The Affection Test.

Chapter 20

Egon's POV

It's been about a week since I've had that dream. That terrible dream. It haunted me. Ever since she left, day in and day out that dream infested my brain. It ate away at my frontal lobe like a parasite, and I was the reliable host. I've been running on fumes, and after a while, the guys have stopped checking on me. They noticed that every day I just got worse and worse. I was rotting away. I became a shell of myself. I can't even begin to comprehend why some girl... some... test subject... destroyed me. Of course I love her there is no doubt. But typically those that experience heartbreak recover after a certain period of time. I've reached past a point to where this isn't just heartbreak. This is something more.
I digress, since that dream, it's been silent. I haven't had any more dreams. I even slept through the night. I became so used to the night terrors, that it was normalcy. And now that they have vanished I'm left confused. I feel like I'm in a foreign place now. Possibly more so than I did when I had the first nightmare. I remember it so vividly. Every moment I had with her that was locked away in the safety of my mind was thrown back into my face. I saw her leaving. I watched the pain grow in her face like it was the first time. And then I saw it. Again, and again, and again. It got to a point where I stopped crying when I woke up. The exposure made me so numb to it. The repeated punching-down just left me lying there helpless.
Not only has my mind been silent, but so has the outside world. After that dream, calls came to a screeching halt. The firehouse has gone cold. Nobody talks anymore. The halls were filled with jokes cracked from Peter and Ray, boots barreling down the halls towards the garage to Ecto-1... But now it sits in the garage with a small film of dust covering its frame. Almost like it stopped hoping for the next adventure we would take it on. Everything has gone silent.

Something is wrong.

I trudged down the steps to the main hall and into the living room. I took a few steps inside. The wall still had the stain of red wine from the glass that Ray threw at me that night. Janine tried for days to desperately scrub it off with multiple cocktails of chemicals, she eventually gave up. I took another step onto the carpet under our new coffee table and quickly lifted my bare foot up and seared in pain. I investigated the sole of my foot and found a piece of glass wedged into the ball of my foot. I picked out what I could, and put my foot down, it still hurt. I must have left a small shard in there. As I walked it just felt like another form of sick mockery. A small reminder of the day that everything went wrong. Every step. I heard her weak voice in my mind.
The other side of the living room was an archway to the kitchen and dining hall. In there sat Winston, Peter, and Ray all smoking their respective packs of cigarettes. They all turned to look at me. Each pair of eyes told their own version of the same story of regret, loss, and guilt. Ray spoke first.

"Good morning Egon. You're up early."

I looked at the clock hanging on the wall

"Ray it's 1:47"

He let out a hollow chuckle

"That's four hours earlier from when you typically wake up, buddy. Have a seat"

I put my hand under the lens of my glasses and rubbed my eyes as I sat in the chair across from Winston. He offered me a cigarette. I took it and lit it up. Peter and Ray looked at each other and Peter leaned across the table and placed a piece of paper from the Mayor's office. I cleaned the dirt and grime from my glasses and put them back on. I winced at the sudden shift of clarity and brightness. Once my eyes adjusted I looked down at the paper, it read,

"To the respected, beloved members of the New York City Ghostbusters.
As the mayor I would like to start by saying that it has been an honor to have you serve our city with such compassion and love. You have done well to protect the citizens of this fine city- and by extent- the rest of the country from the paranormal. You have educated those- including myself- to open our eyes and believe in what you are doing. I have the utmost respect for your dignified practice.
However, given the fact that there has been an extensive, massive decline in the need for your service, I regret to inform you that I can no longer approve state funding for your facility. I have fought tooth and nail to protect you, and your honor, and keep you as an established, well-funded facility. But as the decline plummets farther, the funding seemed less necessary. While your facility remains well funded, other public service facilities suffer and look to me for reassurance that their livelihoods will not collapse along with countless other citizens that utilize their services on a daily basis.
I am terribly sorry that it had to come to this. But let it be known that I will always be thankful for your service. I will never let the mark you made on our beautiful city be wiped away. To make sure this comes across to you, I will be enveloping a tribute to your service. I have made the executive decision to open a section in the museum dedicated to your services. To sweeten this, I have also decided to put up a statue in Time's Square to also pay tribute. The funding for these marvelous things will be coming out of my pocket, as a gift directly from me, to you.
I must also inform you that you have been given a week to safely transport any and all equipment, furniture, and spirits in the containment chamber out of the facility to ensure the safety of citizens from possible malfunctions or hazardous- perhaps fatal- accidents. Do not fret, I have also taken it upon myself to contact moving teams, and government specialists to safely transition you out of the facility. I have also included a list of apartments, and other affordable housing options fit to appropriate standards. Please do not get used to this exceptional treatment- I could only do this much.
I am deeply sorry for the pain I am certain this has caused you fine gentlemen. I assure you that this was not intended to be malicious, or vindictive. I need to do what I must to protect and serve the people of this fine city.