CHAPTER 23: CASPER

This has got to be the weirdest thing that has ever happened to us. Look at him sitting there like he is actually there. Just relaxed with his shoulders laid back and his hands folded, what a dick.

Their eyes meet through the rearview mirror, "What?" "You are a ghost. This is weird," Samuel says.

"So she linked us together?" Gabriel asks, "Yes, she did but it is not as strong as I expected," Samuel says.

"Has this ever been done? A dying soul linked to a soul of another person," Amanda asks, "I don't know and I pretty much don't care right now," Samuel says. "Hmm, reapers are going to come for him," "Let them come, I will kill them".

Amanda turns her head slightly and looks at him, "You must have hit your head hard, Sammy. If reapers come after his soul and it isn't delivered his soul will become a wraith.

You know what that means. A shitty afterlife" she says.

"Afterlife? We are going to return him to his body before any of that happens," "Which beckons the question, where is your body?" Amanda asks.

Gabriel furrows his brows as his eyes move from his brother to Amanda, "I don't bloody know," Gabriel says.

Samuel rolls his eyes as he let out an annoyed groan.

"Don't roll your eyes at me. Where have you been?" Gabriel asks, "Amanda's" "You left for two weeks without saying shit," "I didn't think there was anything to be said. I don't need to tell you everything,"

"You do when you are the only family I've got," Gabriel's lips vibrate as his voice echoes.

Samuel tightens his grip around the steering as he catches his brother's glare. "You couldn't even call, that's messed up bro" "Dude it was just two weeks. We are five hundred years old. What the hell are you worried about me for? You are the one that got killed," Samuel says.

"You are lucky I'm dead, I would have broken my foot in your ass," Gabriel says.

"Dick," Samuel scoffs as a flash of street light briefly illuminates Gabriel's face. His sturdy looking face looks pale under the lights and his eyelids look darker with the weight of anguish and the comfort of the night.

"How's Rachael?" he asks, "Your girlfriend is fine just sad to lose you," Amanda says. "But I can smell the vengeance around her. She will do something crazy if she's not careful," she says and glances at him.

"We never should have introduced her into our world. By now she would be working at a bank or some corporation. She would have had a boyfriend, a husband and kids, maybe" his voice goes soft.

"You guys really fell for this girl, didn't you?" Amanda looks at him attentively as she tries to read him.

"Man, shut up. We are going to bring you back to life and you two can get back to being a thing. Don't start saying shit before it's over. We haven't even begun to search for your body," Samuel says.

They stop at a traffic light, "Look at me Sammy. I am a human soul and I am being hunted by a fucking reaper," Gabriel says.

"I say fuck that reaper. I won't let you die," "Isn't that just cute?" Amanda teases them.

"I know, Sammy" "I got you bro," Samuel says and looks up at the mirror. He almost loses his control of the steering as Gabriel punches his hand through the back of the seat and through Samuel's back.

Samuel looks down at the hand protruding through his chest, "Yeah, real funny" "I just couldn't resist," Gabriel laughs.

"Sammy and Casper," Amanda says, "No way. If I turn to a wraith or stay a ghost forever, there is no way in hell I'd be Casper," "I've got clipper and some powder," Amanda laughs.

"Screw you guys," Gabriel says as they laugh at him.

It feels good to be with friends again but the chase is only beginning.

Ororo drags her broomstick from behind her table and begins to sweep the floor. "Ah," she walks to the door and turns the open sign over to closed, "I told that woman to flip the sign," she scoffs. She looks up on one of the wooden structures of her shop and admires a small inscription her mother wrote a long time ago.

"The heart of one who represents an alpha and a luna, the treasure of a sphinx, an angel, Nightmare…" the sound of the door draws her attention as she mumbles the meaning of the inscription.

Her pale eyes fall on two creatures in her shop. She doesn't have the smell of the wolf or their hearing but her eyes quickly identify the undead creatures standing before her.

She stands tall at six feet as her dark eyes looks down at the wrinkly old woman. Her companion has a white hair that amuses Ororo as he looks like a comical character.

"I am closed," she says, "We can read, Ororo" Alex says.

Ororo tilts her head slightly as she eyes the red head, "I don't remember meeting you before. How do you know my name?"

"The Lantern watches all," Carter says.

The old woman widens her eyes as his words ring in her ears like a bell.

The Lantern? Azazel.

She turns and grabs her broomstick, "What does Azazel's henchmen want with an old woman?" "Samuel Stone, what did he come to you for?" Alex asks, "Lady, I don't make it a habit to give away my client's interest," "You better, little woman," Alex stare feels like a dagger through the chest.

A gaze she learnt from Dracula but this old woman won't fall to such intimidations.

"I see. Do you miss your former master? You know there is a way for him to return," Ororo says as she sweeps.

Alex furrows her brows, "What are you saying?", "Old cunt, we are not here to play games. What did Samuel Stone want from you?" Carter shouts at her.

Alex fair skin cringes while her eyes move from the old woman to her partner. What is going on here? This woman knows about me. She even knows Azazel. Who the hell is this?

"He won't ask you again," Alex fangs begin to appear as she let the woman catch a glimpse.

"You may be old vampires but my ancestors and I have faced your kind so many times.

I will say this once, get out. If Azazel wants something from me he has to approach me like everyone else," Ororo says.

Carter laughs as he looks at the woman like a fool, he begins to pace about as he laughs hysterically and in the heat of a breath long and blissful silence he charges at her with his hand stretched outwards towards her throat.

He can hear the palpitations in her chest as he gets closer to wriggling the life out of the old wench but she is calm to his limp threat.

He can see her lips move as she mouth words, "I rebuke you," her crooked voice turns into a high pitch frequency that sends volts of pain into his body. He falls to the ground and begins to wriggle and squirm.

He cringes, itches and twists as he screams.

The pain is long and feels like an eternity until it stops.

Carter breathes heavily as he sees himself lying on the pave way outside the shop. He turns to see Alex struggling to stand up.

"You bitch," Alex screams.

Ororo waves at them as the lights in her shop go out with every glimpse of her.

"I fucking hate witches," Alex snarls.

"Me too," Carter says as he stands up, "Shut up, why were you trying to provoke her?" Alex says.

"Didn't you hear Azazel's name from her mouth? She was obviously not someone to provoke. Intimidate don't provoke until you know your opponent's cards. Fucker," she clenches her fist and frowns.

Carter looks down to the ground as she speaks, "I thought she was just…" "Fuck your thought little prick. Come on, let's tail him back to the house," Alex walks away with her partner barely moving at her pace.

"Walk, overfed fuck,".