The Ghost Whisperer

Part 12

After that, we didn't talk much. There was a tense silence in the air. As I drove the car I kept glancing at him from time to time. I know he's regretting ever meeting me or asking for my help. He's wondering whether I actually care about the lives of those kids or just look at them as a form of redemption. Honestly, it's both.

I notice that we have followed the van into an old inhabited community. The buildings here are either half-broken or empty. I don't think many people live here. Seems like a good location for child trafficking. As we drive a few locals stare intensely at us. We're strangers of course and we definitely stand out.

"Park the car here. We'll go on foot " he says. I can tell that he doesn't know how to deal with me after knowing my past. I park the car and we then follow the van as it made turns and stop near a red 3-floor apartment building. We hide behind the ruins of another building and watch quietly.

The man gets out of the van, looks around and uses his phone to call someone. A few minutes later, 2 men emerge from the building and all of them get behind the van. The back doors are opened and large boxes are carried out and into the building.
"The kids are inside" I whisper and Alex nods.

"What do we do now? " I ask.

"We need to find a way to get in. But right now I don't think is the best time. Better to make a move at night. I'll go in and look for a safe way " he says and leaves.

I sit down and watch as he goes towards the building. He seems stiff. I feel like there's now a distance between us. Usually, he'd joke around and make fun of me. But now...he just seems off. I can't really blame him. He now understands why I'm doing this and my true nature. This is why...I wanted to keep that secret to myself forever. This kinda hurts.

Half an hour later he comes back
"There are like tons of people in there. It'll be hard to even get close to that building. Don't worry though, I've checked a route with the least amount of eyes. As for the kids.....they are all locked on the top floor. The state they were in....makes me sick to my stomach " he grits his teeth. Then he sits down beside me.

We stay silent and then he asks "Lisa.....did you ever feel guilty about what you did? "

"At that time, I didn't. I felt happy. At peace. Like a slave finally escaping a cruel master. I feel guilty for not doing anything about Tessa. That's all " I say looking away.

"Why is this redemption for you then? " he asks.

"I don't know. I do care about the kids. I may be selfish but not heartless. I guess I regret being selfish and not realizing the value of a life."

He then looks at me with curious eyes." this time, if I tell you to turn yourself in, would you do it? "

I stay silent. I don't know how to answer that. I look back at my current life. Is it worth throwing it away? Hard to tell.

"If you truly feel guilty and are seeking redemption then I suggest you turn yourself in," he says again.

" I...I dunno" I say meekly.

"It's ok. It's really none of my business. I suddenly came into your life and will be going soon so I have no right to say anything like that to you" he nervously laughs. I silently look away.

"Yeah. Your right..."

No...I don't want you to go. I've been lying to myself once again. I don't want Alex to go. I want him to stay by my side. All this time I've been alone. And I liked it. But having a friend...is something I've come to love because of him. I don't care if he's a ghost or not, I don't wanna be apart from him.

On one hand, this mission is my redemption to atone for my sins and to save precious lives of innocent children. While on the other, completing this mission means letting Alex go and then go back to being alone. Not just that....I'll miss him a lot.

I don't know when I slept but when I woke up, it was really dark. I check the time on my phone and it read 8:46 pm. Alex was nowhere to be seen. Is it time yet? To go inside?

"Hey! Alex! " I whisper as I try to see through the darkness.

"Right here," he says. And I turn my head left towards the voice. He's sitting on top of a huge rock.

"Shall we go?" I say as I take out my flashlight.

"Sure. Follow me" He says and leads away from the building.

"So," I ask him as I walk behind him

"The lock on a window in the storage room is broken. It's on the first floor. You can get in from there but the door will be locked. You need someone to open the door for you. I'll tell you how later. After that get to the emergency stairs without being noticed. Luckily as far as I've seen they mostly use the elevator and the first-floor isn't that crowded. Basically empty. Most of them are found on the second floor. That's the place you need to avoid at all cost."

"Guess I just need to stick to the emergency stairs to reach the desired floor. where are the kids?" I ask

"On the third floor. Room no.304 and 305 "

"Wait...two different rooms!? It'll already be tough to get them out of one room but two!? " I exclaim. I can already feel this plan falling apart. It's already hard enough not being noticed.

"Yeah. The other room is where they placed the injured and weak-looking ones. Ugh! Those bastards! They're the ones who injured them" he says angrily.

"What about the guys on the third floor. Surely someone must be guarding those rooms."

"Yup. Definitely." I realise that this whole time, as we talked, were actually going to the back of the building and slowly getting closer. I could see the line of windows on it and clearly notice how tall this building is now that we're up close.

"How are we gonna get them out of here? " I ask as I stare at it.

He looks at me and smirks "that should be obvious. Thought you already figured it out."

It's then that I realise the answer and look back at him with shock "YOU DON'T MEAN FROM THE WINDOWS DO YOU!? "

"Of course. Since we'll be going from the storeroom we can grab a rope and some other things too. I'll lead you so it'll be easy peasy." he grins.

Easy for him to say since he's already dead!!!

"Come on! It's showtime!" he laughs and walks ahead.

Obviously, every part of me is nervous and tense. I could die here! But...there's also a tiny part that's happy to see him back to his usual self again.