Chapter 58: Rush In
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
Ethan and Miles stood hesitantly before a clothing store, the atmosphere thick with tension. “Ethan, perhaps you should go in first?” Miles offered gently.
Ethan looked at his brother-in-arms with a teasing smirk. “Oh, come on, elder brother! Surely, you should lead the way,” he jested, his smile softening the challenge in his words.
Miles chuckled, “Ethan, I’m only eighteen and with very little experience. Go on, take the lead, I insist.”
Ethan shook his head, false admiration in his eyes. “But you’ve grown so much, Miles. Your skills are undeniable. You lead; I’ve got your back.”
Miles objected, “That’s very kind of you to say. But honestly, Ethan, you’ve always been my mentor despite our short period of knowing each other. I’ve learned so much from you during the past hour.”
Their good-natured banter continued, but it wasn’t just for fun. They were both reluctant to step into the dimly lit store. The automatic doors hissed open, revealing a darkened space that felt menacing and unwelcoming.
Inside, an intangible force lurked, sending shivers down their spines.
They came to rid the store of this ghostly presence for their own monetary gains. Yet, despite their extensive training and experience, the uncertainty of what awaited them was daunting. One wrong move could have deadly consequences.
Their experiences had always emphasized caution and never antagonizing the ghosts more than necessary. Yet, their friendly dispute made it clear neither was keen on being the first to enter.
Finally, Miles, seeking a solution, suggested, “If we’re so unsure, maybe we should just call it a day?”
Ethan hesitated, searching for the right words. “But think about it, Miles. If we pass on this one, what are the odds that we will encounter another opportunity as good as this one?”
Miles considered this and nodded slowly. “You’re right. Based on recent discoveries, this spirit doesn’t seem too powerful. We should be able to handle it.”
With a deep breath, Miles bravely took the lead, pushing through the ominous door. Ethan, ever-watchful, followed him, prepared to wield his skills at any given moment.
Inside, the store was somewhat cramped, densely filled with mannequins and clothing racks. The confined space added to the unsettling atmosphere.
“The spirit is inhabiting one of the mannequins, the one from the photo we were shown. We locate it, then tackle this together,” Ethan murmured, switching on his flashlight to illuminate the shadows.
Miles nodded. “I remember that mannequin. It’s unique; we’ll spot it.”
With that, Ethan delved deeper into the store’s corners, searching for any sign of the possessed figure.
The store was eerily silent, almost normal as if it had just closed for the night and was waiting for morning customers. Yet, they knew something unnatural was amiss.
The atmosphere within the clothing store turned dense and suffocating as a foul, rotting stench began to pervade the room. It was as if something long dead had just been uncovered. Suddenly, a faint creak echoed through the eerie silence, sending shivers down both their spines.
Miles and Ethan instinctively turned towards the noise. The automated glass door that had been wide open only moments ago was now eerily closing by itself. The gentle thud of its closure seemed to amplify manifold in the deathly quiet store.
The two exchanged uneasy glances but found no immediate threat.
Ethan tried to brush off the ominous feeling, remarking, “Maybe it’s just the door malfunctioning.”
Miles, however, wasn’t convinced. “No, it’s more than that. The ghost is definitely here with us.”
They remembered River’s detailed analysis of the mall’s security footage. While most of the mall appeared typical and unassuming, this particular store was identified as the epicenter of all paranormal occurrences.
Ethan, visibly concerned, asked, “Should we be worried about the door being shut?”
Miles, trying to stay calm and pragmatic, replied, “We aren’t planning to flee, are we? Besides, in an emergency, we wouldn’t head for the main entrance.”
Before Ethan could respond, he caught onto a subtle, peculiar noise emanating from deeper within the store. It was an almost imperceptible scraping, reminiscent of something pivoting on an axis.
“The mannequins,” Ethan murmured, a mixture of wonder and dread in his voice.
Miles, however, had already realized it, eyes wide with apprehension.
In a bone-chilling spectacle, mannequins around the store began to slowly, synchronously turn their heads. Their eerily detailed eyes, once dull and lifeless, now glowed with a sinister luminescence as if silently whispering – We’re watching you.
“Stay vigilant. Don’t let them out of your sight,” Miles instructed with urgency, “A momentary lapse, and we might be in deeper trouble.”
As Miles spoke, a mannequin torso, devoid of its legs, eerily raised its head. Its hand reached out as though attempting to grasp something. Soon, other mannequins followed, their movements growing more pronounced, signaling the ghost’s increasing influence.
With deliberate care, Miles and Ethan kept shifting, ensuring they never turned their backs to these lifeless figures.
“Can the ghost truly command these mannequins?” Ethan asked, his voice revealing a hint of trepidation.
Miles nodded gravely, “Seems like it. It can control any object it attaches its essence to. These mannequins, or any beheaded figure for that matter, are just its puppets. The real threat lurks unseen, biding its time. We need to force it out of the shadows to contain it.”
Grasping the gravity of the situation, Ethan asked, “So, what’s our game plan?”
Miles hesitated momentarily, “Direct confrontation is risky. We should lie in wait and activate my ghost domain only once the entity reveals its true form. Blindly lashing out might cost us our one shot at containment.”
Ethan’s attention was caught by the changing room, whose door stood slightly ajar. The eerie silence and unsettling events in the store so far heightened his suspicions. “Miles, over there. The changing room door’s ajar. Could the possessed mannequin be hiding inside?” he questioned, his voice tinged with a mix of anxiety and curiosity.
Miles, following Ethan’s gaze, acknowledged the possibility. The unusual occurrences they’d encountered suggested they should inspect every potential hiding spot. “We should take a look,” he agreed.
United in their decision, they carefully made their way towards the changing room. The narrow beam of Ethan’s flashlight cut through the oppressive darkness, revealing little pockets of the store’s interior, each more sinister than the last.
They gently pushed the changing room door, revealing an unnerving sight: a woman’s figure, her skin pale and ghastly, stood in silent repose. Her unnerving stillness was accentuated by the incongruent attachment of her human head to a mannequin’s body. The eerie amalgamation radiated a menacing energy.
“It’s not her,” Ethan murmured, discounting the grotesque figure as the source of their troubles.
But in that moment of distraction, another changing room door creaked open ominously. A sinister figure, almost two meters in height and adorned with elongated limbs, emerged from the shadows. It cast an ominous silhouette that devoured the beams of the flashlight, encasing the room in an even deeper darkness.
Miles’s heightened senses were instantly alert. A crimson eye, symbolic of his ghostly abilities, opened on the back of his head, unveiling a horrifying sight. The grotesque figure, identical to the one they had seen in the cell phone picture, was looming ominously, its menacing hands outstretched.
“Behind us!” Miles’s sharp warning cut through the heavy air.
Miles, agile and alert, deftly avoided the impending attack. But Ethan was less fortunate as he was caught unaware. The cold touch of the menacing figure grazed his head, injecting an icy terror that cascaded through his veins.
But Ethan was a seasoned fighter. Reacting instinctively, his hands, slick with his own blood, clenched around the mannequin’s outstretched arm. His ghostly blood, imbued with mystical properties, seeped into the mannequin. Its joints, eyes, and neck oozed with fresh blood.
“I’ve got it! My ghost blood will weaken it; seize this moment!” Ethan’s triumphant cry echoed ominously.
But victory was premature. Behind Ethan, the woman-mannequin hybrid sprang grotesquely to life. A decayed, bluish-black arm imbued with malevolent energy lunged at him.
Miles, ever-vigilant, intercepted. “Always watch your back!” he snapped. His foot, enwrapped in a mystical red glow – a testament to his own supernatural powers, connected with the lurching figure, catapulting it into the wall with a thud.
The once menacing figure was now embedded in the wall, its legs thrashing ineffectually. They were temporarily safe, but the ghost’s menacing presence, unseen yet overpowering, continued to loom ominously over them. Each shadow, each unexplored corner of the store harbored potential dangers, and in this sinister game of cat and mouse, vigilance was their only ally.
Ethan whirled around, his skin drained of color, giving him an eerily ghostlike pallor. He had always relied on his instincts, but Miles’s timely intervention had reminded him of the strength that lay in unity. Alone, that momentary lapse could’ve been his undoing.
Yet, the trials for the night were far from over.
As Miles, still alert from the recent scuffle with the mannequin, emerged from the fitting room, a shocking sight froze him in his tracks. The entrance of the shop, which should’ve been their potential escape route, was now obstructed by an unnerving gathering of silhouettes. One particular figure, distinguishable by its familiar uniform, confidently sauntered inside, reaching out to grab a flashlight from a display nearby.
Upon closer inspection, the chilling truth was apparent. The figure donned a security guard’s attire, but horrifyingly, its neck ended in a bloody stump devoid of a head.
“Is that… Strong?” Miles muttered in horror, recognizing the uniform of a once friendly face from the mall’s security team.
As realization dawned, River’s voice, shaky with fear, crackled over their GPS-enabled phones, “Miles, be careful. I just caught a glimpse of Strong’s lifeless body walking towards the store. I was too shocked to react immediately. You need to stay on high alert!”
His reply was brief but heavy with meaning. “I see it,” Miles acknowledged, eyes fixed on the macabre sight.
But River’s warning, albeit crucial, had come a split second too late. The decapitated guard was already within their perimeter.
With an eerie, deliberate motion, the guard switched off the flashlight. The resulting darkness was oppressive and all-consuming. It was as if the entire store had been swallowed by an abyss.
In the suffocating blackness, Miles could discern more chilling sounds – the subtle noises of multiple entities making their way into the shop, each step echoing the rising threat. It became glaringly evident that their supernatural adversaries were amassing, seemingly intent on overwhelming them in the confined space of the clothing store. The air grew thick with tension, and the true scale of the danger they faced began to manifest itself.