Duet: Death's Recital

by Lizzie Vega

  “Is this the part where a grown-up speaks?” Mikayla offered, “Cuz, this is a really dangerous idea.” She looked at Ethan, “What if…”

  He shook his head, “It’s time…I think but Sara’s getting anxious and that maybe matches…” He pointed in the direction of the Annex, “Her increased activity. If she’s able to directly interact with students now, it’s only a matter of time before this is no longer a secret. I don’t really care about the recital right now. Sara wants it to happen.”

  “So, let’s review,” Alvin offered, trying to muster as much bravado as possible, “We get her out of the Annex and into a hallway. No matter what happens, we all stay together.”

  “Yep,” Kelli said firmly, “Are we all on the same page? All together? Sara stays out of sight until the absolute last minute, just in case.”

  “Great,” Mikayla said wearily, “Sorry, great,” she repeated with a hint more enthusiasm. Sara stepped toward her, “Don’t worry,” she whispered happily, “I’m feeling pretty powerful right now. I have all my best friends with me.”

  “Oh, jeez,” Kelli put her hand to her face, looking away, “wrong thing...to say…wingman needs a moment.”

  Mikayla sniffled then sighed, “Me too. Bathroom?”

  When they returned, it was clear that Alvin and Edward had tearfully expressed their feelings as well.

  “Not fair,” Kelli tried to be sarcastic, then shut herself down, “Let’s get this over with, then go have a group ugly cry when we’re done.”

  With tears in her eyes and smile firmly locked in place, Sara looked at Ethan, “Ready?”

  He nodded, “Yep. I trust you.”

  Approaching the Annex doors, Kelli watched Sara for any sign of fear. It was only when she and Ethan separated outside that any hint of discomfort showed on her face.

  “I can see you through the windows,” she called out as Ethan opened the door to the Annex, “I’ll wait for you to signal me.”

  As the four went into the Annex, they quickly turned left to gather at the study corrals and benches along the far wall. Fifty feet across from them, the glossy floor ended abruptly as the towering gray concrete triangular wall stood waiting. Kelli looked up to the mezzanine to judge the distance from the angled wall to the opening. She shuddered against Mikayla, then put her head on her friend’s shoulder, “This sucks.”

  “What?” Mikayla whispered as she watched Edward setting out the sensors.

  “Nothing, it’s just…”

  “I know,” Mikayla, still sniffling, agreed, “It’s like being at her funeral.”

  “Sorry…yeah. Now I’m scared.”

  Recreating the sensor layout from the previous day, Edward started at the trash can in the entry but made a wide circle to avoid walking near the concrete wall as he placed the second one in the potted tree. With Alvin accompanying him, they disappeared for a few minutes as they strategically arranged the other devices down the long hallway with three of them bundled together in the center.

  Away from any windows and with double doors on both ends of the corridor, this is where they would lure the angry apparition of Sara. Once she was inside the hallway, Sara would come from outside to join them. From that point on, other than to run for safety if necessary, all bets were off.

  Edward looked at Alvin, “Powering up,” he said, “first the planter, then the entry door, just like last time. You guys get your ears on.”

  Alvin directed Mikayla and Kelli as they put their headsets on, “Watch the base of the wall towards the left side.” Handing Ethan his headset, Alvin grinned and handed him a second set, “Ed,” he said with a nod, “Sara gets to be channel one.”

  “Cool. Roger that,” Edward whispered as he made an adjustment on his mixer, “Bluetooth is searching for the first two.” He put his finger over the tab on the touch screen, “Here we go” and he pressed down on the location tab.

  A round circle of static popped onto the screen as a hint of shadow appeared along the baseboard attached to the wall. At first, just a finger, then it quickly mushroomed into a churning dark cloud.

  “That didn’t take long,” he whispered, then “Uh-oh.” He glanced over his shoulder into the darkness of the courtyard, “I’ve got static from our Sara too. Just a little.”

  “It seems jerkier than the other day,” Alvin leaned in close, “Don’t play with her, just get her to move to the next one.”

  As the shadow continued to grow from the base of the wall, both Kelli and Mikayla shrunk back from their positions likely remembering their last encounters. Ethan, slack-jawed, leaned out from behind the cubicle to stare in awe of the swirling mass until Alvin gently pulled him back behind the bench.

  As Edward turned off the first sensor, he sent a signal to the second. The shadow stopped and reversed course, moving along the wall toward the planter. Just before Edward engaged the hidden hallway monitors, the cloud shifted its form.

  Instead of a once shapeless mass, tendrils and branches formed in the thick cloud and began to lean toward the planter.

  “This is creepy,” Alvin said softly, “But she’s going for it.”

  “My heart’s gonna come out of my chest in a minute,” Edward said as he targeted the next sensors. The hallway would hopefully trap their ghost between the doors. Edward then realized what he’d said, “Pounding, I mean. Eww God.”

  He looked down at his screen just as the entry doors swung open and three students walked in. “Oh shit, we didn’t lock the doors.”

  Without thinking, Alvin stood up, then started waving frantically to the trio as they began to head toward the Music building. On their current path, they would walk directly by the swirling apparition.

  “Hey,” he called out, stepping out from behind the cubicles, “We’re ah…doing some...testing, yeah testing,” he called out as he approached them, glancing at the mass as it appeared to stop and turn toward them. “We shoulda put up a sign. It’ll be awhile before the lobby is available. So sorry.” He tried to motion them out the door when it became obvious that they could see the shadow as well, “What the hell is that?”

  “Science experiment,” Alvin tried to cover, “you know us, we’re all about making up scary experiments. You should go…really, you should just…get out of here.”

  Closing the double doors behind the flustered students, Alvin seemed relieved until he stepped back into the lobby. He saw Edward stand from behind the carrels and wave wildly just as the shadow loomed up right beside him.

  Alvin closed his eyes and took a slow step to his left as if to now acknowledge the dozens of dagger-like branches hovering just a few feet away, all pointed directly at him.

  Edward looked at the screen then stared in disbelief as another window opened on his screen, “Shit,” he whispered hoarsely at Alvin, and certainly loud enough for everyone to wince from the volume in their ears, “The two up in the mezz, we forgot them.”

  Coming online, the two wi-fi locators opened simultaneously, and the apparition jerked around, moving away from Alvin. It shot across the lobby stopping to pause at the doorway to the hallway, then jumped up the side of the wall to disappear into the darkness of the hallway above.

  “Dammit, dammit, dammit,” Edward loudly scolded himself, “I forgot about them, I’ve screwed this up.” He stopped then looked at the dark opening of the upper level hallway, “She went up the wall...how frikin’ cool was that.”

  “Are you serious, right now?” Kelli grabbed him by the shoulders, “This will still work. Mik and I will get in the hallway, close the far end doors and then you turn your sensors on.” She started to pull on Edward’s arm, “You guys are on this end, we’ll be on the other. Good Sara comes in at the end. Geek out after this is all over, okay? Honestly.”

  “Sure, yeah…fine,” Edward said with a shrug to Alvin, “Handled.”

  Ethan brushed by him, “She’s further away, I’m gonna have Sara come into the entry.”

  “All good,” Edward said as he studied his screen, �
��She’s in the middle of the hallway.” He turned to answer Kelli, but she was already dragging a mortified-looking Mikayla toward the stairwell. She began to pull back on Kelli’s arm until she saw Ethan bring Sara into the vestibule of the entry. Sara looked at Mikayla and nodded her head as Ethan helped her with her headset. A gentle calm smile on her face. Now Mikayla grabbed Kelli, “We gotta hurry…somethin’s goin on.”

  Edward ran to the trash bin, then to the planter to gather his sensors. He looked down at his screen, the swirling static charge was fixed in the corridor above them. “She’s at the far end of the hallway. Just standing there.”

  “Stick to the plan,” Kelli called out as they ducked into the hallway, “Call out where she is. Stay together.”

  A few steps into the Music Building hallway, the double doors at the end of the hall slammed shut. Mikayla and Kelli skidded to a halt, “Ed?”

  “She’s on that end, but…hey, I don’t have 3D on this. Did you see a shadow or the branches thing? I’m gonna shut off one of the sensors.”

  Disabling one of the two sensors on the second floor resulted in another set of doors clanging shut, the heavy metal doors slamming together hard enough to cause a reverberation on the floor below. In the lobby, Edward watched as Alvin turned and started taking the steps up the second floor, then shrieked at him, “Don’t do that, Al. We need to stay together.”

  “Ed, can you say that a little louder,” Kelli asked calmly into her mic, “The food service people over in the Union didn’t hear you.”

  “A little loud for me,” Mikayla seconded.

  “Fine,” Edward responded, turning to follow Alvin, “If I’m close to him, I won’t yell so much. I’ll turn down… a little.” Running by Ethan and Sara, he gave instructions, “when we tell you, move up to those doors and sit tight, right?” His curiosity seemed to be overriding his fears. He slowed as he ran past Sara. It seemed he was looking for some confirmation.

  “Oh, right,” Sara grinned, her eyebrows bouncing happily, “Roger that.”

  Kelli covered the microphone on her headset, “Someone’s in a mood. Is that what you meant?”

  “Polar opposites,” Mikayla said, “she’s happier than ever.” Her answer only making sense to Kelli. Just then the opposite end of the hallway leading to the Annex, slammed shut. They were alone in the hallway and Kelli covered her mic a second time, “That means Bad Sara is angrier than ever.”

  “Not go here,” Kelli said, uncovering her microphone, but her nerves were showing, “She’s not here.” They heard footsteps run over the top of them, “We’re coming down the back steps, be right there.”

  “Hurry, she’s got us separated again, I got a bad fee…” A surge of static cut through Kelli’s microphone just as Alvin and Edward burst through the doors on the first floor.

  The doors at the Annex end swung open to show Ethan standing in the middle of the lobby, Sara standing behind him. Edward’s laptop bloomed with new interference, “She’s back upstairs.” Mikayla burst past Alvin and darted through the doorway.

  Seconds later the doors slammed shut again. Now Ethan, Mikayla and Sara were isolated in the lobby.

  Alvin struggled to pry the doors open, “Dammit, she’s done it again, we gotta be careful. Where now?”

  Edward cut in, sounding equally panicked and excited, “Lower level moving back to the mezz hallway. Something’s not right. I’m coming down to you guys.”

  “The floor plans,” Alvin hollered back, “There isn’t a lower level in this section.” He looked back, then backed himself into the corner, his eyes fixed on the hallway carpet. A cluster of black jagged spikes rose from the floor then sank under the terrazzo surface just as they reached the doorway. Only hearing static in his earpiece, Alvin called out, “She’s in the floor.”

  His request was instantly met with loud static. He could hear voices masked behind the white noise, “Repeat...repeat-please.” It was Mikayla. She was shouting for Ethan.

  “Ethan don’t go,” they heard, “It’s too dangerous.” Her voice welled up into a scream, “Sara…don’t let him face her.”

  As Edward opened the rear doors, the double doors burst open, almost knocking Kelli into Alvin. Kelli was quick recover and lunged out of the hallway to latch onto Mikayla’s arm, pulling her back to the safety of the alcove. From where they stood, they had a front row seat as Ethan and Sara walked slowly toward the swirling dark mass at the base of the Annex wall.

  As Edward brought up his camera, Ethan looked over at him, shaking his head, “Not for this, please.”

  The words had barely left his mouth when the swirling mass mushroomed in size surged out the darkness. The size of her shadow was shrinking and collapsing on itself as a head and torso formed and began to float in front of them.

  Mikayla shrieked as Ethan pulled Sara back and placed himself in between the two spirits.

  “Show yourself,” Ethan called out firmly. The dark body rushed forward within a few feet of him before drawing back. The roughly shaped body compressed again to a more refined body silhouette. A mirror image of Sara materialized out of the flowing tendrils. “Leave me be, I said. Get away from me. I’ll only hurt you.”

  Alvin and Edward moved to join Kelli and Mikayla. Edward, his hands shaking, held out the voice recorder as Alvin targeted the infrared camera, “We gotta get this.”

  A split second later, the dark ghost rushed across the Annex and loomed up in Edward’s face, “Ya wanna get a real good closeup?” She lashed out with her arms and sent both the voice recorder and the camera sliding across the polished floor. As second later she turned to face Mikayla. The hand once again snaked out of the dark mass, reaching for Mikayla’s wrist.

  Sara’s face loomed out of the darkness to stare at Mikayla. Shrinking back against Kelli, she could smell a distinct scent of dust and decay. The grey crusted face held still, and Mikayla looked up to see Sara’s dead grey eyes slowly look away. Mikayla opened her mouth to speak just as Kelli pulled her away.

  “Did she touch you?” Kelli gasped as she reeled Mikayla in.

  “N..no,” she whispered back, “She just stared at me.”

  Kelli reached up, grabbing Edward by the collar and yanked him back as well but the black mass had already crossed over to the foyer to menacingly confront Ethan.

  The levitating body moved slowly toward him. The flowing dark hair began to draw in as Sara’s dark face, once again became clear. “I will end this,” she sneered through peeling lips, “I can take all of this down, right now.”

  Ethan let go of Sara’s hand and took a step forward. Sara turned and looked at Mikayla and Kelli. For the first time since they had met her, the ever-present smile was gone. She shook her head slowly at them and put up her hand to keep them back. Then she turned back to Ethan.

  “I’m not going to let you do that, Sara.” He looked back at the swirling ghost standing behind him and smiled, “You’re as much a part of this as she is. I think I understand the pain you’ve been through. Don’t give up on yourself.”

  The response was hurled back at him as a scream, “Who are you to lecture me? My life is over. It was taken from me and there’s nothing…nothing you can do about it.”

  Ethan nodded, “It wasn’t your fault.”

  “What do you know?” she thundered so loudly, Sara winced behind him, taking a step back, “You weren’t there.” Tears began to flow down her cheeks creating streaks in her furious expression as the brutal diatribe continued “Get out. Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?”

  A half second later, she was right in his face, her hands flailing toward Sara, “You’re as weak as she is. You’re nothing. You’ll never amount to anything.” The sound of static filled the Annex. The black shape rose off the floor, towering over Ethan and Sara.

  “I wanted the same as you,” she fumed, “I just wanted to be loved and to be accepted for the flawed person I was.”

  There was a pulse of energy as the tall windows of the Annex shook. The
apparition swelled in size and rose higher over the top of Ethan and Sara. Deep inside the flowing darkness, the face in the cloud closed her eyes and took a deep breath, “Get out. Leave me alone. You didn’t help me. Nobody helped me…ever.”

  Kelli looked to Sara as she huddled behind Ethan. Her always cheery expression was gone, and tears streamed down her cheeks. “This isn’t right,” she whispered to Mikayla, “somethin’s gonna go South.”

  The was another surge of static as the body in the mass lurched toward Ethan, her red rimmed eyes wide in anger. Her shrieking voice reverberated off the glass and the concrete wall behind them, “I didn’t fall, it wasn’t an accident,” she screamed as the static hiss came to a quick end. For a brief second, it was silent. “I was pushed.”

  There was a pause as Ethan turned to reach back for Sara. She took his hand but remained withdrawn as Ethan reached out to the dark ghost, “Sara,” he said softly over the static hiss, “I don’t pretend to know everything ….

  “You don’t know shit, little boy. You don’t have what it takes.” Her voice instantly welled back to a scream, “I had it and it was…taken away from me

  “Let me,” he said softly. He reached up to her, “Let me try to help you. I promise to do the best I can.” He took a deep breath, “I know I won’t be perfect.”

  With one hand gently holding the one he loved, Ethan reached out slowly offering to take the dark ghost’s hand, “It’s not your fault. Come with us, we’ll try to sort it out. For once, let us help you to end your suffering.”

  He clasped his fingers gently around her hand, pulling her ever so gently toward him, “It may take time, but we don’t want you to suffer in the darkness anymore. The time for hate is passing.” He struggled to pull the mass toward him, his shoes sliding along the polished floor, “Don’t fight anymore,” he called out. He turned to look at Sara, tears in his eyes. He smiled at her and nodded.

  Sara nodded back, then let go of his hand. There was a sharp surge of energy as he grabbed onto the dark ghost with both hands.

  “Ethan…No,” Kelli screamed as she tried to push by Mikayla and Edward.