Chapter 8. LOOKING FOR CHASE

"What do you want?" I asked again. My lips were shaking. My whole body was shaking. I was tied up in a tree in the dense and dark woods. The ghosts were still growling.

"My name is Yusuf. I have been trapped here for twenty-four years now." The male ghost spoke in a very deep voice. He sounded like some sort of a monster. I felt threatened by his voice.

"Why are you telling me?" I asked.

" I want you to free me. I am so tired and sick of being trapped here. I wanna be a free ghost. I wanna get a life. Just like you." He said and turned to face me.

" I don't know how to do that. I am the new kid who doesn't know anything. I just learned shortly that I am a ghost. " I said. I could see anger draw on his face as I spoke.

"You must free me." He spoke in a commanding tone.

"And what's your name?" He asked

"What does it matter?" I asked furiously.

"Just tell me what your name is, new kid." He spoke, raising his tone that startled me.

"Chase. My name is Chase Brown." I spoke rapidly. The way he was looking at me was scaring me. I had to comply.

"I knew it was you." The ghost said and smirked, then his sad face returned. It was like I reminded him of something.

"You know me? " I asked curiously.

"Yes. I knew your dad, Sebastian Brown." He said. Ooh, God! He knew my dad. How was that even possible? Was that the reason he kidnapped me?

"How do you know.....know...my...my d...dad?" I asked.

"I am your uncle, Chase." He spoke and laughed hysterically.

"My uncle?"

"Yes. Your dad and I are brothers. Well, half brothers. We share a father. " he continued.

"I don't believe you," I said.

"After our father died. He left the Brown galaxy company to us. Me and your dad. We were to share equally between us. But your dad sacked me out. It was so hard on me. I was broke. I went bankrupt and then started depressing. It eventually killed me. And now I'm entrapped here. I had no life in the world of the living nor the world of the dead." The ghost explained. This tone was softening as he talked.

"I left my kids very young. I know they are struggling on the other side. And I only blame one person. Your dad. He's the cause of all my troubles."

"What do I have to do with this Yusuf?" I asked.

"You are going to free me and I will crossover with you. I will go see my kids again and then I'll make your dad pay." He said confidently.

"I don't know how to free you. And even if I knew, then I would never free you to go after my dad. I'm sorry." I said, and immediately anger drew on his face. I could tell he was furious.

"Then I am going to trap you with me." He said and laughed again hysterically.

"No. You can't do that. Please don't."

"Then free me." He spoke.

"I don't know how to do that."

"It's simple. You will only have to let me in."

"Let you in? Where?" I asked.

"In your body. I only have to get in your body and once we are in the world of living then we can separate. I can take my own body....but then I have to go dig up my grave and reconnect my ghost form with my remains." He explained.

"How is that even simple? Is it even possible?" I asked.

"Yes. You only have to agree to let me in. You know I can't get inside you forcefully. You have to let me in peacefully." He responded. The more he talked, the crazier he sounded.

"I am not going to do that." I protested. It was like that triggered some anger in him. He grasped my neck and then untied me. He then started talking rapidly in a foreign language.

"What are you saying?" I asked.

"Trapping you. It's a language for the ghosts." He spoke then continued saying speaking rapidly.

A few seconds later, my body started dissolving. It was like I was breaking into tiny little crystal pieces.

"Stop. I'll help you. I am going to help you." I said, and the ghost stopped speaking. Immediately my body stopped breaking down.

"Good choice, Chase." He said and chuckled.

"Then let's get over with this. I have to go back to my friends."

"Okay. Let me in." He commanded.

"How? " Should I just say, come in uncle?" I asked, and he nodded.

"You can come in," I said with my lips trembling.

The ghost placed his hands on my head and started another foreign chatter. It was like a hymn. A few seconds later, I heard a sudden weight inside me. It was just like something dropped inside of me. I looked around, and Yusuf was nowhere to be seen.

"Yusuf? Yusuf?" I called out his name.

"I am in." A tremendous voice said inside me.

I was still contemplating what had just happened when I heard someone shouting my name. I recognized the voice. It was Alexa, then Robby.

"Help. Over here." I shouted back.

"Chase! Chase!" They kept calling until now I could hear them.

"Over here," I said, and in a few seconds, Alexa and Robby appeared from the woods.

"Ooh, God! Chase." Alexa exclaimed as soon as she saw me. She ran over my body and hugged me.

"I thought we lost you." She said and pulled from the hug. " when I saw your knife; I thought they took you away and trapped you." She added. She sounded very worried.

"I am here, Alexa. You came for me."

"Ooh, she loves you," Yusuf said.

"Shut up," I said, and both Alexa and Robby glared at me.

"What?" Alexa asked.

"Sorry. It's not you. I mean it's no one." I said and chuckled.

"What happened to you?" Robby asked.

"Some ghost dragged me here then I fought it and tried to come back but I got lost. I could not find you." I lied.

"Tell them it's your uncle. I am not a ghost to you, nephew." Yusuf spoke and laughed.

"Shut up, Yusuf," I spoke furiously.

"Yusuf?" Robby asked. "Who's Yusuf?"

"No one. It's like that stupid ghost got into my head. " I said.

"Thank you for coming for me," I said.

"For us," Yusuf spoke again. He was pretty annoying. Annoying than the nosy Robby. I wanted to talk back at him but managed not to.

"We should get going. The others are waiting." Robby said.

"Yeah. Let's go." Alexa said, and we started walking back to the cemetery. Alexa walked beside me, holding my hand.

****

We walked back to where the others were waiting for us. As soon as Billy saw us, he shot a harsh glance at Alexa and me. I just realized that we were still holding hands. I released Alexa's hand and focused on Kyra, who ran over to me and hugged me

"God! I thought you were dead. You scared me." Kyra spoke. She also sounded worried and concerned. I glanced at Alexa and noted she was staring at us. Her face was saddened. Once our eyes locked, she looked away. I pushed Kyra from my body.

The rest of them were sitting inside a circle. A circle made of some sort of green liquid.

"What the hell? A green circle?" I asked.

"It's a boundary marker. No trapped ghosts can walk past it. " Jona explained.

"Like a spell? Like how witches do?" I asked.

"Yes, it's a spell," Jona said, and before I asked more questions, the ghosts started hauling behind us. I looked back, and there were like a dozen of them.

"Get in the circle," Billy shouted. Alexa, Robby, and Kyra jumped in. I tried jumping in, but something strong pushed me back. I tried again but still got pushed back.

"Come on! Get in mate." Malachi spoke.

"Get in Chase." Alexa and Kyra said together. I tried again but still got pushed back.

"What's wrong with you, halfwit?" Robby asked and then grabbed me and tried forcing me inside. He pulled me in, but when I stepped on the spell liquid, I got pushed back.

"What happening?" I asked

"I am still inside you. I am a trapped ghost." Yusuf spoke.

"What?" I spoke in a surprised tone.

"What what?" Kyra asked. " come in." She added.

"He can't get in. Something is wrong with him." Kelly spoke. She had been silent since I came back.

"I'll step out. I don't want us getting caught. Don't think you can play me, Chase. We are now bound together. Once you are out of that stupid circle. I'll be back inside." Yusuf spoke.

"Do we have a deal, my nephew?" He asked

"Yes. Get out." I said loudly.

"What? Who are you asking to get out?" Malachi asked.

"No one. I mean we should get going. We can't stay forever in this circle. We have to continue to our destination." I said.

"Did something happen to you back in the woods?" Billy asked.

"No. Nothing." I said confidently.

"You know. If you let in a trapped ghost inside you then you free them. Then become bound to you and I think if that happens then you became like you are trapped too. I mean you start becoming them." Billy continued.

"Do you mean that he let a ghost in and that's why he's getting rejected by the spell?" Kelly asked.

"Yes. That's the only explanation." Billy responded.

"That does not make sense. Chase looks perfect. He doesn't have a ghost in him." Kyra said.

"Did you let in some ghost, Chase boy?" Robby asked.

"No. No. I didn't. I don't know what even means." I lied.

"Then if you didn't how come you cannot walk past the spell? Tell us the truth already. I know you are lying." Billy spoke.

"Shut up, Billy. He doesn't have a ghost. Maybe there's some other explanation." Alexa spoke.

"Ooh, God! Alexa!" Billy exclaimed. " You so flirted with this new kid that you are refusing to believe the facts. You know very well about what I am talking about." Billy added.

"Yes, and I also know that he did not let a ghost in," Alexa said confidently and, without warning, pushed into the circle. Surprisingly, I stepped in. I was not pushed back this time, and I felt good; I felt lighter.

"You see?" Alexa said to Billy. Billy's face saddened. He looked disappointed.