Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice

Chapter 13: Death For The Dead

   The four deceased perched on chairs in a little circle in the waiting room. Samuel lent forward, his elbows on his knees, listening intently to his wife's tale of her demise. Barbara and Adam reminisced about Lydia's time living with them as a little girl and got to know her husband better. But there conversation was continually interrupted by the grumpy receptionist, whose pretty face was marred by the frown she wore, shushing them and complaining. 
"If you want to talk you should go somewhere else." She eventually said. "Some people are trying to rest in peace here." 
"Well where else can we go?" Lydia fired back, angrily. 
"I don't know. There are plenty of offices." 
Samuel got to his feet, "Come on, I know this place rather well now." He smiled.

  As it happened the "other side" was full of people wanting to chat. Caseworkers to their clients, one ghost to another, even a group messing around with some kids Ouija board. Samuel led them down a long corridor, whose uneven floor was chequed with a head-ache inducing black and white tile, all too familiar to the Maitlands.
They stopped to inspect one of the closed doors and Lydia's eye wandered to the window set into the wall. It was thick glass, encasing what looked like water or dense fog, she couldn't be quite sure. It was back lit with a sickly green light and entirely empty. She approached the glass, laying one small white hand on the pane, all the while wondering what the tank could be for. With an ear piercing shriek an elongated transparent body shot from the bottom of the tank to the top as if pulled by suction. Three or four others followed but by then Lydia was already backed up against the opposite wall, trying but unable to avert her gaze.
Samuel grabbed her wrist and whispered in her ear, "The exorcised ghosts. It's death for the dead." before pulling her into an empty office, much like Juno's only smaller, and bathed in the same green light as the tank. Barbara and Adam hastily followed. 
"I'm surprised you two don't know this place a little better by now." Samuel said as he settled into one of the chairs. 
Barbara shrugged, "We don't really like it here." She replied. 
"That's fair. I just got used to it. God, Lydia the family that moved into our house were awful. The kids... so loud. And the parents...ugh!" 
"I'm sorry I left." Lydia reached a hand across to him. "I didn't think you'd be there. And even if you had been I wouldn't have seen you." 
"You moved out pretty fast." He said, a hint of bitterness in his voice. 
"Bad memories." She replied, trying to sound apologetic. "I did what was best for our girls." 
After a moments silence Samuel spoke up again with renewed vigour. 
"So, you fell down the stairs?" 
"It wasn't as simple as that. I was pushed." 
"Pushed?" He sat up, "Who pushed you, Lydia? Who did this?"
"He did it. The one I never wanted to speak about. You know.. I can't say his name or he'll come back."
"Beetlejuice?" 
Samuel was drowned out by a chorus of "Ssh! You can't say that!" from the rest of the party. 
"I'll kill him. I swear to God, Lydia, I'll kill him." He stood up angrily, hands balled into fists at his side. Lydia tugged at his sleeve until he sat back down. 
"Don't be stupid, Sam." She scolded. "He's dead already. And anyway even if you met him I doubt you could kill him. He's so powerful." She gave a little sigh, relaxing the grip on his sleeve. "The thing is, he's still in the house with the girls and Delia. He's hiding but he's there." 
"That's what we went to Juno about." Cut in Adam. "She was no help." 
"Caseworker's are next to bloody useless." Samuel fumed. "You'll get used to that down here... taking matters into your own hands." 
Barbara and Adam gave hearty nods in agreement. 
"But Jesus Christ, Lydia, you can't just let him loose around our girls. Especially if what you told me is true."
"Of course it is!" She retaliated. "I'm here because I need help. I want him gone. For good."
Samuel got up again, unable to contain his anger, he paced the room. "If he so much as lays a finger on Katrina or Beth I'll... I'll-"
"You'll what Samuel?" Lydia snapped, impatiently. "What will you do, hmm? Kill him?" He shot her a wary look. "He's dead already." She repeated. 
"Well isn't he-" Barbara began, but she was cut off by Samuel. 
""What do you wanna do, Lydia, just leave him?"
"No of course not."
"I think I-" Barbara tried again, but to no avail.
"Wait until he tries to marry Katrina like he tried to marry you." 
"Samuel!" 
"The thing is-" Adam shot his wife a look, he knew she was clever. The cleverest one in the room. 
"Or worse, Lydia. What if he kills one of them!"
"That's enough, Samuel!" 
"I think Barbara wants to talk." Adam said, in the silence that followed. 
They turned to face her. She braced herself, sat forward on her chair with her hands in her lap. 
"He's a ghost right?" She said. 
"Of sorts." Lydia replied. 
"Then we exorcise him." Barbara finished abruptly. "We exorcise him so he can't come back. Death for the dead." 
They all exchanged looks, no one said a word but the silence spoke volumes. It was the best plan they had, a good plan at that. They all quietly agreed to give it a go.