Status: Complete.
Ghost of You
46 : Lockdown
My eyes burned from the sweat dripping down into them from my forehead. I felt something cool being pressed into my open palm and I wrapped my fingers around it. Why was it so dark?
“Drink this,” a voice whispered next to me, and suddenly I was being forced into a sitting position. I pressed the cup to my chapped lips and titled it back, letting the liquid flow down my dry throat, gulping it down. Water. “Easy,” he said, pulling the cup away from me as I let out a shuttering breath.
“Wha – where...?”
“Easy,” he said again. “It takes a lot of strength to drag you around. It was especially hard to get you in here.”
I opened my mouth to try and talk again. God, was it hot. “Are we – are we in Hell?” I swallowed the lump in my throat.
A half smile pulled at his lips. “Close to it,” he said, getting up to stand in the corner, his arms folded across his chest.
We were both silent for a while, the heat practically suffocating me. The carnie finally looked over to me as I licked my lips, swirling around what little water was left in the cup.
“It was you I heard in the graveyard,” I said, my voice strained. “And again when I blacked out.” He nodded his head. “Why?”
“I was trying to warn you.”
I slumped my shoulders, using the back of my hand to wipe away the sweat on my face.
“Bill couldn't stay for long, you know. He isn't ignoring you.”
“Then where is he?”
The carnie sighed, and I peered up towards him. The only part of him that was clearly visible was his neon green eyes. “On lockdown.”
“On... what?”
The carnie sighed again. “Tell me what you know about Thanatos.”
“Thanatos is a God of death. I remember reading about him in that book...”
The carnie smiled, nodding his head. “He watches over those who wander.”
“Like you?”
“And Bill.”
It was silent again. “And?” I pressed.
“And he put everyone on lockdown. Not allowed to leave to the land of the living. Locked up, wandering where they are. There was a slight breach in the system however,” he said, and I could hear the laughter in his voice. “That's how Bill escaped to you the other night. That's how I got you here. That's how Gordon got to you in the graveyard.”
I felt my breath hitch in my throat. I looked up at him, my hands shaking. He stared down at me. His eyes seemed to drift between neon green and blood red. My throat felt dry.
“But... you mean that... that...”
“I mean that Gordon is dead.”
If it was possible, the room seemed to grow even hotter than it was two seconds ago. I tried to speak, but my tongue felt heavy, swollen. The room began to spin as I watched the carnie - still standing in the corner, his eyes blood red now - disappear from my sight.
“Drink this,” a voice whispered next to me, and suddenly I was being forced into a sitting position. I pressed the cup to my chapped lips and titled it back, letting the liquid flow down my dry throat, gulping it down. Water. “Easy,” he said, pulling the cup away from me as I let out a shuttering breath.
“Wha – where...?”
“Easy,” he said again. “It takes a lot of strength to drag you around. It was especially hard to get you in here.”
I opened my mouth to try and talk again. God, was it hot. “Are we – are we in Hell?” I swallowed the lump in my throat.
A half smile pulled at his lips. “Close to it,” he said, getting up to stand in the corner, his arms folded across his chest.
We were both silent for a while, the heat practically suffocating me. The carnie finally looked over to me as I licked my lips, swirling around what little water was left in the cup.
“It was you I heard in the graveyard,” I said, my voice strained. “And again when I blacked out.” He nodded his head. “Why?”
“I was trying to warn you.”
I slumped my shoulders, using the back of my hand to wipe away the sweat on my face.
“Bill couldn't stay for long, you know. He isn't ignoring you.”
“Then where is he?”
The carnie sighed, and I peered up towards him. The only part of him that was clearly visible was his neon green eyes. “On lockdown.”
“On... what?”
The carnie sighed again. “Tell me what you know about Thanatos.”
“Thanatos is a God of death. I remember reading about him in that book...”
The carnie smiled, nodding his head. “He watches over those who wander.”
“Like you?”
“And Bill.”
It was silent again. “And?” I pressed.
“And he put everyone on lockdown. Not allowed to leave to the land of the living. Locked up, wandering where they are. There was a slight breach in the system however,” he said, and I could hear the laughter in his voice. “That's how Bill escaped to you the other night. That's how I got you here. That's how Gordon got to you in the graveyard.”
I felt my breath hitch in my throat. I looked up at him, my hands shaking. He stared down at me. His eyes seemed to drift between neon green and blood red. My throat felt dry.
“But... you mean that... that...”
“I mean that Gordon is dead.”
If it was possible, the room seemed to grow even hotter than it was two seconds ago. I tried to speak, but my tongue felt heavy, swollen. The room began to spin as I watched the carnie - still standing in the corner, his eyes blood red now - disappear from my sight.