Ghostbane

Max pulled the car to a stop in front of the massive apartment complex, whistling in admiration. The building was a towering beast, standing at least thirty floors high, its pristine glass windows reflecting the afternoon sun. The surrounding area was just as luxurious—there was a well-maintained park, a swimming pool glistening under the sunlight, and a security post at the entrance.

"Holy shit," Max muttered, leaning forward on the steering wheel to take in the sight.

"Damn," Richard agreed, scanning the area. "Are we even allowed to breathe here? Feels like even the air is expensive."

Max snorted. "If we get caught loitering, they might charge us for standing on their pavement."

They stepped out of the car and approached the entrance, but before they could make it through the gate, a bulky security guard stopped them, holding up a hand.

"Halt. ID?"

Max, without missing a beat, pulled out a leather wallet and flashed an FBI badge. Richard had to hold back a sigh—the badge was obviously fake, but Max always had a way of making people believe in his bullshit.

"We're here for an official investigation," Max said in his most professional voice. "We need to speak to a resident of this apartment. Urgent matter."

The guard squinted, glancing between the badge and Max's face. "FBI? What's the case?"

Richard decided to let Max handle it. If anyone could bullshit their way through this, it was him.

Max put on a grave expression, leaning in slightly. "I'm afraid that's classified, sir. But let's just say that if we don't get this information fast, someone's life might be at risk."

The guard's expression hardened. "Is this related to any criminal activity?"

Max nodded solemnly. "Potentially."

The guard hesitated, then sighed. "Alright, but I'm escorting you up."

"Much appreciated, officer," Max said, giving him a respectful nod.

Richard shook his head slightly as they followed the guard into the building. "Unbelievable," he muttered under his breath.

The elevator ride was silent, save for the soft hum of the moving machinery. When they reached the 18th floor, the guard led them down a pristine hallway lined with identical doors. He stopped in front of one, knocked, and stepped back.

A few seconds later, hurried footsteps sounded from inside before the door creaked open, revealing a teenage boy—probably around fifteen or sixteen. He had messy brown hair, dark circles under his eyes, and was dressed in casual home clothes. His expression was a mix of confusion and irritation.

"Ugh… Who are you guys?" the boy asked, rubbing his eyes.

Max gave him a polite nod. "We're looking for Lois Anderson. Is she here?"

The boy blinked. "You mean my sister?"

"Yes," Richard said. "We need to ask her some questions."

The boy frowned, clearly suspicious. "She's not home right now. She went to a café with her friends."

Max and Richard exchanged a glance.

"Any idea where that is?" Max asked casually.

The boy hesitated. "Uh… Near the mall, I think?"

"That's not very specific," Max said, sighing. "Look, this is important. Can you give us an exact location?"

The boy crossed his arms. "Wait a second—who even are you guys?"

Max flashed his badge again. "FBI."

The boy's eyes widened. "What? FBI?!"

Max nodded. "We need to speak with your sister. It's urgent."

The boy stared at him for a long moment before sighing in defeat. "Alright, hold on." He pulled out his phone, tapped the screen a few times, then turned it around to show them a location on a map.

"This is where she's at right now," he said.

Max and Richard memorized the spot before stepping back.

"Thanks, kid. Stay safe," Max said before turning around.

Richard gave the boy a small nod before following Max out of the apartment. The security guard escorted them back to the elevator without a word, though he still seemed a bit skeptical. Once they were outside, Max tossed the car keys into the air before catching them.

"Well, that went smoothly," Max said as they got back into the Maruti Suzuki.

Richard raised an eyebrow. "Smoothly? That was one of your worst performances yet."

Max scoffed. "You wound me, Richard. My performance was top-tier."

"Yeah, yeah. Just drive," Richard muttered, leaning back in his seat.

With a smirk, Max started the engine, and the car roared to life. They pulled out of the apartment complex, heading toward their next destination—Lois Anderson's location.

---

The café was buzzing with laughter and chatter when Max and Richard stepped inside. The warm lights, the soft hum of background music, and the scent of freshly brewed coffee made it seem like any other ordinary place—except for the fact that they were about to interrogate a bunch of high schoolers.

"Sorry, sirs, but we're currently full," a waitress informed them, her tone polite but firm.

Richard didn't hesitate. He pulled out his badge and flashed it in front of her. "Richard Cross, FBI. We're not here to eat."

The waitress blinked, her eyes darting between Richard's face and the badge. "FBI?"

Richard nodded. "We need to speak with Lois Anderson."

The waitress hesitated before glancing around the room. "She's a regular here. She's sitting at that table with her friends."

She gestured toward a table near the center of the café. Four girls and two boys sat around it, laughing and chatting. The moment Max and Richard approached, the group slowly took notice. Lois, a blonde girl with expensive-looking earrings and flawless makeup, raised an eyebrow.

"Uh… Can we help you?" she asked, crossing her arms.

Max didn't miss a beat. He pulled up a chair and sat down without asking. Richard followed. "Lois Anderson, right?"

Lois glanced at her friends before nodding. "Yeah. And you are?"

Max leaned forward, flipping out his badge dramatically. "FBI."

Silence. Then, sudden laughter.

The whole table erupted into chuckles and amused scoffs. One of the guys, a tall kid with a leather jacket and a cocky smirk, leaned forward. "FBI? Bro, you serious? You look like you work at a used car dealership."

The other boy, a stocky kid with a buzz cut, snorted. "Yeah, what's next? You gonna tell us you're secret agents too?"

One of the girls giggled. "This is some straight-up movie shit."

Max sighed, already regretting not throwing in a cooler cover story. "Listen, we just need to ask a few questions."

Lois smirked. "About what? Are we suspects in a murder case? Ooooh, how exciting."

Max ignored the sarcasm. "It's about Amelia."

That got their attention. The table quieted a little, though some of them still looked unconvinced.

"What about her?" Lois asked, her tone less playful now.

Richard leaned in. "We need information on someone she's been involved with. A guy named Oliver."

The moment that name left his lips, the reaction was instant.

One of the girls stiffened. Another muttered, "Oh hell no."

Leather Jacket Guy groaned, rubbing his face. "Jesus, that freak? What'd he do now?"

Max raised an eyebrow. "So you do know him."

Buzz Cut Kid scoffed. "Yeah, unfortunately. But I still ain't buying this whole FBI act."

Max sighed, already tired of these kids. "Listen, buddy, I don't have time to prove my credentials to a bunch of high schoolers."

"Credentials?" Buzz Cut Kid sneered. "Man, you ain't got shit."

Before Richard could react, the guy suddenly stood up, shoving the table as he did. A few drinks spilled, but he didn't seem to care. "I don't know what kind of scam you're running, but if you don't get the hell outta here, I'll—"

His hand moved fast. Too fast. But Max was faster.

Before Buzz Cut Kid could even reach for Max, his wrist was grabbed and twisted in a split second. He yelped in pain as Max casually pushed him back down into his seat.

"Listen," Max said, his tone calm but firm. "I get it. You're trying to act tough in front of your friends. But let's be real—you're not that guy."

Buzz Cut Kid gritted his teeth, but he didn't try anything else. Max let go of his wrist and turned back to Lois. "Now, as I was saying, we need info on Oliver."

Lois, who had watched the whole thing with mild amusement, finally sighed. "Fine. But you're not gonna like what you hear."

Max smirked. "Try me."

Lois leaned forward, lowering her voice. "Oliver is bad news. I mean, really bad news. He's an orphan, but not in the 'poor lost soul' kind of way. He's the kind of guy who wants you to feel bad for him so he can use you."

One of the girls nodded. "He got expelled from his old school. No one knows why, but there were rumors about drugs and a fight that went way too far."

Leather Jacket Guy scoffed. "Oh, it wasn't just a fight. Dude got arrested for murder."

Richard's eyebrows shot up. "Murder?"

Lois nodded grimly. "Yeah. Some guy died, and Oliver was the main suspect. But then—poof! Case just disappeared. No one knows how, but he got off scot-free."

Max tapped his fingers on the table. "And he and Amelia have been dating for…?"

"Like, two months," one of the girls answered. "Maybe a little longer."

Buzz Cut Kid, now nursing his wrist, muttered, "That creep used to hang out in a haunted cemetery too. Said it was a 'spiritual place.' Total weirdo."

Lois sighed. "Amelia wouldn't listen to us when we told her to stay away. She kept saying he was 'misunderstood.'"

Max let out a long whistle. "Damn. That's a hell of a boyfriend she picked."

Richard jotted down some mental notes before standing up. "That's all we needed."

Max stretched. "Appreciate the help, kids."

"Wait," Leather Jacket Guy called out. "Is Amelia in danger?"

Max grinned. "That's classified."

Without another word, they walked off.

As they stepped outside, Max exhaled dramatically. "A creepy orphan with a murder charge, drug history, and a thing for cemeteries? Richard, my man, I think this Oliver got a whole lot more weirder."

Richard nodded. "Then let's go find him."

The Maruti Suzuki roared to life as they drove off toward the haunted cemetery.

---

The old Maruti Suzuki rumbled through the empty streets as Max and Richard headed toward their next destination. The information they had gathered from Lois and her friends painted a clear picture—Oliver wasn't just a troublemaker. He was dangerous. And if he was truly connected to Amelia's possession, then things were about to get a lot worse.

Max drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "You know what's wild?"

Richard sighed. "What now?"

Max smirked. "That was the most useful group of high schoolers I've ever met. Usually, teenagers just waste your time with dumb shit, but these kids? They actually gave us solid leads."

Richard chuckled. "Yeah. After you almost broke that dude's wrist."

Max shrugged. "Hey, Buzz Cut needed a reality check. What kind of idiot tries to fight an FBI agent?"

"You're not an FBI agent."

"Shhh. The kids don't know that."

Richard shook his head as they drove past the last streetlight and into the darker, more abandoned part of the city. The road was old and cracked, with weeds growing between the pavement. The further they went, the fewer buildings there were. Eventually, the asphalt turned to gravel, and then to dirt.

Soon, they arrived at the cemetery.

The place was massive, stretching far beyond what the headlights could illuminate. The moon barely provided any light through the thick clouds, leaving most of the graveyard in eerie darkness. The trees that surrounded it swayed lightly in the wind, their branches creaking like whispers in the night. A rusted iron gate stood between them and the entrance, slightly ajar.

Max let out a low whistle. "Man, I love how sketchy this place looks."

Richard shot him a look. "You love it?"

"Yeah. Haunted cemeteries are classic horror movie settings. It's got the whole vibe—rusty gates, creepy trees, probably some dead guy named 'Ezekiel' buried somewhere."

Richard rolled his eyes. "You're way too excited about this."

Max grinned. "What can I say? I love my job."

Richard pushed open the gate, the rusted metal groaning loudly. As they stepped inside, the air around them grew noticeably colder.

Richard's expression hardened. "Feel that?"

Max exhaled, watching his breath turn visible. "Yup. Spirit energy. Strong, too."

They moved carefully through the rows of old tombstones, scanning the area for any signs of movement. A few graves were freshly dug, their dirt still loose. Others had cracked headstones, covered in moss and vines.

Max took out his phone and pulled up a photo of Oliver that Lois had given them. It wasn't much—just a blurry shot of him in a hoodie, looking away from the camera.

Max clicked his tongue. "We're looking for a wannabe ghost hunter who hangs out here for fun. What kind of psychopath just chooses to chill in a haunted cemetery?"

Richard kept his voice low. "A guy who thinks he has superpowers."

Max smirked. "Right. Forgot about that part."

They walked deeper into the cemetery, moving past the older, more abandoned sections. The headstones here were nearly crumbling, some of them so eroded that the names were unreadable.

Then, Richard stopped.

"Over there."

Max followed his gaze and spotted it—a dim, flickering light in the distance, near the treeline.

"Bingo," Max whispered.

They moved in closer, stepping lightly to avoid crunching twigs underfoot. As they got near, the faint smell of something burning hit their noses.

Richard narrowed his eyes. "Incense."

Max nodded. "Yep. He's definitely here."

They reached the source of the light—a small clearing where several candles were placed in a circle around a crude symbol drawn in the dirt. It was a mess of strange markings, spirals, and runes that neither of them immediately recognized. At the center of the circle sat a blackened skull.

Max whistled. "Now that's some real cult shit."

Richard scanned the area, his muscles tensing. "Where is he?"

Max turned, checking behind one of the larger tombstones. "Maybe he left?"

Just then, a voice broke the silence.

"You shouldn't have come here."

Both Max and Richard spun around.

A figure stood just beyond the candlelight, half-hidden in the shadows. He was tall and thin, dressed in a black hoodie and torn jeans. His face was partially obscured by the hood, but his piercing yellow eyes shone unnaturally in the dark.

Oliver.

Max grinned. "Oh, there you are."

Oliver didn't move. His voice was eerily calm. "You have no idea what you're dealing with."

Richard scoffed. "Let me guess—you're gonna say some edgy bullshit about how you're 'different' or how we 'wouldn't understand' your true power?"

Oliver smirked. "Something like that."

Max crossed his arms. "Listen, emo Batman, we don't have time for your cryptic nonsense. You're connected to Amelia's curse, aren't you?"

Oliver remained silent.

Richard stepped forward. "What did you do to her?"

Oliver finally took a step closer. The candlelight flickered as he moved. His eyes glowed brighter.

"I gave her a gift," he said softly.

Max and Richard exchanged glances.

"Oh, hell no," Max muttered.

Before they could react, Oliver lifted his hand—and the candles burst into blue flames.

The air around them rippled with an unseen force. The symbols on the ground started to glow. The shadows around them twisted unnaturally.

Richard immediately reached for his weapon. Max didn't move.

Instead, he smirked.

"Well, well," Max muttered. "Looks like we found someone who actually knows a few tricks."

Oliver's grin widened.

"You still don't understand, do you?"

Max cracked his knuckles. "Oh, don't worry. I'm a fast learner."

The tension in the air thickened. The cemetery grew darker.

And just like that—Oliver ran away