Dominic Chiller: Ghost Warrior

They were on the phone again. Dominic Chiller could tell by the tone of his mother's voice. It had a frank, formidable quality, when she was given a new assignment, that belied her gentle nature. But rather than ignore the phone call like he was always told to, Dominic hid at the top of the stairs and eavesdropped over it.
"How many this time?" his mother said. "Ah huh, and what about weaponry? Is it packing anything?...No...And where?...the graveyard?...that's original...Yeah I'm familiar with him. Died in a house fire right?...any casualties so far? No. That's a relief. Okay, give me until Thursday. I'll take care of it."
His mother clicked the phone onto receiver. Dominic trotted down the stairs and casually followed her into the kitchen.
"Was that the Council again?" he asked.
"Oh that, yeah, it was," she said as she flicked the gas stove on and rested a saucepan full of water on top of the flaming ring. "But its nothing that need concern you."
Dominic pulled a chair out from underneath the table and plonked himself down onto it. "You always say that," he huffed as he picked at a splinter of wood sticking up from the surface of the table. "When can I come on a hunt with you?"
"Dominic, we've been over this. Firstly you're too young to be a WAG, and secondly it's far too dangerous."
His mother was a WAG, or Warrior Against Ghosts, one of many recruited across the Britain to rid the land of the scourge of spirits. Ever since the Other Realm became overcrowded the souls of the recently deceased, with nowhere to go, took residence amongst the living.
Over the years their grip on the land was forged on the basis of terror. Fear would drive the living away leaving it free for them. It took the death of a young child called William Blake, at the hands of a poltergeist, to make the British Government take notice. The Ghost Council was then formed with the sole objective of eradicating all unearthly demons.
Dominic knew the history well. He made a point of learning all about it. He wanted nothing more than to fight them to the death.
"So who is it this time? The menace, I mean?" Dominic asked.
His mother raised her eyebrows at him.
"I only want to know. That's all," Dominic said.
"His name is, or I should say was, Eli Dawson," said his mother, reluctantly.
Dominic instantly knew who she was talking about.
"He lived in Carvers Woods," she continued as she poured dried pasta into the bubbling water.
And he was a belligerent character. Eli hated people, especially if they trespassed on his land. It wasn't unusual to hear stories at school of kids being shot at by Eli and his air gun. When news spread that he'd died in a fire after he fell asleep with a lit cigarette in his hand, nobody mourned him.
"And he's at the graveyard?"
"Yes. And soon he'll have Total Awareness."
Dominic knew that was the stage that all WAGs feared. It was the stage when a new spirit realised it possessed powers and capabilities beyond that which it had when it was alive. For Eli Dominic knew this was especially bad. Eli had been house-bound since he was a child, after a car accident left him a paraplegic. Over the years of his incarceration he had become bitter, angry and hostile to anyone he came into contact with, to the point where nurses and health workers refused to go near him. But as a spirit, the ills that had beset him would disappear. He would have full use of his limbs and thus would be able to venture into the neighbouring village of Carstairs.
"So are you going out tonight then?" Dominic asked.
"No, the forecast isn't good tonight. They're predicting an electric storm."
"What a load of hokum," muttered Dominic. He didn't believe the idea that electricity fuelled spirit activity. From all that he had read, opinion across the Ghost Council was divided on the subject. Some believed it was the person's own energy that fuelled their spirit self, not electrically charged air around it.
"What did you say?" asked his mother.
"Nothing, mum," he said as he left the table.
"Don't go anywhere. Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes."
As Dominic climbed the stairs he thought about how much he would like to capture Eli Dawson, to get him back for all the times he'd tormented people he knew. The more he thought about the more he found he was grinding his teeth in anger and frustration. He had the knowledge to take Eli on. He was sure of that. He'd devoted most of his free time to reading about the work of the WAGs and the spirit world.
Before he knew it, Dominic was packing his rucksack with vials of holy water, his Electro Magnetic Pulse scanner, his infra-red goggles and his silver Spirit Leash. He was set and ready and whilst his mother busily prepared his dinner, Dominic climbed out of his bedroom window and shinnied down the drain pipe.
Outside the air was damp. Dominic could smell it. The humidity of the day had charged it. Above him thick charcoal grey clouds swirled, threatening to deposit a hefty deluge at any moment. Dominic knew that he'd have to strike a swift blow to Eli if he was to defeat the spirit before the weather got the better of him.
As he turned the corner of Bleachers which led to the old Church, he could hear Eli. His deep growl of a voice was clearly audible through the whistle of the wind.
Dominic swallowed the lump of apprehension that had risen in his throat and stepped onto the sacred ground of the graveyard. He readied his EMP and swiped the air in front of him with it, searching for Eli. Knowing that the physical make up of spirits differed from one to another heightened his sense of foreboding. If all spirits were visible to humans he'd have been happier, but the reality was that some were invisible to everything but an EMP scanner. But as luck would have it Eli was the kind that manifested as a white, wispy cloud.
As soon as Dominic spotted it he crouched behind a half sunken gravestone and watched. Eli was hovering over a freshly filled burial plot. The mound of earth was still moist. But there was not one bouquet of flowers or wreath to note the interred was missed or indeed remembered.
"That's gotta be Eli's resting place," Dominic muttered to himself.
Eli was as tetchy in death as he was in life. He was punching the mound of earth with his wispy clenched fists, getting more and more frustrated as some blows dislodged soft clumps whilst others didn't. He was on the cusp of Total Awareness, and Dominic knew it.
Dominic felt his heart rate quicken. He had to strike now and quickly before Eli's spirit became too powerful. He delved into his rucksack and unsheathed his Spirit Leash. With a deep breath and a prayer for strength he crept out from behind the gravestone and skulked towards Eli, taking cover behind other gravestones as he went. Eli it seemed was too preoccupied with trying to punch the ground and everything round him to notice Dominic creeping up on him. That suited Dominic. The element of surprise was usually in favour of the spirit, especially if they were the invisible variety.
He uncoiled his leash, ready to whip it out, but as he neared Eli he stepped on a twig. The snap echoed through the silence of the graveyard. Dominic looked up and saw a face like melted wax and two burning red eyes staring back at him. Eli had spotted him. With his ghostly arms outstretched Eli charged for Dominic. Dominic managed only just to leap out of Eli's path, landing heavily on his shoulder against a flat gravestone.
Dominic cried out in pain as he felt the bone crack. With his other arm he pushed himself up to a sitting position just as Eli swept over head, delivering a heavy punch to the side of Dominic's face. Terrified Dominic scrambled to the nearest table grave and hid beneath it and realised in his panic he'd left his leash at the flat gravestone; his only weapon. Defenceless Dominic hoped that Eli couldn't see him but Eli had reached Total Awareness.
A second later the stone Dominic was hiding beneath was lifted and tossed across the graveyard like a frisbee. It smashed against the side of the old church.
"Who are you?" Eli roared.
"Dominic," Dominic replied.
"Why do you come?"
"To...to capture you."
Eli grinned as he hovered above Dominic, showing a mouthful of crabbed ghostly teeth.
"If I had my gun I'd shoot you down, right where you stand," said Eli.
Realising he still had his rucksack, Dominic reached a hand round his back and felt for the vial whilst he kept Eli talking.
"But you don't have your gun," Dominic replied as his fingers clasped around the glass bottle.
"No. But I can still knock you into next week," spat Eli. Just as Eli swept his hand round to punch Dominic, Dominic yanked his hand from his rucksack and threw the contents of the bottle up at Eli's face.
The holy water hissed as it made contact with Eli's form. Eli cried out in pain, swiping his face with his ghostly hands, trying to rid himself of the stinging liquid. In the moment Eli was distracted Dominic scrambled across the damp grass and grasped the handle of his Spirit Leash. But Eli was behind him. A swift kick sent Dominic reeling forward. Dominic cried out in pain once more as pressure on his shoulder inflicted fresh damage to his injury.
Eli's cackle of wickedness echoed round the graveyard. As much as Dominic didn't want to admit defeat, he began to wish he had paid attention to his mother. Perhaps he was to young to become a Warrior. Perhaps he wasn't meant to.
"You kids are all alike," cackled Eli. "Worthless layabouts. No good to man nor beast. You should all be shot."
Eli's ill chosen words rang in Dominic's ears and enraged him. With a sudden thrust of energy, and ignoring the throbbing pain in his shoulder, Dominic released the tail of his leash. It whipped through the air and before Eli could dart out of the way the silvery tail coiled itself round Eli's neck. Eli clawed at the Spirit Leash, trying to pull it from his throat.
Dominic, steadied his catch, holding it firm as Eli squirmed like a freshly caught fish against the leash.
"Whose got ya now?" Dominic cackled.
"Dominic!" screamed a voice from behind him.
Dominic turned to see his mother rushing toward him.
"What are you doing?"
"I caught him, mum. I did it."
"Give me that now," she said, grabbing the Spirit Leash from Dominic's hands. "Do you know how dangerous this is, do you?"

Dominic looked sheepishly at his mother. "Yeah, I suppose," he said as he massaged his shoulder. "But I did it though, mum. I can do it. I'm gonna be a Ghost Warrior. Just you see."