The town looked… perfect.
Clean roads. Big houses. Bright lights.
Everything was well-developed.
And yet—
Something felt wrong.
Mary, Zoya, and Lily stood at the entrance.
"This place doesn't look dangerous at all," Lily said.
Mary nodded slowly.
"Sometimes… danger hides behind normal things."
They decided to go to the mayor first.
Inside the office, the mayor looked tense.
"What problem is your town facing?" Mary asked.
The mayor took a deep breath.
"People… suddenly stop moving."
The girls exchanged looks.
"They just stand in one place… like statues," he continued.
"And after two days…"
"They die."
Silence.
Zoya's expression turned serious.
Lily tried to lighten the mood.
"Are you sure it's not just people being drunk or something?" she joked.
Mary and Zoya immediately gave her a sharp look.
"Lily. Not now," Mary said.
Lily raised her hands.
"Okay, okay…"
Mary asked,
"Who is being targeted?"
"Everyone," the mayor replied.
"Children… and even old people."
"How long has this been happening?"
"About a week."
Mary nodded.
"Who was the latest victim?"
"A family named John," the mayor said.
"Their five-year-old child."
The three went to the house.
The mother was crying.
Mary spoke gently,
"Can you tell us what happened?"
The woman nodded, tears falling.
"My son was playing outside…"
"Suddenly… he stopped."
"He didn't move."
"We called him… shook him…"
"But he just stood there…"
Her voice broke.
"And after two days…"
"He fell… and died."
The room filled with cries.
Mary, Zoya, and Lily stood silently.
Then Mary stepped forward and comforted her.
"We will find what did this."
For the next few days—
They searched everywhere.
But found nothing.
Meanwhile—
The number of victims increased.
People kept freezing.
Dying.
The town was slowly falling into fear.
One day—
While questioning someone, they heard a shout from a nearby house.
"What happened?! Why aren't you moving?!"
They rushed inside.
A 78-year-old man stood still.
Frozen.
Just like the others.
His family was panicking.
Mary stepped forward.
She focused.
Touched him.
A moment passed—
Then—
The old man blinked.
He moved.
Everyone gasped.
"Thank you!" his family cried.
Lily looked around.
"…Did you feel that?"
Zoya nodded.
"Yes."
Mary spoke quietly,
"There's a presence here."
"It's darker than before."
Zoya added,
"It was here… just moments ago."
Mary turned to Lily.
"You stay here. Take care of the family and gather information."
Lily nodded.
"Be careful."
Mary and Zoya split up.
But after some time—
Mary's phone rang.
It was Lily.
"Mary, come back… quickly!"
Mary rushed back.
"Where's Zoya?" she asked.
Lily's face turned pale.
"I thought she was with you…"
Mary froze.
"…She's not."
Both looked at each other.
Something was wrong.
They searched everywhere.
Hours passed.
Evening turned into night.
Still—
No sign of Zoya.
Then—
They saw her.
Standing still.
Like the others.
Frozen.
Lily's eyes filled with tears.
"Zoya…"
Mary grabbed her arm.
"Don't cry. We can fix this."
Mary tried to free her—
Like before.
But it didn't work.
"…It's stronger this time," she said.
Lily stepped forward.
"Then we do it together."
They focused.
Combined their strength.
After a moment—
Zoya blinked.
She moved.
Freed.
"Are you okay?" Mary asked.
Zoya nodded slowly.
"…I couldn't breathe."
"It felt like something passed right in front of me…"
"A shadow…"
"And then… nothing."
Mary and Lily exchanged looks.
The truth was clear.
"The ghost is nearby," Mary said.
They searched again.
Hours passed.
Midnight arrived.
Suddenly—
A presence surrounded them.
"…It's here," Zoya whispered.
Mary raised her bow.
"I can't see it…"
Then—
She shot an arrow into the sky.
The arrow glowed—
Lighting the area.
And then—
They saw it.
A shadowy ghost.
Mary and Lily attacked immediately.
Zoya watched carefully.
She noticed something—
Behind the ghost—
A river.
She pointed.
"Take it there!"
They understood.
They pushed the ghost toward the river.
The ghost attacked suddenly.
Lily was hit—
Blood spilled.
But she didn't stop.
Mary was attacked next—
She was injured too.
Still—
They continued fighting.
Near the river—
Zoya stepped forward.
She raised her trident.
Energy gathered.
Water responded.
She struck—
The trident pierced through the ghost.
The water surged—
And the ghost disappeared.
Gone.
Silence.
Then—
They smiled.
Lily raised her hand.
Mary and Zoya high-fived her.
"We did it."