All Hope Lost (9 page)

“What was it mummy?” one of the boys whispered. She shook
her head.

“I-I, don’t know sweetheart.” She fell silent. She had no
words, no explanation that she could believe for what just happened. She was
too old to believe in ghosts. Wasn’t she? I gave a low rumbling growl again and
echoed my final words.

“Be. Nice. Or. You. All. Die.” I saw the woman nod
frantically.

“Yes, yes we will. We’re sorry. I’m sorry. Whoever,
whatever you are. Please, do not hurt us.” I laughed then, making the room
temperature drop. The family slid deeper under the covers and stayed awake for
hours, until the fell asleep from exhaustion.

I gave myself a mental pat on
the back, and stretched. I could feel myself tiring.
I had better get home,
I
realised. I floated back to the neighbours’ house, and silently wished them
luck for their future.
I will check up on you in a few days,
I promised
myself. Finding their PC, I hopped back inside and found my line back home. I
let the current do the work for me, and laying back, I enjoyed the fast ride
home.

Appearing at the other end the
house was dark and quiet, but a small glow emanated from the kitchen. It was
Michael. He was slowly nodding off into his arms at the kitchen table.
Had
he been up all night waiting for me?
I wondered. I entered the kitchen and
gave him a brief brush on the shoulder with my hand. It jolted him awake.

“Sharon! You’re back!” he almost shouted, but I pressed a
finger to my lips. I knew Steve would be asleep upstairs by now.

“Shhhh, you will wake Steve.”

Michael rubbed his eyes. “We didn’t know what had
happened. We hadn’t seen you, well, I hadn’t seen you for over a day! Where
have you been?”

I smiled. “You were concerned for a dead chick?” I
replied, amused.

Michael frowned. “Oh come on, Sharon. You’re a friend!” I
was shocked.

“Really?” He nodded.

“And besides,” he continued, “the last time you vanished
for ages was when you drained yourself. I thought something bad must have
happened to make you disappear again.”

“God, I’m sorry, I didn’t even think about what you might
have been through if that had happened. I almost thought that was going to happen
tonight.”
I was feeling quite drained after making myself appear and speak
to the neighbour from hell.

Michael shook his head. “Sharon, you must be careful with
your, your, power? Whatever it is?” I looked at him straight in the eye.”
Promise me you will be careful?”

I saw the pleading in his eyes. “Why does this mean so
much to you, Michael?” I asked carefully.

The look he gave me then was haunted. He opened his mouth
to speak, when a voice sounded from above. “Michael! Is that Sharon? Is she back
yet?”

“Yeah, she’s back dude.” He shouted back up.

“Then get some sleep, man! You are keeping us awake!”

Michael gave me a shy smile
and a shrug. “See you in the morning, Sharon?”

Giving him one last smile, I nodded. “Good night,
Michael.”

He stood up and walked to the foot of the stairs. “Night,
Sharon.” He headed on upstairs and disappeared out of sight.

As I floated back into the
living room, I rested myself on one of the sofas again. Alone, I replayed in my
head the actions I had taken, and what the outcome may have been.
Have I
been doing the right things to gain peace for all these people?
 
I
must check up on Panda tomorrow. I need to find out what I have achieved, if
anything, so far.

The next morning, was bright
and cheery. Small birds were tweeting in the garden, taking turns at the bird
feeder. I was glad to see the guys still using it, helping our feathered
friends in the harshness that we call winter. Steve and Michael both came
downstairs; Steve went to make the coffee, Michael coming into the living room
to see me.

“Morning Sharon!”

I stood up from the sofa. “Morning”, I replied.

“So what do you have planned for today?” Michael asked,
curious.

Looking at the laptop I spoke,
“I want to see if there are any updates from the people I have helped so
far.  I also want to find out what’s happened to our neighbours here, but
also, I need, no, must find out some answers about myself; about what I am
doing.” Michael put up his hand for me to stop.

“What do you mean find answers about you? I thought you
knew what you are, what you are here for?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. I know I am something
called a Daemon, but I’m sure I am missing something. The things I am doing, I,
I would never have thought of doing such things alive. Why do I feel the need
to go to extremes on these people? And then when I do, it feels so, so….. I’m
sorry, I can’t explain it. But it scares me a little.”

Michael nodded. “Ok, though I
don’t completely understand. Do you want us to help you?” He gestured to Steve
as he walked in with the coffees.

I thought for a moment. “I am
not sure what you could do. Maybe research our neighbour for me whilst I go
check out the others I have helped over the last few days?” I sighed. “First
though, there is someone I need to speak with. I will be back soon.”

“Alright Sharon.” Michael waved me off as I headed
outside.

As I floated on the wind
towards the hospital, questions formed in my head.
I knew what I wanted to
ask, but would he be able to answer them? Would I even like the answers? Do I
really want to know? Yes, I need to know what I am doing. Not to the others,
but to me.

The hospital came in to view
and I made my way to the entrance. The doors shuddered as I approached them,
and I walked through. It was oddly chilling to be here, knowing that people
here could die here and get themselves stuck, just like Mary. I glanced around,
and found the old ghost I had spoken to before. His old eyes rested on me, and
so slowly floated his way over, through the living, past the dead.

“Why have you returned?” he demanded.

I was a little shocked by his tone, but then I knew I
shouldn’t be here. “I had to ask you something. I didn’t know who else might be
able to answer it.”

“Speak then. Do not dally in these premises.”

I nodded quickly. “Erm. Are there consequences for me
using my powers on the living?” I asked uncertainly.

The ghost appeared thoughtful, old wrinkled brow bunching
up. “Yes.” He finally said.

“Do you know what they are?” Now I was worried.

“Yes.”

I rolled my eyes. “Can you elaborate?”

“That depends on what you have been doing.” He shrugged.
“I am no expert on Daemon power, but I have been privy to snippets of
information.”

“Well I’m not sure I should say exactly what I have been
doing with you. But I could explain how it feels. How it feels like it’s
changing me somehow.”

The old ghost nodded as if he
understood. He motioned me to continue.

“Whenever I use a power, I feel a little drained. The
more I use it, not only do I feel more drained, but also I feel more,
determined to put things right, no matter the cost. The more I do this, the
more I enjoy what I do, even if it’s extreme. I would never have even thought
of doing the things I have done when I lived.” I clutched my hands together nervously,
awaiting his response.

“Hmmm. Well, as far as I know, Daemons have a limited
power to use daily. It is like a life force I suppose, though you do not ‘live’
technically. If it is completely drained, you disappear, sometimes temporary,
but for others, permanently. As for the feeling of the power itself, it is
dangerous. It will feed off your morality, your inner self, and it can twist
it. Be careful with it, or you may just lose yourself.”

My mouth opened to say
something but the ghost interrupted me. “An out of control Daemon, would be
extremely dangerous in this world. There are higher powers out there that watch
us, and will react if required. But be warned, those who come face to face with
those higher powers have much to answer for, and are never seen or heard from
again.”

I asked him if he knew what
happened to those who were taken by the higher powers.

“No one knows for certain.” I hugged myself, terrified
that I may be under their watchful eyes.
If they have eyes. Well they must
if they ‘watch’ surely?
I shivered inside.

“One more thing”, the ghost spoke, “the higher powers
watch us, but if they deem our actions to be of benefit to the world they
usually will let us continue.” His eyes glinted in the fluorescent light. “Now
if that is all, you must go. Heed the warnings.” And at that, he spun around
and headed back to his ghostly sentry point.

Mulling this new information
over, I headed out the door and hopped back on the air currents back home.
I
must tell Michael about this. I think I am going to need help. Do I trust him
though? Will he keep me on track, and not urge me on to… to… kill.
My
thoughts suddenly went to Panda’s neighbours. The ones I had set the carbon
monoxide on.
Maybe it’s too late.

Hopping off outside the front
door, I stepped inside to be greeted by the TV, and Steve and Michael browsing
on the laptop.

“Hey Sharon!” Michael looked up. “Did you find what you
were looking for?”

Nodding I spoke to him. “Yes.
Unfortunately, I may be in more trouble than I thought. I must find out about
one of the neighbours from hell I, er, ‘sorted out’.”

Michael looked worried. “Why?
What’s happened?” His tone of voice, made Steve look up, a questioning look
across his face.

Sitting on the spare sofa, I
explained to Michael what the ghost had told me not long ago. The more I told
him, the wider his eyes became. “And you feel you may have done something that
might provoke these higher beings?”

I nodded sullenly.

“But what have you done? It’s not like you gone and
killed anyone right? Just scared.”

I stared at him. “Shit Sharon! What were you thinking?”

“I didn’t think what I might be doing was wrong until
after I had done it! But it felt so right, it’s like I had lost all sense of
right and wrong. Even now, after doing it, I still feel it’s right, but there’s
an annoying niggle in the back of my head that’s trying to tell me something.
It’s not like I killed them outright anyway!” I felt like I was protesting,
protecting my reasoning.

Michael shook his head then
looked up at the ceiling. “It’s true, you didn’t kill them straight off”, he
mentioned. “But what if they do die from the gas? What then?” I shook my head.

“I honestly don’t know. Maybe they aren’t dead and that’s
why I’m still here, and the higher powers haven’t punished me for it.”

“Well, we can find out quick enough, and so can you.” I
knew what he meant for me, as I could easily travel back to check out my
handiwork.

“So, what will you do then?” I asked.

Michael gestured at the
laptop. “The internet is such a wonderful source of news, I’m sure something
would be on it if it was that bad, or shocking a story.” He started tapping the
keys quickly, searching for any recent news of carbon monoxide deaths. Old
reports appeared for the country, but most were for abroad.

“Ok. I think I should still go check myself though.”
Michael nodded, and quickly, I poured myself back into the computer and found
the broadband line to Panda’s flat.

Exiting the line at the other
end I was greeted by silence. I found the cat sleeping soundly on the sofa next
to Panda who was reading her book with one hand, the other casually stroking
her cats’ back, with intermittent breaks to turn the page. Leaving her flat, I
checked out the immediate neighbour next door first, finding the door now shut,
and entered to find the flat empty of life. Furniture and clothes and
children’s toys still occupied the space, but no living bodies were here.
Check.
I thought, and headed downstairs to the second lot of bad neighbours.
Here
goes.

The inside of their flat
appeared just as it did when I last visited. I checked out the pilot light, and
found it was still a yellowy-orange colour.
So it’s been dissipating the
poison gas for more than a day.
I grew worried, and headed for the bedroom.

I was met by two bodies,
entwined around the duvet as they had slept. I leaned in closer to see if they
were breathing. Their bodies were still, their skin pale.
Oh shit.
I
backed off, conflicting thoughts raced through my head, as one tried to come to
terms with what I had done, the other side trying to convince myself that it
was the right thing to do, that they would never change their ways, and Panda
deserved the peace and quiet she was well overdue for.

Gritting my ghostly teeth, the
fight my mind was having won in favour of me doing the right thing. I felt a
little of myself slip away.
Or was that just me overreacting? Making my
fears real just by thinking it. NO Sharon! You did the right thing and you know
it. This is what you are here for. Now to do another deed and make sure someone
finds them.

I turned to leave the flat, and headed for their front
door. Taking it off the latch and chain, I opened the door and left it slightly
ajar.
Someone will notice it soon, and head inside to check.

Back upstairs, Panda was
chatting to her cat, commenting on the peace and quiet and how unusual it was,
but how much she was going to take advantage of it. I smiled then, finally
registering that what I had done, was right after all. To see this reaction
made it right.
Those people were a waste of space and good air,
I
reminded myself.
We don’t need them in this society. And if our governments
and local authorities will do nothing about it, then I will!