Chapter Text
Skull POV
When awareness returned to me, I realised I was sitting amongst the ruins of a seemingly ancient building, bricks turned to dust, ashes all around. As I observed my surroundings further, I recognised the grey and faded impression of the Fittes building, parts of it reduced to thin wisps of grey material, other parts of it damaged beyond recognition but standing upright just enough to support the activity at its centre.
As I continued observing, I saw men and women dressed in silver capes similar to the ones Lucy’s friends wore, moving in and out of the building. They were walking cautiously towards the fences that Marissa had erected. My last memory then dawned on me - shoving Lucy and that insufferable Lockwood aside while trying to contain the explosion Marissa caused.
How long had it been since then? Few hours? Few days? It was impossible to tell. Without the sun and life of the real world, there was no way to record the passage of time in the Other Side. I was certain that the explosion had taken care of Marissa though - so why were the Living still entering our world through the gate?
I rose up from the dust and walked cautiously forward. It was then that I got a closer look at what was happening. Instead of taking ectoplasm from the ghosts stuck on the fence, the Living were trying to remove the fences altogether, all while trying to keep the ghosts from coming near them. These people looked terrified - not at all like Fittes’ white coats who used to strut into the Other Side earlier like they owned the place. I chuckled. Seemed like Lucy managed to survive and right some of the wrongs that were taking place in our world.
I sighed thinking back at my last memory of her. I had no idea what came over me. I certainly had no intentions of self sacrifice, especially for brats like her and Lockwood. But when I saw how the two of them were prepared to face their deaths (Lockwood even seeming eager at the prospect), a lot of pent up rage came bubbling out. I was not going to allow a pair of half wit teenagers become martyrs when they least deserved it. These two imbeciles stumbled their way out of death’s clutches at least twice every single day, out of a combination of sheer luck and the stupidity of others. What did they think death was, an old friend they could welcome with open arms? If it was that simple, why would I have been afraid of death for so many decades then? Blithering idiots. Before I knew it, I was saving their backsides. In my noble attempt, however, I forgot that my Source was no longer in its protective jar.
I closed my eyes now and tried to feel - to Sense - for the psychic connection that my Source offered - the connection that allowed me to tear a hole through the fabric of the Other Side and appear on the side of the Living. The tether that kept me bound to life. The rope that helped me escape the Gates that held whatever mysteries lay beyond.
I Sensed nothing.
I opened my eyes and let the realisation wash over me. My Source was destroyed and I was now doomed to roam the Other Side until I passed through the Gates. Damn those insipid fools.
It was easy enough for the other ghosts. Once their Source was destroyed, they would wander around the Other Side until they reached a Gate, and the pull of the Gate automatically drew them in. They were after all mindless drones - it made no difference to them. They lacked the intelligence to anticipate what was waiting for them beyond the Gate. Me? No, I was as conscious here as I was in life. My intelligence allowed me the liberty of feeling fear, feeling anxiety, feeling a desire to stay among the Living, among the known. It apparently also allowed me to feel companionship, camaraderie, and joy - the reasons why I decided to help Lucy multiple times from within he jar, and even after she freed me (and let’s face it, I wasn’t really trapped in my jar, I was just using it as a convenient hiding spot). It was the reason why I ended up saving her and her precious Lockwood while now trapping myself permanently in the Other Side.
A weariness fell over me. I knew there was nothing left for me but to proceed to the Gate.