Chapter 143: He Bowed at My Feet… and Probably Wanted to Lick Them Too.
"We are going to run like we used to run after children when their school goes off. Get ready for the kiss of nostalgia, pal."
Jack stated that with full seriousness and confidence—like a politician saying he cares for his people while not knowing the name of his own cook—one might mistake it as sincere advice.
Unfortunately, I knew Jack enough to deduct that he was just bullshitting. And he said 'we' too.
"... Don't lump me with you. How many times should I say it? I never ran after children like that."
"I know. I am saying all that just for the law of attraction. If I keep saying it, it will happen."
"Why do you want me to turn into a criminal?"
"Because you are very close to becoming like me. If you just let go of your morals and conscience, we both can rule the world. "
"If I listen to you then the only thing we would rule is Satan's bedroom in hell."
"Hmm. That's a win too."
Ugh.
I forgot he's into this shit.
It's like punishing a porn addict man by locking him in his room. I was very skinny when I came out of the room.
Anyway…
"Don't start it again, Jack. You told me we are going to increase the pace. Focus on that."
"Yes. Yes. And Johnson sure is taking his time to come here."
"Of course he is taking his time. That's how plot armor works." I barked and just then a dangerous thought hit me.
"Don't tell me… Are you waiting for him to come here? That's why you are wasting time? That's why you are doing all this fuckery?!"
"What? No, pal." Jack refused instantly. "I am not waiting for Johnson to come back. Why would I want that? I am your friend. Not some phony physician saying masturbation is bad. I am not your enemy. Don't ever think like that."
Jack stopped talking and then I heard some sniffles?
He felt that bad? Then wasting time came naturally to him? He didn't have any ill intentions?
Angh.
Fine.
"Alright. I am sorry, Jack. I shouldn't have doubted your friendship. I was just overthinking."
"I am hurt, pal. I have a heart too. Even if it doesn't beat. How can you even think that I was waiting for Johnson to come here?"
"I am sorry, alright. I am tense too."
"No. You can't give an excuse like that."
"Let it go, man."
"No. I won't let it go!"
"Enough is enough, Jack. I said sorry, didn't I?"
"Sorry means shit. You accused me of something I didn't do! Even the husband of my landlady was better than you. He accused me of something that I really did. But you did the opposite!"
"And I am sorry for it!"
"But I am hurt. I am sensitive!"
"But you were wasting time! You can't deny that."
"I wasn't wasting time and I wasn't waiting for Johnson to come here either!"
"You were wasting time, you nanny fucker!"
"I wasn't! It was a strategic pause."
"Strategic pause? For what? To watch bulges?"
"No! I was waiting for something."
"What could you possibly be waiting for amidst seventy naked burning soldiers? You are lying through your brown teeth!"
"I am not lying. I was waiting for a chance."
"Lies. You were waiting for shit."
"Fucking hell! I was waiting for a chance to make you stumble onto Johnson so that I can see what kind of positions he would try with you once he finally gets a hold of you!"
"..."
Huh?
Wait…
Pardon?
What the fcuk?
I blinked. "What did you just say?"
"You didn't hear?" Jack asked, his voice filled with hope.
"I heard every word of it."
"I see." Jack paused, then nodded. "I can explain."
"What will you explain? The entire thought process and the mechanism behind your perverted curiosity of sex positions?"
"Well, I can explain that too."
"I don't want to hear anything from you anymore. I said sorry to you for nothing. You were really waiting for Johnson to come back. You betrayed me like a pornstar who promises to swallow but spits backstage."
"I didn't, pal. I never said I was waiting for Johnson to come here. I said I was waiting for a chance to make you stumble onto him. I just wanted to see what he would do to you and how. I wanted to learn. Is it wrong for a poor ghost to learn some things? Has the humanity fallen so low tha—"
"Spare me with that. You can't monologue your way out of this. And from this point on, find someone else to make you free from here. I won't carry your body now. I'll escape on my own."
"Wait. Wait. Don't do that, pal. I am sorry. I am really sorry."
"Fuck off."
THUD!
I let go of Jack's body as it fell face first on the ground like the skeleton in my biology lab when I inserted it in its wrong hole.
After that, I ignored him like a married woman ignores her husband and with all the coldness, I took one step forward and passed through him.
No more helping hands.
No more helping hands of a pervert especially.
I am fine alone. At least, I would be alive.
So long, Jack. It was good while it lasted.
"Pal."
Ignored.
"Friend."
I ignored him again.
No matter how many times he calls me, I won't turn around.
I'll act like a prostitute walking away from a man asking for a discount.
He can keep calling me from behind and I'll keep ignoring him. Especially if he called me by anything as close as a friend.
He was dead for the world before, now he is dead for me too.
But then…
"Racis."
I twitched.
Not only did he call me by my name, his voice carried something that I never knew he had.
Regret.
Guilt.
"I am sorry, Racis. I really am."
He spoke again and maybe I still had some tenderness left in me for him that I didn't turn a deaf ear.
"I know you are listening to me. No need to turn around. I am satisfied with only seeing your back. You can leave me here. Really. I won't stop you. But hear me out before you go away."
I waited.
Although, he standing behind me gave me the creeps but I said nothing and I remained in place. He should get the message. And he did.
"Thank you." He said and then, he poured everything out like I do on 1st December.
"Yes, I betrayed you… kind of."
I hate it already.
I would have started walking if not for him correcting himself just in time.
"No. Not kind of. I betrayed you. Even thinking of making you get captured by Johnson is a betrayal. Yes. I let my desires overpower my heart and now here we are. But you can't blame me."
Jack's voice turned solemn, as if an uncle saying sorry to his niece after she stayed in his house for a whole day.
"I have lived all my life in darkness and even after dying nothing changed. Give me one more chance. Forgive me. Yes, what I did is bad. I am not justifying it. Just give me a chance to correct it. Don't leave me like this. You can't leave me with the hopes of seeing light after many years. I want to leave from here. I want to see the world. Help me, I would become your slave. I will be your ally. I will help you fight against Malthus. I will help you find your grandmother. I will pierce through every wall if that's what it takes to find her. I will make your mission mine. Just…"
Jack paused and after a moment of silence, his voice echoed again.
"Please show me the world."
Now I was at a loss for words.
That was the most earnest thing I have heard after Malthus agreeing that he sucks at maths.
There was no fun in his voice, his usual humor wasn't there. He was serious and that took me off guard. It was as if a writer suddenly started saying he earns money through writing.
[ Turn around, Racis. Your guard would blow away after witnessing that. ]
The system chimed in and for a change, it was serious too. So no matter how much I wanted to keep my guard safe, I turned around anyway.
And when I did that, the ground left beneath my feet like a squirrel after seeing a dwarf's nut and my guard was flung to pieces like the dwarf's nut the squirrel finally caught.
In front of me, the ghost, Jack Mihoff…
He was kneeling.
He was on both his knees, floating in mid-air, and what made me gape was his head—it was bowed at my feet.
He was kowtowing in front of me.
Like a man asking a woman out of his league to sit on his face.
Like a follower asking for forgiveness from a deity, from a God.
I literally had no words for this as I didn't know Jack was capable of doing such a thing.
Kneeling in front of someone takes an insurmountable amount of courage as one has to let go of his pride and ego.
One can kneel against parents.
One can kneel against Gods.
One can kneel against BBCs.
Clearly out of those three, I was none of it.
Yet, Jack kneeled in front of me.
He either did this out of his masochism, horniness, perversions or least likely… his guilt.
I mean, even I won't kneel to anyone. I didn't even beg Malthus when he was going to kill me. I may be a broke comedian, but I am a proudly broke comedian.
"Racis," Jack said, his head still down.
I scowled. "What do you want?"
"I want…"
Jack's shoulders trembled like a woman realising she ate the same cucumber she used last night and the next second, he jerked his head upwards with passion.
My eyes widened at the sight of his face as it was drenched with water. But then I looked into his eyes and that's when I figured… he cried his eyes out.
He bawled oceans, before, the desire of seeing me getting wrecked by Johnson had overpowered him to betray me and now the guilt of betraying me overpowered him.
With those tears, with those eyes, Jack shouted what he wanted…
"I Want To Live!"
He declared the four words and bawled his eyes more than ever. I never knew Ghosts could cry. His tears were genuine, his guilt was genuine, but what confused me was his words. I would like to believe his words were genuine too but… Er.. Um…
Aren't they straight from One Piece!?
[ Ding! ]
Before I could move ahead or make a decision, the system dinged and I wasn't expecting it.
Moreover, I surely wasn't expecting its next words..
[ Loyalty Signature Detected. ]
[ A New Bond Has Been Forged. ]
[ Congratulations. Someone actually trusts you. Shock: 98% ]
[ Will You Accept Him? ]
…