rock with a small red spot from where her head had smacked into it.

Kim stayed sitting on the ground, and groaned for a bit, holding her head in her hands. She didn't feel nauseous, so she was pretty sure she didn't have a concussion. But it sure hurt like heck!

After a bit, the pain started to subside, and she began to once again look around to get her bearings. Off to her left she saw the glint of some kind of metal as a lone beam of sunshine broke through the thickening clouds above, and made its way through the trees overhead. It didn't last very long, but it was enough to know where to crawl.

Slowly Kim rocked herself forward onto all fours, and shuffled over to where she had seen the glint of metal. What she saw lying in a hole about 2 feet deep by 5 foot long and about 3 feet wide… was a partially buried skeleton that had been uncovered by he recent rains.

The skull was uncovered, along with part of the ribs, but the rest was covered in leaves and dirt. The glint of metal she had seen was a locket that was partially covered by leaves, with the chain still around the skeleton's neck. She could also see the rotted remains of clothing amongst the bones and dirt. Looking at the skull caused Kim to involuntarily suck in a breath and hold it for what seemed like an eternity.

In the middle of the forehead was a large gash, about the size of a blade on a small hand ax. One of Kim's hands went to the lump on her forehead where she had struck the rock, and remembered the images she had seen while unconscious.

"It wasn't just a dream." She said aloud to herself.

Carefully she leaned over, lifted the small locket, and turned it in her hand. On the back she saw two initials etched into the silver case: G. L.

"Oh, Ginny…" Kim breathed out.

She then carefully reached behind the neck of the skeleton, unlatched the chain, and removed the locket from the body. Kim popped open the locket, and inside was a picture of the woman Kim had spoken with yesterday, and a little girl who appeared to be about 8 years old. It was Ginny and her mother.

Closing her eyes, Kim felt tears falling down her cheeks as she wept for the dead girl, and her mother. This is what she wanted me to find. Kim thought as she wiped tears from her eyes with a dirty hand. Her body, and her locket.

After a few more minutes of grieving, Kim wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and pulled the Kimmunicator from her pocket. She called Wade and told him to send authorities to her current location, and to bring a forensic unit.

She had found Ginny Larsen's body.

To be concluded with an epilogue…

So how's THAT for Alice going down the hole?

Also, the next update might happen a little quicker than planned, as I still want to get the entire story posted before Halloween…