SEASICK

65- Part 2: Submission

[[Don't hate me for being a crappy updater! But here is Part two that I genuinely thought I had already uploaded! Truly living in stress trying to write the next chapter for an update but had one all along. ADHD is not my friend.]]

With a frightened yelp, Alana jumped, searching in the darkness for the demon. She could not spot him at first. Like the shadows were playing tricks in her mind, she thought she could even in every dark corner that her eyes landed on.

"Ivo..." Alana spoke carefully, but her voice trembled.

"I am not Ivo." The voice was quick to reply.

Alana tried to follow the voice, but it was disembodied and distant. It was as good as trying to locate a voice in her head.

"Th-then who are you?" Alana replied, only to pinpoint the demon.

"My name?" The voice quizzed. "I have forgotten it... though Ivo calls me his 'Ghost'."

"G-ghost?" Alana tried to maintain the conversation as she pressed her back to the wall. "Why would he call you that?"

I cannot fight him, but as long as I know where he is, I know where to stay away from. Maybe I can avoid him long enough for one of the others to make it back to me. Alana desperately attempted to stay grounded in the situation.

"I am guessing because I haunt his thoughts, always in the back of his mind, always present and no one else can see me."

"It- It is nice to meet you then, Ghost." Who would say something like that?! Idiot! Alana scolded herself, biting her bottom lip as she side-stepped along the shiplap wall.

"We've met." Ghost replied, this time sounding as if he were right beside her.

Alana cried out, jolting so hard in her effort to escape that she tripped over her own feet, and stumbled to the ground, her hands clasped over her ears again.

"I guess you wouldn't know," Ghost continued, now sounding about twenty feet away. "But we met in the snow."

The snow?

"W-we did?" Alana whimpered, climbing back to her feet.

"Yes, we did."

Is he by the cells? Alana's eyes followed the voice to the cellar bars but found nothing.

"A pitiful thing like you would have no idea," Ghost continued. "But a demon, or any spirit, and their host work in tandem. I was there, awake, that day in Kori. Though Ivo had the reigns I was there. The same for his friends, their demons are aware and awake when they surface."

"O-oh really?"

Truthfully, Alana was not absorbing much of what he said, her only focus was staying as far from the voice as she could. It was proving to be difficult as the location seemed to change with each sentence he spoke, and his form remained unseen.

"My vow is to protect Ivo and lend him my powers, in exchange his soul houses my spirit to keep me from death. That day Ivo was less concerned about himself and more concerned about using our abilities for you."

By the door?

"I know how much he cares for you," Ghost paused. "I just don't know- or see- why."

"W-well," Alana voice cracked as she maneuvered around crates. "I care f-for Ivo as well."

"Liar!" The voice barked, blasting through her eardrums as if he were right in front of her.