Linked

27: do ghosts sweat?

We waited for an agonizingly long time for Ariel to show up.

Sol had Benjie bring down a chair and currently, it was placed in the middle of the safe. I was sitting in the chair with my hands calmly placed in my lap. Although I looked calm, I was the complete opposite of calm.

My heart was beating rapidly to the point I was medically concerned about the speed. I even felt myself sweating. I didn't say anything. I knew that if I did, the calm persona that I was projecting would fall apart.

"Where's your body," Sol asked Benjie as he counted the dollars in the safe to pass time.

"Oh, that old thing? It was starting to stink up the place so I burned it," Benjie answered as if it were nothing. He was fanning himself with the dollar bills in his hand.

"Oh, really? I think my body's in the ground. I never got to see what my family did with it. Yo, what if they changed out outfit? Bruh, I'd be so pissed off, I liked that outfit I was wearing," Sol said as if it were nothing.

My feeling of panic was replaced with disbelief. Are these two serious?

Suddenly, the three of us heard footsteps approaching the opened safe.

I stood up and glanced at Sol.

"You brought zip-ties, right?" Sol asked Benjie who nodded.

"For what?" I asked slowly.

"Ariel's here. Don't forget what I told you," he said, ignoring my question.

Ariel strolled into the safe with his hands in his perfectly tailored suit jacket's pockets. "You asked to meet."

"Yeah. Um, sit down," I answered.

"No, I insist. You should sit down," Ariel said, gesturing at the chair.

Wow. Look at him acting like a gentleman. Ridiculous.

"No, I feel like you should," I said instead.

"Okay," Ariel finally agreed, sitting in the chair.

Immediately, Benjie took out zip-ties and began to tie them onto Ariel's feet.

Sol tilted his head a bit to the door, telling me that I should leave now.

I bit my lip and hid my hands behind my back. Then, slowly, I turned around and walked out of the safe.

"Where are you going?" Ariel demanded.

I turned around and he immediately lunged forward. However he wasn't able to move far. He tried to move his legs but saw that he couldn't move them. He looked down and saw that there were white zip-ties around his ankles, preventing him from leaving.

"What is this!?" Ariel cried. He was about to move his arms when Sol grabbed them.

"Wh-" He froze when he turned around and saw Sol. "I-I-I-I-I thought y-y-y-y-you-"

"Were dead?" Sol finished for him.

Ariel frantically nodded his head like a madman.

Sol looked up and me and narrowed his eyes, warning me that I should leave. I nodded and scurried out of the room. Then, I closed the door behind me.

Immediately, I put my ear against the thick door so I could hear what was going on. The more I tried to listen in on their conversation, the more frustrated I grew. I couldn't hear anything.

Sighing, I turned around and stomped up the stairs. When I arrived at the main floor, I saw Jasai sliding across the floors of the mansion with his socks.