19 January 2023
Not really sure what to say about this one. Also still no idea really where this is going to go; I’ve been playing with different ideas on what might be up with the captain. Also been considering weird romance-y bits, with the ghost and/or Liz falling for Cap and influencing the other. It would be hard to take that seriously, though, so I haven’t decided yet. Depends on what else is going on; if the rest of it is comedy-oriented, then sure, why not.
Elizabeth followed his finger to the image of a pale, translucent woman. Her clothes were old fashioned, over a century out of date; if Liz remembered correctly, that would line up with the previous expedition and colonization attempt quite nicely.
Once she realized that, Liz narrowed her eyes. This was all an elaborate trick, wasn’t it? Designed to either scare her off or spoof her for their own amusement. Well, she’d let them know exactly what she thought of that.
As soon as she stood up, though, the ghost turned around to face her. Liz had to take a step back, because the entire left side of the ghost’s face was missing, leaving just the skull below the hairline.
Even that, Liz could have handled. One doesn’t become a field-based anthropologist by being squeamish, especially around human remains. No, the trouble came when the ghost opened its mouth and screamed.
It wasn’t just that the scream terrified Elizabeth. Rather, it felt like the scream itself was terror and all those who could hear it were helpless in the face of it. Certainly, Elizabeth herself thought that death was inevitable.
And yet, somehow, the captain still had that cheeky grin on his face. He rose and began to make his way toward the ghost. The ghost turned her attention on him, and let loose an even louder, more soul-wrenching scream. This time, Liz noticed the waves of darkness rolling off her to buffet the captain. Still, he moved on, as if it wasn’t even worth noticing.
Once again, the ghost screamed, this time distending its jaw. Her face shifted so the entire thing, not just the left half, looked decayed. Liz could tell that whatever else, the ghost was determined to frighten the captain.
Even then, the only reaction from the captain was to stroke his beard. “Well, you’re a lively one, aren’t you?”
To Liz’s shock, fear filled the ghost’s face, and she disappeared into a cloud of mist. Moments later, Liz could feel a chill running down her back. When she turned her head, there was the ghost–her face whole and complete, now–hiding behind her, watching the captain apprehensively.
Liz, too, watched him with a great deal more wariness. What kind of man could scare even the haunts and spooks into submission?