Sharon’s note: I get a kind of twisted joy when the annoying character in horror realizes they are screwed. Even if I’m writing it. Really, it’s satisfying in a way I don’t have words for. Warning: Sometimes the author is the biggest villain.
Elizabeth laughed at my gaping jaw. “Really, you wouldn’t think I would be so shocking after following two ghosts here.”
“You’re a starved naked vampire ghost, Liz.” Kathy rolled her eyes. “I’m dead too, but even I understand there are orders of magnitude.”
“If she’s so desperate to ‘know’ that she runs off into the dark with two ghosts, one might assume she was prepared for anything.” The glow of the lamp outlined every line of Ernie’s face, making his smile look sinister.
“Will you two quit picking on the living girl?” Kathy put her hands on her hips.
“Only if you stop calling me Liz.” It was impossible to tell if Elizabeth was grinning or snarling.
I finally got myself together enough to stammer out, “How did you get down here? How did you even get captured? How did you die?”
“Nosy little thing, aren’t you?” Elizabeth chuckled as she circled me. “And she’s not bad looking either.”
“I thought you might like her. Not too skinny like a lot of girls these days. Nice breasts.” Ernie leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
“I thought he was supposed to be shy,” I said to Kathy. My stomach was starting to sink, and I didn’t like the way Elizabeth was looking at me. It was like being creeped on, but hungrier.
“He normally is.” Kathy moved to stand next to me, inserting herself between Elizabeth and me.
“Get out of the way, girl.” Elizabeth bared her teeth again. “You aren’t involved in this.”
“I brought her down here to be safe. That kind of makes it my business. Now what are you doing?” Kathy puffed up like an animal warning off a predator.
Hands like steel cables locked around my arms, pulling them behind my back. I tried to jerk away, but couldn’t move an inch. Ernie’s voice Rumbled right behind my ear. “Leave, Kathy. We have plans for the girl.”
Kathy’s head whipped back and forth between Ernie and Elizabeth, her eyes going wide. “You’re going to possess her? No. No, I won’t allow it.”
“You can’t stop us.” Elizabeth arched her back, skin straining against her ribs as she laughed, a mad, evil sound.
“Stop? No.” Kathy’s hands balled into fists, knees bending slightly. “Run, Maggie.”
I jerked in Ernie’s grip. “I ca-”
Kathy disappeared, and Ernie wrenched away with bruising force. Elizabeth shrieked and lunged at me. I ran, sprinting into the dark tunnel, faster than I ever ran before.
Gray Matters: The Works of Sharon and James Gray 