Chapter 12: Leota Strikes Again

"Leota?" Clarisse asked, "What does she have to do with this?"

Adam slowly made it to his feet, his arms around Dustin and Phineas's shoulders, but he seemed to be okay. "I feel kinda sick," he moaned softly.

"It'll wear off in a bit," said Dustin sympathetically.

"No time to explain!" George shouted at Clarisse. "We've got to get out before-" he started, but never finished his sentence. All of a sudden the lights started to flicker in the gallery, like an electrical shortage was occurring. The room suddenly jolted, stretching a few inches quickly, and Clarisse grabbed a wall for support. There was a deep rumbling noise, the lights went out completely, and then the room dropped.

Much faster than the first time Clarisse was in it, it was now like a drop ride at an amusement park. Clarisse screamed from shock and confusion, feeling herself fall but not seeing what was going on. The rumbling stopped and the lights flickered back on.

Clarisse's eyes adjusted, and looked around for the others. They weren't there.

"Adam?" she called frantically.

"Up here," came a response from above. She looked up and saw that all of the other ghosts seemed to be standing in midair where the room had been. Clarisse smiled at them as they floated down to where she was. George's expression, however, was quite different.

"We've got to get to Leota's room before she can do more damage," he said, and snapped his fingers. The secret panel opened, and the ghosts and girl rushed out the door and towards her room. As they ran…and glided…Clarisse recognized everything she passed in a blur. She felt like she sort of knew the house now, even though she had only been here for a few hours. As they made their way through the mansion, George explained what was going on.

"Leota draws her power from the ghosts she summons here. She used to be able to summon ghosts from all over the place, but when she became trapped, the ghosts seemed to stop coming. There were nine-hundred and ninety nine here…but there was room for a thousand.

"I think that Adam was the straw that broke the camel's back. Ghosts have to be dead for a certain amount of time…until thirteen 'o clock…and then Leota can draw from their essence, and absorb their power. When she did, she was finally able to break free. We have to stop her."

They eventually reached the door to the séance room, but much to their dismay…

"The door's covered with a ghost barrier!" Dustin said, "What are we going to do? We can't break it down without touching it!"

"Well…we've got to find SOME way to go in…" Gus said.

One by one, all of the ghosts looked at Clarisse. When she saw they were staring at her, she rolled her eyes.

"Oh, sure! I'll go! The fragile, live one. You dead people stay out here with your invincibility and special powers and leave it up to me!" Clarisse said cynically, and touched the door handle. When she wasn't repulsed, she turned the knob and entered the room.

When Clarisse saw the séance room, a look of shock came across her face. The quiet room had transformed into a hellhole…literally. The séance table had a moat of molten fire around it, and a corporeal Leota was sitting in her chair, summoning spirits from the bowels of hell. They swirled around the room, screeching and howling, and they were nothing more than a ghostly head and tail. Clarisse tried to be quiet, but Leota noticed her.

"Ah…there you are…and just in time. There's a little matter I forgot to mention," Madame Leota said, grinning evilly and holding her hands over the now empty crystal ball, "Beware of foul-tempered ghosts."

Wraiths started to circle around Clarisse, trapping her and keeping her from moving.

"Why are you doing this!" Clarisse yelled.

"Simple. Revenge."

"What!"

"I once had control of this mansion…one hundred and thirteen years ago, actually. But that George…oh, he ruined everything. He tried to stop my séances, he said that ghosts weren't welcome here…but he was just too stupid to realize my full power!"

She raised her arms and hands out and floated into the air. The lava flared up, starting to pour over the moat and slowly fill the room. It reached the séance table and chair quickly, and they started to sizzle and melt from the molten liquid. Clarisse realized with horror that it would eventually reach her; and she could do nothing about it.

Unknown to Clarisse and Leota, the ghosts were trying to get the door open. Gus even tried to smash it using his metal ball. Phineas stepped aside and opened his carpetbag. He reached in and started pulling out what looked like a log. And kept pulling...and pulling...and pulling…until...

"Where did you get an sixth century Viking battering ram?" demanded Ezra.

"Garage sale." Rather than argue the sheer bizarreness of it, the ghosts broke the door down. They stared in horror at the nightmarish scene before them.

"Bloody Hell," Dustin murmured.

"Literally or figuratively?" asked Phineas.

"Both."

Adam watched in terror as the lava flowed slowly towards his wife, while Ezra, Phineas and Gus cowered in fear behind him. George glared at Leota, unable to do anything.

"George was a fool to try and stop me. The only thing to do was kill him. So I did," Leota said nonchalantly, like it was nothing. George's expression changed from anger to confusion.

"What?" he muttered in shock. He didn't remember this…

"But just as I thought my plan was going to work, George fought back. Instead of letting me kill him, he killed himself; and by doing so, trapped me in that accursed crystal ball – which can now," Leota paused, looking at it. It had sunk into the lava with the rest of the table, and slowly fizzled away, "No longer do anything to me!" She laughed and Clarisse watched helplessly at the madwoman. Adam, meanwhile, started to get mad.

"We've got to do something!" Adam said, his hands tightening into fists, "She's going to kill Clarisse!"

"What do you want US to do about it? We're cowards!" Gus, Ezra and Phineas whined.

"Fine lot you are," snapped Dustin.

"I don't see you runnin' in!" Ezra snarled back.

Taking in the scene before them, Dustin gulped fearfully. Then he slowly smiled. "I'll be right back!" He took off, vanishing from sight.

"Create a diversion," Adam said, and suddenly lifted into the air and flew through the door. The hitchhikers shrugged, and flew into the room as well.

Meanwhile, George's memory was flooding back. He HAD been murdered…that's why he couldn't remember his death…and it explained everything. He continued to stare into space numbly as the others took action.

"Hey!" Ezra called, flying up to Leota, "What do you call a fortune teller with half a brain?"

"Gifted!" Gus said with a cackle, finishing the joke. Leota glared at them.

"I never liked you three – it will be nice to finally get rid of you!" She held her palm out, and a green beam shot out of it at Phineas. He ducked, causing his hat to fly off of his head and the beam to shoot through the space between him and his hat.

"Woah! Close one!" Phineas said, grabbing his hat and continuing to fly.

The trick playing trio were guffawing so loudly, they didn't notice the five evil spirits materialize behind them. They turned around just a moment too late and were sent flying by large, phantom fists. They were soon cornered by the quintet.

"What do we do, E?" Phineas asked Ezra. "They'll just follow us if we go through the wall!"

Normally a quick thinker, Ezra wracked his brains trying to come up with a solution as their attackers drew nearer, cackling at the thought of how they were going to torture their prisoners. The hitchhiker's shut their eyes waiting for the blows. "'I'll be right back'", groaned Ezra. "Ha! If I get my hands on that limey, I'll--" The one nearest Ezra pulled his huge fist back and---

He was suddenly knocked down, as if by a large animal.

"Good show Rolly!" a familiar jubilant voice cried.

Ezra, Phineas, and Gus opened their eyes. Dustin, coach whip in hand, sat astride Rolly, who was having a little too much fun pummeling the ghost he had head butted.

"Five to five," gushed the Brit. "I say, we're evenly matched now, aren't we?" He cracked the whip millimeters from another ghoul's face. "What were you saying, Ezra?"

"That I would give you a big hug and say thanks for saving us."

"No thanks or hugs needed, gents. Tallyho, Rolly! Ha ha!" He raced off to find more bad ghosts to fight.

"We need to start being nicer to him," Phineas muttered. "He gets right maniacal if you push him too far." They simultaneously cringed as the whip cracked against the backs of several ghouls.

Meanwhile, Adam had been able to get the wraiths away from Clarisse, and the two were trying to figure out how to stop Madame Leota.

"I have an idea," Clarisse whispered to Adam.

"Okay…but be careful," he said to his wife, and he pulled her in for a kiss. Unlike the rest of the ghosts that she had touched, his kiss wasn't cold – it was warm and comforting. She stared at him for a moment, and then put her plan into action.

Adam lifted Clarisse up into the air.

"Are you sure you can do this? You still look a little peaked," said Clarisse.

"I'm fine," Adam wheezed. "If I could carry you over the thresh hold, I can fly you a few feet."

"Okay, just fly me right behind her so I can take her by su--" She didn't even finish the sentence before Adam dropped her.

"Sorry!"

Right onto Madam Leota's back.

With surprise, Leota and Clarisse fell onto the platform that the moat surrounded.

"Oh, if it isn't the foolish mortal," Leota gushed. "And what exactly do you plan to do?" Laughing, she slapped her. "Oh, did that hurt?" she asked condescendingly as Clarisse rubbed her red cheek. "Face it, I am all power--"

She didn't count on the mortal's punch to the nose. "You little b-" Clarisse got her across the jaw.

"No one hurts my man, witch!" Clarisse kicked Madam Leota's legs out from under her. "I have two years of tae-bo," she grabbed Leota's hair and smacked her face down on the platform, "and one failed anger management class under my belt!"

All other action seemed to cease as the ghosts stared, slack jawed.

"Cat fight!" yelled Gus gleefully.

"I say!" cried Dustin.

"Beat 'er down!" whooped Phineas.

"This the greatest moment of anyone else's afterlife?" asked Ezra.

With all of the strength she had, Clarisse punched Leota in the head, dazing her. She shoved the soothsayer into the lava, and everyone watched in amazement and disgust as Madame Leota slowly melted away in the magma.

"I'm melting...I'm melting...YOU FOOLS!" she screamed as she sank in, "I WILL RETURN SOMEDAY! YOU AND ALL OF THESE PEOPLE WILL BE CU-"

Leota was cut off as she sank into the lava, disappearing completely. The lava bubbled and in a split second vanished. The room was like it once was, except that it was missing the chair, table and crystal ball. Clarisse collapsed and gasped with relief.

Adam rushed over to her and gave her a big hug.

"Don't worry," Adam said, stroking her hair, "It's over now. It's okay."

"Yes…" George said, speaking for the first time in a while, "But there's one little problem. You're still dead. And we just lost your only ticket outta here."