Shattered Illusions Read online

  Shattered Illusions

  Karen Michelle Nutt

  Shattered Illusions

  Presented by Publishing by Rebecca J. Vickery

  Copyright © 2015 by Karen Michelle Nutt

  Cover Design Copyright © Karen Michelle Nutt

  Editor Rebecca J. Vickery

  Design Consultant Laura Shinn

  Smashwords Licensing Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with other people, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you are reading this ebook without purchasing it and it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

  Shattered Illusions is a work of fiction. Though actual locations may be mentioned, they are used in a fictitious manner and the events and occurrences were invented in the mind and imagination of the author except for the inclusion of actual historical facts. Similarities of characters or names used within to any person – past, present, or future – are coincidental except where actual historical characters are purposely interwoven.

  **Note: Previously appeared in the Victory Tales Press anthology released in September 2012 titled 2012 Fall/Paranormal Collection.**

  Brona lives in an isolated house on the cliffs which overlook the sea. She arrives home to find the door ajar. Her husband is out of town and her sister, who is staying with her, has disappeared.

  Blood-stained floors appear and disappear, low whispering voices greet her, and a storm outside rages causing the lights to flicker. Brona must put her fears behind her and unravel the mystery that haunts this house.

  To forget time, to forgive life, to be at peace

  ~ Oscar Wilde, "The Canterville Ghost" ~

  Chapter One

  The fierce wind shrilled as blue arms of rain reached down from the clouds, drenching everything in its path. Brona shivered as she fought her way up the walk and away from the crashing waves that threatened to flood the beach. Lightning cracked the sky apart, illuminating the house with an eerie backdrop. She pulled her windbreaker tighter around her.

  She berated herself for her stupidity. She had noticed the threatening storm clouds when she started out this afternoon. "Oh, but you had to ignore them," she sarcastically spit out not caring in the least that she was talking to herself. "You had to walk along the cliffs as if you've never seen the ocean before today. Soaked to the skin, you are, and looking like an eejit for the effort." Her dark strands were plastered to her head and her makeup all but washed away. It was a good thing she hadn't put on mascara this morning or she'd have streaks of black running down her face.

  She hurried up the porch steps and to some remnant of cover. She needed to collect the firewood and light the fireplace or the house wouldn't be warm tonight. She wished her husband would hurry home. "I miss you, Liam."

  He had been called away on business and she didn't expect him home until the end of the week. She sighed. "Ah Liam, a welcoming hug and your warm lips on mine, is what I be needing this night." Instead, she had her sister, Tara for company. She loved her sister and they would probably talk into the wee hours of the night, but it wasn't the same as having her husband there to keep her warm. She liked to snuggle near the fire with him on nights like this. They would sip hot chocolate with marshmallows as they talked about their dreams for the future.

  She glanced up as the lightning shot across the sky. She hoped she wouldn't lose electricity as they had many times before with lesser storms. She shook some of the water off her and walked over to the front door. Her hands were frozen and she fumbled with the key, only to realize the door stood slightly ajar.

  Brona hesitated at the threshold, listening, but the only sound she heard was the bawling winds and the rumble of thunder behind her.

  Her sister, Tara was napping when she left the house. That's why she had taken her keys to lock the door. Her brows furrowed. Did I forget to lock it in my haste to be near the sea? It wouldn't surprise her if she had. How many times had Liam come home to find the door unlocked and she nowhere to be found?

  Their rugged house stood hidden in a lush forest near the edge of a cliff. From the porch they could see where the ocean met the horizon, an endless view of blue and green water. A hike down the cliff brought them to a private beach with areas she had yet to explore. She sighed. On a clear night the sunsets were breathtaking. She loved that they lived far off the beaten path. They didn't have much traffic here, but Liam was from the city and insisted that locks were placed. She looked at the open door. Now he had her paranoid that someone had broken in while she'd been gone. "Don't be silly. I forgot to lock the door is all there is to it." She chuckled and shook her head for believing the worst.

  Chapter Two

  She entered the house with sure steps. She reached for the light switch and flipped it on, flooding the living room with light. "Tara, I'm back and cold to the bone." Silence greeted her. It was odd how silence could clamor louder in the mind than an orchestra playing a symphony. Her chuckle died in her throat. A confusing rush of anticipation and dread whirled inside of her. Why wasn't her sister answering? No sounds came from within, as if she entered a tomb. Goose flesh moved up her spine, making her shiver.

  Lightning crackled in the sky and thunder shook the windows, causing Brona to jump. She whirled around to shut and lock the door behind her. She headed for the stairs with a thought: What if she had locked the intruder in with her? She stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked up at the inky blackness waiting for her.

  She had to go up there. She had to make sure Tara was okay.

  She'd only taken a step when a guttural cry of terror rose above the storm's violence. "Oh my God, Tara!" Brona raced upstairs to her sister's room. She threw open the door, sending it slamming against the wall. Nerves at full stretch, she searched frantically for the light switch. Finally her fingers brushed over it and she flipped it on. She shielded her eyes with her hand to block the brilliance of the light. It took her a second to focus.

  She gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth. Near the bed, blood pooled starkly against the light grain of the hardwood floor in its greedy eagerness to be seen. "Tara, where are you?" The sharp coppery scent hit her nostrils, making them flare in protest.

  Brona leaned against the wall, her whole body numb, her head pounded as if someone had clobbered her with a sledgehammer. She blinked, trying to focus and make her limbs obey her. She needed to stay on her feet and not pass out.

  She steadied herself as she looked on with half-startled wariness. What had happened? Did someone hurt her sister? Where was she? There was so much blood. She scanned the room, wondering where an intruder might hide. The four-poster bed had drawers added to it, leaving very little room between the bed and floor. Unless the intruder was a small child, no one could hide under there. The only place would be in the closet.

  She needed a weapon, anything that would help her. She went for the crystal lamp—the nearest object to her, but then her eyes locked onto the letter opener resting peacefully beside it.

  "This will do." Brona grabbed it.

  She moved toward the closet with slow careful steps. When the floorboards creaked, she cringed and held still. When no one burst out of the closet, she took a step toward it again. The lightning flashed and the rain pelted harder against the window. She held her body rigid. She unclenched her left hand, but she kept her right hand poised with the letter opener in front of her. She held her breath and threw open the closet doors. She flung the clothes aside and stabbed the letter opener in a forward thrust.

  Chapter Three
br />   No demon greeted her and no murderer slashed at her throat. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. "I'm a thundering eejit. Why would an intruder hide in a bloomin' closet? Why would he hide at all? He's gone. He wouldn't stick around to be caught." Brona tried to convince herself, but it didn't explain what happened to Tara. "I need to find her. If the blood is hers, she's hurt or..." No, she wouldn't go there. Her sister was alive and needed her help. She turned toward the bed. Her gaze landed where the puddle of blood should be, only it wasn't there. Her breath solidified in her throat, choking her.

  How could it be gone? She took a tentative step forward. Her whole body tensed and a cold sweat trickled down her back. What in the hell is going on? It was as if someone had mopped the floor while she had her back turned and removed the damning evidence.

  Waves of grayness overtook her, threatening to make her pass out. She fought it, trying to tame the roaring in her ears. She stumbled to the bed and sat down, taking in deep gulps of air.

  Clear as day, she had seen the blood. How could it be gone? She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She needed everything to make sense again. She'd heard Tara scream hysterically as she had entered the house. That was real—wasn't it? It couldn't have been her imagination.

  She forced herself to leave the safety of the bed. She knelt down and felt the floorboards. They were smooth beneath her fingertips and dry as a bone. Obviously, there had never been any blood other than what her wild imagination had conjured up, but that still didn't explain why Tara was missing.

  She flew to her feet and rushed to the door. "Tara," she called. The roar of absolute silence greeted her, which did nothing to ease the tension coiling in the pit of her stomach. Something was terribly wrong, but she couldn't place her finger on it. She wished Liam were here. It wasn't as if she couldn't take care of herself, but Liam was tall and strong. If an intruder lurked within their home, he'd have a better chance of subduing him. She stood five-foot-two and a hundred pounds.

  Liam used to tease her. "Don't wander too close to the edge of the cliff, luv. If a strong wind picks up, it'll take you right over."

  A thunderclap rattled the windows, causing her heart to leap. Then another flash of lightning before the lights flickered out, leaving her in total darkness. "Bloody brilliant!" Brona cursed under her breath. She hugged the wall and moved forward, feeling her way as she went. If she could just reach the desk a few feet in front of her, she'd have light. She kept batteries and the torch in the top drawer for such nights like this. She strained her eyes, opening them wider as if this would allow her to see through the inky blackness. She needed to keep her wits about her. She had to find Tara before it was too late.

  She bumped into a cabinet, stubbing her toe. She hopped on one foot and bit her lower lip to stop herself from crying out. Finally, the pain subsided and she drew in a ragged breath. She fumbled with the drawer. It didn't want to open. She pulled on the handle again, rattling the drawer and hoping to dislodge whatever kept it shut. At last, she managed to pry it open. She reached inside, feeling for the torch.

  Whispering sounds of voices caused her to pause and listen.

  "Tara?"

  The murmuring stopped cold.

  Fear, like the quick hot touch of the devil, shot through her and the prickling hairs on the back of her neck rose.

  If it was Tara, who else was with her? Maybe one of the voices hadn't been her sister's. Maybe there was more than one intruder and they were discussing their diabolical plans. Would someone really dare to make the hike up the cliffs in this storm? Brona imagined all kinds of horrible scenarios. Her imagination conjured up the worst and she convinced herself a stranger held her sister hostage in one of the rooms.

  Chapter Four

  Brona clasped the torch and flipped it on. Her hands shook as she swung it in front of her. The beam of light bounced off the walls in frightening arrays of fragmented streams, causing the shadows to loom like monsters ready to pounce. "Who's there?" she demanded over her choking beating heart.

  Brona sensed movement and she swung the torch toward the shadow. The lights overhead came on and she caught a glimpse of someone fleeing toward her bedroom. The person was too tall to be Tara.

  She grabbed for the phone, sitting on the desk, bringing the receiver to her ear. There was no dial tone. Bloomin' perfect! The storm must have knocked out the lines. With shaking hands, she placed the phone back in its cradle.

  She stared down the hall, listening, watching and waiting for the intruder to make a move. If I go now, I could make it down the stairs. I could be out of the house before the intruder realizes I'm even here. For a second, she almost took her advice, but the niggling guilt overrode her fear. What am I thinking? I can't leave without Tara. She had to find her sister.

  Her hand slipped into her pocket and pulled out the letter opener before she stuffed the torch in its place for safekeeping. She didn't want to be vulnerable if the lights happened to go out again. She reopened the drawer and grabbed a few batteries.

  She crept down the hall. Her heart moved to her throat, making it difficult to breathe. As she neared, she heard voices again, a woman's soft timbre and a man's rumbling deep tone. The murmurings grew clearer as she inched closer. She couldn't make out the words, but she recognized the woman's voice as Tara's. Her sister didn't sound scared. Her voice was a smooth and calm murmur not the frantic high pitch of vowels, indicating something was wrong. Did she know the intruder? Or was her sister trying to keep the intruder calm so he wouldn't harm her?

  Brona hugged the wall, slowly moving closer, hoping she could hear what they were saying.

  She stopped cold when the man spoke. She recognized the man's voice, too. It was a deep sound, reassuring and smooth, like rich Irish cream.

  "Liam?" When had he arrived home? Maybe that was why Tara had screamed. He wasn't supposed to be home yet. He'd told her he wouldn't be able to break away until the end of the week. She chuckled softly. That was it. Liam had come home and startled Tara. Now she did feel silly. She had frightened herself, and for nothing.

  Brona reached for the doorknob and opened the bedroom door, ready to reprimand her sister and her husband for giving her such a scare, but the words died in her throat. Total darkness greeted her. She flipped the light switch, blinking back the brightness until she could see clearly again.

  Her mouth fell open as she stared.

  "I know I saw someone walk into my bedroom, and I heard Liam and Tara conversing."

  So where were they? How could they have gotten past her? There were no other doors to the bedroom other than the one she'd entered.

  A blast of cold air hit her and she wrapped her arms against her chest. She was still wet from her walk. Her hair lay plastered to her head as water dripped down her face. She didn't care. A haunted suspicion gnawed at her, making her determined to find out what was going on. "People don't disappear into thin air. It's not possible." Blood splattered on the floor shouldn't disappear either, but it had. Was she losing her mind?

  "Brona?" Liam's voice rumbled out of the darkness from the hall. "Is it you, Brona?"

  She whirled around. "Aye, Liam. I'm in the bedroom." She ran to the door and peered into the hall. "Liam, where are you?"

  Silence greeted her for a few heartbeats of time before Liam spoke again. "Brona, I miss you." His voice bounced off the walls like an echo, teasing and taunting, making it difficult to know where he was.

  "Liam, where are you?"

  He didn't answer. Only the wind and rain reached her ears. She hesitated to leave the security of her bedroom. She gnawed on a ragged thumbnail, wondering why she didn't feel safe.

  Her nerves danced in her stomach, making her anxious and nauseous at the same time. Everything felt off kilter and if she moved, she would fall.

  She took a ragged breath. Liam had to be here. He called to her. The storm was playing tricks on her hearing, making Liam's voice carry from somewhere else in the house.

  That ha
d to be it. The house sometimes echoed sounds. Liam must be downstairs. He was probably looking for her and wondering where she was in the house, too.

  "Liam?" she called.

  She stepped into the hallway, only to jump back at the sight of someone standing there. With her heart pounding and her legs shaking, it took a full second more to realize it had only been her reflection in the full-length mirror mounted on the wall. She took a deep breath, feeling foolish for scaring herself yet again.

  She strode over to the mirror and ran her fingers over the delicate wood-carved rim. She loved that mirror. She and Liam had purchased the ornate piece at an antique shop in Dublin. They had taken a trip there to visit her grandmother. They took in the sights, visiting Dublin Castle, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral, and Ha'penny Bridge. They even took a tour of St. Michan's Church, going below to the crypt and seeing where its mummies lay for their eternal rest. What a holiday get away it had been.

  She especially enjoyed their stroll through Merrion Square Park where the Oscar Wilde statue is located. The artist captured Mr. Wilde's personality perfectly with an amused-as-hell smile, curving his lips.

  Later, to escape the rain, they had slipped into the Back in Time Antique Shop. The mirror was mounted on the wall over a gaudy piece of furniture. Liam thought she was crazy to buy such a heavy piece and expect it to arrive back home still intact. However, he gave into her whim and whipped out the credit card. They had it shipped home and were pleased it arrived unscathed.

  Chapter Five

  She glanced at her reflection and frowned. "I look a dreadful sight." Her skin was ghostly pale and her gray eyes stared back at her with a frightened expression. She ran her hand through her dark strands in a detached motion. "I'd scare the dead." Her blood chilled like ice and she shivered at what her words had conjured in her mind. Her hand dropped away from the mirror and she stepped back before turning away and glancing down the hallway.