Ghost Town

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"Ghost Town"

by: Wes Robert Ward

Ghosts, what can you say about them. They're dead. Dead as a door nail. Or however you put it. No longer among the living or in mortal form. Just spirits that roam about not knowing what to do or where to go. Sadly some never go to the light probably worried about judgment on the other side.

Who am I you ask? I'm no Ghost if that's what you are thinking. Well, not yet that is and not planning on being one anytime soon. My name is Rachel O'Reilly, sometimes family and friends would call me Rach for short\u2026 at least until they all died, but again they still do. Mostly I keep to Rachel, so that's the name don't wear it out.

I see Ghosts every day since my 33rd birthday of existence here in Portland, Maine. I never did before the incident. I was normal then but now I guess you could say that I've become paranormal in every aspect.

What happened you say? How did I become this way? Well I really didn't have much of a choice in the matter. You see something happened which is still difficult for me to understand. Someone or some group outside my country dropped the bomb. Basically after that people got blown away or died in the aftermath of radiation poisoning within just one week from being healthy and living.

Pretty much New York City was a hole in the ground bigger than the Grand Canyon, and the surrounding states got poisoned by radiation. Minutes for some died quickly. Hours, days, and weeks for the rest. If any survived like myself then I do not know for all electronics such as television or radios ceased to exist, the only news we got was from the Army which weren't much help for they started dying like flies too. So much for my iPhone, tossed it on the fifth day but I do miss those app games. Now must resort to a game of chess by myself, the misery of it all.

Why am I not dead you say? Immune is the word just like in the Omega Man sci-fi fictional story which I must really cry and laugh about now. I lived that's all I can say but I rather be dead after the chaos I witnessed afterwards and attending to the dying was no fun. The horror I saw could make your skin crawl. And no, none of them came back as Zombies, it's not that kind of story. Mine is realistic but all in all I would rather go live in a fantasy than where I am now. Sadly though there is no white rabbit to take me through the looking glass.

Alas though I am alive, but much in a weary state of mind. It's been a long week of death. The madness and sadness of it all drained my emotions almost completely. In fact I feel a little crazy but not as crazy as many were.

And many couldn't wait to the end. As I tried to save many lives many who couldn't wait committed suicide all around me. Gunshots left and right, hangings, cutting of the wrists, you name it I saw it.

It's been one week since they've all been gone. Maybe some are out there still, how many I do not know if any exist. Some possibly like me, but as I sit here on the front porch of my Aunt Sarah's house, I start to wonder if I shouldn't just go. Besides, I'm still burying or burning bodies and it still stinks to high heaven here. Maybe some cool mountain air might help or a nice beach somewhere. Actually that sounds better than facing some Grizzly bear up north. Yeah, survived the great apocalypse only to be eaten by Bart the Bear. Naked in Tahiti sounded much better.

Sitting next to me on the front porch, Aunt Sarah says, "You think I should take up knitting again, your mother taught me the best methods, ya know. I used to make the most wonderful sweaters, ya know."

I replied, "Auntie, I don't think you have the hands to hold a knitting needle anymore. Besides, your sweaters were more like socks for Hobbits."

No, she's not alive. Been of the spirits since the fourth day of the incident. Brave soul she was for she fought all the way to the end, but at least her suffering was over. Me, on the other hand had much more to go.

Aunt Sarah sighed, "I guess you're right. We can't go back to the good old days, ya know. I guess I'll settle on watching Jeopardy again tonight."

"Yes, Alex Trebek will save us all but before that Pat Sajak."

Aunt Sarah says, "You make it sound like they're brothers to Jesus, our savior."

"Well if I could win a vacation from them right now I'd call them both Uncle."

Bill Jenkins walked by just now waving his hand at us, "How ya both doing? I'm gonna head up to McDonald's here to get me some lunch. Want anything?"

My cousin wasn't to bright in life but hey not all of us are. Never had much up there to begin with if you ask me even when he blew his head off with a 12' gauge shotgun on the third day.

"Sure Bill, get me a Big Mac and some McNuggets," I told him, "Might have to wait awhile\u2026 business is bad."

"How bad?"

"It's pretty much dead," I said, "And don't forget the special sauce."

Bill saluted her, "Will do, cuz."

Dead people, all I see lately. Family and friends come by me all the time. And mostly they never knew what happened or for that matter what became of themselves. It's as if the bomb never dropped. Sadly some don't realize that they're dead. They stay in the form of their happiest time, some in their saddest times\u2026 those are to depressing for me and they get agitated and vengeful.

So far the only one I knew who kept his reasonable spirit brain in his head was my father, Thomas. He was a local doctor in town and was the last of my family to die of the poisoning plague. I held him as he died and I cried so much that I felt like dying myself.

Thomas sat behind me in his rocking chair, "You know there's more out there than you know, right pumpkin."

I smiled, "There's a sea of fish out there, huh Dad. As far and wide as any ocean."

Thomas nodded, "Yep, and only one fishing pole left. But you never know, you might find a whole fishing boat of others out there."

I sighed, "Gotta be better than Chernobyl here, huh? Won't you miss me?"

Thomas replied, "Why should I? I know where you'll be. Somewhere over the rainbow. Just follow that yellow brick road or for that matter the cracked old road out of town."

I smiled, "If only I had my ruby slippers, but my tennis shoes are pink. So that cancels that out."

Thomas said, "Go, just go. You've had a backpack stuffed with clothes for almost two days now. I'll handle your Aunt and Bill if he ever gets what he wants from McDonald's, dumb ass he is. There is nothing left here for the living."

I nodded with tears in my eyes, "Is there any living left in this world now? Gone like the wind, dust in the wind, silence of the lambs we all are. I can do movie and music titles till I'm sick and I am sick, but only in heart."

Thomas couldn't say anything just sighed and looked towards the open blue sky.

Rachel wondered, "Sometimes I start to think why did God put us on Earth only to perish by our own hands and then I start to wonder as I did my job in the nursery of the hospital\u2026 babies, it's all about babies. Babies give our world meaning\u2026 but watching babies die of the plague first destroy my thoughts completely."

Thomas nodded, "Yes, those are good points. I've delivered many of them and watched those many die myself, but there is one I still see alive\u2026 and that's you. I'm proud of you, you are stronger than you think, my young Padawan."

"Thanks, Gunga Din."

"That's Qui-Gon Jinn."

"Whatever."

Just then the eerie sounds of silence was disturbed by the sounds of a rolling squeaky bicycle not very far away.

"What in the name is that sound?"

Rachel stood up and looked in shock as she saw a young blonde lady a few years younger than her roll up by the side of their fence, "Oh my Lord, no freaking way."

The blonde lady with her hair pulled up in a ponytail was dressed nicely in shorts and a tank top with a backpack on her back, she smiled, "Hi, my name is Lizbeth Lincoln, but everybody calls me Liz or Lizzie, well everybody did at least until they kicked the bucket. You're the first I've seen alive since Bangor, Maine. And I gotta tell you the guy I saw up there was cuckoo. But aren't all guys from Bangor like that?" She chuckled.

I laughed, "Yeah, oh wow so you're alive. I mean you're really skin and bones and all. Not a Ghost?"

Lizbeth winked at her, "When was the last time you saw a Ghost ride a bike. And do not mention the Ghost Rider comic books."

"Not lately but you could be the first," I said, "Name is Rachel O'Reilly by the way, are you sure you're not a ghost?"

Lizbeth smiled as she posed like Supergirl, "No, I have super powers beyond any mortal. Not even kryptonite can stop me. Plagues can't stop me not even jaywalking tickets."

I smiled, "I can see that. So you rode all the way from Bangor, huh? Never seen you there before but I usually don't spend time up that way too much."

"Actually Halifax, Nova Scotia, but don't think I'm some dim-witted Canadian girl," giggled Lizbeth, "I gotta laugh or I'll blow my brains out like all the rest."

Rachel nodded sadly, "I know what you mean. So you've been on the rollercoaster through hell too, huh?"

Lizbeth shrugged, "Well it wasn't Disneyland but it was what it was."

Rachel smiled, "I take it you're all alone?"

Lizbeth nodded, "I tried my best to get my brother Michael with me but he was the last to go of the sickness. My car broke down outside the border and I've been on bikes ever since. Seems cars are dying faster than the living so it's like we've gone back to the 1800s."

Rachel said, "Well that's an unpleasant thought."

Lizbeth honked her little bicycle horn, "So you coming or what? Got another bike around? There's a beach somewhere down in the Florida keys with my name on it and it sure would be nice to have someone to talk to other than the seagulls. And we might find a working car somewhere down the road."

I smiled then looked at my old man with a loss of words.

Thomas said, "Go catch a fish for me "

Lizbeth nodded, "Listen to your old man, he seems to still have his head on his shoulders even though he's gone in body."

I looked back at her in shock, "You too?"

Lizbeth said, "Been seeing them since the age of 14 years old when my grandmother came to me and said don't forget to remove the tea kettle from the stove and she had died two minutes before of natural causes, but that's another story for another time. Now come on while we're still young and alive. The margaritas are on me."

Rachel chuckled, "I'll grab my backpack and get my cousin's bike." She looked at her father one last time who nodded to her with his own blessing.

"Love you, Dad."

"Love you too, pumpkin."

And so Thomas watched as his daughter rode off with the other girl and he smiled, "Life goes on."

Aunt Sarah says nearby as she walked back out on the porch through the front door, which was closed, "What's that, dear? And where is Rachel going with that other girl I do not know? Doesn't she know dinner is going to be ready shortly? And where's Billy?"

Thomas smiled, "Sorry sis, it looks like it's just going to be just you, me, and dumbass. How about we go find that light somewhere in the distance."

"Okay, but let's wait for Billy."

"Yes, him too," Thomas rolled his eyes then smiled as he watched the living ride away, "Ride like the wind, my dear, and don't look back\u2026 don't look back."

The End. \u26c5

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