The Ravaging in Between (The Reanimation Files Book 3) by A. J. Locke Page A

that ghost was doing to Leora.
    He was absorbing her.
     

CHAPTER SIX
     
     
    Leora screamed until she couldn’t scream anymore.
    I watched as her human form dissolved into a stream of yellow energy that flowed into the ghost, whose hands had been tightly wrapped around her forearms. I tried to move forward so I could run off the stage and do something to save her, but the tremendous power unleashed by the aggressive ghost held me immobile. I threw my necromancer power at the ghost to try and return the favor of being held in place, but to my surprise, that didn’t work. The ghost had to be immensely strong if it was unaffected by my power. Shit .
    Leora blinked out of existence, and suddenly I could move again and stumbled forward. Micah caught me before I hit the ground, and I looked at him with wide eyes and likely the same horrified expression he was giving me.
    “Selene, let’s go.” Micah started pulling me away. Getting out of here was a good idea, especially since the ghost was coming this way now, but as I started to run off with Micah, I noticed that Margaret was still standing there, screaming. She was frantic about her mother and baby. Her mother was not having an easy time trying to maneuver herself and the baby safely away. They were in danger of being trampled. Her mother was clutching the baby to her chest. The stroller had already been overturned.
    “Micah, help them, I will try to find Taj!” I had lost sight of Taj and couldn’t imagine that he was faring well in the agitated crowd. Micah hesitated, but I pushed him and he grabbed Margaret and jumped off the front of the stage. He took Leah from her grandmother, and started leading them away.
    Now it was my turn to get off the stage. But my attempt was hampered when something slammed into me and I had a painful meeting with the stage floor. The ghost had thrown a folding chair. When I looked up, he’d jumped onto the stage and was advancing on me. I started crawling backward, but soon realized that I was almost at the edge of the stage.
    I got up and dashed to the side, trying to get to the steps, but the ghost grabbed me and soon had his hand around my throat. He lifted me off the ground as he began crushing my windpipe. My lungs burned for air and my vision crossed. My only hope was to snatch away his energy rune and render him intangible, but no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t reach it.
    Then a shot rang out and the ghost’s body jerked so hard he dropped me and I fell like a puppet whose strings had been cut. The ghost still loomed over me, baring its ghostly teeth as though he was a lion and I was a gazelle ready for consumption. Two more shots came and once again, the ghost’s body jerked. When I looked around, the stage was surrounded by Paranormal Task Force officers in full riot gear with their rune guns pointed at the ghost. The ghost looked considerably pissed that his attempt to crush the life out of me was interrupted.
    He reached for me again, but three more shots hit him and he decided against it. But he didn’t fall. Five shots and the son of a bitch was still standing. Damn, he was strong. Did absorbing Leora help him become so resilient?
    Ghost guy jumped off the stage and more bullets rang out. They weren’t aimed at me, but you never knew when a stray bullet could find you so I stayed crouched on the stage near the upturned podium. The PTF officers chased the ghost, but he was getting further and further away from them. If their bullets didn’t stop him, then it looked like he’d be getting away. I slumped over, feeling boneless, confused, and astounded at the sudden violent turn this ceremony had taken.
    “Selene!” Micah scrambled up onto the stage and came to crouch next to me, his concerned eyes sweeping my body.
    “I’m fine,” I said hoarsely. “Mostly.” I rubbed my sore throat. “Did you get them to safety? Is the baby OK?”
    “Yes. I put them in a cab so they could get out of the area. Are you