He only said hi.
For that, they carved the word into his flesh... and murdered him beneath a burning Mississippi sky.
In 1917, Ezekiel Harper-an innocent Black man-was lynched and tortured by a white mob after offering a polite greeting to the wrong woman. His final moments were filled with pain, betrayal, and one desperate vow:
"My blood will never walk alone."
They thought killing him was the end.
Instead, it was the beginning of a legend.
A century later, in present-day Houston, Malik Harper has never believed in ghosts-until strange things start happening around him. Circles appear in fogged mirrors. Whispers echo his name at night. The smell of smoke drifts through rooms with no fire. And the word HI shows up carved, burned, or scratched wherever danger follows him.
Then the people who bully or threaten him begin turning up dead-each one marked with the same chilling word that was carved into Ezekiel's body long ago.
HI
Rumors spread across the city.
A figure in a fedora.
A gleam of gold teeth in the dark.
A shadow that smiles before it kills.
Some say he's a ghost.
Some say he's a demon.
But Malik discovers the terrifying truth:
Hi Man isn't just haunting him-
he's protecting him.
And he's getting stronger.
As Malik's fear grows, so does the bond between him and the vengeful spirit of his ancestor. Soon Malik begins losing time... seeing through Hi Man's eyes... smiling a smile that isn't his.
Because in this bloodline, every threat demands an answer.
And Hi Man always answers with the same word:
"Hello."