Peavey Way

THREE

I never really believed in ghosts. The whole idea of ghost-dom honestly sounded laughable to me. I imagined death as a more still version of living. What's the point of life if when you die, you turn into some sort of translucent specter that feels the undying need to haunt? Then again, what's the point of life if death is just a more still version of living? Maybe it wasn't that I didn't believe in ghosts, but that I didn't necessarily believe in death. It made sense that it would exist, but I had personally never experienced it. Life so often seemed like a joke to me. Perhaps death was its punchline.

My hands felt clammy as he was speaking. It felt like nothing was making sense, like I was a child trying to listen to an adult discuss his finances. My eyes narrowed, not in disbelief, but because of the bad lighting of the living room. Why was it such a challenge to hear him? To see? To understand?

"Whoever she was, she knew my name,"
His words fell on the shoulders of everyone in the room.

"She moved toward me, hovering above the ground.

She came so near and the closer she was, the more I just couldn't breathe.

Her face was inches from mine before she said anything. Her first words were like a blur. I couldn't understand or remember what she said, but then she put her hand on me. I could feel her hand, though I knew she wasn't like me. She was so cold...

She leaned in closer. All I remember are the last words she said,

'Keep your friends, keep your secrets, and keep away from Peavey Way.'

I tried to ask her what it meant, but she faded like an overdeveloped photo. My eyes blurred and I guess I just collapsed.
Early this morning, The maintenance man woke me, wondering how I had gotten in the basement since the door was locked from the outside."

Simon sucked on his lower lip, reviewing the faces of his friends. He looked like he was going to be sick. I stared shiftlessly at him. This had to be a delusion. Clearly it wasn't a lie because of his state. My first thought was, "My poor friend is insane."

"Do you sleepwalk?" Kelly asked hopefully.

"I never have. And I certainly don't sleepwalk through locked doors." He replied immediately. Obviously, this explanation was already something he had considered.

The stillness of the room was so unusual for us. It felt itchy. I wanted to speak so badly, but I couldn't even begin to attempt a response. I imagined the others in the room were having similar thoughts.

"Wh-what did she look like? Did she look like someone you knew?" Kelly breathed. Simon's head shook minimally.

"She had dark hair. Her features made her look like she was maybe Hispanic, but I'm not sure... She was just so pale." Simon said with a faint shudder.

Brandon's lips curled into a wet frown. I could see his mind churning a response to the situation. He didn't like this story, but I couldn't figure why just yet. I knew his gritting teeth would break their seal eventually.

"Im sure there's much to be said about the appearance of the ghost," he cooed down at Kelly, "but let's discuss the validity of this story to start."

"Brandon!" Kelly scolded. Brandon glanced at her before he gave a small scoff of a laugh.

"Am I not allowed to ask questions?"

"Ask all you'd like. But this is Simon you're talking to. He's not lying." She replied soberly. Brandon's mouth twitched at her tone.

"Really, why would he lie about something like this?" Josh huffed, taking a swig of beer into his amused and pinked cheeks. I felt a twinge of frustration, knowing that Josh wasn't about to take Simon's words seriously. At least he was defending him.