Everyone needs time

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓

"Yeah I just get a really weird feeling from this place Todd." Sal spoke to Todd on the phone.

"I do as well. It seems there are many more apparitions in the apartments than we originally thought. I'll do more research on the building and also possible murder victims." Todd was typing on his computer, the clicks of his keyboard were comforting to Sal.

"Thanks Todd, you're the best." Sal sighed in contentment.

"No problem Sal."

"Oh sorry Todd I have to go, dad's home."

"That's alright, call me if you need something."

Sal hung up the phone, walking to the kitchen.

"Hey Sal, this was in the mailbox for you." Henry said, handing over an envelope. Empty of course.

"What is going on with these stupid envelopes?" Sal set it down on the table.

"Did you say something bud?"

"No, I'm going back to my room."

Sal picked up the empty envelope again and took it to his room, putting it with the others.

"This has to be a joke. Larry is probably just trying to scare me." Sal assured himself as he fell onto the bed. Gizmo curled up by Sal's arm and went back to sleep.

"Giz you have it so good. No kitty school, no kitty bullies, no weird empty kitty envelopes that haunt you." Sal scratched behind Gizmo's ear, getting a content purr from the cat.

"You said it. Time for a cat nap." Sal fell asleep quickly, he was right about this weekend full of sleep.

Sal woke up to knocking on his door. Three times in a row, then it would stop for 3 seconds, and continue in a pattern.

"God, what time is it?" Sal checked the clock. 3:33 AM. This had to be his imagination. This was super freaky.

Sal looked over at Gizmo, who was still fast asleep. Not a care in the world. The knocking continued for several minutes until it came to an abrupt stop.

Sal peered over his bed, noticing something on the floor. Another empty envelope. He didn't bother to pick it up this time. He just wanted to go back to sleep.

Sal awoke to the sun shining in his eyes. Gizmo was still sleeping. There was a note on the bedside table. Finally something that wasn't blank or empty.

Hey bud, gonna be out for a while again today. Sorry. Maybe sometime this week we can do something.

"Yeah, of course. I expected that." Sal crumpled the note and set it back down.

Sal picked up Gizmo and walked into the kitchen, as his eyes fell onto the beer bottles scattered around he broke down. Hot tears were pouring down his face.

Gizmo came trotting over to Sal for comfort. "Why does he have to do this Giz. Why is it always so hard for us."

Sal stood up and cleaned the bottles out of the kitchen, wiping tears out of his eyes. He fed Gizmo and sat down on the couch.

Around fifteen minutes into his T.V show there was a knock at the door.

"Oh um, just a minute!" Sal yelled, slowly getting off the couch, hands in a fist.

"Wait... murderers don't usually knock." Sal tood himself.

"Dude can you stop the monologue going on and let me in?" Larry's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Right! Sorry man." Sal opened the door and let Larry in. He was holding a big box filled with stuff.

"So... what's in the box?"

Larry sat it down. "You'll see. It's fuckin' crazy man."

"What? I wanna see." Sal opened the box to find a picture of Megan, Charley, and some man in a dog mask.

"Isn't this weird? It was just sitting in the basement." Larry held up the picture of Charley. "Like look at this. This is not the Charley we got arrested."

"What the hell? That's a totally different person. Are you sure that's our Charley?" Sal asked, grabbing the paper.

"Yeah dude, look at the description at the bottom."

Charley Mansfield, 41, 5'9", former resident of Addison Apartments; room 204, unknown family, not previously married, no previous children.

"Dude.. what the hell? How did they... Who wrote this?" Sal looked up from the paper in shock.

"I don't know Sal, this is really freaky. I was gonna show Todd but he's not home. So later I was planning on inviting everyone over to look at this stuff." Larry looked through the box again.

"See anything important?"

Larry shook his head and continued searching.

"So who's the person in the dog mask?" Sal asked, putting the picture next to the light.

"Dunno, Todd said he's trying to find something on it. What do you think it means?"

Sal shrugged, trying to find more clues.

"Hey look, it's your little ghost friend." Larry held up a picture of Megan.

Sal looked up. "Megan... I need to visit her sometime.. It's been a few days. I hope she's alright."

"I'm sure she is. Maybe she has ghost business. Or.. ghost school? Can ghosts even go to school?"

"Dude Monster High? Harry Potter?"

"Yeah but those are movies ding dong. Maybe you should ask Megan if she goes to school." Larry pulled out a dusty, old, worn out bible.

"Why me? Why can't you ask her? Are you scared of ghosts?" Sal smirked.

"No! It's just that.. I don't think Megan likes me very much."

"Nahh she likes you. It just takes her a while to get used to people."

"So she's a shy ghost? Dang."

Sal chuckled. "Yeah, a shy ghost."

The two shared a good laugh at the thought of that.

"I better get going, I'll see you later Sal. Do you wanna have the box?"

"Nah you can keep it, thanks though. Bye Larry."

Sal waved as his friend walked out the door. All he could think about was that picture of Charley.

Was that Charley. Was their Charley the real Charley? Who did they know? Who was in the picture? All of these thoughts were hurting his head. Sal needed a break. Like he promised himself at school.