Winston found himself standing exactly where he had been when the ghost had
appeared. He looked to where his friends had been either sitting or
standing, but they and their chairs were gone.
"You're all alone." Winston turned around to find the ghostly form of Walter Peck standing behind him. "The worst feeling in the world. You were always scared this would happen. Actually, you always afraid that the others would turn away from you. You aren't as close to the others as you'd like to be."
"Shut up," Winston told him. "I don't need to hear this crap."
"You think it, Mr. Zeddemore. I don't need to influence you. I'm enjoying all the energy I'm taking from you and your friends. You're all giving in so easily."
"We don't give in easily," Winston replied. "We've defeated gods more powerful than you."
"Well, individually you all aren't as strong as you think. Your friends are quite weak, Mr. Zeddemore. It was lucky Dr. Spengler, Venkman, and Stantz met in college when they did. Actually it was fate. If they hadn't met they would be doing their own things and barely surviving in this world." The ghost chuckled. Winston jumped at the sound of gunfire.
"What the hell?"
"Remember Vietnam?" The black man looked back at Peck. "You hated those days. Never knowing if one day you'd find a bullet in your heart."
"Stop it," Winston growled. The firing continued and the Ghostbuster saw bullet holes in Janine's desk. He turned to Peck. "I'm going to stop this."
"That won't be easy, Mr. Zeddemore. Not only do you have to face your fears like desertion and death, but you must convince the others to do that as well. Getting so many people to face fears that they once believed they defeated or never had to face isn't easy. I would know. This is what caused me to become what I am." Winston looked at the ghost than felt something slice through his left arm with a searing pain.
"Ah!" Winston shouted. He looked at his arm and saw the blood pouring out on to his teal Ghostbusters uniform. "This isn't real."
"Believe what you want to. It's as real as you want it to be."
"I don't believe it is." The ghost nodded in mock agreement than disappeared with a chuckle. "I don't believe this!"
"Hey, guys, what do you want to do tonight?" Peter asked Ray and Egon as the three men came down the stairs. "We can go to the movies. Or a club. I know a good one on 33rd." Winston looked at his friends.
"No, Peter," Egon told his friend. "The last time we went to one of those I ended up in a back room handcuffed to a radiator."
"But you had fun," Dr. Venkman said. Egon gave his friend a look. "Alright. So Janine was a little upset, but it was fun."
"Guys, you're here," Winston said. They didn't look at him.
"Yeah, I don't want to go to a club either," Dr. Stantz added. "Some of those women are a little scary."
"That's because Dani has taught you the ways of women," Peter responded. Winston walked over to his friends and waved his hand in front of Ray's face.
"Ray, man, talk to me," Zeddemore said. "I need your help."
"What Dani and I do is none of your business, Pete," Dr. Stantz told his friend. "We're just being careful." He glanced at Egon. "Really careful."
"I do hope so," Egon muttered. Winston began waving his arms wildly.
"Guys, it's me. I need you guys to listen to me."
"Alright no club," Dr. Venkman said. "A good action flick. Blood and mayhem. The perfect recipe." They headed towards the front door. Winston followed. He felt another hot pain go through his back and looked down to see blood coming out of a small hole in his front.
"I'd prefer something scientific," Egon responded.
"There will be some kind of science," Peter replied. "You can point it out and correct it so Ray will learn the correct textbook information for the big exam Saturday." Winston leaned against the side of Ecto-1 and watched as his friends left the firehouse. He slid down the side to the floor.
"They forgot me," Winston said. "They really forgot me." He looked at his hands covered in his own blood. "I'm dying alone."
"Winston, you're not alone." The black man looked to his right and saw a familiar blonde woman wearing a tan jumpsuit. "It's horrible to think that." She sat down next to him and touched him on the shoulder. "You're never alone."
"I am, Dani," Winston replied. "Think about it. I'm the outsider. I'm not related to any of the guys. I didn't go to college with the guys. I have no important connections."
"You saved the world with them," Dani said. "And you're more in than out. I've only been here a few months. You've been here many years."
"I still feel out of it. I always had this feeling that one day the guys would just let the cat out of bag and tell me this was all a farce. They just needed me around to make sure none of them got into major trouble and since that's over I can go on my merry way." He winced as he felt another searing pain go through his shoulder. "I am going on my merry way, Dani. This is it."
"No, Winston," Dani told him. "Stop talking like that." She took his hand and squeezed it. "Listen to me. I know what the guys think about without them even saying it. They care. It's in their eyes. All of this was supposed to happen. You were supposed to get this job and spend majority of your life spending it with these guys saving the world from impending doom. You're supposed to get married and your kids are going to grow up with their kids."
"Fate," Winston whispered.
"I can't take you out of this nightmare, Winston. You're the only who can do that. I'm just here because the others can't be. They have their own problems." She let out a small gasp. "Problems that only make everything worse. I have to go."
"Leave me like the rest of them," Winston told her angrily. "I don't need you. I never needed them. I just needed a damn job. I could have left anytime I wanted and went back to work with my dad." Dani stood up and looked down at the man.
"If you really believe that, Winston Zeddemore, than maybe this should happen. I really hope it doesn't, but it's your decision. I hope you know I care." He looked up at her and she gave him a gentle look with her blue eyes before turning and walking away. She slowly disappeared leaving Winston to stew in his own thoughts and pain.
"You're all alone." Winston turned around to find the ghostly form of Walter Peck standing behind him. "The worst feeling in the world. You were always scared this would happen. Actually, you always afraid that the others would turn away from you. You aren't as close to the others as you'd like to be."
"Shut up," Winston told him. "I don't need to hear this crap."
"You think it, Mr. Zeddemore. I don't need to influence you. I'm enjoying all the energy I'm taking from you and your friends. You're all giving in so easily."
"We don't give in easily," Winston replied. "We've defeated gods more powerful than you."
"Well, individually you all aren't as strong as you think. Your friends are quite weak, Mr. Zeddemore. It was lucky Dr. Spengler, Venkman, and Stantz met in college when they did. Actually it was fate. If they hadn't met they would be doing their own things and barely surviving in this world." The ghost chuckled. Winston jumped at the sound of gunfire.
"What the hell?"
"Remember Vietnam?" The black man looked back at Peck. "You hated those days. Never knowing if one day you'd find a bullet in your heart."
"Stop it," Winston growled. The firing continued and the Ghostbuster saw bullet holes in Janine's desk. He turned to Peck. "I'm going to stop this."
"That won't be easy, Mr. Zeddemore. Not only do you have to face your fears like desertion and death, but you must convince the others to do that as well. Getting so many people to face fears that they once believed they defeated or never had to face isn't easy. I would know. This is what caused me to become what I am." Winston looked at the ghost than felt something slice through his left arm with a searing pain.
"Ah!" Winston shouted. He looked at his arm and saw the blood pouring out on to his teal Ghostbusters uniform. "This isn't real."
"Believe what you want to. It's as real as you want it to be."
"I don't believe it is." The ghost nodded in mock agreement than disappeared with a chuckle. "I don't believe this!"
"Hey, guys, what do you want to do tonight?" Peter asked Ray and Egon as the three men came down the stairs. "We can go to the movies. Or a club. I know a good one on 33rd." Winston looked at his friends.
"No, Peter," Egon told his friend. "The last time we went to one of those I ended up in a back room handcuffed to a radiator."
"But you had fun," Dr. Venkman said. Egon gave his friend a look. "Alright. So Janine was a little upset, but it was fun."
"Guys, you're here," Winston said. They didn't look at him.
"Yeah, I don't want to go to a club either," Dr. Stantz added. "Some of those women are a little scary."
"That's because Dani has taught you the ways of women," Peter responded. Winston walked over to his friends and waved his hand in front of Ray's face.
"Ray, man, talk to me," Zeddemore said. "I need your help."
"What Dani and I do is none of your business, Pete," Dr. Stantz told his friend. "We're just being careful." He glanced at Egon. "Really careful."
"I do hope so," Egon muttered. Winston began waving his arms wildly.
"Guys, it's me. I need you guys to listen to me."
"Alright no club," Dr. Venkman said. "A good action flick. Blood and mayhem. The perfect recipe." They headed towards the front door. Winston followed. He felt another hot pain go through his back and looked down to see blood coming out of a small hole in his front.
"I'd prefer something scientific," Egon responded.
"There will be some kind of science," Peter replied. "You can point it out and correct it so Ray will learn the correct textbook information for the big exam Saturday." Winston leaned against the side of Ecto-1 and watched as his friends left the firehouse. He slid down the side to the floor.
"They forgot me," Winston said. "They really forgot me." He looked at his hands covered in his own blood. "I'm dying alone."
"Winston, you're not alone." The black man looked to his right and saw a familiar blonde woman wearing a tan jumpsuit. "It's horrible to think that." She sat down next to him and touched him on the shoulder. "You're never alone."
"I am, Dani," Winston replied. "Think about it. I'm the outsider. I'm not related to any of the guys. I didn't go to college with the guys. I have no important connections."
"You saved the world with them," Dani said. "And you're more in than out. I've only been here a few months. You've been here many years."
"I still feel out of it. I always had this feeling that one day the guys would just let the cat out of bag and tell me this was all a farce. They just needed me around to make sure none of them got into major trouble and since that's over I can go on my merry way." He winced as he felt another searing pain go through his shoulder. "I am going on my merry way, Dani. This is it."
"No, Winston," Dani told him. "Stop talking like that." She took his hand and squeezed it. "Listen to me. I know what the guys think about without them even saying it. They care. It's in their eyes. All of this was supposed to happen. You were supposed to get this job and spend majority of your life spending it with these guys saving the world from impending doom. You're supposed to get married and your kids are going to grow up with their kids."
"Fate," Winston whispered.
"I can't take you out of this nightmare, Winston. You're the only who can do that. I'm just here because the others can't be. They have their own problems." She let out a small gasp. "Problems that only make everything worse. I have to go."
"Leave me like the rest of them," Winston told her angrily. "I don't need you. I never needed them. I just needed a damn job. I could have left anytime I wanted and went back to work with my dad." Dani stood up and looked down at the man.
"If you really believe that, Winston Zeddemore, than maybe this should happen. I really hope it doesn't, but it's your decision. I hope you know I care." He looked up at her and she gave him a gentle look with her blue eyes before turning and walking away. She slowly disappeared leaving Winston to stew in his own thoughts and pain.