ghost - cake

One

Calum's face was pressed against the bonnet of the car, red and blue flashing lights all around forcing him to squint. One of the police officers was fastening cuffs around his wrists behind him and not particularly caring that he was hurting the boy. "Calum Hood, you are under arrest for the suspected murder of Luke Hemmings."

Calum froze, only now being told the name of the victim. It was far too familiar for him to be at all comfortable with the situation, maybe they go to the same school? Well did, at least.

"I'm promise I didn't kill him," Calum pleaded as he was shoved harshly into the car, his head inches away from hitting the roof. "I just found him like that."

"Tell that to the judge, kid."

He fell silent, knowing that neither of the two officers were willing to believe any of what he had to say. That wasn't much of a surprise, however, seeing as Calum himself was struggling to accept any of the events that had just occurred weren't just a creation of his imagination.

The engines spluttered a little but were soon in action, starting on the journey down to the station. Calum hung his head with shame as he grew aware of his neighbours lining the street and watching him be taken away, people who he saw everyday and had come to call his friends.

"Guilty until proven innocent."

Calum lifted his head, curious as to where the voice was coming from. It was the same as the one he had heard outside his house, the one he somehow believed belonged to the dead boy despite the impossibility of it.

"Did you hear him?" Calum asked the police officer sat rigid in the passenger seat, the man bewildered by the boy's question.

"Hear who?"

"Luke," Calum frowned, unable to comprehend the situation. "You know, the boy who died. Why can't anyone else hear him?"

The officer rolled his eyes at his partner, thinking that Calum couldn't see but greatly mistaken. He saw every expression passed between the two in the rear view mirror, most suggesting that he, the suspect of a murder investigation, had lost his sanity.

Calum agreed entirely. What else could explain it?

"You're not crazy. I'm really here, sitting right next to you."

In a desperate attempt to conceal his fear, the tan boy took a deep breath and fixed his gaze on the world beyond the car window, the sheet of glass patterned with old fingerprints and traces of dried blood.

Maybe if he ignored the voice for long enough, it would leave him alone. Calum didn't want to go to jail but he also didn't want to be institutionalised, which he knew would end up happening if he didn't pull himself together and stop believing a voice that wasn't even really there. How could it be?

"You can't ignore me forever, I need your help."

Calum sighed, speaking soft. "How am I supposed to help you? You're dead and I'm probably going to be locked up for it."

"You didn't kill me, but you know who did. Please, you have to help me, you're the only one who saw everything that happened and now you're the only one who can hear me."

"So you want me to help you get revenge?" Calum questioned, the whole concept not quite sinking in. The dead boy believing his innocence wasn't of much use, he wasn't the one who had to be convinced of it.

Luke spoke again, this time much quieter and his confidence audibly shaken. "I can hear your thoughts."

Calum scoffed. "Well that's not creepy at all."

"It doesn't make any sense, why can you hear me when no one else can? What's so special about you? What is it that links us together?"

"Don't you think I've been wondering those same things myself, Luke?" He asked, raising his voice slightly. "I keep trying to come up with a reasonable explanation for all of this but none of it fits! This kind of thing only ever happens in horror films, why is it happening now?"

It turned out that the officers had been listening to everything and choosing not to interfere, but their annoyance was building and their tethers wearing thin. "Quit talking to yourself, kid."

Calum had never been one for answering back, especially not in a voice so filled with bitterness it scared even himself. "I'm not, you just can't hear him."

"Well we're here now," the officer on the wheel added, grinding the car to a halt and locking his pitiless eyes with Calum's. "Good luck with not getting a life sentence for this."

Moments later, his partner was dragging Calum out of the car and towards the station. It was still night, but the lights from the building illuminated a square block of darkness around it.

Calum had been okay up until this point, but now it all felt too real. He'd never broken the law, always been obedient and never even dreamt of laying a hand on someone that could potentially cause them harm. That just wasn't in his nature, yet here he was about to be locked up for the night before likely interrogated in the morning. It was too much for him to handle.

"Stop staring and walk," the man grunted, pushing him through the front entrance and then leading him into a back room. Which, Calum realised shortly after, was a long corridor lined with jail cells.

Despite his refusal to fight back and give them even more reason to want him found guilty of his accused crime, when Calum saw all the prisoners and their cold glares in his direction he couldn't help but panic.

"No, please, you have to let me out," Calum cried. "I didn't even do anything, none of it was my fault! Why won't you believe me?"

As he failed to recieve a response, the boy tried to run from the officers holding him but didn't make it more than a few inches. Calum started kicking, screaming and begging for them to take him back home to his mother. One of the men grabbed him by the cuffs around his wrists, twisting and pulling them until Calum was on the floor with tears leaving stains down his cheeks.

Then he was yanked onto his feet and thrown into one of the cells, the bars locked behind him. Calum landed in the corner of the small space, leaning his back against the wall and bringing his knees up to his chest.

His whole existence was a nightmare.

The two officers that had brought him in made their way to the exit, glancing at Calum and smiling before flicking out the lights.

"I hope you enjoy your stay, kid."

~~~~~~~

A/n: (I've never been arrested before so I don't know how it works, I'm completely guessing)

This is very late I'm sorry, but I hope this was okay for those of you who may be interested in this story :)

Thank you xxxx