I stood over the boy. For some reason, he looked like he'd seen a ghost—which hadn't happened yet.
The second he stepped in, his forehead started collecting beads of sweat. I could hear his heartbeat quickening so much that I had to let him lie down on one of the church benches.
"I feel sick," he complained, making me question why I had brought along a bag of nothing but a complaining mess.
I dropped his bag next to him. His ears peeked at the small noise it made, twitching slightly.
"You look sick too," I mumbled, walking around him before crouching down beside his sprawled form on the long bench. One leg was propped up, a hand over his eyes as he tugged painfully at his chest.
This was some trauma-drama I didn't fancy getting into.
"Yeah, no shit," he breathed out, making me withhold any fake sweet comfort I was about to give as I stood up. "Don't get smart with me—you're the one lying down in fear like a little bitch," I chastised.
He didn't respond, just lay there quietly, giving me the only other color on his face that wasn't green—a stupid, ugly orange buzz.
"How can I not be? You said a body was found here," he scoffed, his words too weak to carry properly. "And I'm pretty sure I saw something move in there just before you walked in."
He shifted his hand slightly, revealing a glimpse of a crystal-clear eye looking up at me.
—He sure is a pretty boy.
"Yeah… you saw that too? Nothing but ghouls," I told him. Maybe I shouldn't have, because he jolted upright, legs kicking against the bench as he sat up.
"Ghouls… as in ghosts?"
"Sure."
"What do you mean 'sure'?" he snapped, and honestly, I didn't understand why I had to walk him through every word I said.
"Uh… sure. As in yes—it's a type of ghost or something," I explained lazily.
That didn't ease his fear in the slightest. If anything, it made it worse, because he dropped back against the bench with a thud.
My mind split between him and what stood watching from the back. I didn't need to look to know it was there.
Watching.
I found it interesting, to say the least, that the boy was brave enough to come in after I told him a body was found here—but even more interesting that he wasn't running away.
Doomed and scared.
Interesting, for a human teenager.
"Oh, I'm never walking anywhere with you. Trust," he muttered, reconfirming his earlier statement. That almost made me smile.
"Alright," I said, turning toward the stairs. "Stay here. I'll go deal with… something."
I made myself clear, but he grabbed my coat, stopping me before I could take a step.
"You can't just go—I can feel it looking at me," he said, voice small and tight. But instead of looking toward the back where the ghoul was, his eyes darted to one of the broken windows leading to the forest.
Following his gaze, I saw it.
The other problem.
"That one's for you, actually," I told him, eyeing the tall, slender figure hiding in the darkness of the forest.
Its glowing eyes peered directly at him, a clawed hand grazing the tree trunk, chipping at it like a trained house cat.
"Glad you finally noticed it, though. It's been following us since we left school," I added.
His eyes snapped between it and me, his grip tightening on my coat.
"Your senses are sharp—for a human, Randy. Most wouldn't notice a spirit following them so… quickly," I said, gently pushing his hand off my coat by the wrist.
"You're just going to leave?!" His eyes widened as he reached for me again, forcing me to step back before he could grab hold.
"yeah," I muttered, turning away.
He tried again, but I swatted his hand aside.
"Feel free to chat with it. Just don't let it eat your liver," I warned.
His mouth dropped open—another complaint incoming. Blue eyes stared at me like I was the villain in all this.
"You'll be fine. I'm only a few feet away," I added, offering the smallest thing I knew counted as comfort to humans—
A pat on the shoulder.
If he died before I figured things out… that would be a shame.
"Very comforting," he muttered as I passed him—like he wasn't the human currently being hunted by a gumiho of all things.
Probably the same spirit Daniel had been fighting last night before Randy had "heroically" saved it from being sent back to the spirit realm.
"Like I said, don't get smart with me. And I put a few shields around," I warned.
I made my way toward the stairs, where my oh-so-annoying afternoon headache was waiting.
The church layout was odd—a renovated loft above and a long underground prayer space below. Clearly, they hadn't expected much use.
"You can't just leave me?!"
"I can—and I am. Don't be a wuss."
Would this be considered child endangerment? Neglect?
Yeah, probably.
Did I care?
Even as I climbed the creaking stairs, I kept my head turned toward him, watching as he frantically glanced between me and the window.
It was probably getting closer now that I'd left.
But it wouldn't get in.
"Don't go near the windows, kid," I warned.
His head snapped toward me so fast I thought he might've broken his neck.
In what felt like no time at all, I reached the second floor. The loft was just as unsteady as it looked.
"Alright, buddy," I muttered, rolling my shoulders. "Time to dance and send you back home."
This was about to be one short, simple fight.