Suspicious Minds (Stranger Things Novels #1)(54)

“I don’t believe in ghosts,” Gloria put in.

“I do.” Alice.

“My aunt and uncle did,” Ken said, “because they lived with one for fifty years. Uncle Bill and Aunt Ama moved into the first house they owned in the thirties, and their ghost made himself known right off. He liked to move Ama’s shoes around, downstairs to upstairs, upstairs to down. He’d hide my uncle’s belts. They’d go to sleep and he’d tap tap tap on the walls until Ama told him to ‘knock it off.’?”

“How’d they know it was a he?” Terry asked.

“I don’t know.” A shrug in Ken’s voice. “They asked around the neighborhood, looked up previous owners, and couldn’t figure out who it was. He was mostly a nuisance. But then Uncle Bill joined the Marines and he ended up in Korea. Ama claims it was a comfort to have someone around the house with her while he was gone.”

“Aw, that’s cute,” Alice said.

“He came back, right?” Terry tried not to watch the shadows around them. It felt like there were more of them all the time.

“He did.”

“See, this is a good story.” Alice dropped her side of the blanket, then picked it back up.

“I’m not done yet. So while my uncle was in Korea, his unit was in this giant battle for the Chosin Reservoir. Back then they used ‘Tootsie Roll’ as code for mortar rounds. So they’re calling for more Tootsie Rolls, not knowing if they’ll get what they need to survive. Two days later, the next parachute drop of supplies shows up and they rush to open it up and find…”

“Tootsie Rolls?” Gloria scoffed. “You’re kidding!”

“I am not,” Ken said. “Some radio operator or pilot didn’t know the slang and thought they wanted candy.”

Alice opened her mouth, and Ken rushed on. “So when my uncle comes home, Tootsie Rolls become his lucky charm. He lived on the things for a week. He always has one in his pocket. Ama suggests giving one to the ghost, and so he leaves it out on the night table. No tapping that night. And in the morning the Tootsie Roll was gone. They left out one for him every night after that and he became their helpful house ghost. Instead of hiding their shoes and belts, sometimes they’d ask him to find them and they’d poof, show up.”

“A Tootsie Roll–loving ghost,” Terry said in wonder. “I don’t guess you brought any with you? Tootsie Rolls, not ghosts.”

“I guess even my psychic powers can’t predict Alice’s whims. I didn’t.”

They were quiet for a moment and Terry thought maybe someone would ask for another story. Maybe they’d keep putting this off.

But it was why they were here.

“Time to zap me.” Alice let go of the blanket again, this time shifting so she and Terry could clasp hands. “You know what to do,” Alice said to Gloria.

“I hope this works.” Gloria took a lever on the machine and pulled it back. “Ready?”

Terry looked to Alice in the dark and saw the girl nod. “Ready,” Terry answered for her, squeezing Alice’s hands tight.

Gloria hesitated, then was in motion. Terry closed her eyes, and then felt Alice tense up. She made a noise and her teeth clacked together.

“Again,” Alice said, her hands shaking.

“No,” Terry said.

“One more,” Gloria said. “I’m sorry.”

Alice jerked and Terry whimpered.

“First the fire, then the splendor,” Alice said with a slight rattle. “Here we go.”

Gloria turned off the motor, removed the electrodes, and took up her post by a flashlight with her pencil and notebook. “I’m ready,” she said.

Alice’s eyes drifted closed. “Oh,” she said, “it’s like it’s all around me.”

“What is?” Terry asked softly.

“The Beneath.” Alice released Terry’s hands and gestured at the dark forest. “The trees are broken, and there are webs and some kind of gummy substance growing all over them. Little spores flying through the air. A dream that’s not all bad yet.”

A shiver passed through Terry.

“Can you go toward the lab?” Gloria asked, and Terry could tell the reality of this was sinking in for her, too. There was an undercurrent of fear in the question.

“I…I don’t know. I’m trying. This is the clearest I’ve ever seen.” Alice snorted a laugh, seemingly untroubled—but then this was more normal for her. “I’m flying. I went right over the broken-down fence. So much for their security.”

Ken and Terry smiled at each other, shaking their heads.

“Keep going,” Gloria said.

The winter woods held few noises, except the creak of the wind through bare branches. “I’m still flying,” Alice said after a minute. “No monsters. There are some unusual cars in the parking lot.”

“Unusual how?”

Alice didn’t respond right away. “I don’t recognize the makes.”

“Okay, keep going,” Terry said.

They waited, and finally Alice said, “I see the lab. It’s like a ghost lab, filmy but there. I’m at a door to the lower level. A man in a security uniform went through.”