Re: Pass The Ghost Story
 

Ed's pacing then turned into a full-blown "off to see the wizard" waltz and song. Thinking that the others were as "free-feeling" as he was, and assuming that they were behind him singing and waltzing as well, he quickly made his way down the deserted corridor. He got so far away that he did not hear the others' protests, as they watched the dim light slowly bob further into the distance. Then all at once the light disappeared, and the tunnel was bathed in darkness. The drunken Ed was not heard, nor seen. He was gone.
"Ahhh peace for minst soul," sighed Sebastian.
Samantha was not so content. "And Ed yelled at me for wasting the batteries!!!"
The noises that were previously above them in the wine cellar suddenly became closer. Much closer. It was the noise of a slow, heavy object, being dragged across the rocky ground.
"I wonder who that could be," Marcus inquired with the air of friendship.
Samantha didn't respond, she only grabbed the two of them and began racing down the pitch-black tunnel.
Sebastian mused, "Like minst soul, we proceed into the dank darkness of it all... Darker... and darker..."

Re: Pass The Ghost Story
 

Getting increasingly intoxicated, swaying his bo'le o' booze, Ed's judgment became loopier and loopier. He imagined the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow bumbling along beside him.
"HAHA!" He laughed insanely and began spinning the flashlight around wildly in circles, until he dropped it, sending the batteries careening in odd directions.
"Woohoohoohoo!" He squealed, completely losing control, "hey, it's dark in here!" He tried to grab one of the unlit torches which lined the passage, but instead it triggered yet another secret passageway.
"Dude!" He entered and the door closed behind him.

Seconds after Ed vanished, the others caught up and paused to look around.
"Sheesh, was he really running that fast?!" Samantha panted.
"Geez laweezy!" Marcus peeped.
"Oh, mine soul!" Seb clutched where his whithered heart writhed within.
Sam realized she now should take the lead, since Marcus was but a wee lad with many an issue and Seb was...Seb.
She then remembered the odd noises and turned around.
"Uh, guys...?"
What looked like a be-bearded ghost in chains staggered determinedly towards them.
"Um...run!"
They bolted further down the passage.

Re: Pass The Ghost Story
 

Ed had entered another secret passage.
It was a bathroom, which kind of killed the haunted house mood, but he really needed to go.
"I guess when you're designing mazes and secret passages, you need one of these around. Ahhhh. That wine went right through me."
When he pushed the knob to flush, he heard a clinking sound above him.
A hole had appeared in the ceiling. Another secret passage.
He laughed, "Haha! Stupid morons. Shouldn't it have been under--"
But then a great sucking noise came from the hole, and Ed shot up into the tunnel.

Samantha, Marcus, and Seb continued to run from the bearded, chained ghost in the darkness.
They came to the end of the corridor, felt a door, and opened it.
Lit by a few torches along the wall, the room was filled with crates and trunks and large piles covered by large red sheets.
"Geez-areezy," Marcus enthused.
"You and your brother don't talk much, do you? Develop your vocabulary, language skills?"
"Remnants of a former life," Sebastian mused, observing the stacks. "A life burned in the fire we call time. Oh, time, how you make us burn like bright, beautiful things."
Samantha paused and then turned to Marcus, "You...You're probably better off."

Re: Pass The Ghost Story
 

Ed had no ability to control the momentum caused by the triggered launch, so his head was lodged through the ceiling of the room above.
"AHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ed sobbed, glad that he had used the bathroom before this happened.
After flailing his lower body around psychotically (and somewhat drunkenly) for a few moments, he finally generated enough force against the plaster-covered ceiling to free himself, landing on a happily cushy, yet disgustingly grimy surface: an old mattress.
He was in the master bedroom.

Sebastian ran his finger along one of the crates and licked it, "these things of the past--O, how the fire of time has burdened them with its ashes!"
Rolling her eyes, Samantha said, "we 'Lightlings' like to call that dust!"
"Of course you do, my angel."
"Right."
"Hey, guys!" Marcus said in his nasally, abrasively squeaky voice, "I found a time machine!"
"Really?" Sam approached, "uh, Marcus, that's an old telephone."
Marcus laughed really hard, making Sebastian hate him even more.
Samantha started looking for a weapon and a light of some kind, while Sebastian found a sword similar to the one the Gumby beast wielded; he then cut his foot off.

Re: Pass The Ghost Story
 

"Yipez!" Screamed Marcus when he saw what Sebastian had done to himself. He just looked at Seb hobble around now with only one foot. Blood was draining out of his limb as he staggered back toward Marcus and Sam.
"O thine days of man of furious fighting, surely come onto when thou hast cut off from the rest of body. Mine foot, which I surrender now, shall bleed the laziness of thine days when, not furious fighting, no, but solely to not get out of bed and make breakfast in the morn." Sebastian stumbled over,wielding the sword to Samantha, who turned around to see the action of Sebastian. She was sickened and horrified. Marcus just stood there wide-eyed and Sebastian kept talking.
"This is for the best of mine own dark soul..." Seb's throat choked. Samantha didn't know what to think about Sebastian.
"What in the hell have you done Sebastian!!??" She screamed at him and started crying.
"My dear...Sweet Samantha, my purity to cleanse mine soul..." He put his hand to her face. She shot it down.
"No Seb! Stop it! Don't you see what's happened?!" She was angry. Marcus turned around remembering about the chained ghost. In that instant chains flew threw the air and cracked Marcus in the face. Marcus spun around 360 degrees spinning thru the air like he was lint. Blood spewed out from his face and he smashed against the wall. He lie dead.
Samantha screamed and Sebastian shut up.

Ed lie on the bed feeling all funny, laughing to himself.
"If only they could see this room...Hey where are they?" He pulled himself up from the mattress and stood at the foot of the bed.
"Hey guys! Sam? Sebastian?" He suddenly forgot how he got into the room. He looked on the nightstand and there was his bottle of wine. He remembered that for sure.
"Good thing I found you." He hugged the bottle.
"Good thing I found you." A voice said out loud.
Startled, Ed looked to the darker side of the room and said, "You. Show yourself." He took a swig of the wine staring at the other side.
A leg stepped out of the shadow into the light. Ed took a closer look. It was a woman's leg. He liked where this was going.
"Show me more and what's happening here?" He was intrigued yet timid at the same time.
The bottom half of her torso stepped in the light and Ed smiled. The rest of her came from the shadow and she was gorgeous to Ed. He took another swig. She swayed over to Ed, laid her hands on his chest and told him, "You shouldn't have drank that..." She then threw him on to the bed and climbed herself on top of him. He took another swig as he couldn't believe this was happening.

Re: Pass The Ghost Story
 

"I grow old, I grow old, I shall wear my trousers rolled," Sebastian was delirious from the blood loss of his amputated foot.
Marcus was bloody, not moving by the wall.
Shaking in the presence of the violent, chain-swinging ghost, Samantha wielded the sword as she gathered the courage to charge the ghost.
"Ed, where the hell are you?"

A beautiful woman was on top of Ed in the master bedroom.
"Why shouldn't I be drinking this?" he asked, half delirious from the wine and the excitement.
She just laughed, kissed his neck, her lips moving up to his ears.
"So," Ed said, "what's your name? What's your story?"
She whispered in his ear: "Have you ever heard of a succubus?"
"No, but I like the sound of it. Sounds French." He shivered from her hot breath on his ear and from her hands ruffling his hair. "Probably saw it in a movie once."
"Well," she said, unbuttoning his shirt and kissing his chest, "the first instance of the succubus was in a small village off the Rhine in 1387."
"Wow, that far back, huh? I guess when you don't have TV or movies, you're bound to invent lots of kinky stuff. Oh, there go my pants. You move fast."
"A man came home from working in the field and found his wife...more affectionate than usual. She gave him wine to ease his workday, and then showered him with affection..." she was back at his ear, whispering, "over and over again."
"Oh yeah. So, when does she do this sucka...move?"
"She loves him for hours, and the man is astonished to see his wife walk through the door again...and then he realizes that the woman on top of him..." she whispers sensuously "is a demon, a succubus, draining his life for her energy. But he can't move. You know why?"
"Because of the wine?" He asked, paralyzed.
"Because of the wine," she smiled.

Re: Pass The Ghost Story
 

Samantha stood there bravely and held out the sword with two hands.
"Stand back! Stay away from me!" She yelled at the ghost waving the sword around. The ghost crept forward.
Sebastian fell to the ground half dazed, half conscious. He reached back up to Sam, pulling on her clothes, annoying her.
"Sammmm....With the final words to depart from mine lips, I bid to you..." Samantha tried to kick his arms away from her interrupting him.
"Samantha, please..." She grabbed him by the collar and backed up with him. The ghost insisted on moving forward now. The whole situation grew grim for them. The ghost was on top of them. Sebastian now lie on the ground as if he was dead. He was softly muttering things to himself. Very delirious. Samantha looked to Marcus, poor guy he was dead. She panicked. She ran to the right, tripping over Sebastian. The ghost followed her move and began swinging the chain around ready to strike. Sebastian looked to Sam, he had tears in his eyes and he held out his hand for hers. She fell to her knees and spun around on her ass. She looked at Seb with fear in her eyes. She looked back up in time to see the ghost on top of her, barring down his chain of death. She took the sword and blocked the chain. The impact flung the sword out of her hands. The ghost spun the chain around above his head again. She climbed backwards onto her feet and took off running. She saw a room and darted into it. The ghost was quick to follow. She immediately saw Ed lying on his back with some woman. He looked at her, he was terrified. He was growing old and turning gray. Samantha cried to herself. She saw Ed's eyes roll back into his skull. She sat herself in the corner rocking back and forth, cowering, and saying her prayers.

Re: Pass The Ghost Story
 

Samantha waited for death to come in the form of a bearded ghost.
The ghost entered the room, dragging its chain. The woman on top of Ed turned and let out an ear-piercing scream; she started to turn red, with her fingernails becoming fierce blades.
The ghost swung the chain at the woman-demon, smashing her head off her neck, splattering all over the wall. A glow occurred over the rest of her body, still on Ed, and the glow soon covered him. The gray age reversed--but not completely.

With Ed partially restored, not all hope seemed lost. Samantha looked for something, anything to fight the ghost, which was busy appreciating the bloody masterpiece it had created on the wall.
She saw vases, a mirror, a heavy potted plant...nothing. She saw an Ed-head hole in the ceiling and connected it with the hole in the floor that was blowing air out so fiercely that it ruffled the curtains ten feet away.

The ghost turned to her. All she could think to do was talk to it.
"Are...are you trapped here? Is that the deal with the chains?"
"We're all trapped here," it snarled. "Spirits and demons are sent here, and the house preserves us. We torment each other--and anyone stupid enough to break in. Stupid like you. And then you stay forever. And then we kill you over and over."
It lashed the chain at her. She rolled away. It lashed out again as she rolled behind the potted plant, which the chain wrapped around. Using all her strength, she shoved it on its side and kicked it toward the hole in the ground.

The potted plant rolled and got stuck in the hole. With the air pressure building in the floor, the floorboards started to buckle. The ghost looked at Samantha. She smiled.
The floor burst from the pressure, rocketing the plant through the ceiling, yanking the chain-wrapped ghost into the air where it burst into an ecto-plasmic shower.

Re: Pass The Ghost Story
 

(Sorry, d(an); I had a spasm whilst giving you rep. :nervous:)

The succubus had drained about 10 years of Ed's life away before it slumped in a headless, red-glowing heap on the bed.

When Ed, Suddenly 27 (a pending, inspirational sitcom on PBS, as it happens), came to, he quickly re-dressed himself, and looked to Sam, who was covered in ectoplasmic bits. She ate one off her shoulder; it tasted a bit like pig's milk.
"SAM!" He cleared his throat, frowning, and tested different inflections, "Sam? Ahem. Sam. Sam! SWEET!" He gawked in the mirror next to the bed.
"ACK! Ed, this is no time for narcissism. Are you quite finished?"
"Almost. Just a sec," he swept his hair back and feigned a grin, "okay." He hopped off the bed.
Samantha shook her head, began to dash for Marcus and Sebastian, and abruptly stopped: A trail of blood led around the corner from where Seb was.

She followed. And found Sebastian strewn out, arm outstretched towards his brother.
Sam choked out a sob and brought her hand to her mouth.
Ed ran to Seb's side, and checked his pulse.
"He's dead!" Ed cried.
Slumping against a wall, Samantha wished for death herself. Ed sat beside her and put his arm around her.
"Bury me...bury me...was by was..." Sebastian begged deliriously.
"Sebastian?!" Ed bounded over to him.
"What? No! What happened to the sweet, sweet darkness of death?!" Seb complained. Sam shifted him to lean against a wall and sprinted to find things to mend him somewhat.
"Marcus is dead," Ed told him.
"Ohhh...my brother...never have I envied you, until now..."
Ed slapped 'im a good one.
"Ouch!" Sebastian said, weirdly happily.
"Here!" Sam used some duct tape and an old dress to slipshodly bandage his wound.
"For you, my sweet," Seb explained.
At once, they heard something thumping and slapping and wriggling up the stairs.
"What an odd noise..." Ed said, overemphasizing words in his new, fully-formed voice.

They beheld three, exceptionally large sharks flopping wildly around the corner towards them.
"OH NO! They must've smelt the blood from 27,000 miles away!" Samantha observed.
"Run!"
Sam and Ed toted Seb into the master bedroom, and barricaded the door.

Re: Pass The Ghost Story
 

Marcus flo-o-ated, an un-solid stretchy (up, forward, in, thgir) noodle shape that would not..st..o.p

"Geez a-

________-------r(e.)e

-------------------(z)"
words dis-flo-drift-appear-ing in the other-ether; words not heard, but felt-seen. Vision also blurred.

Sam-Ed(older? durh?) hobbling Seb. Sharks ("ge_ez-a_r__z-a-r_o") bashing door.
_______________above_________
Drift-float__________ceiling, floor, a woman;;: cackling, sees him.
--reaches o___ut to him..-))))

Marcus blinked. He saw hands and felt--was in--a body that was not his own. And then things got weird.

Re: Pass The Ghost Story
 

From the bed, the succubus slowly rose. If it still had a head, it would've used it too see and hear Ed and Sam desperately trying to figure out what to do about the sharks. It began blindly and deafly searching for its head.

From the floor, the succubus' head saw and heard all.
"Whither, whither, tither and hither...!" Seb babbled.
"We need something sharp, a harpoon!!" Sam shouted, opening and closing drawers.
"A harpoon?!" Ed repeated just to hear his own voice.
"Geez shlaweezers!" The Marcubus' head thought, as his now awkwardly female-like body picked up his now awkwardly female-like head, which his soul inhabited.

The sharks bored a hole through the door, inches away from being able to wriggle through. Ed pivoted towards the bed, then did a double-take at the succubus a few feet away to his right. Ignoring it, he wrenched off a bed post and then two more, to use as harpoons.

"Gleeeeeeeeeehh! Come with us to the mushroom grove!" The sharks tempted as they finally burst through the door.

Re: Pass The Ghost Story
 

Sharks had just burst into the room, speaking about "mushroom groves" and "candygrams," flipping around and snapping their teeth.

Ed tossed two bedposts to Sam and Seb. The three wielded the wooden "harpoons."
The succubus kept trying--without success--to put her head back on her neck. Marcus, trapped in the head, was too grossed out to comment via internal monologue.

As a shark snapped at Seb, he hobbled into a corner of the room, wedged between a dresser and the wall. As he batted at the shark, he intoned, "Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul..." his voice was drowned out by the loudness of the sharks smashing about the room and getting hit by the bedposts.

Ed jumped all over the bed and the floor, in a ridiculous circle, dodging the shark.

Seb: "...I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball..."

Sam, too, was climbing all over the room's furniture and poking the shark with the bedpost. "Don't be that way, dearie," the shark said sweetly as it tried to bite her feet.

Seb: "...But that same image, we ourselves see in all rivers and oceans...

Ed, using his new manly strength, managed to ram the post into the shark's eye, which made it flip around violently. With one flip of its tail, it struck the succubus--stumbling about--with such force that the Marcubus head rolled into the next room, with the succubus blindly tripping after it. And Ed's shark flopped over the air vent and shot through the ceiling. Shark bits rained down.

Seb: "when beholding the tranquil beauty and brilliancy of the ocean's skin...OH SSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIII--"

Seb's shark had bitten onto his leg and flopped him around the room, smacking him into the walls and floor.

Ed did what any recently-aged man would do: he jumped on the shark's back.

Re: Pass The Ghost Story
 

And as the shark thrashed about, ripping off Seb's other leg, it bucked and Ed flew off to the floor, where he landed on his arm breaking his wrist. Snap! Ed let out a manly cry and continued to roll about the floor. He happened to roll over to Samantha in agony. He kicked his legs and yelled some more. Sam saw this and went over to him. He swung his arm right in pain, conking Samantha in the face. Spit flew from her mouth as her head spun instantaneously. Her body fell in slow motion as Sebastion, in all his glory, with the shark on his last leg and glass shard wound in his side, he saw Sam go down for the count. His eyes widened and from within deep inside him a fire began to burn. He revved his soul to animosity. His eyes burned fire. Fangs grew out his mouth, Sebastian was at his worst.
He grabbed the shark's gills and ripped it's head off. He walked over with the head to Ed. Ed cried in agony still over his broken bone sticking out arm. Sebastian grew angry with Ed. He knocked out his girl. Sebastian struck Ed in the face with the shark's head. Teeth gashed at Ed's face. He cried even more. Sebastian threw the shark's head across the room in a fit of rage and preferred to use his own hands. He started choking Ed to death. Squeezing his throat, wanting to pop Ed's eyes out. Ed wasn't breathing. He stopped struggling. Sebastian snapped out of it when Samantha woke up.
She looked at Sebastian on top of dead Ed. A glow about Seb that was down right frightening.
"Oh my god Seb! What the fuck have you done?!" She cried and ran from Seb.
The mother fucker with no legs but crawled after Sam. She ran screaming from the room. There was no where to go for her. Sebastian lie on the ground a dead fucking man.
"And...thus it is so. A life for the life of the life. Bid mine was granted. Maybe it could have been a dream all this time...." He trailed off as his eyes closed and his heart stopped.

Marcus eyes opened up. They shuffled around his white room. A naked lady's body. A shark's head and his own brain. "GEEZUS LAWEEZUZ!" He thought. Right away a smile grew on the head he was in. He closed his eyes and thought of an idea quickly. ZAP!
Marcus looked down at his new body.
"Sex-ay." He said happily. "Hot damn." He examined his body. Then he touched his face. He cut his finger on his tooth.
"Ouchies!"

Re: Pass The Ghost Story
 

After what seemed like an endless moment of panic and terror, Samantha re-entered the room where Ed had apparently died and attempted to give him mouth-to-mouth. She held back sobbing as much as she could, and wiped some of the blood from his shark-chewed face, and breathed into him. He coughed and sputtered and gasped.

The last land shark waited cleverly in the corner of the room, until they had regained enough hope for its re-appearance to really suck.

"Candygram, dearie!" it lied.
Sam mopped the tears from her face and cracked her knuckles and neck, "sure, I'd like some candy." She leaped atop the dresser.
The shark undulated at her and at the most opportune moment, Sam surfed the dresser over onto it and stomped vigorously, simultaneously administering stabs with the bedpost into its head, continuing this motion even after it had thoroughly died.

The Marcubus, now situated in his new, voluptuous (yet mangled) form, strolled back into the room.

"Do I dare...do I dare...disturb the universe?" Seb's spirit floated about, searching for a body. He spied the Gumby beast.

...

What happened next stunned not only our four delirious heroes, but also the monsters and ghouls within the house, and everyone else. A giant, sun-sized shark swam through space and devoured the planet earth.

The End.

(Mateo will start a new story...very soon. Sorry for abruptness.).

Re: Pass The Ghost Story
 

It's been five years since the day our sun was declared as "heading right for us!" They said it would take 10 years for it to actually crash into Earth. Planet Earth at that time became the biggest battleground playground. Fortunately enough, with such disaster on the way, money was poured into technology to combat the universe. Spaceports grew rapidly. People were making their own space shuttles. Most places were left poor and the masses rioted for the end of their days destroying much of the technology...but not all of it. Upon recognizing the revolt a special unit was sent out to build what would be the last space port undercover. They named it OX House and it meant nothing to the people.

It was hotter today. Hotter than last day and that could only mean one thing. Shooting broke out in the street. 3 to 4 gang members shooting each other. People ran away scared. Some of them kicked back like nothing was happening or continued haggling away.
A roar let out down through the street and even the gun men stopped firing to regroup and get out of the area. Rev upon rev, a biker rolled through the streets weaving and dodging the civilians. He pulled up to a small coffee/bar and ordered a drink. He took his drink and walked back to his bike. He stood at it's side and gulped the drink down. He crushed the can and as it hit the ground, the shop behind him exploded. Dirt, dust, and debris littered his already stained, scuffed up leather jacket. He looked straight ahead.
"Hegg..."

Ma Hegg, leader of Hegg's gang, called out to Sergio, "SLUUUUGGG!" The gang laughed and cheered their leader.
Sergio, not one to play games, busted out his two Desert Eagles and blasted away at Hegg and his gang. They were scared and surprised, and scattered about as the gang roared back down to the open highway, cursing and throwing bottles everywhere. Four people were shot. Three of them lie dead in the street. The fourth was a gang member, wounded badly and still alive. Serg walked up to him with no remorse.
The guy coughed up blood, "SLLLUUGGG...." Serg put a cap in his ass.

He wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Hotter than usual..." He hopped on his bike and road off to OX House. He had to get there before Hegg.

Re: Pass The Ghost Story
 

On the road, Slug felt freest. He never wore a helmet (ever since his skull-face helmet shattered in that explosion in Holland). Revving his Hog's engine, he picked up speed.

He glanced back. No sign of Hegg or his posse.
The sun began setting, and the horizon blurred into oranges and reds and purples. The glow filled his eyes, his eyes that burned and cooled with the rivulets of sweat that streamed back into them.
"For you, Sarah," he said into the wind.
He pushed the Turbo Boost button and the bike burst into a fit of speed down the road, closer to OX House.

Behind him, in the distance, the Hegg gang also pushed their "cykes" to their max speed.

Re: Pass The Ghost Story
 

Ma's gang rolled up to an old whiskey bar. Tattered, rickety, dusty and dirty. Boards covered the windows and whatever electricity was used was used to light up the red light SALOON. It was located just outside of OX House, down the hill. Ma made it regular to stop at this bar and help clean the barkeep out. He hardly ever paid but he did give the guy protection services. Ma stumbled out of the saloon and looked out to the horizon. He could see Slug disappearing over the hills. He squinted and glared his eyes.
"Eah!" His voice crackled, letting his gang know it was time to go. The rest of the goons got their last call, hopping over the bar and stealing some bottles. The barkeep stood in the corner hoping they would at least not break anything. The last goon left, slamming the door behind him. The barkeeps wild antelope head fell to the ground, antlers breaking in half. He sighed and wiped the sweat away from his face.

Ma's men were loud outside, ruffling each other up on the way to their bikes. They chugged what they could, or saved what they wanted, and smashed the empty bottles on the ground. Ma sped off first and everyone else followed.

Sergio arrived in OX House. There was a park in the middle of the city with a huge fountain. Streets curved around the park, as well did all the shops. He parked his bike in a back alley and took off his helmet. Sweat dripped down.
"God damn it's hot."

Re: Pass The Ghost Story
 

Sergio stood in the alley, dripping sweat from the oppressive heat. He heard the rumble of a motorcycle behind him. It was Ricardo, one of Ma's goons. Ma's gang must have split up to find him.

Ricardo raced towards Sergio, the sound of the motorcycle redlining echoed and intensified in that thin alley.

Sergio lit a cigarette. Sweat stung his eyes, but he didn't blink.

Ricardo pulled his sawed-off shotgun, strapped around his back. "SLLLLUUUUUUUUUUUG!" he bellowed, racing ever closer.

Sergio looked at his watch.

Ricardo took aim. Sergio made a move for his Desert Eagles, but didn't actually draw. The movement made Ricardo twitch as he shot. Missed wide.

Unable to reload without stopping, Ricardo kept up his speed and rammed the cycle at Sergio. Only feet away, Sergio leaped upon a trash dumpster to the side, took a large steel rod and threw it into the front wheel of the motorcycle, which jerked forward, flipping end over end.

He flicked his cigarette at Ricardo's limp body.
Sergio considered a number of clever, morbid statements, settling on "You're not worth the bullets."
He wiped his brow. "Too hot to be clever."

Re: Pass The Ghost Story
 

Serg started toward the fountain, taking his jacket off and flinging it across his shoulder. He kicked up dirt as he walked and some of the townsfolk watched him with their jaws hanging open.
He stood in front of the fountain, cupped his hand full of water, and took a drink.
"Ahhh...Cool." He gulped down a couple drinks before dunking his head in. He whipped his head back, water dripping down his back. He got the chills, and not because of the cool water down his spine, but because he knew Ma was around.
"Damn it! Already?" Serg wanted to enjoy the minute he had but in a second there was Ma's gang. Terrorizing the walking citizens. Laughing and taunting, driving in and out of people, pushing some over with their bikes. Five men drove in front breaking off to try and surround the area. Ma was not far behind driving right at Serg. Serg spied Ma and cracked a smile. Ma saw his opportunity, revved his motor and started racing toward Serg.
"Bring it ya bastard." Serg said calmly. Focusing his eyes on Ma. He used his jacket as a matador's blanket.
Ma grabbed hold off the jacket as he rode by, stealing it from Serg. Serg jumped out of the way and lie on the ground doing a push up. Ma and his gang kicked up a ton of dust as they trailed off farther into the city.
Serg got up in the cloud and walked back to his bike. After the dust settled he spotted it lying on it's side. The sun began burning the back of his neck.

Re: Pass The Ghost Story
 

Sergio did not like seeing his bike tipped over like that--not at all. In a world like his, in a world where safety was found in movement, Sergio's bike was a kind of home to him. A man needs a home, particularly when the world around him has become hostile and uncertain.

As he leaned over to pick up his bike, he paused. Years of fighting, years of running, years of seeing a world gone mad--he knew the signs of a trap.

"A Burner," he whispered. Burners were poor souls, people who had gone insane from the heat and the crumbling society. They wore scraps for clothing. They scratched at their skin until it became raw and infected. They would do such abominable things to their victims that they, too, would become Burners--those who survived, anyway.

A Burner was hiding somewhere all right, waiting for the moment. Waiting for Serg to make a wrong move. Time drew out like a blade. Sergio listened and waited.