TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE ... # 223

TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE
# 223
warning...adult content




~
"Hey, Kinsey," Steve said. "Yeah, we're here, still alive. In fact, we just got up a little while ago. What? Oh, we're fine now, I think the flu, or whatever it was is gone. Anybody, still sick out there? Ok, good. Well, we've been busy...like last night..." he hesitated a second, not sure what to tell Kinsey about the coffin.

Ghost grabbed the phone, though, and started in telling Kinsey all about it. "Kinsey, we had to fight a war, and it was scary, and we threw holy shit at it, and rat poisoned it, and Steve shot the coffin all to pieces...but we won. We didn't even have to use the pillows. Huh? Oh, the demon that was here. We banished it. ...Oh, ok, here's Steve."

Steve took back the phone. "Don't worry about us, Kinsey, we're fine. Yeah, it was a...what did you call it, Ghost...a little demon? Oh, a lesser demon. Anyway, we got rid of it." He listened to Kinsey for a minute. "Ok, sure, we can drive in today. See ya soon." He shrugged.

"Kinsey want's to see us in person, to see if we're really ok," he said.

"Are we going, now?" Ghost asked.

"Yeah, why not. Get dressed...we're going to town."

"Why does he want to see us, all of a sudden?"

"I don't know," Steve said. "Probably 'cause we haven't seen him in so long, you know, with everybody being sick."

After getting ready to go, Steve revved the engine of the T-bird, to get it warmed up. "Man, we haven't been anywhere in awhile. It'll be good to drive and see everybody," he said. He pulled out onto the highway, speeding as usual.

Ghost leaned back, letting the fresh air from the open window, blow his hair back. "This feels good."

"I know, and it'll clear our heads of being all stuffy in the house," Steve said.

"I need to write on my wall, too. I brought my markers," Ghost said.

The trip to the club only took them about ten minutes. "She still drives like a young'un," Steve said, patting the dashboard, and grinning.

Ghost rolled his eyes, and got out of the car. He was happy that Steve liked his car so much. It was family, after all these years. He pushed open the heavy wooden door to the Yew. They stood there a minute, letting their eyes adjust to the dim interior.

"Hey, that was fast, guys," Kinsey said, as he came out of his office. "C'mon in...good to see ya finally."

"Hey, Kinsey," Ghost said, giving him a hug. "I'm gonna write on the wall." He headed over behind the stage.

"Turn on the lights, if you want to, Ghost," Kinsey said. "Sit down, Steve...want a beer?"

"Sure, Kinsey," Steve said, pulling up a chair at a table near the arcade room.

Kinsey sat down, smiling. "I gave all you guys a call...they should be here any time now."

"Is this some kind of special meeting?" Steve asked.

"No, not really. It's just I want to see y'all, to catch up on things, you know...well, I really just needed some company," Kinsey said.

Steve laughed. "Oh, sure...anytime. We never hang out as much anymore, for some reason. Just so much going on, I guess."

Kinsey nodded. "Yeah, then all of us getting sick like that. Do you think that was all it was, Steve? It was kinda funny with that other business with the other earthquake, too."

"We had the same feeling," Steve said.

"What were you talking about earlier...a demon...again?"

"Yep, at our house. Ghost thinks it was an underling to the big one that was over at Trevor's, and it followed us home. It must have been hanging around all this time out in the graveyard, or something." Steve frowned. "Then, lately it was doing weird shit, and maybe even those earthquakes...or at least made us all believe that's what it was." He paused a minute, taking a swig of his beer. "It got more serious, so we busted him. I think it's gone for good now."

"You really believe that hocus-pocus stuff, Steve?" Kinsey asked.

Steve took a breath, and let it out slow. "Kinsey, for real, I don't know what to think. But, I know what I saw, and whether it was real or a hallucination, it was not good. It sure seemed real, to me, though...and I did see it...just once. When I turned on the flashlight...God...it was so ugly. It roared, Kinsey. I didn't actually hear it, but I felt it...inside. Like when you hear somebody's bass on the car radio turned up really loud, and it shakes your insides. That's how it felt." He shuddered. "And, that one little look at it...man, it was so freaking ugly."

"Damn," Kinsey said. "Nothing like that around here."

"Be glad it isn't. That crap scares me. Ghost was scared, too, but you should have seen him. Well, you did that other time, and this time, last night, was just as intense."

"What all happened?"

"Oh, we gathered up all kinds of things to banish the thing." He laughed. Some of it was kinda silly, now that I think about it. We had pillows, and TV trays, and bike helmets for protection. We poured rat poison and salt all around the yard, and Ghost mixed up some more of that oily herb stuff. He flung some of it at the thing. Hit it, too. But the best, was Ghost. The words he said, yelling how he was gonna kill the demon, and go away for good, 'cause we killed vampires, and he was nothing compared to that...well, he was totally in charge. And, by God, it worked." He shook his head, remembering it all. "Oh, I shot holes in the coffin, too. Then it was gone for good. Kinsey, how does Ghost do that? He's so flaky, and wouldn't ever kill anything. He's scared of spiders, and even his own shadow, most of the time. Then he transforms, or something, and kills vampires and demons. I see it happen, and it's so awesome, every time."

Kinsey shook his head. "I don't know, Steve. That's just how it is. Ghost has some magical power he was born with...even he don't know how he does it, I'm sure. Just be glad he uses it for good, and not evil."

Steve nodded. "You got that right."

They continued to drink their beers, thinking their own thoughts for a bit. They could hear Ghost, humming to himself, over at the wall. Then the door clattered open, and Zach and Trevor came in.

"Hey, guys, grab a beer and come sit," Kinsey said.

They did, and joined Steve and Kinsey at the table. "What's up?" Zach asked.

"Nothing, Kinsey just needed company, so he called in his posse, " Steve said, and laughed.

"Yeah, so what?" Kinsey asked. "I miss you guys hanging out around here."

"Where's Ghost?" Zach asked.

"He's over at the wall," Steve said.

"Ah, it's been awhile. Guess he has to catch up." Zach got up to go over there. "Just gonna see how he's doing, then."

"You and Zach feeling better, too?" Steve asked.

"Yeah," Trevor said. "For awhile there I thought we'd die, and poor old Kinsey got caught, but we're glad he helped us out."

"Well, I couldn't get up enough energy to leave," Kinsey said, laughing.  "Who's ready for another one?" he asked, walking over to the bar. They all were.

The back door banged open, and Terry and R. J. came in. They got themselves a beer, and pulled up a chair. "Hey, heard y'all had trouble with another demon, Steve," Terry said. "What happened?"

Steve explained the story again. He didn't mind. He felt fine being the spokesperson for "Demon Destroyers R Us".  They all liked the name, so were taking turns making up advertising blurbs for the 'company'...such as, "Ghost's trump demons every time", and "Demon Destroyer's do it at night". They were all laughing, as Ghost and Zach came back to the table.

"What's so funny?" Zach asked.

They repeated some of the jokes, and Ghost and Zach came up with some of their own. After a bit, Ghost said, "This isn't for real, is it? I don't want to do it any more."

"Naw, just messing around...unless you want to," Steve said, winking.

"Uh-uh, not me," Ghost said.

"This place sure needs some good times, again," Kinsey said. "Are all of you so busy you can't find time to do a show, anymore?" He looked at Terry and Zach. "The regulars come in all the time, but the jukebox just isn't the same."

"Ah, you know how it is, Kinsey," Terry said.

"The last  one was before Christmas, for crying out loud," Kinsey said. "And, I'm talking Gumbo here...Ghost and Steve are going out to California to help Linda with her move back here. So, Gumbo...get busy...I'll give ya two weeks."

"Sure, Kinsey, we can do that...can't we Terry?" Zach asked.

"Yeah, guess so. You figure it out, Dude, you're good at that. Then, let me know what to practice," Terry said.

~
Next part coming soon!




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