A WISH TOO YOUNG
CHAPTER 2
LATER THAT DAY
It came to be a shock that Carl wouldn't be able to be turned back to his usual age. Making the drama only begin from there. Apparently Thomas Myrtle was a ghost from war. The way he died was still unknown. No victim of Thomas Myrtle was informed about his past life. Not even information held about his clothes said anything. It was obvious the ghost picked them up along the way.
The so called 'Grim Demons' were other ghosts that would look for him. All part of a cooperation where ghost hunters and clergies alike would hire them to search for his kind called 'Wishers'. He and the other Wishers were no threat to the living world. But no matter how innocent he was, they were not going to allow these potion mishaps. It only lead to more questions to whether or not he was just after Carl to use him. The most troublesome motive was how the department could handle it. Not only the FBI was informed. But the CSI, CIA, Military, and other top secret agencies were only making matters worse.
So sitting in his apartment, he tried to go through his daily routine. Denying the accompany of body guards. He went about eating dinner, reading the paper, then off to bed. But all that was ruined. Before he knew it, he looked up to see the Wisher standing by his fridge.
"Jesus!" He cursed. Holding the newspaper to his chest.
"Evening to you too Carl!" The ghost grinned. "To what be new?"
"Your aftermath, that's what!" The agent yelled.
Forwarding his brows, Thomas was now standing right beside Carl's right ear. "Listen," He began. "I know you're mad at me for offering you that potion. But you got to remember it was only your decision that made you do so."
"Oh come off it Thomas!" Carl protested. Slamming the newspaper onto the table. "The whole world is looking for you. If its going to be anyone's fault it certainly will be yours!" Sitting up from his chair, he walked into the living room. Trying to retreat from the 'man' who was ruining his life. Sitting down in his chair, Thomas immediately followed.
"Now you're just overreacting." Thomas commented. Sitting down on the couch across from him. "What? Do you have a delayed reaction or something?"
"That's not the reason." Carl gritted out.
"Lets see," Thomas began. "What could be the reason?" He asked the living man with a finger tapping his chin. "Well when I met you at the bar you were 47 years old. Now you're 30." The ghost grinned in amusement.
"Thomas this isn't funny. You have risked not only my well being but the cycle of my life." Carl frowned. Standing up, he stood in the middle of the living room.
"Now your just showing me you want to know what I think, by staying in here." Thomas said in annoyance.
"I don't want to know. I have to. Besides, this is my house. I can do whatever I please." The agent stated.
"Alright, well why don't you ask me something?" The ghost replied.
"Ask you what?" Carl asked.
"My age maybe?" Thomas suggested.
"I don't have to. I can already tell you're 16." Carl said.
"Close," Thomas said. Resting his arms over his head as Carl had his back turned to him.
"I'm 187." With stiffened shoulders, Carl look backed at him with wide eyes.
"You're what?" Carl asked in bewilderment.
"I'm 187 years old. Well I died at 16, you are right there. Kind of the same age when you met Frank, correct?" The ghost asked.
"How do you know about him?" Carl asked with forwarded brows.
"Well I don't know much about him. Some of your memories just have his name written on them you could say." Thomas said.
The agent shook his head in disbelief. "You can read my memories?"
"Yeah, all kinds!" Thomas nodded. "But I don't wonder around in there too much. I mostly focus on personal lives. Not the lives of others." Carl glared warningly at that point.
"What?" Thomas asked. Feeling the man's anger rising.
"You wouldn't mention him if you didn't have a good reason to." Carl eyed him.
"What do you mean? Isn't he your lover?" The ghost asked.
With widened eyes, Carl stiffened. "What?" He shouted.
"I just assumed. You have a lot of memories with him. Plus you seem very fond of each others company." The ghost grinned nervously.
"Shut up Thomas!" The agent growled.
"Oh wait! He's your sexless lover, yes?" The ghost smiled.
"Get out!" Carl demanded. Now standing in front of the couch.
"Calm down you maddening bird! I have something to inform you about him!" The ghost rushed out.
"Is that why you're here in the first place?" Carl asked. Disbelief still effecting his mood.
"Yes. It took some good work to find your home so don't kick me out so soon!" Thomas protested.
"Fine! What is it?" Carl barked.
"There's a ghost named Laramie and you need to make sure you keep Frank close to you at all costs." Thomas calmly said.
At this information, Carl became serious. "At all costs? What do you mean?"
"Oh boy. This would have been so less embarrassing if you two were lovers." Thomas groaned disappointingly.
Paying no attention to Thomas's last comment, he stepped closer to the ghost. "Who's Laramie? I thought it was just you who was effecting my life."
Thomas shook his head. "Laramie is my best friend. He died in the same place I did. He's a trickster ghost. Barely was sane when he was alive. So you could say he's more insane dead. Some cases he has killed some people. I have tried to tell him to stop but when I'm doing my own helpings to people who are alive, he tries to get their friends or even family. He uses them as his experiments."
"You're serious?" Carl asked. Disbelief edging his voice.
"I'm sorry Carl but I am." Thomas replied.
"Well where is Laramie now? Don't you ghosts sense where the other one is or not?" The agent urgently asked.
With widened eyes, Thomas looked at him with strict facial features. "He's there already." Getting up from the couch, he followed Carl who grabbed his keys and ran out the door.
"I can't follow you or he will swallow me with his powers!" Thomas rushed out.
"Just stay here then!" Carl hollered back. As Carl kept running to the end of the hall, Thomas stopped to watch him.
"Carl be careful! He has followers!" Thomas shouted.
Driving up to Frank's apartment building, already he could sense that there was something terribly wrong. Locking his car, he immediately ran to the front entrance. The problem was Frank's apartment was on the top floor. This was only the 12th. Running to the stairs, he climbed them as fast as he could.
For some odd reason his knees were painless as he climbed. His complaints were soundless about the situation he was in. Almost as if he was on auto pilot, he wanted to get up there. One could say it was his main goal for his new life.
Each staircase he went up on, the ceiling's lights would flicker even more worse then the ones before. Right when he got to the top floor, the entire story was dark. Gulping in fear he began to walk as steadily through the halls as possible.
Frank's door was even at the end of the hall. Just barely in the middle of the room, something crashed behind him. A retching laugh followed in its wake. From the sounds of it, only more crashes and laughs began to endure. Some crashes even sounding like someone was running into a wall. Over and over again.
Carl only began to realize he had began running from the sounds as he reached the end of the hall. Turning his frame, he opened Frank's front door. All the sounds around him went out.
Standing there in the middle of the door frame long enough to realize what was happening, he stepped inside. The door immediately slamming shut behind him without his will.
"Frank!" He called out.
Silence was given back. Walking more into Frank's home, he stopped in his tracks.
"Laramie!" Immediately the lights frequently began to turn on and off. Screams and laughs ringing in his ears. Even the sounds of missals and bombs bellowed around his entire body.
There standing to his right by the window was Laramie himself. He could tell it was him. Just that feeling swept him. No other ghosts were showing themselves. Only he was.
The ghost appeared older then Thomas. Even thinner then him. One could compare him to a walking skeleton with eyeballs in its skull. But there was no time to think or care about him. All that was on his mind was Frank and his safety. As if a race, Carl and Laramie ran down the hall and into the young man's bedroom.
"Frank!" The agent desperately called. There in the far corner of the room stood the man in complete fright. He was practically huddled against the wall. Trying to not be touched by this madness. Running across the room, he almost reached Frank until he felt something tug and drag him to the ground. The young man watched in terror as the ghost from before stood in the doorway and began dragging Carl nearer to him with a ghostly rope.
"Laramie you fucking bastard! Stop it!" Carl shouted at the top of his lungs. The skeleton had almost began to drag Carl across the room. If it weren't for the grasp Carl felt surround his hand. Looking up he saw Frank holding onto him for dear life. Kicking as hard as he could, both of them began to desperately get Carl out of Laramie's hold. Grabbing Carl's other arm, Frank pulled the older man closer to him.
The nearest they got, the more the rope began to shrink. Pulling him to the point the other man's back was resting on the younger man's chest, the rope suddenly snapped. Dropping from the lost strain, Carl and Frank immediately got to their feet.
Their danger only grew stronger. Not only did the sounds of war start blaring in the room. But blares of flesh ripping from bone could be heard a mile away.
Shaking where he stood, Frank began to back up against the wall with absolute terrified tears in his eyes. Gently grabbing his arm, Carl pulled the young man into his hold.
Desperation caused the brunette to wrap his arms around Carl tightly. The agent could only do the same as the sounds just got louder, louder, and louder. Frank screamed in fear. The agent's reaction made him wrap his arms tighter around the young man. Both by now were refusing to open their eyes.
Unplanned, a remembrance struck him. Something that Thomas said. Oh what was it? God damn it he couldn't hear over these sounds! It's like they were moving closer...Wait...Closer! God damn it, that's it! Keep Frank close to you at all costs.
Looking down to Frank's closed eyes, he held him closer to his chest. Leaning up against the wall he next proceeded in wrapping his leg around the other man's own. Drawing him ever so closer to him. Carl even pressed his stomach to the others own. Sooner then expected the sounds began to subside mildly. But only by a measure. It appeared some sounds would weaken the most if he tightened his hold on Frank in some areas of the man's body.
The young man in speaking was just too afraid to respond to Carl's movements. He just wanted to hold back with all his might. They stood there like that for several minutes. Never breaking contact for even a moment. All of that changed as something seemed to be changing by the sounds. They were still there. However, to Carl and Frank it was all the more reason to block reality.
Right at that moment, Frank was so thankful Carl was there. No other person could be more perfect. In any situation that is, if he really thought about it. Looking up, he met the agent's eyes. They were calm, concerned, and scared. All at once. He could tell that the older man wasn't wanting to admit such an emotion. For once he did sight such fear, it was gulped in the back of his eyes. That moment, it proved to the young man that Carl was going out of his way to protect him. For no explained reason at all to back himself up with. To even think of what he was going through and to still have the concern for his safety was like an award all on its own.
Suddenly the noises began to weaken and weaken. Both Carl and Frank knew they were not going to stay like that for long. So while they still could, Carl grabbed Frank's hand then ran out of the room and his house as fast as they could. Getting to Carl's car, Frank gave a nod and that was all to signal for the agent to step on the pedal.
Making it to Carl's own apartment, there were no words needed for Frank to ask to spend the night. It was more of a have to then anything else. When they reached the front door to Carl's home and the door being closed behind them, Frank turned and immediately hugged Carl tightly.
"How did you know?" Frank asked. His voice still effected by the incident. To be honest, Carl himself was too.
"Thomas told me about Laramie," Carl informed.
"Is that who that was?" Frank only then held Carl tighter. Wrapping his arms around Frank, the agent placed his head down on the young man's own head to try and comfort him.
"Come on," Carl said. After several minutes, he released his hold on Frank and began aiming his destination down the hall. "Let's get to bed. It's best if we sleep in the same room."
"Why?" Frank forwarded his brows.
Carl looked towards the young man and walked back through the short distance between them. Staring at those still fear filled eyes. "Thomas said that in order to keep Laramie away from you, we have to stick together."
"Laramie." The young man whispered. Afraid if it would trigger the ghost to come find them. "Wait. He was after me?" The criminal asked. His voice slightly raising in surprise. Carl nodded and began to walk to his room. Frank followed.
"You can barrow some of my cotton pants." Carl informed. Walking over to his closet. It took a while for him to find some pants. As he came back with a pair, Frank had already taken off his shoes and fallen asleep on the bed. Sighing from the sight, he hated to see such an impact these ghosts did even to Frank. Turning back to his closet, he grabbed what he wanted and went to the restroom to change. He later walked back to his bedroom. Doing the action quietly as to not wake the man. Sitting at his bedside, he lied down on the other side he usually doesn't sleep on. At this point he only wanted to keep Frank safe. To keep him close in eye sight. With one last took to make sure he was still there, he turned off the light.
To Be Continued...
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know this chapter was short. But I couldn't come up with a motive fast enough for the next thing that happens. At the same time I wanted to make sure you guys read this. So no worries for writer's block of any sort. I will be updating Chapter 3 as soon as I can. Bye for now. :)