May’s brows furrowed but the panic that should have been pressing on their mind was nowhere to be found. They were oddly peaceful. “The ferryman?” they echoed back. Confusion, but not worry in their voice.

The ferryman nodded, “Yes, and you are?”

May hesitated for a moment, “.... May.” they replied.

“May. Lovely name, how are you?” the ferryman asked.

“Ah well… mostly alright I guess, I had a couple ghost try to kill me over the last few days… again that is.” May trailed off, the words that would have filled them with so much panic meer moments before rolling off their tongue unabated.

“Ah, Rumor, Fatal, Trouble, and Grave. Nasty bunch of poltergeist if I do say so myself, hope I never get the miss fortune of sending them off onto the afterlife.” The ferryman laughed merrily to himself.

“I- yes how did you know?” May tilted their head, like a curious puppy.

“I know a lot of things for no real reason.”

May nodded in acceptance, “Why are you here?” They asked, decided to get to the point, curiosity pushing them to ask.

“To take you to the afterlife. It's time to move on.” The ferryman stretches his? Her? Hand out for May.

May looked at it the feeling of peace intensifying, warmth filled them and a smile light up their face. That sounded nice. To move on. See their grandma and dead puppy. “Will Harbor be their?” The question flowed out of their mouth without their violation. May stopped momentarily at it, seemingly stunned by themself.

Their mind wandered back to Harbor, the warmth they had been feeling died down, smile slipping off their face, “What about Harbor?” They asked again, this time with more urgency.

“He will join you when he is ready.”

May shock their head, “No.” they denied, “I don’t want to leave.” They crossed their arms over their chest as the peace they had been feeling filtered away.

The ferryman sighed, “I thought this may happen, tethered spirits are fickle when it comes to offers like this.”

“I’m not going!” May declared again, backing away.

“And I will not make you.” The ferryman attempted to appease May.

May settled down slightly at that, “Ok… Well, I want to be human again! Get my body back.”

“That, I’m afraid, is something I can not do.”

May gritted their teeth, “The triplets said if I could plead my case and make a equal trade I could be human again.” 

“I’m sorry they lied to you.”

“No! They didn’t they were murders, but they wouldn’t lie to me like that.” May held strong. 

“How can you be so sure? They did try to kill you.” The ferryman tried to reason.

“You're here.”

“...I’m here?”

“That already proves the validity of the poltergeist advice. Why would you appear here and not when I first died? It doesn’t make sense.”

“I suppose from your stance it does not.” The ferryman conceded.

“I will be human again.” 

“What makes you so sure?”

“I did not almost get eating by not one, not two, but four ghost only for you to say it's impossible.”

“I have terrible news for you.”

“I will fist fight you.”

“Please do not.”

“I want to speak to your manager.”

“My manager is literally a god.”

“Bet.”

“I-” the ferryman took a deep breath muttering something about spirits these days, “Look you have two options you can come with me to the afterlife or you can stay here as a ghost.”

“No!” May denied.

“Look there is a way, but its not plea--”

“Tell me about it.”

The ferryman stared blankly at the angry spirit. “Fine. plead your case then.”

“Alright…” May launched into the story of their life highlighting the good they have done, what they would be leaving behind, and what they were willing to do to get here. They reframed from making promises of what they will do in the future.

The ferryman hummed, “I see, so you wish to stay with your best friend, how selfish.”

May nodded, “Yes.” they remained unmoving at the ferryman’s accusation.

The ferryman recognized that wouldn’t be enough to move the spirit, “Fine, then I offer you two years more and in exchange I shave off two years of Harbor’s life span.”

May recoiled in shock and disgust, “Are you kidding?! Absolutely not, you can’t take Harbor’s life away from him!”

“Yet you think I should give you more time?” The ferryman shot back.

“Not at the expense of someone else's life.” May crossed their arm, “I want a different deal.”

“Not giving it up?” The ferryman questioned, amusement filling him as he observed the spirit before him, not many had demanded a different deal.

“No.” May replied glaring at the ferryman, “I will not take someone else's life.”

“No even say, a mass murders?”

“No I would take theirs, but I doubt you’d let me make that kind of trade now would you?” May shot back.

The ferryman chuckled, “Yes that would be correct.”

“I have an offer.”

“And that would be?”

“Me and my friends take out Rumor and I get to continue living.” May offered.

The ferryman hummed looking past May and looking onwards to the paintings behind them staring at it intently. “Under a few conditions.”

May listened in closely.

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Harbor slammed his weight against the door again, his side felt like one big bruise as he refused to relent. He couldn’t leave his friend out there with gods know what while he stayed trapped in this tiny room. He refused to be a sitting duck. He couldn’t let May suffer like they had again. Harbor felt his throat close up as tears welled up into his eyes and began rolling down his face.

BANG

The door slammed open. Harbor fell out with a yelp, landing on the ground. He scrambled to his feet pushing up off the ground with his hand and hopping up. Liam stood behind him, yet did not offer his hand. Harbor finally looked up.

May stood before him blue eyes shining with life he feared he may never see again, their blue hair shinned in the natural light as they smiled a toothing grin at him. Their feet planted firmly on the ground they opened their arms wide for a hug as tears pricked in the edges of their eyes.

Harbor launched himself to his best friend. Hugging them close with a death grip. May clinged onto him as well. Harbor felt himself begin to release choked sobs as he pressed his head into May’s chest. The feeling of actual fabric on his skin and the warmth that radiated from them reassuring them that yes, May was alive.

May cried as they cuddled onto Harbor clinging to him like a life line as they both stood, alive, (They had hands!) illuminated by the setting sun. Liam smiled softly at them, approaching carefully to user them out of the church and somewhere a little bit warmer where they could rest properly.

The crying duo plus Liam stepped out of the church with bright smiles on their faces and peace in their hearts. Finally they managed to make it into the car Harbor completely on top of May, crushing them with his body weight, May did not seem to mind. Ellie and Katie stared wide eyed at them, mouths agape, yet said nothing, instead waiting for everyone to pile in before putting the car in reverse and pulling out of the driveway to the church.

They traveled down the gravel road, heading out of the creepy little ghost town lighter than when they had entered. 

May’s stomach growled. Their faces heated up, something they welcomed after so long of not really having a face. They laughed awkwardly, “Yeah I technically haven’t eaten in like… since I died?”

Harbor blanched at that looking up at May in utter horror.

“No nonono, not like that when I got this body it had no food in it, but I’m in tip top shape! I promise.” May panicked trying to ease Harbor worry.

Harbro deflated in relief.

Liam laughs, “Let's go get something to eat, then we can find somewhere to sleep for the night. All this emotion has made us all tired.”

“No joke!” Ellie and Katie yelled back in agreement.

The car ride to the next restaurant was filled with laughter and good hearted fun.

The restaurant they ate at had good food. May gorged themselves on it, cheeks puffed out with the amount that had in their mouth at all times. It had been ages since they had the ability to taste.

The five stayed in a nice little hotel room that night. May and Harbor passed out near immediately cuddled up next to each other, they had barely let each other go since they had finally reunited. Ellie and Katie spent a good portion of the night editing the videos they had taken of their encounters with the various ghosts and ghouls making them mainstream media worthy. Whispering excitedly to each other. Liam observed his friends as they sprawled out around the small hotel room with a small smile on his face. It was good.

The next morning Harbor noticed May’s jitters and finally went on and asked what the matter was. May managed to stutter out after a while of coaxing from Harbor, Liam, Ellie, and Katie.

“Well- I- you see- so.”

“Take you time.” Harbor muttered soothingly.

May took a deep breath, “Imadeadealwiththeferrymanandsonowihavetomakerumoror,” breathe, “thetreeghosttripletstomoveontotheafterlifeinthtenexttwoyearsoriĺlbecomeaghostagain!!” May took a deep breath.

“...What?” Liam asked, staring at May confused.

“They said. I made a deal with the ferryman and so now I have to make Rumor or the three ghost triplets to move onto the afterlife in the next two years or I’ll become a ghost again.” Harbor repeated.

“You got that???” Ellie inquired.

“Yeah.” Harbor nodded, completely calm.

“Ah ok that’s not so hard we’ll just do that then.” Katie shrugged her shoulders.

May stared in disbelief, “Really?”

“Yeah, now we can all see ghost, we got this, we just need to bully one of the poltergeist into moving on.”

May sagged in relief, “Thank you.”

“No problem hell, I even know someone who could help us.” Ellie admitted.

May giggled.

The rest of the trip back home was peaceful, Harbor and May jittered and fretted about what they would tell people, while the rest of the crew attempted to calm them. They were relatively successful until Harbor and May found themselves standing outside of Harbor’s house both their parents waiting inside.

May cling to Habror side at the both stood at the door. The ghost hunting trio waiting encouragingly behind them.

“Yeah, know what, maybe no? Yeah, maybe no.” May said, trying to turn and leave.

“Nope!” Ellie declared, dragging them back to the door and barging in, “Harbor’s back!!” They called out. 

Harbor sputtered behind them. Harbor’s and May’s parents appeared at the top of the spared staring down disbelievingly at the sight before them. May stood their surrounded by people they did not recognize, alive.

“May?” May’s mom asked, choked up.

“Hi mama.” May whispered.

May found themself in a crushed hug from their mother and father, all three sobbing their hearts out together. Harbor moved in behind them squeezing his way out from behind them. 

“So uh, I’ve been a little busy.” Harbor chuckled nervously.

Harbor found himself in a crushing hug. 

The concerned parents didn’t let the troublesome duo out of their sight as they made their way into the living room to allow the two to explain themself. And explain they did. Leaving out the parts were poltergeist tried to kill them.

Their parents crushed them in another hug by the end of it. 

“So then ghost hunting huh? We’re helping out.” Harbor’s dad declared.

“I- huh?! Dad you? Can you even see ghosts?”

“Not even a little, but I know someone who can.”

Harbor was afraid to ask, “...Who?”

“Why your aunt Kalie of course!”

Thus May found themself armed two months later with their two boyfriends (Ellie was the one to propose it after the suffocating amount of romantic tension between the three, trying it was astounding), two best friends, blue, two sets of overprotective parents, and a slightly feral aunt, ready to take on one of the longest lived poltergeist in the US.

Rumor tried his best to flee but the force the group brought was found to be too much. Rumor surrendered himself to the ferryman three days after the group had entered the forest.

The ferryman smirked down at the defeated poltergeist. “Yeah that one’s feral. Really hope I don’t have to deal with them again.” 

“Just get them the fuck away from me!!”

Sweet sweet vengeance.

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