Ghostbane

Richard let out a sigh as they left the café, stretching his arms. "Alright, cemetery time."

Max, finishing the last sip of his coffee, nodded. "Yeah, we gotta check if Oliver left anything behind. Maybe we can find out what he was really trying to do with that ritual."

Amelia, who had been quietly listening, perked up. "I'm coming with you guys."

Richard and Max both stopped in their tracks and looked at her.

Max shook his head immediately. "Nope. No way."

Richard agreed. "Yeah, Amelia, I don't think that's a good idea. Last night was already bad enough. You just recovered."

"I'm fine now," Amelia insisted, crossing her arms. "I feel normal. No headaches, no dizziness. Besides, I want to see for myself what this is all about."

Max rolled his eyes. "This isn't some detective adventure, alright? It could be dangerous. What if Oliver's still hanging around? What if there are more of those freaks with him?"

Amelia's expression didn't waver. "You guys fought a perverted ghost last night, didn't you?"

Richard blinked. "Yeah…?"

"And I heard you kicked Oliver's ass, too," she continued. "So if anything happens, I have two exorcists right next to me. I'll be fine."

Max let out a groan. "You don't get it. We can't babysit you and do our job at the same time."

"Who said I need babysitting?" Amelia shot back. "I can take care of myself."

Max scoffed. "Oh yeah? If something happens, do you even know how to defend yourself?"

Amelia hesitated for a second, then looked at Richard. "Would you let me go?"

Richard scratched the back of his head. "Uh… well, I mean…"

Max turned to him with a glare. "Don't even think about it."

"Look," Amelia said, stepping forward. "I just want to see what's really going on. I want to understand why this happened to me. I need answers."

Richard let out a sigh. He understood that feeling all too well. "Fine."

Max looked at him in disbelief. "Dude, seriously?"

Richard shrugged. "She wants to go. If she says she's fine, she's fine."

Amelia grinned. "Thank you."

Max groaned. "I swear, if something happens to her, I'm making you explain it to George."

"Yeah, yeah," Richard waved him off.

With that settled, the three of them set off on foot toward the cemetery. Richard pushed his cycle along beside him, the wheels rolling over the uneven pavement.

"Man," Max groaned as he stretched his arms. "Last night we had George's old Maruti Suzuki. Now we gotta walk? This sucks."

"You could've just borrowed the car again," Richard pointed out.

"And deal with George yelling at me about 'respecting his precious old-school classic'? No thanks."

Richard laughed. Amelia smirked. "How old even is that car?"

"Too damn old," Max muttered.

The three of them walked through the streets, enjoying the rare moment of normalcy. It almost felt like a regular day—except for the fact that they were going back to a haunted cemetery.

Halfway through their walk, Richard's phone suddenly rang. He fished it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen. George.

Richard sighed before answering. "Yeah?"

George's voice came through, sharp as always. "Where the hell are you?"

Richard glanced at Max and Amelia before answering, "Uh… with Max. We're checking out the cemetery again."

There was a pause. Then, George grumbled, "Be careful."

Richard blinked. "That's it?"

George scoffed. "What, you want me to yell at you? I figured you'd ignore me anyway."

Richard chuckled. "Fair enough."

"Call me if you idiots find anything," George added before hanging up.

Richard put his phone back in his pocket and looked at Max. "Well, he didn't yell at me. That's a first."

Max smirked. "Give it time. He's probably saving his energy for later."

The group kept walking, the cemetery finally coming into view.

The cemetery looked completely different in the daylight.

Last night, the air had been thick with something unnatural—something that pressed against their lungs and made every step feel heavier. The trees had loomed like twisted shadows, the gravestones nothing more than eerie silhouettes under the dim glow of the moon.

But now? It was just a normal graveyard. The sun cast long shadows across the neatly arranged tombstones, birds chirped somewhere in the distance, and a soft breeze rustled through the tall grass.

Still, Amelia wasn't convinced.

She folded her arms as they walked deeper into the cemetery, her eyes scanning every corner. "It doesn't feel haunted."

Richard let out a dry chuckle. "Yeah, no shit. The ghosts don't come out when the sun's up."

Amelia shot him a look but didn't argue. "This is really where you guys fought a ghost last night?"

"Yup," Max said casually. "Right over there, by those gravestones."

Amelia followed his gaze, her expression unreadable. "And Oliver was here too?"

Richard nodded. "Right in the middle of some freaky-ass ritual."

She exhaled slowly. "Damn…"

Max smirked. "Yeah, welcome to the world of exorcism, princess."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't call me that."

Richard ignored them and crouched down near the spot where Oliver had performed his ritual. He brushed his fingers over the dirt, frowning.

It was clean.

Too clean.

The wax from the melted candles? Gone. The chalk markings? Erased. Even the footprints from last night seemed disturbed, like someone had intentionally covered them up.

Max felt a chill crawl up his spine.

"He cleaned up," he muttered.

Richard knelt beside him, inspecting the ground. "Shit. So Oliver came back after we left."

Max stood up, rubbing the back of his head. "Probably to get rid of evidence."

"That means he's still active," Amelia said, a slight edge to her voice.

Max clicked his tongue. "And still nearby."

Silence hung between them for a moment. The weight of the situation was finally sinking in.

Oliver wasn't just some creep who had a thing for weird rituals. He was doing this for a reason.

And he wasn't done yet.

Max clapped his hands together, breaking the tension. "Alright. We need to cover more ground. Richard, you stick with Amelia. I'll check the other side."

Richard groaned. "You just don't wanna babysit."

Max shot him a grin. "Damn right."

Richard sighed, but he didn't argue. He turned to Amelia, who seemed deep in thought.

"What's up?" he asked.

She hesitated, then shook her head. "Nothing. Let's just go."

They started walking toward the eastern side of the cemetery.

At first, the silence between them was awkward. Richard wasn't sure why—maybe it was the weirdness of the situation, or maybe it was the fact that Amelia was still technically recovering from being possessed. Either way, he felt like he should say something.

"So…" he started, glancing at her. "Your dad really doesn't believe in ghosts, huh?"

Amelia snorted. "Yeah, no. He thinks exorcists are just con artists who take advantage of scared people."

Richard smirked. "So he must love me, then."

Amelia rolled her eyes. "Oh, totally. You're his favorite person."

Richard chuckled, but before he could say anything else, Amelia suddenly grabbed his arm.

"Hey—look over there."

Richard followed her gaze.

Near the rusted cemetery gate, a small group of teenagers was huddled together. At first glance, they just looked like a bunch of kids hanging out, but then Richard noticed the way their hands moved—quick exchanges, money for small plastic bags.

"Drugs," Amelia whispered.

Richard sighed. "Yeah. Let's just keep moving."

But Amelia didn't move.

She was still watching them, her brows furrowed.

"Wait," she said. "Didn't you say Oliver was dealing around here too?"

Richard froze.

Shit.

She was right.

If these guys were involved with Oliver's drug business, then maybe—just maybe—they knew where he was hiding.

Richard exhaled, already regretting what he was about to say.

"Fine," he muttered. "Let's go."

Richard and Amelia walked toward the group of teenagers near a crumbling headstone. The air smelled of cheap cigarettes and something sharp—definitely drugs. A tall guy with a buzz cut was handing off a small plastic bag to a hoodie-wearing kid, while a bleached-blonde guy leaned against a tree, counting money. The others stood around casually, acting like they weren't doing something illegal in broad daylight.

Richard sighed. Same old shit.

"I don't like this," he muttered.

Amelia gave him a side glance. "Then let's stop them."

Richard exhaled through his nose. He was planning to ignore them, but Amelia's expression was firm. She wanted to stop them.

"…Alright," he said, adjusting his sleeve. "Let's go."

They stepped closer. The first to notice was a skinny kid with a scar on his cheek. He barely spared Richard a glance before doing a double-take. His eyes widened slightly.

Buzz Cut noticed Scar Cheek's reaction. "What?"

Scar Cheek didn't respond at first, staring at Richard with uncertainty. Then he leaned toward Buzz Cut and whispered something.

Buzz Cut frowned. "Who the hell is—" He looked at Richard properly this time, studying his face. His expression changed—his usual arrogance shifting into something more cautious.

Bleached-Blonde glanced between them. "Yo, what's going on?"

Buzz Cut didn't answer immediately, his gaze locked onto Richard. It was as if he was replaying memories, trying to confirm something. Then, realization dawned.

"Wait…" Buzz Cut muttered. "You're Richard Cross."

The name clicked.

Blonde Hair stiffened. The hoodie-wearing kid took a step back. Scar Cheek swallowed hard.

One kid—the youngest in the group—was still clueless. "Who?"

Scar Cheek shot him a look. "Dude. You don't know?"

The younger kid shook his head.

Scar Cheek leaned in. "That's Cross."

The younger kid still looked confused.

Scar Cheek sighed in disbelief before lowering his voice. "He used to be a total fucking delinquent. Guy ran this whole damn area a few years back. No one messed with him 'cause he beat the shit outta anyone who tried."

Amelia blinked in surprise. She turned to Richard, raising an eyebrow.

That Richard? She thought.

Richard didn't react. He kept his usual neutral expression, but he had definitely heard every word.

The younger kid's face slowly changed from confusion to realization. He looked at Richard again, as if seeing him in a completely different light.

"…Oh."

Buzz Cut exhaled sharply. His confidence from before? Gone. He crossed his arms, trying to act like he wasn't bothered. "So what? You looking to start shit?"

Richard sighed. "No."

Buzz Cut narrowed his eyes. "Then what do you want?"

Richard got straight to the point. "Oliver."

Silence.

The air shifted slightly.

Blonde Hair tensed. Scar Cheek and the hoodie kid exchanged glances.

Amelia immediately picked up on it. They knew something.

Buzz Cut forced a scoff. "No clue where he is."

Richard gave him a look. "You sure?"

Buzz Cut crossed his arms. "Even if we did, why the hell would we tell you?"

Richard didn't answer right away. He let the silence settle, watching as their discomfort grew.

Then, without breaking eye contact, he took one step forward.

Buzz Cut flinched.

It was small. Barely noticeable. But Richard saw it.

Everyone else saw it too.

Richard didn't need to say anything. The message was already sent loud and clear:

You don't want problems with me.

Scar Cheek sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Look, man… yeah, we know Oliver. But we haven't seen him since last night."

Buzz Cut shot him a glare, but Scar Cheek ignored it.

Richard tilted his head. "Last night?"

Blonde Hair hesitated before answering. "Yeah. He's been acting weird. Talking about… I dunno, some 'ritual' or some shit. He said he needed to be close to the cemetery."

Amelia frowned. "Why?"

Buzz Cut scoffed. "How the hell should we know? Guy's a freak. He was talking like some cult leader."

Scar Cheek sighed. "Look, I don't know where he is. But if he's not here, he's probably hiding out in one of his usual spots."

Richard considered that. "And where would that be?"

Buzz Cut hesitated.

Richard exhaled. "Look. You tell us what you know, and we leave. We don't care about your little business."

Buzz Cut and Blonde Hair exchanged glances before finally speaking.

"…There's an abandoned shack near the east side of the cemetery," Buzz Cut muttered. "Oliver used to hang there when he wanted to be alone."

Richard glanced at Amelia, then back at them. "That's all you know?"

Blonde Hair nodded. "That's all we know."

Richard studied their faces for a moment before nodding. "Alright. We're done here."

Without another word, he turned and started walking away. Amelia followed him, casting one last glance at the group before they left.

As soon as they were far enough, Amelia let out a breath.

"Well… that was something."

Richard hummed.

Amelia glanced at him. "You really were a delinquent, huh?"

Richard shrugged. "Used to be."

Amelia smirked. "I dunno. Still kinda fits."

Richard rolled his eyes but didn't argue.