"We are going to run like we used to run after children when their school goes off. Get ready for the kiss of nostalgia, pal."
Jack stated that with full seriousness and confidence—like a politician saying he cares for his people while not knowing the na of his own cook—one might mistake it as sincere advice.
Unfortunately, I knew Jack enough to deduct that he was just bullshitting. And he said ’we’ too.
"... Don’t lump with you. How many tis should I say it? I never ran after children like that."
"I know. I am saying all that just for the law of attraction. If I keep saying it, it will happen."
"Why do you want to turn into a criminal?"
"Because you are very close to becoming like . If you just let go of your morals and conscience, we both can rule the world. "
"If I listen to you then the only thing we would rule is Satan’s bedroom in hell."
"Hmm. That’s a win too."
Ugh.
I forgot he’s into this shit.
It’s like punishing a porn addict man by locking him in his room. I was very skinny when I ca out of the room.
Anyway...
"Don’t start it again, Jack. You told we are going to increase the pace. Focus on that."
"Yes. Yes. And Johnson sure is taking his ti to co here."
"Of course he is taking his ti. That’s how plot armor works." I barked and just then a dangerous thought hit .
"Don’t tell ... Are you waiting for him to co here? That’s why you are wasting ti? That’s why you are doing all this fuckery?!"
"What? No, pal." Jack refused instantly. "I am not waiting for Johnson to co back. Why would I want that? I am your friend. Not so phony physician saying masturbation is bad. I am not your enemy. Don’t ever think like that."
Jack stopped talking and then I heard so sniffles?
He felt that bad? Then wasting ti ca naturally to him? He didn’t have any ill intentions?
Angh.
Fine.
"Alright. I am sorry, Jack. I shouldn’t have doubted your friendship. I was just overthinking."
"I am hurt, pal. I have a heart too. Even if it doesn’t beat. How can you even think that I was waiting for Johnson to co here?"
"I am sorry, alright. I am tense too."
"No. You can’t give an excuse like that."
"Let it go, man."
"No. I won’t let it go!"
"Enough is enough, Jack. I said sorry, didn’t I?"
"Sorry ans shit. You accused of sothing I didn’t do! Even the husband of my landlady was better than you. He accused of sothing that I really did. But you did the opposite!"
"And I am sorry for it!"
"But I am hurt. I am sensitive!"
"But you were wasting ti! You can’t deny that."
"I wasn’t wasting ti and I wasn’t waiting for Johnson to co here either!"
"You were wasting ti, you nanny fucker!"
"I wasn’t! It was a strategic pause."
"Strategic pause? For what? To watch bulges?"
"No! I was waiting for sothing."
"What could you possibly be waiting for amidst seventy naked burning soldiers? You are lying through your brown teeth!"
"I am not lying. I was waiting for a chance."
"Lies. You were waiting for shit."
"Fucking hell! I was waiting for a chance to make you stumble onto Johnson so that I can see what kind of positions he would try with you once he finally gets a hold of you!"
"..."
Huh?
Wait...
Pardon?
What the fcuk?
I blinked. "What did you just say?"
"You didn’t hear?" Jack asked, his voice filled with hope.
"I heard every word of it."
"I see." Jack paused, then nodded. "I can explain."
"What will you explain? The entire thought process and the chanism behind your perverted curiosity of sex positions?"
"Well, I can explain that too."
"I don’t want to hear anything from you anymore. I said sorry to you for nothing. You were really waiting for Johnson to co back. You betrayed like a pornstar who promises to swallow but spits backstage."
"I didn’t, pal. I never said I was waiting for Johnson to co here. I said I was waiting for a chance to make you stumble onto him. I just wanted to see what he would do to you and how. I wanted to learn. Is it wrong for a poor ghost to learn so things? Has the humanity fallen so low tha—"
"Spare with that. You can’t monologue your way out of this. And from this point on, find soone else to make you free from here. I won’t carry your body now. I’ll escape on my own."
"Wait. Wait. Don’t do that, pal. I am sorry. I am really sorry."
"Fuck off."
THUD!
I let go of Jack’s body as it fell face first on the ground like the skeleton in my biology lab when I inserted it in its wrong hole.
After that, I ignored him like a married woman ignores her husband and with all the coldness, I took one step forward and passed through him.
No more helping hands.
No more helping hands of a pervert especially.
I am fine alone. At least, I would be alive.
So long, Jack. It was good while it lasted.
"Pal."
Ignored.
"Friend."
I ignored him again.
No matter how many tis he calls , I won’t turn around.
I’ll act like a prostitute walking away from a man asking for a discount.
He can keep calling from behind and I’ll keep ignoring him. Especially if he called by anything as close as a friend.
He was dead for the world before, now he is dead for too.
But then...
"Racis."
I twitched.
Not only did he call by my na, his voice carried sothing that I never knew he had.
Regret.
Guilt.
"I am sorry, Racis. I really am."
He spoke again and maybe I still had so tenderness left in for him that I didn’t turn a deaf ear.
"I know you are listening to . No need to turn around. I am satisfied with only seeing your back. You can leave here. Really. I won’t stop you. But hear out before you go away."
I waited.
Although, he standing behind gave the creeps but I said nothing and I remained in place. He should get the ssage. And he did.
"Thank you." He said and then, he poured everything out like I do on 1st December.
"Yes, I betrayed you... kind of."
I hate it already.
I would have started walking if not for him correcting himself just in ti.
"No. Not kind of. I betrayed you. Even thinking of making you get captured by Johnson is a betrayal. Yes. I let my desires overpower my heart and now here we are. But you can’t bla ."
Jack’s voice turned solemn, as if an uncle saying sorry to his niece after she stayed in his house for a whole day.
"I have lived all my life in darkness and even after dying nothing changed. Give one more chance. Forgive . Yes, what I did is bad. I am not justifying it. Just give a chance to correct it. Don’t leave like this. You can’t leave with the hopes of seeing light after many years. I want to leave from here. I want to see the world. Help , I would beco your slave. I will be your ally. I will help you fight against Malthus. I will help you find your grandmother. I will pierce through every wall if that’s what it takes to find her. I will make your mission mine. Just..."
Jack paused and after a mont of silence, his voice echoed again.
"Please show the world."
Now I was at a loss for words.
That was the most earnest thing I have heard after Malthus agreeing that he sucks at maths.
There was no fun in his voice, his usual humor wasn’t there. He was serious and that took off guard. It was as if a writer suddenly started saying he earns money through writing.
[ Turn around, Racis. Your guard would blow away after witnessing that. ]
The system chid in and for a change, it was serious too. So no matter how much I wanted to keep my guard safe, I turned around anyway.
And when I did that, the ground left beneath my feet like a squirrel after seeing a dwarf’s nut and my guard was flung to pieces like the dwarf’s nut the squirrel finally caught.
In front of , the ghost, Jack Mihoff...
He was kneeling.
He was on both his knees, floating in mid-air, and what made gape was his head—it was bowed at my feet.
He was kowtowing in front of .
Like a man asking a woman out of his league to sit on his face.
Like a follower asking for forgiveness from a deity, from a God.
I literally had no words for this as I didn’t know Jack was capable of doing such a thing.
Kneeling in front of soone takes an insurmountable amount of courage as one has to let go of his pride and ego.
One can kneel against parents.
One can kneel against Gods.
One can kneel against BBCs.
Clearly out of those three, I was none of it.
Yet, Jack kneeled in front of .
He either did this out of his masochism, horniness, perversions or least likely... his guilt.
I an, even I won’t kneel to anyone. I didn’t even beg Malthus when he was going to kill . I may be a broke codian, but I am a proudly broke codian.
"Racis," Jack said, his head still down.
I scowled. "What do you want?"
"I want..."
Jack’s shoulders trembled like a woman realising she ate the sa cucumber she used last night and the next second, he jerked his head upwards with passion.
My eyes widened at the sight of his face as it was drenched with water. But then I looked into his eyes and that’s when I figured... he cried his eyes out.
He bawled oceans, before, the desire of seeing getting wrecked by Johnson had overpowered him to betray and now the guilt of betraying overpowered him.
With those tears, with those eyes, Jack shouted what he wanted...
"I Want To Live!"
He declared the four words and bawled his eyes more than ever. I never knew Ghosts could cry. His tears were genuine, his guilt was genuine, but what confused was his words. I would like to believe his words were genuine too but... Er.. Um...
Aren’t they straight from One Piece!?
[ Ding! ]
Before I could move ahead or make a decision, the system dinged and I wasn’t expecting it.
Moreover, I surely wasn’t expecting its next words..
[ Loyalty Signature Detected. ]
[ A New Bond Has Been Forged. ]
[ Congratulations. Soone actually trusts you. Shock: 98% ]
[ Will You Accept Him? ]
...
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