Purgatech: Adrian's Ghost-hunting Angst

Chapter Seventeen: Hold On

So that was the start. The slaughtering of 40 odd helpless ghost children that cowered at the first sign of strength. Was that all it took to take these bastards down? They thrive on haunting those around them, but when they are met with strength and valiance, they cower?

These were the thoughts running through Adrian’s mind as he and Ben Stone walked out from the abandoned orphanage. Ben insisted to continue his puffing on the cigar between his lips, though it was now nothing more than a nib that would soon burn his upper lip. Adrian learned that he was a peculiar man, one who enjoyed small victories, be it keeping onto his cigar while the undead hordes were storming upon them, or exacting revenge on the beasts that burdened the pair in the first place.

Adrian found a complex respect in Ben’s insanity.

But it wasn’t just the insanity that Adrian had respect for. There was the carefree attitude he wielded, the ever-present pomp in his step and the command of his senses that seemed superhuman in its own. He was everything Adrian wanted to be. A man that had nothing to lose and everything to stand for. A hero to the people that had nothing and no one. He wanted to be a beacon, and Ben Stone was that beacon.

“So what’s next?” Adrian asked, as walking towards Ben’s blue Pontiac Judge. The car was beautiful, one that Adrian had seen driving around when he was a child and never again since. He wondered if it was the same person who drove now, as it was then. There was a good chance Ben could have had the car since Adrian was a child. He was a good twenty years Adrian’s senior, so it was fairly probable, was it not?

And the town of Evergreen didn’t hold many secrets. There were fancy cars and then there were the classics that wouldn’t be seen often. It was a detective’s car, Adrian thought. One fit for a man deep undercover, with a badass catchphrase and a plucky sidekick. Adrian was that sidekick.

“Well, don’t you have a few monsters hiding under your bed we can sort out?” Ben replied, turning to face Adrian’s car. Adrian too looked at his own Honda Accord in great shame at the marvelous invention he stood beside now.

“Yes. I haven’t seen them around for over six months. I’ve been waiting. Probably tore my house to shreds now that I left them alone for a while.” Adrian said, shaking his head disappointedly.

“Tell me about them. Everything you can. This is important, Adrian. These stunners are good for a few of the smaller ghosts but more powerful, well they need something juicier.” Ben took the cigar from his mouth and dropped it where he stood. Ben was never the kind of person to smoke in his car. There was something about the stink it left, even though he was covered in it all day, which left a horrid aggression in him.

“What do you mean?” Adrian asked, nervous to answer. He knew that if he gave too little information, then there could be negative consequences. If he shared too much, then he would sound like a fool. Even though Ben knew he had no ties to this business, Adrian wanted to pretend that he had more knowledge than he let on; that given the right chances, he could survive this on his own.

“Defining features. Names. Places you’ve seen them. What they did when you got in contact. How they act around people. How they act around you. Their motivations for being alive. Anything and everything you can share, share it now. This is important, so don’t hold back Adrian.” Ben continued, leaning back against his car. Adrian was hesitant to touch it, he didn’t know why maybe it was because the car was so well kept. He could tell that Ben looked after the car more than he looked after himself in this case. It was polished, spotless and without dents, where Ben was a direct comparison. He was haggard, gruff and looked dirty. Bloodshot eyes were an almost constant feature on him, tobacco stains on his fingers from the hand-rolled cigarettes. Patches of sweat under his armpits that stained his shirts from wearing the long coat’s all day.

Adrian would have thought him a loser on any other occasion but as the man that was saving him, Adrian couldn’t help but think him a role model.

“Well, there’s three that have been in direct contact. There’s a young kid named Tommy,” It made sense to start with the one he thought was the weakest, “I saw him as a child, he was my friend back then, but I saw him in my house now. Before the Purgatech trials, he was non-existent, afterward, he became a nightmare that wanted to… Play. He shouted and screamed, almost like he wanted my attention, jealous of my ex. I don’t know what his motivations for living are, but he’s around,” Adrian spoke and Ben nodded his head.

“I know Tommy. I’ve seen him myself. He’s not been a big part of my life but I guess he hooked onto you when you were kids and you couldn’t really escape him ever since. You were born with what we call a flicker. It’s like the people you see on daytime tv who claim they’ve got a gift, but it passes on in your later years. A flicker of the ability you once had, get it? But carry on.” Ben said. Adrian found his lack of response towards Tommy to be justified in thinking he was weak. Which meant that, if age dictated power, that Owen Guthrie would be a far more dangerous character.

“There’s also Owen Guthrie. All I know about him is that he was part of serial killings early in our town’s history. A cross-dresser who killed boys and then was killed by mob justice. Not really sure what other information I can give on him, apart from that he walked around my house shouting murder in the red barn, over and over again.” Adrian continued.

“He doesn’t sound like much of a problem. It’s just a case of not being able to move on. I know that this is a common occurrence in the world. It’s the classic concept of unfinished business that seems to cling to a certain group of ghosts. So I wouldn’t worry too much about him. One of this,” He lifted the stun gun from its holster again, “Should do the trick in stopping him. The little kid, Tommy, should prove more dangerous than Owen then.”

This was both a relief and a point of confusion for Adrian. What he was just told led him to believe that he Owen Guthrie was more dangerous than Tommy. It might have just been the stigma of age determining power and he considered that. He was trapped in the belief that the supernatural realm worked under the same laws as his own physical world. This was very seldom the case.

Ben noticed Adrian’s confusion and decided to shed light on the subject before the conversation continued too far, “Ghosts don’t work in the same way we do. They’re not strengthened by age and time is a non-existent factor to them. They live by their own set of rules and haven’t got a thing to lose if they live a thousand years, apart from standing as weaklings. That being said, you wouldn’t know which are strong unless you come in contact with them. Ghosts are interesting creatures that need to be observed, that’s why data is important. Their power is attributed to the following they’ve amassed.”

“What do you mean by following?” Adrian asked.

“Another tricky point to the conversation. A following isn’t dictated by who or what follows them – like a religious sect, for example – the following is dictated by the number of people who believe in the ghost. Tommy is a child. He has the ability to play in the minds of children, gaining strength in letting them believe their imagination is running wild, as he did with you. I’ve never seen something quite like it. Ghosts are often locked by the same fears they faced as people. The children in here, for example, haven’t seen the light of day in years. Apart from the hobos and drug addicts that inhabited this place, they were left alone to fend for themselves, too afraid to leave the walls of the orphanage for whatever reason. Since I’ve seen him too, it means that he’s at least got two followers that now believe in him and fuel his power. There could be more out here, meaning he could be greatly powerful and we wouldn’t know it until we’ve faced him. Owen Guthrie, he’s a non-issue because unlike Tommy, he’s got no one to follow him. He’s not in it for the power, he’s in it because he’s lost his way and can’t find the way out again. Does that explain a little bit more about what we’re facing and how they gain their strength?” Ben asked, sliding his hand into his pocket, pulling from it a poke. He drew from the poke a plastic bag filled with tobacco, rolling paper, and filters.

“Mind if I grab one of those from you?” Adrian asked, Ben, replied with a nod, “And I guess I do,” He continued, starting the rolling process. Filter at the tip, tobacco following, rolling it to the best cigarette shape he could and licking the glue at the ends, pressing it together, “But then I think we’ve got a problem.”

Ben already placing his own rolled smoke between his lips looked up at Adrian now, through his brow; an already lit match burning away.

“What do you mean?” He asked, unmoving from his position.

“Well, there’s this old woman. I don’t know what to call her apart from an Old Hag. She’s been around since I was a kid too but I’ve always just thought of her as another part of my imagination. That was until a few nights before I decided to join the Purgatech experiments, where I saw her again standing among the zombies on a dance floor. She was looking at me and I didn’t think much of it until later that night when I did some research, I found that I wasn’t the only that saw her. She’s been a topic of much debate among the online communities.” Adrian said, pulling from his own pocket a lighter. Ben, in the meantime, brought the match to his cigarette, lighting it and discarding the match. Adrian lit his smoke and waited for a response from Ben.

“She an old woman? Grotesque features that almost seem rotting? Thin her and one eye that seems rotted shut?” Ben asked, taking a long drag from his smoke and blowing a perfect circle before exhaling.

“Yes, that’s the one. She was the reason my girlfriend left me too. She and the other two met together in my home and started crying and shouting as they moved throughout it. I didn’t think she was there until finally, she appeared behind me, grabbing me by the neck and talking some s**t. I can’t even really remember what now, but it was enough to have my girl leave me, and enough for me to know I had to do something about all the monsters in my home. Everything went silent after that.” Adrian explained, puffing on the cigarette. It was stronger than his usual, but he still found it enjoyable. It was rich and aromatic, and though burned his throat on the initial drags, it grew smoother as he went.

“Then you might be in for a little more than you bargained for, kid. If we don’t kill that b***h, she’s going to think she can take control of you. I’ve seen her around too. Had a run in when I was but a youngster, I was lucky enough to escape her clutches. I saw her again after Purgatech. She gave me a message; my time would soon come. That’s when I knew it was time to get my s**t together and kill the fuckers. That’s why we’re here, in fact.” Ben explained, “So you better get your s**t and come.” He dropped the cigarette to the ground, “We’ve got some ghosts to kill.” He finished.

“Follow me, I’ll take you to my place,” Adrian turned to his car, “Is it bad to say I’m a little excited by this?”

“Not at all, Kid. It’s time to kick ass and take some names…”