The Phantom Touch

Outside the Law

"Wolves!" shouted Kyra, who stood between me and the ghost, whose shape still shifted and twisted, settling somewhere between a woman and a nightmarish demon. "Transform now, steel yourselves!"

The ghost cried out, her wailing like metal screeching against metal. I slapped my hands to my ears, my head throbbing with the sound. I glanced over at the werewolf officers, who stood closer to the angered spirit. Though they hunched and cringed at her shriek, it only pushed them closer to the edge. Anger and resentment boiled over and, in a swirl of fur and torn fabric, the four officers took on their wolf forms. They weren't as tall as Everett, but they were still taller than me while standing on all four legs.

Desks were shoved across the floor, shelves were knocked off the walls, and filing cabinets fell to their sides as the large beasts tried to make room for themselves in the small building. With them, plus an angered spirit floating around the room, there was little space left for Kyra and I to cower in. Kyra kept pushing me backwards, forcing me against the cold cinder blocks of the wall while she stood an inch from my face.

"Keep close," she shouted over the continued cries of the ghost and the chorus of snarls and growls from the wolves. "The only way she can hurt us is by either taking possession of someone or by spiriting objects and using them against us. A werewolf's soul is strongest in its wolf form, it will be hard for her to possess them at this point and it would take an ancient ghost indeed to have any chance of possessing me. That makes you the best target. Our walls have wards built into them, the closer you are, the more likely some of their magic will protect you. They were meant to keep evil spirits from entering, but they should also keep them trapped once they're inside."

"And what if she starts throwing things," I asked as a whirlwind began to surround the ghost, picking up books, papers, and some rather sharp looking scissors in the process.

"That's what I'm for," said Kyra, steadily. "The wolves and I heal rather well. You don't."

On cue, the ghost hefted up a desk and then threw it towards the cluster of wolves, striking one across the shoulder as it sailed by. The officers snapped their teeth in retaliation, their claws scratching the floor tiles, but not a dent was made in the incorporeal spirit. Next she flung a chair, a cabinet, a whiteboard. The wolves dodged the best as they could, but most of the time, they simply took the blows, her attacks only antagonizing them. Then, however, she found a gun laying in the heap of torn uniforms that had once clad the werewolf officers. With her aura swirling around the trigger, she pointed the firearm at the wolves, who all pressed together, moving as one and following the gun with their muscles ready to spring. This herded the wolves into the far corner of the room, leaving Kyra and I exposed.

She pulled the trigger, unleashing shot after shot into the wolves' thick bodies, before tightening her aura and rocketing herself directly towards me. I screamed with fear as Kyra tensed, her body unable to shield me from beings beyond the physical world. The ancient vampire's frame shivered and trembled as the ghost's shining, white form passed through her. For a moment, I saw the malicious ghost's face appearing through the strands of Kyra's dark hair. Her eyes empty and clear, her mouth wide and full of teeth.

"Spiritus Ligatis!"

My ears rang with the sound of the ghost's screech. My own cry joined in chorus with hers as I fell to my knees, pinching my eyes shut against the pain. I hunched over, threw my hands on top my head, and braced my arms against my ears, as I prepared myself for what was to come. My fear rattled through me, my teeth chattering with expectation, yet nothing ever came.

"What a mess," sighed a voice unfamiliar to my burning ears. It was masculine — low, deep, and tired. I wanted to turn to see who it was, but my arms and legs felt miles away from my head, my commands lost in the distance. Instead, I continued to shiver as my breaths came in quick and shallow.