Inside the Haunted

Inside the Haunted



Part 9



A/N: Sorry it’s taken me so long to write this part…I’ve been on vacation this whole week. But now I’m back, so I hope you enjoy!



---------------------------------



I felt a hand on my shoulder drag me upwards as I wiped the side of my face once again. My hand was streaked with crimson-red blood as I was forced to stand up by Charlie.



“CHARLIE!” I screamed. I tried to pull out of his grasp but his hand was steady and strong, even though he was moments from dying.



“Okay, I know. Do it now.” Charlie whispered. He reached towards my neck, ready to strangle me and I squirmed as his hand got closer.



“Charlie, please don’t do this!” I pleaded to him. My begging didn’t stop him however. His hand was right there. Charlie’s eyes fell back into his head and he started to fall to the ground, his hand still ready to strangle me. Instead, he grabbed the chain of Emily’s locket in his hand, barely missing my neck, and fell to the ground with her necklace in his hands. Charlie fell to the ground, dead.



---------------------------------



I stood there, gasping and crying at Charlie’s mangled body. The blood was seeping out of his mouth and out of his chest. I couldn’t bear to look at him. How could I even suspect him as being the “Him” guy? He was innocent. Sure, maybe a little idiotic and afraid and panicky and greedy, but always a nice guy. I didn’t have the right to suspect him. I had made a big mistake. And now, Charlie was gone. But wasn’t that what life was all about, making mistakes? Didn’t everyone in this world judge everyone by their looks without getting to know them first? Some people did, including me, and I felt awful about it. Charlie was always nice to me, and what did I do? I snuck around behind his back and accused him of being a soul-snatcher.



“I am such a jerk.” I said to myself. I looked down at Charlie one last time, wiped away my tears, and headed off towards Gus’ boat once more.



But I guess I didn’t know that instead of fading away, the blood remained on the ground, untouched and left alone.



------------------------------------



“Okay, this is getting to be very bad.” Gus said later on that day. I nodded in agreement. First Sanchez, then Gloria, and now Charlie. How many more of us would die, and who would be the last man standing? Bernie interrupted my thoughts with a concerned sigh.



“I’ve noticed. We have to leave. Now.” Bernie said. Gus nodded heavily, but I was a little more hesitant. I really desperately wanted to finish the ship in my parent’s memory, but so many of us had died in doing so…and who knows? It could be my godfather, Bernie, next. I didn’t want to risk his life or Gus’ just because of this ship. I suddenly felt very tired at all of this.



“We’ll leave soon, maybe the day after tomorrow. Okay guys?” Bernie asked us. Gus and I nodded together. I excused myself to my bedroom. I sank onto my bed with a tired groan, not bothering to take my clothes off. But I didn’t want to break Emily’s locket…



OH NO!



----------------------------------------



I sat up very quickly, searching my clothes for Emily’s necklace, but it was nowhere to be found. Oh no oh no oh no! Where was it? I searched my room frantically, thinking that maybe by some hopeful chance that I had left it there. But I knew I hadn’t. Okay, where might I have left it? I gasped when I remembered.



Charlie was trying to strangle me, but he grabbed the necklace instead and pulled it down with him when he died…and he still had it in his hands! I had to go get it, before it was too late!



“Oh Emily, I hope you found it.” I said to her, hoping she would hear me, but probably not. She was around on the ship somewhere, drifting around, wondering if I needed help. Well, I did now. I really needed help, or else “He” was going to get my soul and I was going to die here along with my parents. Well, that wouldn’t be so bad. Our souls would be trapped here until someone stopped “Him”, but we would be together for eternity. I shook my head quickly. Was I seriously thinking about death for a second? I couldn’t have been, and I won’t let myself. I will get away from here safely and alive, whether the Seahawk gets finished or not. But Emily…I can’t let her soul be trapped here forever. It would just be too cruel. So, I guess I’m going to have to stop “Him”. But first, to find my protection.



-----------------------------------------



It was around midnight when I snuck off of Gus’ boat with a flashlight in hand and my hopes high in finding the locket. Stupid really. I was going on a haunted ship all alone, vulnerable to death with no one to help me if I died here. I couldn’t even call Emily if I needed help. Something stirred inside of me and said I would find the locket. I WOULD. The flashlight was shining in front of me, lighting the path and looking for Charlie’s body. Finally, when I did, I jumped nearly out of my skin. He was almost two feet away from where his bloodstain originally was and there was no trail connecting the puddle of blood and his dead body. So how had he gotten there? Shivers went up my spine once again. I went over to him, bent down and saw the shining sliver chain grasped between his fingers. I breathed a sigh of relief as I pried open his fingers to get to the locket. Once I grabbed it, there was a shining light and I saw Emily’s shadow appear before me.



-----------------------------------------



“Madigan…hello.” She said gratefully. I returned her greeting and smiled. Then I did a double take.



“Wait a second. You’re part of my soul right? And you possess my soul to try to kill me and I didn’t have the locket, so you could have. Why didn’t you, and why aren’t you inside of me?” I asked quickly. Emily laughed at my questions with glee.



“Very good Madigan! You were paying attention! I was inside the locket, resting. You weren’t in any danger anyways. ‘He’ is gone!” Emily shouted. I paused.



“How?” I asked nervously.



“Well, he just disappeared. I don’t know where he is now, but we’re all free!” she shouted again. I smiled weakly, but only for a moment.



“Wait, if you’re free, how come you’re still here?” I asked politely. Now it was her turn to pause.



“You know, I’m not sure. But I bet I could walk out of here and go to heaven where I belong.” She said confidently.



“Okay. Let’s go try.” I said happily. When we got to the opening outside, I walked out, but Emily was still behind me.



“Wow…it’s so pretty out here. I can’t wait to go outside and to Heaven!” she said. She took a step out and her body stayed there. She raised her hands in a cheer and her smile was wide. I clapped and cheered with her, but then we heard a loud snap and her foot was wrenched back inside the hole painfully.



“What’s wrong? I don’t understand! We should be able to go to Heaven and go home! But I can’t go outside!” Emily said, transparent, pale tears falling down her face.



“I’m so sorry Emily. ‘He’ must not be gone after all.” I said regretfully. Where was “He”?



-------------------------------------------



“Madigan…I’m so sad.” Emily said. She was still sitting in the hole opening, staring out to the sea.



“I know Emily.” I said, bending down to touch her shoulder. However, I forgot she was a ghost and I fell through her arm and fell down to the ground.



“Ow…” I said. She ignored me and continued to stare.



“I wanted to see them so much…” she said tearfully.



“Who?” I asked, confused. She looked at me.



“My parents. They were sending me back to England by myself since we didn’t have the money to all travel together. We were moving away from America and I was chosen to go ahead until they got enough money to travel on a ship to England. I never got to see them again. They must be dead now, and their souls in Heaven, and I haven’t got to see them since then. I was so looking forward to it…” she said wistfully. I sighed.



“Emily…I’m sorry. You’ll see them again someday. I promise.” I said. She shook her head and pulled away.



“No I won’t, not as long as I’m stuck here!” she said angrily.



“It’s all ‘His’ fault!” she said.



“But you will. Trust me. I’m going to get rid of ‘Him’, somehow someway. I promise you: you’ll see your family again.” I said. Emily nodded and stood up.



“Madigan, I was waiting for the perfect time for this, and I think it’s time. I’m going to show you what exactly happened on that day in 1907. The day ‘He’ took over.” Emily said. My heart jumped.



“How will that help?” I asked. Emily stared at me.



“Because, you’ll be able to see who ‘He’ is.” Emily said.