The Middle Realm

by Alessia Mattei

  Patrick decided to follow Alexander instead of my dad. He didn’t know why. It just felt like Alexander is the one he should be following. There is something in him that kept saying to stay with Alexander. That’s what he did. He made sure that the black Cherokee was never out of his sight. As they made their way along the same path that Savannah and the others had taken, Patrick noticed a red Camaro, sitting in a parking lot. It seemed almost too easy. He is sure that Savannah and the others would have spotted it. He figured he would check anyway. If it weren’t Emma he would just continue on his way.

  “What are you doing?” asked Griffin.

  “There is a car like the one Emma was driving in that parking lot. It is the right model and color of the car?” Patrick asked.

  “Yeah, it’s the right car,” Griffin said, looking in the direction of the parking lot, “but I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Alexander kept going,”

  “And we will catch up with him if we have to. We’re spirits. We can get to him in no time. Don’t worry. We have to check that car,” Patrick said.

  Ch. 48

  As if purely by chance, we passed by a 7-11. I didn’t think that the idiots would be stupid enough to just be out in the open after having stolen a car. Then again, there are suspicious looking people all around this particular area. In the parking lot sat another red Camaro, like mine. This could be the car we’re looking for. I really hope this is it, because so much time has gone by and I am afraid Emma could be dead. I alert Edgar and Camille right away of what I see. Edgar rolls the window down and motions for William to follow. We make our way into the parking lot. We pull up next to the car. William pulls up on the opposite side. No one is in the car, but I know it is mine. The Nylon magazine and the grey leopard print cardigan are still in the backseat in same position they were last time I drove the car. I can hear Emma’s labored breaths. She lets out a sob every so often.

  “Guys this is it. Emma is still alive, but we have to do something,” I said.

  “Like what?” Edgar asks.

  “I don’t know,” I said.

  I tried to think of something. We could push the car to safety? But where exactly could we push it? I look around the area in which we are. It doesn’t look very safe. Besides, I don’t think we could get it very far. Isn’t this typical. We find the car -- with Emma in it! She is miraculously still alive and now we can’t get her out of it. This is really not looking good.

  “Is there a way to open the trunk from the inside, like a button or something?” William asked.

  “No, the button is on the remote, which they have,” I said, referring to the men who stole the car.

  “This is not good,” Camille, said.

  As we stood there panicking, another car pulled into the lot. It was a ghost car it was an old Lincoln. The Lincoln pulled up alongside the Bel Air. I instantly recognized the driver and I think he recognized me. With him was another familiar face. I couldn’t believe they found us.

  “How did you find us?” I asked Patrick as I walked up to him and threw my arms around him.

  “We just happened to find you guys by chance,” Patrick, said, “I see you’ve found the car”

  “Yeah and it’s not looking good,” I said.

  “The only way to get Emma out of the car is to unlock the trunk and to do that we need the remote and that is with the men who put Emma in the trunk in the first place,” Edgar said.

  “Basically, we’re screwed,” William added.

  Griffin went up to the trunk where Emma is locked inside. He talked to her and tried to comfort her the best he could. Bless his little heart, he tried playing with the trunk to get it open. He tried his hardest to lift it, but noting happened. His hands just went through the car as if it weren’t there. That’s what happens when you become a ghost. You see problems and try you’re hardest to fix them, even though deep down you know there is nothing you can do. I guess it’s just a part of human nature to want to fix things and help others. Patrick stepped in. He put his hand on Griffins shoulder and led him to where the rest of us were standing a few feet from the car.

  “We have to get her out,” Griffin said.

  “Well, we’re trying to figure out a way to do that,” Edgar said.

  “We’re not trying hard enough,” Griffin said.

  “What do you want us to do? We’re not miracle workers here. We’re fucking ghosts,” William said.

  Whitney went up to William to calm him down. I hate to admit it, but he is right. I don’t know what we can do. What we need is another person who can see ghosts. It’s defiantly a long shot because most of the people who can see and communicate with ghosts want nothing to do with it.

  “If only we can get Alexander back here somehow, maybe he can save Emma,” Griffin said, “He can’t be too far away by now”

  Did Griffin just mention Alexander? So, Alexander could be in this general area right now as we speak? Maybe Emma will make it. Maybe there is a little flicker of hope in the darkness. All we have to do is get Alexander back here. But how?

  “He drove right past here,” Patrick said.

  “Are you guys sure you saw Alexander?” I asked. I had to make sure that this was the right Alexander.

  “Yeah, he was at your house with your parents. When you weren’t coming home, he and your dad went out to look for Emma, who is supposed to be you,” said Patrick.

  “What car is he driving?” I asked Griffin, specifically. He was more up to date on today’s cars than Patrick.

  “It was a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee in black. There were some stickers in the corners of the back window. The windows themselves were tinted,” Griffin said.

  Well, that sounded like Alexander’s car. He got it before I left for Paris. I then asked Patrick and Griffin to describe what Alexander looked like. They had seen him, all right. We now have another mission; it is to some how get Alexander back here. How are we going to do it? I have no idea. Is it going to work? Again, no idea. Are we going to give it our all? Hell yeah. My best friend is not going to die in the trunk of a car.

  Ch. 49

  “Now we that we know Alexander is in the general area, we just have get him here.” I said.

  “That’s going to be easier said than done, but we’ll try our best” Patrick said, “Savannah, you’re coming with me and we will bring Alexander with us. Everyone else, keep Emma calm. Keep talking to her, alright”

  “We will,” Camille said.

  “Good luck,” Edgar said.

  Patrick and I walked silently to the car he had borrowed. As we got into the car, I began to feel a little more hopeful. It was probably because Patrick is here. Since I’ve met him, I’ve noticed that his presence is enough to calm me down and put me at ease in not so great situations. After all he had been through, with the war and all, he is a strong person. He knows that falling apart is going to get a person nowhere. He knows that in order to accomplish what he needs to do, he must remain calm. His sense of calm is really helping me.

  We pull out into traffic. We could see other spirits out on the road in cars spanning all different decades. We are in a hurry, so we fly past them. I am starting to feel uncomfortable about the silence. He doesn’t seem to be angry anymore, which is good.

  “So, about what happened earlier, I’m sorry,” I said.

  “For what? You didn’t do anything,” Patrick said.

  True, I didn’t do anything wrong. I knew it, but saying I was sorry felt like the right thing to do. He is really the one who should be apologizing. Let’s see if he does.

  “I didn’t tell you that Alexander was going to be there. I should have said something. It must have been so awkward for you to have to see him,” I said.

  Little did Patrick know I’m testing him to see if he knew he did something wrong. Let’s see if he passes.

  “I should be the one apologizing for how I acted. Actually, more like how I overreacted,” Patrick, said, ”It’s just that I didn’t want to have to see the guy you
are still in love with and still have feelings for. I just don’t want to lose you,”

  Congratulations, Patrick. You passed my test. You were wrong and you acknowledged it. His feelings were understandable, I just wish he hadn’t reacted the way he did. I was about to say something when he interrupted me.

  “Look there’s Alexander’s car,” Patrick said.

  I looked out the windshield and sure enough there was Alexander, a few cars ahead of us. I really like being able to see perfectly in the dark. This would have been helpful when I was still alive. It would sure cut down a little bit on electric bills. Also you wouldn’t have to wake you’re partner up by turning on the lights in the morning if you have to get up before them. Wait a minute; I am really getting off track. I’m also praising the fact that as a ghost I can see in the dark. Bad, Savannah, you should be lamenting the fact that you are a ghost. All right. Where was I? Oh yes, Patrick found Alexander. I just was not prepared for what he was going to do next. I definitely did not see it coming at all. But then again, Patrick has a hell lot more experience as a ghost than I do.

  “Okay. Once I get into Alexander’s car, take the wheel and follow us back to the 7-Eleven parking lot,” Patrick said.

  He wants me to do what? Is he crazy? He wants to highjack a car while someone is driving it. What the hell, Patrick? Never would I have imagined this would be the plan he had in mind. Not only is it stupid and likely to fail, it’s dangerous. Alexander could get hurt or killed.

  “So you are going to basically hijack the car?” I asked, ”with Alexander in it?”

  “Actually, I would say I’m hijacking Alexander’s body, not his car. You’re making it sound like I’m committing a crime. I’m just going to get into Alexander’s body and make him turn the car around and send him in the right direction,” Patrick said, with a smile “so really, I’m not breaking any sort of laws”

  He’s going to be controlling Alexander’s body? Which means that he is going to be inside Alexander controlling him? I didn’t know ghosts could do that. Maybe it’s just the older spirits who can do it. I am going to have to ask Patrick about it once everyone is safe and sound again. There is a chance that this might work. I now feel bad about doubting Patrick.

  It didn’t take too long to find him. We had to go down three miles to find him, but we found him. Patrick pulled up alongside Alexander’s car. As he slipped out of the Lincoln and into the driver side of the jeep, I scooted over into the driver side of the Lincoln. I had never been in a vintage car before. I stared at the dashboard. It is really different compared to the cars I was familiar with. This should be interesting. How hard can it be? It turned out to be confusing at first, but I figured it out right away. I kept driving alongside the jeep until it turned around and started going back to the parking lot where Emma and the others were. After that, I knew that Patrick successfully made it into Alexander’s body and is now controlling him. I wonder what it must be like to go into someone else’s body and manipulate them. It has got to be weird. I wonder if Alexander is aware of what’s happening. I wonder if he will remember anything.

  As we drove back the way we came, I felt that little spark of hope igniting again. Maybe things will turn out all right. Things are already bad, so they can’t possibly get any worse, can they? No, they should start getting better. I keep telling myself this, hoping that the outlook of this situation will improve. They say that things have to get really, really bad before they get better. That has to be what’s going on now. In no time we were back at the station. Alexander pulled into the lot and parked his car in the spot where the mustang was parked.

  “Where’s Patrick and how did you get Alexander here?” Edgar asked.

  “Patrick took over Alexander’s body and now Alexander is here to save Emma,” I said.

  “Wow, that Patrick is smart. Why didn’t I think of that,” Edgar replied.

  “Emma has a chance now. Savannah, you must be so relieved,” Whitney said.

  Yes, I am relieved. I will be so happy once she’s out of that damn car. Tonight has been terrible. I can’t even begin to describe how it felt to see my friend being attacked and not being able to help her. I hope we can all put tonight behind us and move on.

  “It looks like Alexander is getting out of the car,” Camille said.

  We all watched Alexander, who is being manipulated by Patrick, exit his car. Once he closed the door, he took out his keys and pressed the remote to lock the car. He then walked to the back of the Camaro. It is at this point that Patrick exited Alexander’s body. It was strange, yet amazing to see Patrick just step out of Alexander.

  “Well done, Patrick,” Edgar commented.

  “Thanks, it was nothing,” Patrick responded. How humble he is.

  Alexander is now confused. He is trying to figure out where he is. He looked around. I could tell by the look on his face that he may have recognized the car sitting before him.

  “Where the hell am I?” he said aloud to himself, “Great, I’m lost and I have no idea how the hell I got lost in the first place”

  I went up to the trunk and told Emma that Alexander is here to get her. I told her to yell out for him.

  “Emma, Alexander is here. You need to yell as loud as you possibly can so he can hear you. He’ll get you out somehow,” I said.

  “Okay,” She said, weakly, “Alexander, I’m in the trunk. Please get me out. I’m hurt. Two men beat me and put me in here. Help me,” She yelled as loud as she could.

  “Good, Emma,” I said.

  Alexander heard her, all right. He got down on his knees and put his ear to the trunk. Then he spoke.

  “Savannah is that really you,” He asked, nervously.

  “Alexander, it’s me. Get me out. I don’t care if you have to break the car,” Emma said.

  “Oh, my god. Are you okay?” he asked, “What happened?”

  “I’ll explain later, just get me out and call the police,” She said.

  Patrick came up behind and slid his arms around me. It looks like tonight will have a happy ending. Alexander went back to his truck and popped the rear window open. He rummaged around until he found something he could use to get the trunk open. Emma was too hurt to do it herself. Once he found what he was looking for, he closed the back window and locked his car. Since it was so late, there was no one in the parking lot but Alexander. Cars passed by from time to time, but I guess no one thought anything suspicious of Alexander damaging a perfectly nice car. This is somewhat disconcerting. He took some sort of tool used to change tires and took out one of the taillights.

  “I think we should be proud of ourselves,” Edgar said.

  “Tonight has been crazy. It’s like something out of a movie,” Whitney said.

  “I wouldn’t go that far,” William said.

  “No, I think she’s right,” Edgar said, “It has been like some sort of Hollywood adventure”

  “I don’t think there has been quite enough action to be a good movie,” William said.

  As Edgar and William were debating over whether tonight would make a good movie, we failed to notice the two men who were now coming out of the 7-11 checking to see where all the noise was coming from. Tonight just went from ‘phew, glad that’s over’ to ‘we’re officially screwed’. And I thought our troubles were over now that Alexander is here. Boy was I wrong, so very, very wrong.

  Ch. 50

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing. Get away from my car,” the tall one said to Alexander.

  “This is not you car. I know what you did to my girlfriend,” Alexander said as he got his phone out of his pocket to call the police.

  “Finder’s, keepers,” the short one said. Afterward the tall one slapped him upside the head.

  “You better not call the cops,” the tall one said.

  “Watch me,” Alexander said.

  Alexander, what are you doing? You don’t say that to someone with a weapon. The short one tackled Alexander to the ground, causing Alexander to
drop his phone and the tire thingy. Poor Alexander was too distracted trying to call for help to notice. Alexander is strong, but he was caught off guard. Apparently that little man is a lot stronger than he looks. Instead of smashing the phone, like he did to Emma’s, the tall man picked it up off the ground, wiped the screen on his jacket and put it in his pocket. He then picked up the tire thingy, I still have no idea what it is called, and hit Alexander in the head with it. It knocked him out. I ran over to him. I had no idea if he was dead or alive. I knelt down next to him and put my ear to his chest. I heard a heartbeat. He was still alive, which is a miracle.

  “He’s still breathing,” I yelled to the other spirits, who were standing frozen in fear.

  Patrick walked over and kneeled down next to me. I felt helpless. Now another person that I love so much is hurt. I wish tonight were just a nightmare that I could wake up from. But it isn’t. As Patrick and I knelt next to Alexander, the tall man pressed the button opening the trunk. Emma sat up and saw Alexander lying on the ground.

  “What did you do to him?” Emma screamed.

  “Alexander,” I screamed.

  I would have given anything to be able to beat in the faces of those men. I felt helpless seeing someone I love being hurt. At that moment I was really resenting Emma for having taken the one thing from me that I will never get back. I had almost forgotten about the Voodoo priestess who could bring back to life. If I do come back, I will seek out these men and give it right back to them what they did to two people I care so deeply about. Until then, all I can do is watch in horror and pray that Alexander’s time on earth is not coming to an end.

  “If you don’t lie back down, we’ll finish you both off. You better hope no one saw or heard anything,” he said as he pushed Emma back down and moved her to make room for Alexander. She was now crying. The two men picked up Alexander and placed him next to Emma. Before they closed the trunk, the short man dug through Alexander’s pockets until he found the keys and Alexander’s wallet.