Ghosts the complete seri.., p.26
Ghosts: The Complete Series, page 26
"I'm here to kill him," Kal says. "I'm here to make sure he can never hurt another person again."
"Exactly," I say, "and that's what I don't understand. When you had my father right in front of you - twice - you refused to kill him. You said you were not able to kill humans. So what's changed? Why are you suddenly more than happy to kill Lucas Everard?"
"Are you defending him?" Kal asks.
"Of course not," I say. I glance at Everard, who looks at me with a mixture of shock and curiosity. "I would never do that," I continue, "but I don't think it's right for you to just kill him in cold blood, and I want to at least find out the truth about my family before you use this thing." I hold up the letter opener. "This isn't like you, Kal. This is... it's like you're becoming more human."
"I am," Kal says, "but you say it like it's a bad thing."
"Let him kill me," says Everard from behind me. "If it's what he really wants, let him plunge that thing into my chest. And then watch him spend the rest of eternity wracked with guilt, consumed by the knowledge that he killed an innocent man."
"Innocent?" I say, turning to him. "Don't push it. You're not innocent, but it's not Kal's place, or my place, to decide you should die." I turn back to Kal. "You taught me that, Kal. Come on, we need to get this fucker to talk. We need to use him to get answers. You want to find God and Satan. I want to know the truth about my father. We can get some of this information from Everard, but not if we kill him!"
Kal just stands there, staring at Everard with a kind of rage in his eyes. This isn't Kal as I've ever seen him before; this is Kal with a desire to really hurt someone.
"You can't reason with him," Everard says to me.
"Don't you see?" I say to Kal. "It's like he wants you to kill him. It's like that's part of his plan all along."
"Do you know what he did?" Kal asks.
"Of course I do," I reply. "He made some kind of deal with my father that -"
"He took advantage of his secretary," Kal continues, apparently ignoring what I said, "and now she's pregnant with a child that terrifies her."
I look at Everard. He looks down at the ground.
Kal takes a deep breath. "I will not kill him," he says eventually. "Though he deserves to die, and though I am sure that someone will kill him one day for the terrible things he has done, I will not be the one to end his miserable life." He turns and walks away, and I hear him walking out the front door.
"Thank you," says Everard.
I turn to him. "I didn't do it to save you," I say. "I did it to save Kal from becoming like you. And I did it because I want to know that truth about my father."
"No you don't," Everard says. "You really don't."
"Don't tell me what I want," I reply.
"Trust me," Everard says. "No matter how bad it is not knowing, it would be a million times worse to know. If you want to know why I refuse to tell you the truth about Edgar Keneally, well... it's because I don't want to hurt you. And you can believe that or not, but it's the truth." He sighs. "Sometimes just believing the truth is the hardest thing you have to do."
I stare at him. This pathetic man, who spends so much of his life masquerading as someone powerful, really isn't so terrifying after all. He has no real power. He's just a lawyer in a small town, a man who craves power but who really exercises very little. And tied up like this, he looks even more pathetic than usual. I swear to God, if it wasn't for the fact that he seems to know something about my scumbag of a father, I wouldn't give Lucas Everard a second thought. But the problem is, he does seem to know something about my father.
"Just tell me," I say. "Don't say I can't handle the truth. Just fucking tell me."
"You'll find out soon enough," Everard says, looking at me darkly. "It really doesn't matter what I say. It doesn't matter what anyone says. It's all going to happen anyway." He takes a deep breath. "You think I'm such an evil man, don't you? But the truth is, I'm just human. And I want to stay that way. I don't want to be a ghost. I don't want to be anything other than what I am. Dark times are coming, Miss Keneally, and a lot of people are going to be swept away. Forgive me for trying to postpone that darkness for as long as possible."
I turn and walk to the door.
"Untie me," Everard says.
I glance back at him. "No," I say. "Right now, having you tied up like this removes one complication from the picture. I have to go and find out the truth about everything."
"The wheels are turning," Everard says. "If you just blunder in blindly, you'll get crushed." He smiles. "What? You think that just because you're a ghost, you can't get hurt? Don't be a fool. The truth will destroy you, but if that's what you really want, then fine. I'll tell you."
I pause, not sure what to say. Everard plays so many mind games, it's impossible to know what's real and what's not real any more.
"I'll tell you everything," he says. "Untie me, and I'll tell you why your father murdered you. I'll tell you who and what Kal really is. I'll tell you what's going to happen next and why it's so terrible. I'll even tell you who's going to die and who's going to live. All you have to do is untie me."
Part of me wants to go over and untie him right now. But another part of me think there are some other things I should try first. After all, trusting completely in Lucas Everard doesn't seem like the best strategy, but I suppose it's good to have him as a back-up. "Later," I say, staring at the ropes that bind him to the chair. "You're not going anywhere."
Chapter Five
"Did you kill him?" Emily asks as I return to her home.
"No," I say. "I let him live."
"An interesting decision," she says. "I suppose it was too much to hope that you might help me get my revenge for the way he treated me."
I pause. "We have to remember our mission," I say. "We have two very important people to find. You told me you had leads. We have to get on with it, so that this town can return to normal."
"This town can never return to normal," Emily says. "It's built on the oldest part of the planet, and it's always going to have this... energy in the air. You know that there's no hope for this place. All we can do is try to mitigate the damage and hope that the people here can live some kind of normal life." She comes close to me and wraps her arms around me. "First thing in the morning, we'll go and find them. I think I know where to look."
"Where?" I ask.
"In the morning," she says, gazing into my eyes.
"There's no time to waste," I say, but she puts a finger on my lips.
"Kal," she says. "Honey. Listen to me. One night won't make a difference. If we do find God and Satan in the morning, then we have to leave this town immediately. Do you realize what that means? We have to give up these bodies? These human bodies, these... flesh... things. And we'll lose all the emotions and the feelings and the sensations that come with them." She smiles. "Don't you want to enjoy these bodies for one last night before we have to lose them?" She leans up and kisses me.
"No," I say, breaking from the kiss.
"Yes," she replies, kissing my neck. "Come on, honey. One last night. And then we can spend an eternity as... whatever wonderful, saintly creatures we are normally. But for this one final night, let's be human and let's enjoy human feelings. Human love. If we don't, we'll never get another chance." She sighs. "I've been used and abused by Lucas Everard," she says. "I don't want that to be my one and only experience of human love."
I open my mouth to argue with her, but I'm not sure what to say. It would be wrong to waste time like this, but at the same time my human side is demanding that I give in to my passions. The temptation is too strong, and I fear that I will surrender before too long. Perhaps Emily is right, though, and it would be a useful exercise to surrender for just one final night.
"Kal," she whispers, unbuttoning her shirt and opening it to reveal her bare breasts. "Tell me you don't want me. Tell me that for just one night, just our final night on this planet, you don't want to know what it's like to make love to me." She bites her lower lip, and then she slides her skirt down to reveal the patch of dark hair between her legs. "I want you," she says, "and I know you want me. It's our last chance, Kal. This time tomorrow we'll have found God and Satan, and our human bodies will be nothing but dust and ash. I don't know about you, but I don't want to become dust and ash before I've known what it's like to be with someone properly." She leans up and kisses me again.
We make love. For hours and hours, we make love in her bed, two naked humans - or creatures with human bodies - intertwined. She is loud and vocal in her pleasure, and her young, firm body writhes as she experiences the human sensations that she has always wanted to understand. Finally, as we rest on the bed afterward, she looks over at me with a curious half-smile on her face. "I..." She pauses. "No, forget it."
"What?" I ask.
She shakes her head. "Not now. Later." She smiles uncomfortably. "There's a time and a place for everything, Kal. This... was the time and the place for one thing, but not for what I wanted to say."
"If -"
"No," she says firmly, "please just let it drop." She pauses. "I have to go and do something. I'll be back in an hour." She gets out of bed, making no effort to hide her naked body as she gathers her clothes and gets dressed.
"I have one question," I say as she heads to the door.
"What's that, honey?" she asks, turning and smiling.
"The child you're carrying," I say. "Lucas Everard's child. The child conceived when he entered you."
"What about it?" she asks, seeming a little annoyed at me for bringing it up.
I pause, trying to be tactful. "If we lose our human bodies tomorrow, what will happen to that child?"
She stares at me. "I've asked myself the same question," she says. "The honest answer is that I truly don't know. But I'm sure that somehow it will be okay. Somehow everything will work out. God wouldn't just kill my unborn child, would he?" She lingers at the door for a moment. "We'll work something out," she says, and then she's gone.
Chapter Six
Having left Everard tied up in his home, I race across town to try to find Kal. There was so much anger and hatred in his eyes the last time I saw him, I want to find out what has happened to him, and why he seems to have changed, and I also want to know if he thinks I should listen to Everard.
Approaching the house where Kal has been living, I walk straight through the wall and find that the place is pretty dark inside. It's a nice house, or rather it looks like it used to be a nice house. It seems strangely empty, as if there was once a family living here but now they've gone. I wander from room to room, and eventually I find a woman sitting on a sofa. She's the woman Kal has been seeing. I've never really met her properly, but I know her name is Laura and there's something very sad about the look in her eyes.
I stand in the shadows and watch her. She can't see me, of course, or hear me, but I've learnt that occasionally people have a surprising capacity to recognize when ghosts are around, so I'm careful not to do anything to draw attention to myself. I just watch for a few minutes as Laura sits reading on the sofa. There's such a strong sense of sadness coming from her. I can't even begin to explain it, but it's palpable.
"Don't worry," says a voice from next to me. I turn to find a little boy standing by the door. "She can't see us," he says.
"You're a ghost?" I ask.
He nods. "My name's Henry," he says, looking over at Laura. "That's my Mom."
"She seems sad," I reply.
"She is," he says. "She blames herself for my death."
"That's crazy," I say instinctively, but then I realize that I don't actually know anything about the situation. "Isn't it?" I add.
Henry shrugs. "It's kind of her fault a bit," he says. "She should have taken me to hospital after I hit my head in the car accident. But she just brought me home and put me to bed, and I died during the night."
Staring at Laura, I realize that the sadness she exudes is tinged with guilt. "Whose fault was the car accident?" I ask.
"She swerved," he says, "to avoid hitting someone. It was kind of unavoidable."
I turn to him. "You're pretty grown-up for a kid," I say.
"It's been a few years since I died," he replies. "I've had a lot of time to think about stuff."
"And your Mom can't see you?"
He shakes his head. "I think she could, if she wanted to. But she's very careful not to let anything in that might disturb her. She's messed up, but she's one of those people who just survive. That's good and bad at the same time, I guess."
"I guess," I say. "I came to speak to Kal. Do you know where he is?"
"He left," Henry says.
"What do you mean?" I ask, alarmed.
"He moved out," Henry continues. "They had some kind of argument. I think he's got a new girlfriend now, somewhere else in town."
"Fuck," I say, then I realize Henry's still young. "Sorry."
"It's a shame," he continues, walking over to stand in front of Laura. "He made her a little bit happy for a while."
I follow Henry over. Laura has no idea that we're there. She just sits on the sofa, reading her book, occasionally taking a sip from her glass of wine.
"She drinks too much," says Henry. He pauses. "Sometimes I think she knows I'm here. Like... she can see me, and hear me. But she just pretends she can't. She just focuses on other things and tries to block things out."
"I don't think anyone could block out their own son like this," I say.
"I talk to her," Henry says, "and occasionally, just occasionally, I think there's a slight hint on her face that she knows about me. But maybe I'm just imagining things. I guess I'm just seeing things that aren't there."
There's a sudden knock at the front door. Laura puts her books down and gets up from the sofa, passing straight through me as she walks out of the room.
"I'll never get used to that," I say to Henry.
We hear Laura opening the front door.
"What do you want?" she asks angrily.
"I want to talk to you," says a female voice. I recognize who it is, but I can't quite remember.
"About what?" Laura asks, her voice full of scorn. "Shouldn't you be at home getting all loved up?"
"Please," says the female voice. "Can I come in? Just for a moment?"
Laura stands aside and I watch with horror as Everard's former secretary Emily walks in. So Emily's the one who stole Kal away! I guess I can kind of understand; after all, Laura's an older woman and although she looks good for her age, I suppose she's no competition for a girl like Emily, who's young and hot and doesn't mind flaunting her curves. It must hurt Laura, though, if Kal has so blatantly traded her in for a younger woman. That doesn't seem like the kind of thing that Kal would do, but then again, Kal seems to have changed lately.
"You're welcome to Kal," Laura says. "Hang onto him but watch out, 'cause he'll just leave you one day."
"I'm not here about Kal," Emily says. "I'm here about Lucas Everard"
Laura pauses. "What about him?"
Emily puts a hand on her belly. "I'm carrying his child."
Laura laughs. "Seriously? You poor little bitch. I guess whoring yourself out to all the men in town finally turned around and bit you on the ass, huh?" She walks back through to the front room, with Emily following. Picking up her glass of wine, Laura turns back to face her. "I'd offer you a glass, but I don't like you."
"Thanks," Emily says, "but I probably shouldn't drink anyway. Not in my condition."
"Carrying the devil's baby, you mean?" Laura smirks.
"Lucas isn't the devil," Emily says. "Trust me, I'm absolutely certain of that. But I came to you because I know you and he have a history, and I thought you might be able to help me with something." She takes a deep breath. "When Lucas forced me to sleep with him -"
"Bullshit!" says Laura.
Emily pauses. "When Lucas forced me to sleep with him -" she tries to say again.
"Bullshit!" Laura screams, throwing her wine glass at Emily and narrowly missing her head. The glass smashes against a wall, red wine spilling everywhere. "Lucas Everard is a lot of things," Laura says angrily, "but he's not a monster. He's an ass, and a liar, and a crooked businessman, but he would never force himself on anyone."
"My belly says different," Emily replies.
Laura stares at her for a moment. "I don't even see what Lucas would want with a little scrap like you anyway."
"When he could have you, you mean?" Emily replies, smiling. "Come on, I know you've been in love with him since, like, forever. That's why I don't even feel bad about taking Kal away from you."
"I think you'd better leave," Laura says, walking out of the room and heading through to the kitchen, where she grabs another bottle of wine and starts to open it.
Emily follows her through, with Henry and me following. "You can't face the truth," says Emily. "But that's okay. I didn't come here to make you see things more clearly. Frankly, I don't give a shit. Fuck, your own dead son is in this room and you don't even see him."
Laura looks at Emily with absolute hatred in her eyes. "Fuck you," she says.
Henry looks up at me.
"He's here," says Emily, turning and looking at Henry. "How does it feel, little boy, to live every day in a house where your own Mom doesn't even see you."
"Get out of my house," Laura says, with simmering anger and hatred in her voice. "Get out of my house and don't ever, ever come back. And keep Kal, and keep Lucas for all I care. Just leave me the fuck alone."
"The truth hurts, doesn't it?" Emily says. "You humans are all the same, just bundles of flesh with a tiny brain wrapped up inside. But the problem is, you affect each other. Lucas, for example. He's capable of being so much more than he is, but he won't fulfill his potential, not as long as you're alive. He holds back from unleashing his true evil, and do you know why?" She sneers at Laura. "Pure love. That fucking coward loves you with the purest fucking heart I've ever seen."
Laura pours herself a new glass of wine in silence. "Lucas Everard does not love me," she says finally.
"Oh, but he does," Emily says. "And it's a problem, because it means he won't really do what I want him to do. I've been thinking for a while about how best to overcome this problem, and I think I've found a way." She wanders over to the counter and pulls out a large meat knife, examining the blade. "You're in my way, Laura Bond. You're in Lucas's way, and I've tried everything to make him see what a pathetic old slut you are, but do you know what? He just keeps on loving you, no matter what."
