After they had pulled out of the driveway from the Octagon house, everything became confusing. Matthew had never been to this area before and as such he had no idea on how to get home. So, they pulled over in the nearest gas station and Gregory went inside to ask for directions.
When Matthew started opening the door, did Gregory speak, "Let me go an ask, you just had people chasing and trying to hurt you. You stay here, understand?"
Matthew nodded, "Ask them how to get to get to Port Huron."
Gregory nodded and headed into the stores, Matthew could observe the quick glances people were giving the guy with the handle bar mustache. Gregory appeared to be unfazed.
Matthew desperately wished he would have had his smart phone on him. But, it was lost, he would have to ask his parents for another one. He also wished that they had an updated map! The map in the car was from the 30's and less than ideal. It was also very brittle and too much movement had it ripping down the middle.
Gregory came out with a sticky note for directions, not directly to the boy's house, but nearby to Port Huron. Gregory didn't want to attract any additional unwanted attention particularly when the boy was already being chased by some unknown entity and they definitely wouldn't hesitate to kill him.
Matthew and Ania remained in the car. Matthew was being quiet and contemplative, while Ania was fascinated with the world around her. How different everything was. She had the option to leave the estate, but she never felt the need to, the Octagon House, Emmeline and Gregory were enough for her.
Gregory handed the note to Matthew and they began the hour trek back home. When they got close to the house and Matthew was able to recognize familiar landmarks, he smiled triumphantly to himself, he was minutes from being home and being with his family. They were probably worried sick when he didn't come home last night! If they weren't at home, they were probably at the police station trying to find him.
When they turned on the drive, Matthew noticed a fire truck and ambulance. His heartbeat began to speed up, they couldn't get any closer to his home as the road was blocked off.
"I need to get out, I need to see." Matthew called out. His eyes were wild.
Matthew was preparing to open the door when Gregory held on to his wrist. "I don't think it is safe for you to go."
Matthew looked towards the crowds, "It will be fine, I'll be safe there are are lot of people there, I'll be missed in the crowd."
Gregory still held on to the boy's wrist, "why don't you let me go, I'll get the information."
The tears began to fall from Matthew's eyes and his breathing became ragged. "I need to see them, my family, they have to be okay."
Gregory looked at the boy and pinched his forehead in between his brows, the boy was starting to sound like a broken record. Gregory understood the need and the want to see if his family was alive. But, if anything happened to that boy, Emmeline would be furious with him. She could get scary when she was angry he thought to himself.
"I'll go, I'll talk to the neighbors and the police. Or have you already forgotten people where after you?"
Matthew shook his head, but the tears were coming hard, his face was in a state of disarray.
"Ania, please make sure he stays in the car."
Ania nodded and watched as Gregory exited the vehicle. The moment he was sure nobody was watching him, particularly Matthew, he became invisible. He walked through the crowds, listening to the neighbors gossip, but unfortunately, they were not much help. It was all hearsay, he if wanted to be able to tell Matthew what happened and where his parents were if they were alive, or if they had perished in the fire.
Gregory walked towards a police sergeant and the fire chief sitting off to the side, talking. He walked to where he could hear them perfectly.
"Yup, that is what I believe." said the fire chief.
"Arson? Really? In this area?" replied the sergeant.
"Unbelievable. I know. We identified four bodies, they burned pretty bad that is where we think the fire originated from."
"Okay, we will have to get the bodies to the coroner for verification."
"Definitely two adults and two children. Wasn't this a family of four?"
"You would be correct. It sounds like we have a good idea who the bodies are, but again, we'll take them to the coroner for identification."
"The whole scene is just gruesome. But we will have the fire safety put out shortly, we'll have somebody assess the home to see if it is stable to be able to enter, because I do not doubt this was an accident."
"Yeah, I got ahold of the crime scene investigators, they will be ready to go when you open up the scene."
"Great, let us know, I would like to send in an arson investigator as well, they might assist with valuable information about your crime scene."
"Mmm," the sergeant agreed. He moved his eyes to house.
Gregory had felt that he had gotten enough information. What caused him to wonder though, is that they had said this was a family of four and there were four bodies within the house, the boy waiting in the car was a family member, so that begged the question, who was the imposter?
Gregory stepped inside the house, and it was one of the most badly burned houses he had the pleasure of seeing. He walked around and found the bodies, no wonder they are suspicious of foul play, the four bodies were in the living room sitting in what remained of chairs. If he would take a guess, he bet the bodies were tied to the chairs. Whether they were living or dead before the fire started, he couldn't tell.
Gregory noticed the charred marks, definitely one possible origin of the fire. He looked around, specifically, to see if any of the dead family members remained. They were murdered after all, and deaths that were violet often kept people from crossing over. He searched the house, when he noticed the bottom was clear of ghosts (not firefighters, there were a handful completing their job) he made his way to the second floor.
He saw an older man standing in front of a door. In wooden block letters, Gregory could make out "Matthew".
The man did not see Gregory approaching, "Excuse me."
The man turned, his mind in a daze. "You can see me?"
Gregory nodded his head, "I'm dead too."
The man nodded in understand, "Thats unfortunate."
Gregory smiled, "I'm used to it, but I am sorry to see that you left the land of the dead."
"My son, my son was not with us when they set us on fire."
"Your son is fine, in fact if you would like to see him, I can bring you to him."
"Mmm," the man mumbled. "Please."
Gregory lead the dead father to his son. When the father saw that he was alive, his body swelled in happiness and overwhelming relief.
Matthew heard something and looked up, he saw his father standing next to Gregory. Matthew smiled, he rolled down the window, "Dad."
Ania and Gregory were stunned. Matthew's father didn't know enough of the dead world to realize something was off.
How could Matthew see his father? He was a new ghost, he wouldn't be able to be seen by anyone.