Chapter 290
Ghost (2)
The young girl had never had such a massive scare in her life as she scrambled backwards, her heels sliding against the floor in a frantic attempt to put distance between them.
Her breathing hitched sharply, with her chest rising and falling in uneven bursts as she stared at IAM like she was witnessing something supernatural crawling out of a nightmare.
IAM, completely blindsided by her reaction, slowly stretched a hand toward her—an instinctive gesture that was meant to be reassuring. But the moment he did, the girl only seemed to panic further. She twisted her body and scrambled away with twice the speed, her palms smacking against the floor as she shoved herself backwards.
Her eyes were wide, brimming with terror that made absolutely no sense to him, and her voice cracked as she screeched again, louder than before, the sound echoing down the hallway.
IAM froze, arm half-extended, unsure whether pulling back would calm her or make things worse. He watched as she somehow managed to get her footing under her, pushing herself upright. The moment she did, she spun around in a wild, clumsy turn, nearly slipping again, and bolted down the hallway while screaming the same word over and over—"ghost," as if it was the only thing her brain could process.
He stood there for a moment, staring after her shrinking figure. Then, very slowly, he tilted his head to the side, his brows knitting together in confusion."Ghost?" he muttered under his breath, frowning as the echo of her terrified voice faded.
A few seconds passed, and it finally dawned on him that he probably didn't look very welcoming at the moment, he must have seemed more unsettling than he thought.
He exhaled, shaking his head lightly with a small chuckle tugging at the corner of his lips.
With nothing else to do about the situation, he turned and continued down the hallway. He would go hit the showers real quick, wash off and then head to meet Henry afterward. There was no point dwelling on it now.
He walked down the hallway in the direction she had run, his footsteps echoing softly against the walls. He followed the long stretch for a bit before the familiar sight of that same girl came into view. She was tugging desperately at a boy around her age, her face pale and tight with fear.
As IAM drew closer, their voices carried clearly down the hall.
"Wait… wait, calm down!" the boy said, trying to keep his balance as she pulled on his sleeve. "What do you mean a ghost? Are you sure you weren't just tripping?"
"No, I'm telling you!" she insisted, her voice shaking with every word. "He looked horrible! I–I swear he just tried to kill me!"
"Are you sure it wasn't just a misunderstanding?" the boy asked, confusion mixing with a hint of disbelief.
"No! He just popped out of nowhere and—ahgh!" Her words broke into another panicked shout as she pointed with a trembling finger past the boy. "Ugh—ghost!!"
"Pfft, you can't be seriou—" the boy began, but his voice trailed off the moment he turned and saw IAM's figure emerging from the dim hallway. His expression froze mid-sentence as he stared.
What he saw was a tall figure wearing the colours of their school uniform, drenched in dark, drying blood. Pieces of shattered glass were stuck to him at odd angles, glinting sharply anytime the overhead lights caught them. Every slight movement made a faint crackling sound as the dried blood on his face shifted, splitting and flaking, creating an even more unsettling image with every expression he made.
It gave his face a broken, jagged look, like a damaged statue smeared with something gruesome rather than a person who had simply walked down the hall.
Each step he took left behind a faint, wet-looking footprint of blood, a thin smear at the heel and a darker dot toward the toes, like a quiet trail marking his slow approach.
IAM, who finally understood why they were reacting the way they were—and who could still see the humour in the situation despite everything—lifted his chin slightly. When he stepped fully into their line of sight, he leaned forward just enough and said "boo!"
The instant the sound left his mouth, they froze. Their faces drained of colour completely before they both spun around so fast they nearly tripped over each other.
"Ghost!"
"Help!"
"Mommy!"
Their overlapping voices echoed through the hallway as they sprinted away at full speed, arms flailing, their feet scraping against the floor.
IAM couldn't help it. A low, sinister chuckle slipped out of him as he watched their terrified figures disappear around the corner.
After playing his little prank, it didn't take him long before the hallway widened out into a more public section of the building. The moment his foot crossed into the open space, reactions erupted almost instantly.
Startled gasps shot through the crowd like a spark hitting dry leaves. A cluster of students turned sharply, their eyes widening, and within seconds a wave of shocked voices rolled across the corridor.
Fingers lifted, pointing at him with a mixture of disbelief and fear, and scattered shouts overlapped one another in a chaotic chorus as more people caught sight of him.
IAM very nearly lifted his hand to give a little wave, the kind he imagined a celebrity might give when stepping onto a stage. The urge was strong—almost irresistible—but he forced himself to keep it together, pressing his lips together to stop the smile threatening to escape.
He made his way straight to the showers, ignoring the way people kept parting around him like he was a possessed corpse wandering through the halls. Inside, he finally managed to scrub off most of the blood, letting the red swirl down the drain in slow spirals. The warm water helped loosen some of the dried patches, but no matter how carefully he picked at his clothes and skin, a few stubborn pieces of glass refused to come off.
IAM sighed, resigned. He would have to deal with the rest back at his dorm—preferably without shredding his fingers in the process.
It was also on this day the legend of THE BLOODY GHOST would be added to the 7 biggest mysteries of the academy, a title whispered with a mixture of fear and disbelief, destined to strike fear into many for years to come.
The story would spread fast—much faster than IAM could ever anticipate. By the time he stepped out of the shower area, faint murmurs were already drifting through the halls like smoke.
"Did you hear? Someone saw a ghost covered in blood—"
"No, apparently two people saw it first—one girl almost fainted."
"Don't be stupid, ghosts aren't real."
"Then explain the blood??"