Death and the Girl

Dang right I was gonna fight him with this baseball bat. I stared at the camera and the guy stepped back, beckoning his finger towards the camera.

"I'm all yours, sweetheart." He smirked.

I gripped the handle of the bat and nodded. Marching towards the stairs, I immediately felt less brave than before. How had Hunter not seen that guy? Where'd he go when Hunter entered the room? Never mind all that seemingly important information that I should probably think about before I go barging into that room.

I mounted the stairs and used my phone torch for light. The attic door was still open so Hunter must still be exploring up there. I snuck by and got to the main bedroom, where the hag was supposed to haunt. Maybe people were wrong. What if the ghost wasn't a hag, just a guy with long hair. I gripped the door knob and turned it.

The door creaked open and I was greeted by a dusty looking bedroom. The carpets were threadbare and the furniture had been left uncovered. It all looked ancient. The door shut behind me and I whirled round, still gripping the bat. He was here, standing behind the door.

Up close, this guy was slightly taller than me. I was only 5 foot so he must have been around five foot five. He was wearing a leather jacket and jeans. His hair was brown and sat just above his lean shoulders. He wasn't making a move to hurt me though.

"What're you doing here, sweetheart?" He asked.

"None of your business." I snapped.

"It is my business. You're interfering here and things could go bad." He replied, glancing round the room.

"How'd you get here?" I ignored him.

"I was sent here." He grinned.

I frowned at that. The house creaked suddenly and I looked round. My eyes flicked to him and he shrugged, but the way his jaw tensed meant something was happening.

"You and your friends need to leave." He said, grabbing my wrist in a very cold hand and pushing me towards the door.

"No way. What's going on here?" I whirled round, pointing the end of the bat at him.

"Oh, please," He rolled his eyes, snatching the bat and throwing it across the way.

The house creaked again and the window opposite suddenly flew open. Wind spliced round the room and I was shielded from it by him. From behind his lean frame I could see a woman in the window, outlined by the glow of the moon.

"Target sighted, Tris." The guy spoke into a device on his wrist.

"Okie Dokie. I'll let Roger and David know." A perky voice said.

The woman in the window turned. The guy covered my mouth with his hand. The woman, or ghost, or whatever had long, lank hair that shimmered. Her eyes were holes and her fingers ended in sharp talons. She seemed to be having a hard time focusing. The ghost sniffed the air and her sockets fell on us by the door. She snarled and levitated into the air.

I was pushed sideways. He'd saved me. I lifted my aching body in time to see her swipe at him. He jumped back with agility that no ordinary human could possess. I needed to help him. I couldn't lie here and do nothing. My eyes landed on the baseball bat. I crawled towards it, grasping the handle.

I swung it and it went straight through the ghost. She turned mid-air and hissed at me. I must have tripped as I landed on the ground, eyes staring at the ceiling. The ghost leaned over me, taloned hands gripping my arms. Her nails cut in and I prepared myself for death. An electric bolt went through her and her grip loosened. I watched as the ghost levitated and shattered like glass.

My gaze went across the room. There were two more guys standing there, aiming guns. They both lowered the weapons and the guy from before rushed over.

"Are you ok? Did it hurt you?" He asked.

"I'm gonna puke." I murmured, rolling over and throwing up.

Yep, this was definitely a high point in my life. My hair was moved and I realised he was holding my hair back. I sat up slowly.

"Target was eliminated, Tris." One of the guys across the way said.

"Awesome job, guys." The girl's voice said again.

"We have a human witness though." He said, and waited, offering me a pleasant smile.

"Oh that sucks. Is the human injured?" The girl asked.

"Hold on, I'll check," He replied. "Keith, is she injured?"

The guy, Keith looked me over, gripping my arms and analysing. There was a slight scratch on my right arm where the ghost's nail had dug in.

"There's a scratch." He said, thoughtfully.

"Aww, bad luck," The girl, Tris, said. "Bring her in for a health check."

"Yay, awesome." Keith grinned, standing.

Before I could protest he'd picked me up like a sack of potatos. He pressed a button on the device on his wrist, which was made slightly difficult by me being in his arms.

The air nearly left my lungs and I closed my eyes at the sudden increase in pressure. When my eyes opened, we were standing in a foyer. What the heck was happening? The sound of heels on the floor made me look round. A girl was marching towards us. Her hair dark purple and her bright eyes looked exuberant.

"On behalf of his excellency King Lucifer, I welcome you to the NetherWorld." She was talking to me. I blinked stupidly at her. "I'm Beatrice."

Keith set me down and I nearly lost my footing, but managed to shake her hand. She beamed brightly.

"She puked a minute ago." Keith warned her and she stepped back, looking nervous.

"May I see your injury, please?" She asked.

I held out my arm and she stared at the wound. What was she looking for?

"There's no venom around the wound. I'll get some anti-venom just in case. Were there other humans?" Tris asked, straightening up.

"Yeah, three more. I wiped their memories though." The guy with the slight beard said, grinning.

The other guy's eyes widened and he looked concerned, "Did you manage successfully this time, David?"

"I think so, I mean, yeah I assume so." David replied, eyes looking everywhere.

Well that was reassuring. My friends could have had their memories wiped so throughly they won't recall the past two weeks. The guy next to David looked at me again and smiled.

"Sorry, your friends will be fine," He said, then held out a hand to me. "I'm Roger."

I took his hand, noting it was cold too, like something very dead. He had a firm grip. He let go and grabbed David's shoulder.

"Go report to Chris." Tris shouted after them.

She smiled at me and proceeded to drag me down a hallway away from the foyer. We walked up a flight of stairs and along another corridor. She stopped at a door and I followed her inside.
This was a hospital. There were beds lining the walls, none of which were occupied. Tris motioned for me to sit down. I was still in so much shock that I complied and stared around nervously. Keith sat down next to me, following my gaze as I went round the room.

"You'll be fine." He reassured me.

"T-thank you." I murmured.

My throat burned and I could still taste bile. My hair was a mess I was certain of it. Tris reappeared, holding a lime green pill and a glass of some liquid.

"Might taste a little weird for humans, but won't do you any harm." She said, handing me both items.

I gripped the pill and stared at it. The shades of green hit the lights above my head and made the pill look like it was changing colours. The drink she'd handed me smelt like cucumbers. I put the pill in my mouth and took a big gulp of the liquid. It tasted revolting, but I swallowed and nearly threw up again, heaving a little.

"I'll need to tell Chris." Tris said, and Keith nodded.

His jaw was set again in that concerned way. I really wanted to go home now, back to my dorm room and make sure my friends were still alive.

"Can I go home now?" I asked.

"Well, I need to monitor you for a bit." Tris replied.

She glanced at Keith and they went over to the door and left me there. I could just about hear their voices. Something about me being able to see them in the human world. I felt like I'd broken some unwritten rule and it left me anxious. I could hear retreating footsteps and the door opened. Keith reappeared and he smiled.

"You should rest," He said, noticing my wary glance. "Nothing will happen to you."

I closed my eyes and tried to relax. When I opened them again I was alone. I sat up, staring wildly around the room. Where had Keith gone? I felt stupid to say that he was someone I relied on. I could hear voices outside. I heard Tris. She sounded like she was reasoning with someone. The door opened and I sat myself up in the chair.

Another guy walked in. His black hair was long, trailing past his shoulders. On closer inspection, he had dark eyes that seemed almost crimson. Three piercings were in his lips. The silver of the piercings stood out against his pale skin. His features were severe and his gaze was cold. He saw me and walked over. He was wearing a black suit.

"Are you the human?" He asked.

He sounded young, but there was something about him that seemed older than what he was. I shuddered and shrank down slightly under his glare. Tris tapped his shoulder and whispered something. He focused on her words for a second before glaring down at me again.

"I, um.....M-my name is Junko." I whispered, fear lancing through my voice. I didn't care though. This guy, Chris, scared me so much.

"I was told that black venom had got into your body through a scratch." He said.

Tris leaned down, offering an apologetic smile and showing him the scratch from the ghost. He stared at it then at me.

"She took some anti-venom three hours ago." Tris said, allowing my arm to sag.

"And is it true you can see the ghosts as humans call them?" He snapped.

I had seen the woman. I had tried to swing a baseball bat at her. I nodded and Chris analysed me with those dark eyes. His sharp glare left me and went to Tris.

"Send her home." He said, and turned to leave.

Tris nodded and held out a hand to me. I accepted and stood on very shaky feet. She led me down a hallway and towards the foyer. We paused in the middle of the room and she grasped my hand.

"Well, this is goodbye, Junko." She sounded sad.

"Y-yeah I guess so. Will you tell Keith thank you for saving me." I replied, and she smiled again.

I closed my eyes as the pressure exploded through my body and when I opened them again I was standing in the middle of the quad, facing away from the campus. Tris was gone and a breeze whipped round me. My phone was in my pocket. I pulled it out only to find it dead. I suddenly remembered Collette and the others.

I turned and ran back to the dorms. My heart was pounding as I did so. By the time I got to the double doors I was wheezing hard. I was so physically unfit. I mounted the steps with difficulty and practically knocked Collette's door down. I was so surprised when she opened it, looking freaked out.

"Hey, Junko, what's going on?" She asked, grasping my shoulders.

"You, and me, and ghosts." I was making no sense.

She pulled me inside and I sat on her bed, sipping some water she gave me. Finally after an eternity my heart stopped feeling like it would burst out my chest.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

"Did we go ghost hunting tonight?" I asked, and her eyebrows knitted together.

"No, Liam was feeling unwell so he bailed." She replied.

I'd gone back in time. I could remember everything, but Collette couldn't. Well, it had never happened to her. I needed to think fast otherwise I'd look like a crazy person.

"Oh yeah, sorry must have panicked." I said, fighting to keep my voice jovial.

"You must of had a bad dream." Collette suggested.

I nodded and finished the water. I left her room then, feeling humiliated. I got to my room and slumped on the bed. Tiredness came in thick waves and I fell into an uneasy sleep.

Notes