Chapter 2 – The Ghost Wakes Up
Chapter 2 – The Ghost Wakes Up
Rain hammered the empty athletic field.
No one spoke.
The six teenagers stared at the scars covering Daniel Carter's body.
Jason forced a laugh, trying to hide the knot forming in his stomach.
"What... you think those scars make you tough?"
He pointed the scissors at Daniel's chest.
"You want us to be scared?"
Daniel didn't answer.
His eyes stayed locked on Emily.
"Close your eyes."
Emily froze.
"Dad..."
"Close them."
Something in his voice made her obey.
She slowly shut her eyes.
Daniel took one quiet breath.
Then he turned toward Jason.
The look on his face was no longer that of a tired maintenance worker.
It was the expression of someone who had spent years deciding who walked away... and who never did.
Jason scoffed.
"Oh, stop acting tough!"
He lunged first.
The scissors flashed toward Daniel's neck.
The distance vanished in a heartbeat.
Then—
CRACK!
No one saw Daniel move.
One second Jason was charging.
The next, his wrist twisted at an impossible angle.
The scissors clattered across the pavement.
Jason screamed.
"AAAH!"
Before the others could react—
BAM!
Daniel drove his elbow into Jason's ribs.
The football captain folded over, gasping.
Daniel caught him by the back of the neck and slammed his face into the hood of a parked car.
BANG!
The windshield cracked.
Jason collapsed to the ground, coughing and barely conscious.
The other five froze.
"...What the hell?"
One of the boys shouted.
"Get him!"
All five rushed forward together.
The tallest boy swung a metal baseball bat he had been carrying over one shoulder.
Daniel stepped sideways.
The bat whooshed past his face.
He grabbed the attacker's wrist.
Twisted.
CRACK!
The bat fell.
Daniel caught it before it hit the ground and tossed it far across the field.
One punch.
THUD!
The boy crashed onto the pavement.
Another attacker jumped onto Daniel's back.
Trying to choke him.
Daniel reached over his shoulder.
Grabbed the teenager by the collar.
Flipped him clean over his body.
BOOM!
The concrete shook.
The boy lay there groaning, unable to breathe.
One of the girls shrieked.
"This old man's insane!"
Melissa snatched a can of pepper spray from her backpack.
She fired it directly into Daniel's face.
The orange mist exploded.
Emily gasped.
"Dad!"
Daniel didn't even blink.
He stepped through the cloud.
Before Melissa could run—
He caught her wrist.
Twisted just enough for the can to fall.
Then calmly pushed her backward.
She landed on the wet grass, stunned and crying.
"I..."
"I wasn't even hitting your daughter!"
Daniel's voice remained flat.
"You laughed."
Melissa's face turned white.
The last girl grabbed a broken wooden stick from the ground and swung wildly.
Daniel blocked it with one forearm.
The stick snapped in half.
She stumbled backward.
He didn't strike her.
He simply looked at her.
That look alone was enough.
She dropped to her knees.
"I'm sorry..."
"I'm sorry..."
Daniel turned away.
Only one person was still standing.
Jason.
Blood trickled from his forehead.
His right wrist hung limply.
His breathing had become ragged.
"What..."
"...who the hell are you?"
Daniel slowly walked toward him.
Every step echoed across the empty parking lot.
Jason instinctively backed away.
For the first time in years...
The bully felt fear.
Real fear.
"You think you're some kind of hero?"
Jason spat blood onto the pavement.
"My father owns half this town."
"The sheriff plays golf with him."
"My uncle's on the school board."
"You touch me..."
"...your life's over."
Daniel stopped only inches away.
His expression never changed.
"I know exactly who your father is."
Jason frowned.
"So?"
Daniel leaned closer.
"So he'll know where to find you."
Jason suddenly roared and threw one desperate punch.
Daniel caught it effortlessly.
His grip tightened.
Jason cried out in pain.
"I said..."
"...don't touch my daughter."
Daniel released him.
Jason stumbled backward.
Relieved.
Then—
Daniel drove a single punch into his stomach.
BOOM!
Every bit of air exploded from Jason's lungs.
His feet left the ground before he crashed into the muddy field several yards away.
He couldn't breathe.
Couldn't speak.
Couldn't even scream.
Only weak gasps escaped his mouth.
Daniel looked down at him.
"Stay there."
Jason obeyed without meaning to.
Sirens echoed in the distance.
Someone had finally called the police.
The remaining students looked as if salvation had arrived.
One girl pointed toward Daniel.
"He's dead!"
"He attacked us!"
"He went crazy!"
Another nodded frantically.
"Yeah!"
"He tried to kill Jason!"
Daniel didn't bother defending himself.
He simply picked up his torn shirt from the ground.
Covered Emily's shoulders with it.
Then placed one gentle hand on her head.
"Are you hurt anywhere else?"
Emily burst into tears.
She wrapped both arms around her father.
"I thought..."
"...I thought you were going to die."
Daniel closed his eyes for a brief moment.
"No."
He looked toward the flashing police lights approaching through the rain.
"They're the ones..."
May you like
"...who just made the biggest mistake of their lives."
End of Chapter 2
