Ghost Behind You

1.11. Souls and the Hunter

"Are you alright?" Zach leaned forward, reaching out to help her.

"Don't touch me!" Rose shrieked, backing against the wall, clearly shaken by what she had just learned.

"Calm down," Zach said gently, trying to soothe her. "I didn't mean to scare you. You wanted the truth, didn't you?"

"Who... who are you really?" Her voice trembled. "Are you... a ghost?"

Zach chuckled softly. "Of course not. Why would you think I'm a ghost? But there is something unclean in this room, and that's why you're feeling this way." He glanced around the dimly lit space. The sunlight outside was blocked by clouds, casting an even heavier gloom over the room.

Rose looked around as well, struggling to find her words. Instead, she pulled out her phone and showed Zach the message. She moved cautiously, as though his very presence might be toxic.

Zach glanced at the screen and let out a quiet laugh. Without warning, he suddenly grabbed her hand. Rose gasped, dropping her phone in shock.

"Shh, don't scream," Zach whispered urgently. "Feel the warmth in my hand. Does this feel like a ghost to you? I only borrowed that identity—I'm not a ghost!" He spoke so close to her that Rose could feel his breath on her skin. She wasn't used to men getting this close, especially with such intensity. She quickly pushed him away, retrieved her phone, and straightened her disheveled hair.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "But now, can you tell me what's really going on? Your real name, your purpose here—is a ghost really responsible for Gary's death?"

"I'm not entirely sure yet," Zach replied, pulling the curtains open. "But you believe me now, don't you? We can leave the curtains open."

Sunlight streamed back into the room, and Rose felt as though she had just returned from the edge of a precipice. She stared at Zach in disbelief, noticing his shadow on the floor. Her mind seemed to shut down—she couldn't process anything. Everything felt mechanical, surreal.

"You can leave now, pretend none of this ever happened, and go back to your life," Zach said quietly. "But for the next few nights, I'll be putting something on your door. Don't take it off, and whatever you do, don't leave your room at night. If you follow these instructions, you'll be safe."

For a moment, Rose felt tempted. She wanted to leave, to forget the hallucinations, the eerie sensations, and the terrifying visions. It was so tempting to pretend, as Zach suggested, that nothing had happened. But she knew herself too well—there was no way she could simply walk away from all of this. The strange discomfort she'd felt in her forensic work was something new, something that had never been there before. What had happened today would haunt her, making it impossible to return to the life she once had.

Could she really walk away now, when she was so close to uncovering the truth? She questioned herself. Though she hadn't seen the "unclean thing" Zach mentioned, she had felt its cold gaze, sensed its hostility, and even imagined faceless figures surrounding Zach. Was that a ghost? Was that what drove Gary to set himself on fire? Were the strange events of last night caused by a spirit as well? And why was she in danger? What kind of danger?

Forget it, just leave, she thought. Go back to your life with Mary. Don't get involved any further.

But another part of her rebelled against this thought. No, I need to know why. Why did Gary die? Why am I in danger? And how does this man know all of this? Am I really such a coward? Am I going to run just because of some strange visions and feelings?

Rose recalled her days as a medical student. Back then, she had struggled to get used to the strong smell of formaldehyde and the fear of working with dead bodies. Her heart would race with terror every time she saw the cold, bluish corpses, but she never gave up. It took her two years to become desensitized, to steel herself, and to calmly dissect bodies marked with bruises and livor mortis. She had even earned the nickname "Fearless Li" among her peers. You fought through that fear back then, she told herself. And now, you're just going to walk away? Pretend nothing happened?