Frustration was now eating away at Elija as he stared down in disbelief at his partner’s outline beneath the bedding. It did all at once dawn on him that the icy cold had now gone, having been replaced with the normal room temperature, and while this was quite a relief he still felt very uneasy, not knowing if the spirit was still in the room or not. Eating away at him even more was the fact that Lobo had brushed off his claims and fears so easily without so much as giving Elija the benefit of the doubt. No discussion, no compassion, nothing.

Clearly he was on his own to both find proof of his claims of there being an entity, and to take whatever steps might be necessary to rid the house of this spectral problem. The main drawback was that, having never before encountered such a thing, Elija did not know exactly what to do on either count. The proof was right there in the house with him, but until Lobo actually experienced one of the frightening episodes himself it was Elija’s word against Lobo’s. As for ridding their home of the entity, Elija asked himself if a ghost was something that you just open the front door for and they willingly walk out. That would be too easy, he thought as he continued to sit in the bed with the covers bunched up on top of his lap. While there was always the possibility of trying to live harmoniously with the specter, Elija feared that, with the frightening show having just been put on for his benefit, he would find himself continually peeking around corners before entering rooms, fearing for stacked furniture or ghostly appearances. It was all new to him so Elija knew absolutely nothing on what to expect. All he did know at this point was that the haunting was real and very frightening.

Again recognizing the music coming down the hallway, Elija dared to extract himself from the bed and headed into the front room. Along the way he was careful to turn on every light switch he passed to assure himself that his path was clear of obstacles that might have been placed in his way by the invisible occupant of the house. Rounding the corner into the front room he suddenly heard the music stop, and casting his eyes to the stereo on the shelf he found the dial to be dark. In front of the amplifier hung the cord that Elija had earlier draped over the top, this raising even more questions. Was the entity somehow able to bridge the electrical gap between the wall and the stereo without the benefit of a cord? If so, how was that possible?

It was not possible, he decided, then suspecting the sounds to have been just a product of his imagination. Hungering for an explanation and yet being too weary to spend any appreciable time pondering the phenomenon, Elija gave the silent amplifier one final look and then headed back down the hallway, turning out lights along the way. Once inside the bedroom he closed the door, hoping to keep unwelcomed visitors at bay - this included any impossible phantom sounds that the radio might deem necessary in the night – and he crawled into bed next to Lobo.

Elija noted that the room felt cool but not at all what it had been only five minutes ago and the silence over that of Lobo’s quiet breathing was most welcomed, and, in fact, quite comforting. As it was still very much a part of him, Elija spent the next ten or fifteen minutes pondering the recent events and fearing a recurrence, but as the quiet continued without incident he began yielding to the veil of sleep that was slowly being pulled over him.

After that, there was nothing, at least nothing that he immediately recalled when suddenly being awakened by a quick, desperate draw of air into his lungs. His eyes shot open, now seeing nothing more frightening than the early morning rays of light creeping into the bedroom which indicated his having slept. Quickly sitting up in the bed, Elija continued breathing heavily, feeling almost as if he had stopped breathing during his sleep. Not having been known to suffer from sleep apnea, however, there was no reason for his having awakened in this state of panic. He glanced over to the clock on the nightstand next to his slumbering partner to see that Lobo still had another hour of sleep before the alarm went off for him. Normally, when awakening early, Elija would simply roll over and catch that much more sleep until rising with his partner for the day, but in his current state Elija knew that the additional sleep was not going to be possible.

The heavy breathing did slowly return to normal, although his mind continued to race at a frenzied pace. His insides felt to be on fire, the adrenaline bringing his entire system to life as if having been stimulated by an overload of caffeine. Even his hands, which were normally as steady as a rock, were quivering, a totally new experience for Elija. Tossing the covers aside, he hung his legs over the edge of the bed, lowering his head into his hands for a couple moments while he tried to compose himself. It was at that moment that he was suddenly hit by a memory, the recall of which started his entire system up anew, this time adding a tingling sensation over every part of his body.