Dead Drunk

by Alice J Black

  The natural light seemed to permeate even the darkest corners of the room, casting the weight of evil to the back of my mind as it filtered through.

  Then I turned and made my way to the kitchen. I pulled open the door and felt my stomach sink as I stared at another dark room. The roller blind was pulled down, and the lights were off.

  “Your turn?” I suggested, glancing at Olivia.

  “Hell no.” She shook her head. “You’re the expert.”

  I gritted my teeth and turned back to the kitchen. I would follow the same plan. Turn on the light and then open the curtains. Safer and more secure.

  As I reached into the dark, my hand curled and slid against the wall, moving up and down against the tiles. The light would be harder to find here. Still, I persevered, keeping my body as far back as possible and searching with my fingers.

  I had just come across something different. The plastic was a bit warmer than the tiles, and my finger poised on the switch, when something grabbed me. A cold hand clamped around my wrist and yanked me into the darkness. Stumbling forward, I yelped and my arms cartwheeled as I tried to stay afoot. Just as I reached the centre of the room, I managed to catch my balance, stopping myself from face-planting the floor.

  “Peyton?” Olivia hissed as I righted myself.

  “Get the light.”

  “What?”

  “Get the—” I was cut short as I was yanked off my feet, falling backwards this time.

  I hit the floor, with a dull thud. The pack on my back cushioned some of the blow to my spine. My head whipped back and connected with the floor. Stars spangled in front of my eyes, and for a second, the whole room spun.

  Just then, the light flicked on, and I winced as the overhead fluorescent bulb infiltrated my eyes.

  “God, Peyton. Are you okay?” Olivia rushed forward. Her hands reached for mine.

  I grabbed them and let her pull me up. Then I sat in the middle of the kitchen floor, staring up at my best friend.

  “Bad timing, Olive.”

  “Hey, it was dark as shit in here. I couldn’t see anything.”

  “I thought my screaming might’ve alerted you to the fact that something was up.”

  “Get over it. I’m here now.” She held her hand out for a second time, and I grabbed it, using her weight to pull myself up to my feet.

  The stars faded slowly as my head stopped spinning, and I took a look around the kitchen and the chaos that had beset it.

  The cupboard doors were all open, some of them hanging off their hinges, and the contents were strewn everywhere. Packets had been opened and splayed across the benches and floor. Dry pasta lay everywhere, and a jar of coffee was open on its side, the glass cracked, and the granules spilt across the counter. All the crockery and glasses had been pulled from their homes and smashed across the floor. Shards of glass glimmered in the white light. The knives were scattered about the place, all facing point down into whatever surface they’d landed, and that was enough to set my chest heaving. Eric was here, and he was angry.

  “Shit, Peyton. It’s a good job you didn’t end up over there.” Olivia pointed at the glass pooled on the linoleum.

  “Tell me about it.” I nodded. If I’d have landed on that, I would’ve been cut to ribbons. “I definitely think something was here.”

  “It could’ve easily been a burglar.”

  “A burglar ransacking the kitchen. And look.” I pointed to the cupboard that had contained his alcohol.

  Even after his death, Eileen had kept the cupboard preserved to her husband’s wishes. There was only one bottle in there, and while previously it had been half full, now it was completely empty. Someone had definitely been looking for something.

  “Okay. So he’s been here. What now?” Olivia stood a little too close to me.

  My head continued to smart, and my arm, where I’d cracked my elbow against the floor, was pulsing. My eyes flicked back to the cupboard. Even in death, this man was an alcoholic. He was raiding the cupboards the same way he always had, looking for something to satiate his thirst. The same way I used to when I was stuck in the madness.

  I remember rushing through every room of the house, searching every last stash I kept, looking for just the tiniest drop of something. Anything. I understood what Eric was going through. Kind of. The dead part was a little lost to me, although I’d spent plenty of time in a funeral parlour, which probably made me at least partially understanding.

  “Oi!” Olivia smacked my arm.

  “Ow!” I pulled my arm back and rubbed it with my left hand.

  “You’re daydreaming in the middle of a chaotic mess. We need to sort this out.”

  “Okay, but I’m a ghost hunter, not a domestic.”

  “I’m not talking about cleaning the place up. Physically, anyway.”

  “You’re right. We need to do the job we came here to do.” I glanced at the mess around me. My hands were planted on my hips in a pose that looked strikingly similar to an infuriated Olivia. “I’m thinking Eric is still hanging around because he hasn’t accepted the fact that he’s passed on. And I’m guessing it was him that yanked me in here in the first place.”

  “So how do we deal with that?”

  “Well, first we can try to tell him.”

  “Oh, I can imagine that going well.” She rolled her eyes.

  “It’s the first step. That’s what Sylvia always says. Remind the spirit that they’re a spirit.”

  “So?” She held her hands out.

  “So what?”

  “Get going.”

  “Jeez, you’re bossy. Uncle Jim was right,” I muttered.

  “What?” she snapped.

  “Nothing. Okay, I need quiet.”

  She shot me a scowl, but I ignored it and closed my eyes. I cleared my mind and reached out. I could still feel him there. The darkness curled across my mind like a constant reminder that he wanted what he was due and wouldn’t be ignored.

  I took a deep breath and let it out through my mouth. “Eric,” I started. My voice sounded loud in the quiet.

  I heard the sound of Olivia’s breath beside me.

  “My name is Peyton. I’ve been in your home before. I know you’ve seen me, but I haven’t introduced myself. I came here to tell you something that may be hard to hear.” I took another breath. “Eric, you passed on. Your life has ended, and your loved ones have mourned your death. You need to leave this house, Eric. You need to pass over to the other side and continue your journey.”

  “Continue your journey?” Olivia whispered.

  “Shhh,” I shushed her. “Goodbye, Eric.”

  I closed my lips, and the kitchen fell silent. It was back to being just me and Olivia waiting amidst the mess.

  “Is that it?” Olivia’s voice was small, unsure.

  My eyes pinged open. “I don’t know.”

  “What do you mean, you don’t know?”

  “I . . .” I paused and mentally searched. The dark that swirled around my mind only moments ago had faded to the smidgen of a shadow.

  Then suddenly, the cupboard doors smashed shut simultaneously. My head snapped towards the alcohol cupboard as I jumped in fright. Beside me, Olivia let out a short sharp scream, and her hands gripped my arm.

  “What the fuck?” she cursed.

  “Shh.” I pressed a finger to my lips.

  We stood there in the quiet for a few minutes. My heart hammered as I waited. Each of the cupboards was now shut and silence reigned, but I suspected this was far from over.

  Overhead, a loud thump shook the light fixtures, and the ceiling vibrated. The light shimmered. Another thump, followed by several more. Footsteps above us.

  “Peyton?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I don’t think it’s over.”

  “Me neither.” I shook my head as my eyes traced the movements of the steps above us.

  The ceiling erupted in a thunderous applause as the steps ran across the rest of the ceiling. Then they rained down
on the stairs as he came charging to the ground floor. It ended with a loud thump, and I thought he must’ve jumped the last few steps.

  “Shit. Peyton.”

  I swung my body to face the door. Staring into the living room, I watched as the light bulb flicked out.

  Another step.

  I took a step back. My right arm extended automatically, pushing Olivia behind me. Protecting her. Olivia had signed on for this, but sometimes I wondered how much she really understood what she was doing.

  “Peyton.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ve got this under control.”

  “Looks like it.”

  I bit my lip. She was right. I was cowering in the kitchen while this ghost stalked towards me—us. He was angry. He wanted alcohol. And he didn’t realise he was dead. I couldn’t think of a worse combination right now.

  “Okay. Step back,” I ordered.

  Olivia’s grip relinquished, and I felt her body move away from mine. I swung the backpack down towards me and rifled through it. I wasn’t sure there was anything in there I could use to lure him away. I had no alcohol, and I figured that was the only thing he was looking for. The countless devices I carried with me would do nothing but flash and inform me something was near. I already knew that. I needed a plan and fast.

  Another step.

  “Peyton.”

  “I need to distract him.”

  “Is this, like, the last distraction?” she smarted.

  I heard steps and the crunch of glass, and then a breeze. I looked over my shoulder to see that the back door was wide open and Olivia had gone. My stomach dropped as I thought for a second that she’d abandoned me. Then I pulled myself together. Olivia was made of more grit than that and had stood by me through the thickest times. She wouldn’t leave me now.

  I turned back towards the living room just in time to see the kitchen door swing further open. He was here.

  “Eric, you can’t do this. You have to leave.”

  Drink! the ethereal voice yelled. It echoed through the house, ringing in my head as it reverberated between the realms of the living and the dead.

  Above me, the kitchen light flickered, and then it went out. I took a step back. I had to admit, I was at a loss. I had nothing on me, my mind wasn’t working quick enough to keep up with the assault, and I was close to being hurt. I took another step back, and my feet crunched across glass.

  Just then, Olivia flung herself back through the door. Her steps were heavy and breath heaving. “Here!”

  I turned just as she threw something, and I caught the bottle. It was cool in my hands, and as I brought it into focus, I saw it was a bottle of white spirits.

  “Eric!” I held the bottle high. “Is this what you want?”

  More thundering footsteps. I had to get him out of the house. Sylvia once told me that pushing a spirit beyond its realm of memory, the places it haunted, would show them they’d passed. I wanted to show Eric the light. I needed to get him outside.

  Stepping back, all the while keeping the plastic bottle raised, I inched towards the backdoor. The footsteps stalked me, and I heard the faint sound of panting as if he was gasping for a drink. I’d known that feeling plenty of times.

  Olivia scooted out of my way as I reached the back door, and my foot caught on the ledge of the frame. I was knocked off balance, almost tipping backwards, but I flung my body forward just in time and managed to stay upright.

  I took another step back, and my right foot found paving stone. Another step ahead of me, and I knew Eric was still on course. I took another step and found myself outside, bathed in the shadow of the house. I kept moving backwards.

  Then I heard the sound of plastic scraping across plastic, and I knew he was on the threshold.

  I shook the bottle in front of me. “Is this what you want?”

  A grunt, and then he crossed the threshold. The faint shadow of a figure glimmered in the natural light of the outside world, and I knew realisation was dawning.

  “Eric, you’ve already passed on. Your body is gone, and this house is no longer the place you live. You must leave now, Eric. Go in peace.”

  The faint shadow in front of me began to fade slowly until it finally dissipated, and the shadow that hovered over my mind disappeared.

  Olivia appeared at the back door. “Is he gone?”

  “He’s gone.” I nodded and dropped my arms.

  “Admit it, I saved your arse.” Olivia paused and smiled smugly as she eyed me.

  I rolled my eyes and looked at my best friend. We’d cleaned most of the kitchen. It was ready for Eileen to come home. There would be nothing worse than seeing the aftermath of her dead husband’s alcoholic rampage.

  The benches were sanitized, and the floors were swept and mopped. The whole place was sparkling, and I was exhausted.

  “Of course you did, Olivia.” I leaned on the mop I was holding. “Honestly, without you, I would’ve been toast.”

  “We would’ve been toast,” she corrected.

  “It was some quick thinking on your part.”

  She shrugged. “I just acted. It was logical.”

  “And I should’ve thought to do it.”

  “I just figured if Eric was in charge of keeping the house tidy, there had to be something nearby. I just hope she doesn’t mind that I had to break the lock to get into the shed.”

  “In the grand scheme of things, I’m sure she won’t mind.” I shook my head.

  An hour later, Eileen returned, courtesy of Janice. They entered the house like timid sheep, but after seeing everything had been cleaned, they both came out of their shell.

  “So he’s gone?” Eileen asked, glancing at his chair. She walked a little taller, her head held a little higher. Apparently, Eric had been taking its toll on her, whether she cared to admit it or not.

  I nodded. “He is. We explained to him that he’d passed and it was time to leave.”

  “And he left, just like that?”

  I glanced at Olivia. Did the woman really need a full explanation of the monster her husband was in death? She’d already seen too much of it. I figured we could save her some dignity.

  “Just like that,” I confirmed, with a nod. “We cleaned up for you as best we could, but just be careful in case you find anymore glass. A lot was broken during the process.”

  “I think you’re going to need to re-stock your kitchen,” Olivia commented.

  “I always hated those glasses anyway.” Eileen grimaced.

  I stifled a giggle.

  “Thank you so much,” Janice gushed, taking my hands in hers. “My mum can come home and enjoy her time in peace now. How can I ever repay you?”

  “We’re just doing our job.” I smiled.

  “Here’s a cheque. I hope it covers what you’ve done, but let me know if it doesn’t. You deserve this and so much more. I’ll be telling my friends exactly what you’ve done for me.”

  I felt a blush heat my cheeks. Now this was payment in kind.

  “Thank you. We’ll leave you to get settled back in.”

  “Oh, and Eileen,” Olivia started, “I noticed there’s no lock on your shed. Might be worth putting one on.”

  “That’s strange. I’m sure Eric always kept it locked.”

  I glanced at Olivia again. Some things were better left unsaid.

  Together we walked towards the car, and as Olivia climbed into the passenger seat, I paused, with my foot half in the car. I glanced at the cheque still clutched in my hand. My eyes widened at the figure. This was more than enough. Glancing back up at the house, I knew Soul Seekers would stay afloat for a while longer. My anxiety had been tamed a little.

  “What are you doing?” Olivia moaned.

  “Coming.” I sunk down into the seat, folded the cheque, and slid it into my pocket.

  Yes, we would be okay.

  About the Author

  Alice lives and works in the North East of England with her partner and slightly ferocious cats! She writes all manner o
f fiction with a tendency to lean towards the dark side. Most of her work is rooted in darkness, her inspiration coming from a macabre selection of reads as well as the dreams that frequent her sleep.

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  Also by Alice J. Black

  The Leak of Madness

  The Darkness Within

  The Room of Arches

  The Beginning

  The Parliament House

  THE PARLIAMENT HOUSE

  WWW.PARLIAMENTHOUSEPRESS.COM

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