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April '81- A Ghost in the Dream April 6th, 1981 As time draws closer to the end, some of us separate from the group; some never to return. For whatever the reason, to each, his own. I would like to leave for my own reasons, but something in my very core forces me to continue. Denise has been missing for almost 3 weeks, Raul and the others seem to be worried, since they have not seen or heard from her during this time. Even her uncaring brother has asked me with concern and worry about her whereabouts. I have not seen or heard from her during this time. But in my 1/2 sleepy daze as I walk through the halls, I sense that there is something wrong. There is a cold sensation floating through out the basement as I walk to the elevator. A very cold and odd sensation, the type that makes the hair in the back of people's necks stand up and take notice. A sensation that tells me to be alert, awake and aware. A sensation that death is walking amoung us, waiting to pounce on an unspecting victim like a lion upon his next meal. I wait by the elevator, first on line. Watching the lights flicker their floors as it decends downward. A few try to skip the line ahead of me, but I stand my ground in front of the door, staring into the eyes of those who would try to get I front of me. The SOS's attempts to control the line is lacking, as the crowd tries to push hard on the line as the sound of the elevator comes down on the floor and the door rumbles before it opens. By the natural order of things, the people in the elevator have to leave before anyone can enter it. But there are always a few that that try to take advantage by sneaking in head of those exiting. Unfortunately for them, I will not be skipped nor denied my rightful spot online. It would be much easier use the handicap pass to get into the teacher's elevator, but in those rare moments, I managed to be first online. Thus I block the entrance on the right with my bookbag and extend my left arm outward to block that side as the door opens. She takes a step forward and freezes in her tracks. A young boy stops with her. He's wearing a green team jacket; unlike that of Tech's blue and white. She stares into my eyes and I find fear. Looking at the boy, I find the same fear in him too. Behind them, I sense another who is not there. Something angry, something destructive, seeking revenge, wanting to stop the path of the future in the direction it is heading. It stands there unsure how to deal with me, but I notice its appearence and prepare to deal with it. It stands there, dressed in a tattered airforce flight uniform and a 1/2 broken helmet, about to lurch at us, as I start to prepare a plasma ball in each hand. But instead, it flies past us and through the stairs behind. It was a pulterguise, the ghost of the boy standing by Denise, but as a much older man, who has died in a very violent death sometime in the not very distant future. Everyone stands in their place as the breeze created by the fleeing spirit blows by. Time almost seems to stand still. Denise stands there, staring at me while I hold the two plasma balls I created out of thin air before deciding to make her move. She grabs me and her friend by the arms and pulls us, running towards the same doors the ghost went through. I drop one of the plamsa balls as she grabs me by that arm. The bright flash of light made everyone scurry towards the nearest exits. We stop by the rear of the stair case, letting go of me and starts to hug him in a tight enbrace. I just stand there for a moment, deciding to go up the stairs after a few seconds of standing around. "GUTICH!", She yells at me as I start walking up the first few steps. I turn around to see her breaking away from him. "Yes, Denise?", I answer in my usual tired tone. She stares at my hand where the other plasma ball remains in my grasp, and she does not look happy about it. "Explain.", she demanded. I tighten my grip anoud the ball and reabsorbed it into my body. I look back to her and then at her friend, "No- you explain why you been missing for the past 3 weeks." She quickly changes her mood from demanding to sad and then happy in the few seconds before she answered. "Well....'", in her most child like innocence that she can deliver. "New boyfriend.... I see." trying to stare down her friend. He does not put up any hint of a challenge. I take another step backwards up the stairs. "Gutich!", she yells again. "What is it?", I almost complain. "We need your help.", she almost whined. "Go to class and I'll meet you at Jastrey's after 8th.", I answered. She hestiates for a moment as I start up the stairs. "We need you now!", She screams, almost starting to cry... I look down the stairs at her, "Go to the library and then go to lunch and hang out for a while. I have to go to class.", I complained. As I started up the stairs, she yells at me, "I bet you would help that bitch Cathy or that hoe Evadney!" I stop in mid step, thinking what to do next, turning around and slowly walking down the stairs until I'm with them at the basement level. I step up to her and look into her eyes. "Go Home Then.", I demanded. She became surpized and shocked about my answer. Her friend tries to step in between us as a challenge to me. I shift my eyes toward him. "Back off...", I state in a 1/2 pissed of mood. He stands there without budging. Denise steps back, pulling her friend by his arm. He slowly complies. "Wait for me over there, Angel.", as she signals him silently to the corner before the stairway. She gives him a quick kiss on the lips as he started to walk away. He stands there alone, at attention like some solder, as she starts stepping towards me. "You dont understand...", she saids sadly. "No- you dont understand!", I almost barked at her. She bows her head down, almost conceeding her arguement to me. "I'm sorry...", she whimpers silently. Angel turns around and started to take a step forward. I look at him, almost challenging him to do something to resuce Denise from the chewing out I'm about to give her. "Whack!" Out of nowhere, a large knife impales itself on the concrete wall, just a few inches from his face. I jump out from the steps to see if there was anyone there. No one was there. Not even the doors were closing or steps of somebody running on the other side of the staircase. I reach over and pull it out. Its the same type of throwing knives that Raul used to carry: long, wide, double edge blade and its handle balancing its weight evenly. But this one feels strange; like holding a bare wire while electricity is flowing through it. I look at Angel, hold the blade, trying to read it by feel against my hand. Slowly I take the blade and hold it up to Angel's face, aiming it in the correct throwing position it should be. The blade seems to have a life of its own, like having a magnetic pull towards Angel's direction, wanting to fly out my hand. The tighter I hold the blade, the stronger the pull it has. I let it go, giving it an unbalancing spin to one side. It flies awkwardly about, trying to straighten itself out, but accellerating at the same time. It lands flat against his chest and falls to the floor, where it disappears in a bright flash. Angel looks at me angrily, clutching his fists in an agressive and challenging mode. "Take your best shot...", I state to take on his challenge, "but either way, win or loose, you're gonna die." Denise runs up between us, almost about to cry. I just stand there, crossing my arms in defiance. "You dont understand!", Denise yells. "Then by all means, explain.", I tell her. "He's my boyfriend...", she states out loud. "Then explain the poltergists...", I tell her. "Polterguise...?", she asks. "The ghosts and other strange things that are happening.", I tell her. "I dont know what you are talking about.", she tries to deny. "Denise... I know you too well to known when you are lying.", I tell her. "Who is this guy?", Angel says. "That's Guitch...", she says. "Look- Angel... why you are here wearing an Avaition High School jacket is beyond me. You get caught here by the football team they will kill you.", I tell him. "Well, I'll take my chances.", he adds. "Looks like you already have. Now what's the hell is going on?", I yell at them. In the distance of the staircase on a higher floor, my ears pick up the chatter and static of radio communications- school security's radio communication. Angel was about to speak, but I hushed him and took Denise by the wrist, taking her up the stairs to the First Floor and out the building's entrance. Angel followed like a good little puppy he is. Standing outside the building, we gather by the corner of Ft Greene and DeKalb. "Come on, lets go to the park.", I tell them. Denise tries to speak, but I hush her up as we walk up the hill. Once there, I sit by my place under the tree. Angel stands there looking at me unsure what to do. "What's going on?", I ask. "Nothing is going on.", Denise says. "Come on, Denise...", I tell her. "What? Nothing Is Going On!", She argues back. "Denise... I dont care about the guys you go out with, but seriously- you just had a ghost attack you two. Now start explaining.", I tell her. "What is there to explain?", Denise argues back. "Listen here Denise- there are forces here in play that I would rather not want to deal with, but since you and your little friend here have somehow angered a ghost, the both of you are not safe until that ghost is satisified with what ever it wants. And seems to the both of you dead.", I explain to her. "It only wants me dead.", Angel finally speaks. "And what have you done to offend the dead?", I ask of him. "It not what I done, but what I will do, one day, some 25 years from now.", Angel answers. "Start explaining...", I tell him. "Its something about a war in the middle east, where I will be flying with a squadron and be deploying nukes across the land. But in the battle, I will be killed.", he explains further. I close my eyes and envision the images in his mind, most which seem to match the dreams I have been having lately since christmas, of the final war to end all wars. I take a deep sigh as I close my eyes and take in another piece of the puzzle. "Get Out of His Head!", Denise yells at me "What did I do now?", I ask of her. "I know what you're trying to do.", she almost yells. "Enough of that, Denise...", I tell her. "Look, she has explained much to me. Now give me the respect I deserve and stay out of my head.", he says as he got closer. As he bent down towards me, I raised my hand towards him and concentrated. A bright flash of light, and Angel found himself sitting on his rear end just in front of me. "Now understand this- respect is earned, not given. And one who has the dead after him does not have my respect until he gets theirs first.", I tell him. "...how did you do that?", Denise try to add. "You actually think that my powers are genetic in nature? That is only half of my capabilities, but the other half I dont ever want to use for bad or for good, for using them comes a price that I do not want to pay. Understand?", I explain to her. She just stands there with a blank stare, while Angel stares at me but is more understanding. "Now, understand this, your ghost is you.", I tell them. "What?", he asks. "Its your ghost, from the future. An its trying to stop you from joining the airforce or any other military, not by killing you, but in hurting you enough that you would not be accepted into the ranks.", I explain to them. "If it wanted you dead, it would have killed you a long time ago." "Why now?", Denise asks. "How long have you two been going out?", I ask. "A couple of months?", Angel replies. Denise stares at him with concern that says to me that she did not wanted him to answer that question. "I believe that it is longer. No doubt that you two have become sexually aquainted with each other.", I then said. "Guitch!", Denise yells at me. "Denise- you can not hide from me those fact inside your hear from me. Just like you can barge into my head and take out any information you want, so can I with you. But the problem remains- what are we going to do with your friend?", I stated. "For one thing- it only attacks when we're indoors.", Angel says. "Its only trying to make sure that you are an easy target and can get help immediately, without hurting others that might be in the way.", I explain. "How do you know all that?", Denise asks. "Like I said, there are certain things about me that you do not know, and preferably will never know.", I tell her. "Then what can be done about it?", Angel asks. "Nothing.", I said. "Nothing?!!", he replied. "Other than speaking with it and dealing with it on its own terms- nothing.", I explained. "Fuck that, I'm going tto talk to my aunt and see if she can get me a protection spell.", Angel almost boasts." "Do that and you would be making it worse.", I tell him. "How so?", he asks. "If you gett some protection spell for yourself, it will start attacking everyone around you and it would be your fault. Now- you want Denise to get hurt? Or your mother?", I explained and then asked. He sits there in silence, thinking about what I have told him. "Now you see what I mean.", I tell him. "Then what can we do?", Denise asks with concern. "Its all on him.", I tell her. "You're not going to help us?", she almost demanded. "No Denise... only he can help himself. This is out of anybody else's hands.", I tell her. "Thanks for nothing then.", she says sarcastically as he helps Angel up again. "This will not be the last time we will meet.", I tell them. "HMPH!", she saids as they turn around to go down the hill. within the time of under a minute, they walk down the hill and disappear at the bottom where the park entrance meets DeKalb Avenue. I continue to sit on the base of the tree, thinking about has transpired: a rendevous with a ghost from the future trying to alter the timeline by injuring its younger self. And somehow I do not believe if it was not for the conversation we all had, despite Denise's demands for help. But what can I do? Though fighting evil on any level is something that I would love to do, this is something thhat is not evil, and definately on a level I do not want to be. Yet at the same time, Denise still may think that I can help with my natural abilities. But this is something beyond any natural abilities, and is into the supernatural realm. How anyone who does not posses such knowledge or abilities can help is beyond me, they would just get in the way and probably get hurt in the process. But the problem does not lie with Angel. This key is with Denise. It seems that Denise is a trouble attracting magnet, where the oddest of situations befall on her. And this is not the first time where trouble from the mystical realm has haunted her, but the problem she believes is that her empathic and psuedo telepathic abilties would defend her, if not alert her to the danger. In thinking, I take a deep sigh, and wonder. In thinking, is the future predetermined or is it allowable to change? Somewhere I find an answer that it is both- where events on the grand scale are going to happen reguardless, but the events and people in them can happen by any means and are often replaceable with others. Scarey thought, because this brings into question whether I am replaceable or not. |