Ways to See a Ghost

everywhere, you could hear them chewing. I had to make myself hold on, because I nearly threw up all over myself.
    Overhead, the trees of light were charring and turning rotten, their silver leaves crumbling into ash.
    “Fight it!” I yelled at Isis, but she didn’t move.
    Angel was tugging on her clothes, crying out, “Come back, Isis, pease! Pease!”
    I took proper hold of Isis’s hand. Shaking it and trying to wake her up.
    Philip Syndal stopped giggling. “Leave the girl alone.”
    “Shut up!” I shouted at him. “Go away or I’ll
kill
you!” And I wanted to, I hated him so much.
    I squeezed Isis’s hand, talking to her. But there was nothing in her, not even a hint. And the thing, the Devourer,all the murk and slime, it just kept on swelling. Dripping up into the sky, oozing across the field, so all you could see was squirming blue-black muck and eyes drifting everywhere. And mouths.
    It pulsed, you know? Like a heart. But it was colder than a freezer, and getting darker too. Now it was really ripping the golden leaves from the sky, tentacles whipping all over, never missing a single one.
    “Wake up!” I screamed at Isis.
    “I don’t know who you are,” said Philip Syndal, “but you’re really very annoying.”
    I should’ve run then, because it was obvious he was mad, but I couldn’t just leave her. A second later his hands were around my neck, squeezing. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t even gasp a word. And it really hurt. I was scrabbling at his fat fingers, trying to pull them off my throat. He was so strong though. Crazy-strong.
    I thought I heard Mum calling my name, maybe I imagined it. I couldn’t have answered anyway.
    Philip Syndal kept on throttling me. My head was bursting, my feet started twitching. I could see Angel and the Devourer too, even though I wasn’t holding onto Isis any more. Not so clearly, but they were definitely there.
    It never happened like that any other time, I think it was… because I was nearly dead.
    “After you die,” Philip growled, “it will eat you.”
    Angel was hitting him with her tiny, not-really-there hands. “Let Gray go!” she cried. “You stink! You horrid!”
    It didn’t make any difference, except Isis turned to look at her. Eyes as black as Philip’s had been, looking at Angel like she didn’t even know her.
    “The bargain is ended,” she said.
    Angel screamed as a slug-squirl snapped out and grabbed her. She was gone, into one of its mouths. As quick as that.
    I would’ve screamed too if I could’ve. I knew no one was going to help me, not in time, and I could feel myself going. The world was turning dim, and the Devourer was getting clearer. This energy came to me then. Out of fear, you know? I started really struggling, kicking at Philip Syndal, trying to get free. He grunted, glaring at me eye to eye, but he didn’t let go. Then Isis… I don’t know, she shouted or something, and Philip jumped in surprise. His hands slackened on my neck, just for a millisecond.
    I threw myself backwards, using all my weight. My neck scraped out through his fingers and I flung myself as far away from him as I could get, which wasn’t far. I had the worstsore throat ever, but I could breathe! Gargling and making these really weird noises, actually. All wobbly and weird too – I could hardly stand, let alone run. I only managed to get a few steps before Syndal grabbed me again. I made this raspy shrieking noise, as I tried to scrabble away from him.
    “Won’t you just die?” he hissed, grabbing me.
    I had to do something, so I head butted him.
    CRACK
. It hurt like
anything
, like getting a hammer put through your skull. I saw stars and everything. But Philip made this ‘oof’ noise and fell backwards. I stared down at him, not quite believing it for a minute. I’d knocked him out!
    I staggered in a little circle, trying not to fall over too.
    “Isis!” I croaked. “Isis!”
    It was totally dark by then. Clouds had moved into the sky and there was nothing to see by. I couldn’t see her anywhere. It was like she’d vanished into nothing, into the night.
    Philip Syndal…
    I checked our file on him when he first got involved, but I thought the same as everyone else, that his worst crime was being a conman. But after what he did to Isis, I think I’ll give him as myreason for coming here. He was brought to this hospital too, so it fits, and a transfer to one of our facilities will be easy to arrange.
    My colleagues will want