Chapter Text
Abby’s back pressed tight against the wall as Dennis pushed her arms up over her head. He leaned into her neck, strands of energy tethered the two together and it led to a series of sensations. Ghost’s don’t feel anything, there’s no warmth, no heat and nothing that’s not mental. Dennis though?
He’s mostly ghostly sure, but he’s also got a pulse in there.
Abby’s breath hitches as she feels the warmth of his lips slide down her nape. Fingers tighten to fists and she holds her hands in the air like she just doesn’t care. Dennis shares with her, Dennis gives her the ability to feel his lips as they travel down her neck. Nips, little bites that don’t leave a mark. He’s just testing the water.
Nervously he moves his hands down her back. She slings off her own jacket, rips it over her head and tosses it behind him onto who gives a fuck. She can’t see past his hair and she can’t be bothered to look. Her hands clap down on the back of his head, urge him to bite and he does so.
“Fuck,” the sheer feel of it. She’s not been bitten good and proper in years, her flesh doesn’t make sense, her body is total nonsense but he fastens his mouth to her like a drowning man sucks down air.
Dennis feels his own teeth go into her neck. They share everything, even his nerves. It’s surreal, like he’s right behind himself but also doing everything he’s doing. He’s a little nervous, no he’s a lot nervous.
He presses his lips to her cheek and she runs her knuckles along his jaw. She glows, she’s gorgeous and deep down he wonders how it took him nearly three years to work out he loved her. How could he not, the way she looked at him now. Those eyes were so full of wonder, that smile which promised nothing but mischief and her gentle instruction. She wanted this, she’d never made it a secret how much she wanted this.
She’d waited a long time. She’d waited for years and years.
Their lips met and he felt that hunger roll through him. Her aches, her wants and how he could fix it all for her right now if he kept going.
The bathroom door shook and the pair froze solid, eyes wide. Dared not move, dared not breath…Not that one of them did that. A loud tired sigh from the otherside of the door. Then a tapping foot.
“You’re not even sitting on it,” the voice said and Dennis’ eyes fluttered half closed, “you’re off the pot so you can’t be shitting. Get outta there, some of us got actual issues.” The door shakes and Abby’s eyes vibrate in her head. She could kill someone, it was very easy to do at the best of times. Right now was the worst of times and that meant the kind of death that can feel like it lasts forever.
Which for her victim it will.
“Coming.” Dennis says and just like that Abby knows the mood is gone. She flows, sinks and vanishes into him. She doesn’t care, another little moment snatched away. She slides down into the dark. Into a place below flesh and bone that doesn’t exist but was always going to be there.
Into the hollows of him, that loom overhead like the bones of some ancient whale. As she sinks a world appears, where she casts light there is a floor. It’s old and creaking and made from wood. There is furniture, weather worn and creaking ready to welcome her. This was what her old apartment was like, everything creaked and groaned.
She pointed at the corner and then there was sound, a record player grew from the darkness, from the flesh and twisted into steel and a fine pointed needle. Strings bled out of the speaker and she looked down at her lap. A heat lingered there…She took a breath and looked up into the darkness that stretched the length of his spine.
She fished out her phone. It had five names inside of it.
Dennis, as if necessary.
Polly because of course. Kimmy because she found out, Oz because Oz had been given her number and Faith.
She flicked to twitter, where DancingByMyself had a five figure follower count and a dozen waiting messages. She was a member of a dozen discord chats that had more members than brain cells and she turned it off mute. Her phone sang a chorus of machine noise and little tweets. She placed it down on a table that wasn’t there a moment ago.
She let the noise flood in and even still, despite that, she couldn’t help but hear how quiet it was in here.
She didn’t need to say it but her thoughts seemed to echo in that limbo. They would rebound, she could hurl them for miles but they always came back around and today one of the oldest thoughts came back. One she could throw as far down into the dark as she feared tred. But it would always climb back up to her.
She picks up the phone and she sends a text.
It’s a bad day.
Then she sits there and bathes in the noise, letting it wash over her. No matter how loud she could make it. She can’t drown it out, the noise that bubbles up inside her and tells her quite simply.
“You have to get out of here.”
So Young and So Afraid
Abby wants out
“So,” Dennis rubbed at his jaw, “the idea here is not being subtle. I get that.”
Oz sat opposite Dennis wearing a large neon hat that said ____ WILL YOU GO TO PROM WITH ME? Across the broad brim. The shadow man needed his little phobia’s to hold his head steady and all of their tiny noodly arms trembled. Much in the same way Oz’s thin little neck did.
“Yeah, subtle sucks. Didn’t work.” Oz went to nod but the action made him hiss, lean forward in his seat and then Dennis shoved him back up. “This is loud and obvious and then I can make my case.”
“Okay sure.” Dennis couldn’t help but smirk. “This is a good plan, big and obvious. Clearly all the partying has given you some notions.”
“I can’t help but notice when Polly is really hazy she keeps staring at bright lights to get her head back on straight. So,” he pointed to his head, “I’ll make myself super easy to see and notice. THEN I can ask her.”
“How’s that part going?”
“I hope she can read the hat because having issues saying it!” He sounded enthused despite that. He clasped his hands and leaned, not too far mind, as if trying to share a secret. “What about you? How goes your prom stuff?”
“I mean,” Dennis shrugged, “going with Abby like I said.” A smirk. “Not the Abby you congratulated by the way.” He watched Oz rub his arm and avert his eyes. “It’s fine buddy.”
“Just I dunno what are the odds of that? Two Abbys?”
“I mean it’s not an uncommon name.” Dennis said. “She doesn’t go here but she is the only person I can imagine going to prom with.” He took a breath. “She,” he leaned on his fist, “I try not to dig up someone’s dirt ya know?”
“Oh yeah. No.” Oz agreed. “It sounds nice. Is it weird, the distance thing?” Oz can’t help but notice Dennis’ lips curl up at the edges. “What?”
“It’s not ever as far as you think.” Dennis said quietly. “It’s just a minor thing to be honest. How close you are to someone is as much mental as it is physical.” He looked upward. “At least I tend to think so. Getting bent out of shape about not being in the same school is kinda weak.”
He couldn’t really look at Oz, he wasn’t exactly lying but he was absolutely talking crap. He and Abby shared this flesh, this body but they kept that a secret. Nobody- well a lot of people- had no idea about their situation. They wanted to keep it that way for their own reasons.
“Can you take people not from this school to prom?” Oz wondered and Dennis’ eyes went a little wider. “I mean I know there’s that joke about people who take their moms or stuff to prom but I mean…I thought it had to be someone from Spooky High.”
“I have no idea.” Dennis said. “I should--” He stood up and then Polly walked into the cafeteria. Dennis turned to look at her.
“Oh hey!” Oz waved at Polly. “Hey there!” He lifted the hat off his head. “Polly, you wanna grab lunch?”
“Oh I’d love to sit around and not eat lunch with you, Oz.” Polly said. “Or you know, have a liquid lunch.” She held up a couple of bottles. “Sadly I got like a thing.”
“Oh that’s fine, I hope you have fun with your-”
“Oh it’s not gonna be that.” Polly marched forward and Dennis took a step to one side to let her pass. She did not, she turned and aimed for him. Dennis held out a hand.
“No! Lis-”
Polly just walked into Dennis and the man tensed up, jaw tight, eyes bulging. His head filled instantly with something like the contents of a lava lamp. One eye fills with blue slime, the other green fire.
“Ummm,” Oz looked around, “is this okay?”
“Oz I might be about to pass out, please for the love of god don’t leave me-” Dennis tipped to one side and flopped on the ground. Oz grabbed his skull.
“Ooooooooooh no.” He got out his phone and began to dial Brian.
Dennis had done this before, he’d had a pair of ghosts occupy him before that wasn’t too hard. This wasn’t that. This was a matter of something else. Abby can make space for others, she occupies more of Dennis than- if we’re honest- he does. Her walls are up and the defences are high but…Since when have walls mattered to ghosts?
Abby hears a clanking sound over the records and turns to find Polly standing there. She nodded her head and a seat appeared. A big leather chair with a reclining lever on one side. Polly threw her a bottle and Abby caught it.
“So- bad day?”
“It’s not been great.” Abby said. “We were making out.”
“Oh shit is he THAT bad at it?” Polly asked and Abby snorted, coughed and wheezed at that comment. “I knew you said he wasn’t like trained up but-”
“Polly shut the fuck up.” Abby said all hope at being mopey evaporated, which is of course why Polly was necessary. “We were doing good.”
“Oh?” Polly leaned forward. “Go on…”
“We can share,” she said, “you know what it’s like taking over the living. Feeling again, nerves, breathing-”
“Oh breathing is the shit.”
“RIGHT?” Abby popped the top off her bottle. “We used to do that shit on auto.” She and Polly both smirked. “So when we make out it’s not just slamming stuff together. It feels like making out.”
“Hey, that better not be a critique.” Polly said. “Sure I’m numb in places but I know when I got lips on mine or a hand on my ass.”
“Then some fucker knocked on the door and the mood vanished,” Abby held up her hand. “Just gone like that. It’s so hard to find a place where we can do things. Even our fucking house has a squatter now.”
Polly watched Abby lean back and let her head hang back. “I just…I…I’m going insane again. I don’t mean for that to sound dramatic but Polly I know what being trapped is like. This,” she held up her hands, “this is being trapped.”
Polly looked around. “You gotta get out more.”
“But I can’t get out,” Abby snarled. “This is the issue, this is the big issue. I can’t get out because…” She groaned and ran a hand through her hair. “We’re stuck. Nothings changing.”
Polly looked to one side, tried to find something to focus on. But there was nothing here besides them and the music. Of course she’s going mad in a place like this.
“What about,” she held up her hands, “an Abby night.” Polly asked her and Abby looked at her. “You know you guys sometimes swap for a party or to have fun. You just do that! A night or two where you can just run free. After school you just get to be in charge.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Girl you are in here 24/7 and there’s no way Dennis doesn’t agree with me.” She paused and looked around. “Where…Is he? Does he not show up in here?” She looked around.
“He is here Polly.” She held up her hands. “The entire place is him.”
“Yeah but when I get all up inside someone usually it’s not this dramatic.” She swirled the drink in her hands. “Possession doesn’t normally have this high a budget, you kinda go all out on it.”
“When it’s your only trick,” Abby rolled her eyes, “he’s around.” Abby shrugged, sipped. “He’s usually just kept in one place.” She sighed. “When I drive he just sits there and when I’m not in control he needs to be there.”
“Sounds elaborate. I just cram myself in and grab hold of the meat parts!” Polly grinned. “Then start rubbing things together until the full on living experience kicks in.” She twisted in her seat. “All the rubbing and moving parts.”
“God you’re the worst.” Abby laughed. “Oh there are a lot of moving parts, aren't there?”
“Everything is so moist and mobile.”
“Ough stop.” She rubbed at her face. “Oh it’s so weird…But I miss it so much.”
“It was alright,” Polly took a sip as Abby chugged her drink. “I mean you know you can still do most of the same stuff, maybe even a little crazier. Way more booze and drugs now for example.”
“Yeah cause it takes way more for us to notice it at all.” Abby exhaled. “I can’t stop doing that, sighing. I don’t even have lungs and I can sigh.” She let her head fall back. “Oh I’m losing it.”
“You gotta get out. We’re gonna talk and organise a night out for real.” Polly said. “Get a bunch of people together and make it happen.” Polly stood up. “Come on, this shit is sad.”
“Yeah but that’s not a big fix.”
“Then fucking come out the Dennis already!” She threw up her hands. “I know you guys have this wild idea it’ll be a terrible thing but have you met half the people at this school?” She clasped her hands. “Damien blows up orphanages some days, Vera has an organ harvesting network going on with some space weirdos and I heard that Zoe kid writes stories about all of us fucking.”
“Yeah that one is for sure up there with those other two.” Abby rubbed at her eyes as Polly threw herself onto the seat next to her. “I get it, I do it’s just…” She put her fist to her lips and took a breath. “You know that creepy couple?”
Polly stared.
“Okay the big yeti and the fucked up fungal infection he has.” Abby tried again and Polly’s mouth popped open.
“Oh yeah those two. The weirdos who talk about how they share a poop hole.”
“Please,” Abby put her hand over Polly’s mouth, “never fucking say any of those words to me ever again.” She saw through the back of her hand that Polly was licking at her palm. “I can’t fucking feel that.”
“Yeah well I can’t taste it so whatever.” Polly spoke around Abby’s hand and pulled it away from her mouth. “What about Violet and Tate?”
“That’s…” She held up a hand. “Come on Polly.” The world lit up, their little slice of furniture was surrounded by a nimbus of blue suspended in the air. It glittered, glowed and illuminated the whole area. Ribs hung miles above, bigger than any building, to their back a long nodules spine rose into the darkness. Polly leaned back and whistled.
“Yeah your possession budget is nuts girl.”
“Parasite.” Abby said. “And their host.” Abby said. “I mean that’s not even the worst of it. What do you say to people when they ask about what we are?”
“Tell them to fuck off.” Polly told her with a shrug. “Make up bullshit. Lie.” She said. “You guys don’t owe anyone an explanation.” She reached out and put her hand in Abby’s. “What you guys are isn’t anybody’s business. You guys have done this for so long and was it worth it?”
Abby can’t look at her. “I just…I don’t want people to look at him wrong. He doesn’t deserve this crap.” Polly groaned and Abby just looked at her. “What's that supposed to mean?”
“We’re not talking about what he wants and needs. You two are stuck together but are not the same fucking person. You gotta give yourself space and yes.” She kicked her feet up on the sofa and across Abby’s lap. “I see the irony.”
“Oh good you’ve got working eyes.”
“Bitch maybe shut up. You got like two people to talk to and sassing me will get rid of me.”
“I have…More…”
“Okay who do you talk to that isn’t me or terminally online.” Polly asked with a grin.
“I…There’s Kimmy.”
“Who the fuck is Kimmy?”
“Polly, Kimmy is that weird ghost. Loves the 80’s, probably very deep in the closet, we’ve been made to help her on a bunch of dumb projects before.” Abby kept on but Polly just lifted her drink to her lips. “She’s another ghost who worked out that we were lying about being a ghost.”
“Yeah cause it’s not that hard.” Polly snorted. “I worked it out too.”
“You saw us, day one because you were hiding and invisible.” Abby told her. “You wouldn’t have worked it out otherwise.”
“Yeah I would have.” Polly’s confidence beamed from her smile. “Course I would have.” She drew her legs in and tugged Abby closer to her. “Disasters can find each other real easy.”
“Right.” Abby exhaled. “Disaster, that’s me.” She took another swallow from her bottle, far too long, almost done already. “I’m a wreck that’s dragged itself further and further up the road.”
“OUT MORE!” Polly yelled at her and Abby recoiled. “I am serious. Holy shit, just fucking…Come on. This is lame,” she said, “I get that you’re in pain but listen sitting here in the dark all alone doesn’t fix it. You can talk to people,” she gestured around her, “does he know you feel like this?”
“Thought it wasn’t about him.”
“Oh you are impossible. We can’t involve him, all about him…pick one bitch.” Polly slung an arm around Abby’s shoulder. “This is hell. You have to talk to people and it can’t just be me.”
“Bu-”
“No listen. I’m gonna help but…I’m not just your vent box. That’s fucked up.”
“Polly no I just…” Abby groaned. “You’re right. It’s not fair to just text you and have you drop everything. I just…There’s nobody else.”
“THEN we are going to get you somebodies. Then you and him are going to talk about what you do next. Because this thing,” she shook her gently, “it’s not good for you. You thought you’d be fine but it’s not easy is it?”
“No.” Abby flopped against Polly. “It’s not tenable.”
“Then let's not ten it.” Polly squeezed her shoulder, hard enough that it couldn’t be ignored. “Nothing gets solved by sitting still and hiding. You gotta make some noise.”
“I know.” Abby flopped against Polly and closed her eyes. “I just…I dunno how to do this part. The other people part.”
“You do kinda suck at it.”
“I will punch you right in your giant boobs.”
“You just wanna get a handful.” Polly said and Abby just nodded. “Oh wow, that honest?” Polly curled her other arm around Abby and held her close. “I thought you and Dennis were a thing.”
“We are,” she said, “I’m just a greedy fuck. I’m always a greedy fuck.” She looked up at Polly, that cheeky little grin on her face. The music skips a beat and the place moves around them. Abby blinks and stares upward.
“What the fuck is that?”
Above, beyond the realm of within Dennis lay on his back and Oz pumped at his chest while others watched on.
“You know you gotta do the mouth to mouth part, right?” Aeg the dragon spoke up. “You gotta get air up inside him.”
“Yeah but he’s not got,” Wilson gestured at his own big toothy maw, “the equipment to do mouth to mouth. Unless all those lil guys can do it!” He sounded excited at the prospect.
“No! Listen, that part isn’t necessary, it’s harmful!” Oz said. “You just have to compress the chest and…AND…” Oz pushed down on Dennis’ chest but it didn’t actually seem to compress. “Okay I’m not that weak.”
“Beg to differ.” Aeg smirked and with a reluctant sigh. “Let me show yo-” They paused…It was like pushing down on some great weight. “What the fuck is wrong with your body?”
“The fact he has one!” Liam shouted. “He’s not a ghost. Stop trying to resuscitate him.”
“Shut up Liam.” Aeg didn’t hear what Liam said but they did hear that awful droning tone that the vampire had at all times. An automatic impulse like breathing crackled out of the dragon. “Wilson you’re full of…Sugar. Hop up and down on his chest till he stops being dead.”
“No!” Oz cried out as Wilson readied himself to jump. “Do not jump on an unconscious guy’s chest.”
“But what if he wakes up and I get to be a cool life saving guy?” Wilson asked. “You guys can’t revive him with your sad noodle arms, so it falls to me and my entire body.”
“How did this happen again?” Brian asked as Wilson jumped, the zombie reached out and grabbed the falling tiger who just dangled in the air.
“Polly ran into him!” Oz said. “Literally inside of him.”
“Oh yeah she does that.” Aeg snorted. “Probably visiting Ab…………….” They stared at the group and they looked back at him. Wilson’s eyes were wide and his cheek puffed out. He shook his head slowly. “Ab…” They stammered.
“Ab?” Brian went on and Aeg just stared dead ahead, begging for something to get them out of this situation. Thankfully Dennis sat up and the group jumped backwards. Except Brian who was very used to things that looked dead not being dead.
“You good?” Wilson asked. “How many fingers am I holding up?” He held up exactly three. Dennis’ eyes swam with lights and when he opened his mouth globs of liquid rolled out and fell into his lap.
“That’s probably not normal.” Oz said. “Is it? Does he glob?”
“Not…recreationally.” Aeg shrugged back at Oz. “Dennis, dude, for real. Are you good or did you do some of those drugs Polly crushes up on the back of the toilet?” By way of answer Dennis’ head spun around in the other direction to stare back at Aeg. “Ho, fuck off.”
His body flopped over so he lay on his back. His head faced toward the floor before it snapped back around with a loud thunderclap of bone popping. Wilson, being a teenager, had out his phone to start filming this.
Dennis grabbed either side of his skull and began to sweat. The colour in his eyes drained downward, and began to leak out of his nose. It slid over his mouth and formed a fine film of slime like matter. Lips slid apart and that film stretched over his mouth. A hand shot out of his mouth.
“Oh, okay, fuck this!” Aeg turned around. “No, no fuck all of this! FUCK IT.” They heaved and wheezed. “You're doing your gross shit again.”
“Again?” Oz asked as Wilson pushed him to the side so that he could film all of this. Fingers coated in slime, slick with spittle. The sound of bones moving out of the way as slowly, inexorably someone dragged themself out of Dennis. A hand grabbed his shirt and pulled, his body realistically shouldn’t have allowed this but still. Flesh extended, bones moved and Polly Geist managed to get her head out of Dennis’ mouth.
“Ha ha!” She called out. “The old make him look dead and fuck with people prank. You all fell for it.”
“I can’t vomit easily, but right now.” Oz ran past Aeg and leaned over a trash can. There was a sound like screaming as Oz puked into the trash can. Polly just laughed as she started to drag herself free.
“Can you get that ass out of there?” Brian asked genuinely, more curious than sickened. Polly pushed at Dennis’ head and let out a little scream.
“Don’t bite my ass!” She yelled at him and he just sat there as the last of her tumbled out of him into his lap. “I swear to god,” she stood up and turned, on the seat of her pants were indeed an obvious set of teeth marks. “You suck so hard!”
“...How did he do that if his jaws were-” Brian asked and Wilson wheezed.
“This is going online, so fast. I wonder if it looks better or worse in reverse.” He held up the phone and Brian tilted his head.
“Oh it looks just as terrible.” He said as he let Wilson drop to the ground. Dennis moaned loudly, flopped onto his back and drew up his legs. “You umm-”
“No. Not good. Not bad. That was…” He coughed. “Oh god Polly, why?”
“I left something in there I needed really urgently.”
“STOP. LEAVING. THINGS. INSIDE ME.” Dennis curled into himself and shuddered. “Why did you come out like that?”
“I was…Rushed.” She said as she remembered Abby all but shoving her out of there, she rested a hand on her rear. Girl was absolutely gagging for it, imagine biting Polly Geist’s ass. A work of art.
Dennis clutched at his body. He didn’t mind the occasional visit but Polly was…Overwhelming recently. He floated off the ground, a quiet voice in his ear.
We need to talk.
Dennis didn’t make an excuse; he just flickered out of existence, leaving behind a pool of slime, ectoplasm and a video that would be sure to help Wilson make a few bucks online. Instead Dennis sat in The GHOST ZONE.
The cafeteria in the zone was an endless nightmare of motions. Every moment worth remembering was repeated in endless tableaux. Given it was a hive of gossip that meant the place was awash with residual energy. Moments that never seemed to end, parties that never stopped, pranks that went on endlessly with the wordless, soundless spectres of time. Ghosts could slip in here, between the moments that had a life all their own. The fleeting forever.
Dennis sat at a desk and banished a dozen little memories as he rubbed at his chest. “What happened?”
“I had to speak with Polly,” Abby emerged but she didn’t face him, he felt her back press against his own. “I…” She groaned. “I’m not doing good.”
“Are you feeling sick?” Dennis tried to wheel around to see her but Abby was glued to his otherside. “Abby let me see you!”
“I’m fine. Physically I’m just,” she leaned back, the back of her head met his and then she leaned through him, her face emerged part way through his own and the world became the soft reflection of her eyes below his.
“I’m not happy.” She said and as if that was all it took he grabbed her by the hand and held it tight. “Not because of anything that’s going on but because of the exact opposite.” He nudged, held her back up with one hand.
“What’s wrong?” He asked her in such a quiet and scared voice. Sure more than ever the answer would be him, it’s always him at the end of the day.
“I’m lonely.” She told him and he felt his chest ache. “This is nice but it could be so much more, couldn’t it?” Her eyes flicked to him. “It could be a lot more in a lot of ways.”
“What do you want to do?”
“We’re not doing anything are we?” Abby asked him. “I don’t mean,” she paused and pushed him backwards so that they were separate. Her being slid through his, leaned back on his palms for support he held her up. Weightless but he still held her like she was made from spun glass.
“I mean we’re doing things but we’re not doing anything different.” She folded her arms. “Oh that sentence fucking eats ass.” Hands clasped, fingers mingled, tightened and then she closed her eyes. Looking at Dennis when doing this would weaken her resolve. Despite being six foot seven slouched he had the most incredible ability to shrink down small enough to fit in your hand when he looked hurt.
“I thought this whole stealth thing could work and it does for the most part. That said I am,” she shook her head, “I can’t do it anymore. I don’t want to have to do it anymore.” She felt the momentum build. “We can’t fix your soul overnight, I know that. We’ve been trying for fucking-ever…” She hissed. “We’ve got a genuine evil witch in our corner now so whatever…But I can’t just stay hidden all the time.”
“No.” He agreed quickly, breathlessly.
“I know I can’t get all the way out but now I can move a little more, I can shake around a bit.” She shimmied her shoulders and opened her eyes just a crack to look at him. Dennis' face was soft, a smile as he watched her.
“I’d never want to be a cage, lord knows I am.” He rubbed at his jaw. “What do you want to do?”
Just like that. Of course just like that. She could say dance and he’d be in tap shoes. It was as much a relief as it was disembowelment.
“I…” She reached for his shoulder. “I think we should let people know. Gather all the people who already know and see what they think is best.” She took a breath. “Not everyone! Not everyone should know but,” she bit her lip, “I want to meet people again. I want to get out.”
“Well…Let’s go out tonight, eh?”