FFM11: Not What Was Expected
Carey wasn't sure what had happened, but it was over in an instant. First he was staring down at a corpse he used to inhabit, and the next it was being rushed through several doors, one after another. He had to keep choosing, but they were beginning to look familiar. He could have sworn he passed that door before... but yanking at the knob, he pulled it open.
And crashed right into another person. Could ghosts actually do that? He didn't know. But Carey was definitely dead, and therefore be a ghost. The girl lay on the floor for a moment, a mess of short skirts and thin fabric. Carey would admit it, he looked. He was a gentleman, however, and offered the girl his hand.
"YOU." The girl cried, pulling curling hair from her face. "You're... Well. You're better than the last idiot." She frowned. "His pillow was more than disturbing."
"Who are you?" Carey asked as she got to her feet. He tried not to think about her past comment too much. Disturbing pillows were more than a standard cause for concern.
"It doesn't matter." She informed him. "You're already late."
"Late?" Carey didn't quite understand. The dead couldn't be late for anything, could they?
"Yes, late." She repeated, pulling him towards the door. It was similar to the first door... and that door he kept seeing was right behind him. "Go on, open it." She waited.
"I've opened it before."
"Well, maybe this time it'll be different." She warned him. "And the cap'n won't wait forever."
"Captain?" She didn't answer his question. Carey held the door knob, and turned it after a few moments. Before him was a ghastly being, whom the girl named as Urshanabi. She told him that Charun was busy, and Charon had taken a hiatus some years back. Urshanabi stood tall against the weight of rocks that surrounded him.
Urshanabi greeted Vanessa like an old friend, and took the herodian prutah that was offered. He looked to Carey, and waited.
Carey searched his pockets, coming up empty with the exception of small shells and a single dirham coin. He placed all of them in Urashanbi's hand, and hoped it was enough- for what, however, he didn't know.
The ride was quite uneventful, if Carey was quite honest. Urshanabi did not speak, and Vanessa stared at him in the most quizzical way. Beautiful beings- not quite women and not quite fish- called to him from the side of the boat. He looked to them, enjoying the song they played. It was different, calming and adventurous- not at all like the life he had known before.
The life of a traffic cop, pulling overtime in a tiny town when there was never enough in the department to go around. He hardly slept, instead kept the streets in the sleepy little town he'd grown up in. Vanessa moved to the seat next to him as the beings in the water began to become angry. The boat rocked back and forth, but Vanessa didn't seemed fazed- even when, at one point, Carey's face landed flatly in her lap.
Vanessa only grabbed a good handful of his hair and righted him, rolling her eyes. They did not speak until the ferry was docked. Vanessa thanked Urshanabi for aiding them, and with a hand firmly wrapped around his wrist, she lead him through the plains.
She moved with such speed that Carey could not see anything but blurs of color. Blurs of color, peppered with screams and other sounds that made him squeamish. When Vanessa finally stopped, Carey crashed into her back and sent them into a spiraling heap.
Vanessa turned as she fell, for some reason or another. Carey's face, again, landed where it was not supposed to and any air Vanessa had in her lungs was forced from them. Carey didn't move to right himself until she kicked, a knee finding a place it was equally not supposed to go.
Carey did not like the whole ghost thing. He could still feel pain. This was not what he was supposed to sign up for. Rolling over, his eyes fell on an equally pretty lady. It took a moment to realize the headpiece was actually a set of elaborate horns, and where a calf was supposed to be was replaced by a mess of steel and bone. He shivered.
Carey should not have these kinds of feelings- even if he was in between two of the prettiest ladies he had ever seen. They were both all sorts of poorly clad and if only he didn't have moral caliber. If only.
He realized she wore a low-cut corset. Oh no.
"Vanessa." The lady greeted with a grin, placing a foot firmly on Carey's chest. It hurt, but at the same time he could see up her skirt. It was a fair trade off, he decided.
"Baal." Vanessa bowed low. Baal added more pressure on the boy until she could hear gasps.
"Is this the traffic cop?"
"Yes, ma'am." Vanessa assured her. Carey got the slight impression one defaulted to the other. But with the tension between the three of them, he could not tell if it was work related or in the bedroom.
"Thank you." Baal gave Vanessa a look that Carey could only describe as devious. "I expect you in my office at sundown."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Vanessa assured her, and took her leave. Again, Carey was pulled to his feet.
"Do you know why you're here?"
"No."
"You are a terrible officer." Baal stated flat out. "But your moral compass is pretty much on point." She amended.
Carey didn't know what to say, so he didn't.
"Unfortunately for you, your god has chosen other venues to look into. So you will have to wait until my boss is available." Baal informed him. "And until then, you're under my care. Do you understand?"
Carey gulped, and nodded. This couldn't end well.
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