Ghost Hunter: CyberNerf (Alternative Draft)

Chapter 1

The darkness felt like a trap. The boy groped the wall of his room to feel his way to the desk. Finding the desk he fumbled for the drawer where he kept the small flashlight. He thought he heard a footstep right outside the door. Swallowing hard, he quickly turned to look. It was too dark to see anything beyond the open door of his room.

Ned's fumbling hand dug into the drawer and finally felt the plump shape. His tense fingers were wet with the sweat running down his arms. As he tried to snick the light on, the hand came down on his shoulder. For a second, he felt the rough skin through his shirt. The fingers of the hand tightened on him and he spun around startled. A yell flew from his mouth as he shone the beam at the open door. Ned was alone inside his room.

It was always bad enough scrabbling around in the big old house without electricity. Something had gone wrong with his calculations. The attack seemed to be happening sooner than expected. The power had begun to break down frequently and the ghosts were on the move. He had to act.

He pulled open the deepest drawer in his bureau and his gear looked up at him. His eyes shone as he picked up his Foam Blaster and checked it for ammo. The special pair of augmented reality glasses came next. He slid them on and his transformation was complete.

Just as he crept around the corner, Ned stared at the large passageway leading away from him. His eyes traced the walls in muted wonder. Neon glow warming the walls boded of something ugly waiting up ahead.

His hand tightened around his full-range weapon, the ribbed barrel of the gun leveling up to the side of his head as he inched deeper into the hexagonal passage. It was like entering the mouth of a derelict alien craft.

"Wow! I never thought it would be this creepy cool!" The words slid out from under his breath.

Tiptoeing forward, he heard an otherworldly whisper float down from the other end.

Trouble! Here comes trouble. Hide while there's still time.

"You bet it's trouble," he hissed through a triumphant grin. "CyberNerf detected a powerful paranormal source. Headed to the location now, with full backup. Command reads loud and clear: zap the source; leave no ghost alive." He slightly frowned at calling a ghost a living thing. He shrugged and advanced.

A sharp squeak below him as something scampered over his feet, cutting across the neon streaks on the floor.

"What is a mouse doing in this laser-lit realm? Hey little guy, looks like you're a long way from home." He called after the furry rodent as it disappeared into a hole at the bottom of the wall to his right.

"Wait! Is it possible that there are ghost mice in this world? If there are, then this must be the strangest of all possible worlds!" His mind lit up with anticipation observing the laser lights bounce with a sudden flicker.

"Yes, a sign. Danger is near..."

He discerned a bend in the passageway. The zapper pointed out in front of his chest, ready to shoot at the slightest encounter. Something rustled around that bend and he halted upon reaching it.

Although the passageway stretched further rightward, this path branched off to the left. The rustling came again, followed by a low scratching, leaving him no doubt that this was where the action lay. Ignoring the onward lead of the passageway, he turned toward the muffled sounds.

He had gone maybe twenty steps when a metallic hatch stood in front of him. Something was moving behind it. A portly latch jutted from one side of it. He narrowed his eyes at the latch thinking it might be too much for his small hand to twist. Yet, it moved without complaint within his grip, giving on its hinges with a thin creak.