If I Was There With Ghost Stan

2

Stan's vision blurred and dimmed. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Ford and Tammie kneeling on the ground a few feet below him, bent over somebody. In a surreal moment, Stan realized the that body Ford was frantically examining was his own. Huh...

The pain in Stan's abdomen, which had been agonizing just a short while ago now only felt like a dull ache. The memory of pain, more than pain itself.

Is this one of those out-of-body experiences?

Then Stan got a look at his own face. He looked at his eyes, and a chill went through him.

Nope. Stan whispered. ...Not one of those.

Ford was staring down at him, frantically compressing his chest and whispering. "No... no... not now. Not after all this..." while Tammie just sat back and cried silently.

Stan moved down a little closer to the scene. He was startled to see tears coming out of his brother's eyes. Were those for him?

"Please...." Ford gave up on his compressions and slumped over the body. "Please don't go... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I didn't mean it." He shook, and his breath caught. "I don't want you gone... I don't want to loose you again... Come back... come back, please..."

Stan reached out to put a hand on Ford's shoulder. Show him that he wasn't really gone... but his hand passed right through him.

I'm here! Stan shouted. Sixer, I'm still here...I'm not going anywhere!

Tammie seemed to have stopped crying at that and had a shakey smile on her lips. Voice quiet as a whisper Stan could barely make out what she said over his brother's sobs. "Wish you were still part of the living you reckless bastard. Should have let me help you." Stan wasn't sure if she had heard him or was just trying to not take this so hard.

But Ford didn't turn, and he didn't react. He stayed with his arms wrapped around the body on the ground, oblivious to his brother's voice. Stan made a frustrated little noise. He couldn't even tell Ford that he heard him. He couldn't do anything besides... besides just float above him and watch.

Stan would have thought this would give him some satisfaction, seeing himself be mourned. Seeing his brother weep over him. But now that it was actually happening all he wanted to do was throw his arms around Ford and tell him not to cry. Tell him that he wasn't really... wasn't really.

The weight of what was happening began to sink in. He looked down at his hands, at himself and found he could barely see anything. He was... insubstantial. Like an after-image. Like a mist, or a... ugh, Stan couldn't bring himself to say the word that was coming to his mind. Like something from one of those static-y handi-cam shows Dipper was always-

Oh, shit. Shit. Dipper... Mabel.
He knew he didn't have a heartbeat. Didn't have blood running through him anymore, but he could feel his heart race all the same, felt the blood run from his face. The body on the ground was slack and twisted. Its face was devoid of light or expression, and its middle was a mass of gore... the Our Hero sash that Mabel had knitted for him had been neatly clipped in two by the monster's claws, and the tattered halves were soaked in blood. He looked like something out of a nightmare.

Ford... please, he whispered. Don't let the kids see. Don't let them see me like this.

Whether or not any part of Ford or Tammie heard Stan, they seemed to have the same idea. Slowly straightening, Ford took off his trench coat and lay it over Stan's body. For a moment, he stood looking down at Stan. Then he turned back towards the Shack.

Good... good. Don't take me back there... not while the kids are home. Stan muttered.

His voice was strained and extremely shakey. "We shouldn't let Dipper and Mabel see him like this... We should head back and tell them you're spending the night with the handyman." Tammie seemed to immediately understand. "You go tell them I'm bringing him back to the shack and that I'm just taking a bit longer. I'm staying with you tonight. You need someone right about now to help you get through this. I'll get there after they leave... I'll handle things on my end." Ford just nodded and left.