revivalproject | Ghosts of the Past

WHO: Radley and anyone in his location
WHERE: Hotel
WHAT: Ghostly visit
WHEN: During the Storm
WARNINGS: CW: Mentions of torture and death by electrocution, suicidal thoughts

Radley was angry, frustrated, and worried about the sudden storm. At least he had supplies, so he wasn't so worried about himself, but he was definitely concerned for those who might not be in such a good situation. He was also really worried about Eddie, not sure if anyone was even at the hospital with him. He tried to get over there, but failed before the storm hit. Unable to leave, he went around checking on those who were in the building with him and was trying to adapt to dealing with the problem (hoping it wouldn't last long), when a sudden additional chill permeated the air. This one went right to his soul. He froze, turning to look to the source. As a ghostly vision began to take shape, all color drained from his face.

"Kalin?!"

The man who appeared was younger than Radley, but his golden eyes were emotionless and dead. Long, pale blue hair framed his face and fell around his shoulders and down his back, a sharp contrast to his dark coat. A jagged yellow mark went all the way down the right side of his face. He stood, just staring through Radley for an agonizingly long moment before raising a hand and pointing at him with a steady finger.

"You failed."

Radley went colder than even before. "Kalin, what ... why are you acting like this?! What happened to you?! Are you dead?!"

He did seem to remember hearing about apparitions that appeared during storms. Was this real? Was it just someone taking on Kalin's appearance? How would it know about Radley's past and what haunted him so?

Kalin ignored him and kept talking. "You failed the town. You failed everyone who cared about you. You couldn't protect them. Instead you were dragged to Malcolm's mine and tortured to death with an overloaded shock collar, just another victim of his cruelty! You gave up on life and let yourself die!"

Radley was shaking, but finally he found his voice. "What about you?!" he spat. "You gave up on life long before that! You wanted to go to the mine! You wanted to suffer and die! I wanted to live! I wanted to save everyone ... and I couldn't...."

"You weren't good enough. Everyone left you. Everything was taken from you. And you lost all hope, all desire to go on. And I ... I couldn't care less."

The phantom rippled and faded into the mist.

Radley sank to his knees, still shaking. He was angry, he was hurt, he was crushed to pieces. Kalin or whoever had laid bare everything still torturing Radley in his mind and in his heart, right down to his anguish that Kalin didn't care, or didn't seem to. They hadn't spoken since Radley's revival. He didn't know why Kalin had always treated him so poorly. He only knew how it had felt to him. Every time he had tried to reach out, he had been kicked away like an unwanted animal. As if that hadn't been bad enough, Kalin and his friend Yusei had abandoned Radley to the torture in the mine, where he had suffered and died. Now the scab had been ripped open anew and all of the pain he had been trying to push back and hide was coming out again. He sobbed bitterly, unaware that others had witnessed the spectacle and were probably still here now.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Well, you're welcome to look after Little Bear sometimes if you want. He loves to play, and I am a more... restrained person many times."

And the dog needed a lot of energy.

"Really? That's nice of you, thanks. I'd like that." Radley smiles at both Lark and Little Bear. "He reminds me of my friend Scotch, very happy and playful."

She hears a bit of bubbling and rises again to get the water.

"He is. The children played with him often, and he is a darling. But shy of other animals at times."

"He gets along better with people, huh?" Radley mused.

"He was taken in by four teens," she points out with a smile. "Yes, he does better with people."

Radley nods thoughtfully. "That's interesting how that goes. Some people get along better with animals, too."

Yes, that's true as well.

"Rosethorn was more tolerant of him than I was expecting actually."

"Rosethorn?" Radley asks.

"My partner," Lark says as she tips some leaves into the water for the tea.

"Oh. Rosethorn isn't an animal fan?" Radley surmises.

"She's..."

Lark has to consider how to say it so that Rosethorn isn't judged improperly.

"Rosie loves plants. She is as much of plants as I am of thread. And things that harm or disturb her plants aren't welcome. Including animals that might dig them up or bite them or do other things."

"Ahh. I get that. I'd be pretty upset if my roses got dug up."

"She didn't keep too many of those. But yes, she would have been. Little Bear learned to fear her though, in that way that keeps a dog out of trouble. She never hurt him."

And he had won her heart too.

"That's good they found ways to get along. That's always important if you're spending a lot of time together."

He wishes he could have ever got through to Kalin.

Lark smiled and carried the cup over to him to hold.

"We lived together, so yes, quite often."

Radley accepts it. "Thanks." He sips at it. "This is really good."

Lark just smiles and settles down again.

"She would probably yell at this storm in annoyance."

Radley laughs. "One of those kind, huh? My rival would do things like that sometimes. He could be very entertaining."

See, that's a fond memory Radley deserves to have.

"She's not against weather, but it would be inconvenient, and the ghosts would just annoy her."

"It sure is inconvenient. That's probably good she wouldn't be too bothered by the ghosts. They're a menace."

Oh, she thought Rosethorn would be quite shaken by them if what she saw of the end of Radley's was any indication.

"They are. But you'll do better. I believe it. Now drink your tea dear."

Radley smiled. “That’s a nice thought.”

He relaxed and just focused on the tea.

"Hold on to it. Take your peace from the thought. We'll make it reality bit by bit when the storm passes."

Radley nodded, pondering that. He still wondered how it could really be done, but he would hope for the best. It was all he could do.

“I like that.”

Good. She's very happy.

"I'm going to put together a light soup. When you're done with your tea, you're welcome to my bed and blankets. And you can cuddle up with Little Bear. It will do you some good."

(no subject)

crystalmaster - 2023-03-04 03:49 (UTC) - Expand

stitch_witch - 2023-03-04 04:03 (UTC) - Expand

crystalmaster - 2023-03-04 04:08 (UTC) - Expand

thanks for another great thread!

stitch_witch - 2023-03-04 04:14 (UTC) - Expand

Thank you!

crystalmaster - 2023-03-04 04:22 (UTC) - Expand