It had been two months since I started wandering the streets at night like a zombie with a purpose. At first, I was determined—full of dreams about becoming the mysterious hero of the city. Fast forward to today: I''m officially the city''s "Hungry Ghost."


    Rumors spread faster than gossip aunties—apparently, there was a camera-shy ghost haunting the town. You guessed it—that ghost was me. I mean, I wasn''t actually haunting anyone, but tell that to people who screamed at the mere sight of my shadow.


    Oh, and did I mention the hunger? Forget ghosting people, my stomach was ghosting meals.


    Paritraan: (grumbling) "Anahata, remind me why I signed up for this again."


    Anahata: (playfully) "Because you have a hero complex, a bad sleep schedule, and no social life?"


    Paritraan: "Fantastic. Thanks for that motivational pep talk."


    If hunger wasn''t enough, I''ve had my fair share of near-death experiences during patrols. Thanks to Anahata and his "life-saving shenanigans," I was still breathing. Barely. And then there were those monthly syringes keeping me from turning into a complete nutcase. They tasted worse than disappointment.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Daytime was for work. Nighttime was for playing hide-and-seek with death. I was like Batman—minus the billionaire part, the fancy gadgets, and, you know, the actual bat logo.


    Anahata: "By the way, are you making fun of me?"


    Paritraan: (confused) "What?"


    Anahata: "This whole solo patrol thing. Is this how humans joke?"


    Paritraan: "No...?"


    Anahata: "Let me try it then. Before meeting you, I was considering becoming the heart of a monkey."


    Paritraan: (deadpan) "Wow. Ambitious."


    Anahata: (proudly) "But I''ve realized you''re more of a monkey than any monkey I''ve met."


    Paritraan: (offended) "Finished insulting me?"


    Anahata: (pouting) "I was trying to joke."


    Paritraan: "Yeah, that wasn''t a joke—that was an artistically crafted insult."


    As we walked through the dark streets, bickering like an old married couple, a stray dog casually joined our patrol.


    Paritraan: (whispering) "Hey, Anahata. Looks like we''ve got a new recruit."


    Anahata: (dramatic) "Finally! Someone more evolved than you."


    Paritraan: (grumbling) "I''m going to pretend I didn''t hear that."