Chereads / Diary of the Dead / Chapter 23 - 'I grew up here...'

Chapter 23 - 'I grew up here...'

After thinking for a few minutes, I decided to go with Oliver, to which he didn't object. I guess we are going to be roommates for a while. When we were headed to our rooms we passed by few ghosts there. Some busy in their own world, some looking at us in they way you look at your new neighbours, a gaze full of curiosity and excitement.

I smiled along with a slight nod at them, as I carried on walking without getting much bothered by them. I can always get to know them later. At that moment I was more curious about what kind of rooms we were allotted.

I was about to barge in but I paused at the door the moment I opened it. The room was thoroughly clean. It had a lavender fragrance giving a fresh ambiance to the room. I was surprised the way it was so well furnished.

Perhaps a part of me was hoping that I will find the room dirty, covered with dust and spider-webs everywhere. My imagination was too much horror themed, but what else to expect when you are a ghost yourself. Haunted house are one of the famous associations with ghosts after all.

I sat down on the bed as soon as I entered. Even Oliver spent a few seconds at the door before finally walking in.

"Better than your expectations?" I smirked.

"Definitely!" he agreed with me with a big smile plastered on his face.

I laid my back to the headrest of the bed, and looked at the scenery out of the window. It presented the view of the city perfectly. The tall buildings, the busy roads, the road full of people, it had a different energy altogether.

After I tore my gaze away from the window, I saw Oliver was standing in front of the bed idle, as if he was contemplating something.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"What?" startled he looked at me. "Oh, I was just thinking... There's only one bed here." he gulped.

"So? It bothers you? Are you shy?" I teased without suppressing my smile.

"What!?No... I was worried about how you feel about this... situation"

I shrugged at him as a response, before he continued " You are right, we're both adults, we can share the bed."

"No! that is not what I was I meant!" I clarified myself with a nonexistent blush and widened eyes as I realized how he misunderstood my intentions. "We're both ghosts, we don't need sleep. Ergo, we don't have to share the bed."

"You're right!" He started laughing awkwardly.

"Did you forget we're dead?"I looked at him skeptically.

"Kinda, I mean can you blame me? look at this place!" He gestured all around the room. I chucked as he marveled over this beautiful room.

"Alright." I sighed. "I have been meaning to ask you... why are you helping me?"

He was taken aback by my question as it was clearly not something he expected me to ask "I don't know, why are Ken and Margaret helping you?" he counter-questioned me.

"I doubt they had much to do." I shrugged. "I mean it was mostly Ken, Margaret hardly ever helped me. It took me this long to convince her to help me. After all I have lived with them for almost two months"

"Yeah, she is hard to convince."He chuckled.

"The reason I was asking you is because Ken told me you were investigating your own death? Why would you leave that and help me instead?"

"Oh...um...I guess I wanted some distraction from my obsession" he shrugged. "You see, I have been working on that for almost two years now, and I am still stuck. Maybe a change of scenario is what I need. Plus your situation is quiet interesting. Maybe that would help me look at my situation from a different perspective?"

"Yeah interesting it is..."I sighed.

"What's wrong?" He asked me.

"I recently found out something. I was reading the diary you got me, Her last two entries said that she was pregnant, or is if that woman is indeed Virginia" I shrugged.

"Oh my god! It will be horrible if you are indeed Virginia?" His eyes widened simultaneously.

"I know." I sighed. "So now that we are here what do should we do next?" I asked him, trying to move on from that depressing news.

"I say we follow her as much as possible..."He looked determined. "..not just for a day, for as long it takes to find out everything!"

"I think that's a good idea, but at the same time, I also think it's not a good idea" I tell him

"Why?" he looked at me as if I had grown horns over my head or something.

"Because I can't control my apparition, which means if I end up appearing in front of her, we are screwed. This time, I won't be back." It was such a dilemma .

"Back from where?"He eyebrows scrunched as he asked.

"I don't know... nowhere." I shrugged "Its such a dark place, it was suffocating."

"I don't get it" He tilted his head.

I sighed. "I dissipated yesterday, I started fading and was gone for whole three hours, I have no idea where I ended up."

"It happened last night? Wow yesterday was really rough on you." he sympathized with me. I just nodded in response.

"Well we are here now, so we will figure out everything. Don't worry, you don't have to come with me , I'll follow Virginia all by myself."

"Are you sure?" I asked him.

"Yeah don't worry about it" He smiled at me.

"What if you get lost?" I smiled and raised my eyebrows at him.

"Don't worry. I grew up here..." he shrugged nonchalantly "...in this city. How do you think I drove you here without getting lost? I will be fine." He gave me an arrogant smirk mocking my obliviousness, so I rolled my eyes at him.

Was this a good idea, sending him after her? I hope its not a mistake. I was excited to know about that woman, unfortunately I will have to wait for tomorrow. Meanwhile I'll see what else I can find, because staying here, doing nothing will most definitely 'kill me'.