What if a queer spirit took over your body?

Part-1

In the dark forest, shots rang out like thunder in hollow trees. A young boy not in good condition was running and weaving from bullets. He was running for his life. His shirt was torn, and blood flowed from his right arm where a bullet swept across the flesh. Holding the wound to prevent bleeding. He staggered forward, eyes frantic, breath labored. The leaves trembled and then headed to the edge of the cliff. The boy stooped the fall below, devouring the moonlight. Behind, the hunters closed in, tracing the trail of blood marked on the leaves. They had found him. They cornered and trapped him; their gun raised, eyes gleaming in the dark.

He took a step back once, and he vanished, falling over the cliff. They rushed to the edge, flashlight slashing into the emptiness, searching for any sign; nothing, he was gone. One of them made a phone call. In a cool and low voice, he said, “Boss, he fell off the cliff. He won’t survive that fall. After that, with the silence heavy around them, they retreated.

Elion woke up on a hospital bed, his forehead coated in cold sweat. Suddenly, he screamed, “Nooooooo.” The loud cry pierced through the silence. Petal rushed in, her heart pounding, grasping his shoulders to steady him. He seemed confused upon seeing Petal standing in front of him. His eyes darted around something was amiss.

He asked her, confused and panting, “Who are you? And why am I here with all these bandages on my head in a hospital bed?”

Petal’s voice shook. “Don’t joke around.” She clutched his hand, her grasp desperate. “How could you go alone into that forest without me? What if something happened to you? What would I do?”

Her tears poured under the faint lights. Seeing Petal cry, Elion stopped pretending and apologized for going into the woods alone. But one question gnawed at him how did he end up here? His mind was blank, wiped clean of every moment that should’ve mattered.

Petal explained, “You were lying on the forest ground. It looked like you’d been crushed by something that fell from above. A forest officer found you and brought you here. Don’t you remember anything?”

Elion’s breath caught. Shock wrapped around him like a thick fog. He had no memory of the incident. All he could remember were the voices unfamiliar, ghostly voices coming from the forest.

Elion said, “It sounded like some kind of strange cries… and some kind of eerie, haunting voice,” he murmured. “That made me want to investigate. I was heading there, but before I reached it, everything went black. I don’t know.”

Petal dabbed her eyes, speaking softly, “I called you so many times. You didn’t answer until finally someone did. But it wasn’t you. It was a forest officer. He told me to rush to the hospital. Now that you’re awake, I’ll call the doctor.”

She turned and disappeared down the corridor. Minutes later, she returned with the doctor, whose voice was gentle but firm. “You can go home. Don’t strain your body and get some good rest. You’ve been through a lot.”

They gathered Elion’s belongings. The camera was broken beyond repair, but he took it home with him anyway. Something about it felt important. When they reached Elion’s apartment, Petal left for her own house after he convinced her that he’d be fine on his own. “Go home and get some rest,” he said. But what he really needed was the quiet. To think. To remember.

Now alone, he lay in bed tossing and turning. Something was troubling him deep, unseen, persistent. A feeling-like fingers dragging down the back of his mind. Unable to bear it, he got up and moved into the bathroom. The light blinked once, then steadied. He turned the faucet and let cold water pool in his hands, rinsing off as though it could cleanse whatever lingered in his thoughts. He hoped it would help him sleep. But outside, through the bathroom window, the woods waited. And something out there wasn’t done whispering.

He finished washing and went to his bed, his hair still wet. In only his boxers, he grabbed his tangled towel and began to dry his hair, trying to think about what had happened to him but nothing was coming up. The emptiness in his head gnawed at him with disappointment sitting on his chest, he slept again.

The next day, the phone rang with a call. A message had been received from an unknown number. “It’s been a week and you haven’t checked on the location that I shared.”

Elion’s hands paused over the screen. His breathing slowed. He recalled the message, which then seemed ambiguous: “In the forest, there was a strange thing approaching and sounded like a ghost reciting mantra. Would you mind checking it out and posting the entire video on your channel?” All of a sudden, it all came flooding back. The reason. The purpose. He had meant to go into the forest to look for that request.

Elion freelanced. He even had his own channel on the site for fan page website named “Secret Society-Whispers from the Shadow”. He had earned his reputation doing shadows and unearthing secrets. Paranormal occurrences were his work not for the thrill of it, but to uncover what lay behind the veil.

He remembered a cold winter night in a ruined building supposedly haunted but really just a drug den. That business had changed everything. The video was real. Stunning. He showed the evidence to the authorities. And his channel took off from there. And now, he was getting praised from the fans rumors delicately combined in riddles. Calls to expose what others feared. To tread where others wouldn’t. He’d been doing it for years now. And always with Petal. He thought of Petal as a coworker, but it was not the same from Patel. She has had a big crush on him since they started to work together.

His memory sparked like a flash, and he leapt from bed, dressing faster than a shooting star. With excitement bubbling up, he dashed to the gadget shop to treat himself to a brand-new camera. Even though he brought home a shiny new one, his heart still held onto the old camera he hoped to revive. He pulled out his phone and called his gadget-gig buddy for help. They agreed to meet for coffee at a cozy little café near Elion’s apartment later that evening. With a snack in hand, he headed back home, eager to dive into his camera adventure. Just as he was about to unlock his door, his phone rang—it was Petal. Her voice was filled with concern as she asked how he was doing. “If you’re not feeling great,” she said sweetly, “I’ll come take care of you.” Elion reassured her with a warm smile she couldn’t see, “Don’t worry, I’m all good. Got plans with my friend to fix the camera.” He ended the call with a gentle “bye,” promising to see her the next day.

Inside his room, he placed down his things and got completely wrapped up in exploring the features of his new camera. Time flew almost two hours passed until his tummy made its presence known with a loud growl.

Elion: Oh no! I totally forgot to feed you, little one. I’m so sorry, my little tummy for making you wait this long. You’re such a patient little champ.

Elion got up and hobbled to the kitchen, retrieving food he had bought several hours earlier. It was cold, but nothing that a swift spin in the microwave would not fix. He savored every mouthful, snuggled on the couch, scrolling through his phone. A video caught his attention—girls were going crazy over the café owner. His eyes widened, shocked and confused to see the owner; he looked so dazzling before a scroll down interrupted him by a call.

His phone was ringing—it was Jay.

Jay’s warm, hasty voice on the other end. He had done his work and was eagerly waiting to catch up with Elion at the café near his apartment. Jay, a mechanical engineer at an IT company, was one of Elion’s friends since school days stable, dependable, and loyal in silence. When Jay caught sight of Elion by the door to the café, he didn’t delay. He sprinted towards him, wrapping him in a tight, lengthy hug that spoke volumes for itself.

Jay: “It’s been forever since I’ve seen you. Work has been devouring me, and you’ve been in your own little universe, but I’ve been counting down the days. I missed you so much.” Elion smiled, gently patting Jay’s back.

Elion: “Easy there, pal. I had missed you too but with that hug, you’re choking the air out of me!”

Jay let go of Elion, saying that he is too excited to see him. They sat down at their regular corner table and ordered coffee like friends. When coffee was brought, Jay smiled and reached into his bag.

Jay: “I totally forgot until I saw you. I got you something. Your favorite lilies.”

He showed Elion a simple bouquet, eyes holding for just a fraction of a second longer than was usual. There was kindness in his eyes, something held quietly between beats of the heart. Elion smiled, touched by the gesture, unaware of the love wrinkled into each petal that Jay had chosen. Elion took his broken camera in his hand and held it out to Jay. When he stepped to hand it to him, Jay took hold of Elion’s hand with a light touch. His warmth seeping through as if fighting to speak unspoken words. Elion passed him the camera and tilted his head.

Elion: “Are you alright? You’re acting weird today.”

Jay smiled awkwardly, a flush rising just to his cheeks as he held the camera around in his hands.

Jay: “Oh ho! It’s totally wrecked. What did this camera come in? Did you pull some kind of stunt or what?”

Elion: “It’s a story you don’t want to hear. You’re maybe busy.” Jay’s eyes grew skeptical, nearly hurt.

Jay: “Busy? For you? Never.”

And so, Elion told him. In the retelling, Jay leaned in toward him, his expression darkening with each word. And when he had finished, Jay rose to his feet and went to Elion, embracing him gently.

Jay: “Still… did it hurt? Why didn’t you let me know? What if something had happened to you? What would I do?” Elion blinked in confusion.

Elion: “What are you making such a fuss over? I’m fine. We’ve been watching out for each other since the orphanage don’t you know that I’m the strong one?” Jay said nothing. He merely wrapped his arms tighter around Elion, the weight of his worry unspoken between them.

Jay: “Just promise me if anything ever happens to you again, let me know. Don’t leave me guessing.” Elion gave him a light pat on the back.

Elion: “Alright, alright. I promise. Now let’s drink our coffee before it gets cold.” Jay relaxed and sat down again, and the world was silent for a moment.

Then a scream, sharp and screaming, shattered the café like a stroke of thunder. Girls flooded the outside and inside space, humming heads full of excitement. The crowd parted and a man stepped forward. He wore a black suit with a baby blue shirt, but the clothes did not make him fascinating. It was the way he was. The moonlight in silk, commanding but laid-back. His step was smooth, his gaze mysterious. One moment, and Elion’s heart jumped. He had seen this face before—on a video playing in the meanwhile ago on his phone, but that person now stood in front of him. In person, he was quite more than breathtaking. He was unreal. Jay stepped closer to Elion, intruding into his dazed stare.

Jay: “That man you’re staring at with those impressed eyes… He’s Ethen Mirage. He bought this café last month.”

Ethen streamed past the counter. Their hands brushed at the instant a fleeting touch, but it was enough to send Elion’s skin prickling. Ethen whirled around, staring. but the crowd swamped him, fans stampeding like burning moths. Jay grabbed at Elion’s arm and pushed them out of the café, cutting through the crowd.

Jay: “Uff! Close enough. We were almost crushed by his fans.”

But Elion wasn’t quite present. His mind stayed behind, replaying that moment. That touch. That face. That feeling. He’d never seen Ethen Mirage. Yet somehow, he felt as if he knew him his entire life.

To be continue….