Precious Cargo

Upon hearing the gunfire, Eric's first thought was for Kay's safety.
Putting his weight on his right arm in order to raise himself from the ground caused great pain to shoot from his elbow clear up to his shoulder, taking his breath.
He paused on his knees to compose himself, and scanned the hillside for a sign of Kay.
At the horizon he could see her from the waist up. She was standing and holding the shotgun at port arms.
He called out her name and she turned, barely hearing him over the increasing wind.
"Just go to the lake. I'm OK. Just go, hurry." she told him.
Reluctantly, he rose to his feet, wincing with the weight of the stones pulling against his right shoulder.
He then gingerly resumed his trip down the hill. He was overwhelmed with concern for Kay, but would just have to trust in her ability.
She was a competent lady in everthing she did and the look she gave him left no room for argument.

Kay had merely fired a round into the air to get the attention of the two men on the ground.
The sound of the blast caused George/Juan to release his death grip on Pye's throat.
She must now pause to reload the musket, correct? Juan asked George within his mind.
"No she doesn't. That gun will fire repeatedly, maybe five more times. Please don't antagonize her. I don't want to die, Juan."
"El oro se remonta en el lago. Venga a ver." Kay said in what she hoped was passable college Spanish.
She was trying to communicate that they were throwing the gold back in the lake.
They both rose to their feet, momentarily forgetting the fued.
She saw the alarm in George's eyes, not knowing if it was him or Juan she was seeing.
Most likely both, if that was possible, for they both would have much to lose with this turn of events.

 

Kay dropped the shotgun to her side in an effort to appear non threatening.
She then turned her back and began walking toward the lake.
The fight temporarily forgotten, the men took a few cautious steps in that direction.
They saw Eric slip/sliding down the slope with a breifcases in each hand.
Understanding was evident in their eyes, as a grin played across Pye's lips and George's face distorted into a scowl.
Kay decided to take what would be dangerous gamble. For her plan to work, she had to be correct on two assumptions.
The first was that the ghost pirates didn't speak English. The second was that there was something left of George's mind and he could somehow communicate with his captor.

As Eric got close to the shoreline, George was becoming frantic, while Pye was downright gleeful.
He started toward the lake, almost knocking Kay down in the process.
She grabbed his sleeve as he bumped into her and pulled him close.
"George, if you can hear me in there, don't worry. The gold is safe in the truck. We want to get you safely out of here."
He gave her a bewildered look, but she had no way of knowing who was in control in there and if she was understood."
"El oro está en el camión. Es sólo una treta. Estará libre que prometo." Kay hurriedly whispered, praying the other demon din't pick up on it.
George closed his eyes and Kay sensed an internal debate.
She then heard a maniacal laughter from behind her. It was Pye and she soon discovered the source of his pleasure.
Eric had pitched the breifcases into the lake and was making his way back up the hill.

 

Eric lost his footing halfway up the slope and was careful to break his fall with his uninjured left arm.
As he regained his footing, his first thought was that he had been knocked unconcious when he collided with the tree and was now experiencing a hallucination.
He could think of no other explanation for what he was now witnessing.
George seemed to become blurry, like a television screen that was having reception problems.
And now another figure was extricating itself from George's body.
And if this was not incredible enough, it was an armless, nude man with the complexion of a cadaver.
Even stranger, Kay didn't seem the least bit alarmed. In fact, she was now holding George, who seemed to be having some difficulty standing now.
The armless ghoul was floating in mid air now, and upon closer inspection, did not seem to be at all menacing.
He was almost serene, unlike the creature that was now flowing forth from Pye.
This one was physically complete and was dressed in what Eric would later learn was a 16th century sailor's uniform.
His complexion was that of a corpse, but not as washed out as the other.
He had an evil smile of rust colored teeth.
This spectacle caused Eric to cease his uphill journey, being overwhelmed at what he was observing.
"Come on hon." Kay shouted. "We have to get out of here fast."
As she said that, the spectre from Pye's body began floating toward Eric.
His first impulse was to reach into his jacket for his pistol, then realized that would certainly be a meaningless gesture.
Pizarro floated above Eric's head and seemed to be heading for the lake.

 

Kay had not anticipated this development. The demon who emanted from Pye was heading for the lake.
She rightly guessed he was suspicious of what had just taken place, and he could travel faster as an apparition than he could with Pyle's body.
She also feared if he discovered the trickery he would be back to claim another body.
And she feared it could be hers or Eric's. They must flee at once.
She had no idea how far the ghosts could travel to claim a body, but she had a feeling they were limited to this immediate area.
Otherwise they would have fled to a populated area years ago.
Eric had the presence of mind to grab the axe on the way up since Pye seemed to be returning to his normal self.
George was pale and shaken, but seemed cognizant of the situation.
He gave Kay the short version of what Juan had told him, and agreed they needed to make haste, for Pizarro was a cold blooded killer who would stop at nothing to keep the gold.
Pye had regained his senses, but had lost track of time.
"I don't know how long we have been here, but the road has surely gotten worse. Do you think you can get that thing out of here?" he asked George, pointing at the rental car.
"I doubt it. I'm from down south and have rarely driven in the snow. I am usually out of here before the first snowfall." George answered.
"You can ride with me then. Kay is right. We must go now."
Pye started the hearse and wasted no time getting turned around, slinging the back end of the big car around in the process.
Realizing he was still holding the axe, Eric tossed it between the seats as he climbed into the six wheeler.
Pushing the gearshift into second gear sent a blot of pain into his shoulder causing him to wince, which didn't go unnoticed by Kay.
Not for the first time, he believed something was broken.
"Are you OK?" Kay asked, concerned.
"I believe that dang tree got the best of me. I hope you've been paying attention on the ride up, because it looks like you might be shifting gears on the way back."

 

It was then that a chill overtook the interior of the truck, and Eric felt electricity travel up his spine.
Sensing a presence behind him. he looked over his right shoulder to see Juan in the sleeper.
"####, that scared me. Looks like our new friend is riding along." Eric said.
"Maybe he is our guardian now." Kay said as the truck began rolling.
"I hope so. We can use all the help we can get."
Eric eased out the clutch and swung the rig around, Pye already disappearing up the first hill.
He accelerated gently and reached across his body with his left arm and pulled it down into the next gear.
"You going to be OK with that, hon?" Kay asked.
"I think so. Might need some help in the curves."
The first slope was gentle, so he went into fourth gear just to keep momentum.
Kay was looking back at Juan, who seemed to be content with the knowledge that he would soon be out of limbo after such a very long time.
As Eric pulled up the third, and steepest grade, it was obvious that something was clearly wrong.
George was climbing over the edge of the embankment, blood dripping from his nose.
The back end of the hearse was sticking up in the air, with the car pointing down toward the river.

 

Kay noticed that Juan was getting progressively dimmer, as if an unseen hand was dialing down a rheostat.
As she felt before, she thought he may be reaching the range of his viability.
"What the hell?" Eric said, causing Kay to shift her attention to the events taking place outside.
George was now almost as pale as the local ghosts. He looked as if he had seen combat.
In a way he had. It had been an eventful day for the mild mannered orthodonist.
His body had been occupied by a centuries old ghost and he had been assaulted by a lumberjack with an axe, among other things.
It took George a moment to gather his wits enough to explain what had just happened.
"Somebody was standing in the road. Just appeared. Then I realized what it was, because it was so dim I could see through it.
I think Pye did do, but by then, it was too late, he had already hit the brakes.
The car turned sideways and he couldn't control it. We went over the embankment." George explained.
"Where is he now?" Eric asked.
After another hesitation, "He's down there...he's dead, Eric."
Eric believed the man. He was a doctor, after all. But he still had to see for his self.
He felt basically responsible for the situation, and he wanted all the facts to be correct when he reported to Clyde.
Eric cautiously made his way down the steep embankment, the snow already ankle deep.
Not for the first time, he wished he was wearing his heavy workboots.
Not only for traction, but for warmth as well. His socks were damp already and the cold was working it's way to his toes.
In his haste to flee the wrecked car, George had left the passenger door open.
The windshield was cracked, presumably from impact with Pye's head, who's head was laying to one side at an unnatural angle.
Eric knelt in the snow and reached across the seat for Pye's wrist to check for a pulse. There was none.

As anxious as he was to clear out of there, Eric felt it was only right to notify somebody? The local police?
Yeah, sure. How could he possibly explain any of this?
He removed his cell phone from his shirt pocket, and lo and behold, he actually had a signal. He called Clyde.
The trick was to explain the situation as truthfully as possible while keeping talk of the supernatural to a minimum.

"Now just stay calm, son." said Clyde through the static. "Are you positive he is dead?"
"Yes, sir, I'm positive."
"OK, now have you touched anything?"
"No, sir."
"OK, that's good. What about George? He was in the car."
Eric looked over at George, who was wearing gloves and asked him.
George shook his head, saying he had the gloves on the whole time, which Eric relayed to Clyde.
"OK, that's good. Anything else yall might have touched?" Clyde asked.
Eric thought about the axe, but it was safely in the truck. He remembered the rope, but it was unlikely to pick up any prints.
Clyde said to grab it anyway. Then he asked who Pye was and why he was at the scene.
Eric told him about their stay in Provincetown. Knowing he should never discuss business with a stranger, he stressed that he never told Pye exactly where they were going.
Only to northern Maine, which covered a whole lot of territory.
He told Clyde how Pye acted spooked at the mention of the north woods and came up here on his own.
And no, they weren't tailed. Pye left well after they did.
Clyde listened patiently without interruption. Probably recording everything, Eric thought.
"OK, son. You're doing good. Our first responsibilty is to the customer. I want you to get him out of there quickly and safely. Understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Now head to the interstate. There is a major storm coming in, but the plows will be working on I-95.
George will have a rental car reservation at Budget in Watervale. It's right off the interstate.
The name on the reservation will be Arnold Kemper. Look in the steel box under the passenger seat of the truck.
There is a set of ID for Arnold in a brown envelope. Driver's license and credit cards. Your truck key opens the box.
Send him to Augusta Regional Airport. He has a reservation for a commuter flight to Boston, then a non-stop to Charlotte.
Don't worry about anything else. We have somebody up there. We can handle it. You done good."
Eric would later reflect on not only how calm Clyde was, but the fact that he wasn't the least bit suprised about anything, never asking Eric to fill in the gaps.

 

EPILOGUE

Six months later

The three hikers almost gasped in unison at the sight of the valley that spread out before them.
The ice having melted, the river was sparkling blue and reflected the late morning sun.
Only the scarcest amount of snow remained on the mountain peaks and spring greenery had arrived.
As they made their way closer to the small house, they were able to read the realestate sign out front.
"For sale or rent" it said.
"This place won't sit vacant for long.It's beautiful here." one of the hikers commented.
"I don't suppose anybody will mind if we set up down here by the lake." one of the others said.
The trio of outdoorsmen unshouldered their packs and had themselves a picnic style lunch.
One of them ventured down to the shore and was reliving his youth by skipping stones off the water when he saw a reflection near the surface, just inches from the bank.
Dropping to his knees, he carefully reached in the cold water and retrieved a coin.
He then walked back up the slope to show his buddies his find.
"Har maties." he said, in a comical pirate imitation.
"Har, yourself." said his pal. "I suppose you are going to tell us you have a gold doubloon."
"If it's not, it's a fine imitation." he answered.
That night, the nightmares began.