Orion extended his Aura, letting Jessica feel what he felt. Not words, but understanding.
"The Gastly line," he said, keeping his voice low. "They're not dangerous. Not really. Just... mischievous. They feed on fear and surprise. The rush of it. To them, chasing people through dark buildings, making them run—that's entertainment."
Jessica swallowed. "So the coma thing? The streamers who couldn't wake up?"
"That's new. That's not typical Gastly behavior." Orion's Aura pulsed, reaching out toward the Gengar. "They're usually content with scares. But this one..." His voice trailed off as the Gengar's grin stretched wider, impossibly wide.
The Gengar's psychic presence pressed against Orion's Aura like a thumb against glass. Play. Play. Play.
Four Gastly drifted forward, their red eyes fixed on Jessica. They moved like smoke, flowing around her, testing her fear. One brushed against her arm. She gasped, but didn't pull away.
"Easy," Orion murmured. "They're curious. They want to know if you're fun."
The Gengar laughed—a sound like wind through broken windows. It wasn't hostile. It was delighted.
Jessica's shoulders relaxed. "So what do we do? Play along?"
The Gengar's grin stretched impossibly wide. Its psychic voice echoed in their minds like a carnival barker.
Play. Play. Play.
Orion nodded slowly. "They want entertainment. We give it to them, they'll be more willing to talk."
Jessica raised an eyebrow. "So we just... what? Pretend to be scared?"
"We don't pretend," Orion said. "We participate. Gastly feed on genuine reactions, but they also respect honesty."
The Gengar clapped its ghostly hands together. Four Gastly drifted forward, their red eyes gleaming with excitement. They vanished into the darkness beyond the landing.
Jessica's breath misted in the cold air. "So what's our next move?"
Orion stepped toward the corridor where the red eyes had disappeared. "We follow. We explore. We let them show us what they want."
Pikachu trembled on Orion's shoulder. Celebi floated beside them, its expression serene.
The corridor stretched ahead like a throat. Old wallpaper peeled in long strips, revealing faded floral patterns that seemed to writhe in the flashlight beam. Jessica kept close to Orion, her hand gripping her flashlight like a weapon.
"This feels like every bad decision I've ever made," Jessica muttered.
Orion walked with measured steps. "Stay calm. They're testing boundaries."
A door creaked open ahead. Not just open—swinging wildly on hinges that hadn't moved in decades. Jessica's heart hammered against her ribs.
"Oh, come ON," she whispered.
They entered what might have been an office once. A desk sat in the center, covered in dust. But the chair was pulled out, waiting.
Jessica's flashlight flickered.
"Orion," she said, her voice tight. "Did you feel that?"
Before he could answer, the temperature dropped. Breath misted in the air despite the summer heat outside. The desk drawers began to rattle, one by one, opening by invisible hands.
Pikachu whimpered.
Celebi tilted its head, watching the drawers open with interest.
Jessica's pulse roared in her ears. "This is not funny."
A child's laughter echoed through the room. Not loud. Not threatening. Just... there. Like someone hiding behind the desk.
The top drawer slammed shut.
Jessica jumped. "Okay, that's new."
Orion examined the desk. "They're playing hide and seek."
"Hide and seek." Jessica's laugh was sharp. "With ghosts. In a haunted building. That's not terrifying at all."
Another drawer opened. Then another. Papers fluttered out, arranging themselves in midair. They formed shapes—stick figures dancing, crude drawings of faces smiling.
Jessica's flashlight died completely.
Darkness swallowed them whole.
Pikachu sparked electricity nervously. "Pika?"
Celebi's glow provided soft illumination. Its mental voice carried amusement. Interesting.
Jessica fumbled for her phone, but the screen remained black. "Electronics hate me today."
The papers continued their dance. They spelled out words in shaky script:
COME FIND US
Then the letters scattered like leaves.
Jessica grabbed Orion's arm. "Did you see that?"
"I saw," Orion said. "They're inviting us to play."
"Inviting us to play." Jessica's voice cracked. "My therapist is going to hear about this."
A new sound joined the child's laughter. Footsteps. Light. Deliberate. Coming from the hallway behind them.
Jessica spun around. Nothing there.
The footsteps moved to the left. Then the right. Always just out of sight.
"Orion," she breathed. "There's someone—"
"Don't turn around," Orion said quietly.
The footsteps stopped directly behind Jessica. She could feel the presence, cold and curious. Her skin crawled.
Pikachu hid its face in Orion's collar.
Celebi floated closer to Jessica, its glow intensifying. They mean no harm, it projected. Just curious.
Jessica's heart threatened to escape entirely.
The presence stepped forward. Or tried to. Something blocked it—invisible but solid. The footsteps retreated, confused.
Jessica turned anyway. A shadow moved along the wall, too tall and too thin. It reached toward her but couldn't quite touch.
"They can't cross thresholds," Orion said. "Not without invitation."
"Great," Jessica hissed. "So we're playing tag with ghosts who can't tag us back. This is the worst game of tag ever."
The shadow on the wall pouted. Literally. The darkness formed a frown.
Jessica snorted despite herself. "Did that wall just pout?"
The papers settled to the floor. The laughter faded. The temperature normalized.
Jessica blinked in the sudden normalcy. "Did we... win?"
Orion smiled. "We satisfied their curiosity. For now."
Pikachu peeked out from hiding. "Pika?"
Celebi's glow dimmed to normal levels. It projected amusement. That was enjoyable.
"Enjoyable?" Jessica stared at the time-worn walls. "I nearly had a cardiac event in a condemned textile mill!"
Orion knelt, examining the papers. "They left something."
Among the scattered documents, one photograph remained. A family portrait from decades past. Children smiling. Parents proud.
Jessica's breath caught. "Those kids..."
"The ones who disappeared," Orion said. "They never left. Not really."
The Gengar's voice echoed one last time, softer now. Thank you for playing.
Then silence.
Jessica exhaled slowly. "So. We keep looking?"
Orion pocketed the photograph. "They want us to find them. All of them."
"All of them." Jessica checked her phone. Still dead. "Perfect. Because nothing says 'productive Tuesday' like ghost hunting with a talking plant baby and a scared electric mouse."
Pikachu sparked in agreement.
Celebi projected cheerful encouragement. The next room will be more fun!
Jessica groaned. "Oh, good. More fun."
***
Give power stones to support this book.
Advance chapters in P@T0n Najicablitz.