There was another ambulance parked in front of the ambulance building. Standing by the small circular window in the attic of said sixth story building, Ivan sighed, this was the third death this year. Another ghost to add to the large cast already present, including himself. Ivan wondered who it was this time, some college student, some old lady? There were many different types of ghost still here. Some from before even the previous century, donning hoop skirts and wool suits.
Most of them tended to be crazy, as Ivan had come to discovered in the one year since his own life had "come to an end". It what happens when someone is stuck for so long with so little contact with the world. He didn't fraternize much with the others and preferred to stay in the attic for this reason. It was lonesome, but Ivan was use to being lonely from his old life.
The attic was filled with decaying boxes of many decaying things. Books, papers, clothes. There was a dusty spring mattress lying flat on the floor near one of the walls. There was some pictures hung up that Ivan never bothered to look at. There was a book shelf full of old books that he sometimes leafed through.
Rarely did he descend to some of the lower floors, there wasn't much down there that he wanted to see.
He went back to watching to the event unfolding outside. A mass of people had gathered outside to watch. The crowd was kept back by barriers, but nonetheless was the ambulance and police car trapped from the rest of the street. Ivan wondered why the people of the neighborhood weren't already use to this, it happened so often was it really needed to make such a spectacle of it.
Crack! Ivan flipped around.
"Oh hey." From the trapdoor that led to the rest of the building there was a head peeking out. Ivan saw short blonde hair and blue eyes on a handsome face. "I didn't know you were up here, I was just looking around" Blonde Hair-Blue eyes pulled himself up through the trapdoor, he was wearing what appeared to be sleepwear, flannel bottoms, and a plain white t-shirt that stood out while contrasted with his tanned skin.
Ivan knew this was another ghost because only ghosts could see each other.
"What 'cha doing" the other ghost asked as he walked over to join Ivan by the window. He looked out the window and saw what Ivan had been watching. "Oh yeah, somebody on the fourth floor bit the dust." Turning to Ivan, he stuck his hand, " I'm Alfred, Alfred F. Jones."
Ivan, of course, was taken aback by this irregular intrusion into his regularly quiet day. He gingerly took the other's hand, "Ivan, Ivan Braginsky" he gave the hand one, then two shakes before letting go.
The Cheerful, if not invasive Alfred smiled a glittering smile that in life must have dazzled a good many, "why are you up here all alone, Ivan Braginsky?"
The American had mispronounced his first name. Whatever, Ivan was use to that from life. "I prefer it up here" he responded.
Taking in his surroundings, eyes flickering from one spot it another, "I can see that, it's kinda cozy up here. And you can get away from everyone else. There's definitely some in this building I would like to get away from. Oh! Whatever you do, avoid the first floor. That's where all those Victorian crazies like to chill out" this last part was said in an over exaggerated manner, as if they were in a kid's movie.
"Victorian crazies?" Ivan knew about the groups of ghosts Alfred was referring to, but he hadn't heard them referred to such a thing. Ivan found himself warming up to this Alfred character.
"Yeah, those Victorians like to congregate on the first floor and then they pretend to drink tea while shitting on the younger generations. Stuffy bastards."
"Hmm" Ivan looked back out the window, he remembered when he had been berated by one of these 'stuffy bastards' when he had been newly dead.
Alfred noticed where Ivan was looking and followed his actions, looking out the window as well. "Looks like their taking the body out" Alfred stated.
And they were. Paramedics were carrying the dark gray body bag strapped to a gurney down the stone steps of the building.
"Why do you think so many people die here?" Alfred asked him.
"what do you mean?" Ivan knew what the other was talking about. He just wanted to hear what Alfred had to say about it.
"You must have noticed all the bodies they drag out of this place, including ours. I'm surprised that the police don't come in here and be like: 'what's up, why are there so many dead people here'.
They do have an uncommon amount of death and ghosts here." Ivan agreed. It was nice to meet someone else who saw what was going on here.
"I mean it's unusual right? Like I know it's an old building and all, buts it's not even like there's a bunch of senior citizens crawling about. Some of them are pretty young. Most of them really."
"It is suspicious the number of people dying here, it's April and we already have three dead"
"Oh hey! I forgot to mention your accent! Where's it from?" That was a dramatic topic change. Ivan sighed. Alfred had that typical american obsession with foreign accents. Ivan prepared to have to repeat 20 or more random words just so the American could drool over it.
"Russia" Ivan said.
The blond looked even more excited "Russia, really! Oh that's cool. I knew you had to be European sounding like that".
"Yes, well, Ta-da" Ivan was a little sarcastic. Alfred laughed. It was contagious.
"Anyway, nice accent!" Alfred looked back to the attic, "Nice hideout too. I didn't even know there was an attic in the building until today."
"Aw yes, I discovered the door in my apartment."
"You lived in the apartment below here?"
"Yes." Ivan didn't go down there much anymore. There was some late 30 something year old living there now. He also didn't like the memories that came with that place.
"I live, or lived ( Alfred put an awkward laugh after this) on the fifth floor" He walked back over to the trap door.
"That's nice." Ivan's non-existent heart dropped a little when he realized that Alfred was making ready to leave.
"Yeah, apartment 5C." Alfred sat down to start to go down, despite the fact that he pretty much could jump through the trap door back into Ivan's old apartment and not get hurt. "So feel free to visit. I'm gonna go now, I can come back right?"
"Of course, you can" the other ghost sent a smile at that and was gone.
Ivan considered visiting apartment 5C.