The Hunt

Yurei was a people person. An extrovert. She loved being amongst people, interacting with them, and just being around them in general. She can't seem to stay away from people, and they seemed to like her too. People always noticed her, laughed and joked with her, even if they were complete strangers. Yurei had this... charisma about her, allowing her to get along with anyone and everyone. She rarely met anyone who didn't like her or didn't get along with her. In other words, she was an extremely bubbly extrovert and made friends wherever she went. However, right now, she had never felt more invisible. Waves of people flooded past her, no one batting an eyelash in her direction. Even though she was standing in the center of a busy metro station, not a single person stopped to say hello or give her a smile like they usually did.

Everything just... flowed on, not pausing to include Yurei, like she was insignificant. Maybe she was.

After all, she was dead.

The world simply left her behind, not bothering to pause a single second for her, just carrying on like it always had. It left Yurei with a pale, empty feeling. Watching the people all around her walk past, she was suddenly hit with a lonely, lonely feeling. Oh no. She remembered this feeling.

No one can see me. No one will notice me. No one cares about me anymore. Maybe no one did to begin with. Maybe they all wanted me to die. Maybe that's why they all left me alone with-

Yurei shook her head. This was not what she was here for. She was here to prevent another soul from the same disastrous fate as hers.

Turning her head around, she scanned the station for a flash of light blue hair. What was the girl's name again? Yurei couldn't remember. All she could recall was the girl she wanted to save had blue hair. ...or was it purple hair? Nah, she was pretty sure the Fates had said the girl had blue hair. ...right?

Gah. Stop doubting yourself. You're only making it worse.

Suddenly, a streak of cerulean out of the corner of her eye tore Yurei from her thoughts. Blue girl?!?! She dashed after the disappearing strip of hope.

Yurei moved weightlessly, as light as a feather. Possibly even lighter, since she was a ghost and didn't weigh anything. She sped through the crowds, turning her head this way and that.

Argh, damn it! Where is she? Where is she? Where is-

Yurei glimpsed a spot of blue. ...oh no. She ran. Faster and faster, she could reach it...!

She did not reach it. The girl with blue hair had boarded a subway, which had just left the station. Yurei had tried to throw herself aboard as she could pass through walls, but didn't make it in time. She just tumbled onto the subway tracks, which wouldn't hurt but she had still braced herself for the impact. Yurei was not used to being a ghost yet.

She sat glumly on the tracks, watching the subway run farther and farther away from her, until she couldn't see it anymore. She definitely couldn't catch up now.

Ahh, man, I messed up. What to do now? What to do, what to do, what to do...

Yurei glanced at the clock on the station wall. And did a double-take.

Ha?! It's already 8:43? Farting cows! At this point it'll be too late...!

Yurei frantically pulled herself up and ran out of the station.

Okay, so the subway was heading north towards Coastline Street... so I can take a shortcut by going on this roof and through Greenfield Park!

Yurei found out that ever since she died and became a ghost, she had gotten extremely good at parkour. She ran into an alley and easily kicked off a stray trash can and onto the roof.

Ghosts weren't gravity-less. They couldn't fly either. At least, not in Yurei's experience. Some certain ghosts could float a few meters off the ground, but not actually fly. They can pass through walls and such, but can also control their 'body' to be solid and not go through any objects, to a certain extent.

Yurei dashed through the park, wincing and cringing as she passed right through people. Again, Yurei still wasn't used to being a ghost. Simply passing through people and matter without feeling it... it was a strange feeling.

There are billions of ghosts on Earth. Way more than humans, that's for sure. After all, each time a person dies, a ghost takes their place. Think about how many people have died in total, tracing all the way back to the first human. Any wind you feel, whether it's a gentle breeze or a fierce hurricane, it's all caused by ghosts. It could be them happily skipping around, enjoying the afterlife, or two ancient godly ghosts having a brawl. However, eventually, if a ghost's spirit fades away, then they will too.

The spirit of a ghost is their soul, their very essence. Their spirit carries all that's left from when they were alive, such as their memories, feelings, and thoughts. Without it, they would stop existing. First, they will start to lose memories of everything they ever experienced. Then, their feelings will disappear and become just a numb shell wandering the land. At last, all their thoughts will stop, and their ghostly body simply just fades away. It's a scary thing, something all ghosts fear. To fade away, no one remembering you. How losing their spirit actually happens, is still a mystery today.

Yurei skidded around the corner and practically threw herself down the stairs of the subway station. Once underground, she panted slightly and looked up to... nothing.

Not a single person was in the station. Everything was still, silent, solitary. Too quiet. Too still.

Eeriness stalked inside and wrapped its heavy grasp around the whole station. Weak beams of sunlight peeked down from above, a child hiding from the monsters under its bed. Dim lights flickered, and the silence was too loud.

Yurei felt sickened with fear. This scene was all too familiar.

It's too late. I was too late. Too late. There's no stopping it now.

The Hunt has begun.