The Curse of 1977 (Book 2)

Seated next to Gloria, Jeremiah had no clue as to where they were headed, and truth be told, he really couldn't have cared less. Just feeling the warm breeze blast into his face from the open window was soothing enough for the man.

'Baracuda' from Heart was playing loud on the radio as Gloria kept a steady pace down the lonesome highway. Every now and then Jeremiah would glance over at her and wonder just what was on her mind. For the duration of their journey they spoke off and on about Isaac, her time at Ashlandview and the animal slayings in Cypress.

Jeremiah made sure to tread lightly when it came to their discussions. Just in the short time since he knew her face to face he automatically felt a connection to the woman, but she was still fragile. Within certain sentences he could hear Gloria's voice shake or hesitate. As a psychologist he knew when to go only so far, but as a human being, as Jeremiah Levin, he had his own breaking point.

Every so often, however, in the midst of their conversation Jeremiah would drift away. His eyes would find themselves sinking downwards towards Gloria's bare legs. Immediately his thoughts would race back to Julie who just so happened to have a doctor's appointment that particular morning. If it wasn't Julie or a pair of smooth legs then it was Isaac.

"Did they teach you that in your psychology class, too?" Gloria asked.

Instantly, Jeremiah shook himself back into the car and the conversation. "I'm sorry, what did you say again?"

Giggling, Gloria replied, "I said, did they teach you about modern childcare in your psychology class?"

Cracking a subtle grin, Jeremiah said, "Uh...I honestly don't recall."

"They did for me, before I dropped out that is. Maybe you should've listened more to your professor before assuming that your wife was just having sympathy pains."

Jeremiah only began to laugh out loud, "My wife knows exactly how to draw sympathy from me! She doesn't have to feign abdominal pain!"

Gloria sat quiet for a moment before she opened her mouth and said, "I wish I had the courage to go back to Cypress State again."

Looking over at her, Jeremiah asked, "What's stopping you?"

"I guess I don't want a whole bunch of people staring at me like I just escaped an asylum. I just don't feel like explaining myself to everyone."

"But people know what happened to you."

was kidnapped, but besides my sister, no one knows that

"Doctor Sanyupta once told me that keeping ourselves locked away from society is like keeping the

really beautiful." Gloria sighed. "I've heard Paul speak about him from time to time. Does he

Sanyupta was killed

concern on her face, Gloria only glanced at Jeremiah before she pulled her car into a long driveway and stopped short of a ranch-style home that looked like it had seen better

"Where are we?" Jeremiah sat

sat and stared straight ahead at the

"Gloria...are you okay?" Jeremiah

With a quivering bottom

while, but soon, he got it. He watched as the woman got out of the

climbed out and perched himself on the other side of the vehicle's bumper. The both of them watched as the house in front of them studied them right back. The driveway in which they were standing had weeds protruding up from the cracked cement while the grass all around them stood almost as tall as they did. There was a maple tree in the middle of the yard that was split down the middle from where lightning had struck. Branches,

repaired, but by then, even its very foundation was beginning to see weakness as pieces of

just standing beside her vehicle staring off at the house. Rationality was tossed out the window. Jeremiah knew full well that Gloria had seen something absolutely jarring inside Cummins' old house. Whether it was a mythical character or the result of her rape, something had disrupted the woman's soul to the point where she had to actually revisit

began to walk towards the house. Jeremiah stood back and held his breath while a large semi-truck roared past behind him on the highway. Gloria kept advancing until her bare feet left the cement and touched the grass. She continued on around to the side of the house until she came face to face with the

"How big do you think it was?" Gloria

ventured towards Gloria. The moment he found himself standing beside

she sighed, "That's the problem with people today, especially our tribe, we try and question everything.

Taking off his glasses, Jeremiah murmured, "Yeah, something

honestly have no idea where they came from or why I'm having them to begin with. No more than

do believe that what you saw was real." Jeremiah stated. "And I

Gloria turned her head to Jeremiah and asked,

this is where he escaped from." Jeremiah soon began to wander about the grass. "Neither of you were crazy. And there's nothing

behind Jeremiah, Gloria hastily queried, "So you believe in the existence of evil? Because that's the very first and last thing they teach against

our eyes take in. I mean, I've never seen a ghost, but countless people throughout the ages have experienced paranormal happenings. How wrong can they all be? You saw something inside this house, Gloria. Isaac was going through something before he died. There