Chapter Two
Roman stomped into the house and slammed the door hard behind him, "God that woman is insufferable," he said in frustration. "I'm too tired to put up with her attitude besides why should I care anyway? If she wants to move in with the ghosts and inherit the O'Malley curse it's not my problem."
He stripped down to his underwear and was about to crawl into bed but his curiosity got the better of him and he found himself peeking out his bedroom window to see what Kate was doing. He watched her barking orders to the movers and laughed out loud as he saw the men rolling their eyes. Kate looked towards the window and he quickly ducked down out of sight, immediately feeling foolish. "I'm acting like that nosey old broad on Bewitched," Roman sighed. "I need some sleep."
He climbed into bed and pulled the covers over his head. In a matter of minutes he was snoring softly. The restful sleep didn't last for very long as a string of eerie dreams flooded his subconscious. He saw Kate running into the forest and he kept calling to her but she wouldn't stop. He started to run after her but she disappeared in to the dense bush. He began to toss and turn as the dreams became more intense. This time he was inside the O'Malley house, his heart was racing, he was looking for something but he didn't know what it was. He looked around the room at the four open doors surrounding him trying to decide which one to go through. Kate appeared in one of the doorways and beckoned to him. Roman began to walk towards her but suddenly the doors slammed closed one at a time, bang, bang, bang, BANG! The last thud echoed loudly throughout the room. As the echoes slowly faded away there was an eerie moment of silence which was shattered by a piercing scream. Kate's screams made the hair on his arms stand up. He ran towards the door and yanked on the handle, it wouldn't budge. He stepped back and charged at the door with his shoulder and it gave way. He stared into the blackness taking a small step forward and felt something on the floor in front of him. He reached down and his hand touched a warm sticky liquid, Roman couldn't see it but he knew it was blood. "Kate," he yelled desperately, "Where are you?" The screaming had stopped and he frantically made him way down the hall still yelling Kate's name. He tripped over something and landed flat on his face. A bright light suddenly illuminated the room and he found himself lying next to a lifeless body. Before he could see who it was he woke with a start, soaked in sweat.
Roman's heart was pounding as he sat up on the edge of the bed taking slow deep breaths. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced at the clock. He was shocked to find that it was already approaching 5pm, time to get up.
Even after he showed and dressed the dreams were still swirling in his mind. For the most part he rarely dreamt at all and Roman couldn't remember a time when his dreams had been so detailed and vivid. He tried to push the memories away but they kept creeping back leaving an uneasy feeling in his stomach. Roman hated to admit it but he was concerned about his new neighbour.
A few weeks ago after he and Kate had witnessed Sami and Lucas arguing in front of Will they had decided that they would try to put the past behind them and at least act civil towards one another. The poor kid had to see his parents arguing and he didn't need to see his grandparents fighting all the time too.
Up until this morning they had been getting along quite well but Roman was afraid they were back to square one. He knew he was asking for trouble trying to talk Kate out of moving in to the O'Malley house. She is so stubborn that she would stay there just to spite him.
In frustration Roman flung a stack of magazines off the coffee table onto the floor. He stared for a moment at the mess lying at his feet then bent over and began to pick the books up. "Get a grip," he told himself.
Roman noticed it was starting to get dark already so he decided to get his mail before it was pitch black. He glanced over at Kate's as he walked towards the mailbox. The moving trucks were gone and her car sat alone in the driveway. He could see her figure moving around the living room through the large bay window. Roman considered going over to apologize for their argument that morning and decided against it but at the last moment he made a sharp left and stopped in front of Kate's door.
He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "What the hell do you want?" Kate answered the door.
When Kate spoke in that tone of voice it always brought Roman's defences up and it took all the strength he had not to give her another good argument. Clenching his fists Roman quickly began to speak before he had time to change his mind, "I just came over to tell you that I didn't mean what I said earlier."
"What part? You said a lot, too much actually." She glared at him with her intense hazel eyes.
"When I said not to come knocking on my door if you get scared. I didn't mean it, okay!" Roman paused sucking in a large gulp of air. "If there's anything you need just call or come over."
Her posture relaxed a bit and her eyes softened, "Thank you but you don't have to worry about that, I'll be just fine on my own."
They stood there looking at each other in an awkward moment of silence, "Was there something else you wanted Roman?" Kate raised her eyebrows.
"Uh, no, that was it. I guess I'll be on my way. Night Kate." With a wave he was gone.
**
Kate was still unpacking boxes near midnight when she heard the first rumbles of thunder off in the distance. In a matter of minutes the rain was pouring down. Kate scurried around the house making sure all the windows were shut. She started in the kitchen and worked her way around the big house until she was satisfied that they were all closed and secured tightly.
There were a couple more boxes Kate wanted to get unpacked before bed so she went back to work. Kate jumped as a vicious boom of thunder shook the house. The black night sky lit up with several intense bolts of lightning. Kate's heart was racing, she had always hated storms.
The lights flickered with another loud rumble of thunder and flash of lightning. Kate started to rummage through boxes searching for candle or a flashlight. Too late, the lights flicked again and went out. Kate heard a crash in the kitchen and the shatter of glass.
She couldn't see a thing so she felt her way towards the kitchen. The crunch of glass under her feet made her freeze on the spot. The lightning flashed again and she caught a brief glimpse of the kitchen window. It was open and the shudders swung in the wind. "No, no way. I shut that window, I know I did." Her hands began to shake as her mind immediately took her to Roman's words from this morning.
"Stop it Kate! The house is not haunted, there are no such thing as ghosts. The wind must have blown the window open somehow and the shutters knocked the vase off the counter." Kate gingerly stepped towards the window as the glass from the broken vase crunched under her shoes. She placed a hand on the countertop and quickly shut the window with the other hand. She felt a sting on her hand and realized there must have been some glass on the counter.
"Dammit, I need a flashlight or at least some candles." She knew where to get some but she was having a hard time overcoming her stubborn pride to go over to Roman's.
**
Roman cursed as the TV and lights suddenly went out. He worked his way into the kitchen, grabbed a flashlight and began to light all the candles in the living room. He was interrupted by a frantic knock on the door.
He ran over and yanked the door open, he shone the flashlight towards the figure standing there. "Kate, are you alright?"
"Uh, yeah I just wondered if you had..." Kate paused and glanced down at her hand, "Oh my God." Roman followed her gaze. Her left hand was covered in blood seeping from a nasty gash in the middle of her palm. A look a panic seized her and she met his eyes, "Roman..."
Kate's eyes rolled back and her knees buckled. Roman reached out just in time to keep her from hitting the ground. He lifted Kate's limp body into his arms and carried her inside closing the door with his foot.
Roman stomped into the house and slammed the door hard behind him, "God that woman is insufferable," he said in frustration. "I'm too tired to put up with her attitude besides why should I care anyway? If she wants to move in with the ghosts and inherit the O'Malley curse it's not my problem."
He stripped down to his underwear and was about to crawl into bed but his curiosity got the better of him and he found himself peeking out his bedroom window to see what Kate was doing. He watched her barking orders to the movers and laughed out loud as he saw the men rolling their eyes. Kate looked towards the window and he quickly ducked down out of sight, immediately feeling foolish. "I'm acting like that nosey old broad on Bewitched," Roman sighed. "I need some sleep."
He climbed into bed and pulled the covers over his head. In a matter of minutes he was snoring softly. The restful sleep didn't last for very long as a string of eerie dreams flooded his subconscious. He saw Kate running into the forest and he kept calling to her but she wouldn't stop. He started to run after her but she disappeared in to the dense bush. He began to toss and turn as the dreams became more intense. This time he was inside the O'Malley house, his heart was racing, he was looking for something but he didn't know what it was. He looked around the room at the four open doors surrounding him trying to decide which one to go through. Kate appeared in one of the doorways and beckoned to him. Roman began to walk towards her but suddenly the doors slammed closed one at a time, bang, bang, bang, BANG! The last thud echoed loudly throughout the room. As the echoes slowly faded away there was an eerie moment of silence which was shattered by a piercing scream. Kate's screams made the hair on his arms stand up. He ran towards the door and yanked on the handle, it wouldn't budge. He stepped back and charged at the door with his shoulder and it gave way. He stared into the blackness taking a small step forward and felt something on the floor in front of him. He reached down and his hand touched a warm sticky liquid, Roman couldn't see it but he knew it was blood. "Kate," he yelled desperately, "Where are you?" The screaming had stopped and he frantically made him way down the hall still yelling Kate's name. He tripped over something and landed flat on his face. A bright light suddenly illuminated the room and he found himself lying next to a lifeless body. Before he could see who it was he woke with a start, soaked in sweat.
Roman's heart was pounding as he sat up on the edge of the bed taking slow deep breaths. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced at the clock. He was shocked to find that it was already approaching 5pm, time to get up.
Even after he showed and dressed the dreams were still swirling in his mind. For the most part he rarely dreamt at all and Roman couldn't remember a time when his dreams had been so detailed and vivid. He tried to push the memories away but they kept creeping back leaving an uneasy feeling in his stomach. Roman hated to admit it but he was concerned about his new neighbour.
A few weeks ago after he and Kate had witnessed Sami and Lucas arguing in front of Will they had decided that they would try to put the past behind them and at least act civil towards one another. The poor kid had to see his parents arguing and he didn't need to see his grandparents fighting all the time too.
Up until this morning they had been getting along quite well but Roman was afraid they were back to square one. He knew he was asking for trouble trying to talk Kate out of moving in to the O'Malley house. She is so stubborn that she would stay there just to spite him.
In frustration Roman flung a stack of magazines off the coffee table onto the floor. He stared for a moment at the mess lying at his feet then bent over and began to pick the books up. "Get a grip," he told himself.
Roman noticed it was starting to get dark already so he decided to get his mail before it was pitch black. He glanced over at Kate's as he walked towards the mailbox. The moving trucks were gone and her car sat alone in the driveway. He could see her figure moving around the living room through the large bay window. Roman considered going over to apologize for their argument that morning and decided against it but at the last moment he made a sharp left and stopped in front of Kate's door.
He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "What the hell do you want?" Kate answered the door.
When Kate spoke in that tone of voice it always brought Roman's defences up and it took all the strength he had not to give her another good argument. Clenching his fists Roman quickly began to speak before he had time to change his mind, "I just came over to tell you that I didn't mean what I said earlier."
"What part? You said a lot, too much actually." She glared at him with her intense hazel eyes.
"When I said not to come knocking on my door if you get scared. I didn't mean it, okay!" Roman paused sucking in a large gulp of air. "If there's anything you need just call or come over."
Her posture relaxed a bit and her eyes softened, "Thank you but you don't have to worry about that, I'll be just fine on my own."
They stood there looking at each other in an awkward moment of silence, "Was there something else you wanted Roman?" Kate raised her eyebrows.
"Uh, no, that was it. I guess I'll be on my way. Night Kate." With a wave he was gone.
**
Kate was still unpacking boxes near midnight when she heard the first rumbles of thunder off in the distance. In a matter of minutes the rain was pouring down. Kate scurried around the house making sure all the windows were shut. She started in the kitchen and worked her way around the big house until she was satisfied that they were all closed and secured tightly.
There were a couple more boxes Kate wanted to get unpacked before bed so she went back to work. Kate jumped as a vicious boom of thunder shook the house. The black night sky lit up with several intense bolts of lightning. Kate's heart was racing, she had always hated storms.
The lights flickered with another loud rumble of thunder and flash of lightning. Kate started to rummage through boxes searching for candle or a flashlight. Too late, the lights flicked again and went out. Kate heard a crash in the kitchen and the shatter of glass.
She couldn't see a thing so she felt her way towards the kitchen. The crunch of glass under her feet made her freeze on the spot. The lightning flashed again and she caught a brief glimpse of the kitchen window. It was open and the shudders swung in the wind. "No, no way. I shut that window, I know I did." Her hands began to shake as her mind immediately took her to Roman's words from this morning.
"Stop it Kate! The house is not haunted, there are no such thing as ghosts. The wind must have blown the window open somehow and the shutters knocked the vase off the counter." Kate gingerly stepped towards the window as the glass from the broken vase crunched under her shoes. She placed a hand on the countertop and quickly shut the window with the other hand. She felt a sting on her hand and realized there must have been some glass on the counter.
"Dammit, I need a flashlight or at least some candles." She knew where to get some but she was having a hard time overcoming her stubborn pride to go over to Roman's.
**
Roman cursed as the TV and lights suddenly went out. He worked his way into the kitchen, grabbed a flashlight and began to light all the candles in the living room. He was interrupted by a frantic knock on the door.
He ran over and yanked the door open, he shone the flashlight towards the figure standing there. "Kate, are you alright?"
"Uh, yeah I just wondered if you had..." Kate paused and glanced down at her hand, "Oh my God." Roman followed her gaze. Her left hand was covered in blood seeping from a nasty gash in the middle of her palm. A look a panic seized her and she met his eyes, "Roman..."
Kate's eyes rolled back and her knees buckled. Roman reached out just in time to keep her from hitting the ground. He lifted Kate's limp body into his arms and carried her inside closing the door with his foot.
