LUCAS SINCLAIR - ONE SHOTS AND SHORT STORIES

THE GHOST OF DUSTIN HENDERSON - CHAPTER 3 OF 4

CHAPTER 3 OF 4

DON'T SCREAM

Lucas rings Max's doorbell.

Mike is standing behind him and says,

"Lucas... I REALLY don't think this is a good idea."

Lucas sighs and nods.

"Yeah, I know, I know... But Max needs to see this."

"Yeah, but, it's just... Showing someone the GHOST of their dead friend... How do you even approach something like that?"

Lucas can feel his heart pounding in his chest, "No clue, buddy."

Finally, the door opens.

Max appears, looking rough.

"Lucas? Mike? What is it?"

Lucas takes a deep breath.

"Max, I, we, um... Need to show you something."

"Ok... What is it?" She asks.

Lucas sighs, "Max, listen... When you see... What we're gonna show you..."

Mike cuts in, "We need you to promise us something?"

"Ok, what is it?" She asks.

Lucas can feel sweat coming out of his skin, "We, uh... We need you to promise us you're not gonna scream. Ok? Don't scream."

Max looks genuinely startled.

"Um... Lucas... Why would I scream?"

All of a sudden, Dustin's ghost floats up from the ground behind Max.

"Because it's not everyday you get to see a ghost! But, wait, Lucas told me you said you've already seen-"

A horrific shriek of a scream comes straight out of Max.

Dustin covers his ears,

"Jesus Max, I need to cover my ears and technically I don't even have any!"

Max runs forward and wraps her arms around Lucas, who wraps his own arms around her, trying to calm her down. She's hyperventilating.

"Lucas, Lucas, that's, that's-"

"Yeah, I know, Max, I know..."

Max looks over at Mike, "Mike, you see him too?"

Mike nods, "Yeah, Max, I can see him too."

Max looks over at Dustin's ghost in horror, "Your... real. You really are... a ghost?"

Dustin nods with a smile, "I'm a ghost!"

Max finally lets go of Dustin, who walks right up to Dustin's ghost.

"So... Ghosts are real? You really turn into a ghost when you die?"

Dustin shakes his head,

"Not everyone. I'm still not exactly sure how it works. I think it's like a lottery system. At the very least, I do for sure there is an afterlife."

Max sighs, "That... gives me a LOT of relief in life. Knowing that death isn't just eternal darkness. That there is SOMETHING."

Lucas nods with a smile, "I was thinking the same thing. Knowing there is SOMETHING waiting for us at the end... Makes life a lot easier."

"Just to be fair," Dustin puts a finger up, "I don't know what the afterlife is yet. Just that it exists."

Lucas says, "That doesn't mean I wanna go there just yet."