"Saaaaam. Pay attention to me..." Lucifer sang.
Sam stared at the wall across from his bed. He was thinking about Marin. Maybe he could help her. Her brother was probably a ghost. A ghost that set house fires. Boy, Sam knew a thing or two about that...
"Come on, Sam. Notice me. I'm lonely. I miss you." Lucifer complained.
Focus...Sam thought. Had the ghost attached itself to something? Did Marin bring the ghost with her? It sounded like she was still hearing his voice...
CRACK! BANG! POW! SIIIIZZZZZZ!POWPOWPOW!
Fireworks flashed and exploded deafeningly around Sam, who curled in a ball and covered his ears.
When the fireworks vanished Sam glared angrily at Lucifer.
"What? I had to get your attention." Lucifer explained. The angel threw his hands out innocently.
"Leave me alone." Sam growled, "Why won't you just leave me the hell alone?"
"But you are alone, Sam." Lucifer said, "It's just you. In this room. Locked inside a mental ward."
Sam deliberately turned his back on the hallucination.
"Nobody else..." Lucifer sang softly, "Just you..."
* * * *
It was hours before Sam saw finally saw Marin again.
"Marin!" he called.
The girl stopped in front of his door.
"U-Uh," Sam croaked, "I'm sorry I upset you."
Marin bit her lip and glanced down at her feet, "S'ok."
"Can I asked you something?" Sam asked.
Marin gazed up suspiciously, "About?"
"The fire."
Marin grit her teeth and shook her head, "Look. You mean well, but you have no idea—"
"You said you didn't start it. I believe you." Sam said, "I can help you, Marin. Before he tries to hurt you again."
Sam lead her inside his room. She followed, hopeful but wary.
Lucifer was watched them with a bemused expression. Amazingly, the hallucination remained quiet.
"You're worse." Marin said, "You're organs need sleep you know. Your hair and nails are gonna fall out. And your kidneys are gonna shut down. I saw it in a movie."
Sam stared at her and she added, "Sorry."
In the corner Sam heard Lucifer give a high, wheezy laugh.
"So," Sam said with a wince, "Your brother. W-when did he pass?" it was hard to concentrate for long periods of time.
"Um. Last year." Marin scratched the back of her neck.
"You see him?" Sam asked.
Marin shook her head.
"So.." Sam grimaced against his headache as he stood up to pace, "He just talks to you...but at first it wasn't so bad you must have missed him. Did you just hear him at the house?"
"Here too," Marin replied, "Whenever I'm alone. I can always tell he's coming 'cause I get these chills." she rubbed her arm.
"You feel cold," Sam observed.
A Ghost. Definitely. Sam thought.
"Yeah," Marin said, "I mean..." she took a shaky breath, "You're right. At first it's like—I knew I was crazy, but... I didn't really care. I did miss him."
Sam nodded.
"But then...he started saying he was lonely. And he started to get mad." Marin grit her teeth and her voice shook, "And one day he started yelling and—I-I tried to run but the door was locked and when I turned around the w-whole room was on fire. A-and I barely got out....how can you help me?"
Sam blinked against the exhaustion, " I can put your brother to rest. He's um," Sam winced against his headache, "He's stuck here."
"For real? Like—?"
"Like a ghost." Sam said.
Marin lifted her chin, "Why should I trust you?"
"Because it's your only shot." Sam replied.
Marin studied Sam with large blue eyes. Finally, she nodded, "Ok."
"Ok." Sam agreed, "So, your brother, was he cremated, buried?"
"We cremated him." Marin replied.
"Do you have anything of his?" Sam asked.
Marin fiddled with something on her wrist. A cord bracelet.
"This bracelet. He made it for me. And with a busted hand too. Sliced his hand during stupid archery..."
"He bled on it?" Sam asked.
"Probably." Marin replied.
"Good. That's-that's good." Sam said as the pieces of her case fell into place.
"Why is that good?" Marin demanded.
"I just have one more question. Is there—any chance in hell you got a lighter?" Sam asked.
Marin stared at him, "Why do we need a lighter?" she asked.
"We-we have to burn the bracelet. Ghost will sometimes attach themselves to something, often something they've bled on. And if you've had that bracelet on this whole time that might explain why your brother is still haunting you." Sam explained.
Marin shook her head, "This is crazy."
"Do you have another explanation?" Sam asked.
Marin shook her head, "I don't have a lighter."
Sam sighed heavily.
"But, I think I know who does," Marin said suddenly. "The nurse. The—he's new. Arrived around the same time you did. He's got dark hair, brown eyes, tan skin. He brings me my food. I know he smokes because he was asking one of the doctors if he could have a cigarette brake."
"He might have a lighter," Sam realized.
"We'd have to pick-pocket him," Marin said, "I doubt he'd just give it to us."
"Definitely not," Sam agreed, "I'll see what I can do when he brings me dinner."