Chapter 7: The End Of The Night (Part 1)

The name of a psychic, Barry, echoes through the night. It is a name no one could have expected to hear, no one except the one who said it.

Ro: "What … do you mean?"

The darkness has not left Ro's face, but the shock is apparent. On the other hand, Sneha is standing still as if petrified.

Sneha: "But he … he's dead, isn't he?"

Sneha Stone too hadn't expected to hear that name. Even if she had been working with Ethan, she knew not much about him. There was just no way she could have predicted what he would say, but still, there was a level of unpredictability which she thought even he would never be able to cross. Alas, she has been proven wrong.

Ro: "Explain yourself! What do you mean by that? He's dead, isn't he?"

Ro shouts. Anger clear on his face, he threatens Ethan.

Sneha: "Answer him, Ethan. Was that supposed to be a joke?"

Seeing the two react in this way, Ethan Kales is overjoyed. Bringing pain to those stronger than him brings joy to him. He is a true sadist.

Ro: "Say something, damn it! He's dead, right?"

Ethan: "If so, why are you so agitated?"

Ro suddenly realizes how much he overreacted on hearing that name. Ethan's point is on the mark. If Ro knows he is dead, why would he be this bothered when hearing his name? It doesn't make sense unless … unless he had doubts of his own.

Ethan: "Finally starting to face your doubts?"

Ro: "S-Shut up! There's just no way it can happen. That bastard can't be alive."

Sneha: "Ethan, this isn't funny. Don't joke around like that."

Ethan looks at Sneha whose eyes opened up wide as she says those words. This shock is the testament to the fact that she too had doubts of her own about this, and she too had tried to run away from them.

Ethan: "Don't bother. I'm completely serious."

Ethan says that with a smile on his face, but it is clear that he is telling the truth. Neither Ro nor Sneha want to believe what they just heard, but there is no choice other than believing him. If not,

Ro: "I don't believe you. You are making this up. That's it. You are trying to psych me out. That's all there is to it."

Ethan: "Even if that were the case, I would say it was working well."

Ro: "You bastard!"

Ethan: "But unfortunately for you, no matter how much you deny it, the facts don't change. He's coming for you."

Ro: "P-proof? Show me the proof he's not dead."

Ethan: "Well, he's dead alright."

Ro: "What!?"

Sneha: "What!?"

Both hang their heads in bafflement. This show of surprise is justified. Only a moment ago, Ethan seriously said Barry is coming for him and now he's contradicting that.

Ro: "What the hell?"

Sneha: "That's it, right?"

Ro and Ethan turn towards Sneha. She has a smile on her face along with the expression of shock.

Sneha: "You were trying to psych him after all, right?"

Ethan doesn't answer but his eyes clearly say he is serious. So how could both be possible?

Ethan: "Ever heard of ghosts?"

Ethan says something shocking again. The two of them are shocked to hear it again. And Ethan loves seeing their expression again.

Ethan: "I'm sure you already know this, but they are souls of the dead. That's the form Barry has right now."

Ro: "Just hold on a moment. What you are saying is complete bullshit?"

Ethan: "How so? You don't believe in them?"

Ro: "Of course I don't believe in them."

Ethan: "And I thought psychics were capable of communicating with them. Shouldn't their existence be common knowledge among you people by now?"

Seeing Ethan refer to Spirit Mediums and such as a part of the psychic community, Ro grits his teeth. In fiction, they might be considered the same. But in reality, there's no such thing as ghost or spirit medium. That is, at least, as far as Ro knows.

Ro: "No psychic has ever talked to a ghost. There are no records of it happening sometime in distant past either."

Ethan puts his hand to his chin and ponders on what he has just heard.

Ro: "So that's it? You were lying about it the whole time."

Ethan: "Nope."

Ethan's straight denial is hurtful to say the least. He would smash their hopes whenever he'd get the chance to.

Sneha: "Then how can … it be? Ghosts shouldn't exist."

Ethan: "Well, sorry but they do. I've met quite a few in fact."

Ethan is the sort of person who would casually say something like he had met ghosts. But knowing that didn't make it any easier for the other two. They just couldn't believe that something like this could be true.

Ethan: "Is it really that hard to believe? You people yourselves are in the realm of supernatural."

Indeed, Sneha and Ro are both capable of things that one would call supernatural. And so they shouldn't have this much problem believing some other supernatural phenomenon like the existence of ghosts.

Sneha: "But that's … not the issue."

Just as Sneha says, it isn't the idea of ghosts' existence that really bothers the two, it is the idea of ghosts' themselves that bothers them.

Ethan: "I see. So that's how it is."

Hearing Sneha's words, Ethan comes to understand what is so unbelievable to the both of them. It isn't that 'ghosts could be real' that is bothering them. That they would accept as just another supernatural phenomenon in the world. The thing that bothers them is who those ghosts would be. Will they be those who have died? Will it be every dead person?

Ethan: "You people are afraid of meeting those who you have seen dying."

Ro: "That's …"

Ro couldn't finish his sentence. Ethan understands now why they are so in denial of ghosts. They would obviously love to see those dear to them who have passed away but,

Ethan: "You are afraid of meeting those you have killed."

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