Episode 6: Like a Ninja

New York City!

“I bit off more than I could chew making it to Queens. I’m going to have to stop overnight again, there’s no way I can make it back before dark having to get through twenty miles of junkyard maze. I might have to be creative here. There was a small truck stop about a mile back. I might be able to use a big rig to push cars out of the way to save on my back. That means I leave my bike behind until I’m done. Not like I can carry all those supplies for mom on my Ninja anyway. I’ll just find a ride back with a truck that has a big bed and load my bike up to get it back to mom’s lab again. That or hijack another bike, it’s not like anyone can report me for theft. Naaa! I like mine! I’ve got to be getting close, but the sun is dropping fast. No clue how crazy it might get at night, so I better seek shelter.”

Not knowing the full extent of anything after the crazy skies and eyeball like moon Griffin Folklore was still on edge. Sure, he had discovered some interesting things such as the entire population, at least suspecting as much, were flipped inside out in the sense of altered dimensions. Not truly dead but ghosts on his end of the spectrum. He had the ability to bring folks back, but the inability to keep them longer than an hour or three under conditions. His DNA assisted in keeping someone around, but he couldn’t supply that forever and exist himself. It didn’t appear to be harming anyone when he brought them back more than once. But again, there was really no way of knowing the long-term effects, he might have on them in repeated resurrections. All he could honestly hope for was that he was not intentionally harming anyone.

“I think I have enough daylight left if I hurry to grab that semi. Pretty sure I can drive it; first time for everything, right? It had a sleeper cab, so I’ll just bunk in it after I move a few cars. Kind of spooky in the city at night knowing I’m the only living breathing being on the face of the planet. At least that I’m aware of, but I guess I’ll know when I run into someone that hasn’t been touched by me in some way.” Circling back on his Ninja, Grif headed for the truck stop. Eight minutes later he stashed his bike out of any weather just in case, the sky was gloomy so he really had no idea as of yet what might happen overnight.

After sorting through multiple rigs some were dead from running too long, or out of gas. Luckily, he had gas pumps at his convenience should he require a refuel. Fortunate for him his final choice was a massive Peterbilt tractor that sat lifeless but had the keys in the ignition. Worried at first, he might set on some driver and bring him back he used his mother’s compact mirror to check first as he had prior trucks. It hadn’t dawned on him what it might be like should he just jump right into a seat and literally share the same space with another who had been ghosted. For that matter just walking around he could step right into someone. At that moment he knew he needed to be more careful. It was haunting! Daunting too.

“Okay! No driver behind the wheel that’s good.” He ventured up into the driver’s seat and turned the key on. Firing up instantly he puckered his lip at his good fortune. “Guy must have filled his tank before blinking out. Good job!” Looking up at the rearview mirror which displayed what was going on in the cab he spotted movement and froze. Turning in his seat he expected a real person out of fear, but no it was simply the driver with a pleasant visitor. “Great! Driver Bob hooked up with a lot lizard.” Forced to use the mirror to watch he realized the hooker was pretty hot, definitely young. That unsettled Grif a bit. “She can’t be more than fifteen. What the fuck dude? I’m not perfect but that’s so not right.”

Mulling over the dilemma he considered his options. Her purse was next to the bunk so Grif carefully reached over and snatched it up. In the mirror he noticed the girl looking at him with a sad expression as he held her purse. “She’s sensing a connection to her bag. Let’s see who you are.” He located a bus pass with the name Tiffany Loomis on it. “Hey there, Tiffany. You can so do so much better than selling your body. ID says you’re sixteen, too young for that fifty-year-old you’re riding. Is someone pimping you out?”

It was then Grif realized that he did see clothing outside on the ground and presumed they belonged to the driver. “I bet those clothes belonged to your Pimp. How about I get you out of this mess?” He knew touching Tiffany would bring her back, but in her skin on skin with the driver her own DNA might chain react to the driver too. He didn’t want to explain the situation so chose to lure her off of him instead. “Step at a time here. Want your purse, Tiffany?”

He opened his truck door and stepped down onto the asphalt lot. Using his compact he observed her following him like a lost pet. It seemed strange to watch an ethereal ghost climb down when it had no physical limbs to grab anything. It was almost like watching a sheet flutter to the ground. Once on the concrete surface she stood lost until he waved her purse in front of her eyes. “That’s it, Tiffany! Follow me to safety.”

Mirror in hand he checked out the terrain leading to the restaurant. With no ghosts in his path, he coaxed her into the restaurant and to a booth in the diner. Sitting her purse along the wall he used his mirror to watch Tiffany take a seat beside her bag but look totally confused. “At least you’re safer in here should you...” He sighed tempted to touch her hand and bring her back. “Better not! Hold on a minute, I’ll be right back.”

Using the mirror as navigation he passed by waitresses and people moving about. Next to the diner was a souvenir shop where he swiped a NYC t-shirt off the rack that he concluded would fit her. Taking it back to the booth he sat it on the table for her to find should she revive in some unexplained way. “Guess I should have brought your clothes in from the truck. Kind of in a hurry Tiff, I’m really sorry. If you find your way back...” He noted a waitress order pad on the floor with a pen. Easing around the waitress uniform on the ground he took her pad and wrote a note to Tiffany. Why he bothered he didn’t know. Sympathy?

Jotting down his number and first name only he left it with the shirt. On it he also wrote, “Do something with your life. Call me I’ll help you if I can. P.S. I am not a Pimp, just a friend.” Returning the pad to where he found it he decided he needed to remove the truck driver too. Sick bastard deserved to be hijacked. Mirror in hand Griffin returned the Peterbilt and got his first look at the Pimp up close. Wallet lifted he saw the man’s ID as Viktor Cozekov.

“Russian pimp at that. Let’s just put some distance between you and Tiffany Vik the Dick!” Holding on to his wallet and fancy diamond and gold ring from the ground lying amid his clothing, Grif coaxed Viktor away from the Peterbilt. Free to open the passenger door Griffin found personal items that aroused the driver into following Griffin out of the truck. Tedious when only using a small compact mirror to keep track of everything around him, yet he managed better than expected.

Both men loitering without direction, they merely stared at their belongings as held by Griffin at arm’s length. “I know I shouldn’t waste time like this, but I can’t help myself. Both of these fuckers deserve what they get.” Carefully arranging their clothing and personal items Grif paused to examine their close proximity images while they faced one another yet didn’t seem to understand the others presence even up close. “Hmmm? I wonder...” Leaving them standing there idle, Griffin sifted through the driver’s cab and found a pair of thick leather gloves. “Experiment time you asswipes! If this works you bastards can keep each other company for a good long while.”

Stepping behind Viktor with a large gap between them Griffin put the gloves on and reached a single hand out to touch the Russian man’s shoulder. Using the mirror to guide him Griffin applied pressure, presuming his hand might simply phase through the guy, but as long as his DNA wasn’t handy, he might not turn human again. Almost as if compliant Viktor dropped to his knees and rested there without reacting to Griffin’s touch any other way. “Well now ... that’s interesting, I can touch them but as long as it’s not skin on skin I’m not offering them anything but guidance. That’s a huge help going forward I’m thinking.”

With Viktor remaining immobile Griffin turned his attention on the driver. “Okay Pedophile Pete, why don’t you pick on someone your own age.” Having blinked out of existence during sex the driver had a hefty erection still going on. It was obvious that whatever and however they were before the blink their bodies remained in that state. A cautious nudge forward into Viktor the driver’s intangible dick touched Viktor’s face. Like a sculptor Griffin lured Viktor’s chin until his mouth was over Pete’s pecker. A leather finger encouraging Viktor’s mouth wide a simple nudge forward it appeared as if Pete’s dick had driven home inside Viktor’s mouth. “Put Pete’s money where your mouth is Vik the Dick. Selling young girls for your benefit you deserve nothing but the best Buddy. Not my buddy!”

Simply leaving them in that position was priceless enough. “Gotta go! You two enjoy each others company until Hell freezes over. Peace out! Not so much!” Up into the rig he went. Restarting it he attempted his first time driving a big rig. The good thing was if he took out anything he couldn’t be blamed with no law enforcement to pull him over. “Just call me Mad Max!” He chuckled and pulled out. Brakes locked he had to figure out how to disengage them then set out just as dusk was creasing the horizon. Headlights shining bright he ventured out to the point where he turned back in favor of Pete’s paddy wagon.

Not wanting to shatter his lights on high impacts he simply used the power of the big truck to nudge cars out of his path. Backing a trailer up became a hassle in repositioning angles but he had a few hours before he required sleep. By 10:30 his vision was getting blurry, so he contemplated giving up. With the moon stepping out from behind the clouds the glow of humanoid auras alluded to dozens of ghosts, mostly still inside their vehicles. Apologizing for jarring their peace he simply kept at it until he could bypass the congestion. On the other side of the pile up was less obstruction so he just kept on going as long as he could. Finding people walking along the streets was spooky it was like they were pacing uncertain where to go. Moving forward until likely their blinking out moment then circling back a few minutes before. Notes were taken to talk with his mom Cassie about.

“I have to be getting close to that Japanese company mom jotted down. At least Pete’s GPS is still working, so that’s a huge help. I guess I’m going all the way there seeing as it’s only a mile further. I’m sleepy as hell but I can camp out once I reach the place then break in during daylight. I know I’ll need light to ... what the heck?” In the near distance he spotted such a bright light he felt as if he were at a night game at Yankee Stadium. “What is causing that aura?”

Continuing his journey, he found ghostly folks blocking the street and sighed after a helpless bout of reluctance, “Sorry people coming through.” He drove right over those in abundance, yet in his door mirrors he found them still standing upright where they should have been trampled. Up high enough in the rig that none of them could reach Griffin he found dozens of scalps phasing through the floorboards and back bunk area before their glows disappeared from sight. “So weird! I hope you all can forgive me. At least you’re not roadkill.” All he could think about was mosquitos stuck to a front grill.

Approaching the blinding lights, he realized the name on the upper left side of the building the light show was bathing as the location he needed to go. “That’s the place, HiMa Visuals. Whoa! Now I get the light show. The lower half of the building has exterior walls that are gigantic mirrors. It must be...” The closer he got he found his suspicions to be fact. “ ... folks that are drawn to the mirrored surface. Their reflections when lit up during darkness must be like a magnet to their perception. Kind of a moth to a flame type of thing. Follow the light to Heaven in a way. There are hundreds of people here right now. This is the biggest gathering I’ve seen thus far close up. I think I need to pee.” Fear was creeping in.

Resorting to parking the rig on the side street where no loitering ghosts seemed to be in his path, he shut his engine off and just kicked back. This was the first time he actually noticed insects flying around as well although basically lightning bugs. Even rabbits hopped about without worry of human pressures. It was kind of cool actually. “This is almost like being at Sea World! I’m in an alien environment that doesn’t seem to care if I’m invading. Nothing even seems to know I’m here. How cool is that?”

Daring to leave the cab he stepped down and took a leak on an incline of the road. Not really looking around himself due to being mesmerized by the mass of ghostly figures he stood vigilant, then out of nowhere he heard a cricket chirp. Shocked he scanned around him and realized that his urine was leaving a trail as it flowed down the unlevel road. A cricket’s ghost had found his piss flowing under its legs and his DNA had brought it back. “Your lucky day Jiminy Cricket. I got wood so that makes me Pinocchio.” He had to laugh at the irony.

“I haven’t seen this many naked people in my life. I almost feel guilty for spying on them. Not really! Last Perv on Earth that’s me. I might as well see if I can get in through the front door if I can bypass the gauntlet there. At least I won’t need mom’s compact to see them with now that it’s dark out.” Regardless he kept it in his pocket. Leather gloves still handy to assist in moving bodies without risk of bringing back any clingy hopefuls he would have to explain things to, he set out across the grass and noticed a rabbit resting peacefully. Smiling he walked over to it and removed his glove. Petting it the bunny immediately returned to life and froze in his touch.

“It’s okay, Little Guy. I’m not a threat. Neither are you so enjoy yourself a while before you disappear again. Maybe go home and cuddle with family, you might be able to keep one another alive. Worth a shot, right, Bugs?” From cricket to rabbit! Standing, he put his glove back on and carefully moved people of all sizes, shapes, and sex aside. He felt sad for them but there really wasn’t much he could do in such an environment. Pausing to check out a few hot chicks he had to shake off his urges and concentrate on what was vital. “Probably married anyway.” Of course, they might not have memories of any cheating once they turned ghost again in order to confess to any mate.

Reaching the front entrance, he made it as far as a turnstile but didn’t have a badge to get in. Narrowing his eyes, he retreated the building and studied the clothing of a good number of the ghosts until finding an actual badge of someone who worked there. “Thanks, Barbara!” Chunky frumpy Barbara Waynewright wouldn’t miss it. Would she? Stepping away with her card he spotted her following him and sighed, “Great! No choice, I need to get in and she’s, my ticket.” He simply kept on going her badge granting him easy access. Hanging onto her card in case he needed it further he paused to look behind him and found Barbara had literally walked right through the building after her card.

“Tagging along, Barbie? I’m cool just don’t hit on me. Not really my type ... no offense!” He grimaced feeling bad over his personal preference for hot chicks like his girlfriend Jade or Sonya back at the penthouse. Shrugging, he took a scan of the lobby spotting two security guards at the front desk. “New plan!” Guiding Barbara over to the guard station he eased around the first guard Derrick a large black man whose clothing, flashlight, and taser were resting in the pile, his feet still in his shoes. “Damn dude! Anaconda much?” He had nearly a foot long cock dangling between his legs. “Bet Barb here would love you.”

Ignoring Derrick any further he chose a seated guard named Edwin. White and rather nerdy but matchmaker Grif thought he was better suited for Barb. Taking her badge, he stuffed it carefully between Ed’s ghost like legs so as not to disturb him. Leading Barb to sit in his lap like a static charge she seemed to react slightly as if something was touching her, a brief moment later she simply sat on his lap. Ed was not responsive.

“You two just get acquainted. I’ll borrow one of these guest badges here, so I don’t have Barbie there trailing my every move. You guys just watch over my friend here, okay?” Badge taken from a hook behind the desk Griffin moved on. “Do I even know where I’m going? Not like I can ask directions unless I bring someone back. Guess I just drift around until I find where I need to be. Shit! Better check on mom.” Cell from his pants pocket he dialed Cassie, this time no voicemail.