Chapter Five: The Withered Lover
I wake almost suddenly and lay straight up in bed. I look around and see I am in an almost too familiar hospital. This is the one close to my place. Was it all a dream? Did this Cyrus really call me? Then how am I in the hospital? But how am I back home? Thousands of questions raced through my head. I didn't know what was going on, but once I saw that sleeping angel at the foot of my bed, I knew where I was.
She looked so peaceful just sleeping there, body in a chair, and her head on the bed. Thank god that ghost hadn't killed her. What would I have done if she were out of my life forever? Her eyes slowly open and she sees me staring at her. "Hi," she says.
"Hi," I reply, "Erin, I."
"You were always like that as a child Dennis. Very stubborn with your words, but then you felt bad about it, so you kept apologizing over and over."
I smile, knowing she had forgiven me, "How'd I get here?"
"After you were knocked out, I could have sworn you had been killed. I stand there sobbing, as Cyrus catches his 'Bound Woman.' After she was contained, I ran over to you and gently placed my hand on your pulse. You were still alive," tears fill Erin's eyes.
"You can't imagine how worried you got all of us, especially me, but even Cyrus was concerned about you.
I smirk. And I thought Cyrus was a crude, old man.
"It was hard getting you back home though. We didn't know how we were going to get you up without touching you. So I held your hand, as the men lifted you up into Cyrus's plane and took you here."
So that's how he was going to transport the ghosts back to his place. Using his personal airplane. Cyrus seemed to have it all when it came to riches, even paying an employee a measly sixty thousand dollars. I hear an abrupt knock on my door, and Erin gets up to get it. She peeps open the door a little, "Yes?"
The two talk in low voices, until I hear Erin say, "I'm sorry, but he can't be seen right now."
"Well, I have a right to see him no matter what his condition," an annoying woman's voice says and pushes her way through the door, nearly sending Erin to the floor. This woman walks right up towards me and says, "Dennis Rafkin," in an almost snotty voice.
From behind the door, comes another man, I'm guessing her assistant. This woman had short, curly, brown hair, blue eyes and a nose piercing. She didn't seem like your typical woman. "And you are?" I say to her.
"The name's Kalina," but it's cut short. "Tell me what you think your doing?"
"Excuse me?" "How can you capture these poor souls?"
"Oh that," I say.
"Yeah, that," she sharply responds back.
"I'm only locating them, I'm not actually caging them up. You might want to talk to Cyrus Kriticos about that."
"I tried, but he doesn't want anything to do with me."
"Isn't that a shame," I say. I can see why, I say to myself.
"Listen to me. What you're doing is wrong. Cyrus is just using you, you know that?"
"Yea, but he's paying us a grand sixty thousand."
With that Kalina laughs, like it was some sick joke and the man behind her coughs out a small laugh as well. "Get out!" Erin demands, not wanting to hear this anymore.
"You don't know what a big mistake this is. All these ghosts your catching 'will' be set free and I'm the one to do it."
After she finishes, she turns and leaves, followed by her lap dog, I mean her assistant. What a stuck up bitch this Kalina was and I somehow knew this wasn't the last time we'd be meeting. "Erin? How come I was sent to this hospital and not the one in Maryland?" Erin gives a guilty look. "What's wrong?"
"The next ghost is here," she tells me.
"What?"
Her name is Jean or 'The Withered Lover.' She was burned to death while trying to save her kids from a fire, but she never made it out and the paramedics sent her here, where she later passed on," an all too familiar voice told us.
Cyrus stands in the doorway. "You gave us quite a scare my boy. We all thought you had become one of the ghosts," he says.
"No, not yet," I say, almost joking.
"Are you well enough for her?"
"Not yet Cyrus. He's still weak," Erin tells him.
"Let him choose for himself," Cyrus tells her and looks at me.
I look at poor Erin, then at Cyrus. "Let's get this over with," I say and hop out of bed.
I don't want Erin involved in this anymore. I gather my clothes and quickly change in the bathroom. "Who's this Kalina?" I say, stepping out of the bathroom, after I have gotten dressed. Cyrus gives a disgusted look.
"Her little duo is trying to stop my research. Ever since I was featured in the newspaper, she has begun to harass me. She is determined to bring me down," he says, "but I won't let that happen so easily."
Erin, Cyrus and I walk out into the hallway. There seem to be no people, only those who are working with Cyrus. I hear yelling coming from down the hall and know that same annoying voice. Kalina and her partner are being dragged to the exit. "You can't do this Cyrus. You will be stopped," is all she says and they are sent into the elevator.
I almost laugh at that site. Serves her right for snooping around, but then again I feel sad for her because she is almost right. It's not wise to catch vengeful spirits and lock them up. But why am I concerned. I'm going to get my money in the end and Erin and I will be happy together, if I don't die first. Those last thoughts got to me. I almost did just die not to long ago, so I had to be careful the next time.
Cyrus puts on his glasses, as we round the hall and Erin and I repeat what he's done. On the other side are more men with the entrapment box. "This is the room in which she died," Erin says, pointing to a desolate room.
"Thank you Erin," Cyrus says and we head towards it.
"No one has used this room for months now, because they say it's cursed. I guess I know the real reasoning behind it," I say.
The chant is turned on and the group of people wait. Nothing happens and I begin to wonder if this is the right place, but surly enough she shows up. It's quite sad to see her, because she has been burned all over her face, and seemed to be pretty when she was living. There was something about her that caught my attention, like she was somehow a part of us, but I didn't know what.
She walked pasted everyone, in a calm manner, holding her I.V. and wearing her hospital gown. I almost felt pity for her, as I knew Erin did as well. She was a very peaceful ghost indeed, and came quietly into the cage. She didn't fight, or murder anyone on her way towards the glass containment. It was like the chant was her master and she was the slave and she had to obey it's every word.
When Jean entered the box, the doors closed and the chant was turned off. The spirit realizes where she is now and begins to cry. Now that really got me depressed, as well as Erin, who begin to shed tears. But when I looked over at Cyrus, he was smiling, happy that another one was caught, and not caring for the spirit's feelings. Another one had been caught, making it a total of four and eight more were to be caught. I put my head down, wondering what I got myself into.
I wake almost suddenly and lay straight up in bed. I look around and see I am in an almost too familiar hospital. This is the one close to my place. Was it all a dream? Did this Cyrus really call me? Then how am I in the hospital? But how am I back home? Thousands of questions raced through my head. I didn't know what was going on, but once I saw that sleeping angel at the foot of my bed, I knew where I was.
She looked so peaceful just sleeping there, body in a chair, and her head on the bed. Thank god that ghost hadn't killed her. What would I have done if she were out of my life forever? Her eyes slowly open and she sees me staring at her. "Hi," she says.
"Hi," I reply, "Erin, I."
"You were always like that as a child Dennis. Very stubborn with your words, but then you felt bad about it, so you kept apologizing over and over."
I smile, knowing she had forgiven me, "How'd I get here?"
"After you were knocked out, I could have sworn you had been killed. I stand there sobbing, as Cyrus catches his 'Bound Woman.' After she was contained, I ran over to you and gently placed my hand on your pulse. You were still alive," tears fill Erin's eyes.
"You can't imagine how worried you got all of us, especially me, but even Cyrus was concerned about you.
I smirk. And I thought Cyrus was a crude, old man.
"It was hard getting you back home though. We didn't know how we were going to get you up without touching you. So I held your hand, as the men lifted you up into Cyrus's plane and took you here."
So that's how he was going to transport the ghosts back to his place. Using his personal airplane. Cyrus seemed to have it all when it came to riches, even paying an employee a measly sixty thousand dollars. I hear an abrupt knock on my door, and Erin gets up to get it. She peeps open the door a little, "Yes?"
The two talk in low voices, until I hear Erin say, "I'm sorry, but he can't be seen right now."
"Well, I have a right to see him no matter what his condition," an annoying woman's voice says and pushes her way through the door, nearly sending Erin to the floor. This woman walks right up towards me and says, "Dennis Rafkin," in an almost snotty voice.
From behind the door, comes another man, I'm guessing her assistant. This woman had short, curly, brown hair, blue eyes and a nose piercing. She didn't seem like your typical woman. "And you are?" I say to her.
"The name's Kalina," but it's cut short. "Tell me what you think your doing?"
"Excuse me?" "How can you capture these poor souls?"
"Oh that," I say.
"Yeah, that," she sharply responds back.
"I'm only locating them, I'm not actually caging them up. You might want to talk to Cyrus Kriticos about that."
"I tried, but he doesn't want anything to do with me."
"Isn't that a shame," I say. I can see why, I say to myself.
"Listen to me. What you're doing is wrong. Cyrus is just using you, you know that?"
"Yea, but he's paying us a grand sixty thousand."
With that Kalina laughs, like it was some sick joke and the man behind her coughs out a small laugh as well. "Get out!" Erin demands, not wanting to hear this anymore.
"You don't know what a big mistake this is. All these ghosts your catching 'will' be set free and I'm the one to do it."
After she finishes, she turns and leaves, followed by her lap dog, I mean her assistant. What a stuck up bitch this Kalina was and I somehow knew this wasn't the last time we'd be meeting. "Erin? How come I was sent to this hospital and not the one in Maryland?" Erin gives a guilty look. "What's wrong?"
"The next ghost is here," she tells me.
"What?"
Her name is Jean or 'The Withered Lover.' She was burned to death while trying to save her kids from a fire, but she never made it out and the paramedics sent her here, where she later passed on," an all too familiar voice told us.
Cyrus stands in the doorway. "You gave us quite a scare my boy. We all thought you had become one of the ghosts," he says.
"No, not yet," I say, almost joking.
"Are you well enough for her?"
"Not yet Cyrus. He's still weak," Erin tells him.
"Let him choose for himself," Cyrus tells her and looks at me.
I look at poor Erin, then at Cyrus. "Let's get this over with," I say and hop out of bed.
I don't want Erin involved in this anymore. I gather my clothes and quickly change in the bathroom. "Who's this Kalina?" I say, stepping out of the bathroom, after I have gotten dressed. Cyrus gives a disgusted look.
"Her little duo is trying to stop my research. Ever since I was featured in the newspaper, she has begun to harass me. She is determined to bring me down," he says, "but I won't let that happen so easily."
Erin, Cyrus and I walk out into the hallway. There seem to be no people, only those who are working with Cyrus. I hear yelling coming from down the hall and know that same annoying voice. Kalina and her partner are being dragged to the exit. "You can't do this Cyrus. You will be stopped," is all she says and they are sent into the elevator.
I almost laugh at that site. Serves her right for snooping around, but then again I feel sad for her because she is almost right. It's not wise to catch vengeful spirits and lock them up. But why am I concerned. I'm going to get my money in the end and Erin and I will be happy together, if I don't die first. Those last thoughts got to me. I almost did just die not to long ago, so I had to be careful the next time.
Cyrus puts on his glasses, as we round the hall and Erin and I repeat what he's done. On the other side are more men with the entrapment box. "This is the room in which she died," Erin says, pointing to a desolate room.
"Thank you Erin," Cyrus says and we head towards it.
"No one has used this room for months now, because they say it's cursed. I guess I know the real reasoning behind it," I say.
The chant is turned on and the group of people wait. Nothing happens and I begin to wonder if this is the right place, but surly enough she shows up. It's quite sad to see her, because she has been burned all over her face, and seemed to be pretty when she was living. There was something about her that caught my attention, like she was somehow a part of us, but I didn't know what.
She walked pasted everyone, in a calm manner, holding her I.V. and wearing her hospital gown. I almost felt pity for her, as I knew Erin did as well. She was a very peaceful ghost indeed, and came quietly into the cage. She didn't fight, or murder anyone on her way towards the glass containment. It was like the chant was her master and she was the slave and she had to obey it's every word.
When Jean entered the box, the doors closed and the chant was turned off. The spirit realizes where she is now and begins to cry. Now that really got me depressed, as well as Erin, who begin to shed tears. But when I looked over at Cyrus, he was smiling, happy that another one was caught, and not caring for the spirit's feelings. Another one had been caught, making it a total of four and eight more were to be caught. I put my head down, wondering what I got myself into.