We Both Know Death Isn't the End (Ghost)

As the man tried to pull the trigger, his gun flew out of his hand and smacked him in his face. The man's nose started to bleed as he stared motionless at the levitating pistol. The colt then fired at the man's feet, making him jump abnormally high compared to the usual human. "What the---"

BANG!!!

The next shell of gunfire cut him off making him jump, followed by a few more, chasing him down the alley and sending him off running and screaming. The middle aged man stared at the gun and levitated back, the barrel staring at him but remaining virtually motionless, swaying up and down in the wind.

"Um...th--thank you?" The man said terrified.

"Dude, relax," a voice said, laughing.

The man spun around, now drenched in sweat, meeting the gaze of a dark masked hero. "Um...thank you...um...who...who are you?" the man asked, albeit uncomfortably but seemingly more comfortable as he realized it was a person that saved him rather than a living firearm.

"The name's Ghost," the boy said as he walked forward, "Spread the word that a new hero is in town, and he knows what he's doing---"

Ghost posed confidently and remained silent until the man nodded and ran out of the alley, still probably terrified. "---sort of..." Ghost continued once the man was out of sight. He let out a huge sigh and let his shoulders drop down in a more relaxed position.

He picked up the gun and scrutinized it, flipped it side to side. "Could come in handy..." he said to no one in particular.

"What the heck!?"

Ghost tore off his mask and hood, revealing his youthful face and a shocked stare as he gazed into the abyss. It was like he was staring into the heart of the galaxy---or not the galaxy. He wasn't in space, he didn't think. It wasn't as beautiful as he would have expected. He was...somewhere else. He was terrified. He was staring at...nothing...but it was still there. Everything about the vortex just...wasn't right. The taste of fear was overshadowed by confusion though. How did he get here? One second, he was chasing off a thug with his own gun and then...the cat! There was a weird cat with a bandanna! That was the last thing he saw!

Almost on command, the freaky feline appeared near Bradley's feet and began talking. The young hero stood silent, amazed at what was happening. Nothing made sense, then again, he should expect it after everything that's happened to him. "You're a cat," he said frankly, trying desperately to hide his inner freak out.

"Last I checked: cats don't talk."

It seemed that he was going to be supplying more answers rather than getting many, but if he wanted to find a way back, it seemed he had to comply, he really didn't have much of a point. "I'll answer your questions, but you have to answer mine, too. Who are you?"

Although he might've been able to simply think back his response with his telepathy or through the cat's link, he was too flustered to realize it. He stayed completely still in the vortex, unsure whether he'd be able to move or not. Nevertheless, he had no idea where he'd go if he did decide to run.

It became hard to believe the cat, err, Sissel. He took Bradley to a strange place without his permission, calling it the 'ghost world'. Suddenly a tough thought came to mind. He was in the land of the dead...did that mean...oh...he didn't have to heart to ask it. Even if he didn't...he wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"Sissel...I do have abilities...but I've never been able to do anything like this. I've never been here before...why am I here? Am I...?"

A sigh of relief escaped Ghost as he was reassured that he was alive. The person that saved him...probably the doctors when he had his near death experience. They were better than even they seemed to believe, he guessed. Amazingly, in a blink of an eye, they were back in the alley! He felt out of breath, just because of the shock of everything, and was brought down to one knee for a moment. He saw a flyer peel and can roll in the wind. He got back to his feet as he heard a trash can clang, probably with the lid, and he went over to see. The cat appeared and after a moment, they were back.

Bradley was confused by the cat's quick question. "Um...did I notice what? We were just in the alley and now we're back here...nothing really happened..." he responded, still pretty confused.

Without a moment to really process anything, Sissel sent them both back to the alley where a fan quickly blew the flyer into his face and they were back. "Wait...ghost tricks? So...you're saying that those things moving in the alley were all you?"

He still was confused why a cat could do all of those things, but, he decided to accept it for now. "Oh, so...you were the piece of paper. Yeah, I can do the same thing! Except, I wouldn't say I become the things I manipulate, I just...I don't know...move it...What's your point? Are we...um...connected somehow?"

Bradley was on the brink of understanding what happened to him...he could feel it...somehow, this cat was his ticket to truly knowing himself...

"I...really did die?"

Bradley felt out of breath for a moment. He just thought that there was a glitch in the hospital's systems or the doctors misread some readings or something...He was declared dead, but, about a half an hour later, they said that he pulled through...how was that possible though? Was he like a zombie? He sure didn't feel like eating brains or attacking anyone...He didn't feel like a walking corpse either. He was alive...he though.

"Let's go. I want to see how you do it," he finally decided. Did this mean that there were more people like him? Many more? Could he die...again? Did this mean that he didn't have a pulse anymore...or did his heart stop beating...would it even matter?

More questions were developing than answers...but he had to keep moving forward if he wanted any chance of figuring out what was happening.