My hands curled into fists. I wanted this monster out of him! I would rip her out! Without waiting to think, I ran forward, ready to tackle Allan. With little effort, he avoided my attack and threw me to the ground. I landed on the floor beside the clay bowl. As I jumped to my feet again, he picked up the knife that was on the floor.

“Don’t make this difficult,” he murmured as he pointed the knife at me.

“I’ll do whatever the crap I want you psychopath!” I shouted. “I’ll scream until Melissa hears me and then your creepy little puppet show is going to be over!”

He looked unfazed as he stared at me. “Melissa is not here,” he said. “She went to town this evening, and no one else is close enough to this corner of the castle to hear you.” He gestured to the corner of the room with his knife. “Bring the chair here and take a seat.”

I stood my ground. “What happens if I don’t do that?”

The shadow of a smile passed over his lips. “The less difficult you make this for me,” he said softly, “the less painful I will make it for you. Now, bring the chair here.”

I swallowed as I hastily turned and dragged the chair to the middle of the room. My blood ran cold as I sat down. Greg had to be here in the castle. Had he secluded himself in some corner to sulk? I was wracking my brain for some way to get him to show up, but even if he did, what could he do? I was very likely about to die. What would Greg be in that situation? Company, for when I crossed over to the other side?

As I sat down, Allan picked up a roll of duct tape that was sitting on a dresser beside him. Setting the knife down, he stepped closer to me and tied me to the chair. His shirtsleeves were rolled up as he worked. A myriad of scars laced his forearms and some of the cuts were fresh. I dug my fingernails into the arm of the chair.

“What did you do to Allan?” I hissed.

He glanced at his arms, a bored expression on his face. “He is the author of most of those wounds,” he muttered. “It was a habit of his. When he thought he was losing control over me, he’d slice into himself. The pain made him feel more connected to his body I suppose.”

Through the clouded panic in my mind, something clicked. “You’re the reason Allan’s been able to see ghosts, all this time!”

He nodded as he stood up. “A person possessed is a person who sees. You have found that out with your own pet spirit.” He looked around. “But I do not see your friend here tonight. Does he hide?”

I pursed my lips. Should I lie? What would that accomplish? My situation was bad no matter what. “We sort of had a falling out,” I muttered as I glared up at Allan.

He smiled a little. “That’s a shame. It would have been nice to exorcise that Scotsman twice.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Why didn’t Allan ever perform an exorcism on you? We—we went to that medium’s house and Greg got banished. Why didn’t that work on you?”

Allan leaned down, bringing his face closer to mine. It was hard to look into his eyes this close. The blood running down his face made me queasy. “Did you not listen to the story he told you?” he asked. “I’m not a feeble spirit too afraid to move on. I’m a soul ripped from a living being. I am bound to Allan. No chanted incantations can get rid of me.”

“So what now, you witch?” I asked as he stood up straight. “You have control of Allan, what do you need me for?”

With a smile, he picked the dagger back up. “Possessing Allan came about at a time of necessity,” he said. “I would have never chosen a vessel like this for myself. The last person I possessed, almost a century ago now, was killed in an accident before I could move my soul to someone else. Thus, without a body to possess, I was trapped haunting my cauldron.”

“For years I was passed between owners, until one day I was bought by a woman who had a little boy. Though not ideal, I seized my chance. I made myself visible to him. I spoke to him and promised to be his friend. He came to trust me, and I guided him through the rituals of the spell to bind my soul to his body. He did all that I said, but he faltered when it came time to kill his parents.” His expression twisted with rage as his voice grew louder. “From then on I was stuck in a body I couldn’t control! Now that I have power once again, I will not make the same mistake. Allan will never want his body back after watching his own hands cut your throat!”

I was going to pee my pants. I needed a plan, and fast. My mind raced, but it was really hard to think with that dagger flashing in his hands right in front of me. My eyes widened when it hit me.

“You don’t want to kill me,” I said, looking up at him.

“I think I do,” he said, sounding amused.

“No,” I replied, “you really don’t, cause here’s the thing. I’ve been roommates with a ghost for a couple of months now. I’ve got a pretty good idea about how to make a good haunting and I can promise you this; I am going to haunt the freaking crap out of you if you kill me.”

Allan shrugged. “A little incantation may not get rid of me, but it would get rid of you. You’re threats are empty.”

Crap. New plan. I tried to push away my panic so I could think clearly for just a moment. Allan had been dealing with this witch inside his head for his whole life. It wasn’t done easily, but he’d been able to control her most of the time. Maybe, if he could get his own body back, he could figure a way out of this mess. He had a better chance of it than me anyway.

“Possess me,” I said, the words bursting from my mouth before I had a chance to truly think them over. Allan’s eyes widened in surprise.

“What?” he whispered.

I breathed in and out a few times as I collected my thoughts. “Think about it,” I said. “You’re like this crazy intense feminist hero. You were born a woman and a slave and in your day and age, that was like the absolute worst. But you showed everyone up! They all died and you’re still alive!”

He narrowed his eyes. “Get to your point.”

“You did all that,” I said, my words coming out in a rush, “you survived through centuries, but look at you now! You have ended up as a guy! Don’t you find that at least a little demeaning? You became the very person that you hated!” I could see that he was thinking about it. “I don’t want to die,” I said, “and you don’t want to be stuck possessing Allan. Possess me instead.”

Allan’s body suddenly lurched forward and I gave a short scream in surprise. A choking sound was coming from his throat and then he started coughing. The coughing sounded bad, like the coughing that had overcome him the night of the ball. He squeezed his eyes shut tight and more blood fell like tears.

The moment his eyes were shut, a sudden freezing wave came over me. I gasped in shock and had to bite back a yell.

“Lady Jessica!” Greg’s voice echoed in my head. “Are you alright?”

I tried to mask the relief and shock in my expression as Allan recovered.

“Allan doesn’t like that idea,” he choked as the coughing died away. He opened his pale eyes again. “This vessel is falling apart as he fights against me.” Reaching up, he touched the blood on his face.

“I’m just about to be possessed by evil incarnate Greg,” I thought, “so yeah, I’m doing pretty great. Where have you been?”

“I’ve been waiting for Allan to turn away or close his eyes so that I could possess you!” Greg said.

“Well, you’re possessing me now,” I replied. “You don’t have a brilliant escape plan, do you?”

“I do, but I think you’ll detest it.”

“It can’t be worse than what’s about to happen!” I mentally yelled back.

“Then continue with your course of action,” Greg said, “and let her possess you.”

I took a shallow breath as I looked up at Allan. “So what do you think of my idea?” I asked shakily.

A grin twitched at the corner of his mouth. “I hate Allan for the years he’s kept me locked away in his mind,” he said, “and now you have presented me with the chance of getting to gut him myself.” He flinched suddenly and grabbed his head. “We must act with haste,” he muttered.

Stepping right beside me, he brought the knife close to my face. “Make one wrong move,” he muttered, “and you will be dead in a moment.”

I nodded as he cut through the tape tying me to the chair. “Any time you want to enlighten me Greg,” I thought, “I would love to hear your plan.”

“Do you trust me?” he asked.

“Well, kind of,” I replied, “I mean, you haven’t always been the best—”

“Do you trust me?” he interrupted, “With your life, and Allan’s?”

His words gave me pause. He’d never liked Allan, that was no secret, but he wouldn’t knowingly harm him, would he? As the witch possessing Allan drew closer to being done cutting through the tape, I knew I didn’t have many other options.

“I trust you Greg,” I thought.

“Then let me take control,” he said, “and no matter what I make you do, you must let me remain in control. Trust me like you have never trusted me before, or this will fall apart.”

I couldn’t take much more of this. “I’m checking out now Greg,” I said. “Please don’t let me die.”

Suddenly, the icy feeling of his presence stretched out over my whole body. When I was finally free from the duct tape, Allan grabbed my shirt collar and forced me to the ground. I was kneeling in front of the ceramic bowl now.

“Hold out your hands,” Allan said.

I could feel as Greg moved my hands, holding them out with the palms facing upward. Allan leaned closer, moving his hand that held the knife. He was about to cut into my hands. I wanted to close my eyes and look away, but Greg was in control, and he was watching everything unflinchingly.

Just as the knife drew close enough to touch my skin, Greg leapt into action. He moved my arms faster than I would have ever been able, and he made my hand grab Allan’s wrist and twist it. The knife fell into the bowl and I grabbed it. With a yell of fury, Allan swung out his fist and Greg pulled me into a crouch. The blow went right over my head. Before I could anticipate his next actions, Greg made me lunge forward, knife still in hand. As I saw what was happening, I wanted to scream out. I wanted to take back control over my body. What if I’d made a mistake? What if I was wrong to trust Greg? The temptation to take control was strong, but I didn’t let myself. In the end, I had to believe that Greg would help me. I had to trust him, even with Allan’s life.

I did nothing as Greg made me stab Allan in the stomach.

With a terrible shriek, Allan doubled over. He clutched his abdomen and I could see a terrible red stain spreading out from the knife. Horrified tears fell from my eyes as Greg forced my body to turn around and drop to my knees. Reaching out, I saw my hands grab the ceramic bowl. I knew what to do now. I didn’t need Greg’s help any longer. Lifting the bowl high above my head, I smashed it against the ground.

The inhuman shriek coming from Allan grew louder as the bowl began to chip, and then crack. With one last blow, it shattered to pieces. The symbols that were etched into the outside were broken.

I turned back to Allan as the shriek grew distorted.

“It’s over you witch!” I yelled. “Your cauldron is broken and Allan is dying!” Those words burned as they left my mouth. What had Greg done? “You have nowhere else to go, so why don’t you just face your own death?” Allan writhed on the ground. I could see that there was something twisting inside of him, something warping him.

“You are a coward for avoiding death!” I continued, my voice growing raw. “I’ve seen more bravery in little girls who watched over porcelain plates than in you!” Tears were falling down my face quickly now. “It doesn’t matter how long you run! Death will always find you!”

Despite the bloodstain spreading across his abdomen, Allan rose to his feet and dove toward me. I stumbled back and without warning the icy feeling inside of me was gone. Greg appeared for the flash of an instant, and then he was gone again. He’d disappeared inside of Allan.

Allan froze, his face contorting in rage. His body lurched this way and that and then he fell to his knees and tossed back his head. Something seemed to erupt from his body. It looked like a sizzling mass of energy, streaming out of his mouth and eyes. As soon as it had all left him, he fell to the ground, motionless.

Above him, the mass of energy remained, and in its chaos, forms began to take shape. I could see Greg, distorted though he was, and I could see the woman who had to be the witch. Her skin was ebony and her eyes were like glowing coals as she fought Greg. I tried to make sense of what I was seeing, I tried to understand it, but it hurt my eyes. With a sudden flash of light, they were both gone.

I let out a shaky breath. After all that, after all the mind-numbing fear and adrenaline, I felt hollowed out. Then I saw Allan, lying on the ground. My fear came back. Rushing over to him, I lifted his head from the floor. To my immense relief, he opened his eyes.

“Jessi,” he choked. His voice was weak as tears streaked down his face. “I’m so sorry,” he sobbed, “I…I’m so… sorry.”

I glanced around the room for my bag. I had to get my cell phone.

He’d squeezed his eyes shut as he cried and tremors ran through his body. Jumping to my feet, I spotted my bag on the other side of the room. Ripping it open, I grabbed my phone and dashed back to Allan’s side.

“I’m… so…sorry!” he continued to gasp, his words barely audible over his ragged breathing.

“It’s alright Allan,” I breathed. My hands were shaking so bad that I could barely get my phone turned on. “I’m calling an ambulance now, okay? Hold on.”

As I brought the phone to my ear, Allan began to grow still. I could only hope the ambulance would make it in time.