It was a Friday afternoon and nobody was expecting anything
interesting to happen in the last couple hours of work.
Then a water elemental flew in through the window.
Ghost Thing knocked the sill coming in, toppled on his landing, and
fell to the floor. Seeing the guy pop in got screams and yelps across
the room. Ghost looked up to see which party he crashed. It was a
large room with people dressed in green vests. Some were carrying
chairs off the centre of the floor although the arrival of a water
being put that task on hold.
Getting up on his feet with his head swaying and arms feeling like
they were going to fold like cards, Ghost clutched his chest. He
scanned the room, a dozen pairs of eyes looking at him like he was a
vampire or some other horrifying beast. Everyone was stunned–
uncertain in what to do. Across from the window Ghost entered, there
was another. The water lad raced to it, stumbling and tripping on his
weakened legs.
No one was going to get in his way. As he ran down the room, everyone
gave him a good few metres of space.
Another person in the hall heard the screaming and peeked his head in
the room to see what was going on. “Is that darn raccoon in again?”
Then the man saw a water elemental jogging his way and yelped,
ducking back out the door.
Ghost went to the window, and got a foot on the frame but when he
stuck his head out and looked upward. There was Thrash peeking down
off the side the roof like she knew he was going to try to escape
through that door and had followed him from above. Ghost Thing looked
around for any escape and he saw a metal door on the building across
the alley below, partially open. He jumped down on a car, causing its
alarm to go off, but Ghost ignored it and barged into the door.
What kind of place did he break into this time? It was an empty
hallway composed of tall brick walls and dim lighting. At least he
wasn’t scaring anyone when he dashed down the corridor. He looked
at the walls and saw notices and large technical bulletins but didn’t
have time to read.
He charged down past some cardboard boxes and when he heard a
clanking, he looked behind to see Thrash slamming the door open,
menacing smile plastered on her face.
“<i>Gee-ee-eez!</i>” Ghost said. Passing by a row of boxes, he
pushed them over as he ran past but they were light and wouldn’t be
much of an obstacle for Thrash. He turned a corner and went up a
small hill of stairs into a door with a porthole. He couldn’t grab
a good look of the room on the other side before he slammed the door
open and went through.
It was a kitchen– a large professional kitchen with pans and pots
hanging from hooks across the room.
The two chefs at the ovens didn’t expect anyone special popping
through those doors but when the older gentleman with a grey
moustache saw Ghost Thing, he let out a holler. Ghost didn’t have
time to explain so he dashed past the chef, the chef swatting at
Ghost with his ladle like the liquid boy was a rowdy dog.
Ghost went through another door into another hall and where another
grouping of people saw him and panicked. Screams passed around. Ghost
was on the run and spreading the chaos with him.
He ran down the hallway anyway, and as he did, trying to keep away
from others as much as they wanted to keep away from him, Ghost Thing
saw his saving grace: a vent. He melted down into his liquid form and
slipped into the vent. A warm gust of air took his form as he slid
into the silvery escape, but he was safe and he didn’t expect
Thrash to be able to follow.
Thrash barged into the kitchen and saw the two chefs crowded around a
door, looking through a porthole into a hall. Ghost Thing had passed
through there, she knew. The kid had escaped into the public and
Thrash thought getting too much attention on herself would cause
problems for the gang’s ability to do things discretely. She backed
out the door from where she came before those chefs got a look at
her. Maybe she would patrol outside the building and see if Ghost
Thing would appear.
Ghost Thing had escaped Thrash’s sight, but now he was stuck in the
walls of an unknown building. He could hear people talking, knowing
that he had slipped into the vents. Would somebody try to search for
him, or activate some kind of security measure?
He travelled the vents, going down one corridor to turn into the
other. In that puddly state, his vision wasn’t very good but the
features of the vents were simple enough to make them out without
much problem. He came across a vertical shaft. Climbing vertical
shafts was already difficult when he was feeling fine. But that
afternoon, he was weakened by the liquid Thrash had pilfered from
him. He reached up and clung to one of the walls and then slithered
upwards and while coiling around the box. If he was fast enough the
momentum helped him stick to the sides.
But then he lost grip and fell. He would have shouted an expletive if
he had a mouth in that state. Glancing up, the top of the shaft
wasn’t <i>too</i> far for the slime-ball, so he bundled up energy
and then fired himself upward! He smacked the top of the shaft, his
mass stuck there for a moment, and then hopped off into an opening,
finding a horizontal duct to traverse again.
He hoped nobody heard that thud, though.
The puddle waddled through the vents until he couldn’t hear the
panic he left behind; back in the hallway. The silence was comforting
but also ominous. Where had he had gone? He had no idea.
He passed by a grate, but then backtracked and looked through it. The
room was dark but it didn’t look like anyone was around. He pushed
his body through the duct’s blades to see what was on the other
side: a lot of shelves and some boxes but nobody and no security
cameras. He dragged his whole body through and reshaped into his
humanoid form.
It was quiet, Thrash couldn’t have followed him, and he was safe
for the moment.
The question was: where was he?
He was in the same building but Ghost Thing wondered if he had
travelled into a different unit, another establishment from that
kitchen place he escaped from. If he went out into the room into the
rest of whatever that place was, would he draw attention? If a kid
suddenly appeared in a place like a bank or something, that would
rouse attention.
And if Thrash was still around, she would <i>know</i> that Kay was
Ghost Thing!
Ghost sighed and sat down against some boxes and dropped his head
into his arms, stressed with decision paralysis and trying
desperately not to whimper. He had no idea what was outside the walls
around him and once slip-up could have sealed his demise.
He looked around the room. The boxes had “Steelton Corp” on the
front but Ghost Thing didn’t know if that was the company he was in
or if that was just the producer of the cardboard boxes. He gazed
over at the vent– he could have always tried another vent to escape
to.
He got up and stumbled to the door. He was still weakened by the
water Thrash had clipped from him. Putting his non-existent ear to
the door, he heard nothing. He checked once again to see if there was
a security camera around the room– clear– and then he morphed
back into his human form.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Immediately Kay was struck with a feeling of thirst and a dryness in
his throat. The liquid he had lost in his Ghost Thing form had
parallels to his human form: a need for hydration. It was very
uncomfortable and gave him a mild headache. He thought of looking
around the room for a stray bottle of water but saw nothing.
It was time to leave. He took the handle and turned it downwards but
it fought back. It was locked.
“For heaven’s sake!” said Kay, his face furrowing with angry
disbelief.
He sighed. Maybe he should have given up, he thought. Maybe the
superhero life wasn’t for him after all. It sounded tempting, but
the realities of it were not for someone like him, let alone a person
as young as him. All the villains that attacked him, all the trials
he barely survived: they were all warnings that he was entering a
world he couldn’t function in.
There was a crack under the door. Kay thought he could turn back into
Ghost Thing and slip under the door and then turn into a human
outside, but what if someone was there and saw him do the deed? Then
everyone would know. His cover would be blown and then Thrash and
whoever would be able to do whatever they wanted with him.
The worry and dehydration combine to make Kay very dizzy. He never
regretted his actions as much as he did in that room.
Then Kay noticed the handle had a lock dial. He turned it and there
was a click. He then opened up the door.
Well, that was one problem solved.
Stepping out into the halls, he looked around the hallway. It
reminded him of his aunt’s book warehouse: bland colours and a tile
floor with lightning fixtures a touch too dim. He should have relaxed
his face, looking around with wary eyes made him look suspicious, but
he was alone in that hall.
All he had to do was find his way out.
He walked down the hall, in a direction that felt “frontal” like
there would be a door outside somewhere in that direction. Soon he
would hear voices, chatter. There was also beeping and the sounds of
an office. He turned a corner to a door: no windows so he couldn’t
see what was on the other side.
He went up to it and turned the handle, slowly opening the door to
see what was in the room. The room was large, lit with similar
ceiling lights, and was crowded with cubicle walls. Kay had wandered
into an office, it had seemed. He could hear people but only a few
were seen across the sea of cubicle walls. Kay went into the room and
walked down a pathway and looked into some cubicles to see people at
computers.
Kay groaned. His headache made him dizzy. Not terribly dizzy, but
dizzy enough. That’s when he saw a refreshments table across the
room. Keeping out of sight from anyone who could wonder what a
teenager wearing a leather jacket and sunglasses could be doing
there, he walked around the edge of the workplace towards the
refreshments.
He didn’t want to be there a second he didn’t have to but at
there was a water cooler and paper cups on its side so he took a cup
out of the dispenser and put it under the nozzle, the water cooler
making deep gurgles as it filled the conical goblet.
Sarah had worked there for seven years and knew everyone well. The
woman scanned the office to make sure everything was working
correctly and spotted the leather-clad teenager at the water cooler.
Leather? That wasn’t proper office attire. She walked over to him,
already crossing her arms and ready to berate the
very-probably-an-intern for showing up in unsuitable dress.
Kay didn’t even hear Sarah coming up behind him. He chugged down
the water and then went back to the nozzle for a second round. As he
filled his cup, the water passed through his body and took away a lot
of the discomfort. His headache flickered out.
“Excuse me.”
Kay turned around to see a woman staring down at him. This was bad
news. He thought of something to say. “Uh... hi.”
Sarah looked at Kay’s shirt. It wasn’t even a collared shirt; no,
it was a T-shirt! With a band logo! She sighed. “I’m guessing
you’re from Centennial. They never educate interns on dress code.”
Kay had the foresight not to start every sentence with some
utterance. He put that box of ums and uhs in the drawer. He cleared
his throat, thinking of something that sounded like he belonged. “I-I
was told it wasn’t a big deal.”
Sarah shook her head. “Maybe some workplaces are more casual about
that sort of thing, but in my office? We dress for the occasion.”
She sighed. “But since you’re here already, I’ll let it slide.
Where’s your work station?”
“I brought other clothes,” said Kay. “They’re in my car.”
The tension drained from Sarah’s face. “Oh? Oh, go get changed
then.” Her tone was softer.
Kay nodded politely, finished he water, and tossed the paper cup in
the trash. He walked off, before stopping. “Where’s the exit?”
Sarah sighed. <i>Interns.</i> She pointed at a pair of large glass
doors down the wall. “That way.”
Kay walked off briskly.
Going through the doors, Kay entered another hallway but nearby was a
set of stairs and going down them had to have brought him closer to a
door to outside. He went down the stairs, passing by a couple
mislevelled adults chatting over a railing, and went to the ground
floor where a natural light shone across the room. Kay looked over to
see the door out of there, afternoon lights gleaming in.
Kay walked out and was blown for cold. It wasn’t an issue in his
elemental form, but it was a cold day in the middle of October and a
jacket and shirt wasn’t going to cut it. He zipped up his jacket
and put the collar up and hoped the temperature stayed away from the
single digits.
The sidewalks were full of people of all kinds so Kay didn’t look
too out of place walking down the streets, even with his rockstar
getup. He gazed around, almost afraid to look upward to see Thrash
still lingering around. It didn’t seem like she was in the area but
then Kay looked down the sidewalk to see the blue woman standing out
in the crowd.
Her presence didn’t go unnoticed by her fellow pedestrians. A blue
woman in a catsuit carrying a staff got a lot of puzzled looks. Kay?
He didn’t know what to do. She was coming his way and if he turned
around and fled, he would have looked suspicious and Thrash would
investigate.
So he kept his pace forward.
Kay focused off of Thrash and stared into space as he walked with the
flow of the crowd. Thrash closed in within a couple metres and Kay’s
throat locked up. If she heard his voice, she would know Kay was
Ghost Thing. Kay’s heart drummed as she approached. A kid wearing
sunglasses and a leather coat? Never before had Kay regretted his
standout fashion choices. Anything to draw Thrash’s eyes towards
him was a nightmare.
Thrash walked right on by, though, not even focusing on Kay for a
second. Kay took thirty paces and then turned around– as slow as
the Earth rotated– to see if Thrash hadn’t noticed him. He
watched Thrash walk off into the distance, crossing a street and
leaving his sight.
He was safe, but then other troubles came to mind. Where was <i>Philly?</i>
He left the backpack up on the roof. Thrash could guard that place
and wait his return. He couldn’t go back there!
As he took a couple blocks away and left the dense crowds, he noticed
the cooler air more. He did up the bottom snap on his jacket to seal
in all the body heat he could keep. Without a wallet on him with a
bus pass, it was going to be a hike towards home.
It wasn’t a clean getaway. Things had fallen apart quite easily.
Kay wasn’t certain what he could do, so he retreated to home base.
If it wasn’t a long walk back home, it felt like one anyway. Kay
kept his coat zipped up tight as sunset approached. He passed through
the old suburban districts of Baldwin, watching cars drive down
narrow roads and trying to keep himself looking normal for anyone
passing his way like he wasn’t just attacked by a superpowered blue
lady.
Having walked escape from that battle hiding in his human form and
him losing his fox friend and backpack; Kay hadn’t experienced a
defeat like that before. Even if his human body was in okay
condition, he had chills riding his spine like an elevator.
He couldn’t help but look about the neighbourhood, checking to see
who was around– whose voices were chattering across the street.
What was he looking out for; he didn’t know. He was worried that
Thrash wasn’t the only one sent out to attack him that day.
But no one attacked him. No one knew he was Ghost Thing.
Kay passed by a small patch of grass off of an acute intersection,
one with a couple trees and a bench. He didn’t think anything of it
until a bush rustled. Who to pop out but the boy’s favourite fox!
Kay smiled. “Philly!”
“Shhhh!” said Philly, holding a paw up to his mouth like he was
extending a finger over it. “Keep it quiet. Just showing you I’m
okay.”
“Did you get the backpack?” said Kay.
Philly looked at him like it was a ridiculous question. He wouldn’t
answer an unimportant question. “We shouldn’t be talking. If
someone saw us, they’d tie me at the fight and pin you as Ghost
Thing.” He lowered his voice and ducked into the bush. “I only
came by to show I’m alive. Now I’m gone.”
Philly didn’t give Kay a second to question anything. He dashed off
into an alley between some houses and the fox was gone, leaving Kay
alone. Kay watched the fox hustle down a concrete passage.
How often was Philly that stark? Not often. Something to keep Philly
quiet? Things were serious. Kay didn’t know what to do but go home.
In human form. Walking the sidewalk. Cold had started to sting his
cheeks.
As he walked, though, he looked back towards downtown, buildings
stretching over the horizon– CN Tower touching the heavens. The
orange of dusk crowded around the silhouette.
All Kay was doing that afternoon was just enjoying himself. And now
that was under threat, too. Was the city off limits for him now?
Would appearing <i>anywhere</i> as Ghost Thing put a target on his
back?
Kay sighed. Becoming a superhero had taken more than he was willing
to give.