Fiction:"Soucouyant" by AmandaKnox

Through darkness, candles are flickering on a small, round table, surrounded by pins and scraps of fabric, the only sound that can be heard is the shaky old voice of a woman chanting. A pair of hands covered with lace gloves picks up a doll made from thick weaved fabric and buttons for eyes, human hair is stitched to it's head and toe nail clippings are sticking out between the fabric weaves.
She brings the doll close to her face, barely lit by the candle light. She is dark skinned, wrinkled with soft eyes, her hair is white, short and crimped. She smiles at the doll, places it down gently and sits back.

Another candle ignites at the opposite side of the room, which reveals a group of 8 people, standing, staring blankly as if they are looking right through the old lady. She raises a finger and summons one of them forward. A man slowly approaches her in a trance-like state, she stands, holding a dagger.

Woman: "It is time"

With that, she thrusts the dagger down into the doll with such force that it pins the doll to the table.

Man: "Yes mistress"

Meanwhile, The Ghostbusters are sitting quietly in the firehouse lounge, studying for college.

Garrett: "Man, I can't concentrate while I'm this bored"

Roland: "If you want to pass Egon's class you're going to have to study"

Garrett: "We never had to study this before, why now?"

Roland: "We investigate the paranormal, it can't hurt to learn what we're dealing with"

Kylie: "And besides, the college have been questioning Egon about not having any essays from us to grade"

Eduardo: "Oh man, you mean he's going to give us an essay to do too?"

Kylie: "I'm sure you'll do fine, after all it's an 'easy A', remember?"

Kylie giggles and gets back to her book.
Eduardo just scowls, picks up a book and opens it on the first page.
Kylie glances over to Eduardo.

Kylie: "Eduardo.."
Eduardo looks up from his book.
Kylie: "We're supposed to be studying dimension gateways"
Eduardo; "I know"
Kylie: "Well you're not going to find out much about it in the dictionary"
Eduardo closes the book and looks at the cover, he puts it on the table and sits back, a bit embarrassed.
Kylie smirks as she gets back to reading.

Garrett: "This is boring, Eddie, you wanna play some ball outside?"
Eduardo: "Let's go"

Alongside the firehouse in a small fenced-off yard, Garrett and Eduardo are playing basketball.

Garrett: "Well, I was enjoying this course just doing Ghostbusting, then the college had to get involved"

Eduardo: "Yeah, like risking our necks every day isn't enough without having to write about it"

Eduardo throws the ball hard against the wall out of frustration, but it bounces back, Garrett just misses it by an inch and it flies over the fence.
They both wince as the hear the sound of screeching tyres and horns blaring.

Eduardo: "Umm... oops?"

Garrett: "You need to go get that, Ed"

Eduardo: "And do the walk of shame through piled up traffic to get a ball? I think not"

Garrett: "I don't think the damage is that bad and I want my ball back"

Eduardo: "If you want your ball so bad, you get it"

Garrett: "Yeah right, and make it look like it was my stupid mistake?"

They stop arguing as they hear a knock on the gate.

Eduardo panics and presses his back up against a wall.

Garrett: "Huh, coward"

They hear another knock followed by a female voice with a distinctive Jamaican accent.

Woman: "I can see you in there"

Garrett: "We're very sorry, my idiot friend here..."

Woman: "It's ok, I was just walking by, here's your ball"

Garrett opens the gate and catches eyes with the beautiful, young, dark skinned woman.

Garrett: "Th... thanks"

Woman: "No problem, do you live here? It's a remarkable building"

Garrett: "We work here, we're the Ghostbusters, you've probably heard of us"

Woman: "No, I'm not from around here, but I would love to hear all about it"

Upstairs in the lounge, Roland looks out the window at a couple of drivers standing by their dinted cars, shouting at each other and other cars beeping their horns because they can't get past, he closes the window to block out the sound and sits back down.

Roland: "Looks like chaos out there"

Kylie: "All comes with living in New York"

Garrett rushes back into the lounge with Eduardo slowly making his way in behind him.

Garrett: "Guess who's got a date tonight!"

Kylie: "Huh? Who with?"

Eduardo: "A date? She asked you to go teach her about ghosts, it's hardly a date"

Garrett: "Eddie threw the ball too hard, it landed in the road and this chick brought it back to me"

Roland: "You mean all that outside is because of Eduardo?"

Eduardo: "Hey man, it was an accident and not that bad"

Roland opens the window, letting in all of the noise, Eduardo peers out of the window and sees all of the chaos and damage"

Eduardo: "Umm... I'm not here"

Eduardo rushes back inside and Roland closes the window.

Janine enters to room.

Janine: "You've got a call, guys!"

Garrett: "Finally!"

The Ghostbusters are travelling in the Ecto 1, talking to Egon over the radio.

Kylie: "An actual Vampire?"

Egon: "From what information Janine has been given, it would seem that a Vampire would be a primary assumption, there are too many types to say for certain, but for now we can treat the case like we're dealing with a classic Vampire"

The car stops outside of an outer-city house and approach the door.
A woman answers the door.

Woman: "Thank goodness you're here, she was here during the night and she tried to bite him!"

Garrett: "Woah, settle down, lets take this from the top"

The Ghostbusters are sitting in the lounge of the house with the couple who live there.
Kylie turns to the man.

Kylie: "Would I be right in thinking that you're the one she tried to bite?"

Man: "Yes, I woke up to my wife screaming and this face was right over mine, she was wearing a black hood, so all I could really see was the teeth"

Roland: "And you described these as Vampire teeth?"

Man: "Yes, her mouth was wide open like she was about to bite me"

Kylie turns to talk to the woman.

Kylie: "Did you see anything more before your husband woke up?"

Woman: "All I saw was her teeth and her long cloak, it was tied with rope around her waist, definitely a female figure"

Garrett: "And the screaming scared her away?"

Woman: "Yes, she flew out of the window and I closed it behind her"

Eduardo enters the room.
Eduardo: "I checked upstairs, she's left nada"

Roland: "All we can do is wait for another call and try to research what information we have"

Kylie: "We'll be in touch"

The Ghostbusters are back in the Ecto 1, driving past some shops.
Eduardo: "Stop here, I need to pick up some lunch"

Roland stops a few shops along from the the convenience store.

Eduardo is waiting in line in the shop when he sees a woman with her eyes wide open and a fixed stare, walking straight for the door with an armful of unpaid for items. She is stopped by security, Eduardo is staring while the cashier is shouting at him.

Cashier: "Sir! Sir! There's a queue, buddy!"
Eduardo: "Um, sorry"

Eduardo approaches the counter, pays for his items while looking over his shoulder at the commotion then heads for the door.
As he's walking past, the woman pulls a pair of scissors out of her pocket, snips off a chunk of the security guard's hair and runs out of the shop.
Security guard: "Hey! Are you nuts?"

Eduardo continues to walk back to the Ecto 1 and he passes a hairdressers on the way, a man runs out with a handful of hair while the hairdressers look out of the window, confused.
Eduardo: "Huh?"

Eduardo gets back into the car.
Eduardo: "This city gets weirder"

Kylie: "What happened?"

Eduardo: "I've just seen two people stealing hair!"

Garrett: "Hair?"

Eduardo: "Yeah, hair"

Roland: "Why would anyone want hair?"

Eduardo: "They even looked crazy, like the lights were on but nobody was home"

The Ghostbusters are back in the firehouse lounge with Egon and Janine.

Roland: "I don't know if we have another case on our hands, but Eduardo saw a couple of people stealing hair on the way back here"

Egon: "Fascinating, hair is often used in witchcraft rituals, either they are two separate entities or we may have some sort of witch-vampire hybrid on our hands, but to assume anything at this stage would be clutching at straws"

Janine: "Until we get another call I don't think there's much to go on"

Egon: "That's correct, we can't progress this case until we have further leads"

Garrett: "Well, day shift is nearly over and I'm supposed to be meeting Mila after work"

Eduardo: "Don't get your hopes up, roller-boy, didn't sound like she thought it was a date"

Garrett: "Yeah yeah, she made an excuse to get me to her place"

Eduardo: "Dream on"

Garrett: "We'll see, I'm out of here"

Garrett packs his equipment away in the cupboard and heads for the elevator.

Roland: "Suppose we'd best be making tracks too, I have an early start in the morning"

Garrett is in his city apartment, dialling on the phone with the receiver to his ear.

Garrett: "Hey Mila, we still on for this evening?"

Mila is sitting on her bed, putting her shoes on while holding the phone receiver up with her shoulder.

Mila: "My place is a bit of a mess, could I come to yours instead? Great, what's your address? I'll see you real soon"

At the firehouse Egon is researching connections between witches and vampires, but every time he types anything in a message pops up on screen "NO RESULTS FOUND"

Janine approaches from behind with a cup off coffee and sets it down on the desk.

Janine: "Take a break, Egon. Trust me, when you get annoyed with technology it makes it harder to work with a clear head, besides it's getting late"

Egon: "I'm fine!"

Janine: "And case"

Egon: "Well, I suppose I could give my eyes a rest from the computer screen for 5 minutes"

They both sit on the couch and Egon picks up a book that's been left on the table.

Janine: "Did you find anything new at all?"

Egon: "Not a thing, I don't think there's a connection, I just have to be sure before continuing the case in the morning"

Janine: "I'm sure we'll find out soon enough"

In Garrett's apartment; Mila and Garrett are sitting on the edge of his bed.

Garrett: "...And then we empty the trap into the containment unit"

Mila: "Has anything ever escaped?"

Garrett: "Well, only by human error, but I always get them back"

Mila: "It sounds like you're very good at what you do"

Garrett: "Me and my team are the best at what we do"

Mila: "There are others who catch ghosts?"

Garrett: "Well... no"

Mila giggles.
Mila: "So, do you live here alone?"

Garrett: "Nah, my parents work late, I won't be able to start saving up for my own place until I've finished college and started earning some real money. We surprisingly come across very few paying clients in Ghost Busting"

Mila: "So, we're alone..."

Garrett: "I guess we are"

Mila puts her hand on Garrett's shoulder and leans in, Garrett smiles, but Mila opens her mouth wide, her skin changes to a wrinkly texture, her hair turns white and fangs grow from her teeth.
Garret screams as Mila leans in, pinning Garrett down as he struggles to push her away.

The next morning, Eduardo, Roland and Kylie arrive at the firehouse, entering the lounge area.

Roland: "Looks like Garrett is running late"

Kylie: "Janine, were there any more leads about this Vampire?"

Eduardo: "Yeah, Kylie is missing her own kind"

Kylie: "That's getting old, Eduardo"

Eduardo chuckles: "Still makes me laugh"

Kylie just sighs.

Janine: "Actually, no, Egon stayed up late trying to find any leads he could, but he thinks it's just a classic Vampire, so if you find her it should be a pretty straight forward job"

Eduardo: "The best kind of work"

Kylie: "You know, there's something about this case that doesn't add up"

Roland: "What is it?"

Kylie: "If there's a vampire on the loose, there should be victims reported, they either feed on their blood or turn them into Vampires. She can't turn all of them into Vampires because she still needs to feed. No disappearances reported either, this doesn't add up"

Roland: "Perhaps there's a chance that the couple we spoke to made it up"

Eduardo: "Wouldn't be a first"

Kylie: "We may have to keep that possibility in mind"

Egon: "Agreed, we should close this case until we have any further cause for concern"

In Garrett's apartment he is sitting in his wheelchair in the middle of his bedroom, staring blankly at the wall.
Mila is walking around him, she stops and kneels down to look him in the eyes.

Mila: "Welcome to my world, slave"

Garrett continues to look straight forward, not blinking or moving.

Mila: "All of my slaves are assigned a mission, I have a very special mission in mind for you"

Later, Garrett enters the firehouse lounge.

Eduardo: "Hey, look who's finally back from his 'date"

Garrett: "Hi"

Kylie waves her hand in front of Garrett's face.
Kylie: "Garrett, you ok?"

Garrett: "I'm fine"

Kylie whispers to Roland: "I think there's something wrong with him"

Roland: "I see what you mean, he's really not himself"

As Kylie and Roland are talking, Garrett leaves the room, Eduardo gives him a few seconds then follows.
Eduardo peers over the top of the stairs down at the ground floor, Janine is away from her desk.
Garrett exits the elevator and goes round the back of Janine's desk and opens the drawers.

Eduardo: "What's he doing?"

Garrett pulls out Janine's hairbrush, pulls all of the tangled hair out of the bristles and puts the hair in his pocket.

Eduardo: "Huh?"

Eduardo runs back into the lounge.

Eduardo: "Ok, something is definitely wrong with Garrett! He's just picked up Janine's hairbrush and kept a chunk of her hair!"

Kylie: "There's a definite pattern forming!"

Alarms begin to sound and read beacons are flashing in every room.

Egon: "Containment breach!"

They all run down to the basement. They get the basement and see Garrett smashing into the containment unit with a crowbar.

Egon: "Garrett! What do you think you're doing?!"

Garrett just continues smashing.

Eduardo: "You think he's possessed?"

Roland: "It looks that way, grab a proton pack! Kylie, get a trap!"

Eduardo, Roland and Kylie run down to the floor of the basement. Eduardo grabs a proton pack and puts it on, Kylie grabs a trap and Roland tackles Garrett to force him away from the containment unit, he forces Garrett to the floor and moves out of the way. Kylie stands ready withthe trap and signals Eduardo.

Eduardo blasts Garrett, he just crouches with his arms covering his head.

Eduardo: "Nothing is happening!"

Roland: "Stop the stream!"

Eduardo stops blasting and Garrett pulls himself back into his chair, he picks up the crowbar and heads back to the containment unit.

Roland: "No you don't!"

Roland grabs Garrett's wrist to stop him from hitting the containment unit, but Garrett fights back, pushing Roland out of the way.

Eduardo runs up behind Garrett with a cloth.

Eduardo: "Hey Garrett, does this smell like chloroform to you?"

Eduardo puts the cloth over Garrett's nose and mouth, holding it firmly in place until he stops struggling.

Kylie: "Quick thinking, Eduardo, I'm impressed"

Eduardo just shrugs and smiles.

Egon: "Bring him up to my lab, I'll get to the bottom of this"

In Egon's lab the group are gathered round while Garrett lays on a table.

Egon: "Look at this"

Egon pulls back Garrett's collar, revealing bite marks with two holes pierced through the skin.

Kylie: "He's been bit, so there is a Vampire"

Egon: "Of sorts, but I don't think we're dealing with a classic Vampire. This one seems to put the victims into an obedient state"

Roland: "It's like he was carrying out an assigned mission to destroy the containment unit"

Egon: "If we could just find out where he was when this happened, who he was with..."

Eduardo: "He had a date with this Jamaican chick last night, but they were only going to her place"

Egon: "Jamaican? I need to look at the database for Jamaican Mythology, of course. Roland, Eduardo, keep an eye on Garrett. Kylie, come with me"

In the lounge, Egon is looking through the computer database with Kylie standing behind him.

Kylie: "so, you think that Garett's date had something to do with this?"

Egon: "It's looking that way... Here"

Kylie leans in to look at the screen.

Kylie: "Soucouyant?"

Egon: "Yes, Soucouyant isn't listed as a Vampire because she doesn't feed on mortals. She bites her victims, turning them into her slaves. She sets missions for each one, mostly collecting supplies for her witch craft and voodoo"

Kylie: "Like human hair"

Egon: "Precisely, if she has the hair of everyone in the city she has full control over everyone through her work of voodoo"

Kylie: "And Garrett's mission was to destroy the containment unit so that she couldn't be stopped"

Kylie leaves the room in a hurry and back up to Egon's lab.

Eduardo: "So, what are we dealing with?"

Kylie begins rummaging through Garrett's pockets.
Kylie: "Soucouyant"

Eduardo and Roland look at each other, puzzled.

Kylie: "She's a Jamaican legend, she bites her victims and makes them her slaves... and this is where she lives"
Kylie pulls a scrap of paper out of Garrett's pocket which reads 'Mila' with an address underneath.

Roland: "Lets get her"

The Ecto 1 stops outside of a run down apartment building with graffiti all over the side and one of the windows are boarded up.

Roland: "Hm, nice place"

Eduardo pushes on the door and it swings open.
Eduardo: "It looks like the lock has been shot out"

Kylie: "It's a rough neighbourhood, I bet she's a squatter here"

Roland: "Yeah, it looks like this place has been abandoned for years"

They stop in the hallway.
Kylie: "This is it, apartment C"

Eduardo kicks the door through with ease, some of the weak wood breaks away.

Eduardo: "Game's up chica!"

They all aim at Soucouyant and fire their proton guns.

Soucouyant struggles and writhes around in the air. A large group of people walk in front of her and stand in the way.

Roland: "Stop firing! It's the victims, we can't get her!"

Kylie: "Eduardo, how much chloroform do you happen to have?"

Eduardo: "I don't carry the stuff with me!"

They all begin to close in on the Ghostbusters, they back out of the door and run to the next apartment, Eduardo locks the door and steps back.
The people begin hammering on the door, smashing their way through.

Eduardo: "They're gonna kill us"

Kylie: "All of them are outside the door and I think Soucouyant is still in the apartment right behind this wall"

Roland: "Switch your proton guns to maximum pulse!"

Roland turns the knob on the side of his proton gun and the other two follow suit.

They aim at the wall and blast through, smashing the old wall to pieces.

Eduardo jumps through the hole and points his proton gun at Soucouyant.

Eduardo: "Hey chica, Jamaican me crazy"

Kylie slaps Eduardo round the back of the head.

Eduardo: "Hey!"

Kylie: "You deserved that"

Kylie blasts Soucouyant then Eduardo and Roland follow. She is struggling in the proton streams and screaming, changing to her old, wrinkly form.
Kylie throws the trap and opens it. Soucouyant is pulled in, the trap closes and hisses.

Kylie approaches the trap and retrieves it, the dolls, daggers and candles fade and disappear, they hear a crowd of voices coming from the hallway; "Where am I?" "What happened?" "What am I doing in this dump?"

Eduardo: "Should we sneak out? There's a bunch of people there wanting an explanation"

Roland: "Nah, we explain and we bill them"

Eduardo: "Good thinking"

Kylie: "Yeah, I think we should do that"

Garrett wakes up at the firehouse, the rest of the team are there.

Eduardo: "Hey, the chloroform wore off"

Garrett: "You chloroformed me?"

Eduardo: "I had to, man, that date of yours was the ghost and she sent you loco"

Garrett: "Oh yeah, that crazy chick bit me! Lets get her!"

Kylie: "Already done"

Eduardo: "That's why you're no longer acting like a zombie"

Roland: "Don't worry though, we'll get you up to speed"

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