“Oh, sweet!” Holtzmann cheered.
“You did not disclose this automobile was a hearse,” Abby said, circling Patty and the car.
Patty was insulted. “My uncle owns a funeral home. Would you rather take the subway? What’s the difference? We work with the dead anyway.”
Meanwhile, Rowan walked down the narrow hallways of the Mercado, swinging an electric device in his hands. A door at the end of the hall opened and an older woman, Mrs. Potter, stood there in a bathrobe.
“Excuse me! Maintenance man,” Mrs. Potter called out.
“Mrs. Potter! Thank you for using my preferred title,” Rowan said, dripping sarcasm. “How may I help you?”
“Well, for starters you could tell me what this is.” She pointed to the doorframe, where green slime was oozing down the wall.
“Isn’t that something? Must be leakage from the air conditioning,” Rowan said with a small grin. “I’ll take care of it immediately.”
“I think it must have touched my skin. It’s given me a rash.” She pulled up the back of her blouse and showed her back to Rowan. “Does this look red to you?”
Rowan discovered that a small ghostly creature was living inside Mrs. Potter. It gnashed its teeth and tried to claw its way out through her back.
“Well.” He took a closer look, then told her, calmly, “I was gonna say no, but you know what? Yep. It’s a little red . . . right in this area here. Does it look bad? No, not at all. But just in case, I’ll send up some cream.”
His smile turned sinister as he walked quickly down to the basement.
Once alone, Rowan took off his jacket and hung it carefully behind the door. Before getting to work, Rowan looked into the large mirror reflecting the ghost world, and said, “I know everyone is anxious, but we must be patient. The guests are starting to complain. We don’t want any spoilers before the big show.”
CHAPTER 8
It was dinnertime. Erin, Abby, Patty, and Holtzmann were hanging out, eating pizza.
“So, how did you two meet?” Patty asked Abby and Erin.
“Abby transferred to my high school junior year,” Erin answered.
Abby continued, “We started sharing ghost stories and bonded immediately. All the other kids were going to parties, and we were like, ‘that’s stupid.’ ”
“Also, we weren’t invited to any parties,” Erin said.
“Well, we also put out a vibe that indicated we were not accepting any invitations,” Abby put in.
Erin shook her head and muttered, “Not really.”
That was all good, but Patty wanted to know more. “Why were you so into ghosts? Had either one of you actually seen one?”
Erin stiffened. Abby was quiet.
At last, Erin said, “Yeah. When I was eight, the mean old lady who lived next door to us died. That night I woke up, and there she was, standing at the foot of my bed. She was just staring at me, and then blood started coming out of her mouth. She started slowly falling toward me. I pulled my covers over my head and waited until morning.”
Patty was about to comment, when Erin added, “She did that every night for a year.”
“What?” was all Patty could say.
“Whoa,” uttered Holtzmann.
“I told everyone, but no one believed me. My parents thought I was crazy. They had me in therapy for years. All the kids at school made fun of me. Called me ‘ghost girl.’ But Abby believed me right away.”
“Hey. I believe you too,” Patty said.
Holtzmann wasn’t so fast. “Hmm, I have some questions.” Then, she winked and Erin laughed.
“You know, I never connected with the other kids either. Mostly because I was into books. I think my experience was perhaps less traumatic than yours,” Patty said as Kevin walked in, casually playing with something in his hands.
“Erin, if you don’t believe in yourself,” he said, “no one else will.”
Erin was surprised by his compassion. “Thank you. That’s really nice.”
Suddenly, Abby looked alarmed. “Kevin, what’s in your hand?”
He opened his palm to reveal the same the piece of equipment that Erin had picked up back at Higgins. If Kevin dropped it, they’d all die.
“What? This?” Kevin joked around, juggling the strange looking thing.
“Kevin, no!” Holtzmann shrieked.
“Do not let it fall!” Abby said in a tone that told him she was serious.
Kevin juggled the thing like it was a hot potato.
Holtzmann said slowly, very slowly, “Just stop juggling and put it down!”
He did . . . and they all took a breath.
As the tension settled, Patty picked up a photo on the desk. “Hey, what’s this?” The image was of two awkward teenagers, Erin and Abby, looking geeky and happy.
“Science fair!” Erin immediately recognized the shot.
“I found it this morning,” Abby said.
Patty read the title on the poster in the picture. “ ‘The Durable But Not Impenetrable Barrier!’ What does that mean?”
“Oh, I wish we still had the presentation. It was fantastic,” Erin said, then she noticed a smirk behind Abby’s eyes.
“That wish might just be granted . . .,” Abby said.
Erin looked at Abby with wide eyes. “You still have it?”
Abby brought out the poster board from the science fair presentation! It was covered with ghostly illustrations.
Abby and Erin stood in front of the board. They looked very serious. They began acting out their routine.
“Good evening,” they said together.
Patty looked to see how far the door was and considered making a quick getaway, but Holtzmann stopped her. “I’ve only heard about this. Never actually seen it. This is history.”
Abby and Erin announced in unison, “Prepare for takeoff into the unknown in five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . one.”
Abby pressed play on an old tape recorder, and spooky music began to play. Then they acted like planets. Abby rotated around Erin.
“The universe is mysterious,” Erin said.
“Ninety-six percent mysterious,” Abby added.
“And what of the topic of ghosts?” Erin asked.
Abby whispered, “They’re real!” Music boomed and they danced.
“Then why don’t I see ghosts flying everywhere?!” Erin asked.
“The barrier stops them,” Abby explained. “It is the only line of defense in the portal between the worlds of the living and the dead.”
“Now, let’s break it down,” Abby said.
The music turned to an old-school hip-hop beat.
Erin started rapping. “Yo. How many different types of ghosts we got, A?”
Abby rapped back. “Humanoids, vapors . . .”
Patty was glaring at Abby and Erin.
“You know what, let’s skip ahead,” Abby said.
“Yeah, that part is thirty minutes long and involves break dancing,” Erin said.
The break dancing was actually pretty good, but they skipped it and started the act again when Abby and Erin announced, “So protect the barrier! Protect the barrier! Or mankind will end.” It ended with Abby and Erin striking rapper poses. “Word!”
Abby and Erin laughed, hugging and celebrating. “We remembered it!”
Holtzmann joined them in the hugs. “I am so happy you two are together again. So happy,” she said.
Erin and Abby then looked at Patty.
“I was all set to make fun of you, but that was actually beautiful,” Patty admitted. “It was good you had each other.”
Erin and Abby simply smiled. Over their shoulders, Holtzmann noticed something on the muted television. “Hey, look.” She turned up the volume just as the NYC reporter was saying, “—a local team of paranormal investigators released a video of a proclaimed ghost—”
It was their footage. Erin was clearly visible.
Patty moved to a better spot to see. “We’re famous!”
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The newscaster said, “So, what do we think of these ‘Ghostbusters’?”
“Ghostbusters? They can’t make up a name for us, can they?” Erin asked.
“No, she just misspoke—” Abby started, but just then it flashed across the screen: Discussing the Ghostbusters.
“Oh.” Abby realized she was wrong.
The reporter said, “I spoke with Martin Heiss earlier, of the Council for Logic and Data, and famed debunker of the paranormal.”
“Tell me. Is this for real?” the reporter asked Mr. Heiss.
“No,” Heiss said.
“Thank you.” The reporter faced the camera, “Coming up, Mayor Bradley on the rolling blackouts.”
“Unbelievable. Do you know that we only know what four percent of the universe is? How quick they are to say no!” Abby exclaimed.
“Oh man. Now we’re the ghost girls.” Patty turned to Erin. “I suddenly feel your pain.”
Erin turned off the news just as the phone started ringing in the background.
“We are scientists, and we rely on controlled tests and provable physical results,” Erin said, feeling determined. “And so, we are going to catch a ghost and bring it back to this lab. And Kevin . . .” The phone was still ringing. “Answer the phone!”
Kevin put down the pictures he was looking at and answered, “Conductor something.”
They all looked at him, waiting to hear what the call was about.
“Uh-huh. Cool, thanks, bye.” Kevin hung up. He went back to comparing two different headshot options. He held up the photos. “Hey, which of these makes me look more like a doctor?”
“Whichever one tells us who was on the phone!” Erin said through clenched teeth.
“Someone from the Stonebrook Theatre,” Kevin said. “I don’t know . . . something’s happening there.”
“Yes!” Erin punched air.
“I’ll get the car,” Holtzmann said.
They all got ready to go. Abby told Kevin, “All right, when I get back we’re gonna start off with parallel universes and entanglement.” Lessons were necessary.
“What?” Kevin looked blank.
Abby grinned. “He’s curious already!”
They were leaving to go to the Stonebrook Theatre, when Patty handed Erin an armload of subway uniforms. “I took these from work and made ’em look all official. Put ’em on if you don’t want to get slimed again.”
CHAPTER 9
Patty’s uncle’s hearse, now called Ecto-1, raced through the streets of Manhattan. Holtzmann didn’t slow until they pulled up outside the theater. A few concert-goers were hanging around outside. The Ghostbusters got out of the car, wearing their subway uniforms and proton packs, ready for action.
Inside, the concert was in full swing. Heavy metal music fans milled around at the concessions and in the lobby, while others danced near the stage.
Jonathan, the manager, rushed over. “Are you the Ghostbusters?”
“Yes, we are,” Abby said.
“But I was told a ‘Doctor’ Yates was coming,” Jonathan said.
Insulted, the Ghostbusters turned around to leave.
“Whoa, wait, wait! It’s not because you’re women. It’s because you’re dressed like garbage men.” Jonathan had to step aside as the paramedics wheeled a theater janitor past on a gurney. He was muttering, “I have looked into the eyes of the demon. I have looked into the eyes of the demon. . . .”
The girls watched him go by, then Jonathan said, “Follow me. Please.”
He led the Ghostbusters down some stairs and through a series of hallways under the theater. Adam, a lead singer for the next band up, was backstage arguing with Eugene, the bass player, and Ely, the drummer.
“I saw you look at him when I was talking, like what I was saying was stupid.” Eugene was in Adam’s face.
“Don’t do this now. I have sunk every last penny into a ton of effects for this show, and we’ve got the head of Thunder Gun Records out there scouting us! Now let’s go.” Adam ended the fight by shoving Eugene up the stairs. Ely followed. The Ghostbusters passed them by.
“Fernando was down here when something came out of the wall vent and attacked him. I heard his screams and when I came to see, some ‘thing’ was throwing him all over the place,” Jonathan explained.
Abby looked to Erin. “A T-5 interaction?”
“Great. This is great,” Erin said.
“Not for Fernando,” Jonathan replied. “I thought it was going to kill him. I shrieked when I saw it, and I guess I scared it because it flew off down the hall. I’m told my scream is quite disturbing.” He stopped as they reached the hall of an old wing. His face reflected the horror he’d seen. “Whatever is down there, I hope I’ll never come across it again. It will haunt me every night when I go to sleep. No one should ever have to encounter that kind of evil.” He pointed the way. “Anyway, keep walking that way and you’ll find it.”
“Oh good,” Patty said.
“We’ll get it. Don’t worry.” Erin was confident.
“One thing we might need from you, Jonathan, is some . . .” Abby turned to him, then pinched her lips and said, “Oh, he’s already taken off? Okay.”
The hallway divided into several directions.
Abby was on it. “All right, it could be anywhere. Let’s split up.” She tapped the walkie-talkie on her belt. “Walkie if you see anything.”
A few moments later, Erin passed a wardrobe displaying fake heads wearing wigs. Holtzmann was going down another way, wearing one of the wigs.
Erin raised her proton wand. “Holtzmann! This is serious!”
“And I agree.” Holtzmann flipped her hair back and grinned.
Patty walked down a dark backstage hall. She was on edge, aiming her proton pack at everything.
She muttered to herself as she went. “I thought this was going to be like a book club. You know, have a snack, talk about ghosts, that sort of thing.”
She peeked into a room filled with mannequins. “Oh good, a room of nightmares.” Patty shut the door. She didn’t see that one of the mannequin heads turned in her direction.
Abby walked down a narrow hallway. She saw flickering light under a door and slowly opened it. A familiar looking box was sitting in the middle of the room, sparking and humming. It reminded Abby of the device they’d found in the subway tunnel.
Abby spoke into her walkie. “Guys, I found another device.”
Patty started to walk toward Abby. She didn’t see that the mannequin followed her into the hallway.
“I had a good job,” Patty muttered to herself. “Not a great job, but it was a good job.” She heard something behind her. She stopped and turned. The mannequin stopped too. Patty looked at it curiously. “That wasn’t there.” She took a step toward it. Suddenly, the mannequin turned evil and charged at her!
“Oh, no way!” Patty yelled as she ran.
Meanwhile, Erin, Abby, and Holtzmann met in the storage room.
“It’s definitely the same device we found in the subway,” Abby said, looking closely.
“This is some sort of hyper-ionization device. Somebody’s really trying to energize—” Erin started.
But at that moment, Patty ran in, slamming the door behind her and pressing her body in front of it. “I think I lost it. Please don’t tell me that thing is unrelated to the ghost that we’re looking for. I can’t handle two things.”
“What thing?” Erin asked.
A mannequin leg kicked through the door. Patty screamed. The Ghostbusters backed up and fired up their proton packs as the mannequin smashed through.
“I’m sorry, is this your dressing room?” Holtzmann asked the creature.
“Full para-transferral embodiment. Erin, all of our theories on spectral possession are true,” Abby said.
Patty looked at them, then at the mannequin. “That’s great, can we shoot it, now?”
Erin agreed. “There’s a ghost inside that thing and I want it. Let’s light him up!”
The Ghostbusters aimed their wands at the mannequin and fired. Their beams hit the mannequin, which glowed for a second, then exploded. A horrifying ghost screeched out and flew off down the hallway.
Erin had a determined look in her eyes when she rushed after it. “We can’t lose it! C’mon.”
“Wow, liking the fire,” Abby said. Then she said to the others, “You heard her. Move it!”
The ghost flew down a hall. The Ghostbusters chased it. Erin fired her proton wand, but missed and blew a hole in the wall as the ghost disappeared through the ceiling.
“If we live through this, can you make these packs lighter, Holtz? My kidneys are taking a beating.” Patty adjusted her pack.
Erin rushed up the stairs as Abby and Holtzmann hurried along to keep up.
Out in the theater, the crowd was booing Adam’s band as they finished their first song. When they ended, the head of Thunder Gun Records shook his head.
Adam looked nervous. “We are the Beasts of Mayhem!” he announced to the audience, trying to get them excited. “And now let me ask you a question. Are you ready to rock?”
“You stink,” a guy in the crowd called out.
And that was when the ghost rose out of the floor behind Adam and floated into the air!
“Wow,” Eugene told Ely. “Adam really did spend some money. That’s awesome.”
The band started playing with more gusto. The audience was going crazy for the ghost.
The Ghostbusters hurried through a door and backstage. They looked out and saw that the ghost was circling above the crowd.
“Whoever made that device knows their high energy-density physics. That thing is super ionized,” Erin said.
“And it is not benign,” Abby added.
“It looks like it’s looking for dinner.” Patty did not want to be that meal.
Adam was at the front of the stage, pointing at the ghost, playing it up as if it was part of his show. “Behold the power of the Undead! For we are the Kings of Darkness!” The ghost took a dive straight for him.
Wham! The ghost sent him flying backward into a stack of amps. Adam whimpered, “Ow . . . I think I broke my tailbone.”
Unsure if this was an act or not, the crowd cheered and the rest of the band kept playing.
Ghostbusters Movie Novelization Page 4
