Chapter 4: Family ghost
Luke was pedaling like never before. Dodging cars, pedestrians, and potholes nimbly. He never thought his emotions would get so out of control and use his powers unconsciously.
'That was a damn SUV...' thought Luke with sweat on his forehead. After twenty minutes of pedaling, he pulled into a dark alley and sat on the ground breathing heavily.
How much did an SUV weigh? As far as Luke knew it had to weigh about two tons or so.
'Two bloody tons!' thought Luke with a smile.
So far Luke's weight limit was about 100kg. He was a long way short of achieving lifting 2,000kg or more. Even Luke didn't know if such a feat would be possible, but now he knew.
In the future, he would be able to lift two-tonne vans like nothing else and send them flying. He would be invincible! Well not quite, there are still heavier things and very dangerous military weaponry.
And he also doesn't know if there are beings with powers more powerful than his.
'I wonder if they'll be okay...' Luke thought of Brad's family.
Although Luke detested Brad and his family, he didn't want to kill them either. He wasn't a serial killer. Nor did he want to be a wanted criminal, even though they couldn't link him to the accident.
'It was just a little accident. They should have some injury or other. I hope his leg is broken,' Luke thought as he got back on his bike and resumed his journey.
He already had a destination in mind: His parents' old house. His inheritance. Although he didn't have the keys, with his powers it would be a piece of cake to get in. Maybe there would be something useful there that he could use on his journey before he left Boston.
Boston was very big, and the house was a long way from the orphanage. If he had a car he'd get there in a few minutes, but by bike, it took an hour.
'Why the fuck is it so far away,' Luke cursed as he got to the block where the house was. He had been here once before, several years ago.
He walked down the block on foot with his bicycle. It was deserted. There was not a single person walking, not a single car on the street. Luckily it was daylight. Otherwise, it would be a very scary street.
Luke stood with his defenses up. Ready to act in case some homeless guy asked him for money for drugs or wanted to rob him.
The houses on the blocks were trashed and abandoned. In a deplorable state, Luke was sure that vagrants and drug addicts were using them to spend the night and get high.
To his luck, his house had the bars in place, albeit badly rusted. It looked like no junkies wanted to get in. Luke thought it would be because of the scary look of the house. It looked like a haunted mansion.
Luke approached the big iron gate, it was locked with a padlock. To open it he needed a key, which Mrs. Miller most likely had. The bars were too high to climb and had very rusty spikes. He didn't want to catch tetanus or something like that.
He could break the lock with his telekinetic powers, but he didn't want to leave the main entrance to his house unprotected and let vagrants in. So he started looking for a way in from the surrounding area.
He got as far as the back, and behind a large bush, he found a small gap under one of the walls.
'I could make it a little bigger...' Luke thought, setting the bike aside.
In a few minutes, the hole was a bigger size where he could fit. How did he do it? With his powers, he couldn't just move objects with his mind.
Telekinetic powers are not limited to just lifting objects with the mind and being able to throw them at high speeds.
A better explanation is that the standard telekinetic ability allows you to move matter with your mind. With this, you can move objects and manipulate telekinetic waves.
One of the basic abilities Luke developed allows him to hit a thing or target with a slashing motion of his hand with his telekinesis. He called it 'Psychic Punch,' although he does not name his attacks out loud when he performs them.
With this ability, it is a piece of cake to dig a well and would even allow Luke to break the lock or break a person's neck, but the latter is not something he thinks about regularly. He thought about it a couple of times with the bullies bothering him.
He stepped through the gap without a problem and started walking through the mansion's yard which was huge and scary. The grass was yellowish instead of green and came up to Luke's waist.
'It's gigantic... If it was well kept and in a better location it would be worth a lot of money,' Luke thought as he reached the back door.
The door as expected was locked, and Luke didn't want to break the lock. After all, this house would be his in a couple of years. He walked over to a window and looking inside, he unlocked it with his powers.
'Easy,' thought Luke with a slight smile, as he entered the house.
He was surprised to see that the house was in better condition than he expected. The walls and floor were made of sturdy material. The only thing was that there were cobwebs everywhere and a lot of dust.
'This is where my parents lived...' thought Luke in a strange mood.
He had entered from the kitchen side. There were dirty dishes and glasses in the sink. The refrigerator was full of dirt, and when he opened it, a horrible smell filled his nostrils. There was a lot of food left, and it was expired.
There was nothing useful in the kitchen, so he moved on to the next room, the dining room. It had a large old wooden table and chairs with cushions full of dust and cobwebs. In the center of the table was a vase. The flowers had fallen on the table and were completely black.
He found nothing either, so he went to the next room, which was the living room. It was larger than the dining room. It had a higher ceiling, gloomy decorative moldings, and a central fireplace.
'What is that decoration...?' thought Luke, looking at the wall where there were many skulls and black roses. They were descendants of the literary master of terror, so he didn't give it any more importance and kept looking.
Finally, he came to an interesting place. The library. The place was large and there seemed to be a lot of bookshelves. Most likely there were hundreds of books in the place, full of dust clearly.
In one part of the library, there was a fireplace and black sofas for comfortable reading.
Although he did not have a single penny of inheritance, the house alone was a very good inheritance. Not every person had a house of this size. As for the location, Luke didn't mind, with his telekinetic powers, he wouldn't be afraid of a couple of drug-addicted bums.
Out of curiosity, Luke started flipping through a couple of books, they were all of the horror genre. He was able to find books by his ancestor Edgar Allan Poe.
As his fingers ran along worn book spines, something in a dark corner of the shelf caught his eye.
The subtle glint of a black necklace captured his gaze. As he drew closer, the gleam of the ornament shimmered with a peculiar radiance.
'This might come in handy...' thought Luke, who was planning to sell the ornament, perhaps he could make a few dollars profit.
He reached out his hand and took the necklace carefully. The moment the cold metal touched his skin, a wild black mist detached from the necklace itself.
The mist condensed and materialized into the figure of what appeared to be a ghost. Luke stepped back quickly, his gaze alert and puzzled. He didn't let go of the necklace, as every dollar would come in handy on his journey.
If he were a normal person he would be scared shitless, but with his powers, he wasn't afraid of anything. Although, he didn't quite know if his powers could affect a ghost.
The ghost had a dark costume and was from the 1800's era. He had deep-set, dark eyes. Not very long hair and a strange mustache. His face was serious and he was examining Luke.
"Edgar Allan Poe...?" muttered Luke with his mouth ajar. He had seen many pictures of his great-great-grandfather. He couldn't be wrong.
Being technical with the term would be his great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, but it's easier to just call him a great.
"Correct. I'm Edgar Allan Poe, your ancestor. It's been a long time since I surfaced. It's awful to be locked in a collar for thirteen years," said Edgar as he flew across the room and looked around the library.
"Maybe I should write some account of that experience..." muttered Edgar flying from one shelf to the other.
Luke's eyes followed the ghost, still processing what was happening. It was the third strangest situation of his life, of both his lives. The first was when he found out he was reincarnated. The second was when he realized he had telekinetic powers. And now this new situation.
"So what exactly did you come out for?" asked Luke after a few seconds, as Edgar was still exploring the library.
"To train you and claim my revenge," Edgar replied with an evil grin and eyes flashing hatred.
'Cliche...' thought Luke for the revenge part.
"Train me? Did you have powers just like me?" asked Luke interested more in this topic. In his past life as far as he knew there were no supernatural powers, and Poe must have been a normal person, or so he thought.
Maybe he was in the same world as in his past life, but now he was born with powers. And there were always powers in his previous world.
"Most of them are struck by the revenge part..." Edgar said, looking strangely at Luke.
'Well, it makes sense that he would be more interested in powers. He grew up in a normie environment. There's a lot he doesn't know,' thought Edgar, shaking his head.
"Looks like, you've already trained more family members..." commented Luke, looking suspiciously at Edgar.
If he wanted to train him to claim revenge it means that the previous family members didn't get it and might have died for this 'revenge'...'
"Oh, looks like we've got a smart guy here," nodded Edgar with a slight smile.
"What you think is true. You're not the first member of the Poe family I've trained. Luke." added Edgar.
"How do you know my name?" asked Luke with surprise.
"I trained your father. And before he was killed he told me that you would be the one to end the Poe family grudge," replied Edgar.
"So... my father died for trying to get this revenge, right?" asked Luke in a judging tone, since his father in trying to get Edgar's revenge.
"Yes. Your grandfather also died trying to fulfill my revenge. And there's a chance you will also suffer the same fate," Edgar replied matter-of-factly.
"And why would I agree to fulfill your revenge?" asked Luke. As juicy as the idea of going on a quest for revenge was, he had other priorities at the moment.
Who doesn't want to seek revenge for their family? Smash the culprits and crush their corpses. Besides, he was confident in his powers, although he now knew he was not the only one with powers, as Edgar, his grandfather and father seemed to have powers.
This meant that his enemies would have powers, but he was not afraid. It will be fun to crush people with powers just like him. And the fight could be exciting.
"You don't have much choice... my old enemies won't rest until the Poe family is exterminated. They will come looking for you with their new successors. Your parents managed to hide you, but they will soon find you. The Poe surname is not common and that you are an orphan proves that you are their son. I started with the grudge, but it's already part of the Poe family. You can't escape," Poe explained calmly.
"The best thing is for you to be trained by me. That way your psychic powers will improve, and you will be able to defend yourself. Then you will kill them," added Poe with a ghoulish grin.
Luke had a thoughtful look on his face. What his wacky ancestor was saying made sense. If they were coming to kill him anyway, it was better to have someone to give him information about his enemies and train him in his psychic abilities.
"What do you say to me? A life of revenge is best," Poe said as he gently stroked his mustache.
"Good. Your training better come in handy, or I'll sell the necklace to the first bum I see," replied Luke.
"That's great! I hope this time the Poe family's revenge comes true. Maybe you should make sure you leave an heir. You know, in case things go wrong. Find a nice girl and sleep with her," Poe said as he explained to Luke how babies were made.
Luke had a blank look on his face. He couldn't believe Edgar was explaining to him how to make babies so explicitly.
"No need to explain further. Unlike my father, grandfather, or you, I won't fail," Luke said, interrupting Edgar.
"Oh... it's good to be confident, but not too confident or you'll run headlong into a wall at some point," Edgar said with a slight smile.
Before Luke could respond, Edgar looked to the right, "I sense the presence of several people at the entrance," he muttered in bewilderment.
Luke could hear mumbling and made an ugly expression. He had an idea of who the people would be. He put the necklace in his pocket and ran straight into the garden.
Edgar seemed to be attached to the black necklace, so he followed Luke automatically, "What's wrong? Do you know them? I don't think our enemies have found us..." said Edgar curiously.
"It's a long story," said Luke as he grabbed his bike and started his escape again.
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