Wistful Dreams of the Spectre

"Surely not," Estelle muttered, "the science was sound. We haven't seen an issue like this for generations." She frantically flipped through the pages of an oversized tome, dust spewing into the sunlight.

"Well! These blasted spirits had to come from somewhere!" shouted the city official.

"But we-"

"But nothing. Figure it out!"

His heavy footsteps reverberated off the stone walls. SLAM. Estelle winced at the sound. How was she supposed to figure out where the restless spirits were coming from? This was an event unlike any in recorded history.

Estelle marched through town towards a dilapidated shack on the edge of the woods. She barged in without so much as a knock. A young man jolted, spilling soup all over himself. "Hey! You ca-" he started.

"Pierre. We need to talk," Estelle stated firmly.

"Can't you see I'm eating?!"

"Spirits are rising in droves and will soon outnumber us. Who knows what happens then."

"Spirits...What?? That's not possible." Pierre gathered a smattering of smallish, weathered journals. "But if it is we'll find some answers here. I need to eat. Leave me be. I'll let you know what I learn."

********************

Estelle had been pacing around her laboratory for far too long. Surely Pierre must have found something by now. Why can't necromancers seem to understand urgency? Maybe I should get some fresh air, she thought. As she reached toward the door it opened, revealing a wild-eyed Pierre.

"You're never going to believe this!" proclaimed Pierre, a grin forming on one side of his face, "this is the specific formula used to bind a spirit to a body - living or dead. Let's dig up some bones and try it out!"

"Good work. While looking over some very old historical documents, and found a section about Test Subject #3 - the so-called Immortal One. It was apparently buried not too far from here."

"Do you think we could find it? Weren't its bones used for healing?"

"Correct. I'll let the official know that we may need to find Test Subject #3...if it exists. I'm sure he'll put a bounty on it. He wants the people to like him since he's up for re-election. As for you, gather some bones. We can use my laboratory."

********************

The array of freshly-exhumed skeletons filled Estelle with dread. Dark clods of dirt and debris clung to the dull beige. Pierre had a series of special jars lined up above each skeleton's head. One by one he whispered the incantation into the skull, then into the bottle, pouring the contents into the skull's ever-grinning jaws.

Pierre let out a long sigh. "That should do it. A spirit for each skeleton. Now we wait..."

It didn't take long for them to hear it. A subdued sound, almost breathy. Like a distant siren. It grew louder. Louder. Until it was deafening. Slowly the skeletons began moving their arms and legs. Then standing. Then walking. The piercing screams emanating from their very bones.

"Are they supposed to do that?!" shouted Estelle over the cacophony.

"I don't know!"

With their ears covered the pair ran out of the laboratory, locking the door behind them. They ran to town centre. Shortly after arriving they saw a group of people returning with Test Subject #3. It had large chunks of bone missing, presumably due to overuse as medicine in ancient times, as well as massive skeletal wings.

"Let's get this thing back to the laboratory!" ordered Estelle.

Pierre assisted with the procedure: scoop out a little bone, grind it to dust, mix it with a special liquid until it turns into a paste, and apply it to the afflicted...which in this case was a skeleton.

"It's so hard to concentrate what with the screaming and all!" Pierre yelled as he cleaned and shaved the bones..

"Shut up and work. You can complain later," Estelle shouted back.

Estelle applied the shimmering paste to the first skeleton. Nothing happened. The screaming and twitchy dancelike movements continued.

"I don't think it's working!"

"Maybe it takes a while to kick in."

. . .

Defeated, the two continued to observe with their hands clamped firmly over their ears. After enduring the screaming for nearly three hours one of the skeletons slumped over. Quiet. Lifeless. Twice dead. Then another. And another. Until all of the room was silent.

Pierre timidly removed his hands from his ears and slowly rose from the floor. "...is that it? Did it work?"

"Aren't you the expert on the undead?"

"Yeah. Well, I mean, yeah it looks like it worked!"

"Then let's get these remains properly buried again. I'm going to experiment more with Test Subject #3 to see if there's any truth to these faded notes about eternal life..."