Chapter 12 Autonomy
"What happened?" asked one of the guards.
"The prisoner just collapsed."
"Take her to the infirmary. Make sure all the ghosts are returned to their cells." Right as the ghost guard moved in to grab her, the human girl suddenly grasped onto his arm and twisted it around before pressing him into the table. Though her bangs hid most of her expression, a wide, Glasgow grin stretched across her face, gleaming in vicious delight at the guard's pain before throwing him into the other guard's line of fire. As the remaining stationed prison guards sprung into action, the girl turned towards the cafeteria tables and levitated them in the air with a motion of her arms before sending them crashing into the group, knocking them out. She lowered her arms and rotated her wrists like she was just warming up and examined her new hands with two bright, piercing green eyes that peered underneath the long curtains of hair.
"Now this is more like it," 'Ari' smiled in manic glee, pleased with her new form. She pushed her bangs back and squinted with a slight frown. "Can hardly see a thing through these bangs though. Oh well! Beggars can't be choosers!" A low growl came from underneath the pile of guards before Wulf sliced through the tables with his long claws. "Oh, that's right. They've got her on guard dog duty," she frowned before lowering her voice to sound like Walker's and announced the word, "Punish." Immediately the word fried the beast as sparks of electricity crackled from his shock collar coursed through him until he fell down on all fours, temporarily paralyzed by the painful voltage.
"Looks like all of Nocturne's dream information was correct. I had no idea that this human was so skilled in ventriloquy," 'Ari' spoke in admiration before wincing at the sudden ache in her limbs, "though these humans are so fragile. Her body feels awful, and her fashion sense is atrocious. No matter. Both can be alleviated with time." While she admired herself, the other prisoners around her gradually began to take initiative. Now that Wulf was out of the picture, the Lunch Lady began forming herself into large piles of meat and Skulker began looting the unconscious prison guards for arsenal. It hadn't been hard to convince either to breakout out of prison. Skulker didn't like being kept like the creatures he hunted and the Lunch Lady had had more than her fair share of disagreements with the kitchen staff on how the food was to be prepared.
"Rally the other ghosts and buy me some time. I need to pick someone up," 'Ari' ordered before running down the hall, stopping only until she stood in front of the correct door.
"Auto-lock cell 134, unlock," she spoke into the cell microphone with Walker's voice, causing a series of tumblers and gears turned until the cell door opened. Shadows began to quickly recede from the corners of the room before the dream ghost reformed into a large spiral at the center of the doorway.
"Well done, Miss Spectra," Nocturne praised with a smirk. "I expected nothing less."
"You can thank me later," Ari-Spectra stated anxiously. "The guards are distracted now, but it's only a matter of time until more show up."
"Then we best get to work," Nocturne spoke as he held out his arms. "Sleepwalkers, form!" A multitude of Sleepwalker ghosts began appearing like mist in a bog, their haunting wails echoed throughout the jail as Nocturne pointed a long, bony finger. "Go, my minions! Unleash hell!" The ghosts began taking off in every direction, despite having their eyes sewn shut, and floated off down the halls.
"I'm impressed. That many minions running off one girl's dreams?" Ari-Spectra gave him a pleased smirk. "I can only imagine what you could do with an entire town of humans."
"Just make sure to keep her under. My Sleepwalkers can only appear if there are humans sleeping nearby, since they do not belong on the mortal plane. As long as the girl remains asleep, my Sleepwalkers shall remain."
"After this is over, I still get to feed off her, right?"
"You kept your end of the bargain. I think it's only fair that I keep mine. After all, I am a ghost of my word."
"Wonderful," she smiled menacingly as Ari's eyes turned blood red.
Meanwhile, Walker was taking some serious heat from the chaos that had broken out inside the prison. It was normal for a couple of brawls to breakout every couple of days or so, mostly caused by a prisoner that got into a disagreement with another or one inmate that was stupid enough to try and make a break for it, but most were usually put down in a matter of minutes. This particular prison riot had all the classic signs of all out war.
"Sector Three, head towards the exits of the common area and set up a blockade. I don't care what you do or how you do it, but just make it happen!"
"I told you taking a human prisoner was a bad idea, Walker."
"Shut it, Pilot. I am aware of the risks. You just focus on making sure the inmates are kept inside the jail. Me and my boys are going to... take care of the situation." He turned and looked at the security guards that remained. "Under no circumstances does the closed security detail open, do you understand?" Walker ordered before mumbling to himself. "God help us all if one of those things gets out..." His second in command gave him a long look before heading out with the rest of the task force, deciding to have this conversation another day. Right as Walker was about to join them was when an unwanted guest had phased into the office.
"Hello, boys~" Ari-Spectra gave them a sultry smile before using his guard's equipment against them and shocking them into submission.
"You!?" Walker exclaimed before holding up his weapon. "I knew you were planning something."
"Guilty," she smirked, giving him a non-noncommittally shrug, failing to notice that Wulf had recovered and stalked behind her. Seeing a shadow lurk at the corner of her eye, the werewolf ghost slashed out at her before he was thrown back by two Sleepwalkers into Walker.
"Bad doggy. Punish," Ari-Spectra ordered, feigning disappointment as she watched him with delight in seeing him twitch in pain on the floor.
"Don't just stand there, you mutt! Attack!" Walker ordered angrily, tints of green flushing in his face as he was crushed under the beast's weight.
"Ah ah ah," Ari-Spectra tutted before she manipulated her voice into sounding like Walker's. "Punish." The confused Wulf let out an anguished yelp as his collar let out a painful series of shocks that channeled into Walker as well, being in close proximity to the collar. Both collapsed on the ground as the smell of burnt flesh scorched through the air.
Ari-Spectra then walked towards Walker's desk and manipulated her voice over the intercom. "Emergency release. All cell doors open and deactivate." A loud siren began to blare as all the security cameras now showed large swarms of ghosts fleeing from their cells. In the room she currently was in, a line of Sleepwalkers made their way towards the control center and detained any remaining guards in their path before the sleep ghosts parted for their nightmare king.
"You ordered the release for every cell, then?" Nocturne asked Ari-Spectra.
"Yep. All taken care of," Ari-Spectra replied with a cheerful enthusiasm that reminded her of her days as acting as a guidance counselor in the human world. Feeling the same kind of superiority, she looked down at Wulf, who pathetically tucked his tail between his legs in shame and whimpered on the ground. "Wulf, huh? More like overgrown puppy dog. Puni-" Ari-Spectra scoffed snootily before she felt her body suddenly freeze. "Grrharg...!" For a moment, the Sleepwalkers flickered out of existence.
"Spectra, what is going on?" Nocturne inquired as Ari's body began to shake and shiver.
"The girl... she's... fighting back!" Ari-Spectra clenched her teeth, trying to keep her shaky movements under control. "She doesn't like... what I'm doing to the stupid mutt!"
"Just feed off of her energy."
"I would, but it's taking more effort to feed than it is to keep her pinned down!" she let out a hiss. "Why is she able to fight back?!"
"It's probably because when predators share food with scavengers, one of them gets less of the kill than the other," Walker declared with a weak, smug grin. "I wonder which one of you will be left with the scraps?"
Ari-Spectra felt her nails prick into the arms of her hoodie as she clenched in frustration. Her eyes flashed angrily as the color shifted back and forth from green to brown before they settled on a crimson red. Her mind felt a bit stretched until the tension was suddenly broken by a sharp, subconscious tug.
"Collar... unlock," Ari-Spectra choked out, mimicking Walker's voice, causing Wulf's shock collar to come undone and fall off. Ari-Spectra briefly fell over and leaned on her knees, gripping the denim fabric of her jeans until she could grasp some semblance of control. Then the shaking came to a gradual halt. The werewolf ghost tentatively felt around his neck and cautiously leaned down to sniff the collar before he was alerted to the surrounding guards in the room.
When the guards raised their batons, the hackles on his back rose as he let out a low, ominous growl. For so long, he had endured their pain and torment. Now, a tortured, cornered animal was free of the one thing that made him behave, and now he was pissed.
Everything hurt.
A gash on Ari's forehead and the many lacerations on her body were signals that something was very, very wrong. Her hands were covered with cuts and bruises, her clothing stained with some unidentifiable green ooze. Her head was pounding with traces of a migraine, and her body felt somehow worse than when she had stayed awake with no sleep. Her vision blurred momentarily before it focused on a dark, fuzzy figure in front of her that she gradually realized was Wulf, though his claws were chipped and broken and covered with some sort of slimy, green substance. His panting was erratic and breathless, as if he had just run a marathon, only his clothing and fur were torn and singed rather than dowsed with sweat. Could he even sweat? Well, since he was a dog, maybe he could only pant.
Yeah. That's the thing I need to be focusing on, Ari berated herself. What had happened when she was out? Where was Wulf's collar?
Then slowly, memories floated back to her in fragments while Ari sat there and watched, an observer to her own actions, except they weren't her actions. They were Spectra's. In it, she saw Wulf repeatedly maim and deliver blows towards Spectra and anyone else that got near. Bits of electricity, smoke, and fire lit up the prison like a war-zone. He could have fled, but for some reason he refused to leave Ari's side. The teenager was stunned. This poor, mistreated creature had been beaten down and broken, betrayed by everything and loyal to nothing. He should have run and fled like the beaten animal he was, yet he had fought- to make sure if she was safe, she didn't know. The only thing that she did understand was that, although she came out of the endeavor with more than just a few scratches, she was free and it was because of Wulf. Words began to fail her as she tried to express the immense gratitude she felt towards the wolfish ghost, whether or not his actions were selfless.
"Thank you..." was all that she said in the end. Wulf gave her one brief look and snorted, something that appeared to be his way of acknowledging her before tearing open a large gash into the side of the wall that gave off a supernatural energy and jumping into it.
The prison around her was empty, aside from the bodies that littered the ground. Only thing left was the swirling tear in reality. She didn't know where the portal would go or where it would lead. Odds are it would probably be a dead end or send her farther away from her destination if she used it. Like many other times this week, she didn't know what she was doing. No safety net, no time to plan ahead or think things through rationally. Just pure, gut instinct. It was wild. It was crazy. It was almost maddening.
It was exhilarating.
"Damn you..." groaned a voice, their speech garbled with anguish and blood. A bloodied, gloved hand slapped onto an overturned desk, belonging to none other than the prison warden himself.
"You should have never kept me here," Ari finally spoke, unsure if her words were anger-ridden or apologetic.
"You'll get a life sentence for this...!" Walker gritted his teeth, trying to bite back the pain-filled moan threatening to break free. Despite nearly being torn in-half, he still acted like he was still in control. Ari wasn't sure if she respected him for that or thought he was just being arrogant. "Do you realize what you've done?! You've released some of the most dangerous inmates in the universe into the Ghost Zone!"
For a moment, Ari let his words sink in. Then she remembered what had brought her here and felt the last bit of guilt and sympathy slip from her eyes. She was just done. Done with everything and everyone. She didn't know if it was the lack of sleep or the stress of being in this hellish dimension, but she felt something break inside her.
"I'm sorry, but since when was that my problem?" she spoke coolly, her icy, venomous glare making him uneasy. Was this the same human girl he had taken into custody? Ari was about to step through the portal when she saw a glimmer of long black hair and long blue, ghostly tail. Desiree!
Bringing herself back up to speed on what her goal actually was, Ari bolted towards the direction of the wishing ghost, pushing her body as much as it would let her. Unfortunately, the lack of sleep had taxed heavily on her health. Running became a strenuous effort. Her legs screamed with every step, weighing down like they were gradually turning into lead. Her lungs burst with every breathe until her throat felt raw. Still she pushed on, letting out a weak, defeated cry as the wishing ghost got further and further way.
Damn it! I'll never catch up to her at this rate! Ari cursed, trying to think of a faster way to catch up. If only she knew where the storage facility was from here. Then she could grab Johnny's motorcycle from the prison contraband and catch up with her. Desperate, she looked down the hallways for any sign of familiarity. Thankfully, the Box Ghost had been nearby, fending himself off from a group of guards that had not been detained or knocked out by other inmates. Ari took that as a good sign that she was close.
"Beware! Your flimsy sticks are useless against my bubble-wrap of death!" he screeched as she passed by undeterred, sending spirals of pink bubble-wrap around the guards until they were immobilized. Noticing that the excess of bubble-wrap was not coming from thin air but from a location somewhere else, she followed the trail of plastic wrap until she arrived at the infamous archives and storage facility. She quickly ran by all the shelves and filing cabinets before her eyes locked onto the shelf labeled 'M'. She tugged harshly at the bike until it was upright and started filching other pieces of contraband she deemed useful: her bag, her books, a lunch box and a bag of potato chips. She was almost done with the row before she paused to pocket a Fenton thermos just in case things went from bad to worse.
She nudged the bike forward and tightly grabbed onto the handlebars, only to find that her hands shaking over the clutch lever, hesitating to turn the vehicle on. It had been so long since she had been on a bike. Could she do it again? She clasped her hand over her other to forcefully squeeze it enough to stop the shaking. No! She couldn't hesitate now! Not when she had come so close! Not giving herself a chance to second guess herself, Ari kicked the motorcycle into gear and sped down the hallway, though it was not an easy task. The gears on the bike were different than what she was used to, and the narrow hallways made it difficult to move fast and do tight turns, especially since the bike was heavier than the motorcycles she used to drive. She decided to bite the bullet and try anyways. Bank left, turn right, forward, brake, hit the gas! She felt herself slip into the motions as muscle memory took over. She was almost lost herself in the old habits until the sight of a blue ghostly tail brought her back to reality.
They were now near the watchtower and the large prison gates, which had been thrown open by the sheer amount of ghosts leaving. Veering the bike in the direction she desired, Ari hit the gas and aimed straight ahead. She had Desiree right where she wanted her. Not wanting to take any chances of being outrun, Ari awkwardly opened the thermos with one hand and held it up while she bit down on the lid with her teeth to hold it in place. A large green and blue blast fired out of the thermos, encasing Desiree in the blast radius as the ghost let out a surprised cry before she was abruptly pulled back from the tractor beam until she was completely sucked inside. Shifting the balance on her motorcycle, Ari used both of her arms to snap the lid on tight and placed the cylinder back into her hoodie pocket. Then she let out a long winded sigh and smiled for the first time since she had been in this damn prison.
However, she had failed to notice that she was running out of track until it was too late. The motorcycle swan dived awkwardly at a ninety degree angle from the lack of guidance and dropped from the ghostly prison, flying aimlessly down into the lower portion of the Ghost Zone. Gripping tightly onto the handlebars, Ari felt a scream die in her throat as she tried to force the bike to work like how Johnny had steered it, but it was no use. She wasn't use to the old model, grinding gears when she shouldn't, and had no grasp of how to drive a bike through aimless space with no road or flat terrain. It kicked and bucked like a bronco, suddenly stopping and starting, like it was trying to knock her off while Ari was just desperate to find a place to land. Misjudging the distance and sudden shift of her weight, the bike threw them into what looked like a Torii gate and disappeared underneath it.
And with that, Ari is FINALLY out of prison! My GOD, it took FOREVER for me to get her out! There was so much story building that I had to do and I kept having all these different scenarios of how she would get out. Honestly though, I'm pretty satisfied with what I've come up with and hope you guys are too. Sorry for the long wait and please do review, favorite, and follow!