Ghosts of the Past

Chapter 5

"Kaneki, it was a nightmare." Ned repeated.

"It wasn't." Kaneki shook his head. "It happened. Don't you understand? It happened. It's all too real."

Slowly, the puzzle pieces clicked into place as Ned finally saw the real picture.

"Kaneki?" Ned slowly asked. "Does this have something to do with the fear and stress you experienced?"

"No. No, no, no, no, no!" Kaneki chanted, paranoia setting in.

"Kaneki, it is, isn't it?" Ned figured.

"Toes on the bench, fingers on the floor, centipede in my ear! It's in my ear! Get it out, get it out, get it out, get it out, get it out!" Kaneki thrashed, screaming.

"Kaneki! Calm down! Stop! You need to breathe!" Ned instructed hastily.

"Kaneki!" Ned yelled and desperately slapped him.

Kaneki froze and stopped screaming. He fell limp and his breathing was heavy.

"Not again." He muttered, rubbing his head. "Sorry about that. Damn nightmares."

"Yeah, nightmares my a*s. What happened to you? To make you scream like that?" Ned asked.

"It was a horrible nightmare." Kaneki repeated.

"No, Kaneki. It was something that happened to you before. You said so." Ned glared.

"I was delirious." Kaneki argued.

"Maybe, but you also didn't lie." Ned replied.

"Why do you want to know so bad?" Kaneki asked, eyes narrowed.

"Because what just happened, was bad. I want to know what the hell made you act like that." Ned demanded.

"I was tortured. That's all there is to it. It was a long time ago. It's over and done with. I can't do anything about it now." Kaneki explained.

"You can call the cops! Arrest the person who did it!" Ned barked.

"It wouldn't matter anyway. Not now. He's dead. I killed him." Kaneki said, a blank look on his face.

"Killed him?! That's a little extreme, don't you think?" Ned hesitated.

"He tortured me, Ned. He killed a mother and daughter in front of me, and worse. I was physically and mentally tortured for who knows how many days. Killing him wasn't even enough. I slowly and painfully tortured him, killing him. I made him beg, and I still took his pitiful life. He got sick pleasure from hurting me, barely keeping me alive for his own amusement. He got what he deserved. I made sure of that. Extreme, you say? I say it wasn't enough." A killer intent surrounded Kaneki, visibly darkening the atmosphere. A psycho smile was plastered on his face, visible eye wide with insanity.

Ned backed away slightly, shivering. Goosebumps covered his arms.

"Anyway!" Any traces of insanity evaporated in seconds, leaving a kind, smiling Kaneki in its wake. "That's enough of my life story. Let's go and get a better look at the campus. We'll have more time on the days before classes begin."

Kaneki stretched and dug through his not yet unpacked clothes, hurriedly getting dressed.

Ned wondered what the whole story actually was.

__________________________

"Excuse me? Could you help me?" A woman asked Melinda.

"Yes, what is it?" She replied. This woman was a ghost, looking for guidance.