Part Two
Almost an hour later Janine heard the guys coming down the hall outside of her apartment. "Janine? Are you all right?" She heard Egon bass voice call to her. Quickly, she ran to the door, threw it open and fell into Egon's arms.
"Oh Egon, I'm so glad you came."
Egon held her and gave Peter a look of concern. Peter moved over to them and gently put an arm on her shoulder. "Janine, what happened? I could hardly understand you on the phone."
She stared up into Peter's concerned gaze. "Ray... Ray... "
"What about Ray?" Winston prompted.
"He tried to ...Oh God ...I can't believe I'm even saying this..."
"Janine, what did he try to do?" Egon asked sternly.
She hung her head. Never in all the years that she had worked for these men, had she ever dreamed she would be put in this position. It made her sick to her stomach to think of what Ray had tried to do. It made her even sicker to think that it had been Ray. He had always treated her well, even from the first day she arrived at the firehouse to apply for the job she now held. Where Peter had immediately put her on the defensive when she'd arrived, Ray had made her feel welcome and comfortable. He may have been shy to start with, avoiding meeting her gaze directly, or stammering a little when he talked to her. But it hadn't taken him long before he was relaxed enough to sit down on slow afternoons and chat with her, or tease her the way the guys teased each other. He'd always made her feel included, like she was truly part of the team. But now, what had happened just an hour ago clamored against those memories, made a mockery of them.
Egon gently lifted her chin. "It's okay."
"He tried to rape me." She replied quickly.
The three men exchanged startled glances. Peter shook his head. "That can't be right. Ray can't look a woman in the eye, let alone attack one."
Suddenly on the defensive, Janine shot him an angry look. "I didn't want to believe it either and I didn't at first. But then I saw the birthmark under his chin. No one has that same birth mark." She hugged Egon a little tighter. Egon comforted her a little more, but then pulled her to arms length and looked down at the diminutive secretary. "We need to go after Ray. Do you want me to call your sister?"
"No. Why can't you stay? Peter and Winston can find him. Egon, please, I don't want to be alone."
Peter patted Egon on the back. "Stay with her, Spengs. Winston and I will find Ray."
"All right, I will stay with her. Peter?"
"Yeah?"
"Be careful. In his current state of mind, he could be dangerous."
Peter nodded as he and Winston walked out the door.
"Man, never thought I would ever hear that."
"What's that, Winston?"
"That Ray could be dangerous."
"What're you talking about? Haven't you ever seen him at the all-you-can-eat Chinese Buffet?" Peter clapped the black man on the back. "C'mon, Winston. We'll round up Ray, and put some sense back in that egghead of his. We'll even give Janine a turn."
Ray's mind swam to consciousness. Slowly, he opened his eyes. As light began to filter into his field of vision, he slowly became aware of his surroundings. His head was pounding so hard it felt like someone had been using a jackhammer on it.
"I see you're finally awake, took you long enough. I was beginning to think he'd killed you."
Ray followed the sound of the voice, but gasped in pain as he tried to turn over onto his side. "What happened?"
"I'd lie still if I were you. You might have a few busted ribs."
As his eyes focused, he began to make out distinct shapes. He was lying on a bed in a dingy room, probably a motel. It looked like it had never seen better days - it could have been a drug addict's hideaway, had there been graffiti on the walls. A ragged curtain covered the single window. A lamp on the bedside table provided the only light. A woman sat in a rocking chair, near his bed, rocking back and forth and knitting. She looked to be in her early sixties.
"Who are you and where am I?" he said in weak voice.
She got up and placed her hand on his forehead. "Hum. My name is Flo, and you are here."
"But where is here?"
'You must be hungry."
Ray shook his head. "No, I'm not. Where am I?"
"I told you." She disappeared into another room and came back with a bowl of soup. "Here, eat this."
He turned his head away. She placed it down on a small nightstand by his cot. "Suit yourself, but you're going to get hungry."
"Just tell me how long I was out. Can you at least do that?"
"Hum, I say a week."
"A week?"
"Yes, give or take a few days."
Ray closed his eyes. Where was he, and where were the guys?
********
The taxi pulled up at a venerable, grandiose-looking old house on a quiet street in the Bronx. The house looked as though it had seen better days, but it still retained an air of the authority and affluence that its previous occupants must have had. Ray got out of the taxi and stood on the sidewalk facing the house, an evil grin on his face. Then he made his way up the front walk to the porch and rang the doorbell. Soon the matronly figure of a petite lady appeared at the door.
"Why, Ray! What a pleasant surprise, please come in."
Ray walked in and looked around. The hallway walls were filled with an exuberant display of family pictures, some of them a hundred years old. Suddenly, he grabbed his hostess by the wrists. " Hello Aunt Lois," he said, a gleeful menace in his voice.
Aunt Lois looked shocked, then afraid. Ray stood a full head taller than she did, and she would be no match for him. She tried to pull away. "Ray! Let go, you're hurting me!"
"I'll break your neck old lady if you don't shut up," he snarled. "I need some cash."
She stared into cold, emotionless eyes. "Who are you?"
"You know who I am. Now, I told you, I need cash."
"I don't have any."
Ray slapped her across the face with the back of his hand, sending her to the floor. "Don't lie to me, Aunty. You either give me some cash or I'll break your neck."
Aunt Lois looked up at him. "You're not Ray! Who are you?"
He didn't respond. He hauled her roughly to her feet, pushed her into a room and locked the door. "I'll find the money myself."
Lois listened to this man who looked like her nephew as he proceeded to wreck her home. She knew that it wasn't Ray, but who was he? Soon it got quiet. She heard his footsteps coming down the hallway, blending in with the pounding of her heart.
"Aunt Lois, I got what I needed, thanks. Oh, and by the way, I hope you enjoyed your life; it ends today. Bye Aunty."
She heard the front door open and close. Then she saw the smoke coming under the door. "Oh no " she gasped. She hurried to the window and screamed for help as smoke began to seep in from under the doorframe. Coughing, she lay down on the floor to escape the choking smoke, but it soon overcame her.
Ray stood there and watched the house as it burned, then slipped away quietly as sirens began to wail in the distance.
****
Ray looked at the soup and took a sip.
"Hum, seems I was right. You are hungry."
He looked over at the woman in the rocking chair. "Why won't you tell me what's going on?"
"Stop asking questions. Just be thankful you're alive."
"Oh it's okay, Flo. You can tell Ray if you want, not that it will make any difference."
Both turned suddenly at the sound of the voice - a voice that sounded eerily familiar. Ray's mouth dropped open when he saw himself looking down at him.
"What's the matter, Stantz?"
"You're me."
"Yeah, disgusting isn't it. Flo, you old bat, change me back."
Flo said a few magic words and soon Alan Favish was leaning over Ray. "Ever wonder what you would be like if you had no scruples or honor? No love, only hate?"
Ray stared at him. "No! Why are you doing this?"
"Why? No, that's not the right question. You know why! But let me tell you how." He walked over to Flo. "She a nice old lady. Right? Wrong. She's not an old lady, she's a demon, the kind who helps humans."
"She a helper and you caught her."
"Yes, and as long as she wears that choker, she has to my bidding."
"Let me guess: ruining my life."
"Not only ruining it but destroying it as well."
"Why?"
Alan suddenly slapped him. Flo stood up. "Leave him alone."
Alan wheeled on the elderly woman. He produced what looked like a remote control from his pocket and pushed a button. She cried out in pain and clutched at the choker around her neck.
"Shut up, or next time the shock will be unbearable."
She sat back down. Ray looked at him. "I never thought anyone was a monster but compared to you, the winged puma was harmless."
Alan turned and smiled at him, making Ray skin crawl. "You and that winged puma cost me my business, my standing in the community, my future. I spent years establishing a reputation as a successful businessman in Morrisville. Hell, I could've run for mayor. But after you showed up with that laser light show of yours, I couldn't get the time of day from anybody. Not even from Elaine! You ruined my life, Stantz, and I'm not about to let the fat little loser from high school do that to me. You know, I've worked hard at ruining your life, and I've enjoyed it." He looked at his watch. "For example, by now your aunt is dead."
"What did you do to my aunt?!"
"I set her house on fire and locked her in the one of the rooms."
Ray suddenly let out a yell and lunged at Alan. But Alan just planted his foot in the middle of Ray's chest, forcing him to stay prone on the bed. Ray cried out in pain as his broken ribs took the brunt of the weight of Alan's foot. "That was really stupid, Stantz."
Ray lay on the bed gasping for air. Flo looked at him and hung her head. Alan lifted her chin. "Don't feel sorry for him Flo. It's just not right to feel sorry for a dead man."
****
Ecto-1 sped around the corner, lights blazing and siren screaming, as they neared the source of the flames. It came screeching to a halt at the scene, which was already choked with fire trucks and police cars. Winston , Egon and Peter all hurried out of the vehicle, scanning the crowd of emergency workers and onlookers for signs of their friend. Peter was the first to spot Aunt Lois as she was being loaded into an ambulance. He ran over to her and took her hand. She looked up at him weakly. Through her oxygen mask, she said, "Ray."
"Did Ray do this?"
Aunt Lois fainted. As the paramedics bustled to get her into the ambulance, one of them turned to Peter. "She's a very lucky woman. Another hour and we would have been too late."
Peter nodded as they closed the door and drove off. Egon and Winston were speaking to the fire captain, and as he walked over, he caught the last of the captain's sentence.
"I believe this fire was started on purpose."
"Egon," said Peter. "Aunt Lois said Ray did it."
Egon looked at Peter and Winston. "This has gone to far. We have to tell the police."
Peter stared at Egon in disbelief. "Come on, Spengs, we can handle this. We don't need to call the police."
Spengler regarded Peter with the look he reserved for life-and-death situations. "I understand your concern, Peter. I don't want to do this any more than you do. But we have little choice. Ray has become dangerous."
Winston placed his hand on Peter 's arm. "Egon's right, man. We need to tell the police."
Peter's eyes flashed in anger as he looked at both of them. "Ray's our friend! We just can't throw him to the lions."
Egon shook his head. "We are doing this for Ray. Now I'm going to do what I know is right." Egon walked over to one of the policemen and told him everything. Peter and Winston exchanged glances. Peter felt helpless, a feeling he absolutely hated.
**********
"Wait here sir." When the office returned, Detective Frump was with him. "Okay, Spengler, are you willing to give a statement?"
Egon looked at his friends. Peter looked frustrated, face drawn in a pout, arms folded in stubborn refusal to take part in the conversation. Winston stood a little straighter than usual; the muscles in his lower jaw working. "Yes."
Egon related everything as he had told the officer, leaving nothing out. Frump listened to the entire story with a deadpan _expression. Then he picked up the radio from his car.
"Yeah. Issue an APB on a Raymond Stantz. Suspect is about 5ft 10in, weight around 215, hair red to auburn in color, eyes brown. Wearing khaki chinos, green shirt and sweater, brown leather bomber jacket. Last seen in the Bronx. Suspect may be armed and dangerous."
*****
Alan turned off the CB radio and turned to Flo. "Okay, you crow, turn me into Stantz again." She waved her hands and he became Ray again. He walked over to the cot. "You're going down today, Stantz. Your life is over."
"You're a fool! The guys'll figure it out. They'll figure it out and come for me!"
"That's what you think." He turned back to Flo. "You know what to do once I leave."
"Yes."
"Good. Now send me to Venkman."
Flo nodded sadly as she sent Alan away. Ray suddenly got a strange feeling in his stomach. "What's he going to do to Peter?"
Sadly, Flo turned away. "Answer me!" Ray demanded. She only shook her head. The feeling in the pit of his stomach got worse, and he began to feel panicked. He struggled up to a sitting position, holding his side. "Please tell me."
She turned to him. "I can't. I'm sorry. You will know soon enough."
"That's not good enough. Is Alan going to hurt him?"
The look on her face said it all. "Oh no! He's going to kill Peter, isn't he?"
Flo hung her head.
"You can't let him do this!"
"As long as he has me under his control, I can do nothing but obey him. I'm sorry."
******
On the lawn of the smoldering Stantz homestead, Peter was pacing up and down in front of Ecto, his mind racing and his anger nearing the boiling point. Sure, Ray had been acting weird lately, but Spengs hadn't given Ray much of a chance. They'd all seen what kind of damage a possessed person can do, and hadn't they dealt with enough possessions over the years? They just wasn't looking hard enough, there had to be a more plausible explanation to all of this than just that his best friend had abruptly become a homicidal maniac.
He was so upset and confused that he didn't hear footsteps behind him.
"Peter!"
Snapped out of his reverie, Venkman turned around at the familiar sound of Ray's voice. He came face to face with the barrel of a gun. Ray gave him a smile, full of malice and bloodlust. Then he pulled the trigger.
**************
Flo hung her head. "It is time." She pointed her hand at Ray and blue streaks came from her fingers. The scene shimmered and collapsed before Ray's eyes, and he was gone.
When he reappeared he was being slammed down hard against a police car, his hands pulled roughly behind his back. He screamed in pain as his broken ribs took yet more damage. His mind numbed by pain and confusion, he watched the scene as though it were in slow motion. Frump was reading him his rights. He heard none of it. He could only watch in horror as a gurney bearing the prone and bloody figure of Peter was being loaded into the ambulance.
TBC
Almost an hour later Janine heard the guys coming down the hall outside of her apartment. "Janine? Are you all right?" She heard Egon bass voice call to her. Quickly, she ran to the door, threw it open and fell into Egon's arms.
"Oh Egon, I'm so glad you came."
Egon held her and gave Peter a look of concern. Peter moved over to them and gently put an arm on her shoulder. "Janine, what happened? I could hardly understand you on the phone."
She stared up into Peter's concerned gaze. "Ray... Ray... "
"What about Ray?" Winston prompted.
"He tried to ...Oh God ...I can't believe I'm even saying this..."
"Janine, what did he try to do?" Egon asked sternly.
She hung her head. Never in all the years that she had worked for these men, had she ever dreamed she would be put in this position. It made her sick to her stomach to think of what Ray had tried to do. It made her even sicker to think that it had been Ray. He had always treated her well, even from the first day she arrived at the firehouse to apply for the job she now held. Where Peter had immediately put her on the defensive when she'd arrived, Ray had made her feel welcome and comfortable. He may have been shy to start with, avoiding meeting her gaze directly, or stammering a little when he talked to her. But it hadn't taken him long before he was relaxed enough to sit down on slow afternoons and chat with her, or tease her the way the guys teased each other. He'd always made her feel included, like she was truly part of the team. But now, what had happened just an hour ago clamored against those memories, made a mockery of them.
Egon gently lifted her chin. "It's okay."
"He tried to rape me." She replied quickly.
The three men exchanged startled glances. Peter shook his head. "That can't be right. Ray can't look a woman in the eye, let alone attack one."
Suddenly on the defensive, Janine shot him an angry look. "I didn't want to believe it either and I didn't at first. But then I saw the birthmark under his chin. No one has that same birth mark." She hugged Egon a little tighter. Egon comforted her a little more, but then pulled her to arms length and looked down at the diminutive secretary. "We need to go after Ray. Do you want me to call your sister?"
"No. Why can't you stay? Peter and Winston can find him. Egon, please, I don't want to be alone."
Peter patted Egon on the back. "Stay with her, Spengs. Winston and I will find Ray."
"All right, I will stay with her. Peter?"
"Yeah?"
"Be careful. In his current state of mind, he could be dangerous."
Peter nodded as he and Winston walked out the door.
"Man, never thought I would ever hear that."
"What's that, Winston?"
"That Ray could be dangerous."
"What're you talking about? Haven't you ever seen him at the all-you-can-eat Chinese Buffet?" Peter clapped the black man on the back. "C'mon, Winston. We'll round up Ray, and put some sense back in that egghead of his. We'll even give Janine a turn."
Ray's mind swam to consciousness. Slowly, he opened his eyes. As light began to filter into his field of vision, he slowly became aware of his surroundings. His head was pounding so hard it felt like someone had been using a jackhammer on it.
"I see you're finally awake, took you long enough. I was beginning to think he'd killed you."
Ray followed the sound of the voice, but gasped in pain as he tried to turn over onto his side. "What happened?"
"I'd lie still if I were you. You might have a few busted ribs."
As his eyes focused, he began to make out distinct shapes. He was lying on a bed in a dingy room, probably a motel. It looked like it had never seen better days - it could have been a drug addict's hideaway, had there been graffiti on the walls. A ragged curtain covered the single window. A lamp on the bedside table provided the only light. A woman sat in a rocking chair, near his bed, rocking back and forth and knitting. She looked to be in her early sixties.
"Who are you and where am I?" he said in weak voice.
She got up and placed her hand on his forehead. "Hum. My name is Flo, and you are here."
"But where is here?"
'You must be hungry."
Ray shook his head. "No, I'm not. Where am I?"
"I told you." She disappeared into another room and came back with a bowl of soup. "Here, eat this."
He turned his head away. She placed it down on a small nightstand by his cot. "Suit yourself, but you're going to get hungry."
"Just tell me how long I was out. Can you at least do that?"
"Hum, I say a week."
"A week?"
"Yes, give or take a few days."
Ray closed his eyes. Where was he, and where were the guys?
********
The taxi pulled up at a venerable, grandiose-looking old house on a quiet street in the Bronx. The house looked as though it had seen better days, but it still retained an air of the authority and affluence that its previous occupants must have had. Ray got out of the taxi and stood on the sidewalk facing the house, an evil grin on his face. Then he made his way up the front walk to the porch and rang the doorbell. Soon the matronly figure of a petite lady appeared at the door.
"Why, Ray! What a pleasant surprise, please come in."
Ray walked in and looked around. The hallway walls were filled with an exuberant display of family pictures, some of them a hundred years old. Suddenly, he grabbed his hostess by the wrists. " Hello Aunt Lois," he said, a gleeful menace in his voice.
Aunt Lois looked shocked, then afraid. Ray stood a full head taller than she did, and she would be no match for him. She tried to pull away. "Ray! Let go, you're hurting me!"
"I'll break your neck old lady if you don't shut up," he snarled. "I need some cash."
She stared into cold, emotionless eyes. "Who are you?"
"You know who I am. Now, I told you, I need cash."
"I don't have any."
Ray slapped her across the face with the back of his hand, sending her to the floor. "Don't lie to me, Aunty. You either give me some cash or I'll break your neck."
Aunt Lois looked up at him. "You're not Ray! Who are you?"
He didn't respond. He hauled her roughly to her feet, pushed her into a room and locked the door. "I'll find the money myself."
Lois listened to this man who looked like her nephew as he proceeded to wreck her home. She knew that it wasn't Ray, but who was he? Soon it got quiet. She heard his footsteps coming down the hallway, blending in with the pounding of her heart.
"Aunt Lois, I got what I needed, thanks. Oh, and by the way, I hope you enjoyed your life; it ends today. Bye Aunty."
She heard the front door open and close. Then she saw the smoke coming under the door. "Oh no " she gasped. She hurried to the window and screamed for help as smoke began to seep in from under the doorframe. Coughing, she lay down on the floor to escape the choking smoke, but it soon overcame her.
Ray stood there and watched the house as it burned, then slipped away quietly as sirens began to wail in the distance.
****
Ray looked at the soup and took a sip.
"Hum, seems I was right. You are hungry."
He looked over at the woman in the rocking chair. "Why won't you tell me what's going on?"
"Stop asking questions. Just be thankful you're alive."
"Oh it's okay, Flo. You can tell Ray if you want, not that it will make any difference."
Both turned suddenly at the sound of the voice - a voice that sounded eerily familiar. Ray's mouth dropped open when he saw himself looking down at him.
"What's the matter, Stantz?"
"You're me."
"Yeah, disgusting isn't it. Flo, you old bat, change me back."
Flo said a few magic words and soon Alan Favish was leaning over Ray. "Ever wonder what you would be like if you had no scruples or honor? No love, only hate?"
Ray stared at him. "No! Why are you doing this?"
"Why? No, that's not the right question. You know why! But let me tell you how." He walked over to Flo. "She a nice old lady. Right? Wrong. She's not an old lady, she's a demon, the kind who helps humans."
"She a helper and you caught her."
"Yes, and as long as she wears that choker, she has to my bidding."
"Let me guess: ruining my life."
"Not only ruining it but destroying it as well."
"Why?"
Alan suddenly slapped him. Flo stood up. "Leave him alone."
Alan wheeled on the elderly woman. He produced what looked like a remote control from his pocket and pushed a button. She cried out in pain and clutched at the choker around her neck.
"Shut up, or next time the shock will be unbearable."
She sat back down. Ray looked at him. "I never thought anyone was a monster but compared to you, the winged puma was harmless."
Alan turned and smiled at him, making Ray skin crawl. "You and that winged puma cost me my business, my standing in the community, my future. I spent years establishing a reputation as a successful businessman in Morrisville. Hell, I could've run for mayor. But after you showed up with that laser light show of yours, I couldn't get the time of day from anybody. Not even from Elaine! You ruined my life, Stantz, and I'm not about to let the fat little loser from high school do that to me. You know, I've worked hard at ruining your life, and I've enjoyed it." He looked at his watch. "For example, by now your aunt is dead."
"What did you do to my aunt?!"
"I set her house on fire and locked her in the one of the rooms."
Ray suddenly let out a yell and lunged at Alan. But Alan just planted his foot in the middle of Ray's chest, forcing him to stay prone on the bed. Ray cried out in pain as his broken ribs took the brunt of the weight of Alan's foot. "That was really stupid, Stantz."
Ray lay on the bed gasping for air. Flo looked at him and hung her head. Alan lifted her chin. "Don't feel sorry for him Flo. It's just not right to feel sorry for a dead man."
****
Ecto-1 sped around the corner, lights blazing and siren screaming, as they neared the source of the flames. It came screeching to a halt at the scene, which was already choked with fire trucks and police cars. Winston , Egon and Peter all hurried out of the vehicle, scanning the crowd of emergency workers and onlookers for signs of their friend. Peter was the first to spot Aunt Lois as she was being loaded into an ambulance. He ran over to her and took her hand. She looked up at him weakly. Through her oxygen mask, she said, "Ray."
"Did Ray do this?"
Aunt Lois fainted. As the paramedics bustled to get her into the ambulance, one of them turned to Peter. "She's a very lucky woman. Another hour and we would have been too late."
Peter nodded as they closed the door and drove off. Egon and Winston were speaking to the fire captain, and as he walked over, he caught the last of the captain's sentence.
"I believe this fire was started on purpose."
"Egon," said Peter. "Aunt Lois said Ray did it."
Egon looked at Peter and Winston. "This has gone to far. We have to tell the police."
Peter stared at Egon in disbelief. "Come on, Spengs, we can handle this. We don't need to call the police."
Spengler regarded Peter with the look he reserved for life-and-death situations. "I understand your concern, Peter. I don't want to do this any more than you do. But we have little choice. Ray has become dangerous."
Winston placed his hand on Peter 's arm. "Egon's right, man. We need to tell the police."
Peter's eyes flashed in anger as he looked at both of them. "Ray's our friend! We just can't throw him to the lions."
Egon shook his head. "We are doing this for Ray. Now I'm going to do what I know is right." Egon walked over to one of the policemen and told him everything. Peter and Winston exchanged glances. Peter felt helpless, a feeling he absolutely hated.
**********
"Wait here sir." When the office returned, Detective Frump was with him. "Okay, Spengler, are you willing to give a statement?"
Egon looked at his friends. Peter looked frustrated, face drawn in a pout, arms folded in stubborn refusal to take part in the conversation. Winston stood a little straighter than usual; the muscles in his lower jaw working. "Yes."
Egon related everything as he had told the officer, leaving nothing out. Frump listened to the entire story with a deadpan _expression. Then he picked up the radio from his car.
"Yeah. Issue an APB on a Raymond Stantz. Suspect is about 5ft 10in, weight around 215, hair red to auburn in color, eyes brown. Wearing khaki chinos, green shirt and sweater, brown leather bomber jacket. Last seen in the Bronx. Suspect may be armed and dangerous."
*****
Alan turned off the CB radio and turned to Flo. "Okay, you crow, turn me into Stantz again." She waved her hands and he became Ray again. He walked over to the cot. "You're going down today, Stantz. Your life is over."
"You're a fool! The guys'll figure it out. They'll figure it out and come for me!"
"That's what you think." He turned back to Flo. "You know what to do once I leave."
"Yes."
"Good. Now send me to Venkman."
Flo nodded sadly as she sent Alan away. Ray suddenly got a strange feeling in his stomach. "What's he going to do to Peter?"
Sadly, Flo turned away. "Answer me!" Ray demanded. She only shook her head. The feeling in the pit of his stomach got worse, and he began to feel panicked. He struggled up to a sitting position, holding his side. "Please tell me."
She turned to him. "I can't. I'm sorry. You will know soon enough."
"That's not good enough. Is Alan going to hurt him?"
The look on her face said it all. "Oh no! He's going to kill Peter, isn't he?"
Flo hung her head.
"You can't let him do this!"
"As long as he has me under his control, I can do nothing but obey him. I'm sorry."
******
On the lawn of the smoldering Stantz homestead, Peter was pacing up and down in front of Ecto, his mind racing and his anger nearing the boiling point. Sure, Ray had been acting weird lately, but Spengs hadn't given Ray much of a chance. They'd all seen what kind of damage a possessed person can do, and hadn't they dealt with enough possessions over the years? They just wasn't looking hard enough, there had to be a more plausible explanation to all of this than just that his best friend had abruptly become a homicidal maniac.
He was so upset and confused that he didn't hear footsteps behind him.
"Peter!"
Snapped out of his reverie, Venkman turned around at the familiar sound of Ray's voice. He came face to face with the barrel of a gun. Ray gave him a smile, full of malice and bloodlust. Then he pulled the trigger.
**************
Flo hung her head. "It is time." She pointed her hand at Ray and blue streaks came from her fingers. The scene shimmered and collapsed before Ray's eyes, and he was gone.
When he reappeared he was being slammed down hard against a police car, his hands pulled roughly behind his back. He screamed in pain as his broken ribs took yet more damage. His mind numbed by pain and confusion, he watched the scene as though it were in slow motion. Frump was reading him his rights. He heard none of it. He could only watch in horror as a gurney bearing the prone and bloody figure of Peter was being loaded into the ambulance.
TBC