It was supposed to be a normal exorcism. But it wasn't. Instead, the priest ended up dead. Bullet wounds in his chest, words of holiness on the tips of his frozen lips, holy water spilled on the wooden apartment floor, glass shards swimming in the holy water. The priest was a traveling exorcist, and he was called on to attempt to finally rid a Los Angeles apartment of its resident ghost. Unfortunately for him, he did not heed the warnings of the previous attempts at an exorcism. Oh well. We'll just add him to the list of other failed exorcisms and deaths. Number 24, was it? 24 priests killed by the Gunslinger Ghost.
The "Death" of Corporal Tera Ball (Retired)
She just had to get out. The military was not for her. Corporal Tera Ball just wasn't fit for combat. She was at the top of her class at the military academy, firearms expert, knew explosives. She didn't give an inch in the training programs. But real combat is always different from training, or exercises. Tera didn't know which one made her crack. Was it seeing her friends die in front of her? Or was it the thought of killing another human being? Either way, she wasn't suited for combat. Heck, she couldn't even go near the military after her first battle. Anything that had to do with the military, Tera would push away. That's why she decided to go to Los Angeles, and ended up at the Gunslinger Ghosts floor.
This place looks... a bit shabby. But maybe I can forget the pain of the military here. Those were the thoughts that went through Corporal Tera Ball's head as she saw her new home, a small apartment in Los Angeles. She stood in front of it, a 6-floor apartment hidden in the downtown part of Los Angeles. An apartment rumored to be haunted by a gunslinger ghost. "Ha, a ghost? With a gun? Puh-lease. I can handle anything after all I've been through," said Tera as she took her first steps toward the apartment, her new home.
Tera was a rather average girl, a little over 24, short brown hair. She was wearing a normal green shirt and normal blue pants. Blended in with the crowd. Her eyes were calm, but if you looked closely, you could see that they analyzed almost everything. If you were talented at telling what kind of people people were by just looking into their eyes, then you could tell she has had that trait since birth, and it was only refined in the military, not founded there. Her lips were in a straight line, in an indifferent sort of expression, by default. Her friends- most of which died in front of Tera's eyes in their first battle- said she looked like Jill Valentine, from the video game Resident Evil. Tera's mind is tainted, you see, tainted with horrible memories of that fateful first skirmish. Flashbacks rage through her mind at moments when she is alone, and her mind often begins to wander. Flashbacks of the cries of pain, the extremely loud noises of gunfire and artillery, and her inability to do anything, all that is what has brought her to this apartment, in an attempt to escape all the horrible memories, and to carry on with her life.
First, Tera had to go to the reception desk on the first floor to get her key. The reception desk was just a desk in the corner of the room, with a hallway next to it. Down the hallway were doors, until they stopped, with stairs at the end, or so Tera guessed. She walked to the receptionist. "Hello, I'm Tera Ball. I'd like to get the key to my room," said Tera, with a smile on her face. The receptionist, an old man with a wrinkly face, looked her in the eye. Then he said, "You've got the haunted floor, Corporal. You think you can survive the Gunslinger Ghost?"
"Oh, I'm sure I can. I mean there are other people living up there on the sixth floor too." Stated Tera, smile still there.
The old receptionist smiled, one of those smiles that weren't a real smile at all, but a mocking one. "Of course not. Nobody but the Gunslinger lives up there. But other people have lived up there. Of course, most have wound up dead."
"Dead! Can't they fight the ghost somehow?" Exclaimed Tera, smile evaporating. She had heard that the apartment was haunted, but not so terribly.
"Hmm… Why, I do recall a man throwing a knife at her. It made her bleed, I think. At least, that's what some people found up there, something that looked like blood. You see, our little Gunslinger Ghost likes some of us; she won't kill them if they come up there. But nobody here really wants to go and sit up there and talk to a ghost, so she is rather lonely…" Explained the old man.
"But… But why does she kill people!" exploded Tera, almost yelling.
Her explosion took the receptionist aback, but he got back his composure, and said, "Well, I guess it depends. Sometimes, she just doesn't like the person. One time she killed a guy and propped him up on the wall because she didn't like him. Or other times she just feels like killing. She's killed one or two midnight janitors. Other times she just plays around with the person, then kills them; whether on accident or as part of her game, no one can tell. But she's up there with her pistol… This old apartment's one-way to fame. By the way, my name is Goss."
"Thanks…" mumbled Tera, barely audible and with an astonished, staring expression on her face. Tera was shaken by what she had learned about the ghost. She felt for it… Yes, her pistol was there. One of the few rights she even dared to keep from the military. It was hidden under her shirt, in such a position that you could only feel a little bit of it, and only if you looked in the right spot.
"Now, remember this, Miss. Don't try anything funny with that ghost, like trying to shoot her with that pistol you have. Of course, if she doesn't like you, then feel free to defend yourself," stated Goss.
Tera turned her head towards Goss, the same expression on her face, a silent acknowledgement.
Goss started to laugh, then said, "Don't worry, you'll be fine! I think Gunslinger will like you, as long as you don't do anything to annoy her."
"Yes… Thanks," said Tera, another mumble. She was still quite dazed from all the new information she just learned. A killer ghost on her floor… A ghost that killed if it felt like it… Any happiness Tera had at finding a new home had vanished, had been pushed into the background. She started down the hallway by the reception desk, looking for stairs or an elevator. At the end of the hallway she found stairs, which she ascended.
When Tera got to the sixth floor, she was amazed. Amazed at how dark the hallway was, amazed at how cold and foreboding it was, but most of all amazed at the stains on the wooden floor. It was blood. Globs of blood stained the floor, some as if the person who was bleeding was running, but was then shot down, evident from the huge stains that accompanied the globs; a stain of what was once a pool of blood. And it wasn't just the floor; the bloodstains were on the walls also. One looked like a snow angel gone wrong, imprinted with blood instead of an imprint in the snow. "Once she killed a man and propped him up on the wall, simply because she didn't like him." Goss' word's flashed through Tera's brain, causing her to sweat in fear. Tera was no longer amazed at the thoughts of "blood angels" on the walls, bloodstains on the floor, no, she was disgusted. She wanted to kill whoever had done it. But then she thought of who it must be. "The Gunslinger Ghost…" Tera mumbled, in awe and fear. She had to live here now… And what had happened to the previous occupants was all around her, in a horrid hue of red. "I…I can cope. Goss said that she wouldn't do anything if she liked me. Just… I just have to not offend her or anything." Tera spoke her thoughts out loud; trying to reassure herself, hoping that the Gunslinger Ghost wasn't listening to how scared and pitiful she sounded. "Just go to your room. Everything will be fine."
The door opened soundlessly, revealing the room that would be Tera's new home. It had a wooden floor like the rest of the apartment complex. Opposite from the door were windows, showing the street below, and allowing sunlight to pour in, to illuminate the packing boxes on the floor. The doorway was a short hallway, a couple feet or so, until it blew up into a room that was large for an apartment. In the right of the hallway there was a door, leading to a bathroom. The left remained door less. If you entered the "living room" from the entrance, you would see a closet, of the sliding style, to your right. Instead of a door, it slid open, to the left or right. To the left of the entrance was nothing, but room enough for tables, desks and such. The walls were white, undecorated, and to Tera's relief, no "blood angels" were present. There wasn't a trace of blood anywhere. "Good. This room seems nice enough. With a couch, T.V., and some other things, this could be pretty nice." Tera's voice wavered, as she couldn't get the Gunslinger Ghost out of her head. She was nervous, and her voice and posture showed it. She again felt for her pistol, and the false hope that kept her from going insane went through her body as she found it, still in the same position from the last time she checked it. That was five minutes ago. "If I keep this up, I'm going to go insane…" Said Tera aimlessly, to no one in particular.
It was hot. Hot, but good. Ramen noodles slid down Tera's throat, her lunch from one of those Japanese sit-in diners, which she found somewhere in Los Angeles. Just walk up, sit at one of the seats and order. It had been ten days since Tera had moved into her supposedly haunted apartment, but she hadn't seen a single trace of the Gunslinger Ghost. Nothing but her handiwork in the hall, and the sense of dread that filled Tera at the thought of her. "I shouldn't think of her. If the Gunslinger Ghost doesn't show up, then I'll be happy. Right…?" Tera asked herself. Tera blinked in understanding, snapping her head back a bit, as if she just now got something, something that wasn't important, but was definitely worth thinking about. Am I talking to myself? Asked Tera in her mind. No, I'm thinking out load. That's it. But… Am I doubting myself now! The thoughts hurt Tera's head. It was too much to think about. I've got to do something… Thought Tera. She got up from her seat. Middle seat. In a row of six. Tera froze in mid-step. She looked back at the seats. She counted, and there were seven. Tera bit her bottom lip. "I'm fine. Not insane. Completely and totally fine," Tera reassured herself. "I just need to calm down. I need something to do."
An arcade should do, thought Tera. She had done arcades before. She liked to play arcade 2-D fight games, and the light-gun games. Tera continued down the sidewalk, leaving the Japanese dinner with the hazy chairs behind. The temperature was hot, but Tera didn't mind. The sun was shining down, giving everything a yellowish color. Tera walked down the sidewalk, and took a left. To her right, a street, to her left a store… Then a bookshop… Then an arcade. A walk-in arcade. There was no door. Just open space. Tera walked in. There was people sprinkled about here and there, filling various games. Tera walked around, looking at what games the arcade had. She found Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. She got a quarter out of her pocket. Somebody was already there, a boy who looked 12 years old. Short kid. He was fighting the computer as Wolverine. Tera wordlessly walked forward, put her quarter in, and hit the 2-player button. The boy gave no sign of acknowledgment, a silent version of understanding. The screen flashed and the announcer voice shouted "New Challenger!". The words appeared on the screen. When the character selection screen came up, Tera chose Jill Valentine. The boy chose Wolverine. Tera had played Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 before. She wasn't the best, but she could hold her own. The game started. Wolverine rushed forward. Mid-punch. Wolverine went down, although he was back up in a flash of yellow. Rushed again. He slashed at Jill in a fury of claws. Jill defended herself with a simple blocking technique. Arms across the chest. Jill's health bar depleted by a sliver. A break in Wolverine's assault. Jill jumped over his head, landing behind him. She let out a flurry of punches and kicks. 7-hit combo. Then she jumped back, away from Wolverine. Wolverine twirled around with a punch aimed directly for Jill's face. Left, down-right, down, down-left, left, punch; a combo that Tera's fingers played out perfectly. The counter-move. Jill pushed Wolverine away and shot him once with her pistol. But it didn't end there, as Jill fired off another ten shots. Now Wolverine's health bar was down by half, while Jill had only lost a sliver of hers. A smirk appeared on Tera's face, just as a bead of sweat fell down the side of the boy's head.
After her game with the boy, Tera decided to do a light gun game. A bit of walking around led Tera to the biggest light gun game she had ever seen. The screen alone took up at least 20 yards, and was as smooth as if it was a part of the wall. There were a dozen or so stations set, each with a station rising from the ground, adorned with red and black coloring. A little less then half of the stations were occupied, occupied with patrons of the arcade. Each held their plastic, laser-shooting gun, firing at the targets on the screen. From what Tera could pick out, it was one of the clichéd games about fighting terrorists in some New York environment. Abandoned building of some kind. The thing that was interesting was the spacing of the stations from the screen. Some were far back, and the reason was crystal clear because of the sniper rifle gun peripheral. And likewise, the ones closer had a sub-machine gun and shotgun peripheral. The ones in the middle had various pistols and rifles. Tera had seen nothing like it before. She didn't know where to start. In the end, she picked one of the middle stations, picking out the handgun, perhaps sub-consciously to the fact that she had one on her person already. Inserting her coins, Tera felt no remorse or thought of her past experiences. Holding the gun in her hands, still, no thought or feeling. And finally, shooting again, even if at a wall, no feeling or thoughts. Her transformation was, perhaps finally, complete.
At the apartment, Tera was painting. Goss had given her permission with a smile, and Tera had decided on a nice, lime green. It was the kind that was almost creamy, as if you could eat it if it wasn't toxic paint.
A mat of dark blue that wasn't all that dark was on the floor so the wood wasn't stained. Tera was neat and orderly, just as she always was. She hummed a rock song, stopping when she forgot the beat or was more concentrated on painting. Eyes of accuracy looked over the wall looking as if they were taking in every detail, even if that was a lie; it only looked that way. A habit. She was only painting the wall a creamy lime green as any normal person would.
A sudden rustling startled Tera into a jumping thing, poor darling.