Awakening

I didn't need confirmation to know that the figure floating right in front of us was a real ghost.

The air in the narrow brick corridor had turned so bone-chillingly cold that my breath became visible mist. The translucent, spectral form of a woman glided through the solid brick wall, her ragged white gown fluttering in an invisible breeze. Her face was twisted into a terrifying mask of madness, her hollow, pitch-black eyes locked squarely onto me with a ravenous glare.

[Yep! That's a real spirit, Seth!] Paige's voice rang out in my head, completely relaxed. [A restless specter, to be precise. Driven purely by instinct and obsession.]

The moment the ghost drifted a step closer, its claw-like hands reaching toward our small, dark space, I didn't panic. My instincts kicked in. I placed a hand on Yerin's waist, gently pulling her behind my back as I stepped forward to shield her.