No way… Am I the one it’s targeting?

  Miller’s eyes shot wide open, his mind conjuring a horrifying image: the silent midnight hallway, empty of all life, echoing only with that unrelenting, eerie footsteps.

  And then—they grew louder. Closer. As if it was walking straight for him.

  Dread coiled in his chest. He summoned his Bound Ghost in an instant,

  clenching the severed finger tight in his fist. A flicker of confidence bloomed, his fear ebbing away a little.

  He wasn’t a First-Curse Ghost Binder yet—no Cursed Techniques to his name. But the severed finger, an offensive Bound Ghost, worked just like a dagger, and it could deal a nasty blow to a malevolent ghost.

  “I need to call the others!”

  Miller didn’t hesitate. He opened his mouth to shout—

  only to make a horrifying discovery. His throat wouldn’t let out a scream. He could barely speak above a normal whisper.

  The hotel was silent, but a mutter like that would never be heard.

  In an instant, he understood why the previous victim had made no sound that night.

  “I have to get out of here!”

  He sprang to his feet, desperate to flee the room and find help on another floor.

  But his heart skipped a beat.

  The footsteps that had been in the hallway were now inside his room. They paced back and forth right outside his door, the sound sending chills down his spine.

  It’s here. It’s really here.

  Miller’s face drained of all color, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

  In that moment, he realized the truth: all those theoretical lessons had been utterly useless.

  Fear wasn’t something you learned about. It was something you felt—deep in your bones—when a ghost was right there, staring you down.

  “I’ll fight you to the death!”

  Miller roared in his mind, trying to force the fear away.

  He lunged forward, the severed finger in his fist, stabbing wildly at the empty doorway.

  Stab after stab. But his attacks hit nothing. Thin air, every time.

  The footsteps never stopped. They paced around him, slow and steady, as if the ghost was watching—amused by his futile struggle.

  With every empty stab, his strength drained away. And his fear? It spiked, growing worse by the second.

  He was terrified. So terrified he was on the brink of breaking.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  He couldn’t fight it. He never stood a chance.

  Moments later, he was gasping for breath, his body completely spent. The severed finger vanished from his hand, gone without a trace.

  Without his Bound Ghost, a tidal wave of fear crashed over him, leaving him gasping for air, his chest tight with panic.

  And then—

  a bloodstained footprint materialized on his stomach, out of nowhere.

  The next morning.

  “Hopefully no one got hurt last night.”

  John splashed cold water on his face, quick to finish getting ready. Even after pulling an all-nighter patrolling, he was wide awake and alert.

  A sharp, urgent knock on his door cut through the silence.

  “Huh?”

  John blinked, opening the door.

  William and the other two Ghost Binders were huddled together outside, their faces ashen with terror.

  “John—something’s wrong. Miller’s dead!”

  “Dead?”

  John’s eyes widened in shock. He hadn’t expected this.

  He’d thought they’d made it through the night unscathed. But someone was dead—and it was a Ghost Binder, no less.

  “Let’s go see.”

  They raced to the scene, bursting into Miller’s room.

  His body lay on the bed, covered in the same eerie bloodstained footprints as the other victims.

  His face was frozen in a rictus of pure terror, as if he’d witnessed something unspeakable before he died.

  John stared at the scene, shaking his head, a somber thought crossing his mind.

  With the start of this supernatural age, human life had become cheap.

  “John—what do we do now?”

  William’s voice trembled with fear. If the ghost had targeted him instead of Miller last night, he knew he would’ve met the same end.

  “We need to leave. This mission’s a death trap.”

  One of the remaining Ghost Binders spoke, his voice thick with panic. “People are dying! We’ll be next if we stay!”

  “Running won’t help.”

  John shot him a cold glance. “We’re all marked now.

  Until we take this ghost down, it’s only a matter of time before it comes for one of us.”

  The Ghost Binder’s face paled, regret flooding him. He cursed himself for ever taking this stupid mission.

  John ignored him, his brow furrowed in thought as he spoke slowly. “If we want to kill it, we have to draw it out—on our terms.”

  The other Ghost Binder frowned. “How? It doesn’t have a pattern. It targets whoever it wants.”

  “Simple.”

  John’s eyes narrowed. Three deaths. Three solo victims. He had a plan.

  “Gather everyone in the hotel down in the first-floor lobby and hallways. No one sleeps tonight.”

  “John—will that even work?”

  William was scared, but his mind was still sharp. “From what we’ve seen, this ghost only goes after people who’re alone. If everyone’s together, it might not show up at all.”

  “Exactly what I want.”

  John smiled. Seeing their confused looks, he explained. “Tonight, I’ll stay alone on the second floor. It’ll almost certainly target me.”

  John felt no fear—making him the least likely target. But if he set the right trap, he could make the ghost come for him anyway.

  The three Ghost Binders stared at him, stunned. Then it clicked.

  He was going to act as bait.

  It was a crude trap, sure—but a ghost was nothing more than a killing machine. It didn’t have the brains to see through it.

  “John—this is way too dangerous!”

  William’s brow furrowed with worry. “What if the four of us stay together as bait instead?”

  “It won’t work that way.”

  John shook his head, his tone calm but sure. “Don’t worry. I can hold out long enough for you guys to get here.”

  As Ethan had taught them, a ghost always tried to draw out as much fear as possible before killing its target—Miller’s frozen expression was proof of that.

  And John? He had no fear to draw out. That was why he could be this bold.

  “From what happened to Miller, it’s clear the ghost stops its victims from screaming for help.”

  John continued, laying out the details. “To be safe, the three of you need to check in on me upstairs in groups at regular intervals.”

  “But John—”

  “That’s final.”

  His tone brooked no argument. “Whoever hesitates bails out.”

  The three exchanged a look, then fell silent. A flicker of admiration crossed their faces.

  This is what real courage looks like.

  “Alright. I’m off to school first. We’ll move on the plan tonight.”

  “School?”

  The three Ghost Binders’ mouths twitched in disbelief. They’d never met anyone with nerves of steel like this.

  Thinking about school at a time like this? When their lives were on the line?

  For a moment, they had no words.

  John smiled, a faint smirk playing on his lips.

  “Knowledge is power.”