Page 62 of Squad Ghouls

“You cannot just zap everyone you see, Ryan.” Owain’s voice was a bit less friendly now, I noticed, but he was still determined to be a guidance counsellor to whatever ectoplasmic arsehole floated his way. “We can…we can still help Nathan.”

“Can we?” I asked. “How?”

“Well…” Owain bit his lip. “We could… We’ll… Okay. We’ll sit down in a circle.”

He rushed around to arrange some chairs into a triangle, sitting down once he was satisfied with the formation.

“Take a seat.” He gestured to us both and I sat reluctantly while Nathan kinda floated above his chair.

I caught him looking at the desk. At the little pool of pearly white. At the evidence of just how good I’d made Owain feel, and it made me want to rush over and strangle him to make sure he was really dead.

“So…” Owain said, glancing my way. I made it my mission to pretend I had zero idea what he was trying to do as best as I could. I was a shit actor, but Owain seemed completely immune to noticing other people’s ill intentions so I reckoned my chances were decent enough. “How long have you been…stuck?”

“Not very long,” Nathan said. “It’s been about a year, maybe.”

“Right. And if you don’t mind me asking, how did you pass away?”

Nathan shuffled in his seat a bit, wringing see-through hands in front of him as he avoided eye contact.

“Is that too painful?” Owain asked. “Maybe we can talk about something easier and circle back to this?”

“That would be—”

“No,” I said, looking at Nathan. “I think we should get it out in the open to make sure nobody here is in any danger from a ghost we don’t know.”

“I’m no danger to you, son,” Nathan said.

“I don’t give a fuck about me. I can handle you.”

“I won’t hurt your petal either,” Nathan said. “He is far too precious to be damaged.”

“He is,” I agreed. “So you’ll have to forgive me for being protective and making sure he’s safe. And stop calling him fucking petal! And me son, for that matter!”

“I suppose,” Nathan said. “Let’s just say…I found myself in the wrong place at the wrong time and instead of leaving the situation…I stayed until I was found and ended.”

“Ah…the husband came home and offed you for sleeping with the wife,” I translated. “Got it.”

Owain sighed and shook his head. “That is not a nice thing to do to someone, Nathan.”

“I would never,” Nathan said. “Cheating is the most abhorrent act of betrayal of one’s partner and I would never, ever do that to someone I loved.”

“Then what?” I asked. “Did you help rob a bank?”

“Why must you assume the worst of me?”

“Experience. Loads of it.”

“Ryan is a cynic,” Owain said. “It does him no good to constantly see the worst in people but we’re working on it. Aren’t we?”

“If you say so,” I grunted.

“We are.” Owain nodded. “Unlike him, I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. Okay, so you made a mistake. It cost you your life so I feel like that was enough of a punishment for whatever sins your living form committed.”

“You truly are lovely,” Nathan said.

Owain smiled, serene and kind and accepting. “You can share your story with me. I will accept your faults and think no less of you. And then together we can see if we can find your way into the beyond.”

Nathan stared for a moment before sagging into the chair. He looked deflated. Smaller. Like all he needed to hear was the exact words Owain just shared with him.