The narrow alley pulsed with cold, unnatural energy. The air was dense, reeking of a foul stench from the nearby dumpster
The ghost floated a few feet above the cracked pavement. It had a humanoid body covered in sharp, jagged spikes, and long, claw-like fingers and toes. Its eyes glowed yellow, giving it an otherworldly appearance.
Its dark, spiky appearance all contributed to its intimidating and frightening presence.
But what stood out amongst all its features was how it's body was constantly flickering and distorting, almost like a corrupted video
"It's unstable," Reyna warned, tightening her grip on her staff. "Don't let it phase through you."
The two Grade C Reapers have been hunting this Ghost for two weeks now, yet no matter how hard they tried, this spirit somehow managed to slip through their hands at the last second.
But not today
After hours of work, They'd managed to track down and corner it. Right now, they were going to put an end to it
Kain darted in first, wasting no time, and slashed wildly ay the ghost with his twin daggers.
The ghost vanished instantly, avoiding the attack and causing Kain to hit nothing but air.
Kain's eyes widened in shock as his blade hit nothing,he could have sworn that he landed a blow just now. He turned his head sharply,looking for any sign of the ghost but there was nothing.
Then...he felt the chill behind him, he could almost feel the hair on his neck stand up.
The ghost had phased through the ground and re-emerged behind him. It swung it's sharp claws across Kain's back, tearing into his skin and causing blood to splatter on the pavement
"Shxt" Kain hissed, trying to fight through the agon. The attack wasn't too deep but it hurt like hell.
The ghost swiped again, this time aiming for the head, but Kain rolled out of the way at the last second, escaping by mere inches
"Now!" Reyna shouted.
She hadn't taken part in the fight up until now, but she wasn't standing there for nothing. She was observing, waiting for precisely this moment to strike.
Gripping her staff tightly ,she struck the ground, and chains of light shot upward, trying to wrap the ghost in place.
The ghost was caught off guard, it swung it's arms violently, attempting to break through the chains, but it was useless. They continued to wrap around it's twisted limbs locking it's legs in place,
"ROOAARR!!"
Letting out a deafening scream, it mustered its last ounts of energy, and pulled hard on the chains, snapping them instantly. Without hesitation, it sprung towards the roof
"It's heading for the roof!" Kain called, already leaping after it.
They both scrambled up the bulding, chasing a trail of the ghost.
They couldn't afford to let the creature escape. Not again
The ghost reappeared above the roof, hovering slightly above the ground. It scanned the area around for a few seconds, almost as if it was looking for something . Then suddenly, it's body began to flicker erratically. It's arms began to warp,the distorted air around it, shimmering like heat waves
"Shxt, it's going to teleport away again" Reyna announced
Sensing the the ghost's intention, she swang her staff downward sending a searing arc of blue energy towards the ghost.
The attack smashed into the ghost, tearing clean through the ghost's s and hurling it off the roof. It shrieked in pain, spiraled mid-air, and crashed against one of the buildings nearby
The Reapers wasted no time and stormed after the ghost,not giving it any time to recover.
But before they could close in, they were too late... it was gone. Again. They even tried scanning the area for any clues,but there was no luck
"Damn it, it got away again!" Kain yelled. Smashing his fist against the wall
Reyna lowered her weapon." It's injured. Won't get far."
"Still... that's the third one this week that slipped through." Kain replied
...
Elsewhere...
"Reports just in: A Class C ghost sighting near East Sector was confirmed after a skirmish between two Reapers and the entity. Despite a fierce fight, the ghost managed to escape the area, though witnesses say it appeared injured." The news reporter announced.
"The Reaper Division assures citizens that the rogue spirit is being tracked and will be neutralized. As always, our protectors in black will finish the job — it's only a matter of time."
Adam stood still, eyes glued to the old TV that was mounted on the wall.
"Funny. People out there can fly, summon fire, hack tech with their brains. And I'm stuck wringing out mop water. " Adam muttered " Hmm, what I'd give to be a Reaper—"
"ADAM!" Mr. Brook yelled out from the counter, " Quit staring at the fkn TV and get back to fkn work. The floors aren't gonna mop themselves you know."
" S-sorry sir, I'll get right to it" Adam replied.
He grunted as he dragged the plastic mop bucket across the floor. One of the wheels squeaked, and the smell of bleach stung his nose as he started mopping
From the corner of his eyes, He he saw the stack of boxes by the back door — crates of soda bottles someone had conveniently decided to leave for him to restock.
"Sure," he muttered. "Let the barely-paid floor cleaner haul sixty pounds of sugar water by hand. No problem."
Adam was a young 16 year old who has been working in this convenience store for the past six months, two months of exhausting work at the hands of his annoying and quick tempered boss, Mr. Brook.
"Hey! Don't forget to restock those drinks that just came in. There at the back door" Mr. Brook screamed
His boss was really loud, too loud in fact. Even when Adam is standing right in front of him,he would yell like he was a thousand miles away. Adam even thought that could be the main cause of his receding hairline.
Mr. Brook was a man that looked to be in his mid 30s, he had an average build, and a stubble beard. Aside from his not so perfect hairline, one feature that stood out the most was his massive forehead. Sometimes Adam could just stare at it and wonder how can someone get such a big forehead
At first he thought it has something to do with his curse factor, but later he found out his boss's ability was just super hearing.
Maybe super isn't the right word to describe it, but Mr. Brook had exceptional hearing, better than the average human. One time Adam lied about dozing off during work hours and Mr . Brook somehow managed to tell that Adam was lying just by the sound of his heartbeat
Although not a fancy curse factor, at least he had one. Unlike someone...
"Gah" Adam complained,his voice full of exhaustion upon looking at the load of work he was about to do.
He wiped sweat from his brow, squinted at the boxes, and imagined just picking them all up in one hand like they weighed nothing. Super strength. Or maybe telekinesis. Hell, even a ghost helper would do.
'If I had anything even remotely useful,' he thought,' I wouldn't be stuck here scrubbing stains and sand packing boxes'
"Adam!"
The boss's voice cracked like a whip. "Get a move on, the front's still a mess."
His fantasy popped like a bubble. Adam exhaled defeatedly and grabbed the mop again.
"One day" he promised himself. " One day something's gonna change."
Little did he know that his life was about to take a dramatic turn