ALICE

CHAPTER 19- TRAPPED SOULS

The hospital walls looked painted red in blood. Dark crimson liquid lay in puddles, staining the white tiles. The smell of blood seemed everywhere. Thousands of voices were screaming in pain and agony. The voices of the trapped and lost souls whom no one could hear. The screams of the people who were stuck between one world and the next, echoed off the walls. The chilly air felt like it would cut through skin.

That was what Alice had been preparing herself for. Not for what she was seeing now, standing by the hospital doors.

The hospital walls looked freshly painted white. The cream tiles were scrubbed clean. The place smelled deeply of chemicals and medicines. The brown reception desk was stacked neatly with files and papers. There were a few waiting chairs set up in front of the desk, now empty in the middle of the night. Several corridors were leading into different rooms.

The private hospital looked well managed now, since the hospital began to make business. It had looked like a shabby hut the last time Alice had been here with Charlie. It was newly built then, with rumours flying around about an evil spirit haunting the area. Alice had been really curious as to see how bad ghosts were. After so much time with her ghost squad, it had been quite hard for her to believe in bad ghosts.

Unfortunately, Alice was given a horrible lesson that night, that had removed all doubts in her mind about the existence of evil spirits. A memory that still sent chills through her body. She had barely escaped with her life, and Charlie had almost disappeared for good.

It was that night Alice had discovered, that powerful ghosts had the ability to erase the weaker ones. She hoped tonight would not be a reminder of that.

As if reading her thoughts, Charlie assured, "Don't worry, if that damn ghost comes after us again, we will be ready for him!" Alice gave him a small nod.

The fluorescent lights were brightly lit up, thanks to Mike's powers. Alice wondered if it would catch a passer-by's attention. She hoped not.

As Alice began to make her way inside, she wondered just how much she was missing out. Most girls her age were already with jobs. Not that Alice did not want to explore. She just never felt the need to.

Sophie had always made sure Alice got whatever she needed, without her even having to step out of the house. Whenever Alice fell sick, her mother made her a strong concoction, which always helped her get on her feet in a few days. At times, Alice wondered why her mother wasn't a doctor.

Let alone hospitals, Alice had never even been to their own flower shop. She did not even know where it was located. She thought it was a miracle that Sophie had allowed her to finish her schooling, at the very least.

"What exactly are we looking for, Alice?" Asked Maria, breaking her thoughts.

Alice was not sure herself, but she said, "A ghost in need of help, perhaps?" She began to make her way towards the corridors.

They had all left as soon as they were convinced Sophie had fallen asleep. Alice was feeling a little down. Her mother had grown distant from her, yet again. Sophie had hardly spoken to her daughter at dinner. In fact, she had pretended as if Alice were not there at all.

Alice had believed that things had changed ever since her father had left them. That her mother and her were finally close, and they had been, though only for a few pleasant days. It all felt like a dream now. As if it had never happened.

"Here, ghosty!" Called out Knave, who had suddenly appeared next to her. "Come out, we just want to help you. Or to be more precise, a crazy girl wants to try out her powers!" He shouted.

"The hell is wrong with you?" Snapped Charlie, placing himself between them.

"I have no interest in roaming around empty corridors, hence I decided to speed things up." Knave replied.