Ghouls

A Ghoul with a more monstrous form.

A Ghoul is a creature originally from Arabian folklore that desires only human flesh and blood. They are greedy creatures and will often be seen solitarily or as a pair as they aim to get the most out of feeding, they are scavengers and usually live in graveyards where they remain undetected through a series of underground tunnels, it is there they can carry out the act of eating corpses, they do this due to it being far easier (they can be lazy creatures) to remain undetected.

Ghouls can also desire living human flesh as well and will usually display desperate and animalistic tendencies when eating due to their nature of being scavengers, once they have eaten, they can take the form and memories of the last corpse they ate giving them a chilling aura around them - their true form is believed to be that of a stereotypical vampire/ghoul and is truly hideous with pointy ears and sharp teeth however this has never been confirmed.

## Characteristics

Ghouls are monstrous beings that are selfish and solitary, preferring to hunt in pairs or alone. They dwell in graveyards, where they dig tunnels to hide and to access the corpses they crave. They are lazy and opportunistic, choosing the easiest prey and avoiding confrontation. When they consume a corpse, they gain its appearance and memories, making them adept at deception and infiltration. Their true form is unknown, but some legends say they resemble hideous humanoids with pointed ears and fangs.

## Powers and Abilities

* Claws and Teeth - In their true forms, Ghouls can rip apart flesh with their sharp claws and teeth.
* Durability - Ghouls do not age and rarely run out of stamina. Guns and knives can injure these creatures, but they will not kill them unless its a direct headshot.
* Shapeshifting - Ghouls have the power to transform into any human by consuming human flesh (living or dead, it matters not). Ghouls gain the memories of the person they are posing as.
* Superhuman agility: Ghouls can hide almost anywhere to remain undetected (eg: under a car or under a bed) from hunters and are seen as "experts at hiding."
* Super speed - Ghouls are much faster than humans.

## Vulnerabilities

* Brain trauma - Destruction of the brain is lethal to a Ghoul.
* Decapitation - Decapitating a Ghoul is the best way to kill one and is the most common method used by hunters.
* Fingerprints - Ghouls have recognizable fingerprints when they have used a single form for too much time making it easier to identify them.

## Episodes

### 2.07 Firestorm

One night whilst investigating a case in Loyalton, California (somewhat unwillingly), Kyle Macleod decides to take a walk through the town to clear his mind and to gather his thoughts after leaving his girlfriend Maria Murray mid date to partake in this case, the hunter stumbles upon a graveyard. There, he witnesses unsettling events: a Deputy patrolling the graveyard gets suddenly and violently dragged underground by a mysterious hand emerging from a grave. This shocking moment marks Kyle's first direct encounter with the Ghouls' macabre activities.

Kyle's investigation leads him to discover hollow graves and evidence of body snatching. He confronts a figure dressed as a cowboy, emerging from one of these graves, and learns the figure's gruesome purpose. The cowboy figure confesses to consuming the body of Deputy Lee and implies that he and others like him were attracted to the town by the chaos and energy of the fire whirl as another Ghoul (also posing as a cowboy) emerges from another grave. This revelation highlights the Ghouls' opportunistic nature, relishing in the disaster and fear caused by the fire whirl, the confrontation quickly escalates into a physical fight. Kyle, armed and prepared for supernatural threats, faces off against the two Ghouls. Despite being outnumbered, he displays resilience and combat skills using his built up anger to decapitate one with a hunting knife and using a shotgun to kill the other.

After defeating the Ghouls, Kyle inspects their bodies to confirm they are no longer a threat. He then disposes of them by throwing their bodies back into the hollow graves they emerged from, effectively eliminating the immediate threat they posed to the town.