Paul's Chapter 1

Paul is alive, yet exists in the ghost world. He helps out ghosts when wronged by demons.

I wasn’t dead, but I did feel like I was. My name is Paul Simmons, I was nineteen, and a private investigator that works for various apparitions. My dealings operate mostly outside the city limits of Quad City, a metropolis northeast of Miami, Florida. For the past three years, I was a detective that investigated cases that ghosts hired me for. In reality I worked for nothing, I was mostly just bored. Like I said, I wasn’t dead. But for some reason, living people couldn’t see, hear, or feel me. That is unless I yelled loud enough or shoved them or something extreme like that. However, ghosts and apparitions could see me just fine. And I could see and hear them. They were the only people who I could interact with, except the demons. I could see them as well, but they always want to kill me. My cases normally took me to demon communities and I had to interrupt their plans. They weren’t my biggest fans.

The case I was working at this, was what I called the “Case of the Golden Dust Those Demons Want So Much.” You see, I was brought up Lutheran, and I’ve always been taught that demons are just stupid monsters that act on their own wills. They have no rhyme or reason to do what they do. All they want, is to cause as much harm to humans as possible. Well, that ain’t really the case in real life. Soon after I started the private eye thing, I realized that demons are smart. The strong ones are at least. A lot of demons stick together like a gang. They deal out this golden dust stuff, but I don’t know what it does. They also give out weird weapons that can do a load of damage. I’ve seen these enchanted sledge hammers that crush ghosts and smash their souls. I tried my best to get rid of those weapons and destroy them. I found that out early, and I try to destroy those weapons whenever I can. Here’s where my story starts.

I was strolling around Quad City. I didn’t grow up there or anything, but always loved the sights of the tall buildings. Plus there was a lot of demon activity for me to have fun with. I haven’t really met any who could take me, yet. I was dressed strangely, but no one could see me anyway, so why would I care. I’d seen all those old detective serials, since my dad was a nostalgia film buff. I thought that if I was going to be a private eye, I might as well look like one. I was wearing a shin length, tan overcoat that flowed in the breeze. I wore black pinstripe pants, a white dress shirt and black pinstripe jacket. I also had a scarf around my neck that tucked into my black vest. I wore Italian black dress boots, and a tan fedora hat, like one Humphrey Bogart would wear in “Casablanca” or something. I cut through an ally, and I saw a ghost girl floating above a dumpster, crying. She was semi-transparent, yet I could just make her out. I was cautious as I approached her. It could have been a demon in disguise or something. Or a trap.

“You okay?” I asked.

She turned to me. She was a heavy chick, long hair and sad eyes.

“A demon…big one.  He…stole my locket.”

“Does your locket have any Magical properties?” I asked.

By the way, there’s Magic indecently in the Afterlife. I don’t know how to use it, or even if I can. But demons can use it. I’ve also seen these other guys use it. Guys in black leather jackets. I’ve seen them a few times, but they always disappear before I can talk to them. They aren’t human, so they have to be some kind of ghost or something. Maybe a poltergeist. I don’t know. Anyway, I’ve heard of demons taking things from ghosts, usually stuff with Magic in it.

“Not…not that I know of,” she replied.

“Okay. Will I find you here in a few hours?”

“Yeah…but…what are you gonna do?”

“I’ll be back.”

I walked out of the ally, following a scent. I could smell demons by the way. I sensed it off that ghost and I knew a demon had been there. I followed the scent for a while, knowing where it would lead me.  Ghosts lived in these shanty towns in junk yards and deserted alleyways. Like the Hooverville’s of the Great Depression. Ghosts are human souls who chose not to be reaped and go to the Afterlife. So until a spot was ready for them in Heaven or Hell, they had to dwell on Earth. A lot of them gathered into city dumps or old warehouses in what I playfully termed “Ghost towns.” Anyway, I frequently visited there to see some ghost friends and work cases. One that I went to pretty infrequently was Ghost Town number 4. I number them all in order of how I found them. I wandered into a warehouse, located in the middle of a huge hill filled with the city’s trash. I saw a lot of ghosts I recognized from my years of investigating. I walked up to my friend Lou, my informant.

“Paul, how’s it going?”

“Fine, Lou. Have you seen any demons come through here? Preferably one with a locket stolen from a ghost?”

I heard a crunching howl coming from the warehouse.

“Never mind, Lou.”

I headed toward the warehouse. More like stalked. The sun was setting over the hill, kind of a weird mix of sunset beauty and trash. I worked better at night anyway. For some reason, I could see just as well at night as in the day. I went into a jog as I heard the howl again. Then there were a couple more to accompany it. I gulped a little. Is this locket worth it? I asked myself. Yes, Ares said. I turned to my left, where a broken mirror was perched. Instead of my reflection, I saw my “friend” Ares.

“Ares, is this the best time?”

“It is. You’re having doubts.”

“Well, yeah. It’s only a locket.”

“A locket stolen by the Kaiser Gang? It must be some importance. Don’t you agree?”

“How do you know it’s the Kaisers?” I asked.

“…” Ares didn’t like to tell me how he knew some things.

Ares, in the mirror, was my height and build, only he had on a dark green military cap. It was kind of like the only worn by generals. His face was darkened by the brim, and I could only see his mouth. He was garbed in a dark green military uniform, complete with a tie and medals that were indistinguishable. He stood with his chest out and back arched. His hands were behind his back. He looked like a drill sergeant inspecting the troops. I ain’t crazy, by the way, the guy’s real.

“Maybe it is worth it…”

“What else would they want with it? Paul, retrieve it.”

“Fine…This better have a point to it.”

I took off toward the warehouse. The warehouse was a huge, broken down old place. It was once a factory that had been disowned and left to rot. It was also a meeting place for the demon gang, the Kaisers. I realized this as I saw a demon guard stroll by with a leather vest. It had a stylized “Kaiser Gang” scribbled on it.

I crept through some bushes and peered out. A sentry was walking around the entrance. He was a tall, cyclops looking guy with a leather jacket that also said “Kaiser Gang” on the back. I looked for any buddies but he was alone. As soon as his back turned, I silently shot forward and punched him on the side of the neck. I grabbed his mouth to prevent his crying out, and I let him down to the ground slowly. He was out. I grabbed his leg and tossed him into the bushes to hide his ugly body. It would take more than one, oblivious guard to see me coming. My eyes and nose scoped for any incoming guards and I ran up to the heavy metal door. I grabbed the bottom and ripped it up, the iron shrieking. The rusty metal had a hard time staying up, so I just let it drop. The door clanged down behind me, and the dim light of dusk that flooded the room was gone. But as soon as my eyes adjusted, I could see everything clearly in the pitch darkness. I was standing in a loading station or something. There were crates stacked up all over, old, wooden, rotting crates. I was crouched behind a five foot stack, hiding from three hawk-looking gentlemen, yet I couldn’t help but wonder what was in the crates. I glanced over the crate’s corner, and observed the demons in action. They required fire spheres illuminating from their hands to light up the environment. But that meant they couldn’t see in the dark like me. I smirked, a potential advantage. I also noticed that they were speaking in really simple language, like little kids. And there was a lot of hissing and growling. These weren’t smart ones, just cronies. I made a mental note. I searched the guys for the locket, but I couldn’t find it on their superficial appearance. When I took them down, I would have to search their pockets. But in all likelihood, it was on their boss’s person. I reached in my coat pocket and found one of my distraction marbles. I tossed over my shoulder. The demons were facing my right. I tossed the marble over their heads, and they shot around, so they’re backs were to me. I popped up and sprinted at them, noiselessly. I drew my gun and hit the first guy on the side of the head. He fell, and his buddies turned around. One had a cracked sword and he got ready to stab me. I rose my gun and fired four quick, breathy shots into his torso. He dropped and the last hawk headed fellow punched me in the back of my shoulder. I staggered forward, and side kicked him in the chest. He flew backwards, and I fired a few bullets into him.

I strolled over to the one I left alive, a distinct cowboy feeling rushed over me. He started to wake up and I snatched up his shirt collar. I put the gun between his eyes, above the bridge of his beak thingy.

“Okay, Hawkeye, have you seen a locket? It was stolen off a ghost girl.”

“I…I…I ain’t seens it. Maybes…Maybes Sir has its. Sirs has its, Mr. Valkerie, sir. Find my Sir. He has it’s, I knows it.”

“Valkerie?” I heard that term before. “Why did you call me that?”

“Ain’t you…Ain’t you a Valkerie officers?”

“I…don’t think so. Anyway, your boss has the locket?”

“Yes, sirs. Yes, he haves it.”

Then he opened his beak and gave out a bird-like scream. I shot him in the face out of panic, and I back flipped thirty feet away behind some crates. Just as I landed, the door at the other end crashed open. I smelled six demons, strong ones. I gulped. I could only see one big fire ball lighting up the place. I grinned. That was too easy. I felt an urge in my brain and I pulled out my pocket mirror. It was the kind of thing girls’ll whip out randomly to check their makeup.

“Paul, there are six men there.”

“I know, Ares. They’re strong. I don’t think my gun will help very much right now.”

He paused.

“I can see your plan, Paul. Yes. Go about it. I’ll assist when the time comes.”

“Cool.”

I closed the mirror and I grabbed another marble and tossed it to my left. They flipped in that direction, and started heading towards it. The fire was dimming around me, meaning they weren’t facing me. I bolted out from under cover and got closer to the group. I was still behind a stack of crates. The demons stopped and started talking. I grabbed my last marble, and chucked farther. They headed towards the noise and I stalked right behind them. I carefully aimed at the leading demon’s fire hand, and I shot it off. His hand, not the fire. He screamed in pain and the room went black. They were blind and I could see them clear as day. I fired six bullets right in the back of the guy in front of me’s head. He dropped and I kicked the second guy in the lower back. He fell. I shot another about nine times. I moved like a panther, bobbing and weaving around the crates. This was all before the others could turn around. But after I killed the third guy, I saw a shotgun and a crossbow spin in my direction. I ducked and the ammo whizzed above me. I drifted to the right and took down another demon. It was dark, I still had the advantage. Then, the leader, the guy with one hand, used his other hand to make another fire ball. I jumped behind another crate, and a crossbow bolt almost clipped me in the shoulder. Now my advantage was gone. The crates were rotting and weak. The bolts got through easy. It was just luck I wasn’t hit. I felt the cold, freezing feeling in my stomach. It spread to the rest of my body and my skin turned ice blue. I chuckled and could feel the power. Closed my eyes. I was lighter than air for a second, and then I opened them. I was above my enemies. I was levitating for a split moment, then I began to fall. My arms twisted and distorted into blue spears. I slashed around as I toppled onto of my demon friends. Another guard barged into the storage room. He saw his colleagues dead all over the floor, then his eyes rose to me. His jaw dropped and he turned to run. In a second, I was in front of him. I put my hand around this alligator looking weirdo’s throat and lifted him up. I could see the mist coming off my eyes.

“Where is your boss?” I asked. I felt my throat tremoring, like a car speaker pumping out music. Several voices were sliding out of my mouth.

“He’s…He’s…He’s…”

“Where!” I snarled.

“B-back office! With my…my other lower bosses…”

“Thanks.”

I threw him back and drew my gun. I unloaded into him and his body thumped against the cement floor. I watched all the demon bodies dissolve into black, slimy stuff and ooze into the ground. Demons did that when they were killed. I felt warm again, and my skin was back to its normal color. Ares wanted me to conserve his power, I guess. I jogged down the hall and didn’t see any offices. I looked up at the next floor, and heard voices. I crept up the stairs, and saw a large office with a bunch of demons inside. I ducked down as soon as I saw that the dusty windows were open. If a demon had being looking in my direction, he would have saw me. I got next to the door and made sure my gun was ready. I didn’t really get what was being discussed in there. It sounded like another language. I didn’t know if demons had their own exclusive language, or if they were speaking Dutch or something. This is all I could really catch.

“…The Board…We can infiltrate…. Can destory them from the insi…All we need is…Word.”

 I was trying to think of a plan, when I saw the locket hanging from a demon’s neck. He was coming up the stairs, and hadn’t yet seen me. I slugged him in the face, and grabbed his mouth to stop him from screaming. I pulled the locket off his neck and put the gun to his forehead.

“Does this thing have any Magic powers?” I asked.

“I…I don’t know. I’m just supposed to give it to my boss. Please don’t…”

Then I shot him. But before his body disappeared, his boss walked out of the office. I dove over the stair rail and landed on the ground. I judo rolled toward the storage room and ran as fast as I could. The boss roared for his partners that I intruded. A blast of fire almost hit my head as I ducked into the dark storage area. I kept running, jumping over crates and tools. I kicked the metal door open, not having time to open it. The metal flew down the hill, and I zipped down as fast as I could. I felt the cold coming along again, and I closed my eyes. I opened them, and I was warming up.

I was sitting on a skyscraper in Quad City. Teleportation, I love you. I was breathing kind of heavy, and sweating a bit. I glanced down at the locket, and turned it around in my fingers. It was egg shaped and on a thick white chain. I accidently hit a button or something, and it clicked open. Inside was empty, except for a slip of paper. I took it out and unfolded it.

“Gimme Shelter,” it said in scrawl. I love that song, I thought. But what did it mean? Why did someone write that on the paper and put it in the locket? I took out the mirror and started walking along the edge of the building.

“Ask the ghost,” Ares said.

“Yeah, I was thinking that. What did those demons talk about? Something about destroying a board and they need a word.”

“A board of…directors?” Ares suggested.

“Could be. The word could be Gimme Shelter. Oh wait…that’s a phrase. I don’t know. I’ll ask her.”

I found her in the exact spot I found her. I closed the locket and handed it to her. She thanked me and tried to give me a hug. But she went right through me and she did the ghost version of blushing. She put the locket around her neck and it turned intangible like her. I nodded and started leaving. I left the ally, and stood just outside of her line of sight. I listened for it…and heard the click of the locket opening. I strained my ears and heard her gasp. I sped in and got to her face to face. She spun around and tried to escape. She attempted to dissolve into the wall next to her, but I felt cold. My blue hand shot out and I could feel my force holding her still. She was stopped her in her tracks. She was afraid.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” I said. “I just want to know what Gimme Shelter means.”

“It’s…a song by the Rolling Stones.”

“Off the Let It Bleed album, I know. But why did you put it in the locket?”

“I didn’t.”

“Who did?”

“A man. He said to keep guard over it. He said it’s important.”

“Do you know anything about a board?”

She thought deeply. Or so it seemed.

“That…sounds familiar. He said something about a board being…a demon enemy.”

Made perfect sense. The demons wanted to destroy a board. But from the inside? That sounded a little odd. They were going to infiltrate the board and destroy it from what sounded like the inside.

“Okay. Can you describe who gave this to you?”

“Him.”

She was staring up at the edge of the building, and I saw him. He was wearing a skin tight, black mask that covered his whole head. He wore aviator goggles on where I guess his eyes were. He had on a tight, dark brown leather trench coat that went down to his thighs and was buttoned up to his throat. His belt had small sheaths that contained God knows what. He had on black stripe pants and dress shoes. I blinked and he was gone.

Reviews

[Jasper]

Excellent set up, cbritt06! The interior monologues give a wonderful flavor of humor to the piece that draws me in. The pacing is generally good (since I have Siri read it to me on my iPhone); however, the dialogue runs too fast in some places without pausing. I noticed the word "anyway" is used a great and becomes distracting. Also, the tag, "I asked" is distracting sometimes because of overuse. The large paragraph surrounding the hawk-like gentlemen, who cracked me up--I love their characters--intimidated me as a reader and listener and I would recommend breaking it up. The only distracting part I read/heard comes from the paragraph near the end about the locket and the girl. The word "her" is used so much in a small amount of time that it becomes annoying. I would recommend revising that part. Nevertheless, I want to know what happens next and overall!