Ghosts

       I’m Jazz, I’m 17 years old and I have long brown hair that I dyed jet black and blue eyes. I have a fraternal twin brother named Rhythm. He’s really cool. He’s got blond hair and brown eyes. Anyway, my brother and I are tired of being harassed by our parents all the time about moving out. It’s not that I never wanted to move out; it’s just that I couldn’t afford it on my own. So, my brother and I teamed up and moved out together. We bought this really crappy, old house in the middle of nowhere. I would have preferred something a little bit better, but it was cheap so we got it. My brother and I arrived at the house one dreary Saturday evening.

“I can’t believe we bought this place!” I said as I dropped my bags on the creaky old wooden floor.

“It’s not that bad! I mean, once you clean up and dust around here it will look more presentable,” My brother joked.

“This place is so creepy...” I said as I looked around. There were a few old pictures hanging on the walls. I coughed from all of the dust.

“Don’t worry, the freak that used to live here is long gone!” my brother assured me.

“Well you’d have to be freak to live in this dump!” I replied. My brother laughed.

“Are we freaks then?”

“Well, we’ll only be here temporarily,” I replied.

“I see...”

“Look, we’re going to be here awhile, why don’t you order some pizza?” I asked Rhythm.

“All of the phones are dead, I’ll have to go into town and get it,” my brother said as he grabbed the car keys.

“So you’re going to leave me here in this hell hole?!” I yelled as I slammed my fist on a table and dust flew everywhere. I coughed and gagged.

“Don’t worry! I’ll be quick! There’s no need to be scared!” My brother said as he left. I wasn’t afraid... okay maybe I was a little afraid. The door creaked open and then slammed shut. I could here the slam of the car door and the sound of the engine growing distant. My eyes started to water from all of the dust. When I could finally open my eyes again I noticed a small shiny object on the floor. It was a key. It must have fallen off of the table when I slammed my fist on it. I picked it up.

“Well this key must lead somewhere!” I said as I shoved it into my pocket. I grabbed my bags and walked up into my new room. The floors creaked when I walked on it. I chucked my bags onto my bed and then went into the washroom. Man, I was a hot mess! My hair was going in all different directions and my eyes were bloodshot from all of the dust. I tried to fix my hair but I had no luck so I walked back into my bedroom. It seemed a lot colder then last time. Do you ever get the feeling that you’re being watched? I had it. I turned around but nothing was there. I must be paranoid. I turned back towards my bed and...

“Hi,” said a man who was sitting on the edge of my bed. He had an inviting smile on his face... but looks can be deceiving. I jumped back.

“Who are you? Get out. Get out or I’ll call the cops!” I threatened. He just laughed.

“I doubt you’ll be able to, all of the phones are dead! I’m sorry that I didn’t introduce myself, I’m Michael, but my friends and family call me Mike,” He replied.

“What do your foes call you?” I asked stubbornly.

“Cute,” He replied as he started to get up off of the bed. I stared at him watchfully. He had black shoulder length hair. His skin was pale and he wore a white open neck shirt with poofy sleeves. He had black trousers as well as black loafers. As I examined him closer I could tell he was wearing black eyeliner.

“Why are you here?” I asked him.

“Why, I’m the freak who lives here!” He said. His once happy smile now had turned into a frightening grimace. His eyes turned black as coal. “So you think I’m a freak? You think that this place is a hell hole? My dear, you have no idea what hell is like, my entire life has been a living hell! And you come along and think that you can just come in here and invade my privacy? I don’t think so!” He yelled raising his voice dramatically. He continued to pace around the room. “Oh, how rude of me going on and on and I don’t even know your name!” He said politely.

Was he playing with my mind? About 2 seconds ago he was mad at me and now he goes all formal?

“Hello?” He asked me as he snapped his fingers repeatedly. “Your name?”

“Jenna,” I lied. He laughed.

“Oh, so you’re a liar too? Well Jazz... I’ve got news for you! I don’t buy into your little game,” He told me. There was a flash of lightening through the window and it started to pour rain. I just glared at him with fiery eyes. “So since you seem to like games why don’t we go ahead and play a little game? You want to play a game? My family and I just love games! In fact, would you like to meet them?” He asked me.

“No,” I muttered under my breath.

“Well that’s just too damn bad because they would just love to meet you! Follow me won’t you?” He told me as he gestured for me to follow him. I stared at him for a moment. Should I follow him? He was weird, strange, but what is the worst that could happen? Besides, my brother would be home any minute right? I decided to follow him. He led me into a long corridor. At the end of the corridor there were two large doors. I noticed a keyhole. Michael looked at me.

“The key?” He asked me as he placed his hand out.

“What’s behind the doors?” I asked him.

“Well I’ll show you if you give me the key!” He said. I dug around through my pocket and grabbed the key. I handed it to him.

“Thank you,” He said as he stuck the key into the keyhole and twisted it. The doors slowly creaked open and revealed a large room. The floors seemed to act as mirrors. They were polished so perfectly that I could see the reflection of the ceiling on them. There was a fireplace at the other end of the room. There was a huge chandelier on the roof. Michael started to walk in. I stayed put. He looked at me.

“Are you coming?” He asked me.

“Um...” I started. He laughed.

“Are you scared?” He asked me grinning a sinister grin.

“Um... no,” I replied although I actually was.

“Well then c’mon!” He said as he gestured for me to walk into the room. I slowly walked into the room. I was about five steps passed the large doors when a huge hawk swooped just above my head. I let out a loud scream as I hit the floor. Michael laughed.

“I didn’t know you got scared so easily...”

“Well you seem to know everything else about me,” I hissed as I slowly got back to my feet. I walked towards him. “So where’s this family of yours?”

“Oh they’re here...” He said mischievously. I grew suspicious. His eyes turned a cool grey like a cloud of thunder. The fireplace lit up. A blue liquid flew out of his hands and landed on the wall. A man stepped out of the puddle. He was covered in cobwebs, and an eye was missing. He was dead. More of the blue liquid flew all over the room and after nearly 2 minutes there must have been about 20 monsters standing in the middle of the room with Michael in between them all. I stepped back and felt a cold body against mine. I slowly looked back and saw another zombie. I screamed and tumbled on the ground below Michael’s feet. He laughed.

“Scared?” he asked me. I nodded as I avoided looking into his eyes. “Well Jazz... you haven’t seen anything yet...” He said as he lifted my chin up to force me to look into his eyes. His eyes were like a dark vortex. I nervously picked myself up off of the floor as I watched Michael and his family starring at me with their watchful eyes.

“So... um... this is your family?” I asked him.

“Yes, this is little Lina,” he said as a little girl walked up next to him. She had an old time dress on. It was covered with what seemed to have been blood and dirt but it was difficult to tell. They all seemed to be in black and white. Her face was covered in scars and there was a huge flesh wound on her right shoulder. “She was walking with her friends in the woods, unaware of what lurked behind the trees. She was viciously attacked by a cougar. Her friends escaped. She did not,” Michael explained as the girl walked up to me and brushed her hand along my arm. She was so cold. My entire body shivered. Michael gestured for her to come back and a tall man walked out of the line and stopped in front of me. His neck appeared to be broken because his head was flopping around as he walked.

“This is Henry, he was pushed out of a tree and landed on his face and broke his neck. He died instantly,” Michael explained. I cringed imagining the pain that he must have endured. I closed my eyes and an image of a girl being mauled by a cougar and a man breaking his neck flashed before me. The blood going everywhere, the crack of the bones. I tried to open my eyes but they seemed to have been glued shut. I freaked out.

“Make it stop! Make it stop!” I yelled as I viciously clawed the air. I could see a huge swarm of bats in front of me. I forgot that it was just an illusion. I screamed! All of a sudden my eyes opened and I saw Michael. He was very serious.

“I was only getting started. Now you understand what we’ve all been through?” He asked me. I didn’t want to ask, but my curiosity was getting the best of me.

“What happened to you?” I whispered. He smiled.

“You don’t need to know...” He said, “...yet.”  My eyes widened. I was afraid. What was going to happen? I brought myself together. I had to snap out of it.

“Where’s my brother?” I asked remembering that Rhythm was going to get pizza. Wouldn’t he be here by now? How much time had passed?

“He’s fine Jazz... don’t worry,” He replied brushing the matter away.

“I have to know!” I yelled as I walked up towards him. I shot him an icy stare. I was almost stepping on his feet.

“He’s just caught in the storm, don’t worry!” He told me as he walked to the back of the room. I was about to follow him but I was grabbed by two of the zombies and I was led to the other end of the room.

“Let go of me!” I screamed as I tugged and pulled and tried to get out of their grip.

“I told you I was just getting started didn’t I?” Michael asked me. I glared at him. Out of nowhere demons started to float around the room. Shrieking at the top of their lungs! They stabbed at me with their claws! I thought that I would feel pain but they were harmless. I started screaming and slipped out of the zombies grip and ran for the doors. I tugged and pulled but they were locked! I ran into the corner of the room and curled myself into a little ball. I started sobbing. Although I couldn’t see him, I knew that Michael was smiling. I was waiting to feel a cold hand on my shoulder, but I didn’t. The screaming had ceased. I didn’t dare open my eyes to see what had happened. I was too scared. I could hear Michael’s footsteps growing nearer. I could hear them right next to me. I could feel his breath against my neck as he whispered into my ear;

“Are you scared yet?”

I whipped away my tears.

“Yes! Yes!” I told him.

“Am I still a freak?” He asked me.

“No! No! No not at all!” I yelled. He smiled.

“That’s what I thought,” He said. He grabbed me by the arm and forced me up. I was terrified. “Now get out,” He said as he gestured me towards the door. I slowly opened the door and I screamed! There was a huge monstrous face in the doorway! It was disgusting! It was green and pimply! I fell back on my butt as I tried to scurry away!

“Why do you do that?!” I yelled at Michael.

“Because I can,” he replied. Ugh, his nonchalant behaviour bothered me so much!

“Are you actually going to let me leave?” I asked him annoyed. He grinned.

“Nope!” He replied. I rolled my eyes. He grabbed me and took me into a room leading off of the larger one. It seemed to have been a bedroom. It was covered in dust and cobwebs. There were holes in the wall in the shape of fists.

“What is this?” I asked him.

“This...” Michael said as he opened the doors to a closet. I gasped. “Is where I died.”

There weren’t any clothes in the closet. There was just a noose with Michael’s body dangling about 2 feet off of the ground. There were scars on the body which seemed to have been from a knife or something. He was tortured and then killed. It was disgusting. I backed into the wall.

“That’s... that’s... that’s you...” I said as I pointed towards the cold, lifeless corpse.

“So it is... do you want to know what happened?” He asked me as he sat down on the bed. Before I could even think about what I was doing I was nodding my head; yes.

“I must warn you, you may not like it, I like to use many describing words...”

“I... I can handle it,” I assured him although I was almost certain that I couldn’t. He smiled a toothy grin.

“Alright then, if you insist...” he started. He got up and paced around me. “I had only just got back from a wonderful vacation from Hawaii! Oh it was beautiful! I truly do love the people of Hawaii! Little did I know about what awaited for me back at home. I hadn’t even finished unpacking when a rock crashed through my window! All of a sudden a man in dark clothes burst through the window following the rock. I was too shocked to even consider escaping! He grabbed me and threw me against the wall! I quickly got to my feet and headed for the door, but he saw it coming. He grabbed me and pinned me against the floor! He took out his knife and slowly started to pierce my skin! I screamed, but nobody was there to hear me. As the blood from my veins trickled down my body and onto the floor the man told me that I had to be eliminated-“

“Eliminated? Do you mean that you were assassinated?” I asked him.

“I’m not finished!” Michael yelled as he held up a hand to silence me. “Anyway, after what seemed to have been the longest ten minutes of my life, the torture was over. I didn’t know that I would be meeting a swift end. He attached a noose to the inside of the closet, wrapped it around my neck and let me fall. The last thing I remember seeing was the assassin, the bloody knife, and that evil smile on his face when I was murdered...”

I sat there petrified. I tried to imagine the situation he had been in, but it was just too much to handle. He stared into my eyes.

“You thought that you’re living in a hell hole? Jazz... now you know what hell is like...”

“So... you’re a ghost?” I clarified.

“What did you think I was? A wizard? Oh get real! Wizards don’t exist!” He exclaimed.

“Well I thought that ghosts didn’t exist...” I told him honestly. He grabbed me and led me back into the main room.

“Are you ever going to let me go?” I asked him.     

“Oh so you want to leave? Why is that Jazz? Why is it that you want to leave so soon?” He asked me. Before I could speak he turned his back to me and then he started to transform. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. One minute he looked like a normal man and now he was a... skeleton? He wasn’t like a normal white boned skeleton, oh no! The bones were dripping red blood and any part of the bones that weren’t already stained red were an ugly brown. The teeth were yellow and there were evens bits of remaining flesh that hadn’t decomposed. I screamed! I ran for the doors, but I stopped myself, I knew that something unpleasant awaits me behind those doors. Before I had the chance to run somewhere else, Michael was already behind me.

“Just let me leave!” I yelled as I started crying.

“It’s not that easy...” He told me as he started to move closer. I had to think quickly. How was I going to get out? In an instant I threw my body to the side and darted for a corridor. I didn’t know where it led to but it had to be someplace better then here! The corridor was filled with cobwebs. I thrashed my arms viciously as I tried to get through them all as quickly as possible. I knew he’d be after me. I hated the cobwebs, but I knew it would be worth it when I found the exit. As the cobwebs began to clear I let out a sigh of relief, I thought I was safe, I thought I had found the exit. I was wrong.

The corridor only led me to a small room. There was a dusty old bed, a closet, a dresser and a pile of old clothes in the corner. I was trapped. I turned around and peered down the corridor. I could see the shadows of the monsters growing nearer. I panicked. I dove into the pile of clothes and tried to stay as still as possible. I could hear their cold, hard steps hitting the floor of the room.

“You can’t hide for much longer...” Michael sneered. I was sweating now, he was so close. I heard the footsteps get closer. That’s it. It was all over now. I felt the weight over top of my body lighten, then I saw his damn face. He smiled and then pulled me up by hair.

“Ow!” I screamed, “Let go! You’re hurting me!”

“You thought you could escape didn’t you? Well let me tell you something Jazz... you can’t! And I’ll make sure that you don’t!”

“Why do you even want me here?” I asked him.

“I’m a ghost, I need someone to scare!”

“Go scare someone else you jerk!” I yelled.

“And that’s why you are my victim! You have no respect!” He told me sternly. I rolled my eyes.

“Who are you my dad?” I asked him sarcastically. Before he could reply I felt something grab my ankles and toppled me to the floor. There was a loud bang and dust went everywhere as I made contact! I looked back and saw that they had come through the old floorboards. I tried to dig my nails into the ground.

“Oh my God! Help me!” I squealed. Michael just shook his head. Half of my body had now been dragged underneath the floorboards. My eyes started to water as I gazed helplessly into Michael’s eyes. He just waved me good-bye. In about 10 seconds the floor seemed to have completely devoured me! I looked around; I was in a dark tunnel. There was no light. I didn’t hear anything either. The monster that had dragged me under must have gone. I scrambled through my pockets. I found a small packet of matches that I had stolen from my brother to try and prevent him from smoking. I quickly lit one and tried to keep the flame alive by protecting it with one hand. The tunnel seemed to go on forever! I decided to follow it. As long as I was away from Michael I was okay! I cautiously followed the path for a long time. I tripped a few times and had to relight a few matches. It seemed to have been at least 20 minutes before I ran into a small door. It was unlocked. I opened it up and it revealed light! I was in the backyard of the house! I quickly scrambled out and tried to shield myself from the pouring rain as I jogged into the house. I was free at last! I couldn’t have been happier!

I ran down into the main hall and I saw my brother sitting in a chair eating the pizza.

“Where were you? I’ve been here forever! I called your name but you didn’t come!” Rhythm said. I was contemplating on whether I should tell him or not.

“Oh you know... I was uh... taking a shower, you know how long I take,” I lied.

“I didn’t hear the water running... and you came from outside.”

“Well, you’re deaf,” I replied, “And I went for a walk as well!” I told him. He just shrugged his shoulders as I sat down next to him and started eating some pizza.

Later that night I called my best friend, Anna-Maria.

“What’s your new place like?” she asked me.

“It’s crap, I hate it. I want to move out. I preferred living with my parents!” I exclaimed. She laughed.

“It’s that bad?” she asked me.

“You don’t even know the half of it!” I told her.

“Let me come over! Let’s have a sleepover! I can be there in 20 minutes!”

“I really don’t think-“

“Oh shut up! I’m coming! Get a bed ready for me!” She said as she hung up the phone. I sighed. She was so stubborn.

25 minutes later Anna-Maria and I were in my room painting our toe nails.

“How about I paint them gold?” she asked me. Anna-Maria was a small, little blonde girl. Her hair reached halfway down her back. It was pin straight! She had sparkly blue eyes and a wonderful smile to go along with it. She was more of a girly-girl then I was but I didn’t mind.

“Alright, if you want...” I told her smiling. A look of joy shone across her face as she began to paint my toenails.

“This place isn’t that bad!” She told me.

“Well you haven’t met the psycho who lives here!”

“Your brother isn’t that crazy!” she told me. I laughed.

“It’s not my brother... it’s this guy... his name is Michael...”

“You have a guy living in your house? Is he hot? What does he look like?”

“He’s not your type...”

“Why? Is he yours?” she asked me.

“Hell no!” I shouted.

“What’s so bad about him? I want to meet him!”

“No you don’t!”

“Yes I do!”

“Well maybe you will...” I told her. She smiled.

“Great!” she said as she continued painting my nails.

  We were about to fall asleep when we heard a soft tapping noise. My eyes immediately sprang open. Anna-Maria and I sat up in our beds and looked around. Nothing was there. I got up and looked in the washroom, nothing. I nervously opened the door to my room, nobody was behind it. I sat back down on my bed and heard it again. I glanced out my window, so did Anna-Maria. I saw my worst nightmare.

“I’m back...” Michael laughed as he smiled wickedly.

“Oh damn!” I yelled.

“Who’s that hottie?” Anna-Maria asked me.

“He’s not a hottie! He’s a ghost! That’s Michael!”

“A ghost? Seriously Jazz?” She asked me. Michael walked through the window and advanced towards me and Anna-Maria.

“Holy crap... maybe he is a ghost...” Anna-Maria said nervously. She started panicking.

“Oh? Did you think that your little friend was going to save you?” Michael asked me as he pointed at Anna-Maria.

“Look, can’t you just leave me alone? I’ve had enough of you and your stupid tricks!”

“Why are you so bitter? Do you have any respect? Did you not learn from last time?” He asked me. “Personally, I’m a little heart-broken that you think I’m a psycho! Would you like to meet a real psycho? Would you?”

“I have a brother, that’s good enough,” I told him. He laughed and then clapped his hands. Nothing happened. Well, at least that’s what I thought...

“Clapping your hands? Seriously? Who do you think you are-“ I started as I was interrupted by some sort of goblin that sprang out in front of my face! It’s eyes were bulging out of it’s head. I fell back onto Anna-Maria and we both screamed! The goblin was bouncing off of the walls! It started knocking pictures off of the walls and little knick-knacks off of the mantelpiece. Anna-Maria was crying uncontrollably by the time that thing had calmed down. It was rested at Michael’s side. He raised one eyebrow.

“Was that psychotic enough for you?” he asked me. I walked right up in his face.

“Just leave us alone! I’m not your enemy! It’s not my fault I think you’re a little strange! If you’re offended by that opinion you should really hear the ones that I keep to myself!” I shouted. His facial expression stayed very serious throughout my outburst.

“You’ve got guts... I like that... I really do,” he told me as he started to pace around the room. “And you’re right, I don’t want to be your enemy, I want to be your friend. You just make it so damn difficult!” He yelled.

“I do not!”

“Yes you do!”

“What have I ever done to you?” I asked him. He laughed.

“You called me a freak and a psycho as if freak wasn’t enough. You invade my privacy. You insult my home by describing it as a hell hole and you say you’ve never done anything to me?”

“You’ve done far more to me then I have to you!”

“It’s called getting even!” he scowled.

“Can’t we reach an agreement?” I asked him fed up with all of this.

“What do you propose?” he asked me as stared at me intently.

“You leave me and everyone around me alone, and I’ll start to respect you,” I told him. He thought about it for a moment.

“Alright, but I can scare you on Halloween!” He added excitedly.

“No!” I protested.

“Well then...”

“Fine,” I said as I folded my arms. He smiled and he held out a hand. I shook it. After we shook hands he disappeared into thin air. Anna-Maria sat their petrified.

“And that’s how you deal with ghosts,” I told her as I smiled and hoped into bed and fell asleep.