Ghost

Chapter 5

"So," Celia said after all of us had returned to the living room, "I've thought it over, and as far as I can tell our only option is to just sit and wait."

"With the psychotic murderer?" Alec said sceptically.

"It's not like we have any other choice," Celia said defensively, "all of the exits are blocked and our phones are in pieces."

"We don't know how long we'll be waiting. There's not enough food to last us forever, and she might attack one of us again." I said. "There's no way we can just sit here."

"Look, I don't like it either," Celia replied, "but someone's gonna notice we're gone eventually, there'll probably be people looking for us by the end of the week."

"That's if we're not dead before that." Gabriel said, making all of us flinch. The all too real thought of our lives ending was a bit of a touchy subject.

"What if we barricade ourselves in?" Celia suggested, "if we block the entrance with the couches and chairs, no one would be able to get through."

"No one alive at least." Mel muttered to the floor, she had been out of it since we'd exited the strange room.

"Oh my god, you cannot be serious right now." Gabriel exclaimed. "You honestly think that she's a ghost!? How stupid can you be!?"

"Hey! lay off, Gabriel." I tell him annoyedly.

"I wont lay off!" Gabriel retorted, "this isn't one of those stupid stories, it's real life, she needs to grow up."

"You know what Gabriel?" Mel's eyes were intense and angry, "fuck you. You think you can just say shit like that? We're all trapped here, so don't get all cocky and think it's all about you."

"Guys," Claire said quietly.

"My girlfriend just died!-"

"Guys."

"Oh please, she was just a fling to you anyways."

"The hell did you just say?"

"Guys!"

We all turned to look at Claire, surprised by her sudden outburst. Her face immediately reddened and she looked at the floor.

"Um, well I was just wondering why the lights are working." She said to the wooden boards, "since no one pays for electricity or owns this house."

She was right. We hadn't noticed but the lights had been on since probably around when Celia showed up, rendering the candles scattered around the floor and tables pointless.

"Ding, ding, ding!" Sang a voice that made me freeze in terror. "Congratulations, you solved it!"

We all turned to see Elaine in all her petiteness, standing before us. This time weaponless.

"Everyone! Get out of her quickly!" Celia shouted, but the only way out was slammed shut behind us. Leaving us trapped with the 14 year old. Although she appeared unarmed, we made no move to try and suppress her. Her energy seemed dangerous.

"Aww," Elaine said, "you're leaving already? But I've already got a prize."

She hopped up onto the coffee table, standing with her hands on her hips and looked down at all of us. "Now who should I give it to...?" She mock pondered.

"Eenie, Meenie miney moe..." Elaine pointed her small index finger at each of us as she said the simple nursery rhyme. Her voice filled with equal amounts of joy and menace. Before she finally stopped at Gabriel with a 'moe'.

Elaine grinned at Gabriel, "you win!" She excitedly called out.

Then she vanished.

And I mean quite literally vanished. Like poof. Gone.

"You're gonna love your prize!" I heard Elaine say, although it appeared to just be coming from everywhere.

There was a moment of eerie silence before the ceiling fan fell. The wire jolted and stopped the fan from hitting the ground. Leaving it hovering two feet off the floor. It was pretty old, like everything else in the house. One of the blades had snapped, so the edge was basically just a bunch of splinters off the cheap woods surface.

The ceiling fan hummed to life, at first spinning slowly, then speeding up to a velocity that should not be possible for a fan. The wire suspending the machine quivered from the speed that the fan was going.

"No!" Gabriel shook his head in terror. "No! Please don't kill me! I'll do anything you want!" Tears began streaming down his face, and he grabbed Claire's arm pullin her towards him. "Please don't kill me, you can kill her instead."

Alec made an angry glare at the rather pathetic teenager. "Don't fucking touch her!" For a moment, I swear I thought he would punch Gabriel. But nope. Instead Claire did.

Honestly, it was one of the most unexpected events to take place. Next to the, you know, girl chopping off my crushes legs. Claire's fist hit Gabriel's jaw with a crack and he was sent flying to the ground. Claire looked at Gabriel angrily, massaging the wrist he had been gripping.

"Don't ever touch me again, you perv." The once shy and stuttery girl said dryly.

Gabriel just stared up at her in shock.

Then Elaine decided to make her move. She jumped off the coffee table and landed on the ground silently. At that point, even if I wanted to, I couldn't move. It felt like I was trapped in hardened concrete.

Elaine lifted Gabriel up by his shirt collar. Strength that far surpassed that of a normal adult, let alone a 14 year old, was clear even from across the room.

She dragged Gabriel in front of the spinning ceiling fan. His eyes overflowing with terrified tears.

"This is fun already." Elaine exclaimed before shoving Gabriel's face into the fan.