Page 28 of Purrfectly Haunted

The chill of the grave

JAMES

Cold. I feel so cold. The blood freezes in my veins as the ghost enters my body forcefully. I can feel his anger, his confusion, his longing for revenge. He wants to face his enemy, even if he has to possess a weakling to do it.

“Don’t...you...fucking...dare...” I say through gritted teeth. And who are you calling a weakling!

I resist and struggle against his hold. The ghost’s presence feel slimy and as cold as ice. In my mind, I can feel him dig his claws in me, like a parasite. It’s the worst feeling, like that time when I took mushrooms when I was a teenager and spent the night staring at the wall while the party continued around me, as if I wasn’t the master of my body anymore.

I do the only thing I can think of, and I bite back like a cornered animal. The ghost screams in my head and with my throat.

But then Ewan’s voice booms. “Get out!” His warm hands land on my back, pushing, and I feel the Warrior being expelled from my body. He reappears in front of us, dishevelled and confused. “You’re not welcome here anymore. I banish you from this house!”

Ewan’s words hit the ghost like a physical blow, and his eyes widen. He whispers something in Gaelic, tears running down his face, before dissipating.

My knees buckle and Ewan catches me before I can hit the floor.

“Tha..thank..you...” I say, teeth chattering.

“Oh my god, are you okay?” He’s patting my body, making sure I’m alright. “Did he hurt you?”

“I’m...alright... just... just... cold...”

“Shit, you’re right. Your skin is freezing.”

“I need.. a warm... shower...” I say.

“Of course.”

Ewan hauls me to my feet and he almost carries me up the stairs and to the communal showers. Halfway there, the cats reappear and zoom around us, meowing loudly. Thankfully, they don’t follow us inside the bathroom. I don’t have the energy to face more uncanny events right now.

Ewan turns one of the showers on, and as soon as I see the steam rising, I step under the water with my clothes on. I’m so cold, I feel like I’m dying. I turn the heat up and drop on the tiles, the hot water pelting my shoulders.

“James?”

“Yeah... I’m okay...” My teeth are chattering loudly.

“I'll be right back,” Ewan says. “I’ll get you a towel.”

“Thank...you...”

I watch him leave through the water droplets caught in my eyelashes.

I feel drowsy, and I know that it’s a bad idea to fall asleep when you’re that cold, so I bite my hand hard enough for the pain to shake me out of my lethargy. I feel numb now, and that’s worrying. The hot water is barely dulling the effect of the cold that has taken a hold of me.

Fucking... ghost...

I didn’t know spirits could possess hosts like that. Maybe I should start paying more attention and read the damn handbook.

I must have fallen asleep without realising it, because I’m awakened by Ewan shaking my shoulder. My cheek is squished against the wall.

“James. James!”

“Yes,” I mumble. “I’m alive...”

He sighs. “Don’t even joke about that. Let’s take you out of the shower before you drown.”

“You’re getting wet,” I say when I notice his sleeves getting drenched under the shower.