I Can Talk to Ghosts...

Maybe it was the adrenaline,yeah that was probably it... that was why he was only about 10 feet away from a resurrected sorceress with nothing but a pocket knife. He was hidden behind a large delivery truck while Duncan was trying to figure out a way for him to get to her without getting zapped. He didnt realize how tightly he'd been gripping the knife until he finally looked down at it. His knuckles were white and his arm was shaking just enough to be noticeable. He let the grip of his knife loosen a little and then leaned back against the truck.

"So much for an easy senior year..." He sighed, "So much for a "scare-free" life..."

Just then Duncan came fazing through the back of the truck, "Alan... She seems pretty distracted with whatever it is she's trying to create because I was practically standing in front of her and she didnt acknowledge me."

"Can she even see you?" Alan asked.

"Of course... she's just a spirit or ghost or whatever like I am... the other people left in here, they cant see anything. All they see is this weirdness focusing in one area."

Alan sighed, "Alright... but what did you get?"

"She's keeping the hounds real close to her general area, that's why they arent off killing anything else. I dont really now why she is, but I think it has something to do with you."

"What? Why?"

"Us ghosts and spirits can tell when there's someone like you around. Somebody who can see us I mean. But anyway I think she's aware of the fact that you might try and stop her so she's keeping them like security, so to say. But she's so focused on this spell that she hasnt noticed how close we are. That's a good thing... the medallion is in easy reach... long as you move fast."

Alan raised an eyebrow at him, "How fast exactly?"

Duncan put his fingers together and bit his lip, "Well... you'll have to be fast enough to get over the Hounds, get the medallion, and hide again before she realizes it was you."

He looked at the ghost, "Really?...."

Duncan nodded slowly, "...Yep..."

"Great." He turned the knife in his hand and watched the blade, "How many Hounds are there?"

"Um... what I saw, at least 5 or 6 closest to her... but there are others farther away that may see you."

"Yay..." Alan took a ring out of his pocket. It was stainless steel, like most metal Kyra seemed to own, and it had a small scale of notes that went around it. He'd taken it from her before and smiled when he remembered what she'd said to him. He slipped it around his pinky because it wouldnt fit any other finger.

"I take it this is your, "I hope I return, if not Im dead" thing before you go off right?" Duncan asked looking at him carefully.

"Sure..." Alan smiled at him, "Everybody has to do it before they do something crazy like this."

The ghost gave him a sympathetic smile, "Well, I wouldnt go down to easy... that girlfriend of your's is a little nuts..."

He laughed and then covered his mouth, but his shoulders were moving still, "...She may be... but she's loyal and there when I need her to be."

"Oh gag me and stick me in purgatory for an eternity..." Duncan made a face, but he was smiling.

"Well, now or never... If I wait to long she may finish this thing she's trying to make..." Alan said peeking through the truck's broken windows.

"Be smart about this Alan... I dont want to be able to hit you later on tonight..." Duncan said carefully, then he added with a small smile, "And I dont want to have to deal with that girlfriend of yours in the after life if she finds out I let something happen..."

Alan smiled at him, "Dont worry, I wont be to stupid about this."

Alan looked at the medallion that hung around the sorceress' neck and at the Hounds that were quite close to his target. This was it... the fate of his town (maybe the world?), the people he knew, his family (wherever they were), and Kyra... jeez he really didnt want to fail at this and meet her in the after life... He smiled to himself as he took a breath and then launched himself over the top of the car. Gripping the knife tightly, he headed straight for the sorceress. He slipped himself through three of the Hounds and got pretty close to her before they noticed him. A Hound nearest him lashed at him with its tails and just barely missed cutting him open on his left side. He was so close to her now, she was literally right in front of him! Only... so was a large Hound. Not stopping to think, Alan did something he swore he was never going to try, a move from a video game (not to mention what he was thinking, he'd only played the game once...). He headed straight for the Hound that was turned to him and started to run at him. He waited for just the right moment and then jumped onto the Hound's head. He kept going along it's back and jumped just as it roared at him and tried to knock him off with its tail. He was so kicked up on adrenaline that he almost forgot why he was doing this insane move. He had jumped right enough, and far enough just so he could reach the medallion around the sorceress' neck. He reached out and ripped the metal chain from around her neck and then landed on the ground on the other side (a little less gracefully then how he'd just done that move).

The sorceress' magic of whatever she had just been working on suddenly started evaporating and fading away into wisps of light. She screamed as it exploded and then turned to him. He'd been so busy enjoying the moment of actually having pulled that move off and getting the medallion that he'd completely forgotten to hide. He spun around as he heard her and just barely had time to duck under the shot of lightning she threw at him; rather, aggressively.

"Kill him!!" She screamed.

The Hounds suddenly charged him and looking around, he saw that the others were heading for him as well.

'Think Alan think!' He thought desperately, 'Where can I go?!'

Just then, as the Hounds were all but on top of him, a pick up truck came flying down the street. It slammed into a good number of the Hounds behind him and they were pushed aside in a series of startled yelps, roars and a loud crash. Duncan came fazing out of the engine of the truck and went passed Alan.

"Dont just stand there Alan, go!" He said.

Alan followed after him as the Hounds started after them again, "How did you do that?!"

"Im a ghost remember? I can move things if i really really concentrate!" He came up next to him, "Did you get it?"

"Yeah! This thing right?" He pulled the medallion up as they ran.

"That's it! All we have to do is destroy it now and she'll be gone." Duncan said, "You must destroy the medallion up at her grave site or it will only come back to her." Duncan told him.

"Alright..." Alan nodded.

Just as they passed an alley way between the library and some old building, a Hound jumped out from the darkness having used the dark of the night to hide itself. It's lights suddenly blazed on and its tail lit up as it lashed out at the two of them. It landed on Alan pinning him to the ground as its tails managed to get Duncan's arm and side. So he hadnt been joking when he said these things could hurt ghosts... The Hound roared in Alan's face and attempted to bite his head clean off his neck, but Alan managed to stab his knife through the Hound's throat. Black and almost oil looking blood came gushing out as he pushed it in a little farther and it soaked into his shirt on the right side. The Hound backed off him as it whimpered and growled and tried to over come the pain of its throat.

Alan stood up and then turned to Duncan who was holding his side as his right arm dangled at his side. There were deep looking gashes in his pale form but nothing was coming out of them. Well, he was a ghost...

"Go!" Duncan said pointing up the hills with his better arm, "Get to the grave site and destroy the medallion!"

Alan didnt ask questions but went a head as he heard the other hounds getting closer. Duncan looked back as the Hounds cleared rubble and cars and he saw the sorceress. She was staring right at the two of them, but then her cold eyes shifted to Alan's back. She raised her arm toward the sky and it started to glow. She yelled something in some other tongue and then something flew from her palm toward Alan.

"Alan!" Duncan yelled.

Alan looked back when he heard Duncan and saw the bright light that was heading for him. He didnt have time to duck out of the way and was about to get hit with whatever it was when something slammed into his feet and he was knocked over onto the ground.The light shot over across him and hit a large tree off to the side of the road; it exploded into a shower of blinding light and tree splinters. There was little more than the bits of a stump left. Alan looked at the now all but destroyed tree that would have been him if he hadnt been knocked over by... what had knocked him over? He looked down at his legs and saw a very furious looking expression coming out of the eyes of his wonderful Kyra!

"You stupid or something?!" She said and then leaned forward and slapped him on the back of the head (none to gentle).

"What?!" He looked at her as he rubbed the back of his head.

"You trying to get killed or are you just that dumb?" She said yanking him to his feet not bothering to wait for him to even try to stand first.

"Where did you come from?" He looked at her, "What about the boys?"

"You're parents of all people showed up!" She said as she started pushing him forward, "I left them with them because I had a feeling you were going to do something stupid!"

Kyra pulled his knife out of his hand and put it back in his pocket as she handed him a sword. She had one strapped to her back and a Bowie knife on her left leg. They started up the road again as the Hounds suddenly re-entered their minds; Duncan wasnt far behind.

"Where are we going?!" She asked as they ran up the hills.

The Hounds werent far behind and they sounded like they were gaining pretty fast.

"We have to go to the grave sight and destroy this..." He held the medallion up so she could see it, "And she'll disappear."

"Nice." She looked back behind them and saw the sorceress, "Dang, she's scary looking."

"Dont remind me..." Alan said as they made a sharp turn into some thick parts of the trees.

Ducan was leading them again, well more so him, and he'd said he had a short cut. The Hounds would have to either break and cut their way through the thick trees or go all the way around. The sorceress however, was another matter. She was like Duncan and seemed to be able to faze through whatever it was she wanted to, so while her Hounds were running all the way around, she'd still be right behind them... like she was now.

There was a loud crack and explosion as a tree next to Alan suddenly fell to pieces showering them with splinters and wood fragments. The two of them startled and he jumped to the side to avoid being speared but an unfriendly looking piece of wood and knocked into Kyra. The two fell over into one another and then tumbled down the other side of the large hill they'd been running up. They got to the bottom in a heap of tangled limbs while their swords slid passed them maybe five feet further.

"Up Alan, up!" Kyra said pulling her leg out form under his arm.

"Im working on it!" He said pushing himself off the ground.

"Guys!" Duncan came to them, "Untangle yourselves! She's right there!"

A sudden ball of light shot passed Duncan's form and blew the ground just behind Alan and Kyra to pieces. The two of them pulled themselves apart and grabbed their swords. They turned around as she came over the hill. She looked down at them and pure furry and range filled her dead eyes.

"Return what you have stolen from me!" She screamed at them and then launched more light toward them.

"Move!" Duncan yelled at them.

They all scattered and jumped to the sides, though Duncan disappeared into the ground. The medallion suddenly flew from Alan's jacket pocket and landed in the grass a little ways away from him. The sorceress saw it as did Alan and he made a dive for it. The sorceress screamed at him in anger and launched an almost spear like lightning toward Alan.

"Alan!" Kyra shouted.

"Watch out!" Duncan yelled.

Alan grabbed the medallion and turned to the shouts in time to see the lightning spear just inches before him. Next thing he knew... there was a blinding flash and a sudden burst of lightning.