chapter 7

Justin continued to pile on the pounds.
His work uniform was so tight that his manager has to tell him to get another size from uniform issue, or she would have to send him home.

Now he wanted to gain weight, he overate at every mealtime. He stopped trying to save money by walking to work. Now, he always caught the bus.
If the bus was not running, he got a taxi - sod the expense!
He reversed all the advice for living a healthy lifestyle. He always took the lift or the escalator instead of the stairs. He always had a pudding or a dessert after every meal.
He went out night clubbing at least one of the days at the weekend, but never ventured far beyond the bar. He never went home sober.
At home, after work, instead of having a standard cup of coffee, he would have an Irish coffee with a good head of double cream. The empty extra calories did him good, he told himself.

The strange occurances seemed to have stopped. The voices fell silent. Justin enjoyed the fact that he could get a full night's sleep again... or maybe the alcohol was preventing the messages getting through!

Then one night, it was worse than ever!

He was lying in bed, facing away from the window. He was in that period between sleep and wakefulness again. He saw the black figure standing behind the sofa. Another figures was sitting down. The black figure pulled out a machete style knife and sliced off the other figure's head.
Justin was horrified. He saw the scene played over and over again in black and white. There was no blood, no sound. He was frozen in the same position, watching the same scene play out.
Suddenly, he heard the voice of his grandmother. She laid a hand on his head and told him to roll over. She told him no harm would come to him if he turned onto his other side.
Now he found he could move. He turned over and felt his grandmother's protection surround and embrace the direction that he faced. Meanwhile, behind him, he felt the evil darkness clawing at his back, trying to get him to roll back over to face the other way.
He did not get any sleep that night. He had no idea how he got through the day.
Soon after that incident, he was out at a club. He'd already had a bit to drink, so he could not say he was sober. He was sitting in a booth near the back of the club with his freinds, when he heard his grandmother's voice.
He missed what she had said, so he ignored it and continued drinking.
A pint and a half later, he heard her call his name. He looked up to see her sitting in the chair opposite him. Luckily, his mate had just got up to have a bit of a dance, or it would have been awkward. She was small and petite, as he remembered her to be, but she was also young and dressed to fit the club environment.
She grabbed his arm, "do you see that girl over there?" She asked. Out of the many girls on the dance floor, Justin knew exactly which one she meant. "Ask her if she believes in spirits. She'll be able to help you!"
Her image faded somewhat. He looked at the girl in question. He'd fancied her for the last six months, but had not had the courage to ask her out. He couldn't just go up to her and ask her if she believed in spirits! What a daft question! It was not the best chat up line in the world for certain. No he was not going to do it!
His grandmother appeared again, encouraging him to do the unthinkable. He felt himself sober up. He could not hear the conversation going on at the table. The loud music that was playing faded into the background. She would not want anything to do with him anyway. He was too fat to be fanciable.
"Go on!" Shouted his grandmother, "what are you waiting for! Ask her! ASK HER!"
Reluctantly, Justin stood up. He was aware of his thickened girth as he took the few steps towards the dance floor.
He didn't try dancing near to her and then slowly moving closer. He walked directly up to her. He had to bend over to shout in her ear because of the music noise. As he leaned over he got a want of her perfume. He moved her curly dark hair out of the way as he shouted.
"Do you have a boyfreind?" He asked
She nodded.
'Damn!' He thought, but he had to finish the conversation. "Forgive me asking, but do you believe in spirits?" He yelled
As he stood upright, she looked at him for a moment. She took his hand and pulled him off the dance floor to somewhere where they could talk more coherently.
"Why did you ask me that?" She said
He was relieved she was not angry.
He took a deep breath, and told her the truth, "my grandmother, who has been dead for over a year has been telling me to for the last hour. She would not leave me alone."
The girl understood. "What's happening?" She asked him.
Justin told her about the strange occurances in the flat.
She nodded, listening. She did not think he was weird. She actually believed him!
"I think I need to see your flat." She told him, "now!"
At no point did Justin think she was coming onto him. He grabbed his coat. She insisted on getting their hands stamped as they left. They would be back within an hour.
They did not have to wait for a taxi.
On the way there, she did not speak and told him to be quiet. The driver could be listening. She took his hand, but it was there as a comforting gesture as opposed to anything romantic.
When they got to the property, she told the driver to wait. They would not be long.
Justin showed her into the living room, where the worst of the activity had occurred.
She said nothing, but stood in the room with her eyes closed for a few minutes. She walked around the room, hestitating at the back of the sofa. Then she said she was ready to go back.
She did not speak until they were safely back at the club. She took him to a quiet spot where they could talk without shouting.
She held out her hand formally, "hello, my name is Lyndsey. I'm glad you have spoken to me because I agree there is something going on in your flat."
Justin took her hand and introduced himself, but at the same time, he was astonished that out of anyone he could have sought for advice, he would never have considered picking Lyndsey out in a night club, if it was not for his grandmother.
"I saw a small woman there. She was standing screaming with her head in her hands because you won't listen to her."
"I think that's my grandmother" he replied
"Well, you need to listen! She is there to help you. She did not do anything to harm you when she was alive. Why would she do anything to harm you now? "
Justin had a strong feeling of deja vu come over him. He'd been here before, he knew this woman in front of him, very well. He knew what she was going to say before he said it.
"There is something dark in your flat, "she went on, "I think something horrible might have happened there in the past and something is lingering behind."
Justin knew what she meant. There had been a murder. He had seen it. It had been in the late Victorian period, soon after the houses had been built. He did not know how he knew that, he just did and he did not question himself.
"You need to be strong." She told him. "It's going to be difficult, especially since you're new to it all. But you can talk to the spirits. If you're finding their presence difficult, tell them to leave you alone. You can say it out loud if you like. Your grandmother will help. You've got to put your trust in her. Do not be afraid of her."
She sat forwards and ripped a beermat in half so that she could write on it. "Here's my number. Call me if you need my help, but I think you'll be all right."

Lyndsey got up and left. She rejoined her party as if she had never left.
She left Justin feeling confident and strong. He could beat this!