Chapter 39
Noble did his best to act normal as they ate, but it wasn’t easy.
His Baby was being very quiet, and was obviously unnerved by something.
The man had been very pale and even shaky when he’d first come in.
Unfortunately, based on the furtive glances the witch kept throwing his way, that something was him.
But he wasn’t going to press Ollie on it.
Part of him, of course, wanted to, because not knowing was stressful, but he also knew he wouldn’t like the result if he did, so he was keeping quiet.
Ollie was either working towards confirming whatever idea was in his head or actively searching for a way to deny it.
Noble, for some reason, would bet on him doing the latter, based on what he knew about his Baby. So he was going to do the smart thing and let him continue to do it, because Noble was a selfish bastard.
Clearing his throat, before popping the last bit of his burger in his mouth, he asked, “You mentioned before that you thought the last ghost wasn’t like the others. What did you mean by that?”
Ollie finished chewing the last of his fries, and took a drink of his milkshake before answering. “Um, well, for one, he—or they—had sharp teeth, and definitely seemed to not like me.”
Noble frowned at that, thinking over what he knew about ghosts. Sharp teeth were not something most human ghosts had. However, there were ghost-like paranormal creatures that did have sharp teeth, but were not something one wanted to come across.
“This was the one who frightened you into running straight into me, right?”
Ollie blinked. “Well, yes and no. I technically ran away from Irene in the diner after already freaking out about the ghost in my car, and then just happened to end up in that alleyway where I got scared again.”
“Can you describe him for me?”
“So…like I said, he had very sharp, pointed teeth. All of them, that is. And his eyes seemed hollow, his face gaunt, and his hair was long and disheveled. Oddly, his clothing seemed tattered, but it was like what he was wearing was a combination of other things that had been weirdly sewn together, the seams very noticeable, as were the fabric shifts. So, different from the others before, but he’s still a ghost, right? ”
Noble sighed. This would definitely fall into the category of a ghost-like paranormal creature that one didn’t want to run into. “So, not exactly. If it’s what I think it is, it would more fall into the category of ‘it both is and isn’t’.”
Ollie pursed his lips. “Do you mean that it is both a ghost but also something else?”
Noble glanced over as Red drawled, “More that it’s ghost adjacent. Or at the very least, it once was a ghost, but isn’t any longer.” The familiar walked over to the ‘Ghost’ bookcase and said, “Fifth shelf up, near the end on the right, grab the blue book with the words ‘Not Ghosts’ on the spine.”
Ollie hesitated, eyeing the table before blurting, “Let me clean up first and wash my hands.”
The man quickly tossed his fast-food wrappers into the paper bag their food had come in, and Noble did the same when he held the bag out to him, tossing inside his empty drink cup as well.
Hurrying out of the room with their trash, Ollie returned a few minutes later with wet wipes, and by his guess, clean hands.
Apparently, fast-food grease was a bit too much for Ollie to not attempt to clean away, even when in a magically protected room full of magically protected books.
Noble used one of the wet wipes as Ollie went to grab the book off the shelf.
After tucking the used wipe back inside the wrapper, he set it aside, while the witch sat back down next to him.
After taking another drink from his milkshake, Ollie cleared his throat and said, “Okay, ‘Not Ghosts: Ghost, but not, yet dangerous just the same.’ That subtitle is certainly something.”
“Find the chapter on cluster ghosts,” Red instructed.
Ollie turned a few pages, his eyes scanning what he assumed was the index, before flipping about halfway in and stopping to read.
“‘As with all creatures mentioned in previous chapters, cluster ghosts are ghosts, but not.
To be specific, they are a supernatural creature formed from an accumulation of volatile ghosts that have merged together in their hatred of the living.
A phenomenon that occurs when an odd spark of free-wielding arcane energy surges through an area, while two aggressive, newer ghosts are within a certain range of one another.
“‘After the first merge, the cluster ghost will continue to draw other new ghosts into itself, further strengthening its existence.
While a cluster ghost can sometimes manage to absorb older ghosts, it is rare that they are successful in doing so without breaking apart, which is why they tend to focus on ghosts that have come into existence within the last ten years.
“‘Cluster ghosts, unlike normal ghosts, can show themselves quite easily to whomever nears, and are extremely dangerous to the living. A danger that grows with each new ghost that it merges with, until it becomes strong enough to kill and consume the living. It is pertinent that cluster ghosts are dissolved, and the souls sent to the other side, before the latter happens. As soon as they manage to consume a living soul, the cluster ghost will gain a solid form that it can switch between, becoming an even greater danger to all it crosses.’”
Ollie let out a hesitant laugh as he turned the page. “That sounds really bad. Like really, really bad. And, oh look, there’s a picture of a creature in an outfit that looks very similar to what I saw. Hollow eyes, sharp teeth, and all—hah…”
He gently rubbed the man’s back. “Dangerous, but there are ways to get rid of it.”
“Keep reading, Ollie,” Red ordered.
Ollie continued reading. “‘How dangerous a particular cluster ghost is can be determined loosely by the number of pieces that make up the clothing they wear. The more bound together patches, the greater number of ghosts it is currently merged with.’ Oh, that’s…
yeah, that’s not good. Just…none of it is good! ”
While part of him didn’t want to know just how much danger his poor Baby had been in without them knowing, he had to ask, “By your guess, how many did yours have?”
“More than ten?” the man said hesitantly, before his brow furrowed and with a frustrated huff, he corrected, “Maybe twenty? I don’t know! I didn’t exactly stick around to count, and it wasn’t like I could see all sides of them, just the front.”
Red snorted. “Then I can only assume it failed to hurt you because it intended to play with you first.”
He glared at the familiar when Ollie shuddered and let out a whimper. “Did you have to word it that way?”
“I’m not here to coddle him. He stumbled into a dangerous situation, and luckily managed to get away unscathed.
Unfortunately, it's impossible to know how far along the cluster ghost is in its transformation, but we can only hope it hasn’t managed to actually kill someone.
However, just because it hasn’t, that doesn’t mean it can’t, or that it can’t cause some serious damage.
Now…” The cat looked at Ollie. “Keep reading.”
The little witch huffed, “Fine… ‘Cluster ghosts have an intense hatred for the living, specifically for humans. Once individually focused before they merged, it became a singular, unwavering, ingrained hatred for all living human beings in the aftermath. The creature’s only purpose is to grow in numbers, and ultimately, consume the living.
“‘While cluster ghosts are not person-, location-, or object-locked as regular ghosts are, they tend to choose a single location and remain there for up to a year before moving on to the next. As it isn’t always possible to know how long one has been there, it is best to remove the cluster ghost as soon as possible to avoid the risk of it changing its location.’”
Ollie turned the page. “‘Before getting into how to remove and/or destroy the cluster ghost, it’s important to be aware of the dangers. Cluster ghosts tend to try to latch on to—or strike out at—their victims with their claws, often causing physical damage.
“‘While one does want to avoid their claws, as that alone could result in death if the creature is strong enough, the real reason to avoid their touch has less to do with possible external injuries and more to do with the mental imagery they can project into their intended victim’s mind. One of the cluster ghost’s main methods of killing is mentally destroying the minds of those they touch, leading to self-harm and suicide.
“‘With this in mind, when engaging with a cluster ghost, it is best to try to maintain a distance of at least four feet.
If that is not possible, and restraint is required in the process of destruction, it is important to do all you can to avoid their hands, as it is only through the palms of their hands that they can slip into your mind.
Unlike normal ghosts, while it may be rather easy to touch a cluster ghosts, please be aware that, to actually restrain them in their non-corporeal form, does require spell intervention, as they otherwise can, and will, easily slip free.
“‘To note, while them gaining a physical form is the last thing one wants, it does, however, leave them vulnerable in some ways. The only way to truly injure a cluster ghost is when they're in that form, but once injured, that then prevents them from shifting out of their corporeal form until they have time to regenerate, leaving them open to further attacks.’”