When Love Hurts and Ghosts Linger (10 page)

This Ivan the Fearless, as he was known, was born in the fifteenth century in a small town called Rusk, just off the Romanian border. Typical aye, a century after Vlad, what? Where there no nice men during those times? 

So this Ivan was apparently like Vlad, he marched with his armies across the lands killing innocent men and women who refused to bow down to him, he challenged the king and when he won he claimed the land as his own, people feared him as if they refused or disobeyed him he would then take their lives, he didn’t care who they were, men, women, children, he’d kill anyone. 

Pictures in the book showed bodies on spikes outside his castle that were put there as a warning to traitors and the people of the land. It was rumoured he had fathered many children through raping women and he would kill the husbands of the women that he wanted.

It stated that he was killed by one of his own men who had betrayed him, the man was a spy sent by his enemies and stopped him fulfilling his ultimate goal, to the rule all of England, I assumed they meant the whole of the UK, and that everyone would be under his rule, like a dictator, like Hitler.

Bile rose in my mouth, how could someone be that cruel? I mean you and I all read stories on how Vlad would impale heads on a spike but come on, not women and children surely. Was this Ivan trying to prove he was fiercer and that people should be more terrified of him than anyone else?

I felt a cold shiver run down my spine, like someone trickling cold water down my back, I shuddered slightly and yet again I knew that there was someone there. I hadn’t seen or heard from them and they chose to spring up when I’m in the library.

“You’re not usually the one for reading.”

I jumped out of my skin “Jay…what are you doing here?” I whispered.

I didn’t want people to hear me talking to myself, I looked at his grey/blue ghostly complexion but he looked different this time, like he was beginning to rot, kind of made me feel a bit sick, was like someone dug up a partial rotting corpse from the grave and then sat it next to me.

“I’m watching you….” His smile is soft.

“I don’t need you to watch me, besides, you look like hell.”

“That I do, what you reading?”

“Umm just a book….” I closed it quickly.

“You don’t just read Robyn, tell me….” Even as a ghost he still showed concern.

“If you must know I’m reading up on that thing that has you.”

His face turns from worry to shock “You know who he is?”

“Yes, I went to see someone and he followed me there, he told me himself who he was, so I thought I’d look him up, turns out he’s after me and Jack.”

His phantom appearance looks right through me to Jack who was on the other side of me sleeping away on the chair next to me; before I could look back he had passed right through me and was hovering over him, sort of protectively. 

“I can’t let him hurt you or Jack….” His voice full of sadness.

“No-one is going to hurt us, I won’t let them, I have to give up my soul to give him Jack’s and I won’t do that”

He shot towards me like a bullet from a gun “Don’t let him, you are stronger than he is”

“For god’s sake Jay calm yourself….” I said a little too loudly.

The librarian heard me and promptly gave me a 
‘SHHH’
 and a frowning look wondering who the hell I was talking to, not that I could blame her I mean I technically I did look a bit weird sat there talking to myself. I felt a slight warm breath on my neck and someone sit next to me.

“Are you ok miss?”

I turned and there sat next to me was a beautiful man, he had blue eyes that seemed to twinkle, a sort of beard that was more like stubble, shaven but not completely gone and dark hair. He completely took me by surprise.

“Uhh yes thank you I’m fine….” I whispered shyly.

I could feel my cheeks burning red as if I were embarrassed, he was looking right at me but behind him I could see Jay’s ghost, observing the man who seem to have made my cheeks flush. I didn’t know what to do, I couldn’t talk to Jay without looking like I was either talking to this man or to myself. 

“Would you excuse me….?” I smiled politely at the man.

I left and went to the bathroom, I could feel the cold chill follow me and I knew Jay was hovering behind. When I entered the bathroom I checked the cubicles for anyone else and locked the door. Surely then Jay came floating through.

“Look, I know what I’m doing, actually no scratch that, I don’t know what I’m doing but I will figure it out, now you have to trust me ok” my voice slightly raised and annoyed.

“I’m worried for you, I can’t help you”

“I know you are but I need you to have faith in me, even if you are on the other side, speak of which, how do you get away?”

He looks at me confused “I don’t know, I think of you and something wills me to get here, I can't really explain it, it's darkness down there, he has us in some sort of grip, every now and then I manage to think of you and bam, here I am, I'm learning more and more as I go along though.”

Figures aye, even in death he is still protective of me; I couldn’t help but feel a little happy with that knowledge. As I calmed and Jay disappeared my brain alarm goes off 
‘SHIT JACK’
 I had excused myself and left him there by the table. I ran back to the table and luckily Jack was still there and still sat on the chair next to him was the beautiful man.

“Oh my god I’m so sorry” my voice sounded nervous.

“It’s ok” his smile was attractive.

I cradled Jack in my arms “You must think something awful of me”

His lips were pressed together as he gave me side smile “Not at all, happy to help a beautiful lady…”

Oh wow, his words, his voice, his look, it was all so captivating, was this man even real or just the figment of my own imagination. I placed Jack in a comfortable position to carry as he was still sleeping, collected the book I had been reading and went to reception to check it out. He followed beside me chatting away as I left the library.

“So, you always run off and leave your child with a stranger?” I sensed the sarcasm in his voice.

My laugh was skittish “No of course not”

He laughed at me “I’m only kidding, anyway I’m Levi” he extended his hand to shake mine.

I shook his hand, they were so soft “Oh I-I’m Robyn.”

We walked for a while, he actually offered to carry Jack for me but I refused, this man, this beautiful man walking by my side, he was so enchanting, I couldn’t take my eyes of him. We reached my flat and both stood outside.

“Well that was a nice walk” his eyes gazed into mine.

“Yes Levi it was thank you for walking me back here”

“You seemed liked you could use the company”

I smiled at him softly pushing my lips together “Well your company was nice”

I couldn’t believe I said that, I was embarrassed and I felt all the blood rush to my cheeks, I remember him looking at me, smirking, it was so sexy.

“Well this may be forward of me but can I have your number?”

Wow, I wanted to see this man again, something inside me told me to go for it, I don’t know what it was at the time, I don’t know how I knew but I knew that from the moment his eyes caught mine I would never want to let this man go.

We exchanged numbers and said our goodbyes, I felt like I was in heaven, I spun towards the door like a gloating fairy and made my way inside.

My happiness was soon darkened by the cold chill in my living room, seeing the air leave my mouth someone was in my flat with me, I turned and there were two little boys and a man, an old man who protectively stood by them, their arms were missing and they had the wound on their neck. I gasped as they moved closer towards me; I knew this thing had got to them. The little boy looked up at me, pain and fear in his ghostly eyes.

“Help me” he mouthed.

I knew something was happening in the spirit world and I, well, I was the key to all this, I just hadn’t figured out how to stop this yet.

A few days had passed and I had been texting Levi constantly, he was eager to meet up with me again and I the same but I was worried about Jack, could this man accept I already had a child? I guessed time would tell. 

I looked over to the window and sat near the table were the two boys and the old man. They hadn’t really left me which was unusual because normally that monster had them under his control, Jay always managed to get away but every time I saw him he seemed to be disintegrating, could a ghost do that? 

I suppose they could from what I had seen of him. I never understood at that moment why it was only him and never any of the others, then again I never saw them again, I usually saw these tortured spirits only once; it was only Jay I saw more regularly, and now these bloody three seemed to refuse to leave me.

Jack was playing happily with his toys, the ghosts seem to watch him with amusement and the two boys tended to join in with him, I didn’t mind, they weren’t hurting him, they were simply lost, frightened and I’m not surprised judging by their ghostly appearance. 

My flat was always cold with these frigging ghosts around and I tell you, at that time my heating bills went through the roof, I had to have it on all the time to try and feel a tad warm but even then you could always feel the ghostly chill.

I had been working all week and then I was coming home to these three, as I said they just wouldn’t leave, I had made plans for that weekend to meet up with Levi and go for a walk with Jack.

To be honest I felt really excited, more excited than when I was with Pete or Jay, I mean don’t get me wrong I still cared for Jay and deep down I always would have but he was dead and Pete, well, Pete was a dick.

My phone went off and I got excited thinking it was Levi and to my disgust it was Pete.

**Hey, I’d like to see my son if that’s possible*

So he hadn’t bothered texting me in all this time about his son and now all of a sudden he seemed interested, why? Why now? I didn’t care, I had to put Jack’s interests first and I wouldn’t like it if I was never allowed to see my dad if my parents had broken up, so, thinking of Jack I agreed. 

I mean, I wasn’t a heartless bitch and I would never take a child away from their parent, I wouldn’t like that done to me so what gave me the right to do that to someone else, he did after-all help create him.

Jack was almost five and all little boys need their dads, well, unless they’re abusive but no matter how much of a dick Pete was to me or the fact he couldn’t keep it in his pants, he would never hurt Jack, so I texted him back.

*Well I don’t see why you want to bother with him now after all this time but hey, if that’s what you want then yes, you could see him this weekend*

I hit the send button and took a deep breath, I felt a little furious inside at this man, normally when a guy does that to you, you cut all ties but I couldn’t do that, we had a child together. My phone beeped again.

*Thank you, I’ve missed him, I will pick him up at 4pm*

Sorted, Jack was going to spend the weekend with his father and I could take a break and also spend some time getting to know Levi, that may sound a little selfish I know but when you are hounded by ghosts and you spend your time protecting your child and working a normal day job, a break is sometimes much needed.

I texted Levi.

*Hey babe, change of plans, no Jack this weekend so just me and you if you’re ok with that? Xxxxx*

He texted me back rather quickly.

*Hey babe, not a problem, can’t wait xxxxx*

His text put a huge smile on my face, I was so excited and I hadn’t felt this way over a man ever, I mean when I was with Jay I did love him and I did feel close to him but I never felt the way I was feeling when I thought of Levi.

Jack and I spent the evening cuddled up on the sofa watching films, I couldn’t hide the smile across my face, it felt nice cuddled into my boy except those darn ghosts were still lingering so Jack and I were cuddled under the blanket with the heating on. 

I woke up around two in the morning, the air was colder than it had been with them three ghosts around, I felt the sharp pin pricks in my skin and the windows were iced over. 

I knew something was wrong at that moment; I kept Jack in my arms too afraid to let him go. The windows seemed to have some sort of frost or mist appeared on it, like someone was on the outside breathing on the glass. 

I felt the blood rush from my face, I felt scared, I couldn’t see the three ghosts of the two boys and the old man who had seemed to have moved in with me. I put Jack down and put the blanket over him to sort of hide him I guess and then I walked towards the window, I didn’t know why I even did that, normally you would run away and hide I guess but my curiosity told me I had to look, I had to see what it was.

As I approached the window a hand appeared on the glass, it banged so loud it frightened me and made me jump backwards falling straight onto my ass. I then saw a shadow, some sort of figure through the frosted window, my heart was beating hard with fear and I was breathing fast, almost hyperventilating. 

As I looked at this hand still on the glass the room filled with ice cold mist, like the sea in a foggy winter, it surrounded me, I got up and went to Jack, clutching him tight and frozen on the spot, he started crying. I tried to sooth him but this atmosphere was evil and cold and he could feel it. I looked up at the window and in the mist I saw letters appear, it spelled out 
‘I’m coming for you.’

I moved backwards scuffling my feet across the floor as fast as I could, the window broke and this thing came lunging at me trying to pry Jack from my arms. I screamed and fought as much as I could, there was no way I was going to let Jack go, it wasn't Ivan, it was something or someone else.

The neighbours must have heard my screams because there was a sudden banging on my door and voices outside screaming my name as if to want to help me. But they couldn’t help me. This thing heard the banging and then looked down at me. Whoever this thing or ghost was, he was coming for Jack, he looked so deep into my eyes I felt like he looked into my soul.