Chapter 2
"Uh… This is big," Garrett said, stopping beside Eduardo.
"Big? It's like the size of Lady Liberty," Eduardo said.
The demon was walking through Central Park, crushing anything in its path. It was covered in frost and looked like a cross between Godzilla and the abominable snowman from a Scooby-Doo episode.
"And it's a ghost and we're here to bust it," Kylie pointed out. "Come on guys."
"Look at that! Would you look at that!" Garrett cried, watching the thing breathe white air onto a tree. The tree became white as though entirely covered with frost and despite the warm spring day, the frost didn't evaporate.
"Come on Garrett. I'm the whiner remember?" Eduardo said, starting towards the ghost.
"Oh. Yeah," Garrett said.
Kylie glanced back with a smirk. Garrett shrugged. They came to the beginning of frost covered trees and stopped. Even Kylie could have admitted that she thought they should turn back. The trees were cold just standing near them and to touch them was like touching a bar of ice. But it was Eduardo who kept going.
"He's really upset," Garrett whispered to Kylie.
"I noticed. Maybe we should go back and wait for back up on this," Kylie said.
"We can handle it," Garrett said.
"I hope your right," Kylie replied.
They walked through the coldness to a clearing the ghost was coming out in.
"Circle it?" Eduardo asked the two.
They nodded and the three moved through the trees to surround the ghost.
"ON THREE!" Garrett yelled.
"THREE!" the three yelled together and shot.
They immediately realized there was a problem. The proton streams began to freeze inching down towards them.
"THAT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!" Kylie yelled.
"Tell us something we don't know, Spengler Junior," Garrett said.
Garrett's gun started to sputter.
"GARRETT!" Kylie and Eduardo cried.
"I'm busy!" Garrett yelled.
Garrett cut his stream and ejected the proton canister. He reached behind his back, grabbed the second and slid it in.
"GARRETT!" the two yelled.
"I'm hurrying!" Garrett yelled back.
Garrett looked up in time to see the demon's tail hit him. It sent him flying into the trees, ejecting him several feet from his chair. The demon turned and leaned back, sucking in a breath.
"GARRETT!" Kylie screamed, running toward Garrett.
Kylie leapt, grabbed Garrett and rolled with him out of the way of the demon's Arctic breath. The two stopped rolling under the cover of nearby bushes and sat up, looking at the lizard. From here they could see Eduardo struggling to hold onto the demon alone.
"Let him go Eduardo!" Kylie yelled.
Eduardo looked at her and then back at the demon.
"Eduardo you can't hold it alone. Let it go!" Garrett yelled.
Kylie watched Eduardo fighting between what he knew was true and what she mistook as pride. The decision was made for him by the demon. The demon swung its tail around, smacking Eduardo squarely in the chest. Eduardo went flying into the trees without a sound.
"Eduardo!" Kylie cried, jumping up.
Garrett grabbed her wrist and yanked her down beside him. He pointed up at the demon. Kylie looked up. The demon was looking for them now. The two watched it smacked the trees nearby, knocking them half way out of the ground. For several minutes it waited snorting every so often. Finally it turned and continued in the direction it had been walking. Kylie pulled free from Garrett and raced toward the area Eduardo had been thrown. She found him at the base of a tree. Kylie dropped to her knees, touching the bloody patch of hair on the side of his head. Kylie's eyes traveled up the tree to the dent in the bark where Eduardo had hit.
"No," Kylie said, looking down at Eduardo. She put her fingers to his neck and sighed in semi-relief. "Don't you die on me Eduardo. You still owe me a twenty," Kylie warned him. She pulled her walkie-talkie off her belt. "Egon."
"Egon here. What's happening?"
"The demon's gone. He's too much for us, Egon. He's froze about three feet of the proton stream that hit him and he's got a powerful punch with his tail. We need an ambulance. Eduardo was thrown against a tree and he's unconscious."
"I'll have Janine call. Roland should be there shortly. Send him and Garrett back, you go with Eduardo."
"All right. Kylie out," Kylie hooked her walkie-talkie on her belt.
"And tell Roland to grab my other chair. This one's frozen," Garrett added over the radio.
Kylie turned back to Eduardo. She searched her pockets then Eduardo's for something to put against the wound. She finally found a handkerchief in Eduardo's vest pocket.
"Such a man," she tried to laugh as she pressed the cloth to his wound.
But her laughter didn't chase away the feeling that this wound was far worse than it looked. Kylie let out a breath, forcing herself to think of something else.
#
Voices echoed in a confusion of jumbled noise. It felt like a dream. Maybe it was a dream. For a moment that thought danced around Eduardo's mind, trying to convince him that it was a fact. The thought tried to convince him that everything would be all right if he let the darkness take him. It tried harder to convince him that if he did that, this would all fade away when he woke the next morning.
But then why did it feel real? What was out there in the darkness, beyond his conscious mind, that scared him? It had a name, but he couldn't remember it. That not knowing was what made his fear stronger and the feeling of a dream began to fade.
"Eduardo," a voice said, setting itself apart from the voices.
"Can you hear me Eduardo?" the voice asked.
He couldn't move or answer. That darkness leapt at him and he jerked away from it. But it caught him and began to drag him deeper into it. It felt like a savage, starving animal trying to pull him into its mouth and swallow him whole.
"Eduardo?" the voice from beyond the darkness called.
The darkness pulled harder. He had to do or say something before it devoured him.
"Ma'am, don't try to make him talk," someone said.
"Kylie," Eduardo managed to whisper. Why couldn't he pull out of the darkness? "What's happening?"
"You're at the hospital Eduardo. They just brought you back from x-ray."
"So dark," Eduardo muttered.
"It's alright," Kylie said.
A hand lay on his head. Kylie's voice was closer when she spoke again. "I'll be back."
"No. Please…" Eduardo whispered.
"I have to go back to the Firehouse, Eduardo. Your Grandma's here. I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise."
Eduardo felt Kylie's hand starting to pull away from his. Forcing all the strength he could muster he gripped her hand.
"Kylie," he said.
"Ed—"
"I promise," Eduardo whispered.
Kylie hesitated. "You promise what?"
"As long as I'm alive, I'll keep all of you from harm."
Her hand returned to his forehead and he felt her breath on his ear. "Rest Eduardo," Kylie said softly.
Eduardo smiled a little. "I promise...I'll return."
"Don't talk like that," Her breath was gone and she said in a louder voice. "I'll be back as soon as we've beat this thing. Get some rest."
Eduardo started to say something but a finger on his lips stopped the words.
"I promise, Eduardo," Kylie whispered.
Then her hand was pulled from his. Eduardo felt another hand slide into his.
"Hold on my child. I won't let you go," His grandmother said and she kissed his forehead.
"I'm scared," Eduardo whispered.
Her cool hand rested on his forehead. "You shouldn't be. It's not your time to leave child. Rest now."
Eduardo let his mind drift and this time he didn't fight when the darkness came for him.
#
Kylie sighed, sitting back. She watched the acid freeze to the piece of frozen metal, crystallizing in intricate patterns.
"Egon…this isn't working," Kylie said.
Egon looked away from his books.
"We still have things to try," Egon told her.
Kylie got to her feet, looking at him. "I'm going to go get Roland. I can hardly keep my eyes open."
"Yes. Fine," Egon said, returning to his research.
Kylie's eyes narrowed. Ever since she'd gotten back to the Firehouse Egon had been acting strange and unlike himself. Kylie turned and left. She was in an arguing mood, so why press the point?
Kylie walked downstairs to the couch and shook Roland until he woke up.
"What?" he asked with a yawn.
"You're turn to deal with Egon. I'm beat."
"Deal with Egon? Is he still cranky?"
"You'd be cranky too if you'd had a half hour of sleep in the last forty-eight. Keep it down!" Garrett growled from the other side of the coffee table.
"Bite me," Kylie growled back at him.
"I'll go help him. Here. Get some sleep," Roland said, motioning to the couch.
"Thanks," Kylie said.
She climbed under the blanket and settled into the warm spot Roland had left her. With a sigh she found herself more awake now that she was ready to sleep. And her thoughts were drifting to the hospital. Why hadn't Eduardo's Grandma called them yet? What was happening to Eduardo? And why did the doctor look so concerned when he and his Grandma came out of the x-ray room?
"Kylie? You awake?" Garrett asked.
"Mm-hm."
"Why hasn't she called yet?"
"Who?" Kylie closed her eyes.
"His grandma."
"I don't know. I was just thinking about that."
"You think something's wrong?"
Kylie lied. "No."
"Liar," Garrett muttered.
Kylie opened her eyes again. "What could be wrong? It's just a bump on the head."
"A bump that left a dent in the tree."
"He's gotta hard head," Kylie closed her eyes.
"You know that's not true."
"Go to sleep Garrett. I'm tired and getting cranky."
"This is new?"
"Don't make me come over there," Kylie snarled.
"With that tone I won't," Garrett snapped.
"Good night, Garrett."
Garrett didn't respond. Kylie sighed, falling asleep as soon as her eyes shut.
