I stared at my hands. They were covered in blood. 

Smaller hands than mine should be. Paler. 

In front of me was a man. Someone I didn't know. Lifeless. 

Dread filled my chest. Bile rose in my throat. 

I had killed a man—

No. It killed a man. 

I gasped and froze. 

That's when I tasted iron on my lips. Blood. Did I—

I doubled over and threw up. 

I had to get out. In. Everything in me. Then I heard it again. 

Chime. 

Chime. 

Then everything went dark.

ELIJAH

“This is horrible,” I said after a few beats. 

“Come on, Farah said. “A damsel in distress asking for help isn’t that horrible now, is it?” 

I sighed. I had to comply. 

“I'm not cut out for this,” I muttered. “I’m not efficient. But I'll try. 

Before I can help you, I need to see you.” Pause. “Why does everyone think you're missing?” 

A faint sigh. 

“I'm looking for something,’ she said. “And I borrowed your... thing.” 

“You need to be clearer.” 

Sigh. “I'm kind of invisible. My body's missing. I need you to help me find it.” 

“Wait. What did you say you borrowed again?” My voice went tight. 

“Uhh... I kind of borrowed your body. I’m sor—" 

“What?" 

I jerked back and looked at myself. Patted my arms. My chest. My face. 

She chuckled. 

“I must Say, you're quite heavy. Getting you up was a hassle.” 

I shot a glare at the empty room. 

Then it hit me. 

“So what are you implying? You're in me?” 

“Fortunately and unfortunately.” 

“Can you get out?” 

“I could. But I don’t want to.” She giggled. I groaned. 

“What happened after I fell in your room?” 

“Do I really have to explain?” 

Sigh. “Fine. I got you back to your room. You blacked out.” 

“Oh. And I think I finished the sandwich in the fridge. Sorry.” 

I could almost hear her trying not to smile. 

After a silence, she asked, “So... are you going to help me?” 

She was part of this mess. If I helped her, she'd have to help me too. 

“I would. But you'd have to help me in return.” 

“Hmm. Fair. What do you need?” 

“Answers.” 

“Shoot.” I sat on the bed. 

“How did you die?” 

“I AM NOT DEAD, she snapped. “I’m just not in my body. It’s temporary. That's why I need you to find it.” 

I scoffed. 

“The second strangest thing I've heard in this town today.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“That leads to my next question. What do you know about the Slime?” 

The room went quiet. Farah, who never shut up, said nothing. 

“So?” I pressed. 

She answered with a question. “Why do you want to know?” 

“It's complicated. I'll explain later. Please tell me.” 

She sighed. 

“A few decades ago, the Slime was what this town relied on. It was their god.” 

“god?” I repeated. 

“They worshipped it. Made sacrifices. 

In return it gave them success, food, fertile land. Whatever they asked, as long as the sacrifice was adequate.” 

Her voice dropped. “By sacrifice I mean people. Humans.” 

I swallowed. “People?” 

“People. Brothers turned on each other. Mothers gave up their children. The streets weren't safe.” 

She paused. 

“It got so bad that petty criminals were sacrificed under the guise of justice. The real criminals were the ones offering them. 

Eventually people saw what it was. A small group formed. They worked in secret and found a way to get rid of it. 

They threw the Slime in the river. Told no one to call on it again. Because it only acts if a deal is made.” 

“Do you know how the deal is made?”  

“No. I'm not sure.” 

“What does the Slime do with the sacrifices?” 

“Mum told me most were killed. The others... the Slime lets their spirits wander.” 

“—and—" 

“Oh no. No, no, no.” 

I frowned. “What?” 

“Have I been—No. This can't be possible. I thought it was a myth.” 

“I don't understand.” 

“Why are you asking me this? Did you meet the Slime? Is it at school? Who's it in? 

What's wrong? Tell me.” Her voice pitched up. I could feel her fear pressing against my skull. 

“The Slime is back,’ I said. 

She gasped. Then, putting it together: “–and you were its first victim.” 

A wave of sadness hit me from her. But I heard no sound. 

“Farah? Are you okay?” 

No reply. 

“When you said you weren't dead, how did you know?” 

She finally spoke, quieter now. 

“Ghosts linger because they have unfinished business. Or they know who killed them. Or they want revenge. 

I don't have any of that. I didn’t think I was a ghost. I thought I was one of those rare cases where people leave their bodies and come back. 

But my body was missing. I needed to find it.” 

She sighed. “Now I get it. The Slime has my body.” She said it before I could ask. 

“The Slime removes its victims from their bodies. Their spirits wander. It keeps the bodies preserved. 

When it drains one host, it moves to the next.” 

Pause. “And I'm next.” 

My stomach dropped. 

The room felt colder. Like something was listening. 

“It's getting late,” she whispered. “You have school tomorrow.” 

“Yeah.” 

I wanted to ask how she‘d sleep. If she could leave my body. 

But the mood was too heavy. 

I lay back and stared at the ceiling. 

There had to be a way out for her. 

Right? 

Right.