It had been a few years. Not many though he didn't remember the actual number anymore. For a while he didn't know what to make of his situation. A long time he just went about his time as though he was still around. Being he rarely left his apartment how could he have figured it out? That was till the tried to leave and found he couldn't. Day in and day out he watched other people leave the complex but he could never escape it. It sent him into a depression. Sitting around his place he slowly started to realize things. He hadn't been hungry or even eating all that much if at all. Days even he wouldn't eat or drink. People didn't really acknowledge that he was around. Soon he realized that he had no furniture in his house anymore. For a while it sat empty. This wondering in confusion lasted for weeks, maybe months as he wasn't very good at keeping track of time anymore. That was till an agent that was going to sell the house he over heard talking to the landlord. Apparently a murder took place in the building. But he didn't remember a murder happening. As he listen it dawned on him that the person they were talking about... was him. He was the one killed.
As hard as he tried though he couldn't recall that night. Nothing about it. He'd feel something but could never recall an image, or a sound. But according to what he over heard and listened to from the children that lived in the building someone came through the window from the fire escape, likely someone he didn't know but he was targeted specifically. They took him off guard and tortured him for two days before shooting him in the head. It was hard to take in. He tried to get more information about it but he found he couldn't. The places he could get to didn't have computers or anything more on the murder.
People started to notice little things as he walked about. Sometimes lights would flash, or the room would become cold. Some swore they would hear a sigh from someone that wasn't there. Some even said they saw a shadowy figure that kind of looked like the person that was murdered just wondering about the building. The building became to be known to be haunted after a few months of this. As far as he could tell though, he was the only ghost. People could see him more at night as when they were tired they seemed to be more connected to whatever plain he was now a part of.
But was this the after life? How boring. Sitting on the fire escape of his old place he had to sigh, feeling bored with this. Years now. He had been dead for years but didn't really feel dead. Feeling the wind going through his striped quills he had to hum a little when he heard the door open. Turning his head he saw that they were again trying to sell his place. So far though no one wanted to live in a place where someone died so horribly. "It's a very nice place! One beds, one bath, a nice kitchen, and completely updated." The seller purred out as she flipped her red hair. Behind her was a green hedgehog, looking to be about his age. Leaning on the railing of the fire escape he had to watch them, waiting to hear the, 'how dare you show me somewhere someone died' line he had heard so many times before. This poor woman was never going to sell his place.
However the green hedgehog made no such fuss. He seemed more interested in watching the woman trying to sell him the place. A grin crept onto his face as she was showing the kitchen which attached to the living room. "Yeah, very nice little place they got here indeed... so... how desperate are you to sell this place? With the murder that happened here and all." Way he spoke rubbed the ghost the wrong way. Wrinkling his nose he had huff to the idea he was trying to take advantage of this woman who worked hard to sell this place.
Putting a hand on her hips she had to turn to the green hedgehog before her. "Mr. Scourge, I am trying to sell you a home. On top of that I am happily married so please, let's keep this professional." It was clear that she really wanted to get this place off the market, he had seen it many times as she brought people her often trying to sell it. The landlord clearly was getting annoyed with it just sitting here empty. But he didn't know he wanted to see his place belong to someone else. Curious about this one, he slipped through the window and walked lightly so they couldn't hear his steps. After all this time he figured out how to move without being heard or seen.
"Bet I could make you feel better then your husband." Following her into the bedroom he had to put a hand to the wall, getting her pinned there. "I'll give you a nice fat tip if you help me... settle in." The grin on his face truly rubbed the striped hedgehog the wrong way. The way he was pushing himself on this woman was just disgusting.
Seeing her stand her ground got him to smile though. Smacking his hand away she had to cross her arms. "No thank you. If you don't want this place due to its history I quite understand. However if you are not serious about buying then I suggest you-"
Huffing to her reaction Scourge had to back away, crossing his arms. "I was just teasing. No need to get your panties in a bunch... I'll take it. Cash." Looking around he could see himself hiding out here for a while. New city, new life. Hopefully. Cash made it so he couldn't be traced so easily.
"Perfect. Let's go draw up the paper work then and you can put in an offer." Walking past Scourge she started to tell him more about the neighborhood he was moving into, neither of them seeing the figure standing in the middle of the room watching them leave. As he had many others before but now one was actually going to move in. He had been alone for a while so he wasn't sure how to feel about this. Or the person that he was going to forced to be roommates with.
Screaming out the next door neighbors had to jump to it as to them it didn't sound normal. Pacing he couldn't believe this mess happening to him now. Technically he was dead and had no rights to this place anymore but he was still here! Surely he shouldn't have to deal with someone who was clearly an obnoxious womanizer. But what could he do? He was just a ghost, haunting the place he died at. Getting to his knees he had to shake. "Is this my after life? Is this all there is for me now?" Mumbling the words he felt more empty then he had before.
Within the week he found that his old home had changed. Walls painted, carpets removed showing hardwood floors underneath, furniture, a TV, the whole works. It was kind of nice to see things once again in his home. And the way Scourge had laid everything out, was much like he had it. Still, it all came with the green hedgehog. Looking at it all he had to wonder where his new roommate even was at as he had just finished unpacking and then he left. Not that he minded having the place to himself. He got to look at the kind of things this man had. If nothing else it eased his boredom. At least it wasn't horribly flashy or tacky looking. In fact he hated to admit his old place looked a lot more classy.
Ear twitching to the door opening laughter soon filled the apartment. Wondering into the living room there before him was Scourge who had a woman under his arm. "Oh my! This place is much nicer then the rest of the building! A stud like you clearly are the reason." Giggling the white cat clinging to him was clearly drunk.
"Yup. It was a dump when I got it but now, it's my pad... want to see the bedroom?" That grin soon came back to Scourge's face, getting the striped hedgehog's blood to boil slightly. While he could leave and let them be he felt that this was a violation of his home. And she clearly wouldn't like who she would wake up next to, surely.
Following behind them he let his foot steps be heard getting her to freeze up. Looking around though she still couldn't see Shadow. He noticed a long time ago that if he didn't want to be seen, people usually couldn't. So he was going to use this to his advantage. "Come on babe! Don't get cold feet now." Pulling her along into the bedroom Scourge was clearly ready to have his fun.
Rushing over to that Shadow grabbed her waste getting her to jump, his touch was freezing. Leaning into her here he had to grin, kind of having fun haunting right now. "H-help me! They're going to kill me!" He whispered getting her to scream and pull away from Scourge.
"What was that!? Who's there?" she had to blurred out getting Scourge to blink. He didn't understand what was going on clearly. Soon she had to glare at Scourge. "That wasn't funny! Everyone around here knows what happened here!" She scolded getting an even more confused look on the green hedgehog's face.
"What are you talking about? What did I do?" Maybe it was because she was drunk. Lights flickered slightly he had to look around hoping that wasn't an issue so he didn't see his date being pushed. That was all it took to get her to run out of the place screaming that something pushed her and called to her for help. In her drunk state it wasn't hard to get her to freak out.
Watching this Scourge had to try and stop her. "Hey! Wait! It's just the lights!" He screamed not able to stop her. Blinking as she ran down the hallway he had to frown and look away. "Dumb bitch." Closing the door his ear twitched to the sound of footsteps. Looking around he saw nothing though. "Stupid old apartment." Taking out a cigarette he moved over to the window, leaning out on the fire escape to take his smoke. Sighing he had to scratch his head. "Maybe she was too out of it... knowing this places history." He grumbled, ignoring the feeling of a hand on his shoulder.
Blinking the ghost didn't understand. He didn't seem bothered by his little act. Frowning as he ignored his hand on his shoulder he leaned into whisper in his hear. "Help me! I'm dying!" Maybe that would scare him.
Instead all it got him was an ear twitching and Scourge mumbling something he couldn't understand under his breath. Flicking the cigarette out the window he got up and headed back to the bedroom. "Guess it's just me and my hand tonight." Locking the front door he moved to bed, not paying any mind to anything his ghost roommate did. Truth was, Scourge didn't know if ghosts were real but he had his doubts. He had been drinking too so he figured he was both tired and drunk as well so he was just hearing and feeling things that weren't really there. This only annoyed the ghost. He tried to pull the covers off of him and push him out of bed but it didn't do anything. Scourge just mumbled, pulled the covers back up or pushed back before falling to sleep!
Next day Scourge went out again, only to return at night with another woman. She seemed rather smart and wasn't intoxicated. Again the striped hedgehog started to work on scaring her. Foot steps, flickering of the lights. These things didn't seem to bother her as she drank some wine with Scourge on the couch. Even whispering didn't do anything as she giggled saying she was hearing things. Seemed she believed in ghosts and found it fascinating to be in a place that was haunted. Eventually they moved to the bedroom, and as they were getting hot and heavy he just got annoyed and pushed her. Feeling that at first she thought it was Scourge, finding out it wasn't she felt a little hesitant. While Scourge was trying to talk her down she felt her ankles grabbed and pulled on. This was enough to freak her out so she left, stating the ghost was clearly hostel and Scourge needed to have someone purify his home before she could sleep there. Again leaving Scourge to take care of himself.
This repeated, girl after girl. Scourge couldn't help but feel rather annoyed at it. He made complaints about the lights, but they seemed to be working fine. He put a rug down but the floors still creaked. And women he brought told him the place was haunted. The very idea though got him to laugh, saying there was no way the place was haunted. It had a bad history sure but that was no reason it should be haunted, right?
Well, his unwanted roommate was determined to let him know he was there and he wasn't happy about him buying his home. But even pushing the green hedgehog didn't seem to phase him. It was getting to the point where really, he had no idea how to get to Scourge. The guy was like a brick wall.
It had been a month now. All the girls he was able to scare with ease yet he still hadn't gotten Scourge to budge. Tonight he was able to take off as the green hedgehog decided to just sit back on the couch, watching TV. Sitting on the fire escape so he could get some fresh air he had to sigh. He could think here, in life and death. So far he really had been enjoying haunting but the one person he wanted to get too, he couldn't. Looking up to the full moon his ears went up, clouds parting away from it. Something about it, made him feel strange.
Turning on a porno Scourge had to sigh, bored with the idea of another lonely night. The sounds, the touching, it was all so strange and stupid. Eyes drifting to the ceiling he had couldn't help but muse why all of this was happening. Grinning he chuckled at the idea of actually being haunted. "Hello? Are you there?" He had to ask not expecting a response. Looking down he had to start looking around when out of the corner of his eye he spotted something move on the fire escape.
Eyes widening he had to get up, grabbing a knife in his jacket pocket. "H-hey!" He shouted getting up and running over to the window. Watching as red eyes turned to look at him. Opening the window he grabbed the stranger and put the knife up to his throat. "Who the hell are you!? Did Smalls send you!?" He snarled getting a dumbfounded look painting on this 'intruder's' face.
"Y-you can see me?" It was a great shock. Usually if he didn't want to be seen he wasn't. Sometimes he did want to be seen but people only got glimpses of him. A shadow, an arm, maybe a leg but nothing big. Here it looked like his roommate could see him now. But how? Why?
The question seemed to only piss off the green hedgehog more. "No duh. Now ya better start talkin' or else!" Snapping the order he pressed the knife up more to his guest's throat.
He couldn't help but be a little curious, what would happen if you cut a dead man's neck? It was an odd thing to think of but he also didn't want to feel pain again. The way the knife pressed up on him he had to shake, a flash in his mind came to him. Mostly emotion. Fear, pain, someone laughing. A memory of his death? Shaking he had to look fearful now to Scourge. "I... I... Um..." Thinking he knew he couldn't tell him that he was dead. He would think he was crazy. Plus he was sure he wouldn't believe 'I'm the ghost of the person that was murdered here and I've been watching you.' So he quickly thought of something to say. "You've never noticed me here before... I come here to think... have been for years." Not completely a lie.
Huffing to that Scourge had to grab him, throwing him to the ground. "Yeah? Is that so? Spying on me!?" Moving he grabbed the striped hedgehog's arm, twisting it behind his back painfully. Moving the knife he could tell it scared the other so maybe it would get him to talk.
All this touching put him on edge, never knowing that living people could touch him. Was this just a one time thing? Maybe it had to do with the moon? "N-no! I haven't been spying on you! I... I lived here before... th-the man that lived here before you took me in! Please... I'm sorry, I have nowhere else I can go." He pleaded just not wanting to feel pain.
He arched a brow curiously. "What, you're some kind of homeless weirdo?" Scourge considered the probability of this being the case. The guy did seem pretty pathetic - couldn't even put up a good fight! He held his knife close just in case and contemplated what to do. "What's your name?" Getting up to give the other room to breath as he felt he was pretty harmless.
Ears down he had to sit up a bit, looking back at the other. His name? What was his name? It had been so long since he actually talked to someone it was hard to recall. "S-Shadow... my name is Shadow..." He finally got out. That was his name. It had been so long.
Twirling the knife in his hand he had to raise a brow to something. "So, you knew the guy that lived here before? Does that mean you killed him?" Glaring slightly while Shadow seemed rather harmless he knew for a fact that could be a lie, a wolf in sheep's wool.
Getting up Shadow's ears stayed down. "No... if you read the police report you would know that someone he didn't know broke in and killed him... I wish I knew who did it." Looking away he was going to have to think about how to talk about himself without giving too much away. It would be strange. "I... he didn't deserve what happened to him. From what I heard it was not a pleasant way to die."
Scourge seemed to have lost interest at this point. He didn't care if he was good or unjustly killed. It had nothing to do with him. And this guy was still in his place! "Blah blah blah. Boo hoo. Go find yourself a life and stop chasing after one that's gone. People die all the time. Get over it." He huffed, putting his knife away and moving to get himself a drink.
Glaring slightly at that Shadow had to stand up. "You're the one that moved in here when I was living here before! You get out!" He snapped pointing to the door. "I have nowhere to go and can't go anywhere else. You clearly can. And don't be judging me when you are the one that has a new girl every night. Sure they aren't happy to find out you are living in a dead man's place. Sure the ghosts don't like it either." Crossing his arms he had to huff, annoying by this man's arrogance and lack of sympathy.
Clearly the guy was a little nuts. He paid for this place and he wasn't going anywhere. Hearing that he had apparently been spying on him though ruffled his quills. Said he wasn't but he guessed if you hung out on fire escapes you would get good peep shows. "You some kind of voyeur? Tch. Let's see here... You're a homeless weirdo who's pining over someone who died six years ago. Tell me why I shouldn't kick your ass then throw you out again? Especially since you've been watching some free shows I'd ordinarily make someone pay a hefty fee for." He joked with that never ending arrogance never wavering.
Ears going down to that he had to look down at the floor, more specifically the place he knew he died in. "Six years... it really has been that long?" Eyes turning back to Scourge he had to glare slightly at him, still hating he invaded his space! Why he couldn't disappear bothered him. He would do it now to freak him out. "I don't expect someone as heartless as you to not throw me out. I didn't watch you, I over heard the women running away screaming because they heard something. I think one said something yanked her out of the bed. I knew the man that lived here and he clearly isn't happy about you being here. Throw me out I'm sure it will get worse." That was as soon as he couldn't be seen again he'd make sure Scourge knew fear!
Chuckling to that Scourge had to pour some whiskey to that. "Oh yeah? He making all those noises then? Maybe he misses you." Whatever this man was on he couldn't help but want it. Maybe he was just some poor sod. Taking out another glass he figured that Shadow could use a drink. "Do I have to kick you out before he makes things worse for me? What if I cut you up a little bit?" Grinning he handed Shadow the glass only getting him to glare more at him.
Tearing up slightly he could feel his rage rising at the very way this man acted to him. "You clearly don't believe me so do whatever you see fit. I don't care. I-" ears twitching he had to turn his head slightly to the window. "Did you hear that?" He had to ask heading back to the window.
Rolling his eyes he downed his whiskey before following him to the window. "Don't even try-" It was then gun shots rang out and the sound of someone running away with a crashing trashcan was heard. The window shattered as a bullet came through getting both hedgehogs to back away from it. Shadow ran behind the couch quickly to take cover. Scourge however moved and looked out, seeing that someone was shot. Closing the currents he had to move over to where the other was hiding. This wasn't the best neighborhood, so a little bit of violence like that was to be expected. "Relax..." He grumbled watching the other.
Red eyes looking up he had to straighten up quickly. "Aren't you going to call the police?"
Shaking his head, moving to a drawer with he pulled out some duck tape to attach the currant to the window for how. "Old lady downstairs likely will do that. Besides, I don't want to invite trouble." Setting up the currents he had to grumble slightly. He didn't have money to fix this.
Watching him Shadow had to think of something being that Scourge could see him. If he tried to get him to leave the building he would find he was trapped and that would be awkward to explain. So, he thought he would put to use some of the things from his life. "They should put bullet prof windows up. It's more expensive but it would save lives as well as costs in the long run."
"I don't got the money for that. I ain't renting." Scourge grumbled looking over to Shadow annoyed that he would bring that up. Finishing the window he went back to the other, ready to kick him out now. He wasn't amusing him anymore after all.
"Well, you could set up a security system." Offering this Shadow backed away from him slightly. "I know some programming. With your laptop I could set something up... you just need cameras." Looking away he saw that laptop before. An older model but he could work with it. Just needed the password.
This seemed to catch the others' attention as his ears went up. Looking around he had to move over to his room. Fishing out a camera he kept to tape some real wild nights he brought it back to the striped hedgehog. "Can you work with this?" At the moment it was all he had. If this guy was good no doubt he could make it work.
Taking the camera Shadow started to look over it. Was a rather typical video camera. "It will take some work but I can make something of this outside the window. Will need to put something on it to protect it from the weather though." Moving to Scourge's laptop he opened it up and was able to break the password easily. To easy. "You'll need better programming." He stated calmly as he started to get to work on linking up the camera with the computer. He didn't mind Scourge watching him as he worked. Clearly he didn't get the lines of code across the screen or what he was doing. The green hedgehog drank his whiskey as he worked his magic all through the night. With luck the morning would come and no longer Scourge would see him.
x-X-x
Author's Word
Hello, and thank you for reading the first chapter of Whispers in the Dark. This is not going to be a long story but I am unsure how long it will be as I am working on it myself and I haven't finished it yet. I hope you enjoy it.
