Ghosts, Ghouls, and High School Fools

Ghosts, Ghouls, and High School Fools [22]

I scream, the pain in my head unbearable. It’s not just the pulling of my hair, which sucks, but it’s like someone’s trying to drill through my skull. I thrash, gripping at the hands that hold my hair. My body heats up quickly, green sparks flying.

“Knock her out. She’s about to use her fire.”

I barely have time to realize who’s voice that is before everything fades to black. When I come to, I’m sweating. Wherever I am, it is ridiculously hot. I open my eyes, but have to squint from the immense heat. The room is dark, but I’m not sure if it’s dark because there’s no light or if it’s just because the walls and the floor are dark in color. I find myself lying on the carpet, a chain connecting my wrists together and locking them against the wall. There are no windows, just a door. The room is small, claustrophobic small. As I slowly begin to wake from my haze, I begin to panic.

“Let me out!” I scream as I kick at the door. Thundering footsteps echo close to me as the door is thrown open. Oh hell no.

“You psychotic demon!” I yell at Vikter.

“Now that’s not very nice,” he saunters over, picking up a piece of my hair and running it through his fingers, “And to think, I was going to unchain you.”

Ew, touching my hair like that might be one of the creepiest thing to ever – wait, unchain me? “Where am I?”

“You’re in my home. If you could call it a home.” He throws my hair towards me and stands from his crouching position, glaring down at me. “This is where I’ve had to live, thanks to you.”

“Yeah, well, don’t be a murdering bastard. Then, maybe you can have a nice home in the countryside or city or wherever it is demons from hell like to vacation.”

A dark look crosses his face as he leans down towards me. “I would watch my mouth if I were you. You are not the one in control now. I am.”

“You’re dead, so…”

“This is my realm. I am God.”

Oh lordy. Now he has a God complex. Because he wasn’t annoying enough as it is.

“Okay, God, what am I doing here?”

He smirks. “It’s simple really. Keeping you here keeps you from my vessel, which keeps me on my path to power.”

He used the work ‘keep’ a lot. “I don’t get it.”

He gave me a smirk. “You’re not supposed to. All you need to know is that the longer you are away from Jonathon, closer I am to victory.”

My heart rate began to rise. What’s going to happen to me? How long will I have to be here? I have to get out. I…I need Jonathon. I close my eyes and calm my breathing. I reach inside myself for that little kernel of power that fuels my fire. Heat flares in my mind. My already warm body begins to burn.

“What…what are you doing? No!” Vikter cried. “Stop!”

I ignore his pleas. I’ve never felt so strong. I move to my knees and begin to rise. A faint breeze twirls around me, whipping my hair about and rustling my clothes. I see my feet begin to smolder with green fire. Vikter steps back from me. “What are you doing?” he screams again.

The flames climb up my legs, becoming a beast of its own. It twirls around my midsection, down my arms, concentrating on the shackles on my wrists. They suddenly grow, immense rings of fire on my wrist. Slowly, the metal melts away. I lift my hands and stare at them as the fire changes from green to a blinding white.

“NO!” Vikter scrambles away. “You couldn’t have…you’re too young…too inexperienced…how have you advanced?”

A feeling of confidence and power surges through me. Everything around me ignites in green and white fire as I stare at Vikter. Something overtakes me and I barely recognize my voice as I say, “I’m leaving now.” The fire burns even hotter, eating away at the dark room. I’m blinded by the light. I hear Vikter scream.

Then, suddenly, a great wind blows everything away and I’m laying in my backyard. A large scorched crater surrounds me and I see Jonathon on his back below towards the woods. My limbs ache, every joint hurts, and I have a headache like a firecracker is bursting in my temples, but I crawl to my hands and knees and stagger to my feet. I’m careful going down the hill, seeing as my coordination is not at its best at the moment. I reach a point where I just slide down the grass, stopping a couple feet from his still form. I scramble over to him and press a hand to his face.

“Jonathon?” He doesn’t move. I slap at his face a bit. Gently, of course, but still nothing. I put an ear against his chest and hold my breath. It’s slow, and very faint, but I hear a heartbeat. I almost sob in relief.

“Jonathon, please, you have to wake up.” My lower lip trembles and my eyes grow warm and wet. “You have to get up. You just have to. I can’t do this by myself. You’re supposed to be training me, damn it!”

I hook my arms under his armpits and drag him towards me, laying his head and upper body in my lap. I brush hair from his forehead. “I can’t do this on my own. Please…please wake up. I need you.”

“He can’t hear you.”

I spin around and there’s Lazarus, solemnly looking at me as he floats to my left. “What do you mean?” I whisper.

“It’s begun.”

“What has?”

“The possession.”

Possession…? No…no! Vikter can’t possess him! I haven’t even been trained fully…and now my time with Jonathon is up. “But how? Was it supposed to happen this soon?”

Lazarus shakes his head. “It wasn’t supposed to happen this soon. But, I’m afraid the course of events we have been preparing for have accelerated.”

“But how? What’s changed?”

“Vikter has been weakened. In his desperation, he broke through Jonathon’s barriers to occupy his body, regaining his strength. It will take time, though.”

Vikter was weakened? What…oh, no. I look up at Lazarus, a tear sliding down my cheek. “I did this, didn’t I? I was the one who weakened him.”

He can’t meet my eyes. It’s true. I did this. Jonathon is going to die sooner than he was supposed to. And it’s all my fault.