Page 21 of Haunting Phantom
“Nervous? Bitch, I’ll show you a reason to be fucking nervous.”
That stupid bubble of hers deflects me again, sending me sailing back towards the window, half of me falling out of it before I correct myself and pull my spirit back in. Walls are incredibly too thin here for ghosts.
“What happens if the Dark Ones get a hold of Eve’s spirit?”
Autumn looks at her feet. “If the Dark Ones lure her in, then she’ll turn into one of them. A lost soul that feeds on other people’s emotions. She’ll lose everything that’s her, and will no longer exist in this world or the ghostly veil that separates us. She’ll live in the shadows. Soulless. Hungry. Always angry and violent.”
A cold shiver creeps up my spine.
“When she sticks close to you, she’s less vulnerable. But when she lets her anger build and control her, that’s when they strike. She has to be careful.” She closes her eyes, and I suddenly feel her presence standing in front of me.
“You need to be careful, Eve.”
“Get out of my head, lady. You’re not welcome here.”
She frowns. “I see what you mean about her. She’s very hostile.”
“Why thank you!”For shits and giggles, I curtsey, knowing damn well neither one of them can see me.
“Can I ask you something, Autumn?”
She blinks, then slowly moves her head to look at him. “Sure.”
“Do you think that I’m the reason she’s still here? Because I’m the one who is responsible for her death?”
“Are you really responsible, Phantom, or do you just blame yourself?”
He shrugs. “I honestly don’t know anymore.”
“Tell me exactly what happened.”
He sits up straight, hanging his head in his hands. “I made her angry with me by bringing up an old club member who passed away before she died. I kinda think they had a thing going on, but I couldn’t really prove it. Then someone told me they saw the two of them performing oral sex on each other the night he died, and I lost it. I stormed out of the club, and when I came back, the club was in shambles. Turns out, the motherfucker accidentally shot himself in the head, trying to show off for Eve and a few of the Annies. I wanted to stay angry with her, but she was practically catatonic. There were blood splatters all over her clothes and face, and she was shaking so bad, I could barely reel her back in. I forgave her, even though I hated the person she created inside me.”
Autumn frowns. “That’s understandable. You were jealous, but at the same time, you cared about her enough to keep protecting her. It’s hard to cut off that kind of connection, no matter how angry at the person you are.”
He nods solemnly. “I kept my anger hidden and simmering beneath the surface. It wasn’t until a couple months later that I finally snapped. My emotions were so fucked up, that I just wanted some peace for a few hours to clear my head without her nagging me. Riding motorcycles soothes my soul, and she knewthat, but that didn’t stop her from trying to force me to take her on the ride. She didn’t like me existing without her. She needed to know my every move, and be there for every damn second in my life. I just wanted some goddamn fucking peace. The second she got on the bike, she started her shit again, berating me for trying to ride without her, continuously questioning why I hadn’t claimed her as my Ol’ Lady. That’s when I snapped, revealing that I knew about her and Damien doing more than just kissing the night he died. She fucking flipped out on me, and started hitting me as we rode, causing the bike to wobble and feel unsteady. I knew I shouldn’t have provoked her, but I did it anyway. She got super violent, started scratching at my eyes and face while we were on the ride, and it distracted me. We hit a corner too fast, and we went flying down a mountain side. I got tangled up in a bush that cushioned part of my fall, but she wasn’t so lucky…”
He pauses, the tears falling silently down his cheeks as his hands clench together, fighting the negativity rolling around in his head. Normally, I’d be right there trying to console him, but the bitch has me bubble blocked, and I’m stuck standing near the window, helpless.
“She hit a bunch of rocks on the way down, snapping her bones and crushing her ribcage. A lung was pierced, but that’s about all I remember. After that, I woke up in a hospital, barely alive. She was gone, and somehow, I survived.”
“You know that means you didn’t kill her, right? Her death was not your fault, Blake.”
“OH HELL NO! Not only did you call him Blake, but you also have the audacity to say it’s not his fault that I died. Bitch, you have no idea who you’re messing with here!”
Without a second thought, I grab something off his desk, hurling at her with all the rage inside me. I don’t even realizeit’s a sharp blade until it goes whizzing by her face, sticking into Blake’s headboard with a ping.
“Shit, now she’s throwing knives,” Blake mumbles, looking towards Autumn. “I’m so sorry, Autumn.”
“It’s okay,” she says, though the fear is evident in how pale she suddenly looks. “I’m starting to learn what Eve will and won’t talk about. Obviously, saying anything negative about her is off the table.”
“Do you think you can still help me get her to cross over?”
She frowns. “I honestly don’t know. It’s been a long time since I talked to a ghost this angry before. She doesn’t want me here, so she’s refusing to let me in, and every time I try to get close to you, she throws something. Pretty sure she wants to kill me now.”
“Damn straight. Know your place, bitch. And that place ain’t here.”
“Maybe it would be easier to talk to you somewhere more neutral? Some place where she won’t have Dark Ones trying to feed off her energy.”
