The Afterlife of a Gamer

Chapter 19

Late that night, Smith had managed to convince his two closest friends that he has work to do and will be staying at the office late. The editors all seem to leave at the same time, save a for a couple who stays just an extra hour finishing their work, and all the other workers had left earlier. Today was more of a lazy day; all channels were updated, no recordings that day, so people finished their work early. Especially with half the office gone to E3, it got quiet quick. 

The minute everyone had left the office(Lewis had checked twice) the ghost appeared through a wall in Hatfilm's office, where Smith still sat at his desk. He jumped slightly at seeing him suddenly appear, but relaxed at seeing who it was. 

"Hey there, Casper," Smith joked. 

"Really? Casper jokes?" Lewis rolled his eyes. 

"Hey, it fits," Smith argued playfully. "Anyway, let's get on with this whole possessing-thing." 

"Are you sure?" Lewis asked uneasily. 

"Why not?" Smith said carelessly. "As long as you don't kill me, mate." 

"That's the thing," Lewis replied. "I don't know if I will." 

"Oh, it'll be fine!" Smith insisted. "It's not every day that you can witness a ghost possession!" He stood up from his desk and stood in front of Lewis. 

"You sure?" Lewis asked again. 

"I'm sure!" Smith laughed. "For a ghost, you're not very scary." 

"Is that an insult?" Lewis chuckled.

"That's your choice," Smith answered. Then he clapped his hands. "Let's get on with this already! Before I change my mind!" 

Lewis chuckled again before contemplating what to do. He held his hand out hesitantly, hovering it over Smith's chest. Smith's smile had faded, and he held his breath as Lewis decided what to do. 

Not entirely sure what he was doing, Lewis tried to focus, and thrust his hand further towards the ginger's chest. To his surprise, his hand became transparent, and sunk into Smith's chest with ease. The ginger sucked in a breath and his eyes glazed over, his mouth just hanging slightly agape. Lewis had a moment of panic, and yanked his hand back, holding it close to his own chest. Smith's eyes went back into focus, he breathed out, and blinked a few times. 

"What was that...?" Smith asked, still trying to catch his breath. 

"I...I guess that was me," Lewis said, looking down at his hand, which had retained it's not-quite-solid color. 

Smith crossed his arms and shivered. He had goosebumps running up and down his arms. "It was cold. Really cold." 

"Sorry," Lewis apologized. 

"S'okay," Smith grinned his usual grin. "It takes practice! We'll try again tomorrow, shall we? I think I've had enough for one night." 

Lewis nodded, and wished the ginger goodnight as he left. He felt an uneasiness in his stomach - or where he would have a stomach - at this whole situation. 

***

The next night went pretty much like the night before. Smith stayed late, and Lewis would test out his possessing powers. He didn't make much progress, panicking slightly with fear of hurting Smith. Said ginger would turn out to be alright, but just complained of being cold. 

Then finally, at the last day of the E3 weekend, Lewis got his courage up and attempted to finish whatever it was he was trying to do. He had one hand inside Smith's chest again, and took a step forward so their feet matched up. He then closed his eyes and stepped fully forward, and he suddenly felt different. 

He felt warmer. And he could hear a heartbeat, hear someone breathing, things he hadn't heard in forever. He opened his eyes, and at first he couldn't tell if anything was different. Then he heard a voice in his mind, a voice he recognized. 

What the fuck happened? Where did Lewis go?

...What? That was Smith's voice in his head. Or was it his head?

The fuck?! Did it work?

Um....Smith?

Holy shit. It DID work. 

What do I do now? 

You get out of my body, that's what. It's a bit creepy talking to someone in my head. 

Okay. But can I ask you another favor?

Oh god. Okay, what is it?

I'm kinda trapped inside Yogtowers. I haven't seen outside in a long while...Could we take a walk? I'm not sure if it'll work, but believe it or not, I miss seeing the seagulls in the parking lot. 

...Okay, fine. But not tonight. I'm already tired, and a bit cold, and it's late. I'd rather not you be walking around in my body when it's pitch dark. 

Okay, thanks! I'll--

Their mind conversation was cut short when the door to the Hatfilms' office suddenly opened, and Ross walked in. He stopped in the doorway, doorknob still in his hand, his eyebrow raising at seeing Smith still there. 

"You're still here, Smith? I'd have thought you went home earlier," Ross states. He walks to his desk and picks up a hoodie, throwing it over his shoulder. He pauses as he seems to test the air. "You smell something? Did Trott put another crappy air freshener in here?" Not hearing anything from Smith, he looks over at the man, and narrows his eyes as he studies his face.

Oh no. What do I do? What do I say? What would you say? 

Calm down, mate. It's just Ross. Just say something normal. 

"You feeling okay there, Smith? You look a little pale," Ross steps forward slightly, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Your eyes look weird." 

"I-I'm fine!" Lewis says as Smith, scratching behind his head, and giving a smile that he hopes mimicks Smith's. 

Ross gives him a suspicious look, before heading towards the door. "Alright, then. See ya tomorrow." He waves at him(them?) over his shoulder before he gets out of sight.

Okay then. Time to leave. 

But before he could do that, the carpet beneath him began to smolder and burn. The walls crumbled in invisible heat, and the shelf on the wall rocked as the souvenirs on it tipped over and melted.

Oh come on. Not this again...

The computer screens bursted with the heat, sending glass shards everywhere and tipping over. The leather chairs at the desks fell backwards, the leather melting and creating a disgusting mess. The desks moved slightly, like they were being pushed, and the wood turned coal-black. The lighting in the room suddenly turned dark and red, creating a malevolent atmosphere. 

Lewis then pushed himself, and ended up falling on the floor, Smith standing above him. The ginger looked absolutely terrified. He had sweat beading on his forehead and goosebumps going up and down his arms. His face was pale, and his eyes were wide in fright. 

"What the hell was that?!"