Chapter 8

Royce and David continued to fight, Madison rushed to the basement to see if she could shut down the machine. She had to try.

"You're just like your father...heartless." Royce said swinging again, David had grabbed a sword from the wall statue, swinging it around his body. The ghosts continued to circle in a trace, not knowing what was going on behind them. Kathy pulled Kyle out of the room and towards the door even though they couldn't get out. She wanted to get as far away as possible from the ensuing fight.

Madison stood in the computer room looking over the control panel, what went to what? She asked herself. Finally she started to press buttons, the first one did nothing that she could see. She hit another, this one made a groaning noise and the house began to open. Kathy saw the door opening and rushed to pull Kyle out. She let a few tears fall from here eyes.

"Goodbye Dennis." She whispered.

Madison heard the house groan and tried another button, this one started a count down, to what? She didn't know, a countdown to explosion.

"Guys, get out!" She yelled running out of the basement. Royce and David continued to fight as Madison hit the top step of the basement stair.

"Royce, Come on!" She yelled, waiting for him at the door.

"You go, dolly. I'll be right behind you!" He yelled struggling to keep David a bay from reaching her. Madison hesitated but ran after Kyle and Kathy, who were laying outside in the grass about 30 feet away. They had gotten as far away as possible before collapsing in the soft spring yard. Madison got half way to them and looked back, she didn't see Royce.

"I...I have to go back!" She yelled at Kathy.

"Maddie, NO!" She yelled sitting up to chase her, Madison was almost to the house when everything went silent and the house exploded into a ball of flames. She was throw back on the grass from the blast.

She laid there for a minute and then sat up coughing. The house was on fire and the walls were coming down. She screamed in horror.

"NO!" She yelled crying out and then breaking down into tears. "Royce..."She sobbed. She had just officially gotten him back and now she'd lost him again. Kathy ran up to her, hugging her as she cried.

"Maddie..."

"NO, he can't be gone...Royce, you said you'd follow me!" She cried into Kathy's shirt. Kathy looked at the ruined house and thought she saw movement, it was the ghosts leaving. One by one, they walked out of the ashes and were absorbed into the atmosphere.

Kyle sat up from the grass, wiping his glasses on his already ruined shirt. Dana was one of the last to emerge from the ruins. Kyle ran forward, meeting her as she started to fade.

"Kyle, I'm sorry." She whispered, her figure getting lighter.

"I'll never forget you." He said as she disappeared. He looked to the sky for a moment. Lucas was the last of the ghosts to exit, looking confused before being absorbed. Then David came stumbling out the ashes and looked around confused as he began to fade, he screamed and then was gone.

Kathy looked around but there was no Royce. His ghost hadn't exited the building. Then a figure appeared from the side of the house, it was Royce, he began to walk towards them, Madison saw him and gasped in relief.

"Royce?" She asked, he was slow, not moving that fast, Cathy thought he was beginning to fade, she turned away and cried a little for Madison. He kept walking towards them and Madison got up to run to him.

"Royce!" She yelled.

"Madison!" He finally yelled back. She ran to him and Kathy thought she'd fall right though but when Madison reached Royce he grabbed her up in his arms and held her as close as he could.

"Don't ever leave me again..."She said holding him, he groaned from holding her in the air and put her down. Madison looked at him.

"What's wrong?" She asked. He opened his jacket and showed her that he was cut from the sword David has been fighting with.

"He got me before I threw him into the statue with the other sword on it. Then I ran, I found a secret exit out the back and took it just as it went silent." He said sitting down in the grass.

"Oh, Royce...we need to get you to a doctor." Madison looked up at him with worried eyes.

"Okay." He said winching to stand.