Chapter 8

Paranormal is Normal for Sam and Ruby

Sam pulled up to a chain link fenced in dirt lot where a man in Oakley sunglasses, a pale cowboy hat, mullet, biker mustache, and ripped sleeve flannel shirt offered admissions to get inside, "2 bucks to get in, 5 bucks for 21 'n o'er if you want drink tickets."

Sam nodded grimly and forked over a ten dollar bill, hurrying Ruby inside while trying to look as stoic as possible after his accident on Ruby which she still seemed entirely stricken by.

Ruby grinned at Sam as they walked into the convention where various booths and tables were lined up advertising signs about the paranormal promised at each station.

Heads turned as they walked past, eyes mostly on Ruby as she sassily strode through without a care in the world, and careless to the fact that she and Sam stood out of the crowd of out of shape, salt of the earth, and rather nerdy types milling around the convention.

Sam stood behind her as she stopped at a table that held an assortment of crystals of all shapes and sizes. A sign made out of a ripped out notebook paper taped to the table labeled them for their supernatural purposes and properties.

She quickly moved on to another table with supposedly paranormal objects and artifacts as well as ghost detecting equipment.

Ruby turned to Sam and said, "Let's grab those drinks and walk around, eh?"

The good thing about attending such a low key event in the middle of rural nowhere was that unlike popular city destinations, there was practically zero wait or line for anything. Soon they were walking around, exploring their paracon surroundings with ridged plastic cups of warm cheap beer in their hands.

Ruby sipped from her plastic cup nonchalantly as Sam toyed with a remote-control device with a long extending antenna that was supposedly a ghost detector that detected paranormal waves in the air or something, per the enthusiastic owner's explanation to Sam as he fiddled with the gadget.

Ruby spluttered out laughing as the stringy, lanky, and long-haired guy's greasy black haired stout partner gestured toward their table at a series of wooden boxes they loudly claimed contained demons and were demon boxes meant to trap evil demons.

Ruby sauntered over and tipped one over with a finger to get a better look, and picked it up, surveying it from top to bottom.

"Crosses hot glued on? Really? Amateur stuff, boys." She smarmily breezed as they watched her in awe, stunned, and jaws dropped. They seemed mesmerized by her looks and charm.

One of them tried to persuade her attentions with a cursed doll they claimed they found on ebay and Ruby merely laughed in their oblivious faces.

Sam laughed, "See any of your friends in those boxes, Ruby? I should get you one, to house you in when you get on my nerves."

Ruby shoved Sam's shoulder and said, "Very funny, ghost hunter."

Another paracon fan walking with an obese pale woman dressed comfortably, stopped and tipped his fedora at Ruby before turning to the two booth owners and indulging them in conversation over their ghost detecting gadgets and flexing his knowledge of the paranormal for Ruby.

As the day wore on and the sun shone stubbornly in the sky, beating down on the convention goers, Sam and Ruby sipped from their beer cups and walked around while eating fried corn dogs, fried oreos, and fried pickles they had gotten from a food truck parked in the lot.

Ruby bit into her fried corn dog and said through mouthfuls, "Man, gotta love the deep south for their love of all things holy and deep-fried beyond recognition. They even make veggies delicious! They love the Bible, they love good health, jumbo-ifying and frying everything, and God!"

Sam choked out laughing over his fried pickles and said, "Making cucumbers a fatty fried appetizer doesn't exactly call for good health, smartass. I think they stop constituting as a vegetable somewhere along the pickling process."

Ruby looked at him, toying with her fried corndog, "Speaking of fried pickles and corndogs...".

Sam cleared his throat and looked away, "Enough. I'm um, sorry about this morning..."

Ruby roared out in laughter and said, "I mean..."

Sam cut In, "I said enough. Let's just not bring it up again, huh?"

Ruby looked down at her fried corn dog and smiled, shrugging, "If you say so, cap'n. Oh captain, my captain."

Sam growled and shoved her roughly off the bench they had settled down on to finish their food. "Shut up!"

Ruby looked up from the ground, propped up by her hands and laughed, "Ooh, feisty!"