As Egon entered the hotel he ducked the sight of the manager, who was still righteously upset over the damage to the twelfth and eleventh floors, and made his way to the elevators. Keeping quiet and trying to avoid making any eye contact with the sparse hotel staff and guests he stepped into the empty elevator car and began his ascent to the twelfth floor where the previous night's carnage had taken place.

The elevator shuddered as the doors closed and began rising at a steady pace toward the top floors of the hotel.

Alone and with little information on the situation unfolding above Egon was mentally preparing himself for anything that could await him.

Resourcefully Peter took a jagged board from the edge of the hole in the floor and used it to pry open the lid of the metal box. A loud 'pop' followed by the 'clang' of metal against the wooden floor filled the quiet air as a waft of stagnant air escaped from the opened box. The contents within the box were concealed beneath a ruby red silk handkerchief.

"What is this?" Peter asked as he let his hand hover over the box cautiously. "What could possibly be in this little box that's worth everything that's already happened?"

"Use it." Alvis stated firmly as he stared greedily at the box. "Use it now."

Peter pulled the handkerchief away and revealed a silver lighter. The lighter was engraved with Alvis's initials and had an owl on the side.

"Use it?" Peter stepped away from the box. "I said I'd sneak into the hotel and help you find your box but I'm never going to play arsonist!"

"You'd risk your friend's life?"

"No. But I will do what Winston would do in this situation." Peter folded his arms over his chest and kicked the box over. The lighter slid out of the box and skidded over the floor near the edge of the gaping hole. "Winston would never sacrifice innocent lives to protect himself. If he knew what I did just to keep you from him he'd never forgive me!"

Egon made his way to the penthouse of the twelfth floor. From the end of the corridor he could see the bright yellow police tape on the floor and a puddle of ectoplasm nearby. The doorknob was loosened thanks to Peter' frantic entrance but it was still attached to the door.

"Curious." Egon noted as he knelt beside the ectoplasm and ran his finger through the puddle. "Fresh. This collected on the floor recently."

Muffled voices from the closed door of the penthouse caught his ear. Returning to his feet Egon stood a few inches from the door and listened to the conversation taking place.

"Venkman?" Egon instantly recognized Peter's voice. The sound of the metal box being kicked made Egon flinch. "Who are you speaking to?"

"You've made your decision?" Alvis had a twisted grin over his ethereal face. With the snap of his fingers Peter fell to his knees in pain and his blue eyes dulled as Alvis regained control over his mind. "How unfortunate."

"Venkman!" Egon kicked down the door of the room and watched as Peter, lost in a trance, stood upright and walked over to the lighter. "Venkman! What's going on? Talk to me!"

Peter picked up the lighter and with a few flicks of his thumb created a brilliant orange flame that cast an eerie shadow under his eyes.

"Venkman?" Egon slipped the trap from his shoulder and set in on the floor. Taking two steps forward Egon studied Peter's blank eyes and knew that the ghost was having an influence over Peter's actions. "You're not Venkman. Alvis." Egon realized what was going on at long last. "Are you here still Alvis?"

The vengeful ghost was impressed by Egon's fortitude and revealed himself hovering over the hole in the floor. "Your friend cannot disobey my words."

"I imagine he can." Egon tested. "Venkman! Peter?" Egon shouted louder to his dazed friend. "Don't do it! Put the lighter away!"

Peter's eyes brightened as his natural blue irises seemed to emerge from behind the dull gray trance. "Egon?"

"Yes. It's me. Don't let Alvis control you. Fight it!"

"I..." The sickly image of a cockroach crawling on the wall behind Egon sent a chill up Peter's spine. "I don't want to do it... Help me."

"I will, I promise."

Alvis snapped his fingers again and the illusion of the swarming cockroaches filled Peter's vision. He froze in place save for his body trembling in fear. The lighter lowered as his arm dropped but the flame remained lit as it hung at his side.

"Peter?" Egon looked back over his shoulder but couldn't see the illusion that Peter was staring at. "I don't know what Alvis has planted in your mind, but there is NOTHING there. Nothing! It's all a trick!"

"I..." Peter shut his eyes and shook his head. "I can still see it..."

"Peter, what has Alvis done? Why did he lead you back here?"

"He..." Peter flinched as he heard the swarming cockroaches squirming closer to him. "He wants the hotel to burn! If I don't-" Cockroaches ran over his boots and made him jump back in fear. "If I don't do this he'll go after Winston!"

"Winston?!" Egon's dark eyes intensified at the threat toward their downed friend. "That's why you've been so secretive, you were trying to protect Winston. But you can't burn the hotel-"

"I won't!" Peter began shaking violently and backed himself against the wall as the illusion of the cockroaches became more abundant, violent and chaotic. "I won't do it!"

Alvis was angry at Peter's disobedience. "If you do not follow my words then your friend shall perish."

"No, he won't." Egon defied. "I already asked Ray to keep an eye on Winston! His father is there too! He's safe, I promise."

Alvis gave Egon a sinister stare. "This 'Winston' is not the friend I to which I was referring." He snapped his fingers again and a new illusion manifested in the room.

Egon could feel something now standing behind him, something tall and broad; something hauntingly familiar. Turning his focus over his shoulder a second time he spied the grotesque form of his childhood nightmare towering over him: the Boogieman.

"No!" Egon turned around quickly and took a step back from the menacing form of the ghoul. "Not possible."

The alabaster white face, the elongated pointy nose, beady yellow eyes, wild green hair, lanky arms, claw like hands, animalistic legs and hooves and the tattered remains of a jacket were all too real for the physicist. The nightmare seemed to real to be ignored.

"We trapped you." Egon tried to use logic and reason to push away the illusion. "You're NOT real. You're not-"

The illusion of the Boogieman took a single swipe toward Egon which made him step back and accidentally step down into the hole.

"NO!" Egon cried out as he managed to catch himself with his hands as he slipped over the edge of the broken floorboards and fell into the hole.

The sound of Egon's panic stricken cry was enough to gain Peter's attention. He opened his eyes and saw Egon dangling into the hole and losing his grip quickly.

"Egon!" Peter pushed through the illusion and rushed over to the hole, dropping the still burning lighter in the process. He grabbed onto Egon's arm and began pulling him back up. "I got ya'!"

"Peter!" Egon took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "The Boogieman... He isn't really here, is he?"

"No! He's not!" Peter struggled to pull his friend up and out of the hole but didn't let go. Looking down into the hole Peter froze, his hand growing cold with fear. Waiting down inside the hole was the massive cockroach that had chased Peter into the room. Like Egon had done he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "The Boogieman isn't here and neither are the cockroaches!"

"Cockroaches?" Egon repeated confused. "No Peter. There are no cockroaches in the room."

Alvis manifested his full body into a single form and walked with audible steps toward the burning lighter laying on the floor.

Peter opened his eyes and stared fearfully at the ghost. "No... Don't."

Egon turned and looked at Alvis just as the ghost placed his translucent foot on the lighter.

"A deal is a deal." Alvis arrogantly stated. "I will leave Winston alone. But as for your insolence you will watch your friend burn!"

Alvis kicked the lighter down into the hole and the flame swiftly ignited the wooden debris on the eleventh floor below.

...to be continued...