Stuck in Purgatory

Chapter 18: Back and Forth I go

After searching high and low, tearing apart yet an already destroyed room I found that my next plan was to find Justin, and hope that I find him first. I try to reach for the door handle and my hand goes through the knob. I try again to the same conclusion, sighing I try to push my hand through the door, hoping that maybe the ghost rules work when in this version of myself. Version three? I've lost track at this point. My hand goes through the door and it's then I know I can float through easily. I go through the door and am greeted with a small groan and mumbles. Looking down I see Justin curled up and his eyes clenched shut. I try to touch him but my hand goes through his arm, yelling his name also holds no value as I once more have no voice.

I have to find some way to communicate, my thoughts keep coming back to Serin. How did he talk to Ithric? I try again to wake up Justin, but this time I project my thoughts to him. The thoughts me calling his name out over and over in desperation.

"Mel?" Justin sits up and takes in the destruction "Melody?" He starts to scramble around looking for any sight of me.

"Where the hell is the rest of me?" I project the thought towards Justin. I still am not sure if he hears a tone or if he hears me at all. Justin looks around again and shudders as I project his name.

"Mel, I'm so glad you're okay! Shortly after you went to the real world, which makes your body stiff and warm to the touch, Ithric and Serin found us. After a struggle, Serin knocked the lights out and I don't remember anything after watching them take you away. Sorry, Mel. You were right, staying in one place wasn't the best idea. Serin is a lot stronger than I thought, I did my best."

"It's fine," I sigh. "I'm just glad you are safe. Do you know where they went?"

"I have a feeling the basement. I can't see you, ya know. I just hear your voice and feel your presence. It's kinda weird actually." Justin looks around the hallway. "Am I even close to where you are?" He asks a wall in front of him while I am behind him.

"Um, sure. I'll just-just make sure to follow you?" I suggest. Justin nods in agreement and heads straight down the hall to the basement door, when we reach the door I notice that the once white glossy look it had is now peeling to reveal a rotten wood undertone. The white paint peels off in scrapes, small piles sit at the bottom of the door. The door itself looked to be holding on for dear life. As though someone touching it would make the wood disintegrate into nothing. There is a circle in the center of the door carved out of the wood that stares back at me. It is the size of my palm and I place my hand over it, instead of going through the door it sits perfectly flush with the rest of the wood.

"Hey Mel, I can see your hand! That's weird." Justin point at the circle where my hand stays.

"Yeah," I say slowly. "Really weird." I take my hand off the door and stand in front of it, staring, waiting for something to happen.

"How should we do this?" Justin spins around at the door and looks down. He turns back at the door then down at the ground again. "Mel, you still there?" He whispers.

"Yeah, just thinking." I place my other hand over the door and push with no change so I take the hand off.

"About?" Justin tries to look around for me but ends up looking at the floor again.

"We don't know what's waiting for us behind this door but, you can't see me," I say slowly.

"And you are thinking they might not either right?"

"Exactly! But I don't think I can go through. Every time I touch it you are able to see me so maybe." I turn the knob and find it locked. "Do you have a key or something?"

"No. But this might help." Justin kicks the door and makes a small hole in the rotten wood. "It's dead anyway. Can you float through that?"

I touch the door again and my whole arm goes through the door. "That fixed that problem. So now I can go through and hopefully if I stay just like I am now maybe they won't notice me, I just have to keep my mind quiet. Just until I see what's going on. Then I'll come back up." Without waiting for protest from Justin I float through the door back down to the room. At this point it was much darker than before, I couldn't even see in front of me.

"Melody but-" Justin starts although I can no longer hear him as I land on the basement floor.

I conclude to Serin growing stronger as he hadn't been able to cover this much ground before as the last time the darkness filled up to the middle of the room. Now the smoke Serin had control over was at the top of the high ceiling and reached from the back of the room to the small landing of the stairs, creeping down the door as well. Slowly I creep down them and search for any sign of Ithric or the body I inhabit here; the room is still black and I'm able to see maybe a couple of inches in front of me. I walk cautiously in case I'm not able to go through people as well.

After a couple of turns, I'm able to see a glow of brightness and I find Ithric guarding my limp and lifeless body in the corner left of the room. His hollow eyes keep darting back and forth searching for anything that could be classified as dangerous as he holds a small lantern. Moving towards my body I take note of the fact it l looks as though no harm has come to it. I make sure to stay far enough back that Ithric wouldn't notice me. The same question still remains, why me?

"Sir, are you sure-I mean is it possible she-she won't come back?" Ithric places a hand on the back of his neck. The room is silent for a moment until he responds "yes I understand what you said earlier it's just that-" Ithric stops again. "Yes, Sir I know but- yes I- okay." With each start, his voice drifts out of confidence. "How will we know that it's her? Oh," He whispers, nods then closes his eyes.

Ithric knows something I don't about the spiritual power I am using and I can tell isn't about sharing it with the rest of the room. Thinking about it I'm not even sure that me sitting into the body would bring me back to the full spirit form I possessed here.

I reach for my body before I feel a pull, sucking me out of the basement. It pulls up and ignores an objection from me. My name is being called over and over again but not from Justin. It's female, Delilah calls me again. I'm not ready though, I try to push myself back down. I want to stay in Purgatory for a little while longer but my will has no say. I continue to rise above Purgatory into a white light and as I close my eyes to avoid the brightness I am greeted with beeping and sighs from people around me. Slowly the hospital room greets me with a room of people in white coats and Delilah sweating, her green eyes large with concern.

"Thank goodness you are back!" Delilah yells as she plants into a chair. "You were dead for three minutes. Although maybe longer, for some reason your machine went down and that's why I came to check on you. Just figured you tried to walk or something but nope. Dead as a doornail!" Delilah chuckles as the men and women surrounding her look her up and down.

"Yes" one of them crosses their arms and looks at me. "Did you pull your heart monitor out? Those are there for a reason Ms. West. Please, in the future call a nurse" they glance over at Delilah, "any nurse. To help you out okay?"

I nod and wait for them to leave. Afterward, I slam my head down on the pillow and sigh. I was so close to getting my body back from Purgatory but at this point can I even go back? I wonder what Justin is doing if he's okay and if I'll even end up in the same place if I manage to go back.

"Hey, uh Mel?" Delilah knocks on the door and inches in. "You got a sec." I nod notebook in hand. "Are you-you up for visitors?" She asks scrunched up.

Tilting my head I write, "what? Who are the visitors?"

"Oh, yeah see that's the funny part. It's well, it's your parents." Sighing I drop my head and wave for her to bring them in. "Okay cool, do you want me to stay?" I shake my head. "Okay, give me one second and I'll get them. If you change your mind I'll use nurse powers on them and make them leave." She winks and runs out the door.