Ghost in the Shell: Campus

“Boo!”

Ian’s phone slipped from his fingers as he went tumbling backwards out of his chair into the corner next to his bed. Tyler sat cross-legged on the edge of Ian’s bed, ghostly hands on his stomach as he rolled backwards, laughing heartily. Ian glared and began to stand, brushing away dust and cobwebs.

“You should have seen your face!” the spectral spectator chuckled, perching himself up on the corner of the bed once more.

“If you don’t stop with that I’ll eat yours,” Ian grumbled, swiping his hand through the mist that made up his friend, a reluctant smile on his face.

Ty grinned. “Not much point in that,” he said, his midsection slowly reforming. “You wouldn’t get any sustenance. If anything you’d get negative calories. You’d be better off getting a burger or something.”

“Where those slabs of meat are made is where cows go to die," Ian retorted, peering under his desk as he retrieved his discarded phone. “There’s like, a hundred million cow ghosts in those factories.” Blowing the spiderwebs off the screen and inspecting for cracks, he continued. “Besides, do you have any idea what that crap does to a person?”

“Oh come on, live a little!”

“I live a lot more than you do!”

The familiar banter continued all the way until the alarm for class went off on Ian’s phone.

“Come on,” the dark-haired non-specter said, picking up his bag off the dorm room floor and shouldering it. “I’m gonna be late for class.”

~*~

As the pair entered the Biology lecture hall, Ty gave the room a quick once-over, looking for a familiar face. “Hey, Ian?”

Ian looked up from shuffling through his bag. “Yeah, buddy?”

“Where’s Sera?”

The college campus had its fair share of spirits other than Ty. During class, Ian’s ghostly friend usually hung around the other spirits he shared the room with, since it would have been hard to have a conversation with Ian without the latter getting caught. Sera was one of those friends, and Ian even suspected the spirits’ relationship might be something more than that. Of course, Ian constantly teased him about it.

Ian stood and scanned the room as well. Ty was right- Sera was nowhere to be seen. “Maybe she’s busy?”

Tyler half-snorted. “With what? There’s not much to do around here. Well, not much for us to do, anyway.”

“Chin up,” Ian rest a hand in midair where his friend’s shoulder would be. “You’ll probably see her later.”

Then the professor began and Ian sat down, Ty’s eyebrows furrowed slightly in concern. Finally Ty wandered away, off to talk with another spirit, though his shoulders slumped, and Ian could tell he was disappointed.

~*~

The rest of class was just as boring as always. As always, Ian spent the whole time wondering how any of the information would be useful in his lifetime. He had paid for the stinking thing too.

On the way back to their dorm, Ian noticed another boy staring- no, glaring- at him. He stepped closer to Ty, the student’s stare unnerving.

“What’s with that guy?” Ty muttered, pressing his smokey shoulder into Ian’s. Ian shrugged slightly, tearing his gaze away.

“I dunno.” The kid, Calem, was a quiet-mannered boy. Ian didn’t know much about him, but he did know this was odd behavior for him.

“You know what?” Ty said, leaning close Ian’s ear and whispering. “He’s probably mega-gay.”

Ian snorted. “Because we all know how absolutely delicious my abs are.”

Ty licked his lips, and Ian punched him through the shoulder, the pair of them laughing, Calem’s strange stare forgotten.

~*~

Over the next week, fewer and fewer of Ty’s acquaintances showed, and Ian’s friend was getting more and more worried.

“Sera, and Andy, and Ethan…” Tyler muttered as he paced the room. “Where are they? Where could they have gone?

“Maybe they’re busy?” Ian suggested, not believing it himself.

“All at the same time?” Ty resumed his pacing, shaking his head. “No. No, that can’t be it. Too much of a coincidence. Something… something must have happened to them.”

“But what?” Ian asked. “They’re spirits, what could have happened to them?”

Ty’s face paled. “I don’t know.” he replied slowly. “But whatever it is… if it doesn’t stop, we’re all in danger.”

“Wait, ‘we’?” Ian stood, his eyes furrowed. “It’s affecting the living too?”

“If it’s affecting spirits, it doesn’t matter if you’re alive or dead,” Ty explained. “The only difference- technically- is that ghosts don’t have a corporeal body. You have a spirit too,” Ty pressed a ghostly finger into his friend’s chest. “But it’s in your body. So whatever this is, it’ll affect the living too.”

Now it was Ian’s turn to pale. “So…”

Ty nodded. “We need to find them. Fast.”

~*~

There came a day when the pair saw not a single other spirit.

Tyler was very quiet on the way back to the dorm. Ian didn’t pester him in case anyone saw him talking to what appeared to be no-one, but as soon as the door was closed Ian turned back towards his friend. “What’s wrong?”

“What do you think’s wrong?” Tyler barked, covered his mouth, then hung his head and sighed. “Sorry, I- I didn’t mean to snap.”

Ian rest one of his hands on Ty’s barely-corporeal form. “Is this about…”

“I just…” Tyler seemed to stare off at something behind Ian. “What if I’m next?”

“You won’t be.” Ian said sternly. “I won’t let you be.”

“No offense, friendo, but it’s not like you can do anything to stop it.” Tyler finally looked him in the eye. “We don’t even know what this is. What if it’s another spirit? Not much you can do to stop them from doing as they please.”

“I don’t care!” Ian gripped Ty’s misty shoulders tightly through sheer force of will, tears brimming in his eyes. “I don’t care. You’re my friend. I won’t let them hurt you.”

A thought suddenly came to Ian. “Hey, if I can see spirits, does that mean there are other people who can?”

Ty sort of sniffed, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “Yeah, I guess. The chances are good that if one person can, other people can as well.”

Ian snapped his fingers. “And remember when Calem was staring at me? Well, maybe it wasn’t me he was staring at.”

Ty’s eyes narrowed. “Now that you mention it… I was talking with someone in the hallway, and I could have sworn he was staring right at us. There wasn’t anyone else around either. Are you saying…”

Ian nodded. “I think we have our culprit.”

~*~

Ian and Ty slowly approached the alley. Ian picked up the lid of a trash can as a sort of makeshift shield.

“You really think that’ll help?” Ty asked.

“I’m hoping it’ll do at least a little,” Ian admitted sheepishly, gripping his bat tightly at his side. “Or at least hold him off. Better safe than sorry.”

“It’ll hold him off? He’s a serial killer, and you’re hoping a trash can will hold him off?”

“Hush!” Ian quieted his friend. “It’s gonna be hard enough to take this guy on alone without your constant yammering.”

“Alone?” Ty drifted in front of Ian, preventing him from going any further. “There’s no way you’re doing this by yourself.”

“Well, you certainly aren’t coming with me.” Ian hissed, backing up. “You’re the one he’s going after. I’m just another person to him. Hopefully then I can convince him to stop. But if you’re with me… I really don’t want you getting hurt.”

Tyler kicked at the gravel. “Just… be really, really careful, okay?”

Ian put a hand on his friend’s misty shoulder. “I’ll be fine.”

And he headed into the alley.

~*~

Ian paused as he saw the boy at the end of the alley. This was it. Only he could do this.

“Um, excuse me…” Ian started nervously, and the kid turned around, wide-eyed. “I-I wanted to talk to you about some friends of mine-”

The figure turned and Ian recognized it as a boy from his grade. “Calem? Is that you? What are you doing here?”

The words were barely out of his mouth before his head hit the concrete hard. Caleb practically foamed at the mouth as he pinned Ian to the ground, knife glinting in his hand.

“W-wait! I just wanted to talk-”

Ian cried out in pain as the knife plunged into his side and came out again, blood seeping from the fresh wound. The student, taking advantage of Ian’s weakness, quickly brought the blade to him again. Ian barely managed to catch the hilt in time, fighting desperately to prevent the blade from slitting his throat.

“You can see them too, can’t you?” The boy said, pressing the blade forward. “They’re inside you too, aren’t they? They have you wrapped around their fingers too, just like me, don’t they? Don’t they!”

“N-no!” Ian gasped, struggling to relieve the pressure of the blade against his neck. “Y-yeah, I can see them! But they aren’t - they don’t mean any harm!”

“LIAR!” Ian gagged as the tip of the knife touched his Adam’s apple. “You’re with them, aren’t you! You’re just one of their little minions! You’re the one who put it in me!”

Something flashed in the boy’s eyes and he gripped his head with one hand. “Get out! Get out get out GET OUT!”

Ian let out a choked squeak, beginning to feel his energy dwindle as his lifeblood leaked out of his prone form. It was getting harder and harder to keep the blade away from his throat. “W-what?”

“I know you’re with them,” the boy said, his eyes flashing. “You’re the one who put it in me, aren’t you? Get it out. GET IT OUT!”

Ian finally realized what he meant. Calem had always been a mild-mannered boy, and while physically this was him, perhaps spiritually it wasn’t…

“I-I don’t know how…” Ian choked, gasping for breath.

“You’re lying,” the boy said, pressing the blade in even closer as Ian’s eyelids began to droop. “I’ll end you. I’ll end all of you!”

“GET OFF OF MY FRIEND!” Ian heard a familiar voice, and then he gasped for breath as misty hands swung the bat at Caleb’s head, sending him tumbling to the ground. A faint wisp of smoke rose from Calem’s mouth and then was gone, and the kid’s knife went flying as Tyler shoved him away. “Ian!”

Ian felt Tyler’s cold hands grip his shoulders as he forced his eyes open. “Ty?”

“Hang on buddy.” Ty pressed his hands over the wound in his friend’s side, achieving very little as his spectral hands could only apply so much pressure. “Just hang on. You’re gonna be okay.”

“Ty…” Ian weakly reached up, trying and failing to grip the spirit’s shoulder. “I… thanks, pal…”

“DON’T YOU DARE!” Ty screamed, violet tears dotting the corners of his eyes. “Don’t you fucking dare, Ian. You’re not fucking dying on me.”

Ian let out a weak chuckle, his hand dropping onto his chest. “I’d ask ya’ to… tell my ma, but…”

“SHUT UP!” Ty raised his hand as if to slap him, then lowered it again. “God, Ian, I hate you so much.”

“I hate you too, Ty…” Ian murmured, unable to keep his eyes open any longer.

And then everything faded away.

~*~

Ian woke to a soft, steady beeping. Forcing his eyes open, he saw the blurry image of the whitewashed ceiling, the light searing into his eyes as he blinked. He did not know this place.

He tried to raise his head, but it was simply too heavy to lift, so instead he looked to his side.

He felt the oxygen mask on his face bump against his shoulder as he looked to his left. There was an IV in his wrist, and he finally placed the beeping as a heart monitor set up not too far away.

Then he looked to his right, and saw a spectral form curled up close next to him. Ty gripped the blankets of the cot tightly, his other hand clutching his friend in what would have been a deathgrip. Ian recognized the faint chill in his forearm and smiled softly.

I soft murmur came from a television on the wall, and Ian looked up to see himself and Caleb on the screen. It showed the latter helping to bring Ian into the ambulance, guilt plastered across his face, and Ian was glad the boy was finally free of the spirit that had been possessing him.

Ian closed his eyes again. He was alive, and Ty was safe beside him. He wouldn’t change it for the world.