Meeting Sally

Jennifer froze half-way through the report she was typing. It had suddenly gone silent and cold; cemetery cold. She could no longer even hear the clacking of the keyboard from the cubicle next to her where Bill should be. She stood up and peered over the divider – no Bill.

“Bill?” Her voice broke as it broke the silence. “Bill?”

Perhaps he had gone to the canteen to get some water from the cooler. Funny though, she should have heard him leaving. Reluctant to leave the safety of her desk Jennifer called out again in a whispy, weak voice. Still silence was her only answer. She would have to go search.

The power flickered and died and Jennifer screamed – out of frustration rather than fright; she hadn't saved her work and it was all lost. She would have to work overtime tomorrow as well, and she wasn't getting paid for it. Scrabbling around in her desk drawer for the torch that she kept there in case of emergencies – God Bless a protective mother – she wondered if the rumours were true. Was there really a ghost haunting the fifth floor of the building.

Why just the fifth floor? She wondered as she stumbled around papers and boxes. And what the hell is up with the amount of crap on the floor!

“Bill?” Now he was just being mean. “Bill, goddamn it, where the fuck are you?” Still no response.

Upon reaching the canteen, Jennifer stumbled again. Shining the torch at her feet to see what she had fallen over this time, she noticed that the floor was covered with a thick layer of fog. It was creeping up her leg like a sexually-frustrated octopus. Moving the torch over the tables and chairs she noticed a shape slumped in the corner. “Bill?”

As she stepped towards the shape there was a small 'whoosh' from behind her as the sliding doors shut themselves. It took her another step before she realised that they couldn't have done this as there was no power. Turning hastily, torch bobbing like a buoy, she screamed as the figure of a woman emerged from behind the canteen. Well, rather, she walked through the damn thing.

“Whothefuckareyou?” Jennifer's voice had become a falsetto and she was struggling to breathe.

There was no answer from the ghost, besides a short snorttle.

“I asked you a question,” Jennifer was becoming ballsy now that she knew the apparition seemed to mean her no harm.

Again there was a snortle, and then suddenly something grabbed Jennifer from behind making her scream in a voice that Opera stars would have marvelled at.

“Bill you complete, utter, asshole!” Jennifer punctuated her sentence with punches to his shoulder.

“Heya Jen, meet Sally.”

“We've met. She scared me.” Jennifer pouted.

“Scared? Of a ghost? Since when are vampires scared of ghosts.”