"Hey, I'm just as confused as you are, kid," the ghost said. He was dressed in a suit and tie, wearing a hat. He was blue-colored and floated a few inches above the ground. She was afraid to get close to him.
"I'm not on drugs," Kate said. "I don't do that shit."
"Good for you, kid. Now, can you tell me where I'm at?"
"I'm in Hell."
"Sweetheart, you don't know what Hell is, yet. Live a few more years. Now, can you calm down and tell me where the heck am I?"
"Okay, if I'm not dreaming, and I'm not doing drugs, then what the fuck is going on?"
"Boy, you've got a mouth on you."
"Don't care. I just need to figure out what's happening."
"Well, don't think too hard about it. Listen, can you stop pacing? That's getting annoying. I just want to know where I'm at."
"I need to go back to bed."
"What you NEED is to tell me where the hell I'm at."
"God, we're in Hedgerstown, Illinois!" Kate shouted. "Look, I don't know who you are, but I know you're not one of my dad's friends, and I know it's not Halloween. Get the fuck out of my room!"
"I've tried that," said the ghost, or whatever or whoever he was. "I can't get very far without being pulled back. It's like being on a leash."
"GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"
Before the other could say anything, Kate grabbed the nearest thing she could get a hold of, which was her backpack, and held on tightly to the straps as she swung it at him.
The backpack went right through him, and Kate fell forward onto the floor.
"Whoa, hey, are you okay?"
"Stay away from me!"
"Look, I just wanna talk. I'm not gonna hurtcha'."
Kate ran out of her room and into the kitchen/dining room, where her dad and his friends were playing cards. They all looked at her, and her dad glared. "What are you doing out here?" he asked, not acknowledging her frantic expression.
"There's some guy in the house. He got into my room!" She turned around and saw that the man who had been in her room was close behind her. She pointed at him and screamed, "That's him!"
The rest of the people looked confused. One of them asked, "Where?"
"He's right here!"
Kate's father let out an angry sigh. "Look, we don't have time for tricks. Go to your room, or somewhere else. Just don't bother us again!"
"But-"
"They don't see me, kid."
Kate's face was white, and she said nothing as she ran outside. She ran out of the trailer park and into a woods nearby. When she stopped, she leaned against a tree and gasped for breath. Her mind was spinning, and she tried to piece her thoughts together. She had to think of a plan, but how could she make a plan if she didn't know what was going on in the first place?
Suddenly, she heard the man's voice again. "Hey, come on! Can't we talk about this?"
Kate stood very still, hoping the ghost would go away. Suddenly, she heard him say, "There you are. You-", but Kate screamed before he could finish his sentence. She started running again, and he yelled, "Stop. Stop...running. Argh! You're pulling on me! Can't ya'...Wait!"
The teenage girl ran until she collapsed on the ground in the middle of a field. She was feeling lightheaded.
"Ah, Jesus!"
Kate was too exhausted to even try to get up. Whatever the ghost wanted, she would just have to suffer.
The ghost sighed. "You're not dead, are you?" He floated by her, and Kate tried to raise her head up. "NOW, will you listen to me?"
"What do you want from me?"
"Nothin'. I don't even know who you even are, or why I'm stuck out in the middle of nowhere. Hell, I'm just coming to terms with the fact that I'm a spook."
"A...ghost..." Kate said, weakly.
"Yeah. The thing is, I can't seem to leave anywhere unless you do, which, obviously isn't pleasant for either of us...Are you gonna get up soon?"
The teenager had enough energy now to stand up.
"You okay, now?"
She said nothing.
"Not gonna run?"
She shook her head.
"Good. Now, let's get outta here and back to your place. Can you even find your way back?"
Kate sighed. "Yeah." She didn't try to run. She didn't scream. If the ghost really wanted to do something bad, he would have already done it by now. Besides, she was too drained to try to make him go away. She barely had enough energy to get home.