Phantom Chained

Chapter 25. Anticipation. Ingrid.

Two killers stand in wait for their victim. An hour passes, then another. Finally, one of them exclaims:

"Hey, what's up with the guy? He's never this late!"

"And?"

"And I'm bloody worried! What if something happened to him?"

I shuddered. Matty's horrible attempt at humour brought me out of my stupor.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Amelie, who else? She is always at least ten minutes early. Who did you have in mind?"

"No-one."

I'm lying, of course. The damn incubus has been the only thing on my mind since its disappearance, which was a week ago, mind you! It's just like in Matty's anecdote; I'm bloody worried! Obviously not about the incubus itself but what it might do to Johan's body. It would also help if I knew what happened and is currently happening... and what will happen in the future. One can only hope.

"You're not listening to me at all, are you?" Matty waved his hand in front of my face. "Are you, by any chance, a zombie?"

"No."

"You sure? Because strange things keep happening around you. First, your friend disappears, then her brother and now our class president is late. And you; sometimes you're here, sometimes you're gone from the face of the earth."

"I told you, my parents are sick."

"Oh, yeah, how could I forget about your parents. Babe, you're sure it's not contagious?"

"Don't worry, babe, I won't bite."

My mom did actually come down with a fever. While Olaf was dead asleep, I moved mom from the floor to the couch and covered her with a blanket... to be honest, my memories are a bit fuzzy, even the part when I fought the blaze. If I saw fire enveloping the wooden shelves in my basement now, I would just panic and run around screaming. But back then I calmly grabbed a fire extinguisher and covered the walls with white foam, followed by the flaming alcohol puddles on the floor. Stupid Olaf with his stupid experiments.

After fully putting out the fire, I immediately took to cleaning everything, still running on the demonic autopilot. I picked up the bottles, wiped the floors and threw the rancid chair out of my room. I don't know what urged me to tidy up but it did prove useful when Amelie, along with a pair from the school committee, showed up on my doorstep the next day. And so did mom's condition; I had the perfect excuse for my absences and unanswered emails. Luckily I also closed the hallway door, otherwise the sight of naked Olaf sleeping on the floor would have ruined my story.

Olaf regained consciousness later that day but my mom only did so the day after. The worst thing is that I can't figure out if they forgot about their drunken fornicating or are just pretending it never happened... On the one hand, they are acting like normal, not being awkward around each other or trying to explain themselves. On the other, they haven't spoken a word about anything that happened. Olaf nonchalantly fixed the lights and cleared up the basement, acting like the charred corner and the bucket filled with bottles were the most ordinary things.

That incubus definitely changed something in their brains! Johan was all, 'the incubus isn't dangerous, It can't hurt anyone, blah blah,' like he had a degree on incubus behaviour. This not-at-all-dangerous demon almost burned down my house!

"Speaking of zombies, who are you going with for Halloween night?"

"Nobody. I'm not going at all."

"Don't be like that... come with me!"

"Did you get in a fight with Wanda?"

"No way... it's just that her parents recently became a bit too religious and aren't even letting her put on a costume, let alone go out in it..."

This piqued my curiosity.

"I see... and so you decided to dress up your friend instead?"

"It's simple! I'm sort of like Jack Skellington and she's supposed to have been Sally... you know, from 'A Nightmare before Christmas.'"

"Never heard of it."

"Have you been living under a rock your entire life? Anyway, my lil' cuz is going to be the ghost dog... I promised her."

"So it was her idea, then?"

"To be honest, yes... but it is a good one. We already have all the costumes; Wanda made everything to be perfect, even getting the best face paint but her parents stubbornly refused to let her go. What does sin have to do with anything, it's a cartoon! And a very popular one!"

"So now there's no-one to wear the costume?"

"Nope. And I'll look like an idiot by myself."

"You'll have the doggy keeping you company."

"It still runs the whole composition. Chances of us getting first place drop significantly. Just come, at least your existence will be of some use."

"Don't wanna. Go pester someone else."

"Where would I find someone as smart as you in two mere days? After all, we have to prepare our number, learn the song..."

"So I have to sing, too?"

"Well, yes... why not?"

Indeed...why not sing a little when your entire life is falling apart? It's the only thing left to do; wail at the harvest moon during Halloween. And yet, I still can't help thinking about where the hell the incubus could possibly be.