It was 9 in the evening. Alika finished packing her stuff and locked the door. Both of them hurried to catch the last bus toward the station. They both left with a minimum stock of food and survival kits. Nobody knows what was going to happen there and if Alika will be able to go back to her house safely. She carried just a medium backpack on her shoulder after a long argument about who was supposed to bring the bag. Alika won the debate with the simple logic of the bag will look floated since he was invisible.
The two of them started walking towards the bus stop that was only a few meters from where Alika lived. James never knew that he signed up for more than 12 hours of travel. He took off his glasses and exposing his frightful eyes. Alika still shivered to look into those eyes with some red strands of veins pointing from his sclerae and a little dots of pupils who seems lonely without the iris.
"Are you okay?" James turned his head into Alika who avoided looking back at him. She shook her head without even looking at his face; James understood and put his glasses back on.
"Will the glasses look floating in the air too?" Alika knows very well she just asked a silly question which quickly Answered in a simple yes.
"Then, Take it off."
"I know you scared," James replied.
Alika took a deep breath and stopped. She moved to the side and looked at James deeply. With her trembling hands, she re-opened his glasses and stared at his face for quite a long time. Alika stared at those terrifying eyes quietly. She kept her face calm without showing the slightest emotion as soon as James looked back at her with the veins on his face increasingly noticeable.
"I have to get used to it." Alika finally blinked and looked away while putting the glasses into her bag. James smirked.
Along the way to the station, They were sitting at the bus and immersed in silence. James knew that Alika would look absurd if she kept talking to him. Alika was physically exhausted while her mind was drowning deep to the core of her logic. After all the mysteries she collected, these riddles required a bit of time to be solved. She was very convinced that her father was behind all this murder attempt. But why? On the other hand, she couldn't wait to meet her mother to perceive what on earth was happening with her family.
Her mother was the closest to her, although she could be no different than her dad when it comes to forcing her ideology on their children. But, at least her mother gave plenty of memories compared to her dad who never seen to be home. The only time Alika felt his presence as a father was when she had to deal with all the rules and unwritten norms of being his daughter. However, The deeper she dug into her memories, the more clueless she got about why her father wanted to kill her. On the other hand, it was even more impossible if it was all self-planned by her little brother. Alika was aware that the first thing she needs to do was showing James the recent pictures of her little brother to make sure it was him.
A brown cat laid under the bus terminal for sheltering himself from the night. He stared at the two of them without blinking as Alika and James got off the bus and rushed to the station across the street, ignoring the cat's suspicious gaze.
"12 hours ?!" James exclaimed when he saw the departure and estimated arrival time printed on Alika's ticket. Alika continued walking while she kept ignoring the noise he was making and looking for their seats. Too bad, James had to stand because There was a woman who was sitting next to her.
Alika has never looked this sad. She immediately put on the earphones and closed her eyes after leaning comfortably in her chair. James stood right next to the long-haired girl who happened to have her face covered from falling asleep. Alika told him to sit down. James frowned and shook his head; Confused that she wasn't aware of the girl sat next to her. They exchange looks both wonderings. She still insisted on putting James to sit beside her.
"Should I sit on her lap or what?" James asked sarcastically. Hearing his response, she startled and shrugged her shoulder.; confused.
James started feeling suspicious. He looked closely at the girl sitting next to Alika and tried to touch her shoulders. Unexpectedly, She turned her head with a face completely crushed and one eyeball hanging down her cheek with the neck still covered in blood. James closed his eyes for a moment. Surprised by what he saw. She's a ghost.
"Can I sit here?" Asked James politely. Alika was still staring at him while digesting his behavior and what he was talking about.
"Are you with this girl?" She answered with a dreadfully croaked voice
"Yes." She grabbed James' arm and placed her claw deep through his skin. James let go of her grip effortlessly but strong enough to get her weak hands slapped her face.
"Alika. Put on your earphones. Look outside. Now." James tries to diversified her attention as he wanted to finish his business with this lonely Spirit. Alika, who was clueless about what was going on, can't easily follow his command. She kept showing him her confused expression and tried hard not to say a single word because otherwise, people would think she was crazy for talking to herself.
"Alika, Now." James shows a more serious expression while this ghost Tried to squeeze her claw against his hands and stands hunchback and looked up closer at James's face.
"Alika. Now!" Exclaimed James who thought there was no more time left for James for telling her about this ghost. Alika finally throws her gaze outside the window and presses the volume up for her music.
"I'm going to the next compartment," James murmured and walked half dragging while carrying the weight of the ugly spirits who clung to his body. James felt more than grateful to know that Alika couldn't see her.
"Looks like someone just gaining good human friends. I want to live with her too. She will help me to reach heaven. Or I'll drag her to the realm of spirit " She whispered.
"So, you're still around? Helena. " James ensured. She ducked and put her hands over her face.; Crying while scratching her face like she lost her mind.
"Where else do you think I could go?" she lifted her head and pointed her dirty, long claw to his face, then scratch it down to his lips. James chose to stand still without making any movement.
" Looks like she doesn't afraid of you. do you think she wouldn't be afraid of me too?"
"She's scared to death, she just happened to be not as weak as the other human beings. She tried and sincerely accepted her destiny. Leave her alone." James then pushed her.; her head heavily slammed into the floor.
"What a snobbish piece of shit are you?" She crawled back to James in haste.
"You were not the only one trapped by the agreement. But this is the only option remaining for us to reach heaven."
"THAT'S BULLSHIT!! I've been wandering for more than 30 years! Humans are weak, liars, cowards!! She shouted in frustration, crept up like a lizard, and fell at James's feet.
"Wake up, James!! That girl will not take you to heaven! She will just take you for granted!" Helena screamed even louder when James released her weak grip from his leg with a single kick on her face. She groaned in pain.
"I don't care." James turned his back and walked back to the previous compartment where Alika was sitting. he sat down right next to her.
"What was happening?" Alika put off her earphone and whispered.
"Another lonely spirit. It seems like she committed suicide and choose the most painful way to die. Possibly threw herself onto the railroad or highway. I believed she had suffered more than me. No human can manage to live in such a frightening atmosphere she brought. they would rather kill themselves before sending her to heaven."
"Heaven?" James nodded at Alika's question.
"The purpose of this agreement was to give these lonely spirits an option to go back to heaven. Suicide is a despicable sin that can't be forgiven."
" Unforgivable? "
"Yes. We were cowards. No more than selfish people without any respect towards destiny nor all the people we left behind. This covenant made us experiencing the same bitterness." James explained.
"how about you? You want to go to heaven as well?"
"Oddly enough, but I think, No.." Alika was surprised to hear his answer.
"Then?"
"I want to come back to life. Being human and Starting my life once again with gratitude. And meeting you again as a human. Unfortunately, there is no such option. There is only a return to heaven, or life in the spirit world forever"
"It's either you left, or I left you to death. Don't you think this situation is pathetic?
"Can I accompany you until you grow old?"
"As a ghost? Alika chuckled. James nodded.; being serious.
"I'm going to married someday. This suffering should end somewhere after I meet my other half. And I promise you, you will be in heaven witnessing how I patiently go through this painful stage of life. I'm not giving up just yet." James startled as she sounded so hopeful about her future while knowing her father was trying to kill her.
"I will return you to heaven. I promise." Said Alika that left James speechless. Half of him was never ready to leave. But losing Alika someday to her death will be the day he probably ends up like Helena who kept wandering for decades in painful sorrow.
12 hours in dead silence was quite frustrating for either of them. The train hissed and stopped in one of the biggest stations James ever saw. They arrived. The wind blows differently in this big city. The weather was hot and humid with plenty of skyscrapers surrounding these stations.
"So, You're a city girl?" James Teased Alika. She replied with a smile while immediately running to the escalators. There are way too many people here that James lost Alika in the middle of the crowd.
"When did you learn to walk so fast?" He mumbled while scanning through the crowd and finally spotted Alika also looking around at the main gate. James waved his hands and walked towards her. Still, in silence, they were heading to a taxi that was waiting for them.
"Hi, miss! Where are you going?"
"District 13."
"Wow, you should have had your own driver. Why bother taking taxi?" James Frowning at the drivers statement while Alika refused to respond and chose to gave him a cold stare.
"It's a rush hour, there might be a little bit of traffic jam. Put on your seatbelt, please."