It took Carlos several days to remember in detail what happened next, but after going over it repeatedly, he swears this is what happened.235Please respect copyright.PENANAlhiD63kdrh
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"Dammit!" Carlos shrieked out as he clenched both hands around the vase that Adelaide had given him and realized that he had left the diary in the restroom. A look of disbelief, rage, and frustration etched his face since he had left the only evidence of Sunflower's existence behind to burn in the fury of the flames.
He took a deep breath and then stared down at the vase. It was black, with a devil's face on it. It had two piercing emerald eyes. He had no idea what to do with it, but he figured it had to serve some purpose.
As he stared deeply into the two, almost hypnotic orbs embedded in the vase, the front doors suddenly burst open, causing him to look up and squint his eyes toward the open hallway.
"It's that thing," he told himself as he watched the animal come down the hall toward the entrance.
The black-haired beast stopped in the doorway and motioned with its head for the man to follow it.
Carlos stepped through the entranceway and hated himself for even thinking about returning to the building, but he couldn't stop himself. He took slow, careful steps up the hallway and gently pushed himself through the double swinging doors, moving into the main ballroom.
Maybe Adelaide needs me, he thought quietly as he inched himself toward the restroom. What if something had happened to his ghostly friend? After all, he had run away, leaving Adelaide to face that evil being by himself.
He stopped at the end of the bar just as a murmuring cloud appeared before him, congealing from the stale air itself. A glowing pulse, deep and forceful like a heartbeat, came from the globular haze dominating his vision.
The vapor rotated slowly, hesitantly, as Carlos's eyes remained fixed on it. Suddenly, this unexplainable form of energy shot through the room over his head and disappeared into the men's restroom. He followed the cloud without hesitation, and, for some strange reason, he wasn't afraid anymore. A deep, genuine sense of relief came over him as he stepped through the door and saw Adelaide standing in the middle of the room.
Carlos hadn't drunk anything. This was real---all too real! He couldn't blame these sights on some hallucinogenic chemicals. Recent events had troubled him, and he was able to tell himself it was the Jack Daniels, but not this time. Coming to terms with reality, he realized he was looking at a ghost. He looked down at the vase in his hand and then back at Adelaide.
"What's going on in here?" he asked apprehensively as he approached the specter. "I can't take much more of this!"
"Carlos, Sunflower's a prisoner in Hell!" Adelaide answered. "The pit in the tunnels holds her captive. Vince, Sergio, and Razor are going to lure Buck----your Buck----into the Plastic Room so they can kill him and destroy his life all over again. They don't just want Wilma and her unborn child. They want Buck, too!"
"What can I do? I'm just an ordinary guy," Carlos asked in a thick, clotty voice. "You need an exorcist!"
"You must find a way to seal the pit and see that it remains sealed. Otherwise, the evil will lure some unsuspecting soul down into the tunnels to release it once again."
"What in the hell does Buck have to do with all this?" Carlos demanded.
"Buck Cassidy harbors the spirit of Sunflower's lover," Adelaide replied in a voice that carried the weight of authority.
"My God!" Carlos was bewildered by the revelation. "How is that possible? Do ghosts do that sometimes?"
"In rare circumstances, yes," Adelaide replied, his tone solemn yet enlightening. "When a soul is tragically taken before its time, it may seek refuge in another vessel, unaware of its true nature."
"What happened to Sunflower's diary?" Carlos needed even more answers.
"It's gone. Consumed by the fires of Hell."
"What I read in Sunflower's diary....those newspaper clippings I saw...is all of that true?" Carlos asked Adelaide, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
"You have only read words. The reality was much, much worse," Adelaide confirmed solemnly, his voice carrying the weight of authority. "The dark history of this high school runs deep, from the discovery of the tunnels by the Red Ravens to the antiwar demonstrations and race riots that followed. These events opened the door to the evil lurking within the pit. The gruesome rituals conducted by the teen Satanists in the tunnels were beyond comprehension. People were kidnapped, and murdered, and parts of their bodies were thrown into that pit as a blood sacrifice to the Devil. In 1969 a British emigre named Jacqueline Windsor was kidnapped by two students here, Vincent Di Stasio and Sergio Russo. They intended to bring her to the tunnels to offer her at the pit, but their car broke down just when they were almost two miles from the school. She managed to break free from them, but they caught up to her and savagely cut up her body. There was an investigation, her boyfriend reported her missing. Both teens were questioned by the police. Rather than lead the police to the body and reveal the existence of the tunnels, they killed themselves while in custody. Had they told, the tunnels and the pit might have been sealed, and Satan would have taken revenge on them. Di Stasio's and Sergio's spirits walk this place, as well as Jacqueline's. Jacqueline will never have peace until that pit is prayed over and sealed. Once this is done, we'll be able to lead you to Ms. Windsor's body in time. If you get that far, you'll have to see to it that she gets a proper burial. We'll worry about that later."
"Will Sunflower ever find Buck if I seal up that pit?" Carlos wanted to know. "Will Sunflower try to harm Wilma and her baby if she's set free? What about Buck and Wilma's daughter, Delta? Will she be safe if I do this?"
"Sunflower would never do anything to harm Buck or his family," Adelaide replied. "It's Razor, Vince, and Sergio who tried to kill Wilma. They're the evil ones. Vince Di Stasio left a threatening note behind just before he killed himself. He said he'd come back to haunt the high school and he kept his word. Those tunnels are like a magnet for evil spirits. They're drawn here to worship Satan and do his bidding. Sunflower's love is eternal. She only wants to find him and be with him, forever. She may try to enter Wilma's body from time to time only to be with Buck for a little while. This will only happen if Wilma allows it. I think she would if you tell her everything. Yes, Buck will see her in time, but only after he fulfills his dream. Someday she'll appear to him while he's singing before a crowd, and he'll remember the love they shared years ago. When it is...you'll know it. Just remember what I've said---when the time is right, you'll tell this story to a man of our choosing, and he'll tell the world. The man will be Gemini. He'll come from the dark side, but he'll cross over to the light by them. We'll guide him to you if you defeat the Prince of Darkness."
As Adelaide finished speaking the strange black-haired animal appeared behind Carlos showing its teeth and growling profoundly, warning Adelaide of some impending danger. Adelaide stared toward the main ballroom for a brief second, then turned back toward Carlos.
"They're plotting to kill Buck and Wilma's baby!" Adelaide exclaimed, with alarm in his voice. "You must hurry if that child's life is to be saved. Take that vase and go home. Call every clairvoyant you can find. Tell them everything that's happened in there, but tell them nothing about the vase. Wait for one of them to tell you that you need it to seal the pit. You'll know what to do then. Follow their instructions, and you can defeat this evil. Go! Get out of here, now! They haven't stopped me from telling you this story because they're after the baby's soul! I should have known something was wrong when they didn't interfere. Evil took this place from me and I'm back for my revenge. I sold them I'd come back someday and I have! I'll never allow an evil man to stay under this roof as long as I remain. Go! You have to get going now or that baby's doomed!"
When Adelaide and his bizarre sidekick had vanished from sight, Carlos ran for the front door, still clutching the vase tightly as if his life depended on it. He had no idea what was going on at the hospital. He just knew he had to do as Adelaide said. If this ghostly man was right, Wilma's baby was in grave danger, and, even though Carlos was not a rough, tough redneck who was beyond fear, he knew he had to save the Cassidy child. He did not know exactly what to do, but he hoped he'd find out by following Adelaide's instructions. 235Please respect copyright.PENANA3n75KV1gvn
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(ITEM! Born in the quaint town of Oxfordshire, England, in 1943, Jacqueline Windsor was a spirited young woman with a passion for adventure. Having mastered the art of pottery, she honed her skills under the tutelage of renowned craftsmen in her homeland. However, the allure of new horizons beckoned, and she embarked on a journey across the Atlantic, finding herself in the vibrant city of Houston, Texas. It was there that she met her boyfriend, and later, fiance, Matthew Kowalczyk, a charismatic Polish-American engineer known for his innovative designs. In March of 1969, tragedy struck when Jacqueline was reported missing under mysterious circumstances. Signs of a struggle were evident at her apartment, with overturned furniture and shattered pottery strewn about, suggesting a possible kidnapping.
Amidst the fervent search for answers surrounding the disappearance of Jacqueline Windsor, the investigatory trail led to an unexpected duo: teenage Satanists Vince diStasio and Sergio Russo. A witness, a local farmer, reported seeing their vintage turquoise 1956 Chevy Impala break down near Lone Star Grove, not far from the high school. When questioned at Houston Police Department headquarters, Di Stasio and Russo's demeanor grew increasingly erratic. They offered bizarre explanations, claiming they had sacrificed Jacqueline to summon demonic forces that promised them power beyond mortal comprehension. In a chilling turn of events, both suspects cut their wrists while in their holding rooms, adding a macabre twist to an already perplexing case. Despite intensive questioning and investigations, the body of Jacqueline Windsor has never been found, leaving her fate forever entwined with the dark mysteries of Lone Star Grove.)235Please respect copyright.PENANAguo1gv8Y7q
(Vince Di Stasio)
(Sergio Russo)235Please respect copyright.PENANAQLp3mYq64e
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(The holding cell at HPD headquarters where Vince Di Stasio and Sergio Russo235Please respect copyright.PENANA8ZUU596pxh
killed themselves.)