AUTHOR'S NOTE: For the record, each chapter will be 750 words long. This is mostly an attempt to force me to be brief, and hopefully that'll help tighten up my writing. I may change the word-length with certain chapters, or eventually get rid of it, but for now I enjoy the challenge. :)

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I put the can of salt down next to the rest of my tools at my feet and stood, inspecting my work. It was the closest thing to a perfect circle that I could draw, even after years of practice. "Good enough for government work," I said.

I pushed my sleeves back.

"Okay, chief, come out and play," I said. There was a long silence. Well, that was fine by me. I shut my eyes and breathed deeply, centering myself before reaching out with my mind, brushing those extra senses around the room.

A cold spot, just in front of me. I opened my eyes.

The ghost didn't seem like a big deal. A guy in his mid-30s, wearing jeans and a dark t-shirt. Not terrifying at all, right? Of course, then you notice that his shirt is dark with blood and he's carrying an axe, you start worrying. I'll never know why people move into houses where murders occurred. I mean, where does that scream "good idea?"

"Jason?"

"Get the hell out of here, you meddling bitch," the ghost snapped. He lifted the axe to gut level and snarled.

Now, most people will tell you that ghosts can't actually hurt you. That's bullshit. They can drain your energy, they can literally scare you to death, and if they're strong enough, they can fiddle with whatever you have in your house – start a fire, flood the house with dangerous fumes, that sort of thing.

Jason swung, and his axe stopped in mid-air. Clucking and wagging my finger, I jerked my chin down to the circle of salt around me.

"Not that bright, are you? Look, I get it. You're still pissed. You think your wife is cheating on you, you confront her, and the bitch just keeps denying it, right? Lying to you and all that. So you teach her a lesson, you hack her to bits, and then you feel bad once you calm down. So you kill yourself. I mean, seriously, if I were that stupid, I'd be pissed too."

I always knew my mouth would get me into trouble; as I finished my sentence, a picture tore itself from the wall and flung itself at me. I ducked when it passed through my barrier, and Jason smiled.

Well, fuck. I guess he was stronger than I'd thought.

Still squatting, I reached into the dish of rock salt tucked between the bundle of sage and the bells.

"You know that won't stop me," Jason said, laughing as a book came flying through my circle. I hissed through my teeth when the book slammed into my shoulder. I twisted out of the way as another, heavier, book came hurtling at me, and threw the handful of salt at Jason.

That second of his surprised expression as his form suddenly dissipated was almost worth the bruise I knew I was going to have in the morning. I grabbed the dagger on my belt and stood quickly. Shutting my eyes, I held the dagger at my left shoulder and pictured white light flooding me, pulled up from the Earth and flowing down from the sky simultaneously. I pictured the energy pouring out of my blade as I moved it to my lower right side, and then up, forming the beginning of the pentagram. I finished the first, and started the second one at my right shoulder.

The dual pentagrams shimmered in my vision, pulsing with energy, the gold color of my own twining with the energy that I'd drawn.

I felt it before I heard it, a low rumble that became a terrified scream. Jason's scream.

"Go into the light, you fucker," I said, smirking. Jason's screams grew quieter, and when I reached out with my mind, I could feel his energy grow weaker and, finally, vanish.

I went outside and grunted my way through a conversation with the house owner, collected my paycheck, and tottered into my truck. Seriously, who even woke up at six in the morning, let alone called people?

All I wanted was a long bath and a ten hour nap. I was actually starting to feel good about everything – I'd just gotten paid, and that meant I could stop hoarding my beer and actually get to drink one.

So, of course, when I pulled into my driveway, another car – a sleek black BMW that looked like it cost enough to keep me in beer and pizza for a year – was already waiting for me.

"God dammit."