Ghosts Don't Exist

Chapter 19:If There's Joy, There's Fear

He pressed the buds of his fingers to his face as his hands shook with unknown rage. Unknown sadness. Unknown fear. His breath came out by sound, and his throat sounded like he gargled a cheese grater.

He stood with unconscionable stomps that said more than his tied tongue. Clockwork flinched but didn't move. Vlad's body moved but never swayed, his head never raised.

Vlad stood still, his head tilted. His hands dropped to his sides, movement coordinated. He licked his lips as if he were a lion looking at a freshly killed antelope. He tilted his head more and looked up at Clockwork, his eyes unmoving as he stared directly through this tragic excuse of a ghost. His eyes were dull and bright at the same time. His lips trembled when they opened as if debating what he had more to say and was unable to say what first. Clockwork inwardly cringed at how broken it was.

"Do you expect me to follow a path given to me by probable cause and effect?"

Clockwork blinked, and his cheek stung. He was on the floor. Vlad looked down at him.

"Was I going to eventually fully die, not knowing he had survived? Was that my Fate?! Let you keep that a secret for my entire life?!" Vlad yelled and roughly moved his hands to and fro. Tears streamed endlessly.

And then there it was, Clockwork broke, and his stress came out without warning subconsciously. Exhaustion finally rang his neck and clawed at his eyes.

"That's not the point I'm trying to state," he said, leaning further back. His shoulder protrudes upwards level with his ears. "Far from it, actually," he muttered. Vlad's fists shook violently and simmered as the purple hue changed to red as if charging up for another throw. "Daniel is dying. When he goes, he cannot pick where he goes, unlike you. He will most likely be forever stuck in his half-ghost form in pain and unable to control his power, whichever one he chooses to use. Yet, his humanity will have no say over anything he does. His humanity will be lost." Clockwork explained. He stood up and sighed, tears dripping continuously. He seemed unfazed by the outburst his body was having.

Vlad had dropped his arm and lowered his weapon. Something ate Vlad from the inside. It left him feeling raw and heavy. He wanted nothing more than to stop existing. "He is dying, Vlad. We can't stop that." Clockwork wouldn't say it, but this was Vlad's fault. He came to Gotham. He sought out Danny. He pursued. Not Daniel. He chose to pursue his curiosity. Clockwork also wouldn't say it, though he'd said it a million times before:

Choices and actions had consequences.

Vlad didn't believe in bad and good, only choice and reasoning for those choices if there was one.

This was Vlad's fault, and this timeline didn't have any meaning besides being an abomination to existence. He created this, and he did it by himself.

Blind eyes reading choices in a foreign language.

He wanted to laugh at his own quote.

Wallis Hayfield, an author and self-proclaimed teacher of one. A man that didn't exist, but he lived by one quote. A quote Vlad hated with a passion.

Vlad licked his lips, coated in a disgusting thick layer. He grabbed Clockwork and pulled him into a hug burying his face into his cloak. He shuttered and sobbed uncontrollably. He didn't want to feel Clockworks arms transitioning in age when they held him close, but no one else was there to comfort him. Clockwork tilted Vlad's chin up and kissed his cheek as he wiped tears from his wrinkled face. "Do you know why he's dying?" Vlad whispered. Clockwork pressed his forehead to Vlad's. "Danny never learned to grieve his loss' properly." He quietly answered. "The one time I hope he never heals for the sake of my selfishness," Vlad said and chuckled dryly. It quickly turned watery and muffled as he buried his face into Clockworks cloak again.

"You know you'll have to kill him when his humanity leaves?" Vlad talked to himself.

Clockwork sighed shakily. "At the rate he's moving, it's only by a few days."

"I just hope..." Vlad breathed. Clockwork leaned back, pushing Vlad back by the shoulders to look at him. "this timeline starts creating miracles because I will do anything to keep my Badger alive." CW smiled and chuckled dryly. He felt dread squeeze him like a stress ball.

Even miracles have consequences.

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So... let me explain.

I posted a chapter using my laptop, I had 1313 words. I proof read it twice, sent it through Grammarly, proof read it one more time, saved, and published.

But my internet was slow and deleted half the chapter. I re-wrote it. I wouldn't have noticed if a reader hadn't commented, I wasn't sure what they'd see referring to until I actually went to look at the chapter and unpublished it to fix it.

I think I'll stick to typing on my phone, it's easier and less troublesome.

Thank you user I'm sorry I can't remember before unpublishing the chapter. I hope you enjoy this FINISHED chapter.