The Poltergeist Part II
Just a little preface. This is a follow up to the cliffhanger I left you all on in The Poltergeist. If you haven’t read that, I’m putting a link just under this:
Without further adieu, here is The Poltergeist Part II.
My mind was blank, but I could still think. Who was I? What was I? Where was I? I tried flexing my fingers, whatever those were, but found them to be missing. There was a sound way off in the distance. I don’t know what it was but I knew I should know what it was. I decided to ignore it and explore my existence. I wanted to expand myself into the furthest reaches of this blankness and try to fill it up… at least until that sound got too annoying. And so, I stretched myself. That’s when I learned what imgages were. Sight. The mind’s interpretation of varying wavelengths of photons hitting the retina, which I didn’t have. Yet I could still see what was around me.
I started off by overlooking a barge… or at least I thought it was a barge. Upon further inspection, I came to realize it was two oil rigs lashed together. A monster was climbing the side of it. It had red, slimy skin, long strong tentacles, and the gleam of intelligence in it’s cold calculating eyes. Three figures stood on the deck, getting ready to fight the monster. Getting bored, I looked around me to see empty water as far as the eye could see. Something had happened here. Something bad. Something that flooded the world. Sparing one glance back at the octopus climbing the side of the oil rigs, I saw it transform into a humanoid.
This had lost my interest strangely enough, so the scene changed before me. There was a boy cowering in a tub with a woman. They were hiding from something in the hallway. But it knew they were in the hotel room’s bathroom. The boy set down his hatchet to wipe the sweat off his hand only for the creature on the other side of the door slam into it, sending a crack through it. The boy tensed, grabbing his hatchet. The creature continued to slam into the bathroom door. It took several tries for it to break a hole in the door. The grey skinned, red eyed creature stretched it’s jaw to an unglodly angle and screeched. This creature used to be their friend before he died. Now it was one of the undead. The boy looked at the girl, shook his head as she screemed for him to stop, and he jumped through the hole at the creature to tackled his dead friend to the ground. They wrestled on the ground, but the creature sank its teeth into the boy’s neck. The boy jerked away, but it was too late. He struggled against the contagion coursing through his veins, but found it impossible to resist. He gave in, and the blackness overtook him.
The scene shifted again, this time without my wanting it to. I was aware of hundreds of scenes now. A lifeguard being confronted by the ghost of a drowned swimmer, a child cowering in a cave from a group of mercenaries, a gang of people exploring the abandoned ruins of an underground industrial complex; and the hundreds, thousands, billions… infinite variations of each. I couldn’t keep track of it all. I felt myself stretching too thin. It was worrying, but also relaxing at the same time. I would stretch so thin it would be as if I didn’t exist. That’s when I felt a presence help me to focus. It was another of me. Another consciousness. It focused my mind on a very particular vision.
There was a table, with a group of people sitting around it. They seemed happy. A mother and a father, both of them unremarkable looking and in their mid-forties. Three children also sat at the table, one of them picking at her food. She was about sixteen years of age. Her build was slender and her eyes a deep, rich blue. There were also two boys that were a little older than the girl, one vigoursly eating his food. He was a little hefty, but I could tell he was strong. Far stronger than most people would expect him to be. His eyes were a grey-blue that gave a very unsettling impression if you looked into them long enough. And then there was the third. An intelligent boy for his age… far more intelligent than he let on. His eyes were as bright as the sky. Behind the two boys eyes was something else. Something living in their minds besides them. All of the people at this table had secrets they were keeping from one another, but they all acted as if they didn’t.
“Jake, stop eating so fast. I can hear you snuffling from over here,” the girl whined.
“Yeah Jake, slow it down,” the father said. “It’s not going to go anywhere.”
“But it’s good,” he said in between mouthfuls.
The other boy just sat at the table, playing with his food. “Adam, don’t think we haven’t noticed you not eating,” the mother added on while they were on the subject of eating. “You’re too skinny.”
“I’m just not hungry.” The boy held a terrible secret in his heart.
The father looked at the mother with concern in his eyes. She looked back and subtly shook her head while the fat boy and slender girl argued.
And just like that I was whisked away to another place. This place was desolate. A desert, but was still teeming with a terrible life. Monsters, mutated by radiation roamed the land. Massive hoards, teeming with writhing, squirmy things, masticating any and all life into sustenance for the surrounding mutants. But this was not the terrible life I sensed. Those monsters were alive, but they didn’t have life. The life I was concerned about was standing on the side of a building, hidden within a white suit with a mask made to look like a skull. He was surveying the land before him, gathering information on it. Beside him stood a woman wrapped in baggy clothes designed to weather the desert. The man shook his head and pointed something out to the woman.
Curious to see what his face looked like, I focused myself underneath the covering of his visor and was shocked to see an older version of the boy from my previous vision. His terrible secret had manifested itself and made him into a warrior capable of atrocious acts. But I knew intrinsically he was a good man. He bore the burden of being a killer so the innocent didn’t have to. He didn’t particularly enjoy his life, but he wouldn’t give Him the satisfaction of ending it.
The scene shifted to blankness. The sound was still there. Annoyed, I finally gave in a went towards it. The sound turned out to be a voice. I moved through the blankness, away of the infinite number of realities flowing around me and through me. I touched trillions of minds as I moved towards the voice. The things I learned, the things I saw. I didn’t understand them. What could I do but move towards the voice?
The voice became clearer, yelling a name. “James!” it yelled. “Follow my voice! You have to fight it!”
Fight what? Who was James?
I kept moving to the sound. I traveled for billions of years, an eternity, yet at the same time I only traveled for a microsecond… an instant. I came into a room lit by gentle rays coming from the outside. There were two bodies on the floor with a pale ghost standing over them. It wore a kilt and glowed a pale blue. “James!” it shouted at the younger of the two bodies. “Follow my voice!”
The younger body began to writhe and convulse on the ground.
“Don’t give in!” the ghost shouted.
Claim your body, the other consciousness told me. You aren’t done yet.
My body? I have a body?
I looked at the—my body and moved towards it. As soon as my consciousness touched it, I was sucked into it. Memories. Oh sweet memories flooded my consciousness. Memories of my parents, of the Seventh Sons and the Resurrection Men. I was me. I didn’t care if I died now. I couldn’t let the poltergeist take over my body. I searched for the last vestiges of my strength to ignite my flames within my body. I wasn’t going to just chase out the poltergeist this time. I was going to burn it into nothing.
Fire coursed through my veins. My body was no longer writhing under the poltergeist’s control and instead simply writhing in pain. The flames didn’t burn my flesh, but the poltergeist was wreaking havock as it moved through my circulatory system trying to avoid the flames.
I needed more. With one last push, I flooded my entire system with my fire. There was a screeching that pierced its way through the hallway. I didn’t know if I made the screech or if the poltergeist had. And as quickly as the pain started, it stopped. The poltergeist was no more.
For hours I lay on the ground, passing into and out of consciousness. I couldn’t move even if I wanted to. My body barely had enough energy to manage a couple fluttering beats of my heart and a ragged breath or two every few seconds. It was at that point that my mind really did fade into a dreamless slumber while it tried to go on living for a few more minutes. My last thought was of the boy I had seen in those visions, and what that consciousness was.
When I came to, I was outside the building, snow building up on my face. Beside me lay the security guard. Alec’s spectral form was slapping my face, trying to wake me up.
“Jesus bloody Christ,” Alec said. “I took over yer body fer a we bit and yeh almost die on me while I got you and that damn fat guard outa the buildin’.”
I grunted, not really able to move.
“Don’t worry about a thing,” Alec said. “I’ve sent a message to Morgan. She’ll be here in a bit to help us out.”
I just gazed up at the grey sky. Now that the poltergeist was dealt with, I got the pleasure of dealing with the eccentricities of Morgan.
“What happened!” I heard a uniquely pitched shout come from the direction of the parking lot. Morgan was here. I just lay on the ground, slowly losing energy to the surrounding cold.
“We were dealin’ with a poltergeist,” Alec said. “Seventh Son’s business and all that. Then this jackass goes and gets possessed by it, so I had to hold his consciousness in place while he burned it outa his system.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Morgan look at Alec in shock. “You did what!”
“I held his consciousness in place,” he replied matter of factly.
“No, after that.”
“I dragged the fattass security guard outa the buildin’?”
“Ugh,” she said exasperated. “About being possessed by the poltergeist.”
“Oh yeah. We burned the damned thing outa James’s system.”
“How?” she asked inquisitively.
I coughed slightly to get her attention.
“Oh, right!” she said and began to cram a special blend of calorie dense substance into my mouth followed up by a lot of water.
I sputtered and gurgled as it slid down my throat. After several minutes of my body rapidly processing the energy, I groaned and sat up. “Thanks Morgan.”
“I don’t rightly care for your thanks,” she said matter of factly. “I want to know how you became unpossessed.”
I looked down at my hands, flame dancing across my fingertips. “It’s my power I guess.”
“Your power?”
“The power I’ve been able to use since I got possessed.”
“Ah.”
I rubbed the back of my neck, my muscles aching. “I think my brand hands are a little more… potent than I had previously thought.”
“Brand hands?”
“Oh. That’s what I call my flame hands in my head.”
“I see. Now what do you mean they are more potent?”
“My brand hands could burn through a lot of things, but something came over me. I had a feeling like they could burn through anything. When I activated them, they burned through the magic holding me down.”
She nodded in understanding. “I see. Is there something you want to ask me?”
I nodded. A witch of all people. She was a perfect teacher for me. “Can you teach me how to use magic?”
“Well it’s about time you asked. Of course I will.”
“Just like that?”
“Yes just like that. Did you think there would be strings attached?”
“Kind of, yeah.”
Morgan laughed. “You think I would pass up the opportunity to study someone in your unique position? Of course not. Now, I expect you to sneak away from those Seventh Son friends of yours three or four times a week for practice.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Now tell me. What made you finally want training in magic?” she inquired, circling around me like a wolf stalking prey.
“I’d rather not say.”
“You are so frustrating!” she hissed. “Whatever,” she said, regaining her composer. “Let’s just get going. I’m tired after rushing over here, so drive me somewhere.”
“Where to?”
“Bring me to Roxbury, I’ve got some goblins that haven’t paid their protection fee.”
I looked at the petite young looking woman. He disheveled red hair flapping in the wind. “What do you mean ‘protection fee’.”
“I’d rather not say,” she mocked me. “Just drive me there. You know I can take care of myself.”
I held up my hands. “Of course. We’ve got to help out the security guard first though.”
“Oh, just let me take care of him. I’ll give him a quick memory wipe and send him on his merry way.”
“But the Seventh Sons—” I tried to say.
“Seventh Sons smeventh sons. Who cares about that. All they’ll do is give him an orientation into the magical world and put him in therapy. My way is much easier and cleaner for everybody. At worst he’ll have some bad dreams every now and then.”
“On top of being touched by magic,” I muttered.
“Pff,” she said. “Do you know how many people are touched by magic? At least eighteen percent of the population in one way or another. They learn to ignore what they can’t understand.”
“He was possessed by a poltergeist!” I shouted. “His Sight is on par with mine now!”
Morgan got close to me. “There are things in motion you wouldn’t understand. You have to trust me on this.”
“What things are in motion?” I asked.
“Things!” she exclaimed, gesturing angrily. “If they were easy to explain, I would. As it stands right now, there are things you aren’t ready to know yet.”
“Ah yes. That very good well thought out argument. I’m going to take the security guard back with me so he doesn’t die.”
“No, you’re really not,” she said with a bitchy smirk.
Flames fluttered over my hands. “Morgan, I’m going to do my job.”
She laughed. “In the state you’re in? Have you even seen yourself?”
“What?”
“Look at your arms.”
I did and saw them to be deathly pale, almost grey in fact. Black viens ran through them. My nails were black nubs. “What the hell!” I exclaimed.
“Don’t panic,” Morgan said. “This is a consequence of having been possessed by a poltergeist.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner!”
“You were almost dead from exhaustion and then started threatening me.”
I pushed my appearance to the back of my mind. “Whatever. I don’t care how I look, but you’re not taking the security guard with you.”
Again, she laughed. “And you’re going to stop me? Your magic is exhausted. Listen, I can wipe his memory and lay spells on his mind to sooth his dreams. He won’t remember a thing. But his ignorance is incredibly important for the events that have been set in motion.”
“Morgan, I’m not letting you take him.”
A fire burned behind Morgan’s eyes for a fraction of a moment, but it was gone before I was even sure it was there. “I’ll let you have your way this once since you’re my new apprentice. But you must promise me you will check in on him every Friday night at eleven-thirty three.”
“What’s supposed to happen?”
“I can’t be sure yet, but something will happen. There are several notable seers I am in contact with that assure me as much.”
“Okay.” I stood there for a moment, unsure of how to proceed, then I noticed my arms swaying out of the corner of my eye. “What the hell am I supposed to do about this?” I asked.
“Follow me,” Morgan said abruptly, turning and walking across the street to my car. I struggled to pick up the security guard, but at least I could do it now. Whatever Morgan had given me restored my strength, at least partially. Once we got to my car, I leaned the guard against the rear wheel. Morgan waved her hand and the car unlocked itself.
“How did you do that? I thought you threw up after casting a spell.”
“Just when I spell weave. This is something different.”
“What is it?”
“Question, questions, questions. Just sit tight and tell me where you keep your enchanted sticks.”
“In the glove compartment.”
She rummaged through my glove compartment, making a complete mess of things. “Why do you have so many McDonald’s napkins in here?” she asked.
“Questions, questions, questions,” I mocked her. I caught the reflection of my face in the driver’s side mirror and grimaced. My face was just as pale as my arms, with those same thin black veins. My hair was pitch black too. However, my eyes were like two pieces of coal on my face. My new appearance was frightening to say the least. I hope it wasn’t permanent.
Morgan ignored me and finally came out of my car with my enchanted sticks to hide my eyes. “I’m going to alter the enchantment on these to hide your true appearance. As it is, you look normal to anybody without The Sight, but break a stick every week just like you normally do and your appearance will look normal to those with The Sight.”
Morgan laid them on the ground and began to weave a shimmering, golden tapestry in the air. Once she finished, the sticks glowed with the same golden color as the tapestry, then faded to look like normal sticks. Morgan immediately threw up her breakfast. Once she was done, she wiped her mouth on her sleeve and gestured, “Go ahead, give them a try.”
I grabbed one of the sticks and snapped it in half. An energy was released from them and my arms had their normal tan color overtake them. “Thank God,” I muttered, seeing my reflection become normal.
“No, thank me,” Morgan stated. “Now, I have a couple things I want you to do. Don’t use any magic whatsoever until I’ve had a chance to properly study your modified body. On top of that, you cannot tell anybody about your new form.”
“Not even Colt or my Mom?”
Morgan actually paused to ponder my question. “Yes to Colt, no to your mother. If she found out, she would go on a rampage.”
“Can she really do that much damage?” I asked, shocked by what Morgan was saying.
“Not her, but her associates… It’s just best if she and your family don’t know about what happened for now.”
That was weird, but okay. “Sure,” I shrugged. No use in pushing for details at this point. If she was omitting something so obviously, it must mean she had no intention of telling me at all.
“Now, drive me,” she told me, getting into the passenger’s seat.
“Okay,” I exasperated. “As you command, m’leage,” I muttered, loading the security guard in the back seat.