She glanced to where the shadow indicated Hank stood and then to the screen. She held up her hands as if to stop his advances.
“Do you see him?” Vivien’s voice asked. They hadn’t listened to her when she told them to leave.
“No,” Heather answered.
“Sue, be careful!” Vivien yelled.
Sue kept her attention on the shadow’s movement as it loomed toward her. It grew taller as if to tower over her.
“Hank, you don’t have to do this.” Sue desperately tried to reason, even though she knew it had never worked in the past. That same old fear filled her. Her side ached from where she’d slammed into the chair. Tears rolled down her face. “Please, just let me go. It’s over. Let me go.”
The shadow swung. She tried to dodge, but a formidable force smacked her across the face. She cried out as she fell to the floor. Hank usually tried to avoid her face so no one saw the bruises, but now that he was dead, maybe he’d stopped caring. The shadow moved over her. She tried to block a kick, but the invisible blow tossed her onto her back.
Sue coughed, and the taste of blood entered her mouth.
Hank kicked her again. She tried to stop him, but there was no blocking a ghost. She knew each blow would bring her closer to death. Hank had come for her like she knew he would, and he would not stop until she was dead.
The clipped series of voices returned, “I know—what’s in—your head—know—know—whore—know—if I can’t have you—no one can—no— your head—”
And then the porno resumed playing. The woman gasped in loud pleasure as she was hit over and over, the scene repeating itself on a loop.
Sue saw her friends edging their way onto the stage behind Hank’s shadow. She caught a glimpse of Lorna’s bloody face.
It was one thing to beat her. It was another to hurt her friends and her new beau.
Years of anger and fear exploded inside of Sue. She screamed, charging up from the floor with a strength she didn’t know she had.
“You will not hurt them,” she cried. “You will not hurt them, you fucking asshole!”
She swung blindly toward where the shadow appeared to be, punching her arms like a madwoman. She felt her fists hitting a cold mass and kept pounding.
“I hate you,” Sue yelled.
Hank’s presence seemed to fall to the floor. She saw his shadow on his back on the screen next to them. She kept hitting toward the cold spot. Her legs straddled Hank’s ghost, keeping him penned where she could strike him. Her hand stung and bled like she punched ice, but she didn’t care.
“I hate you. I hate you. I hate your smell. I hate your taste. I hate your laugh. I hate that stupid joke you make about Hank Jewel’s family jewels. No one thinks that’s funny.” Sue didn’t think, as the anger and hurt rolled out of her in a storm of pent up rage. “I hate your smile. I hate the way you make me feel. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you, you infantile, stupid, prick!”
“Sue,” Jameson’s weak voice croaked from behind her.
Her punches became weaker, and she panted for breath, but she didn’t stop trying to hurt Hank.
“You don’t hurt the people I care about,” she gasped.
Heather rushed to Sue’s side and grabbed her right arm. Sue tried to pull free to keep hitting Hank, but Heather held tight. Sue struck him with her left fist.
Vivien supported Lorna as they joined them. Lorna’s eyes appeared dazed, but she reached for Heather’s hand. Vivien kept hold of Lorna and grabbed Sue’s left arm. The ring on her finger sent a pulse of energy through her, and their presence gave her strength.
In unison, the three women yelled over the porno, “Beings tethered to this plane, full of rage and filled with pain. We call you to come near. We call you to face what you fear. We call you to your eternal hell. Pay the price with this final knell.”
Tiny lights erupted beneath Sue, filling in the details of Hank’s transparent face. His eyes were wide, and he looked terrified. It spread quickly through his body, revealing him. Vivien let go of her, and Heather tried to pull Sue to her feet. Jameson appeared next to them, taking over for Heather as he lifted Sue from on top of Hank. He held her against his chest, an arm hooked under her knees and the other behind her back.
Rage distorted Hank’s face as he yelled, writhing on the floor. The movie image appeared to melt like film under fire, leaving a white screen. The light inside him grew, turning an angry, burning red.
“Spirit,” Vivien muttered in disgust, “we release you.”
Hank’s mouth opened as if he would yell, but instead, his body exploded into a surge of flames that quickly turned into dying embers. The lights drifted to the stage floor and went out.
The smell of Hank’s cologne instantly disappeared, and Sue took a deep breath. She felt the fear and anger inside her die with him.
Jameson held her tight as he stared at the floor. Sue reached for his face and forced him to turn to her. “Are you hurt?”
He shook his head in denial, but she suspected he might be lying. Hank had thrown him against the wall pretty hard.
Sue squirmed to be let down. Jameson acted as if he didn’t want to let her go but finally set her on her feet. She cradled her ribs with her sore arm. Both hands throbbed where she had punched the skin raw.
“Lorna?” Sue stumbled to where Lorna sat on the floor, holding her head in her hands. Jameson followed close behind, not leaving her side.
“Bastard pushed the storage shelf on me,” she grumbled.
“I’m so sorry,” Sue whispered. “The last thing I wanted was for any of you to get hurt.”
Lorna looked up at her. “You didn’t do this. I’ll be fine.”
“Heather? Vivien?” Sue asked.
“I’m good,” Vivien said.
“I’m so glad I ignored you guys and came,” Heather said. “I just had this feeling like I needed to be here.”
Lorna took in Sue’s face. She looked to where Sue cradled her arms across her stomach. When she opened her mouth to say something about it, the sound of clapping came from the destroyed auditorium.
Jameson automatically put himself in front of Lorna and Sue and held his arms out to create a human shield.
Heather walked to the edge of the stage and stared into the wreckage. “Julia says to tell you great performance. The best show she’s seen in a long time.”
Sue leaned to look around Jameson’s legs, but she couldn’t see Julia.
“She said she’s glad you got her text?” Heather glanced back, not understanding.
“Who are you talking to?” Jameson asked.
Heather scrunched up her face and turned back to the seats. “I will not ask him to do that!”
“What?” Jameson turned to look at Sue.
“It’s fine. She’s talking to her grandma.” Sue reached her wrist to him so he could help pull her up without touching her injured hands.
“Is Hank gone?” Heather asked the auditorium. “Grandma, is Hank’s ghost—fine!”
Heather turned to Jameson.
“What?” he asked.
“Could you…” She frowned, sighing. “I’m so sorry. Could you like twirl around so my dead grandma can get a look at you? It’s the only way she’ll answer me if Hank is gone for good.”