A Modern Ghost Story CH20

CHAPTER 20: Just A Moment

"THANK GOD" he screamed when he saw her eyes flicker open. She wasn't dead. Amidst the chaos and panic surrounding them, at least he could be assured that she was dead – she was very much alive. And the first instinct he had was to run.

"Shirley, we've got to get out of here," Sean said as he yanked her up from the floor, but just before he reached the door he felt his light companion turn to lead.

"You want me to leave?" Shirley asked – well, it really wasn't much of a question, more of a statement.

"Yes, Shirley! Of course I do! Do you have any idea what's going on outside? Leota's got every sort of bad—bad—thing out there ready and willing to kill, and I'm not gonna let her take you away from me!"

The panic in his voice was showing. The fear of those bad things – demons, beasts, whatever you please – was escalating. He had the girl he loved in his arms, and he had a car waiting outside, and he had a clear exit strategy already mapping itself out in his head. The only problem was his beloved was immobile (to say the least).

"You want me…to leave?" she repeated.

Now, a normal person on an ordinary day would have sensed the hint of repulsion, the tinge of determination, and the sheer, devastating stench of anger in her voice. Unfortunately for our dear hero, he was quite the unusual sort of person, and this was quite the extraordinary sort of day. Both of which are unfortunate simply because when Sean failed to heed Shirley's physiological warning signs, and demanded yet a third time that they retreat, he received the single most cripplingly slap across the face of his life.

"Listen up, Country Boy," she began (in a terrifyingly calm voice) as she approached the thoroughly shocked and frozen-stiff Sean, "I just unleashed possibly THE most frightful creature in existence on the world – and it doesn't matter that it was an accident. It doesn't matter that I never meant for it to happen. It doesn't matter that you have an escape route, and it doesn't matter that you're scared. I have to save this house – this mansion that changed my life and made me happy. I have to save it or go down with it because if I don't – if I RUN AWAY" (she practically spat those words out) "then what the HELL was it all for? So you with your escape plan and your car, you go ahead. You leave. Run off and hide and save yourself. But don't you DARE think for ONE BLOODY MOMENT that you can take me with you."

And when at last she'd finished her speech, huffing and puffing with fury – legitimate fury! By God, if she wasn't so angry (and if, you know, all of Hell itself wasn't literally knocking down her front door) she'd have exulted in feeling a brand new emotion! Love, joy, sorrow, she could now add anger to that list. But that's all a side track, where were we? Oh, yes.

And when at last she'd finished her speech, huffing and puffing with fury incomparable, the whole room lapsed into silence. Sean looked up at her from his slouched position against the door and fell in love all over again. His panic just sort of…dissipated. Amazing, isn't it? How in the bright light of love fear and it's multitudinous henchmen are brought to their knees? Not entirely vanquished, never wholly destroyed, but forced into submission – forced to stand aside and hang their heads in shame.

He leapt to his feet and a smile lit out across his face. He stretched out his hand for Shirley's (who, by the by, began to smile too) and grasped it. Her fingers intertwined through his and tightened.

For just a moment, the world was good and sweet. For just a moment, everything was back to normal. For just a moment they stood staring at each other with just the slightest of touches. For just a moment they enjoyed the eye of the storm.

And then, hand in hand, they busted down the door.