MAX

5

Emily paced back and forth in her room. She ran a handy through her dark hair. The six ghosts were still in her home, but they had stopped pounding on her door since Max had left. She cursed under her breath. She shouldn't have yelled at him. Max was smarter than her. He got rid of thirty ghosts in her home, and those were thirty more than Emily could have gotten rid of. She took all of her frustration out on him, and now he was gone. She was alone again. Max was the only ghost that had actually given her some sort of hope. She had always wanted to get her life back on track. Now she messed up her only chance at getting a normal life. The ghosts weren't gone. They were just on the other side of her door, waiting until she came out.

Emily wiped a stray tear away from her face and straightened her posture. She had to get Max back. Only he knew how to get rid of them. He could also get hurt with those ghosts out there. They could be ripping him apart.

Emily took a deep breath and opened her door. Her hallway was empty, and she shivered. She could barely see two feet in front of her, it was so dark. Emily could no longer her the sound of her father's movie from the television in the living room. Maybe he is just in bed, Emily thought to herself. She took a deep breath and peeked into her brother's room. Only one ghost occupied this room. Emily recognized it as the little girl with the teddy bear knife. The girl was bouncing on the bed. Emily quickly and quietly clicked the door closed and shuffled her way down to the next room. She looked into her sister's room and saw that two ghosts occupied this one. One of them was the demon-looking ghost, who was staring out the window of the room, with his back facing the door. The second ghost was Young Age. Her melting face was staring directly at Emily, and Emily bit back a scream. Young Age stood up from the bed where she was sitting and slowly made her way towards the door. Emily knew closing the door wouldn't do any good now that she was spotted. She looked around the floor and found three books lying carelessly on the ground. Her sister was always the bookworm type. Emily scrambled to grab one, and just as she did so Young Age wrapped her bony fingers around Emily's wrist. Emily shivered. She looked helplessly back up at Young Age, who was just staring. She couldn't speak. She didn't have a mouth to do so.

Emily and Young Age stood there for what seemed like hours before Emily decided not to harm Young Age. She was already barely a body. She didn't look too far off from the pile of what once was a body that Emily had seen lying on the ground. Emily quietly dropped the book so she wouldn't gather the attention of the demon-ghost. She carefully pried Young Age's fingers from her wrist. She expected the ghost to fight back, scream, do anything, but she didn't. A tear of blood dropped down Young Age's face.

For an unknown reason Emily felt sympathy for Young Age. She was once a prideful and beautiful cheerleader, but now she couldn't even speak and she was melting constantly. It wasn't Young Age's fault. Emily recognized that the ghost had never really tried to harm her.

Emily refocused her attention on finding Max. She had to find him. Emily took a step out of the room and gave one last glance at Young Age before heading back down the hallway. She saw three ghosts so far. There were two more to go, not including Max.

A hand suddenly grabbed Emily's ankle, and she fell to the ground. She felt her body being pulled back further into the hallway. She couldn't help the scream that came from her throat. Desperately Emily clawed at the brown carpet and walls, but whoever was pulling her was far stronger than she was. Emily managed to glance back at the ghost that was pulling her. It was one she hadn't gotten a good glance at before. It was a man- at least that's what Emily had assumed. His face had been covered in blood, and the back of his head was covered as well. Blood dropped down his arms as he pulled Emily back down the hallway.

Emily cried out desperately to anyone who might hear her. She cried out to her father and her siblings. No one came. She didn't even know why she cried out for her siblings when they weren't even home. She was desperate- holding onto life by a thin thread.

Emily suddenly felt her body cease to be dragged through the carpet. She rolled over onto her back and found that the ghost who was pulling her was fallen to the ground. Max stood above the man, holding a book in his hand. Max had knocked the ghost unconscious.

Emily stood to her feet, panting. "Max?"

He did not look pleased to see her. He folded his arms and walked back into Emily's brother's room. Emily watched curiously as Max sat on the bed, causing the little girl who was jumping to stop. She looked down at Max with a straight face, clutching her knife in one hand. Max reached out his hand and began petting her softly through her hair. The girl sat down beside Max and hugged her bear. Satisfied, Max stood and nodded to the little girl, who for once was smiling. Max left the room and closed the door. He faced Emily with a grin expression on his face. Before Emily could speak, Max walked straight through her, sending an immediate wave of chills down her spine. Max walked further down the hallway, until he stopped at the end. Emily hadn't seen Max like this before. Yet again, she didn't know him. She watched as Max slowly turned around to face her again. From where he stood, he looked creepier than before. Blood dropped from his stomach wound, and his eyes seemed to bore into Emily's skull.

"Are you afraid of me?" Max asked.

Emily bit her lip. His voice was so innocent, but his appearance was just the opposite.

Max began walking back toward Emily again, slower his time. "There is a bullet in my stomach." He said. "Blood drips from my stomach as I walk around your house. I'm a ghost. I'm not alive. I can hurt you if I wanted to."

Emily shivered. She didn't like the way he had said that last part. She fumbled for the right words. "Do you want to rest?" She asked sincerely.

Max seemed to ponder over this for a moment. "Not yet." He said. "Are you afraid of me?" He said more strictly.

Emily shook her head. "No." She said. "You're the only ghost who helped me. Is helping me."

Max scoffed. "I'm just a fourteen year old. But I'm a ghost. That means I am hurt you."

Emily's eyes widened. "Max, what are you saying? Why would you say that?"

"I'm just like them." He said, spreading his arms out wide. "I don't want to be, but I am. So why do you think you can trust me?"

Emily held her breath. "I should never have yelled at you and made fun of you." She began. "I'm sorry, Max. I was wrong to do that to you. The truth is, you can hurt me, and I can hurt you back."

Max's jaw clenched.

Emily continued. "But I'm not going to hurt you. I know you're not going to hurt me, because you're not like the others. You are kind to the others. You don't hurt. You helped thirty ghosts finally get the peace they were searching for. You have kept your promise so far. And you came to me." She said, tears forming in her eyes. "You came to me. I didn't try to get rid of you. We are helping each other out. You are much smarter than I am, and you know what you're doing. I don't. I need your help."

A long pause followed after Emily finished speaking. Finally Max broke the awkward silence. "Well, you did say I was much smarter than you. I do know what I'm doing too." He boasted. "I'll help you get rid of the rest."