It was a relief to finally be in good enough health to wander the woods again. During my recovery I had turned the shark teeth into a bracelet that I wore often. I also met Dwight the town's "Cleaner" as he self-identified. He's nice. So nice in fact that one day before I had fully healed, he accompanied me as I went on nature walks through old Haven Estate grounds. Grandma wanted me to document everything that had changed on the lands since she had been there about 30 years prior. On one such walk, we came across an empty shed. It seemed to have been built recently as it was well kept but it was abandoned then. I pulled out an electronic tag from my pocket and attached it to the roof just inside. Dwight was obviously curious, so I explained.
"So… What was that?" Dwight asked me.
"It's an electronic tag. My Grandmother wants me to document all the changes to the estate while she's been gone. I'll be back later to install a motion sensor and camera."
"Estate? I thought you had no history here."
"Technically I don't since I haven't ever been here. But my family actually started here. We are named from the town. My name is really Fae Navaeh Haven. I'm a part of the founding families."
"Huh. Well that explains some things."
"I don't want anyone to judge me because of it though. That's why I kept it secret."
"This is Haven, everyone has secrets. Yours seems to be pretty harmless compared to some others I know about."
"Thanks. Please don't tell anyone."
"Not my style. "
When I got home I learned that the Rev had been killed during transport to another prison.
"…Wonderful…"
When I returned to the shed a week later, Nathan and Audrey were being held at gunpoint, six or seven people with hunting rifles and what I assumed was the ghost of the Reverend and Duke Crocker were standing out front. When I approached I was closest to Audrey and Nathan but couldn't see much so I backtracked and came around to the side of Duke and the ghost of the Reverend.
"…especially since you're the one who brought him back Kyle." Audrey.
"What're you talking about?" Kyle.
"We talked to the caretaker, everyone that's come back, they have one thing in common: you dug their graves." Audrey.
"Call him. Check for yourself." Nathan. And then another ghost appeared next to Duke.
"So what? I dug a lot of graves." The second ghost spoke to Duke. Whatever the ghost said upset him.
"Reverend, tell them it's not true." Nothing. "Honey! They're wrong, I swear! Marissa. Reverend Driscoll please!"
"Sorry, can't help you Kyle. But he can. He can save your unborn child from that terrible curse." Reverend. And then someone forced Duke to take a knife in his hand, I could see that he was still coming to terms with whatever the ghost had been telling him coupled with the idea that they wanted him to murder someone.
"Please. You have to do it. You have to save my child from getting the curse, from me." Kyle.
If Duke were to kill someone then it would not have been good for his psyche. We had become friends, or at least I believed that we had, and as his friends I could not let him be dragged into something that would cause him harm. When Kyle twitched as a sign that he was about to charge Duke, I tackled him to the ground before he got the chance. Unfortunately Kyle still had the gun in his hand and we began to wrestle for control. Duke eventually pulled Kyle off of me but Kyle managed to get off a shot and I was hit in my left shoulder. With my right hand I pulled out gun from it's holster and shot him twice. Because Duke still had a hold on Kyle when Kyle was shot, some of the blood splattered onto Duke and his eyes turned silver.
"No! Now my son will not be safe." The ghosts talked a bit amongst themselves. Another one showed up just before they all vanished. After everyone was arrested, I shipped off, back to the hospital. I had called it after the shark attack when I said that I would be at the hospital far too often for my liking. Duke came to visit me after I awoke from the surgery they had induced to make sure the bullet had really passed right through.
"Why'd you jump in front of him? He could have pushed you into me. You could have been hurt or killed." Duke asked as he stood at the foot of my bed.
"In case you didn't notice, this is a hospital and we're here because I did get hurt." He looked away. "He, what I do is on me. Besides, I couldn't let you kill that guy, even if you had no intention of doing so. It would have eaten you up inside."
"How do you always seem to be around at exactly the right time?" Duke.
"Just bad luck I guess."
"Bad luck?"
"Well I keep getting injured so it's bad for me, but lucky for you because I keep saving your asses."
"I'll have you know I am usually much more useful in a fight. I'll show you one day."
"I hope not."
"Huh?"
"Well then that would mean that you would need to be in a fight."
"Oh."
"Hey, come here." He walked to the side of the bed and I grabbed his wrist to pull him closer. "This is not your fault," I told him as I indicated to my shoulder. "I should have just shot him from my hiding place in the woods. Instead I panicked and tackled him. This is on me. Not you. No buts."
"Why?"
"I protect my people. Even if they are supposed to be badass, reformed smugglers." That got a smile out of him. "Stop beating yourself up. This kind of shit happens to me, fairly often in fact." He frowned at that. "Look, if you want to pay me back for saving your hide, come bust me out of here tomorrow after they give me the all clear. Kay?"
"Kay." Then he walked out. I wouldn't find out for a couple days why he had never showed. In the end I walked home, thankfully it's a small town.