The afterlife was not nearly as relaxing as I’d hoped.

When I first woke as a ghost, I had tried everything in my power to communicate with my family, my friends, or anyone who might hear me. Not that I had any success.

So, I resigned myself to simply sticking around. I hung around my old haunts (pun intended), watched over my family, and kept trying to interact with things and people. That was mostly for my own curiosity, though.

Then, mom got sick.

A sick part of me was excited. After all, I wouldn’t be alone anymore. But she got sicker and sicker, I held her hand as she passed, and…nothing.

She was gone.

And I was still alone.

One by one, the rest of my family passed in the same way. I sat with them, held their hands, and they passed right by me. None of their spirits hung around.

I was alone.

Until Jordan showed up.

I stopped counting the years, but it was long after the last person I loved had died. Jordan showed up, looked into my eyes instead of through me, and smiled. _Smiled_.

I couldn’t tell you how long it’s been since someone smiled at me.

She stayed with me, talked to me, saw me, and laughed with me. Suddenly, I remembered what it was like to be loved.

We stayed in my old house. It was easier that way. Jordan was more powerful than me; sometimes she accidentally influenced things the humans saw. Neither of us cared, though.

Not until _they_ showed up.

Self-proclaimed “ghost hunters” staked out the house and Jordan and I rolled our eyes. Yes, we were here, but what did it matter? It was all a big joke to us.

Until the tug.

The tug turned into a pull.

The pull became a yank.

I will never forget Jordan’s panicked eyes as her spirit was pulled away from me and sent to whatever happens beyond this in between.

I raged. I finally unlocked the power I had looked for for years and those ghost hunters suffered the consequences. They fled, believing they failed, but they will never know how successful they were at banishing a spirit.

I started roaming, far and wide, causing a ruckus everywhere I went. Drawing them in. Once they were close, I helped them to the great beyond they kept trying to send me to.

It’s no more than they deserve.

My name is Holden Thomas, Hunter of Hunters, and ghost hunters will never find peace as long as my spirit haunts these earthly planes.