Ghost Baby

“She’s not real,” yelled Aloysius. He was pouring himself a bowl of cereal. “It doesn’t even make sense. If she was real, where would you get the baby stuff for it?”

“I don’t know, man, I just get stuff,” Tymeirez said, standing by the apartment balcony. He was smoking a cigarette as he watched the cars on the highway zoomed by.

“You’re running low on milk.”

“Thanks.”

Tymeirez put out his cigarette in an ashtray sitting on the floor. Right next to it was a baby girl in a cute yellow dress. Her skin was translucent, and the sun shined through her. She wasn’t green or pale, just a normal baby that floated and was see-through.

He gestured with his head for her to float on in, and she did. It was a peculiar situation that Tymeirez found himself in.

“When did this all start again,” asked Aloysius sitting down at the dinner table. He took off his flat brim hat and started eating.

“Like I told you hundreds of times before, I don’t know.”

“Then why do you keep saying you got a kid?”

“Because I do,” said Tymeirez sitting down.

“A baby ghost girl that you got from fucking a ghost thotty.”

“I hate the way you said that. You make it sound like I’m crazy.”

“Cause it sounds like you be trippin.”

Tymeirez glances over to the baby. She slowly floated up through the table and then landed gently.

“You’re looking at it, aren’t you,” said Aloysius.

“Nathalia is her name.”

“Did you name it or the ghost bitch?”

“Does it matter? Because you sure don’t believe me. And I don’t believe myself.”

Aloysius places his hand on Tymeirez’s shoulder. He tries to look as sympathetic as he can be with a mouth full of cereal.

“A night at E’s place will do you some good.”

“Thanks, Al. As long as we ain’t hitting up Temptation.”

“Ah hell no. You heard what happened a couple months ago?”

“Yeah, my guy. The cops said it was a blood bath.”

“Some horror movie shit,” said Aloysius finishing up his cereal. “Lorenzo got himself traumatized. His old man had to lock him up. Don’t know when he’s going to be out.”

“Right…hurry up. Finish eating, and we’ll go.”

Tymeirez stared at Nathalia. He wondered if she looked more like him or more like Sandra.

He had met her after a long night at the studio producing music. She was standing just outside the door, soaking wet. Tymeirez had thought that it had rain beforehand, but it hadn’t. He invited Sandra over to his place to warm up. He remembered how surprised she was to see that he was talking to her.

A bath led to food, and food led to snuggling on the couch, listening to city bustle alive in the dead of night. It was a hobby of Tymeirez just sit on his couch with the balcony door open and listen to the cars on the highway. It calmed him. Everyone was going somewhere, and he felt it was alright to stay put where he was. He’d move when he needed to. He ended up sleeping with Sandra, and Nathalia was born.

That was the strange part because Sandra disappeared that night. A year and nine months later, in front of his apartment door, was Nathalia just sitting there. She held a letter and was only in a diaper. No one noticed her even when a neighbor walked right through her — he kind of figured everything out then. The letter contained an apology and Sandra’s name, which Tymeirez googled and learned that she had died in a bus accident. The bus had been hijacked, and the mad man who was in charge decided to kill everyone by driving the bus into the lake.

That was about two months ago, and like clockwork, every two weeks, he would get more ghost baby supplies for Nathalia. What bothered him more than the fact that he had sex with a ghost. Was that he could pick Nathalia up and all of the supplies that came for her. No one else could see any of them. He tried to tell his friends, but that didn’t go well.

A black chevy rolled up and parked on the curb. Tymeirez hopped out of the passenger seat. Nathalia right behind him, phasing through the car door and floating about shoulder height with him.

“Remember no talking about ghost babies,” said Aloysius shutting the driver’s door. He made his way around and up a walkway leading to a brown house. The living room lights were on, and they could see two people dancing.

“No, crying okay,” Tymeirez whispered to Nathalia. She nodded like she understood and smiled. He smiled back; he just couldn’t feel down when looking at her chubby cheeks and blue eyes. That was probably the only thing that looked like him on her. Her blue eyes.

Tymeirez walked up to the house and stood just behind Aloysius (he rang the doorbell). The sounds of someone shuffling over junk and then slamming into the front window drew both men’s attention. A woman in a black turtle neck had her face smooshed against the glass. She’s grinning from ear to ear.

“They’re here,” she said. The front door swung open, and another woman leaned up against the door frame.

“What took you so long,” said Erza moving her blonde hair out of the way. She wore a white tee and blue jeans.

“Tymeirez had to take a shit,” said Aloysius walking inside.

“That’s a lie. He decided to have a bowl of cereal before we left,” said Tymeirez, following behind.

Erza stepped back but stops. Across the road, underneath the street light, a man in a brown argyle sweater and square glasses watches her. She watches him back for a second before closing the door.

“You guys ready for a party or what,” yelled Tia, her grin even bigger than before. The music wasn’t anything specific, just the latest pop songs of 2020 with a couple of hip hop ones shoved in the queue.

“I thought we were watching a movie,” said Aloysius taking off his jacket. “You know I hate dancing.”

“E, is the puff puff in the back,” asked Tymeirez.

“No smoking tonight, only edibles. They’re on the coffee table.”

Tymeirez shrugged and flopped down on the couch.

“Come on, Ty. You got to dance too. It will make you feel better,” said Tia placing a hand on her hip.

“I’m good,” he said, popping a pill.

“If you came just for weed, you could’ve just stayed home. You have some there, don’t you?”

“It’s better with friends. Don’t let me stop you from getting it on.”

“Dancing would help you forget about. You. Know. What.”

“Hey,” yelled Erza from the kitchen. “No talking about it. I don’t care if it’s real or not. That fact that it could be in here with us freaks me out.”

Tymeirez glanced over to Nathalia. She was rocking back and forth in the air. He chuckled.

Halbridge has always been a city of the strange. There isn’t any actual solid proof of the city’s supernatural happenings – a couple of sightings of vampires and werewolves that were speculated on the internet for their legitimacy. Most things could be easily explained with science and reason. Yet, not everything the police or even the media learned was always released to the public. Something things are better off hidden in the shadows.

“Did ya hear what happened at Temptation,” said Aloysius shimming his way to the edibles on the coffee table.

“Didn’t I tell you about that,” said Erza.

“Yeah yeah, but did you guys hear about it?”

Tia shook her head. “Did some rich guy try to roofie a girl?”

“No. Something even worse than that.”

“A lot of people were killed, Tia,” said Tymeirez shifting his legs onto the couch. Nathalia rested on his chest. Tia stopped dancing.

“What?”

“Five bodies in the lobby and thirty-two dead in the main room. Including the owner,” said Aloysius grinning. His teeth were showing.

“Why are we talking about this,” complained Erza strolling back to the living room and plopping on the floor. Her shirt flopped up for only a second flashing the red straps of her thong.

“Red tonight. Bold.”

“Perv,” she smiled.

“Can we get back to the murder, please,” said Tia. She had no interest in seeing her two closest friends get it on in front of her.

“Right, right, right. So a big murder. Bodies ripped to shreds, but the crazy thing is the police don’t even have a lead.”

“I’m sure they do. They just don’t want the media to fuck up the case,” Tymeirez said. He glanced over to Nathalia. “Don’t repeat that.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Is that why you guys didn’t want to go out tonight,” asked Tia.

“Hey, I’m still down to go prowling. You know how it is. This lion can’t be caged. Me want to get into big tings,” said Aloysius.

“I am all in favor of not going out. Plus, I think Ty is pretty good where he’s at,” said Erza as a knock came from the door. Tia rushes to the window.

“Maybe that’s the pizza,” she said when she is yanked to the floor. She looks back to see Tymeirez holding her arm. Fear in his eyes.

“Don’t – ”

The window cracks, and everyone tenses up.

“Not cool,” said Erza.

“Who the fuck,” yelled Aloysius.

A hand slapped onto the window, making everyone flinch. The lights flicker off on the impact. The hand was dark green; it wasn’t a clean hand but a filthy hand with grime and moss underneath the nails and skin.

Cool air started to seep through as the hand began to grab at the glass. Its fingers melted through, grabbing a chunk of the window like it was plastic. The glass didn’t shatter and stayed in one piece. Now there was a hole leading to the outside.

A face peered through. Their eyes are bright green, glowing in the dark.

“Four little sheep ready for the slaughter. Why don’t I waltz in? After all, it would be my honor,” said the face, its voice low but high at the same time.

A chair flew into the window. Aloysius was standing up, huffing and puffing. His hands were shaking, and desperation painted his face. It was all he could do; everyone was petrified to what just happened – caught in a trance, unable to break out. Aloysius broke that trance for everyone.

“What the hell is that,” screamed Tia.

“I’m calling 911,” said Erza picking up her phone from the coffee table.

“I think it might be gone,” said Aloysius. Then suddenly, the creature leaped through the window and grabbed Aloysius by the throat. He started spurted and wheeze.

“A little sheep thinks he’s a wolf,” the creature growled. It was the same man from across the street. He had looked OK under the light, but now he was covered in filth. Tymeirez tackled the creature, but it didn’t budge. “Now, now. Everyone will have their turn.” The creature grabbed Tymeirez, and a golden spark shot through its hand, knocking the creature back. Aloysius dropped to the ground gasping for breath.

“How’d you do that, Ty,” said Tia, fear vibrated her voice.

“I don’t know,” Tymeirez yelled.

“There’s no signal,” Erza said, throwing her phone down and rushing to Aloysius.

“You got to be kidding me.” Tymeirez pulled out his, and sure enough, he didn’t have any bars. No signal, no 911, and Erza didn’t have a land phone.

The creature rushed out of the shadows towards Tymeirez. Tia jumped in the way and was swiped down hard; she almost blacked out.

“A fletching of the order,” it said, grabbing Tymeirez’s head with both hands. Sparks were flying from Tymeirez, but the creature ignored the pain. “Filth like you should be squeezed like fru — ”

Another chair slammed into the creature knocking him away from Tymeirez. It was the same chair as the one Aloysius had thrown.

“How,” said Aloysius. A burst of small laughter made Tymeirez turned around. Nathalia was clapping her hands and laughing.

“Nathalia,” he said.

“What? Ty, it is not the time to be fucking losing it,” yelled Erza. Tymeirez crawled back to the couch.

The creature stood back up and roared.

“Can you do that again for daddy,” Tymeirez asked his daughter, and she gently bopped him on his nose.

The creature flew at them with vicious speed but not fast enough. Knives slammed into its back, causing the creature to arc backward in pain. It went down on all fours.

“Those are my kitchen knives,” said Erza.

“Ty, what the hell is going on,” said Aloysius massaging his throat.

The creature that was once was powerful was now crawling towards his prey. His black blood spurted and dripped onto the cream carpet.

The sounds of something ripping from the wall and cords popping out of sockets came from somewhere in the house.

Tymeirez, Aloysius, Tia, and Erza looked up just above the creature as a large object floated above it.

“Is that my fridge,” asked Ezza.

“Milk,” said Nathalia chuckling at her words. The fridge slammed down on the creature with such force that it spattered blood on the four friends.

The lights flickered back on.

“What the hell just happened,” said Erza grabbing her head. “I don’t understand. I don’t — ”

Aloysius taps her shoulder. “E.”

“What,” she said, turning to face him.

“Ghost baby,” he said, pointing to Nathalia, who was sitting on the couch. She was no longer translucent and was solid.

“You weren’t crazy,” said Tia picking herself up.

“I thought that maybe I was,” said Tymeirez stroking Nathalia’s cheek. She looked up at them with wonder and amazement. She never had so many people look at her. Tymeirez noticed that all his friends were keeping their distance and staring at Nathalia.“She’s not going anywhere.”

“You don’t know that. She was invisible for almost two months. I really thought you were losing it,” said Aloysius reaching out to touch her. Only to have her disappeared. He pulled his hand back, and she reappeared, chuckling. She grabbed Aloysius’s fingers and shook them. “What’s her name again?”

“Nathalia, and isn’t someone going to call 911. We got a dead killer in the house.” No one moved, each one amazed with Nathalia than the creature that had broken in to try and kill them. Tymeirez dialed 911.

“Hello 911, what is your emergency,” said the operator.

“We have a dead intruder down on Elm Street, house 74.”

“What happened, sir?”

“A freak crashed through the front window and tried to kill my friends and me.”

“Is anyone hurt?”

“I think we’ll be fine.”

“Dispatch is on their way. Please remain on the line.”

Tymeirez glanced back to the couch. Aloysius, Tia, and Erza were playing with Nathalia. She was floating above them now. They were enjoying themselves, almost like what just happened a couple of minutes ago didn’t happen. Tymeirez smiled.

“Thanks will do,” he said and muted his phone. “Still think I’m crazy?”

“So you fucking a ghost was real,” said Aloysius.

“I didn’t know she was a ghost. She looked just any of you.”

“I’m just messin and E?”

“What now?”

“You’re out of milk,” Aloysius said, laughing. Nathalia joined in as well. She was trying to copy Aloysius’s laughter.

“Please don’t influence my daughter,” said Tymeirez smirking to himself. It was an eventful night. One that he was just happy that everyone was okay.