Fractions for fun - 3. Ghosting

“Hey, I told you this was nothing!”

Eddie didn’t even try to stop the condescending smile spreading across his face. The guys’ idea of Halloween fun was so lame. A haunted house? Honestly, were they twelve? With all the entertainment available only a few clicks away these days, going to see some losers in less than impressive costumes try to scare people was so old fashioned. And Eddie didn’t do old fashioned. He barely did last week.

Eddie turned to shoot Mark and Kyle a smug look, only to discover his friends had vanished. Scowling, he spun full circle but only saw the cheaply decorated “scary” room, complete with cliché spiderwebs and wisps of manmade smoke. Eddie snorted. Could this house be more of a waste of money? Not that money was an issue. He made good money managing the store and made sure to have fun spending it as well.

“Very funny. This was your suggestion, remember?” Sighing, he retraced his steps across the floor. “Where did you go?” He raised his voice slightly, suddenly finding the house too quiet. Hadn’t there been other people there? Ludicrous recorded screams?

When he reached the other side, he stopped. Where was that door? He distinctly remembered entering the room from there. But now, the door had vanished. Feeling silly, he guessed the dark and the smoke had confused him. However, after examining the room more closely, he came up empty. No door. It didn’t make sense. Someone was playing a trick on him. And he knew just who it was. His so-called friends were in so much trouble.

Pawing the walls, he continued to search for the hidden door. It had to be there, since he couldn’t have walked into a sealed room. His hands glided over smooth surfaces with no hint of an opening. With annoyance, Eddie noticed sweat breaking out across his lower back. It always happened when he was stressed or nervous. But why now? This was just a silly prank. For which Mark and Kyle would pay. Dearly.

A gust of chilly air drifted across his neck, making all the hairs on his body stand. Had the room turned cold? That would be somewhat impressive. Eddie stared at his now visible breath, as it drifted upwards. He shivered. Yes, it was decidedly colder.

“Hey! Anyone out there? Very funny. You had your laughs. Now, let me out.” Banging on the wall, Eddie tried to summon someone. Maybe the guys weren’t done with their prank, but a staff member would perhaps take pity on him.

“Eddie…”

A whisper drifted through the room. He spun around, but saw no one. Still the same empty room. Still no door. The voice was vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it.

“Eddie…”

More insistent this time, but somehow disembodied. Eddie shuddered. Why would he think of that word? Why let his mind go to that particular place? He was not going there. That wasn’t a door in his subconscious he was willing to open.

“Eddie…”

Louder and closer now. Taunting him.

“What?” He swallowed. “You’re taking this too far. I agreed to come here for some laughs. This isn’t funny!”

Suddenly, what little light there was disappeared and Eddie was plunged into complete darkness. Suffocating darkness, pressing down on him. On instinct, he closed his eyes. It turned difficult to draw breath, as if the thick darkness was slithering in through his nose and mouth. He wanted to shut it out, but he had to breathe. His breaths became quick and shallow. He had to get out now.

“Hey! Let me out!” He banged hard on the wall. The pathetic thuds almost weren’t noticeable. “I swear to God, I’m gonna kill you if you don’t open the door now!”

“Kill…?” The strange voice turned sinister as well as mocking.

Chills traveled down his spine and down into his legs, almost making them buckle. He leaned against the wall. Or huddled. Eddie preferred to think he was leaning.

“Like you killed us…?” Something in the words prompted Eddie to open his eyes. A pale and oddly translucent face floated mid-air across from him. A face he recognized but couldn’t quite place.

“You have no idea, do you? Typical Eddie. All about himself.” Another face appeared. Equally pale. Also someone Eddie felt he should know but didn’t.

Were they both dressed in black? There didn’t seem to be any bodies attached to the heads. But that didn’t make sense. Wouldn’t that mean they were…? Eddie quickly blocked the thought from his mind. He would not let himself get worked up over that silly childhood fear. He’d had enough of that getting locked in the cellar by his stepdad. It wasn’t real. They weren’t real. He was an adult now and in control. He decided how he lived his life and who he trusted. No one else.

“He doesn’t remember. You were right.” The first face addressed the second. “What a complete asshole! Someone should teach him a lesson.” Grinning, the apparitions move closer. They floated through the air, slowly but menacingly.

“What do you want?” Eddie tried to keep his voice under control, but it cracked with fear. “Who are you?”

Without answering, the faces hovered towards him. Their contours flickered eerily, like old fluorescent lights. The hollow eyes kept a steady gaze on Eddie, effectively holding him captive in the corner. Eddie swallowed and had to concentrate on staying upright. His heart pounded in his chest. Closer and closer they drifted through the air, until he couldn’t take anymore. The scream he had held down broke free and filled the room. At first it felt like a relief, but soon he realized it didn’t help. He was still trapped. He closed his eyes, wishing fervently he was somewhere else.

“You always were scared of ghosts.” The words whispered in his ear chilled him to the bone. “I never understood why, but now I see. It’s all so clear now.”

“Yes. You’d think we should be the transparent ones, but we can see right through you now.” A soft, menacing laughter had Eddie open his eyes momentarily, but he squeezed them shut again.

“Please. What are you? Who are you? I want to leave. Please, just let me leave alone…” The last words were spoken through sobs.

“Look at you. You were always so good looking, sexy, in control. I knew you were bad news, but I had to give in. Now, I see what you really are. Distant, self-centered, arrogant, conceited, selfish.”

Eddie had a sickening feeling of something floating through him. They knew. They really did know. They saw him. Truly saw him. Relentlessly, the voices continued.

“Controlling, ugly, insecure, scared, damaged, abused. Scared people will find out who you are. How you use and abuse the ones you’re supposed to love. And for what? Some sick revenge you never dared to take out on that man?”

“You used us.”

Eddie forced himself to look at the faces in front of him. Deep down, something sparked his memory. Those trusting eyes. That crooked, shy smile.

“Rob?” He looked at the other face. “Drake?”

There was no answer, but they fell silent. Hovering in front of him in quiet disgust.

“Why are you doing this? How are you doing this?” Eddie had to hear them say it, even though the answer would probably scare him.

“You don’t know?” Rob glanced at Drake. “He really doesn’t know. Typical.”

“You left me without a word, without warning. Just disappeared.” Drake’s voice was filled with barely repressed anger and an overwhelming sadness. “I couldn’t bear to think of life without you. The love of my life gone. How could I go on living?”

“You vanished.” Rob spoke up again. “No explanation. Even changed your number. My desperation drove me insane. I didn’t want to live either.”

“It wasn’t until I could see everything from the other side that I realized what a sorry excuse of a man you are, taking your anger out on us and others. But it was too late.” Sorrow momentarily filled the dark hollows where Drake’s eyes should be.

“You ghosted us, so we decided to ghost you. For real.” Rob’s words were filled with hatred.

As their eyes started glowing, they drew closer. Eddie pressed back against the wall, but there was no escape. He covered his face with his arms, but there was no way to shut them out. He could feel them on him, in him. Slimy, slippery sliding across his skin. Chilling him to the core. They kept passing through him, showing him they knew just who he was. A disgusting human being. Unworthy of love. Just like he had said. Eddie screamed. Screamed until his voice was hoarse, but the ghosts didn’t stop. There would be no mercy for him.

Behind him, the wall fell away behind him and suddenly he was on the street again. Eddie ran. Ran for his life. Or from it.

I didn't follow the prompt very closely this time. I just had this idea and ran with it before I realized I had made a mistake. It is what it is...