Gatekeeper (Ghost Mirror Series)

Only the gatekeeper can save his soul…It’s been four years since Dylan first encountered Derek, a demonic spirit, while under hypnosis. Now eighteen, Dylan is beginning to feel like he can lead a normal life again. His heart is set on college, and a charming classmate at school. But his plans come to a screeching halt when Derek makes a sudden reappearance, looking more sinister than ever.Father O’Brien has since passed away, leaving Dylan feeling scared and alone. Desperate for help, he turns to Evelyn Nardini, a skilled tarot reader and paranormal expert. After reading Dylan’s cards, Evelyn becomes convinced that the elusive hypnotist, Dr. Dark, holds the key as to why Derek has been able to reappear in Dylan’s life.As Dylan begins the search, Evelyn tries to come to terms with Derek’s motivations, as well as where the demon lives when he isn’t tormenting Dylan. She begins to suspect that Derek is utilizing some kind of gateway from Hell— one that must be destroyed at any cost.Things come to a twisted turn when Dylan finds Dr. Dark and realizes that the hypnotist is far more involved than he thought, and that without his help, Dylan has no chance of surviving the evil lurking in the shadows…

From the Inside Flap

Excerpt from PrologueHe had initially grabbed the book because his history teacher had mentioned Nicolas Flamel, but all thought of homework went swiftly out of his head as he gazed at that definition. He imagined nothing short of wizards with long, sheet-like beards, and dusty, pointed hats. Who really practices dark magic? he thought, gazing up at the rows of books until they blurred together in his vision. He had to know.Liam spent the next two hours meticulously combing through the library, collecting any book that pertained to witches, palmistry, voodoo, and astrology. As he turned to go back to the table, the off-white fringes of a book, trapped under the bookshelf, caught his eye. He pried his fingers through the gap, coaxing the paperback free, inch-by-inch, until at last he could read the cover. In bright white letters, read a word that felt clunky on Liam's tongue. Necronomicon.He made his way to the circulation desk, silently thanking his grandmother for having gotten him his own library card two years ago. There was no way his parents would have checked out a book like this for him."It's inappropriate," his mother would have said, spritzing her hand with sanitizer before she'd touch any of the books. Liam vowed to only read the book at night, after his parents had gone to bed.Clutching a flashlight, Liam read until he passed out every evening. He frowned over the strange references, and complicated scriptures, wishing he could make sense of them. Not being able to do so confused and intrigued him.Within a week, Liam was back in the library, fishing for more books. Aleister Crowley, parapsychology, the supernatural. He read everything he could get his hands on, including books the library dare not have. Study hall was spent at the computer lab, looking up satanic rituals, scribbling notes into a spiral bound notebook. He couldn't explain his desire, his need to know these things. Something itched at the back of his brain, quietly telling him that he was meant to venture down this path. It gave him purpose.It was a rainy afternoon when Liam Murphy came across instructions on how to summon a demon. He blinked over and over again as he stared at the screen. It was strange to see each step discussed in full, as if it were a common chemistry assignment. He wiped his hair from his eyes, making a mental note of the necessary ingredients. Five black taper candles, three silver bowls, chalk. He was fairly certain he could find everything he needed in the depths of his mother's Halloween décor.Two days later, he was ready to begin. Wafts of spaghetti made their way up to his room as he peeled the rug back, revealing the worn, wooden floor of his bedroom. With a gurgling stomach, and slightly shaky fingers, he grabbed a piece of white chalk, drawing a circle on the ground. The chalk made tiny thudding noises as he dragged it along the uneven boards. He drew a pentagram within the circle, hoping his parents wouldn't bother to walk all the way up to the third floor to tell him dinner was ready.As if on cue, Liam heard the sharp call of his mother from the gallery."Liam! Dinner's ready!" she hollered up at him.Liam launched himself at the door, but made sure to open it slowly. His pale, freckled face peered over the bannister to look at his mother, two floors below."Oh, well," he hesitated. "Can't I eat later? It's just that I'm in the middle of a book report, and I'd really like to finish."He watched his mother's eyes soften from twenty feet above. Brenda Murphy was strict on many things, but was always ready to make an exception when it came to education. Liam fixed his eyes on her, knowing he was on the brink of winning.Mrs. Murphy sighed. "Alright," she said. "But make sure you don't go to bed on an empty stomach. There's plenty of food in the fridge.""Of course, mom," Liam said back, giving her a small, reassuring wave.Liam waited until his mother disappeared from view, listened for the scrape of her chair at the dining table, and raced back to the room. He closed the door behind him and let out a long sigh, thinking about the next steps. Liam placed one of the black taper candles at each point of the pentagram, setting each wick alight. The soft glow cast a yellow light on the various rock posters he had hung on his bedroom walls. He looked up to see Alice Cooper and Ozzy Osborne staring down at him, their eyes wide, watching.With gritted teeth, he reached for the knife he always kept on his desk, and dug the short blade into his wrist. Warm blood trickled into his downturned palm until it spilled silently into the small metal bowl in front of him. Liam was already making up stories to tell his mother about the cut as he turned the pages in the Necronomicon.The idea of performing a ritual seemed ridiculous at first. Life wasn't like The Craft, after all. But the more Liam studied the book, the more he began to tell himself that such a thing was possible. Summoning a demon was suddenly an option. But did he have the nerve?Liam looked down at the book, its edges pressed down by his knees, as his cut began to clot. He had read countless anecdotes on forums of people who tried to conjure a demon. Many had failed, and some seemed slightly relieved. Eerily, most who claimed to have succeeded disappeared from the forums shortly afterward.He stared down at the page, letting the words blur together until they were incomprehensible. Liam had once gotten into a conversation with one of the forum's more prominent members, known by everyone as Z. Nobody knew much about him, other than that he lived somewhere in Rhode Island, and that his younger brother had been diagnosed with leukemia the year prior. That's why I'm here, Z had posted. I want to make some kind of deal and make sure that my brother gets better. His words repeated themselves over and over again in Liam's brain. Suddenly, mere curiosity didn't seem like a good enough reason to try."Damn it," he whispered to himself and angrily rifled through the pages. He stopped when he came across a page titled, Channels and Portals. Liam skimmed over the directions, feeling a fission of excitement run down his spine. Creating a portal felt less personal, somehow, like all of this was an innocent, scientific experiment. He would be watching from the sidelines, peeking behind the proverbial curtain. It was safer.Liam took a deep breath, hunched over the small metal bowl and began to read the ritual out loud.He swiped at his brow twenty minutes later, feeling the damp sweat work its way through the armpits of his shirt. "Uhh," he groaned as he leaned against his large wooden dresser. The ritual was over, and all he felt was queasy. A tendril of smoke from the incense in the corner wafted towards him, and he clamped his mouth shut, certain he would be sick. The dense smoke, combined with blood loss and an empty stomach, was sure to be the culprit.Gingerly, Liam got to his feet and made his way towards the bathroom, unable to deny the rush of relief he felt all over his body. It hadn't worked, and he was suddenly, overwhelmingly glad.

About the Author

Chelsey Dagner is a horror novelist, and originally hails from Detroit, Michigan. Now residing in Greensboro, North Carolina, Chelsey has written numerous creepy articles and paranormal e-books for various horror and supernatural websites. She takes delight in anything and everything that goes bump in the night. She is proud to admit that she has lived in several haunted houses, one of which was haunted by her dead cat. When she isn't writing, Chelsey divides her time between watching horror movies (both excellent and terrible ones), playing far too many video games, and working with teens and adults at the local library.

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