Chapter 8: Ghostbusters is Gone

As Carrie continued watching the video, she overheard some students talking about something.

"Did you hear about the ghost that went villian in New York?" A student asked in concern.

This, for some reason got Carrie's attention as she turned and looked at the two boys and a girl that were sitting at a table across from her.

"Yes, I did hear that, they said the ghost just disappeared without a trace. One of them was all ghosts, monsters, another was a ghost, and the four men were superheroes." His friend replied.

"What do you think happened to the people who were on board New York?" The student asked in concern.

"Don't know. They haven't found a single person that was on board those four men teams: Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler & Winston Zeddemore. They are called the Ghostbusters. I guess the original Ghostbusters is still forever, or worse, possibly." His friend replied those last two words in a scared voice.

Carrie was watching and listening to them intently, having heard every word they just said. There were the original Ghostbusters that went forever without a trace in New York? That sounded really strange. The topic about Ghostbusters suddenly left her mind as she was interested in what they were saying and kept listening.

"Not only that. They said that in the US the headquarters: A Former Firehouse, FDNY Ladder 8, located on the intersection of Moore Street & Varick Street into New York so they try to find bad guys or find what was the cause? Their receptionist: Janine Melnitz. The neighbors: Dana Barrett & Louis Tully. They were saved by Ghostbusters. Ghostbusters met Mayor Lenny, he was the Mayor of New York City. They were somewhere in New York for hours before suddenly, they went offline. The Ghostbusters' villains: Walter Peck, Gozer & Vigo. His name is Ivo Shandor, no sign of him. The deaths of Gozer and Vigo in the years: 1984 & 1989." His friend explained.

The student and girl looked at him with frightened eyes hearing that the US Firehouse just disappeared with no Ghostbusters.

Carrie, who also heard that caused her eyes to widen in fright as well. How could two Gozer and Vigo all die from the years 1984 and 1989. With no idea Gozer & Vigo are all gone? With no idea Shandor was missing? Much less, in American villains. The US is supposed to be the most secure and powerful country in the world and yet, two villains were killed by Ghostbusters. How? Who could have been able to do this?

"What do you think could have caused this?" The girl asked in concern.

"Maybe it was the two demigods: Zuul & Vinz Clortho. The Terror Dogs. The Gatekeeper & Keymaster." The student replied.

"I don't know, maybe it could be dogs?" His friend asked in concern.

"Maybe it could have been some unknown ghost we haven't discovered yet?" The girl asked in concern.

For some reason when Carrie heard those two words "unknown ghost", her mind went back to Ghostbsuters had long years ago. Ghostbusters about the ghosts attacking New York it all entirely, everyone were ghosts. This caused her eyes to widen in shock and shake with slight fear. It couldn't be possible, right? It had be a coincidence, right? There is no way the ghost in New York is somehow connected to the missing Ghostbusters and forever. Right!? The ghost is not real! He doesn't exist! It's all just in her head!

But, what if it wasn't…?

Carrie didn't know what to believe and felt like she was about to lose her mind… As Carrie thinks about the original Ghostbusters…

Carrie looked up at the book on the shelves. She held him in the books & found it by looking through the book cover: Ghostbusters.

"That's it." Carrie replied.

Carrie walked around and to a table with the library teacher woman: Arlene Walsh, standing on the desk.

"Hi Carrie. The book." Walsh replied.

"Yeah, Ms. Walsh. I got the ghost in the book." Carrie replied.

"Hmm, sure." Walsh replied.

Walsh gave the books to ISBN with barcodes by scanner.

"So, that's Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler and Winston Zeddemore?" Walsh asked in concern.

"Yeah, the four men. The original Ghostbusters." Carrie replied.

"Ghostbusters. Oh yes." Walsh replied.

"I saw the Ghostbusters on the computer." Carrie replied.

"Oh, yes. Sure." Walsh replied.

"Yep." Carrie replied.

"Okay, three weeks later." Walsh replied, as she gave Carrie to the books.

"Thank you, Ms. Walsh." Carrie replied.

Carrie pulls the books to her school bag.

"Okay, see you later." Carrie replied.

"So, long." Walsh replied.

Carrie walks away, she is out of the Library class and she walks and turns the hall.

"Ghostbusters." Carrie replied.

(Later at Ulmann's Class, that day…)

Carrie started toward the reading and turned the window in class, the ghost paying much attention to the course. Yet she removed the smile that was growing on her face. On one hand, she was getting the knack of her newfound gift performing something as simple as making a ghost…Carrie had a smile from the ghosts. On the other hand, a group of kids and one mysterious teenage boy all wanted to extend a hand of friendship toward her without reason to judge her. As if for the first in a while, she suddenly felt the way almost every other student felt when they're surrounded by friends. Seemed perhaps things were slowly starting to look up. The English teacher: Mr. Ulmann.

"All right, who's next?" Ulmann the teacher spoke. "Uh, Carrie."

Soon as her name was called, Carrie looked up to face Ulmann.

"Favorite poem. Did you bring one?" Ulmann asked in concern.

All the kids turned toward her, several of them laughed. The only ones not laughing were Sue, Tommy, and George, who had taken seats along the back of the class to keep tabs over Carrie. To even suggest that Carrie was nervous was without question an understatement.

"Yeah." Carrie murmured.

"Why don't you come to the front of the class and share it with us all?" Ulmann asked in concern.

Carrie slowly got up from her seat and cautiously made her way down toward the front of the class. Sue, Tommy, and George whose desks are next to Carrie's, could see how uncomfortable she appeared to be. The other students quietly snickered as she approached the front. Soon as she stood at the front of the room, facing the entire class, she kept her eyes on her book and read her poem of choice.

"'This unfrequented place to find some ease, ease to the body some, none to the mind. Times past, and what once I was and what am now o wherefore was my birth from Heaven foretold. Twice by an Angel, who at last in sight of both my parents all in flames... ascended.'" Carrie replied.

"Uh... did you get that?" George whispered to Freddy nods.

"Okay, uh, that was, uh..." Ulmann stammered. "Disturbing."

The other kids laughed, especially Tina, who clearly had Ulmann's ear. Tommy, sitting between the students, merely glared toward Ulmann angrily.

"This is the most you've said all year." Ulmann continued. "Is there anything else you wanna add or are you done scaring us for the day?"

"Asshole." Tommy muttered, under his breath.

The other students turned and gasped toward him. There was no doubt everyone heard him, especially the teacher.

"Excuse me, Mr. Ross." Ulmann spoke up. "Did you say something?"

"I said, 'Ghost.'" Tommy lied. "I just thought what I read was a ghost."

Carrie was a little taken aback hearing that but felt a little relaxed hearing someone like a ghost.

"Didn't you, Mr. Ulmann?" Tommy asked him as Carrie started walking back to her seat.

Ulmann, not expecting this and having nothing to say, just continued the class…

"All right, who's next?" Ulmann asked, as he looked around.

Carrie sat back down in her seat.

"Uh… Nicki. I mean, Lizzy." Ulmann corrected himself having to idea who one of the twins was which.

Carrie kept her head as low as possible. She pushed some hair in front of her face hoping to stay hidden. She peeked over toward Tommy, who just smiled at her with an assuring wink. Sue and George spotted this right away, immediately realizing what was going on.

"The four men team called the original Ghostbusters." Ulmann replied.

"Oh." All the students replied.

Carrie thinks of the original Ghostbusters.

"I… the green- Uh, the Green Ghost." Ulmann replied.

The other students gasped toward him.

"The Green Ghost." Ulmann replied.

The other kids laughed at Ulmann.

"All right. The original Ghostbusters is gone. The Green Ghost is gone. Shut up!" Ulmann replied madly.

The other kids stopped laughing.

"THAT STOPPED LAUGHING AT ME! SHUT UP!" Ulmann called.

The other kids gasped, groaned, and looked down.

"Sue." Tommy spoke up. "I think Mr. Ulmann has a crush."

"I did so." Sue nodded. "The four men's got a name?"

"The Ghostbusters, Sue." Tommy confirmed.

"Ghostbusters." Sue replied.

Carrie watched Sue and Tommy and they wasn't looking. She turned and looked down.

"Ghostbusters is gone." Carrie replied.

Carrie was slightly sad about the original Ghostbusters, what happened to him. Ghostbusters' absence & gone…

Throughout her entire high school years Carrie's always had a wrong on Sue and Tommy and wished they could be together. Though the chances of that happening was really low she thought since they were two completely different people.

Sue turned to her left and saw this and an idea formed in her head. A way to redeem herself after what she did yesterday in the locker room and looked down… As Carrie turned her head to Sue and was slightly sad about her grandfather's absence & gone…

(Later, at the Farmhouse…)

Sierra walked around outside, she bumped into the branch of the tree with bottles hanging from it. As Sierra slid the door open on the bar. There was a car that was covered up. Sierra lifted up part of the cover, revealing the No Ghost logo of Ecto-1…

"Wow. No Ghost logo." Sierra replied with a smile…

(Later at the Dress shop…)

In the back room of a dress shop, Margaret sits at the sewing machine deep in her work. A customer's voice was heard yet Margaret chose to ignore the voice. Unfortunately for her, that approach would not last for long.

"Is anyone working?" a voice came.

Looking up from the sewing machine, Margaret spotted a woman at the front desk. A rather anxious customer ringing the service bell.

"Excuse me." The customer called out. "ls anybody working?"

Margaret focused on the sewing machine. In the woman's ears, the machine was as loud as a revving engine. She fed the dress into the machine, almost catching her finger in it. Finally, she stopped the machine, and cut the loose thread with her scissors. Clearly, she wanted no interaction with anyone but because it was part of the job Margaret had little choice.

She approached the front counter towards the customer. It was none other than Eleanor. She's dressed in a blue sleeveless top, which made Margaret uncomfortable. Especially since it showed off the woman's skin and therefore it is 'sinful' in her eyes.

"Oh, Margaret." Eleanor gasped. "I'm sorry to disturb you. I don't know where Hugo and Gloria…"

"Can I help you, Mrs. Snell?" Margaret asked in concern.

Judging by the tone in her voice, Margaret wanted nothing more than to have this conversation over with as soon as possible.

"Yes, it's' Eleanor, I'm picking up." Eleanor spoke nervously.

Margaret looked toward Eleanor's ticket then went to seek out Eleanor's clothes. The awkwardness and tension hanging in the air was nothing short of palpable. But eventually, Margaret returned with the dress for Eleanor.

"Margaret, I want to say how sorry I am about what happened at the school." Eleanor apologized. "There's no excuse for what Sue did, but she's a good girl."

"Are any of those girls good?" Margaret asked rhetorically.

Eleanor handed her the money, creeped out by Margaret's words. Margaret put the money inside the register, and Eleanor looked over the dress, very pleased.

"Oh, that is beautiful work, Margaret. Thank you." Eleanor replied.

Margaret listened to Eleanor's praise, in barely-contained anxiety and disgust. She pulled out a pen blade, which she used for work, and held it down by her side.

"I love what you've done with the neckline. And the stitches." Eleanor continued, oblivious. "You can barely see them. So few people can sew like this anymore. I could never do anything like this myself."

Margaret's anxiety grew worse with each word spilled out from Eleanor. She pulled up part of her skirt and started scratching at her leg. Eleanor's words grew louder, ringing in her head, so badly she started cutting herself with the pen blade. In Margaret's eyes, this mother encouraged her daughter's sexual sins instead of protecting her the way she does with Carrie. The woman looked as if she could burst into tears or scream at the worst possible moment.

"Sue's going to look beautiful." Eleanor spoke, admirably. "I am so excited for her. I remember my prom. Anyway, she's going to love it."

"These are Godless times, Eleanor." Margaret muttered.

Eleanor frowned with confusion, uncertain of how to take that response.

"My father's place. My father died." Eleanor replied.

Margaret merely allowed her skirt to fall and walked away, shaking her head in pity over Eleanor's 'sinfulness'.

"I'm sorry." Margaret replied saddle looked down.

To Be Continued…