Chapter 4
Holtz was gone.
In a dark comedic fashion. Yanked backward, nearly torn out of Erin's hands. Holtz didn't go far thankfully, landing a couple feet behind her into the large ball pit behind her. At least that's where Erin hoped she landed.
For a moment Erin could only stare the empty space. Raising her eyes up and over towards the ball pit she carefully approached it. “Holtz?” She called softly when she didn’t answer she called out again a bit louder. Erin jumped back when the pile of plastic balls rustled and a grumble. “Holtzmann...” When two hands popped out of the pit with a thumbs up. Erin let out a puff of breath and relaxed a little. Rounding the ball pit watching Holtzmann roll around angrily trying to rise out of the sea of multicolored balls.
A mischievous giggling tinkling in her ears she looked up in no particular direction with a disapproving smile. It could have been worse, worse has happened before. The last pit Holtz fell into was an orchestra pit at the Metropolitan Theater. Erin preferred no one fall into any kind of pits thank you. And pulled her radio.
"Keep an eye out for that Three little boy. He just threw Holtz into the ball pit for calling him dumb.”
“Shit, she okay?” Abby asked trailing off into a giggle. Holtzmann answered for her with incoherent whining into the radio. "Oh good," Holtz answered again with more dramatic babble whining.
"Yeah we're good. Just watch what you say out loud." Abby chuckled again.
"Will do."
With her back still to Erin, Holtz was slightly bent over then straightened tilting her head back, hair a mess obscuring her face. Holtz gave herself an all over shake. Shucking off her pack and dragged it through the pit behind her with one hand and still cradling her face with the other. “Look away Erin look away from my shame.” She muffled into her hands shuffling through the ball pit her hand cradling her face.
"You kind of deserved that one you know."
"I told you boys were dumb." Holtz slightly bent over dabbing her nose with her fingers. Erin jumped to attention Holtz was actually hurt, she just thought she was being dramatic. She couldn't see Holtz face too clearly so Erin couldn't tell if she was bleeding or not.
"Oh shoot, are you bleeding?" Erin hurried forward and Holtz quickly waved her off. "How'd that happen?" To her knowledge, Holtz had landed on her back into something not known to be that dangerous.
"Hit myself in the snoot. Gun barrel front and center." Holtz muffled through her fingers while making an upward thrusting gesture towards her face with her free hand. Erin looked closer Holtz's eyes were watering. "Beauty and grace, hits herself in the face."
"How bad is it?" Erin got closer then stopped herself she didn't want to make Holtz mad again like the last time. Something was definitely off, It was very unlike the blonde to pass up a 'mother hen' routine as she so affectionately called it. Normally Holtz would even ham it up just for the attention.
"No no I'm good no worries. Just gimmie a minute." Erin stood by as Holtz hissed a long breath then pulled her hand away suddenly calm and collected. Her face looking relatively unharmed at least in the dim lighting. "Anddd were back online!"
Erin couldnt help but gape a little, how the engineer could just shake off injuries still astounded her. Though she would most likely feel it later, she could already imagine her laying on the couch moaning into an ice pack asking everyone for 'healing' kisses.
"What?"
"You're pain tolerance still astounds me is all."
"My pain tolerance? Ms. Walking around on a stress fracture in her foot for a week." Holtz tittered fumbling her pack, her voice tight looking more annoyed than in pain really.
"I could swear it was a sprain," Erin grumbled to herself. "You know, you're definitely going to feel that later then."
"Well that's a problem for future Holtz now isn't it?" Holtz stated sharply turning away. Erin defiantly felt sting in that one. Biting her tongue she retreated into herself. She didn't need to be told twice.
Erin started to noticed how cold it was. Erin surveyed the room it was a mess of toy balls and spilled chairs. The little boy ghost didn't seem too dangerous considering. Mischievous at the most. She was beginning to think that maybe they had 'kicked the hornet's nest' so to speak before. Maybe that did more harm than it helped.
"We're not getting anywhere. " Erin finally said changing the subject. "Maybe we should regroup again and look around together. What do you think?" Holtz didn’t answer. Erin squinted in the dark, seeing Holtzmann was staring off in another direction. Erin called out to her again still she didn't turn around. She called out to her again still nothing. What was she ignoring her now? Erin rubbed her eyes.
When Erin heard her take a sharp breath she watched Holtz pinch the bridge of her nose and squeeze her eyes tight. Erin turned away again about to head off on her own when Holtz's sudden outburst startled her.
"Tell me you hear that!" Holtz demanded in a tone she'd never heard from her before, Erin involuntarily stepped back. Holtz's face fell. "How can you not hear it!?" Erin didn't know how to respond, Holtz had made it clear she didn't need to be doted on but by the look, she was giving her, a desperate pained look all Erin could do was shake her head.
Holtz pressed her hand to her head and whined on the brink of tears. "No! Don't you dare touch her!" She shouted up towards the ceiling. "You stay away from her!"
Erin stepped forwards and her boot hit something slick causing her to slip and stumble backward. A strange feeling washed over her a nauseating shutter Erin stumbled backward into one of the mirrored pillars, her pack clanged hard against the mirror as she fell into it. It crunched beneath her. Shaking off the swoon. Erin steadied herself by bracing herself against the pillar, the disorientating haze made her wobble. Her hands burning against the cold reflective surface Erin jerked away throwing herself forwards.
Then Erin's ears popped hard and the room went silent.
A strange energy that left her feeling like time was suspended. No ambient noise, not even the sound of her pack. just the sound of her breathing in her ears. Erin walked a couple cautious paces forward, frost slick on the carpet crunching under her boots. She noticed the room looked different. Distorted somehow, backward almost. And cold so very very cold.
And she was definitely alone.
"Holtzmann?" She called out but her voice sounded muted even trying to speak made her feel queasy. Her heart pounded sluggishly in her chest as she tried to orient herself. What happened? how did she get here? What was this? She'd slipped at least she thought she had, did she fall and hit her head? It was such a vivid hallucination though. She could see and feel the frost settling on her jumpsuit and in her hair.
Erin shut her eyes tight while her thoughts began to jumble around in her now aching head. Rubbing her temples in hope everything would just snap back to normal. Muffled sounds in her ears too unclear to understand. Someone was calling her but no one was there. Damn ghosts, this one was really pulling out all the stops.
A looming presence from above something was watching her. What do you want?
The sound changed to the faint sound of a child talking, too incoherent to understand. She scanned the area looking for the little boy to show up again.
"Too late." The little voice shouted in her ear. Erin gasped hard the air feeling thick and cold in her lungs like breathing in cold smoke. She coughed making her queasiness worse.
"Whats too late?" Erin croaked out.
"She's got you now."
Who had her? So many questions. Erin was already exhausted, moving and breathing in this place whatever it was, was like wading through deep water. The cold leeching her strength, the air making her light headed and burning her lungs. The room blurred each time she blinked. In the thickness of it all another sound began to echo, something eerily familiar.
It was the yip yiping of a small dog.
Erin whipped around, the barking echoing behind her and She saw it right away about ten feet away from her. There sat a little black dog. It didn't move, it just sat there looking back at her with small black eyes. Her body tingled and grew weak. Erin recognized the little red collar around its neck. She looked around her again then back at the dog, It couldn't be logic and probability dictated it impossible but there he was.
"Corky?" At the sound of its name, its stood on all fours wagging its tail. Erin approached the apparition cautiously, on guard and waiting for the illusion to break or morph into something ugly. But the closer she got the faster the dogs tail wagged, happy to see her. He looked exactly the way he did the last time she saw him, dark wavy fur little black happy eyes.
Tears pricked her eyes she stared down at the Corky apparition. It got to its feet, yipped and trotted over to her hopping up on its hind legs up against her legs. Erin could only stare down at it a painful twisting in her gut and tears in her eyes. "Corky?" His tail wagged again.
She knew it wasn't real. The ghost must have been listening when she told Holtzmann about him. But She couldn't help it. Erin reached down fingertips brushing the top of its head lightly. It was solid, cold but solid. Stroking its head the dark curly fur soft under her fingers he nuzzled and licked her hand. Erin's heart broke.
Her knees went weak when she knelt to the floor giving into the illusion. It jumped up in her lap and laid down. It weighed virtually nothing and felt cold.
She felt cold.
Erin's hands hovering over it she didn't touch it again. Only just to stare down at him with tears spilling silent down her cheeks. Corky had died at the ripe age of fourteen when she was away at Princeton. Her aunt had given her a call to break the news to her. Erin had taken it hard, she'd been incredibly devastated and had spent the rest of that night crying in Abby's lap over her beloved lost dog. Kicking herself for ever mentioning anything about that stupid chicken.
Heart twisting in grief wishing she could have seen him one last time, being too busy with college and escaping her Ghost Girl persona, leaving poor Corky behind. She would have taken him with her if she could. All the countless times she wished to see him one last time, to pet him, to tell him how much she loved him, to say goodbye.
"Good dog." Was all she could say. Her voice sounded young and small. "Very good dog."
"Erin?!" The sudden voice was clear and forceful, momentarily tearing through the fog.
Corky startled and got up, bolting from her lap and off into the dark. "No!! Wait!" She shrieked again scrambling on her knees then to her feet tripping into a run after him. The voice called her from behind but she kept running, chasing after the little ghost dog. It was all like a bad dream, she knew in her right mind none of this could possibly be real but she couldn't stop herself. Erin could feel herself running, desperate to catch up unwilling to lose him again.
Erin stumbled over her feet, skidding into a stop. She couldn't see him anymore but she could still hear him barking though, echoing around her. What a cruel illusion. Erin slumped to her knees again she sniffed angrily pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes. "Why?" Erin whined pulling her hands away to see Corky sitting in front of her again.
His sudden appearance jarring. Erin looked him straight in the eye, little black beady dots staring back in the dark. Tail wagging. His eyes seemed to glow now. There was something in his mouth. Erin reached forwards and Corky automatically complied inching forwards dropping the object in her hand. It was light and black and felt wet against her fingers. Curiously Erin picked the object apart with her fingers and it fell apart on four pieces.
A bundle of bloody black feathers.
Erin could only stare at them, she couldn't move, couldn't scream out like she wanted to. A harsh static sound from before filled her ears. And Erin felt herself fall sideways into a pair of arms she didn't know who's.