Chapter 5: Ghosts in the Elevator
I nodded, Eddie started booking tickets on his phone, and I instinctively reached for my phone to Venmo him, but realized I’d left it at home.
I could only promise, “Eddie, I’ll pay you when I get my phone.”
Eddie waved it off. “It’s fine, we’re all family here…” He was cut off by a smack from Julian, forcing a smile, “All one family, no need to be polite. Besides, I’ve got more money than I can spend.” Then he nudged Julian, “Right, partner?”
Julian’s face twisted for a moment and squeezed out a “Yeah.”
I eyed them suspiciously. Why did they seem so weird?
Julian ducked his head, suddenly fascinated by the floor. Eddie whistled, pretending not to notice. I shrugged, too tired to care.
When Julian and I reached my door, the neighbor across the hall poked her head out. “Hey, Autumn, did you get your window fixed?”
Mrs. Miller was always up late, her hair in pink curlers, a mug of chamomile tea in hand. She squinted at me over her glasses, concern wrinkling her brow.
I immediately thought of the chaos last night but didn’t know why she asked, so I played dumb. “Uh…”
“Hey, be careful renting next time, don’t get a bad landlord. Last night around two, your window just shattered—so loud. The super knocked on your door, your friend answered and said you weren’t home, paid the fine for you. That girl was so pretty…”
My face went pale, cold sweat running down my back. I could barely stand. A warm hand steadied my shoulder. Julian smiled and interrupted, “Sorry, ma’am, my friend isn’t feeling well. We’ll go in first.”
He guided me inside, his grip steady. I tried to smile at Mrs. Miller, but my lips wouldn’t cooperate.
The neighbor waved us in, still wanting to chat, but Julian hurried me inside, and I sat on the couch, shivering.
No one knew better than us what happened last night.
I hugged a throw pillow to my chest, rocking back and forth. The apartment felt colder, the shadows deeper.
There was no friend—it was that ghost!
I pressed my forehead to my knees, trying not to cry. Julian sat beside me, his presence calming.
I looked helplessly at Julian. “Can regular people see ghosts?”
Julian frowned, then shook his head. “No. You saw and touched ghosts yesterday because of the business card Eddie gave you, which has a protective charm.”
He tapped the card, now glowing faintly in my purse. “Ghosts that regular people can see are all really dangerous.”
“Ghosts that regular people can see are all really dangerous.”
I grew even more afraid.
Julian comforted me. “Don’t worry, Eddie and I will help you. Come with us to New Orleans, my mentor will know what to do.”
He squeezed my hand again, his voice steady. I nodded, feeling a little less alone.
I was upset, so I quickly packed a few things, grabbed my phone, and left for New Orleans with them.
I threw clothes into a duffel, grabbed my charger, and snapped a quick photo of the apartment—just in case I never saw it again. Julian waited by the door, patient.
The plane landed after eleven at night.
The air in New Orleans was thick and sweet, the scent of magnolias mingling with rain. I shivered, pulling my jacket tighter.
We didn’t take a cab.
Eddie drove a Jeep out of the lot, and it took about two hours from the airport to St. Gabriel’s Church.
The ride was quiet, the only sound the hum of the engine and the occasional burst of static from the radio. I watched the city lights fade, replaced by the dark silhouettes of cypress trees.
Maybe because it was late, Eddie drove slow, and I dozed off in the back seat.
The road blurred, headlights sweeping over empty fields. I drifted in and out of sleep, dreams swirling just out of reach.
After who knows how long, Eddie slammed the brakes. Yanked me out of my nap.
I jolted awake, heart racing. Julian turned in his seat, eyes alert. Eddie cursed under his breath, his hands gripping the wheel.
I shook my head and mumbled, “What’s wrong?”
Eddie smiled, “Nothing, just a dog blocking the road. Julian’ll handle it.” He flexed his biceps, dragon tattoo rippling. “If not, there’s me. Not every ghost wants to mess with me.”
His bravado made me smile. Julian rolled his eyes, grabbed the crucifix, and got out.
I leaned forward and saw a ghost blocking the road.
It shimmered in the headlights, its form twisted and strange. I pressed my face to the glass, trying to make sense of what I was seeing.
This one was different—over six feet tall, a huge, twisted face, but with pale, slender arms, a hunched torso, and muscular legs.
It looked like something out of a nightmare, stitched together from spare parts. My stomach churned.
But he didn’t seem strong and was getting thrashed by Julian.
Julian moved with deadly precision, the crucifix blazing with golden light. The ghost shrieked, dissolving into mist.
I blurted, “Why does this ghost look like that? So ugly.”
Eddie chuckled, eyes never leaving the road. “That’s a patchwork ghost—made from spirits devouring each other and then…” He stopped, then turned to me, suddenly serious. “Wait. You can see it?”
I nodded, my mouth dry. He stared at me, worry flickering in his eyes.
He asked again, “Even without the business card?”
I nodded again.
Eddie slapped his bald head, face bitter. “It’s over, Julian’s in trouble.”
He muttered something under his breath, glancing at Julian as he climbed back in.
Just then, Julian finished off the ghost, spun his crucifix, and Eddie stuck his head out the window and yelled, “Julian! Stop showing off! She can see ghosts!”
Julian’s face turned pale, looking more scared than me. He hurried back into the car, and Eddie floored it, both of them looking grim.
The tension in the car was thick enough to cut with a knife. I shrank into my seat, suddenly wishing I’d stayed home.
I shrank in the back seat, afraid to ask if seeing ghosts meant something really bad. Judging by their faces, it couldn’t be good.
No one spoke, the only sound the Jeep’s tires crunching on gravel. I hugged my knees, trying not to cry.
St. Gabriel’s Church was only about ten minutes away.
The road wound through ancient oaks, Spanish moss dripping from the branches. The church loomed ahead, its stone walls glowing in the headlights.
As Eddie drove up the winding road, I heard faint gospel music in my ear.
It was soft, almost a whisper, like a memory from childhood. The melody was haunting, beautiful, and just a little bit sad.
Before I could ask, Eddie shouted, “Autumn! Buckle up!” Then he floored the gas.
My hands fumbled for the seatbelt. The Jeep lurched forward, the engine roaring. Julian opened the sunroof, climbed onto the roof. I didn’t get it but followed instructions, buckled up, and turned to see a red-painted, old-fashioned coffin floating behind us!
My jaw dropped. The coffin hovered, its paint peeling, gold trim glinting in the moonlight. It looked like something out of a Mardi Gras parade gone wrong.
Next to it floated two kids in red jackets and green pants, and four twisted ghosts carried the coffin. Behind them, a line of burnt corpses played music. The tune should’ve been cheerful, but it was sharp and shrill, like a demonic parade.
The music clawed at my ears, the notes jagged and discordant. I clapped my hands over my ears, trying to drown it out.
I covered my ears as Julian threw out some protective charms from the roof, slowing them but not stopping them.
The charms glowed, forming a barrier that shimmered in the air. The ghosts howled, but kept coming, relentless.
Sweat dripped down Eddie’s pale face, but his hands were steady, driving the Jeep like he was in a Fast & Furious movie.
He took the curves at breakneck speed, the tires squealing. I gripped the seat, praying we’d make it out alive.
The procession closed in, only a few yards away. Eddie gritted his teeth, shouted, “Julian! Catch!” A bloodstained charm shot out the sunroof, and at the same time, the left rear window rolled down.
Julian caught the charm, his eyes blazing. He whispered a prayer, then hurled it at the coffin. The window buzzed, a purple glow filling the car.
With a deafening boom, a purple lightning bolt as thick as a tree trunk struck the coffin, exploding with fire and scattering the ghosts.
The blast lit up the night, the shockwave rattling the Jeep. I ducked, shielding my head as ghostly shapes dissolved into smoke.
Julian dropped back inside, eyes glowing gold. His shirt was torn, revealing a lean waist, and as he sat, a line of blood trickled from his lips.
He wiped it away, trying to play it cool, but I could see he was hurting. Eddie tossed him a bottle of water, and he gulped it down.
I knew I was helpless and suddenly felt powerless. “Those ghosts… are they after me?”
Julian wiped his mouth, his voice gentle. “It’s our job to deal with them.”
He tried to sound reassuring, but I could see the worry in his eyes. I swallowed hard, my hands shaking.
I turned to look—the coffin and sedan scattered, and a ghost bride floated in the air, glaring at us. Next to her was a young groom in a wedding tux, face swollen and blue, but strangely familiar.
The bride’s veil fluttered, her eyes burning with hatred. The groom’s lips were sewn shut, his hands clutching a wilted bouquet. My skin crawled.
The ghost clearly wasn’t giving up.
She shrieked, the sound making my ears ring. The Jeep roared up the road, the ghost chasing hard.
The car was silent.
No one dared speak. The tension was a living thing, pressing on my chest.
Until the GPS said, “Turn left in fifty yards onto Gabriel Lane, three minutes to your destination.” Both Julian and Eddie sighed in relief.
The mechanical voice was jarring, but comforting in its normalcy. We turned, the ghosts vanishing as if they’d hit an invisible wall.
As soon as we turned, the ghosts stopped chasing.
I slumped in my seat, exhaustion washing over me. The church’s lights glowed ahead, a beacon in the night.
Soon, we pulled up to an old stone church.
It was beautiful in a haunted, Southern Gothic way—ivy crawling up the walls, stained glass windows gleaming in the moonlight. I felt a strange sense of peace as we parked.
It was past one in the morning, the church pitch black inside.
The only light came from a single candle flickering in the vestibule. Eddie led the way, his footsteps echoing on the stone floor.