Chapter 3 The First Hire

"Is he even a ghost?" I whispered.

Thomas and I were standing in the back of a dingy apartment. In the middle of the room, a man sat at a desk covered in stacks of dusty ledgers. He wasn't glowing blue like me, or flickering like Thomas. He looked like he was made of static and old newspaper.

"That's Cedric," Thomas hissed. "Don't touch him yet."

"Why not? He looks like he’s about to fade away," I said.

"He's a Glitch, Cyprian. He’s been hiding from the Soul-Eaters for years. If you startle him, he’ll vanish into the code and you’ll never find him again," Thomas warned.

I stepped forward, my shoes making no sound on the floor. I needed an accountant. If I was going to take down the Beaumont Empire, I needed to know where the money was buried.

"Cedric?" I called out softly.

The man didn't look up. His fingers moved across a calculator that wasn't there, making clicking sounds in the air.

"The numbers don't add up," Cedric muttered. "Alaric took three percent from the offshore account. Isadora took five. The gap is widening. The hole is getting bigger."

"He's still working," I said, leaning over his shoulder.

[System Notification: Managerial Insight Activated.]

A translucent screen popped up over Cedric’s head.

[Name: Cedric Vance.]

[Role: Shadow Accountant (Glitch).]

[Loyalty: 12% (Deeply Suspicious).]

[Greed: 88% (Driven by Unpaid Debts).]

"He’s greedy," I noted. "That I can work with."

"Everyone is greedy when they’ve been dead and broke for a decade," Thomas said.

"Cedric, I know about the three percent," I said, my voice dropping an octave.

The man froze. His static-filled head turned slowly toward me. His eyes were just two hollow pits of white light.

"Who are you?" He rasped. "You don't smell like the Soul-Eaters. You smell like... fresh ink."

"I’m Cyprian Fenwick. I’m the man who signed your last paycheck before you 'disappeared' from the firm," I said.

"Cyprian?" Cedric stood up, his form wavering like a heat mirage. "You’re dead. I saw the news. They said you fell."

"They pushed me, Cedric. Just like they pushed you out of a moving car when you found the discrepancies," I said.

"I have the files," Cedric whispered, his voice trembling. "I have the proof. But I can't leave this room. They’re waiting for me."

"Who is waiting?" I asked.

"The Predators," Thomas cut in, pointing at the door.

A shadow began to seep under the apartment door. It wasn't a normal shadow. It was thick, oily, and smelled like rotting meat. A low growl echoed through the hallway.

"It found me," Cedric whined, his static body starting to pull apart. "It’s going to eat my data!"

"Not while I’m the CEO," I growled.

I stepped between Cedric and the door. The oily shadow started to take shape, forming a beast with too many limbs and a gaping maw filled with jagged, glowing teeth.

"What is that thing?" I shouted.

"A Soul-Eater," Thomas yelled, backing into the wall. "It hunts the un-contracted! If it eats him, the proof dies with him!"

"How do I stop it?" I demanded.

"Sign him! Now!" Thomas screamed.

I turned back to Cedric. The accountant was cowering under the desk, his form nearly transparent.

"Cedric, look at me!" I barked.

"I don't want to die again!" He cried.

"You won't. I’m offering you a position. Full protection. Total access. And a seat at the table when I burn Alaric to the ground," I said.

[System: Offer Blood-Equity Contract?]

"Sign it!" I commanded.

A scroll made of dark, pulsing red light appeared between us.

"What is this?" Cedric asked, staring at the scroll.

"It's your life insurance," I said. "Sign it, or the thing at the door gets you."

The Soul-Eater slammed against the door, the wood splintering inward. A claw made of black smoke swiped at the air, inches from my face.

"I sign!" Cedric screamed.

He pressed his hand against the red scroll. A jolt of energy blasted through the room, throwing the Soul-Eater back into the hallway. The beast let out a screech that sounded like a dying modem and dissolved into black mist.

[Contract Signed: Cedric Vance is now the Head of Audit.]

[Reward: Skill – Spectral Insider Trading unlocked.]

"Is it gone?" Cedric asked, peeking out from under the desk.

"For now," I said, feeling a new weight in my mind. I could suddenly 'see' things. I could see the digital pulse of the city outside.

"What did you do to me?" Cedric asked, looking at his hands. They were solid now. The static was gone.

"I gave you a job," I said. "Now, show me the books."

"The books are hidden in the Beaumont Mainframe," Cedric said, his white eyes glowing with a new light. "But with your new skill, we don't need to break in. We just need to listen to the whispers in the wires."

"Spectral Insider Trading," I whispered.

"It’s more than just listening," Cedric said, a devious smile crossing his face. "You can feel the market before it moves. You can sense every bribe Alaric pays before the money even leaves the account."

"Can we stop the merger?" I asked.

"Stop it?" Cedric laughed. "Boss, with this power, we’re going to short-sell the entire Beaumont Empire into the dirt."

"Good," I said. "I want them broke before they even realize I’m back."

"There is a problem, though," Thomas said, stepping out of the shadows.

"The Silver Circle," Thomas continued. "That figure on the pier. They saw you use your power. They aren't going to let a new CEO move in on their territory without a fight."

"Then let them come," I said. "I have an accountant now. I can account for every bullet I put in their backs."

"Wait," Cedric said, his head snapping toward the window. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" I asked.

"The sirens," he whispered. "But they aren't for the fire you started at the pier. They’re coming here."

"How?" I asked. "We're ghosts."

"They have Spectral Trackers," Cedric said, his voice rising in panic. "Isadora isn't just a widow, Cyprian. She's a Necromancer’s daughter. She knows you didn't just 'die'!"

The door to the apartment didn't just open; it exploded. Three men in heavy tactical gear stormed in. They weren't holding guns. They were holding high-frequency containment units that hummed with a deadly, white light.

"Found you, Mr. Fenwick," the lead man said. He pulled a pair of goggles over his eyes. "The lady says hello."

"Run!" Thomas yelled.

I stood my ground, my blue eyes burning with rage.

"I'm done running," I said. "Cedric, tell me... how much is their equipment worth?"

"Roughly two million a piece," Cedric said, his voice turning cold.

"Good," I said, my hands beginning to glow with a dark, red light. "Let's see if they can afford the repair bill.”