Chapter 32

He made it back into the Nightmare made manifest, shooting at a stray ghost getting a bit too close to Carrow.

“Thanks for that.” Carrow called out as sweat dripped down his brow.

“Is it just me or do these things go down way too easy?” Zach marveled as he fired at another one which also went down in a single shot.

“The cost of the Nightmare made Manifest. The ghosts closer to the center get stronger as they drain the ghosts near the outskirts.” Carrow’s mentor explained as Zach shot at another ghost. “Now go, I’m told you have business at the center of the storm.”

“Thanks,” he didn’t need another word before running forward to join the main group.

The older exorcists had formed a circle at the edge of the street. Andrew was in a constant cycle of shooting ghosts before reloading. Lady Gray was willing the fire of her candle to lash out at the ghosts as burning whips. The man with the chains was swinging them around, wrapping around ghosts and smashing them into each other. The lady with the buzz cut was just standing still and annihilating any ghost who got within arm length. Despite this, there seemed to be more ghosts coming towards her than all the other ones.

And at the very center of it all was Beth on one knee, readying the Camera Obscura.

Andrew loaded up, ready to fire another volley when a blue marble went through his first target. He fired at six other ghosts coming up behind it before turning to the source of the shot.

“Zach, since when can you do that without Blue’s help?” He demanded, his hands reloading his gun without his input.

“It’s a long story,” He said as he made it to the center of the circle. There was no one between Beth and the ghost river going down the center of the road, so both the chain using man and Lady Gray needed to cover the area.

Zach stood right next to Beth and aimed forward. Without a word between them, Zach started firing at a few of the ghosts coming their direction. Seeing the new combatant on their side, Lady Gray and the man with chains started letting up on the area. They backed off slowly at first, but then quickly once they saw Zach had it handled.

“Okay, it’s ready!” Beth called out as she readied the camera for another shot. Zach took a step back just to make sure he wouldn’t be in the picture. She grit her teeth and pulled on the handle again, unleashing another flash of light. It faded away to reveal a massive gap in the river.

Carrow and his Mentor raced past them before Zach could take a single step. The two men reached the edges of the new gap and slammed their walking sticks down, releasing another blue pulse. The ghosts tried to move in to fill the wall again, but were forced to go over the new wall instead.

No one said a word as everyone started running towards the opening. Once each and every of the exorcists was on the other side, Both Carrow and his mentor dropped their walls and moved forward.

They were on the other side of the road now, in front of some hotel called ‘The Ebb and Flow’. The exorcist ran past the gaps in the bushes and into the parking lot, which was low in the center, but went up the further out you got. In other words, it was a smooth bowl that forced all the ghosts to come at them without cover.

Zach took aim and fired a Blue Marble at one of the ghosts, ready to move on, only to notice the ghost still there. It had a massive hole through its shoulder, but it was still coming at him.

He fired at it again, and then a third time. It took the second shot pretty well, and only shattered after the third shot.

“You weren’t kidding about them getting stronger the closer we got to the center.” Zach told Carrow’s mentor as he and Carrow himself stood on opposite sides of Beth.

“It’ll only get worse from here kid.” The chain using man said as he grabbed onto another ghost and swung him at another one. This time they both made it through, at least until the chain using man let out a pulse of blue light through the chain. It traveled up the chain before exploding at the end, taking out the two ghosts once and for all.

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“Why are there so many palm trees?” Lady Gray unleashed a wave of flames, engulfing three ghosts, almost burning a few trees in the process. “It’s starting to get annoying.”

“The tourists love them,” Zach grit his teeth as a ghost dropped down on him from the sky. He raised his arm to shoot it, only for it to grab his arm.

There was rattling of chains and soon the ghost was off him. Zach nodded at the man now throwing the ghost into another one. He nodded back before detonating both of them.

“This is as close as we’re going to get without getting forced back.” Andrew called out before reloading his gun. It was taking all six rounds to take out the ghosts now. “Zach, are you still going to go after Blue?”

“You know I am,” Zach blasted the head off another ghost as Beth got on one knee again. “She should be somewhere on the beach.”

“Be careful out there,” Lady Gray called out. “Get her and come back so we can get you out. We’ll be able to handle things from here.”

“I’ll clear a path for you.” Beth announced as she took aim towards the end of the small parking lot. Zach knelt down and got ready to run as Beth pulled the handle, carving through any ghosts between the group of exorcists and the nearby path to the beach.

Zach broke into a sprint, clearing the now empty space while feeling the incline underneath his feet. He reached the end of the parking lot and grabbed onto the railing, scanning the empty space underneath it.

It was a long alleyway going in-between the hotel and fence separating it from the hotel next door. The floor was mostly made of grass with a few stone steps vaguely leading forward. And for some strange reason, there weren’t any ghosts anywhere.

It was perfect for landing. Zach tightened his grip on the railing and vaulted over. He fell feet first, landing with a crouch on the soft grass. He didn’t even bother standing up straight all the way before running forwards towards the beach…

Only to be stopped in place by another wall of ghosts, right at the edge of the beach. He could just barely see bits of sand poking out underneath the flowing wall even fiercer than the two he’d already seen.

But… Blue had to be on the other side of this. He’d seen the layout of the Nightmare made Manifest before it fell. If she was in the center, then she was right in front of him, only a couple of feet away.

He’d made it this far…

“I’m not giving up now!” He screamed into the air, the howls of the ghostly legion all around him drowning him out. He aimed his finger at the wall and started shooting one Blue Marble after another. Each shot hit the wall and barely made a dent.

“Blue!” He screamed out as another marble hit the wall. No matter how many dents he made, the flowing river of ghosts quickly replaced the damaged ghosts with a fresh set. “I’m coming for you! You just stay right there!”

Seeing that he wasn’t making progress with the marbles, Zach just ran up to the wall and threw his fist at it. It felt like punching a brick wall.

He grit his teeth and took another swing, and then another, and then one more. With each punch, he felt like he was getting closer and closer. The wall was moving backwards, it had to be.

“I’ll be right there Blue,” he punched, “just as soon,” he punched again, “as I get past,” another punch “this stupid wall!”

He drew his arm back as he locked eyes with a ghost coming along in the storm. He threw his fist forward, digging it into the ghost’s face as it went flying back, taking a bunch of the other ghosts with it to reveal a small hole in the wall.

“I did it!” He cheered only to notice the wall forming around the hole.

“Bit too early to celebrate there.” Zach turned around and spotted a familiar face.

“Aoi?” He questioned as the woman marched up to him with her arm outstretched. “What are you doing here?”

“Should have figured I’d find you here at the center of the storm.” She said as the two of them looked at the growing hole. “My mother nagged me into finding you guys and apologizing for what happened in the basement.”

Zach stepped to the side as Aoi reached the wall. She put her other arm and grabbed at each edge of the hole and started stretching it apart.

“Imagine my surprise when I noticed Blue flying through the air towards some freaky ghost hurricane. Figured I’d follow her to apologize and here we are.”

And with that, she did one last pull, stretching out the hole even further. The break in the ghosts widened out revealing the sand and sea on the other side. The area at the very center of the storm was calm and empty, no ghost in sight except for… two.

Floating right over the shoreline was Blue. She stared out into what would have been a stunning seaside view if it wasn’t for the second half of the Nightmare made Manifest. Above her head was maybe the largest ghost Zach had ever seen.

It was an old man, so emaciated the bones on his face were showing under his skin. He wore a long black robe, draping down to form a canopy over Blue. His mouth moved, but no words came out. Sometimes, he would pause and Blue would nod. Whenever she did, the old ghost would smile and a bit of blue light would fall down to her.

Zach moved, his sneakers treading onto the sand.

“Blue! Get away from her!” Both ghosts turned around and spotted him for the first time. Blue’s eyes widened as the first spark of hope came to life in its heart. The old ghost did not feel the same. He frowned at the boy running towards him and pointed his bony old hand at him.

Zach’s eyes widened as the ghosts of the wall broke out and started rushing towards the center.

“Run!” Aoi yelled from right behind Zach. She must have started running after him at some point. The old ghost’s frown grew increasingly cross as Zach approached the two of them.

Zach managed to get underneath the Old Ghost and pulled Blue into a hug just as the torrent of ghosts were just about to reach them. Zach braced himself as the wave came bearing down on all three of them.