Ghostly: An Overhaul Story

[Chapter 3]

Reminder: Text in *these symbols* are dialogues between Ayumi and ghosts. Please read the Author's Note if you haven't.

*Great* Me and Cassandra groan at the same time.

We should report this to the police. They shot a passerby and almost shot us too. *Okay so we're basically on the hit list of one of the most powerful organizations of Japan!?* Cass yells.

*Well* Dane starts. *Technically, your friend's the only one in danger right now, what's your name?*

*It's Ayumi Rei* I say, kind of terrified. I wish that I could turn into a ghost. Then those bullets would just go right through me, and I wouldn't have to worry about getting hurt and everything else alive people had to do.

*Okay... But still, being able to bring the dead back to life is a pretty big deal* Dane points out.

*I've said that countless amount of times* Cassandra adds. It's true though. I don't ever remember going a week without anyone saying that to me ever since I've awakened my quirk. It was really scary when the first ghost I encountered was a homeless man ghost in my dad's garage. People in France could've heard my loud-ass shriek.

I don't understand how we're having such a normal conversation when we almost just got killed. Well, for Dane and Cass, they almost died when they're basically already dead. This whole ghost concept is confusing.

There was a bench just right by me with a few stacks of free newspaper that was just published. I grabbed one, out of boredom. Cass and Dane floated behind me and tried to read it despite using their blurry vision.

On the second page, there was a highlighted section named "Are the Shie Hassaikai Evil?"

I pointed out the section, as Cass and Dane's eyes were drawn to it.

Are the Shie Hassaikai Evil?
By Aoi Matsuyo
     Recently, the ruler of the Hassaikai's assistant, Chronostasis, more referred to as Chrono, has been reported for murder. Three businesses were wiped out a week ago. There were witnesses from all three crimes scenes.
     "I heard some gunshots while I was doing some groceries. I heard it coming from (Company Name 1), so I decided to check it out. When I got there, I spotted a man in a streak white raincoat jump out a shattered window," says Oishi Rira who was nearby (Company Name 1)
     "I was sitting in the (Company Name 2)'s main office as a man in white and a brownish plague mask intruded the room and told us to put our hands up. He shot all of us, but missed me. I played dead, but my glasses were knocked off, so I'm not very sure about my description of his appearance," Akibara Torazo explains, who worked at (Company Name 2).
     "I was about to leave the building after making a business deal with the CEO of (Company Name 3). I heard him scream and ran back up to see traces of blood on the walls and the CEO missing. I checked the cameras, and I saw the Shie Hassaikai's assistant, Chrono, paralyze him with a stun gun and then run out," says Yuuma Noriyo who was an acquaintance of the famous (Company Name 3)'s CEO.
     Is this all just a coincidence or is Chronostasis really a murderer? Are all of the Shie Hassaikai murderers?

*Okay so they really could've killed us after all* I say.

*My vision is too blurry... Can you read it out to me?* Cassandra asks. Dane says he would prefer it if you read it out loud too.

*Okay* I sigh, ready to read a page-long article.

§-time skip to after she read the article-§

*Okay so we're now all involved with some serial killers* Cassandra exaggerates. Dane hums and I nod my head. Although the newspaper writers aren't sure that the Shie Hassaikai are really killers or not, but with what just happened in the alleyway, I'm pretty darn sure they are. Maybe I should report this to the police?

I check the time on my phone, and it was right now 5:04 pm. *I should be going back to my hotel... Which is one and a half kilometers away* I mutter the last part. I can see a wave of guilt hit Dane.

*Maybe I can bring you back?* he asks. I shrug, not sure if I've overused my quirk enough today. Bringing back one ghost is hard enough in a day, but I've brought ghosts back three times in total today. I was probably only able to do so because of my adrenaline.

Plus, Dane has probably never seen the hotel I've settled in. His teleportation quirk is useless when it comes to that matter.

"BAM!" I heard loud explosion behind me. I quickly turn around and see 11 people staring at me. I recognize 3. They happen to be Overhaul, Chrono and Nemoto. They were approaching from a street full of people and cars. I could see that four of the cars crashed into each other, though I have no idea how. Chrono pointed at me and then 4 men ran towards my location. They were about 200 meters away, how'd they catch up so quickly?

*And that's the Shie Hassaikai* Dane snickers with jazz hands. I dropped the newspaper and dashed in the opposite direction they were coming from.

*Yeah I can tell* Cassandra huffed.

*Dane, since you're familiar with this area, mind telling me a good place to hide that's nearby?* I asked. I remembered my strategy for dodging bullets so I started swerving around again.

*Well, I used to play hide and seek here when I was little, but my best spot was under a bench that was occupied by other people. But I don't really suggest you doing it though because you'd look like a total weirdo. I don't think you're exactly the right size, too* Dane chuckles.

I sigh, then say *You're laughing but I'm running my god damn wits out right now*

Cassandra started laughing too. Do all people go all wacko when they die?

I started sweating, with my arms pumping with as fast as my legs. My heartbeat was faster than a treadmill on full speed, and my breath was as fast as a pregnant lady who just got back from running a 10k marathon, being an escapee of a female cop that puts on way too much lipstick and is obsessed with raisin bran named Officer P'Desko. Don't take it seriously.

I look back to see the four guys that were chasing me had caught up about 30 meters or something around that. I run passed the park, thankful that they haven't shot a bullet yet. I'm now running down a narrow road. I look back and see Cassandra and Dane drifting not too far behind. I can see all of the Shie Hassaikai members about 150 meters away.

I run left, then left, then right, then right, then left, then right, then left, then left, as a part of my bullet dodging technique. Soon, I find myself in a dead-end, at the end of the street, totally out of energy.

I pass out of exhaustion.

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