AfterLife

Chapter 21: Semi-Solid

After just a few minutes of sitting down I heard yelling from the street below.
“We need to spread out! Search everywhere! We can’t let this THING continue to kill our kind! Look in every nook and cranny!”
The Ravens had caught up. They hadn’t realized where I was yet so I had time to think of where I was and how to get away from there. I was currently sitting on the roof of an old building. It was safer up here because the roof was so rotted if anyone tried to put their weight on it it would break beneath them. Luckily for me I was a ghost and not solid, so I had no weight. I heard more yelling below. Scared civilians I had previously run by were telling the Ravens what direction they saw me go and where they thought I went. I listened to see if they had actually seen where I went.
“It went to the shopping district!”
Nope.
“I saw it go into houses!”
Nope.
“It went on the roofs! Me and my friends saw it!”
Shit.
“Alright Jeff, Joseph, Carl! Go onto the roofs and look around! Peter come with me. We’re searching the abandoned houses.”
The Ravens split up and the man who appeared to be the leader went with who he had called Peter into the old dingy house next to the one I was on. I carefully stood up to leave when all of the sudden the roof broke out from under me. I went crashing through both floors and smacked into the ground. How was this happening!? Why did I physically hit the ground!? WHY AM I SOLID AGAIN!? I stumbled back onto my feet. I had scratches everywhere, a pounding headache, and my clothes had holes and rips everywhere. I felt something trickle down my face and wiped it away. My hand was covered in blood. How was I bleeding? This made no sense! How were solid things hurting me? I turned to a nearby wall and pushed my hand against it. It went through. WHAT!? Before I could get any more confused the group of Ravens burst through the door.
“Got you!”
The man in the front pushed the button on his camera. I dodged out of the way and jumped through the hole I had made in the floor. Suddenly even more Ravens came through from the ceiling. The first one down pointed his camera at me but before he could do anything I grabbed him and threw him through the wall. The wall completely crumbled away and the whole floor above me and the roof began to cave in. I felt the pieces of wood falling from the floor above hit my head. Shit. Suddenly the whole place collapsed. I got buried under more and more rotting wood. When it finally stopped I could barely stay conscious. Why did this have to happen now? Out of all the times it could’ve happened, why now? I threw off the wood that was on top of me. Or, tried to. Once again I was no longer solid. Going through the wood, I stumbled out of the large pile that was once the house. As fast as I could muster I stumbled into an alleyway nearby and slumped against the wall. I could hardly see anything past the blood that was getting in my eyes. My arm felt broken and most every part of me was bleeding. All of the sudden the Raven that was leading the group whipped around the corner. Seeing me he smiled.
“Not so tough now are you?”
He pulled out his camera.
“Clever trick trying to bury us all. Sadly for you we’re faster than you think.”
I glared at him.
“Well enough chat, you and your friend here are going to be terminated back at base.”
As he said this, he pulled out a photo. Void! I felt anger well up in my chest.
“You mother fucker.”
“Call me what you like you monster. You’re the one whose killed, what, 10 people?”
“They deserved it. Now you let him go before I rip your fucking throat out.”
“Someone’s got a temper. What are you going to do? Scare me to death? What if I just killed him now instead?”
He pulled out a photo taser. How he got one I didn't know. They were given to only the higher up Ravens to kill any ghosts if needed. All they had to do was tase the photo and bam. He put it closer to the photo.
“You bastard!”
All of my pain forgotten I leapt at him and shoved him over. Grabbing him I threw him across the alleyway. Again I noticed I had tentacles. Who cares. Jumping back at him I grabbed him by the neck and held him against the wall. Grabbing both the photo and the taser I shoved the photo taser into his chest and turned it on.
“AUUUGGGH!”
I pulled it out and stabbed him through the chest. I dropped him on the ground when I heard yells behind me. Whipping around I saw more Ravens. I lunged at them and threw several of them against walls and stabbed any of the others that got close enough. I was filled with rage and killing anybody and anything that got close enough. Eventually they stopped attacking and the ones that were alive ran away. After a minute I calmed down and looked around. It was a bloodbath. There were at least 8 dead Ravens not including the leader. The pain in my head and arm returned. Grabbing the photo with Void in it I stumbled through a back street into a different dilapidated house. I ripped it in half and slumped to the ground. Void came out and whipped around prepared to fight. He stopped as soon as he saw me.
“Alex oh my god!”
He ran over to me and crouched next to me.
“What happened!? Are you okay!?”
“I’m fine.”
As soon as I spoke I started coughing up blood.
“Alex!”
“I’m fine, it's not as bad as it looks.”
“You’re not fine! You’re bleeding everywhere and coughing up blood! What if you die!?”
Void looked highly distressed.
“Void calm down! I’m not going to die ok?”
I stumbled up.
“See I can stand. I’m not going to die and I’m not planning on dying anytime soon.”
Calming down a bit he spoke and stood up.
“I still don’t believe you’re ok and we’re not going anywhere until I’m convinced you can actually walk.”
Everything began to look fuzzy.
“I can walk just not… very… well.”
All the sudden everything went black.
“Alex!”
Alex fell over. I wasn’t sure if she was passed out or dead but I didn’t have time to think about that. Crouching down I flipped her over. Blood was trickling from her forehead. I needed bandages and fast. Dashing out of the house and around a corner I stopped. She really did a number on the Ravens. About 8 or 9 dead bodies were spread about and blood was basically everywhere. Rushing over to the nearest body I took any of the cloth that wasn't already soaked in blood. After I had what seemed like enough I rushed back to where Alex was. All I can do now is to wrap up her wounds and pray she isn’t dead.