Chapter 38: The Mark
Just as Rain prepared to end her shift and retreat to the sanctuary of her dorm, a call from Miles abruptly halted her plans. The seriousness in his voice was unmistakable, an urgency typically associated with ghostly encounters, causing her to snap into action.
In the world of ghost tamers, a call isn’t placed without a paranormal incident looming. And Rain, playing the role of switchboard operator during such crises, is crucial to the process. She collects and organizes information, evaluates the level of threat, and helps maintain regional stability.
Therefore, the trill of the phone is a call to duty, regardless of whether she had just begun her rest. Now fully alert, she tuned into Miles’ recounting of the incident.
As she retrieved the file on the spectral entity known as Right, a frown deepened on her face and grace concern reflected in those eyes.
“So, you’re telling me that the ghost baby which emerged from Right’s stomach is maturing? A few days ago, it was still in an infantile state, and now it’s a child displaying the ability to manipulate the ghost domain?” she probed.
“That seems to be the case,” Miles confirmed. “Additionally, the ghost baby left two palm prints on a peer of mine. Now it appears to have marked her for consumption, much like a victim of a haunting curse. Do you have any records of similar occurrences? Or maybe a potential solution?”
Rain recalled certain archived paranormal cases, “Yes, there have been comparable situations. Typically, if a ghost has a solid intent to kill, two conditions need to be satisfied – a distinct trigger and a killing pattern. This bears a stark resemblance to the motives and methods of conventional murderers.”
“The knocking ghost was triggered by the sound of knocking, and it haunted doors as its method of killing. Other modes of killing are not ruled out, of course. As for the ghost baby, its method of killing seems to be consumption, with the trigger being physical contact.”
“From my research, it’s likely the ghost baby will consume the first person it touches. That’s probably why it has targeted your classmate – because she made contact with it,” Rain explained.