Free Conjuring Sight (Becky Jo Chronicles Book 1) by Teresa Rae Page A

you.”
    I turn toward the door with the thought of retracing our many walks to find her. Clara appears from behind a clothing rack, making me jump back in surprise. I was right, she was hiding from me.
    Without a word, Clara throws her arms around me, indicating that my apology has been accepted. It will be good to have my friend back.
    *     *     *
    A sliver of moon isn’t enough to light the desert. I blink my eyes quickly, trying to get them accustomed to the dark. I know I haven’t succeeded when I step into a hole and fall on a pile of rocks. Thankfully I’m not hurt, but I feel rather stupid. Sunny is walking around the desert with the strength and vitality of a teenager, whereas, I’m walking around the desert like a blind, clumsy, old lady.
    “Sunny, where are you?” I ask in the still of the night.
    “Oh, goodness! Let me help you up!” She’s instantly tugging at my arm.
    “Why can you see so well in the dark?” I ask as she helps me to my feet.
    “I’m a witch. I just have a different kind of sight than you. I have to be able to see well in the dark to do my work.”
    I dust myself off, even though no one can see it, including myself. “And what are we doing in the desert in the middle of the night?”
    “Becky Jo, we’re not exactly in the desert.” She flips on a small flashlight. I involuntarily inhale. We are surrounded by tombstones of every shape and size. “These are the Silver Terrace Cemeteries.”
    I can see why the clusters of tombstones are considered more than one cemetery. The graves are arranged in small groups, surrounded by cast iron fences. Instead of being one large cemetery, there are several smaller cemeteries. Regardless of the terminology, it’s still a scary place.
    My voice drops to a whisper. “And why are we here?”
    “I doubt the creature that attacked you came from these old graves, but we have to check.  Besides, we might get lucky – Zombies love graveyards. If we can find him, we can try to destroy him to stop his rampage. Then we will make it difficult for anyone to create more zombies in Virginia City.” I’m confused until she passes me a large, heavy bucket. “Spread this on each of the graves. A little bit goes a long way.”
    “What is it?” I ask, looking at the mixture in the bucket suspiciously.
    “It’s just a concoction of salt, various herbs and seeds, and soil full of iron. Throw it like you would throw feed to chickens. Make sure some lands on all the graves.”
    I try to pick up the heavy bucket, finding I can barely drag it. Knowing she has a plan, I ask, “And what are you going to do while I’m lugging this thing around?”
    She smiles creepily in the beam of her flashlight. “I’m going to play hide-and-seek with a zombie.”
    Suddenly, lugging around a bucket of salt doesn’t seem so bad.  I set straight to work, scattering the mixture as I drag the heavy bucket. I’ve never fed chickens before, but I do my best. If this stuff will make it difficult to make more zombies, then it’s worth wandering around the dark graves.
    Even for February, the air is bitterly cold. I pull my hat down over my ears before throwing salt on a grave in an isolated corner. I don’t understand why we’re doing this during the night, but Sunny must have a pretty good reason. Still, I wish for daylight and the warmth of sunshine.  I’m just happy she left me her flashlight.
    “Mama?” a child says behind me.
    I turn to find a young girl wandering among the tombstones. There is no question in my mind she passed long ago. I watch as she runs behind a tall headstone and disappears. I quicken my pace. I don’t want to spend more time than I have to in the cemeteries.
    I see three more ghosts as I work. There is a lovely young woman holding a child and a man wearing a coat and tie. Despite my friendship with Henry, the ghosts still unnerve me. The setting doesn’t help. No matter what anyone says, graveyards are scary. I drag the bucket