The Ghost Dec 2017 Issue: The Man on the Roof

Det. Thomas stands above a crowd. Why is he up there? Why is he willing to jump. Can The Ghost solve this mystery or will he have to out his true identity? The Clock is ticking.

The Ghost December 2017

The Man on the Roof

By Daniel Rodriguez

Ghost: I hear voices. They tell me to do things. They cry out for vengeance and justice. Only I can answer their call. The dead must find rest. They shall be avenged. I am "The Ghost".

Announcer: The Ghost! 

FX: Wind

Announcer: Fighting for the supernatural, defying those who would take advantage of spirits, and keeping the boundaries safe. When the dead can't speak! 

(Music; something mystical)

Announcer: Born able to communicate with the dead, Rick Hart, Private Eye, has established an agency secretly dedicated to serving those who passed and keeping balance in the two worlds. Should there be a murder most foul, should there be a grave threat to the powers that be. Then prepare for an otherworldly encounter with The Ghost!

FX: Clock counting down the time till it rings midnight. 

Announcer: The fates have set. The time has come for the fantastic mystery ride of paranormal proportions. The Man of the Roof

DJ: Welcome to All News Local, where we bring you all the local news. Nice slogan isn’t it? We had our people in the back come up with that one. Took them long enough but they came up with something that atleast one person in our test audience didn’t completely hate. So, I am your host, THE DJ! Random shouting is my thing, if you don’t like that you can listen to classical music on the other station but trust me, you wont be missing anything new on those places. Now, back to the show. Out there, right now, I have the public listening. In here, I have the number one hero of the day.

Det. Thomas: Hello.

DJ: Not yet.

Det. Thomas: Sorry.

DJ: Rated in the newspaper as the greatest detective on the police force and well respected by his collegues…

Det. Thomas: Hi…

DJ: Ahem! No higher conviction rate on the current force exists than those cases you work…

Det. Thomas: Now?

DJ: No. Ladies, and gentlemen, I introduce you to our cities finest, Detective Thomas!

Pause.

DJ: Say something.

Det. Thomas: I can speak now?

DJ: Not one for reading the room well I see.

Det. Thomas: Sorry about that.

DJ: We have with us, as I said, the leading detective on the force and he is going to be our guest tonight as the mayor is looking to give the man a new commendation for his service. You have been with the force long, right?

Det. Thomas: Yes I have. 

DJ: As a matter of fact, had your partner not retired…

Det. Thomas: Which partner?

DJ: Well lets start at the beginning shall we?

Det. Thomas: Okay, I am not sure..

DJ: You were born here, right?

Det. Thomas: Why yes, yes I was.

DJ: And your grades, as I am looking at them, were kind of slippery when you were first trying for the exam. 

Det. Thomas: I believe they were.

DJ: How did you get through them?

Det. Thomas: Well I had help. 

DJ: From a Detective Hart.

Det. Thomas: We were both training at the time, but we both made Detective. Oh I see, he is the partner you were talking about.

DJ: I just want to say real quick, how do you feel about Detect…

Det. Thomas: Private Eye, Rick Hart.

DJ: Yes, he has since become…

Det. Thomas; Yes, he was my partner. And No, he could not hack it. 

DJ: The man got shot.

Det. Thomas: Well yeah.

DJ: Would you say that he was a good friend?

Det. Thomas: He was my best friend. 

DJ: So you came in hot off the heels of working with your first partner, Rick Hart, now a private investigator, and you have had several partners since then.

Det. Thomas: Such is life, but we go through people as they come and go and transfer out.

DJ: And would you take a bullet for any of them.

Det. Thomas: Yes. To this day.

Rick: Even me?

Det. Thomas: Hey!

DJ: As we are doing a profile of our biggest investigator, I thought we should bring his first partner on the show. Rick Hart everyone.

Det. Thomas: This feels like a set up.

Rick: Oh have fun with it.

DJ: So…even now, would you take a bullet for him after all that has passed between the two of you?

Rick: I would. 

Fade out.

FX: Wind

Det. Thomas: Please… I…

Pause.

Det. Thomas: No one is here to stop me. No one came… it can all end right now. I just have to jump.

FX: Cars driving by

Background noises: People chatting.

Man: Hello, it is a pleasure to see you on this fine day.

Woman: Did you hear the news?

Man: You mean the killer confessing?

Woman: They say it was The Ghost, he made the CEO confess in the middle of a board meeting and then he threw himself at the mercy of the police.

Man: Yeah, the newest update is that he is in the psyche ward, they say he hasn’t stopped crying and he cant talk.

Woman: You don’t think the newspapers are just trying to grab a headline?

Man 2: Good morning.

Woman: Morning, selling more flowers today?

Stop.

Det. Thomas: (breathing hard.

Continues.

Man: So you believe in this Ghost nonsense? 

Man 2: It seems like the city loves its stories.

Det. Thomas: I am going to do it!

Woman: Oh my! Look up there!

Det. Thomas: I AM GOING TO JUMP!

Man: Someone is on the balcony! That building must be seven stories up!

Det. Thomas: No one come close! 

Man: Help!

Det. Thomas: I can’t…this world…Where am I?

Woman: He sounds delirious!

Det. Thomas: Someone tried to kill me and… and…I been poisoned. I am going to die anyways…. 

Woman: Police! Someone! Help!

Fade into

Bacgkround: Mob of people bussling.

Det. Thomas: I…I know what I need to do.

Police: Sir, calm down! Help is on the way!

Det. Thomas: I need to find out…who is The Ghost!

Police: Sir, we have a negotiator coming, paramedics, we can get you the help you need.

Det. Thomas: No you fools. If The Ghost doesn’t come here, and reveal his true identity, in the next seven hours…I will jump! Ghost! Come out here!

Dramatic Music.

Fade out.

Announcer: Meanwhile, in the office of Rick Hart, him and the spirit of his sister are listening to the news after working a tough case.

Malina: Brother, it was really weird watching that board room scene play out.

Rick: That was cake, deep down inside, his guilty conscience was bigger than even I could have anticipated, I suspected he would have confessed sooner rather than later even had I not given him that little extra push as The Ghost. 

Malina: But now he is a broken shell of a man. Would it not be better to have let him come to terms of his guilt on his own and be responsible for coming forward?

Rick: If the police waited for everyone to come forward there would be no need to investigate crime. Criminals hide and the job of justice is to seek. We do not wait for the opportune time on their end just as they do not wait for their victims to be ready.

Malina: But Rick, you are not a cop anymore.

Rick: But my duty is still the same, there was a victim, there was a call for justice, I answered and now he has paid for his crime. 

Radio: We interupt this musical interlude with this breaking news. 

Radio Guy: We just have word that there is a man on top of the 8th street building in downtown plaza. 

Rick: I know that area, it is near the police precinct.

Radio Guy: A man believe to be Detective Thomas has been seen on top of the building and is now threatening to jump.

Rick: What!?

Malina: My gosh…

Rick We got to get down there now!

Radio Guy: He is threatening to jump if The Ghost doesn’t reveal his true idenity in the next six hours.

Rick: Wait…what?

Malina: Rick! 

Rick: I know! But why? Why six hours? 

Malina: I don’t know if this is something we can handle.

Rick: Sis, I got an idea, lets go!

Background noises: Wind

Det. Thomas: All these people. They want to see me die.. They want to see me splat on the ground…

FX: Door opens.

Det. Thomas: Who are you! I don’t know you! I told everyone to stay back from the building. I will be heard! Can you hear me? Can…anyone hear me? I am here…right? 

Ghost: It is okay.

Det. Thomas: Who…who are you?

Ghost: You wanted me to reveal myself. Here I am.

Det. Thomas: You! You are the problem! Not the solution! I mean, you being here could be a solution….I can’t stop….the pain…the fear…

Malina: He…he is gone. 

Ghost: It is I, The Ghost. What do you need of me?

Det. Thomas: The voices…they talk.

Malina: I am sensing something here. Something dark and sinister. Can you feel it?

Ghost: You have been poisoned…havent you.

Det. Thomas: Yes. 

Ghost: You want to end your life before it takes hold of you and kills you.

Det. Thomas: I was the greatest officer in the force, and now…now I am a joke. A fool, my thoughts are so loud, the visions, they hurt, and the only time they stop is when I think to myself, I will find out who is the man behind the mask of The Ghost, even if it kills me. 

Ghost: But that isn’t you.

Det. Thomas: This! This! This is me now. This is what I have become and I cannot unbecome this. I am a shell of the man who took the name Thomas. 

Ghost: Who did this to you?

Det. Thomas: I…I don’t know.  I don’t understand whats going on, or how I even got up here. I feel like you and I have been talking for hours but I don’t remember you coming up here or how this conversation started…five.

Ghost: Five?

Det. Thomas: You have five and a half hours to take off that mask, and tell the world who is underneath. 

Malina: Rick… 

Det. Thomas: Did you hear that?

Ghost: The wind?

Det. Thomas: A girls voice. Something about a lick? Thick? A salt lick? What does a salt lick..

Malina: Um…

Det. Thomas: Hum? Tum? Thumb!?

Malina: Can he…

Det. Thomas: Shhh. You hear that! 

Ghost: I hear nothing. 

Det. Thomas: That is a lie, you say you hear the voices of the dead!

Malina: Careful!

Ghost: You think you can hear the voices of the dead?

Det. Thomas: I sense…a girl…no. I am just imagining things. I am just losing my mind. I am Thomas, I am a detective. I can keep it together, I just…

Ghost: Keep calm.

Malina: I can try and feed him my energy, if I try and let him feel calm, it might slow the progress of his anxiety and thinking.

Ghost: Good idea, now, Detective Thomas.

Malina: It is okay.

Ghost: Detective Thomas.

Det. Thomas: Ghost, if you don’t reveal yourself by the time of the time limit, I fear…

Malina: Stay calm.

Det. Thomas: I fear a force beyond my power will walk me to that ledge and make me jump.

Malina: You will be find.

Det. Thomas: If you cannot find who did this to me…find Rick Hart.

Ghost: Rick Hart?

Det. Thomas: He was always one stone smarter than me. Either you catch the guy who did this to me, by the time this act comes to a close, or you reveal your face to the world. In any event of a failure, my life ends on this roof. 

Ghost: I sense an evil presence but it hides well, you, you stay here with the dear detective.

Det. Thomas: Huh?

Malina: Will you be okay?

Ghost: Something wicked is behind this deed and it will be more than just a spirit. I need you to keep him company and protect him. Keep thinking positive thoughts in his direction, this will slow the spread. But he doesn’t have long. 

Malina: I shall wait here then, but be careful.

Det. Thomas: I do not feel so alone, you can go sir. Just please, don’t let me die.

FX: Walking away. 

FX: Door closes

Malina: And there he goes. But don’t worry. I will stand by your side.

Det. Thomas: I sense the desire to thank you my dear.

Malina: Excuse me?

Det. Thomas: You are confused, so am I.

Malina: Can you see me? Can you hear me?

Det. Thomas: I only hear your whispers. I see only a sillouette of a fair shadow. You lady…

Malina: Me?

Det. Thomas: I know you.

Malina: You do?

Det. Thomas: You are my guardian angel, sent from above to help me. 

Chief: Detective!

Det. Thomas: Oh no! my boss! Hehe, he is going to kill me.

Malina: Don’t stress now.

Chief: Detective Thomas!

Det. Thomas: Old man! I can hear you!

Chief: Are you okay!?

Malina: Breathe slow, you will be fine. In case you can hear me, The Ghost is going to put it all right.

Det. Thomas: You know sir! You know sir! This is all because of that silly Coven!

Malina: A coven?

Chief: Are you still obsessed with that case Come down!

Det. Thomas: They didn’t want me to know…but I know. It is all because of that case…

Dramatic Music.

Fade out

Secretary: Hello sir, can I help you?

Rick: My name is Rick Hart.

Secretary: I remember you sir!

Rick: I am here trying to help my friend on a ledge. He is threatening to jump and I need to know what he has been involved in the past few days. Time is a major factor and I don’t have it to spare. 

Secretary: I don’t have much info but…you used to be a cop, like him right?

Rick: He was my partner.

Secretary: He arrested a jerk of a boyfriend I had and helped me keep my composure when I was going through a tough patch. I still have this job because of him. If you want to help him, I can lead you to his files.

FX: walking

Rick: Thank you for helping me.

Secretary: The chief, as I am sure you remember has certain delecate cases he likes to keep away from the media because there are those who like to make a ruckus over nothings. I found Detective Thomas often in the records room, with his person files. You are free to look around, only if you promise this will help.

Rick: I do.

Secretary: They can take my job, I would have lost it anyways, just do what you can Mr. Hart.

Rick: Let’s see, politicians, friends of the force, normal, normal, corruption, normal. Oh…what is this?

FX: Flicking paper

Rick: A file about…a ritualistic sacrifice of a human being in downtown. The papers would have loved this, but they kept this well hidden. Last thing the chief would want would be a string of people being scared of freaky pagans…but this was two days ago…and…he circled a lot of stuff…could he have…I need to go to the crime scene.

FX: Car Stops

FX: Door opens.

Rick: Here it is. I can feel the dark aura, it is nauseating. It, stinks of the same atmosphere as the roof of that building. Five block walk, but I think the distance isn’t really important. No, what is important is what happened here. Yes. I can sense them. Bodies, multiple… and…you!

Spirit: Me?

Rick: You died here. 

Spirit: You can see me?

Rick: I can see you. 

Spirit: No.

Rick: No what?

Spirit: It was not me that died here. The coven, they killed me along time ago. I was once a member but they since moved on.

Rick: Then what are you doing here?

Spirit: I follow them, I hope and prey they can refind their ways but ever since the lord Bishop died, it has been nothing but the dark path.

Rick: The dark path, what do you mean?

Spirit: Oh we always did sacrifices, but they were always designed for betterment, now, they just want power. Him and his kid.

Rick: His kid?

Spirit: Lord Bishop too haunts the coven. His son is the heir and though the father is dead, they still are very much in contact. It is as if the son is his vessel.

Rick: And what are they doing in this city?

Spirit: Well this ritual was designed for one major purpose. 

Rick: And what is that?

Spirit: If you can see me I think I can tell you what the purpose was, but not out of convenience, but rather because I now know the truth. 

Rick: You heard of me.

Spirit: Yes. This was designed to lure The Ghost. They wish to hunt him, find him, and slay him. 

Rick: You think it will work.

Spirit: The poor man they cursed, they will use him as a weakness to bring you out, and force you to be vulnerable.

Rick: You want me to stop them.

Spirit: Lord Bishop killed me because I ran against him to lead. He died, but he is just as potent in this world as you breathe. The curse, it is one of the most darkest magics, rendering its victim insane until it completes its one mission, and failure is death. I do not know who they chose after they all went in hiding, but I can sense them still roaming this town. You…I figured you would come here. Fortunately the lord Bishop was not so smart. 

Ghost: You said this was strong magic, but he claims he was poisoned.

Spirit: Oh, it is definitely poison. Poison of the soul. But it is not one that can be placed on one from afar. No, it needs to be administered directly.

Ghost: Like a shot?

Spirit: Like food or drink. The ritual is very precise and hard to master, I never once dreamt of doing it to an individual. If you do it right, you will be killed by someone you trust the most. It is a requirement for the mind to be poison, by trust.

Dramatic Music

Fade into

Chief: The deadline, why won the change it? Why would he have a deadline? And The Ghost? Just what is going on?

Ghost: I would like to ask you the same question.

Chief: So, you have come too. I heard you were spotted over there trying to get him down? No luck?

Ghost: We are dealing with something that I am not accustomed to. 

Chief: A bad guy?

Ghost: Evil is afoot, that I know. He is not up their on his own will. And I can assure you that he is fighting it as much as possible. That fight might be the only thing keeping him alive.

Chief: And what is your end game?

Ghost: He managed to say one thing as himself while under the spell.

Chief: You mean to tell me he is under a spell? And the next I expect you to say there is an evil spirit…

Ghost: His name is lord Bishop, but that is not important. 

Chief: I am giving you a lot of leeway, I am tempted to tackle you right now, drag you in front of my guy and unmask you myself. 

Ghost: Have I ever failed you?

Chief: No. In all my years, you say you are going to solve a problem, it has always been solved.

Ghost: The Great Detective will not jump to his death, nor will he fall. He will walk down the stairs like a normal human being of his own free will and he will live to continue his job fighting crime. 

Chief: And if you fail. 

Ghost: Ten minutes before the final deadline, I will unmask myself if I do not solve this case. But he asked me to find out who did this to him, and I promised him as much as I promise you I will.

Chief: So this lord..

Ghost: No, I just said Lord Bishop was an evil entity involved, I need to know has anyone been close to the detective these past, lets say, two days?

Chief: Their names are Detective, Pat, Leto, and Jacobs.

Ghost: Three new cops?

Chief: Recruits. You suspect them?

Ghost: Is that them sitting in front of the coffee maker?

Chief: They have been shaken up.

Ghost: Detective Thomas was probably breaking them in, but did any of them work on his most recent case?

Chief: You know about the coven? I think it was just a bunch of punks playing pretend.

Ghost: I see them…

Chief: Them?

Ghost: It all fits together in a strange way. You see sir. One of them reeks. It is a dark energy that I cannot quite put my finger on. But one of those three kids is a cold blooded murderer and attempted to murder a cop. 

Dramatic Music  

Comercial Break

Comercial: Lunasense Gives Hope.

FX: Clock Tick Tocking

Lady: Doc, I am just thinking, I have lot of stresses in my life.

Doc: And what kind of stresses is that?

Lady: I don’t know what I am going to do with my day. I don’t know when the kids will be home. What do I cook for breakfat? The day goes on and one and every day, I am the one trying to keep the house together while my husband brings home the money to pay for everything. I tell you a woman’s life is stressful..

Doc: But it doesn’t have to be?

Lady: And why is that?

Doc: Because you are a strong individual and you can do anything you put your mind to. I don’t need to prescribe you drugs to take care of your household.

Lady: Than what can you give me to keep my house clean from those silly baboons called my children.

Doc: Oh that, that is easy. You can clean the house but if I were to prescribe, I would prescribe Lunasense.

Lady: What is that?

Doc: It works harder, faster, and fresher than other leading brands in most stores. It will take that slavish house wife and make you the queen of your castle. If you need that clean feeling, trust me when I say Lunasense is the best you can find. 

Lady: Will it get rid of my husband too?

Doc: Only you can do that.

Both: (Laugh)

Theme song: For that clean feeling. (three knocks on wood) use LunaSence.

Spokesman: Use LunaSence, that clean feeling. Can be bought in most brand name stores

End Comercial Break.

Announcer: And now the thrilling conclusion to The Man on the Roof.

Malina: (singing) It is going to be okay my child, watch the way the wind sways. Sway thee home to rest.

Det. Thomas: That is a nice song.

Malina: You can hear it.

Det. Thomas: I think I can see the beginning of your hair color. 

Malina: It is nothing impressive.

Det. Thomas: Angel. You have a name?

Malina: You don’t have to call me an angel, I am a…

Det. Thomas: I am going to die soon am I not? Tell me Angel…

Malina: You will not die, The Ghost is on his way.

Det. Thomas: The Ghost, he cannot defeat this darkness in me.

Malina: You trust him, right?

Det. Thomas: People I trust tend to leave me. I, who have had no one partner to last my career. It has been nothing but constant getting to know people and watch them leave.

Malina: That is just your anxiety talking.

Det. Thomas: It is life, but I stay, I always have stayed, so has my boss. And Rick. He left but he stayed in the city, and I treat him like the plague…But I would still return what he did for me ten fold. It should have been me that jumped in front of that gunman. But I froze, I saw the bullet and the flash and thought I woke to the afterlife. It was when his body crumpled in front of me that I realized Rick had been shot, and I was alive.

Malina: Grab my hand, even if you cannot really touch me.

Det. Thomas: There isn’t really anything to grab, its just an illusion.

Malina: I exist.

Det. Thomas: I do not know how long my sanity will last.

Malina: You are talking to a ghost, your sanity has long since gone, but as long as I can keep you calm and here, we can make it through.

Det. Thomas: I am talking to a ghost. Before, you were a blur and a whistle of the wind. 

Malina: And?

Det. Thomas: Now, I can see you clear as day, hear your voice no different than as if my boss was right here with me.

Malina: You are getting anxious…

Det. Thomas: The poison is taking its toll, I do not have much longer do I? I see you now, hear you now because I am that much closer to joining you.

Malina: Yes. You do not know me, or my story, but I have been beside you for along time. You were a good friend to me without every knowing it and the amount of paying you back what I owe for what you have done will never be a debt paid. 

Det. Thomas: What do you mean? What have I done for you?

Malina: You have always been you. You have always been a great human being. If you trust me and The Ghost, we can get through this. And you will be alive.

Det. Thomas: Can I have a name?

Malina: My name is Malina. 

Det. Thomas: A pleasure to meet you Malina.

Malina: And until he returns I promise I will protect you. You will not die on this day!

Det. Thomas: I am starting to sense things. It is like reality is starting to wash over itself.

Malina: The angry spirit is finally getting impatient. He draws near. Come out!

Bishop: Hello. 

Malina: And you are.

Det. Thomas: Another spirit!

Bishop: Not just any spirit, I am the most powerful being in this city. 

Det. Thomas: Stay back.

Bishop: You cannot hurt me mortal. Not only are you soon to death but that you can see me means you are slipping past the point of no recovery. The more you fight it the more…

Malina: You are wrong. Whatever you have poisoned him with, the seal can be undone. 

Bishop: Undone? It can only be undone if me and my son were to fail in our scheme.

Malina: Scheme…

Det. Thomas: The coven.

Malina: The coven, you mean him?

Det. Thomas: The ritualistic murder. The way you are dressed, you were involved in it. But you are dead. Is that why you came after me? Because I solved your crime? I figured out who did it!

Malina: You did this to keep him quiet?

Bishop: That is not quite the way this story went. I mean you never solved the case. You were close. So close that we had no choice to drug you before that final grey cell could connect with the other grey cell and form that one coherent sentence that would have made the spell impossible to cast. Had you lost all trust in my son, the effect would not have taken hold of you. But that was also kind of its own coincidence. 

Malina: What are you trying to do?

Bishop: Kill The Ghost. I wasn’t going to make my move while he was here in the present, not before the drug took total effect on you. Now you are almost nothing more than a puppet. But I did not expect that a fellow spirit would stay behind and try and nurture his spirit and keep him grounded. That was very unexpected. So I had to bade my time and now that that time is over, lady Malina, was it? I need you to leave.

Malina: Over my dead body.

Bishop: How interesting for you to say that, and how did you die?

Malina: And what good would killing The Ghost do?

Bishop: With The Ghost out of the way, the city would be open for our magics and no one would be able to stand up to us. What the cops would see would be a harmless self contained murder while my son infiltrates and puts his roots deep into the city and spreads our influence throughout. I picture only The Ghost would have seen the legitimacy of our plans as something other than a harmless game. But if we got him out of the way, by have you out him, then there would be nothing to stand in the way.

Dramatic Music.

Pat: You think Thomas will be alright?

Leto: I don’t know Pat, what about you Jacobs?

Jacobs: Well Leto, it is going to be tough to say, this whole thing is just leaving me with a bad feeling.

Ghost: Speaking of bad feelings.

Jacobs: Who is there?

Pat: Show yourself.

Leto: Yeah. Don’t mess with us, we are detectives.

Ghost: Two of you are trainees, and one of you is a transfer from another district.

Leto: Yeah…how did you know that, and what is with the getup?

Ghost: Your mentor is thinking about killing himself and you are all right here?

Pat: And you are?

Ghost: I am The Ghost. You probably have heard of me.

Leto: I hear that you made some guy go crazy and off himself.

Ghost: The CEO turned himself in, he is very much alive.

Pat: Small conceession being that he will probably spend the rest of his life in the nuthouse.

Ghost: He was arrested, he did confess.

Jacobs: The man deserved what happened to you. If you are as cool they say you are, you alright in my book. What can we do for you.

Ghost: To the point gentlemen, one of you just tried to kill your hero.

Pat: Whose our hero?

Ghost: The Great Detective is trying his best to find his head from the hole in the ground and hopefully not become a hole in the ground himself.

Pat: You making fun of our boss for losing his mind?

Ghost: Whatever was done to him was done by someone he trusted implicitly, and I know the man, he always opens up with those he works with, and what better way to get close than to infiltrate and be right next to him.

Jacobs: You are saying one of us is the reason that this is happening to him? Why the nerve!

Ghost: I am not only saying that, but one of you is trying to muscle in on this town and have your way by getting away with not just the potential murder of the great detective, but by the murder they already commited not that long ago.

Leto: What murder. I never killed anybody.

Ghost: The body found, what Detective Thomas and the Chief dubbed, The coven murder.

Leto: Like as in witches and stuff.

Ghost: Yes, this isn’t your typical coven though. This isn’t a group of magic users, rather we are looking for one, and then the mindless followers who would do whatever the culprit wanted to increase his power. He is the center of this cult and with his downfall, they will all disapear all at once from existence. 

Jacobs: You sure have some spine trying to accuse…

Ghost: As I said, I am not trying, I already have, and seeing you all here, up close, you did well trying to hide it.

Leto: You are going to accuse, you better have something to prove. I will not let you badmouth me, my friends, or Thomas for that matter.

Jacobs: You point your finger at my comrades, urban myth or not, I will beat the snot out of you.

Pat: You are all talk, now leave me be!

Ghost: This dance has come to an end. I will tell the great Detective all I know. Thank you for this enlightening talk.

Dramatic Music.

Chief: Thomas: I am coming up.

FX: Door opens.

Det. Thomas: We only have an hour left. 

Malina: Stay calm.

Bishop: All three of us know this ends in the mans death!

Det. Thomas: I don’t want to die!

Malina: I said calm down.

Bishop: You will fail. Your hero will fail! This all ends in death and your body splat!

Det. Thomas: I am going to jump!

Malina: No! 

Det. Thomas: Don’t jump? 

Malina: What is my name?

Det. Thomas: Your name, its Malina, right?

Malina: I am your friend! You are mine! I will not leave you to jump.

Chief: You are talking to yourself.

Det. Thomas: Boss? What are you doing up here!? Don’t come closer! I already asked The Ghost for help! No…I need to reveal who he is. Only then will I live.

Malina: You are Detective Thomas. You are a great man and my brother, while he treats you like a good has nothing but the upmost respect for you. 

Bishop: Brother…

Malina: My brother will come as sure as night follows day and he will undo this spell.

Det, Thomas: He has an hour…

Malina: Then I know he is already on his way here.

Det. Thomas: Your brother…do I know…

Bishop: Do not listen to her hope!

Det. Thomas: My brain! I can’t think! Oh god the pain! I…

Bishop: You can end it when you out The Ghost.

Chief: Thomas! Listen to me!

Det. Thomas: All of you need to stay away. 

Chief: Thomas: Snap out of it! I can save you.

Bishop if anyone touches you I will have you run right off the building, head first.

Det. Thomas: Stay back! I need my partner.

Chief: What?

Det. Thomas: Where is Rick? 

Chief: Rick was seen in the office, I think he knows your plight but…

Det. Thomas: Where the heck is Hart when you need him. That boy is too busy talking to his own self then solving this murder! 

Chief: You arent thinking clearly. 

Ghost: Sorry the flight of stairs took so long.

Malina: You finally came.

Bishop: Ghost! You showed up again. Are you ready to give up your identity in order to save this mans life.

Ghost: Trust, this whole thing has been about trust. I got the special potion in the drug mixed up. It isn’t just administered by someone you trust, but for the poison to work, you have to trust the user filling your mind with said poison. So let me ask you Mr. Thomas. Of your three protégés, which one do you currently trust the most.

Bishop: You found it out.

Ghost: I already know he is going to say Trainee Patterson. 

Det. Thomas: Pat. Pat was there for me…

Ghost: You only knew him a couple of days, and I would guess you met him not long after your deep and thorough investigation of the creepy coven murder. By the way, I met your old partner lord Bishop. He was able to pass one when I told him I would excorsise you after putting the fear of the afterlife in you. Thing is, you got close. And I mean really close. You knew the answer. You traced the cults activities to a town, one of your new recruits came from. I am sorry to say Lord Bishop but your son is clearly an idiot if he couldn’t hack hiding from the police in two days, and literally right in front of him the entire time too. I mean wow. My mom said I had issues. But what kind of moron not only cant keep their cover, but is on a first name basis with their predator?

Bishop: My son is not an idiot, he is the leader of the order!

Ghost: I rarely ever, and I mean ever, meet other people that can openly talk to spirits. But your son, I suspect he is in close contact with you. Isnt that right?

FX: Door opens.

Pat: Yeah. I can talk to and see my dad.

Ghost: The aura I sensed was never one entity. When I first came to the roof, it wasn’t just you Bishop. When I went to the coven crime scene, it wasn’t just you, it was your pooled energy. You guys almost share a spirtual presence to one another. I can only guess through the contact ritualistic sacrifices and spells have you opened yourself more than most to the other side. Am I correct on this Patterson.

Pat: You can call me Pat and yes. 

Chief: But we hired you.

Pat: It doesn’t matter. You will all be dead soon. You see, the Detective is completely open to suggestion. As long as it comes from a person he trusted at the time the poison went into his system.

Ghost: And that is where you are wrong. You see, the bond of trust had been broken the moment I outed you to him. it’s a paradox, really. He, not under the influence asked me to find out your identity. Subconcsiously the moment the part of him that is still there realized that you tried to kill him…

Pat: I did not try to kill him. I am trying to kill you.

Ghost: No, his mindset was, “I am already dead, I want you, to find out who killed me.” I completed that logic in his mind. 

Det. Thomas: The person who killed me is Pat.

Ghost: You were betrayed by Pat.

Det. Thomas: I was betrayed by Pat.

Ghost: Doesn’t that make you…angry?

Det. Thomas: After all I have done for him. You killed that poor man and then you poisoned me with the coffee you got us this morning.

Ghost: And there it is, the final link has closed. Its ingenious that the power of suggestion would override almost any level of logical thinking but people who have been left for dead, you can’t suggest your way out of that. 

Bishop: You move and I take her away from you!

Malina: Let me go!

Det. Thomas: No!

Pat: Do what you can but he is still gone and if the program hasn’t been completed he will still jump to his death. And Chief, if you think about moving, I will shoot you right here where you stand.

Ghost: And me? Why don’t you shoot me?

Pat: A gunshot would be too clean and easy for you. I will destroy you with every nook and cranny of your entire existence. 

Chief: You will not escape. The police have this place surrounded.

Pat: Then no living witnesses and I can sneak back down. No one is coming up. No one will believe anything but what I say happened. 

Ghost: How much do you love your father?

Pat: What kind of question…

Bishop: Ugh…help…me…

Ghost: You see, he was smart to hide from me the first time.

Pat: What are you doing to my dad.

Ghost: Forcing him to move on.

Bishop: I will take her with me!

Ghost: Its your turn.

Malina: On it. YOU!

Pat: Me?

Malina: YOU! YOU HAVE DONE A GREAT EVIL!

Pat: Ah…this pressure.

Bishop: What are you doing to my son.

Ghost: Without proer training, even an adept cannot withstand the full brunt of a wraith.

Malina: YOU HAVE RUINED THE LIVES OF MANY PEOPLE! YOU WILL PAY!

Pat: Stop! Shut up!

Bishop: Stop hurting my son!

Ghost: Your son’s pain, it is only natural it would loosen your grip from her. And now, without a hostage, your last moments on this planet will be watching what little left of your son’s sanity is ripped from the void that will be his mind when we are through with him. 

Malina: YOU WILL NEVER KNOW PEACE OR REST!

Pat: Dad….help me…Dad…don’t leave…me…

Malina: YOU ARE ALONE! YOU TRIED TO KILL SOMEONE I CARE ABOUT I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!

Pat: Stay back.

Chief: Thomas: Stand up! Are you okay.

Det. Thomas: Make this nightmare end.

Ghost: It wont be over until he is knocked unconscious and his influence over the detective is gone completely.

Malina: One final blow…

Pat: I said stay back.

Watcherby: Look, a person, up there. He is walking backwards towards the end. Oh my, he is going to fall!

Malina: GO AWAY!

Pat: Don’t….ah! (Falling)

Watcherby: I can’t watch!

FX: Clung

Pat: (Screams briefly)

Background noises: Hospital machine beeping.

Malina: Rick, you think he will be alright?

Rick: The guy who pushed off the balcony. You know he landed four stories down, broke his back. The ladder escape caught his fall.

Malina: I am glad he is still alive.

Rick: Me too.

Malina: He will probably be a nothing of a man after this though. But no, I was asking about Detective Thomas.

Rick: We ended his influence. The spell concoction in the coffee required suggestion and trust. Without there to be a person to make a suggestion and without trust, the sickness will just slowly leave his body. 

Malina: I never saw him so broken of a shell of himself.

Rick: He only made it out of this because you kept him grounded to you.

Doctor: Mr. Hart?

Rick: Yes?

Doctor: Thomas is awake, he is heavily medicated but he is asking for you. 

Rick: He is?

Doctor: He doesn’t really know where he is but I suspect he was on some heavy dose of a drug. His recovery seems to be going well.

FX: Door opens.

Rick: Detective Thomas.

Thomas: Partner.

Rick: Thomas, what happened.

Thomas: I…was standing on a building and…I could see the world. 

Rick: And then what happened?

Det. Thomas: I woke up here. 

Rick: Do you remember anything?

Det. Thomas: No. 

Rick: Are you okay?

Det. Thomas: Yes, thank you for asking.

Rick: Would you like me to just stay here for awhile?

Det. Thomas: Sure. You can keep me safe. You are always watching my back.

Rick: I took a bullet for you.

Det. Thomas: And I would take a bullet for you.

Malina: Can he still see me?

Rick: He can’t even see me, he doesn’t even remember that he hates me.

Det. Thomas: Talking to yourself again Rick.

Rick: Always.

Det. Thomas: Rick. I don’t think I can keep my eyes open…

Rick: Then go back to sleep.

Det. Thomas: I have a quest….tion…

Rick: Yes?

Det. Thomas: You ever hear of a woman named Malina? 

Dramatic music.

Fade out. 

Announcer: The Ghost and all characters are copyright by Supernatural Magazine Monthly. All characters living or dead are fictitious and all similarities are practically coincidental. All rights reserved.

End

Author's Note

A bit rough, i apologize, but outside of spelling and caps, feel free to leave feedback.