Chapter 60: Capture
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Navigating a shop overwhelmed with inanimate bodies to find the single genuine spirit was an intricate and challenging task. The danger was palpable, with each passing second reducing their lifespan, making the mission a perilous gamble with life itself.
In moments like these, unwavering bravery and a steadfast will were indispensable for both men in this case.
Ethan, blood dripping from his wounded hand, gently placed it on the cold, lifeless body of a woman dressed in professional business attire. In response, the formerly animated corpses around them suddenly halted their movements, rendering the room in a tense stillness. The deafening silence was only punctuated by the sound of Ethan’s blood being absorbed by the woman’s clothing.
The sudden tranquility suggested that they might be close to unmasking the spirit’s hiding place within this specific body. But was their intuition correct?
Both Miles and Ethan harbored deep doubts. As Miles studied the corpse with a questioning gaze, Ethan voiced his uncertainty with a somber tone, “Is she the one harboring the spirit? I know my blood can temporarily neutralize the ghost, but it can’t definitively pinpoint its exact location.”
The oppressive silence of the shop was broken only by the faint sound of blood being absorbed into the fabric of the woman’s clothing. This weighty stillness bore down on Ethan, heightening his apprehension as he grappled with the unsettling possibility of either holding an innocent corpse or confronting the malevolent spirit. One misjudgment and he’d certainly face dire consequences.
Time, ticking away mercilessly, only intensified their dilemma, granting the spirit the advantage of draining their vitality. Ethan implored with his face glistening from anxious sweat, “Miles, we must determine if this is the spirit we seek and, if so, securely imprison it within the containment vessel.”
As he uttered these words, Ethan sensed an unsettling surge in his blood, indicating the toll this was taking on him. On the other hand, Miles was frantically trying to interpret the situation, hoping to identify any overlooked hints.
If this woman wasn’t the vessel for the ghost, then the genuine entity might be hidden amidst them, watching and relishing as Ethan’s strength waned. But if she was indeed the spirit, why were the other bodies in the room remaining so uncharacteristically dormant?
A realization dawned on Miles. The initial moving body might have been merely a diversion. Perhaps the ghost, like a cunning predator, was using a decoy to ensnare them. Yet, a misjudgment at this juncture could potentially rob them of their best shot at trapping the spirit.
After swiftly weighing the odds, Miles decided on a risky course of action: this wasn’t the spirit they were searching for. With unwavering determination, he commanded, “Fall back, Ethan. We need to bide our time and reevaluate.”
“Retreat?” The word hung in the air as Ethan repeated it, surprise evident in his eyes. Miles’s command was sudden and unforeseen. For Ethan, retreating felt like they were acknowledging their failure, a bitter pill to swallow especially when it meant wasting the potent and dangerous energy of the vengeful spirit.
Sensing the moment’s weight, Miles swiftly explained, his voice filled with concern and determination, “Hear me out, Ethan. If our suspicion was right and this woman was truly the embodiment of the ghost, the other corpses wouldn’t remain so eerily still. At times, when everything seems to be going too smoothly, it can be the most deceptive of all traps. We have to back away. If the spirit retaliates and takes your life, our mission could spiral into an even graver situation.”
Torn between his pride and the undeniable logic of Miles’s words, Ethan faltered momentarily. But Miles, sensing the peril of their situation, pressed on, “This isn’t a debate. We need to withdraw immediately. If you won’t, I may have no choice but to abandon our mission and leave. The protection offered by my ghost domain is faltering. Persisting blindly might seal our fates.”
With a sigh of resignation, Ethan conceded, “Very well… This time, I’ll heed your advice.” He promptly stopped the bleeding from his hand and gently let go of the woman’s body.
Miles, ever the strategist, quickly advised, “Stay aware of the surroundings. As you retreat, don’t turn away from these corpses. Reverse slowly and ensure you’re always facing them.”
Ethan nodded in agreement, beginning his careful withdrawal. However, as he stepped back, the body of the woman dressed in the business suit crumbled to the floor. It was as if some unseen puppeteer had severed her strings, making her collapse into a twisted heap with her head eerily detaching and rolling away. The body, which moments ago was the focal point of their attention and drenched in Ethan’s blood, now seemed just another lifeless husk.
Yet, the remaining corpses in the vicinity stood still, their postures bizarrely upright despite clear signs of decomposition.
Realization slowly crept into Ethan’s voice as he remarked, “You were right. She wasn’t the spirit we were after.” The bitter undertone suggested he felt deceived by the cunning spirit.
But just as Ethan thought they were close to safety, one of the corpses stirred. Its head whipped around with an unnatural swiftness, revealing dead, milky eyes that stared emptily. In a lightning-fast move, it lunged, its cold fingers wrapping around Ethan’s arm with a grip of steel.
With an unsettling sound, Ethan’s arm was ripped off as easily as a doll’s limb. No blood spilled; only the raw red of flesh was visible at the severed site.
“The spirit’s revealed itself!” Ethan cried out, his eyes dilating with a mixture of terror and astonishment as he confronted the horrifying manifestation before him. Yet, the malevolent entity’s intentions were far from over. With an unnerving swiftness, it violently tore away Ethan’s other arm, seeking to graft it onto its decaying form. It appeared as though the ghost was meticulously constructing some macabre jigsaw puzzle, using human limbs as its pieces.
Ethan’s voice cracked with urgency, his eyes wide with terror. “Miles! You have to intervene immediately! Don’t let that thing graft my arm onto itself. It’s tainted with potent ghost blood. The aftermath of its successful attachment could be catastrophic, beyond anything we’ve ever witnessed,” he pleaded, his body shaking uncontrollably from fear and the pain of his injury.
The chilling reality they had previously suspected had become a nightmarish truth. They had been lured into an elaborate snare. The malevolent spirit had marked them, not as hunters, but as valuable assets in its quest for a superior vessel. As mortal human bodies deteriorate and lose their vitality, this cunning ghost had devised a strategy of regularly transitioning between hosts, seeking rejuvenation and prolonging its existence by opportunistically swapping body parts.
Yet, individuals possessing ghostly abilities posed a different challenge and opportunity for such entities. These unique beings housed true spirits within them. When one ghostly entity attempted to overtake another, the power and horror of the resultant spirit surged exponentially. As the saying goes, a ghost’s essence is eternal; it never truly meets its end.
But before Ethan could further emphasize the danger they faced, a sudden, brilliant flare of crimson light cut him off. The ghostly figure, and the arm it sought, abruptly vanished. The disembodied arm dropped heavily to the floor, a grim reminder of the ghost’s intent.
Wearing a triumphant grin, Miles confidently declared, “Gotcha now.” He continued, his voice dripping with satisfaction, “You’ve proven adept at evasion and deception. However, now that you’re ensnared within my ghost domain, your escape is impossible unless I fall.”
Within the confines of the ghost domain, a lone figure stood eerily motionless. Its head was grotesquely rotated, facing entirely the wrong way. Yet, Miles discerned with an unnerving clarity that this now-possessed form was the new vessel for the malevolent ghost they had been pursuing.