//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Meeting Tim | Escape the Nightmare // Story: Game Quest: Home Sweet Home episode 1 // by Phantom-Dragon //------------------------------// “Babe, wake up!” A woman’s voice called. “It’s late, hon… you have to wake up.” “Okay, getting up,” A man’s voice answered in the dark. The man sat up, stretching his arms out with a yawn. His eyes look around, but the darkness greeting his gaze left him perplexed. Uncertainty crossed his mind, as he scratched the back of his head. “Jane?” He called groaning. “Man… Last night was way too much! Where the hell am I?” The man looked around trying to get his bearings. In appearance, he appeared to be in some rundown old room. The printed images of birds, angels, and even flowers that have slowly began to wear with time were displayed upon the walls. Cracks and smudge covered the marble floor, a single lit lamp barely illuminated the room. Along the wall a clock hung, displaying that the time was 15 past midnight. Turning to his left, the man was thankful to find a large notebook, with colorful tags sticking from the pages, each one document a specific objective (But he did not know this… yet). “I have to get the hell out of here,” The man declared, approaching the door. By the time the icy grip of darkness vanished, Sunset Shimmer wearily got up on her legs. “Wh-What happened?” She asked. Sunset Shimmer rubbed the drowsiness from her eyes, pinching her temples with her hands before taking a look around her surroundings. “Wh-Where am I? What is this place?” Just then, the motion of an open door caught her attention, as she slowly turns around. Before her eyes, a tall man, roughly in his 30s, appears before her. Although the room was dark, Sunset could barely see he was wearing glasses, wore a simple gray t-shirt, blue jeans, and brown shoes, holding a flashlight toward her. Startled, the man starts speaking a foreign language much to Sunset’s confusion. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” Sunset asked. “Oh… you speak English,” The man noted. “I was asking, ‘Who are you?’.” “Oh, I’m Sunset,” The fiery girl answered. “Sunset Shimmer. And you are?” “I’m Chadchai Tubloy. But my friends call me Tim.” “Nice to meet you, Tim,” Sunset replied. The two shake hands after a rather tentative introduction. “Likewise,” The man replied, his expression serious. “Do you know where I am?” “I was hoping you would know.” “I’m just as clueless as you are,” Tim shrugged, shaking his head. “I just got out of the room I woke up in. Never should’ve drank so much last night.” At the mention of ‘drinking’, Sunset realized that the foul smell in the room was alcohol and it was coming from the man’s breath. “Yeah… no offense, but alcoholism is bad,” Sunset winced. “Hmm… I’ll keep that in mind,” The man nodded. “What about you? How did you get here? What’s your story?” “I honestly don’t know. A moment ago, I was in my room playing video games. Next thing I knew, everything just… blacked out! When I finally came to, I found myself here!” “Sounds to me as if we’re both lost. But we must be here for a reason.” “You can say that again. The question is: ‘How’ do we get out of here?” “We won’t find out by standing here talking, that’s for sure. C’mon, let’s get out of here.” The man takes the lead as Sunset follows close behind, marching through the hallway in hopes of finding the nearest exist. Thus far, all they found within these halls were stacks upon stacks of shelves with worn picture frames, antique brass elephant statues, and various boxes. Among the assortments of objects are a mortar and a pestle, common utensils used for cooking in most countries. But judging by the feel of their environment, this place was far from welcoming. “What kind of place is this?” Sunset asked nervously. “No idea,” Tim replied. “Though I’ll do you better. What are we doing here in the first place?” “Don’t know. But the sooner we get out, the better. This place gives me the creeps.” Suddenly, Sunset’s ears perk up at the sound of what sounds like… chanting. “Shh! You hear that?” Sunset whispered harshly. Tim held his hand upon his ears, listening closely to decipher the sound. The two figures follow the echo hoping to find the source. “It’s behind that door!” Tim pointed. “Let’s go!” The two immediately approach the door, turning the knob, and slowly take a cautious peek before fully opening the door. Upon entering the room, the two discovered that it was empty, and the source of the sound came from a small radio box. Sighing, Time approaches the radio and turns the knob, shutting it off. “How do you like that?” Tim snarked. “Someone left the radio on.” BOOM! “AH!!!” Sunset screamed. She and Tim jumped and turned as the door suddenly slam shut behind them. To further the stress of their beating hearts, the light above them suddenly blew out much to their horror. Sunset raced toward the door, grabbing hold of its knob which rattled in its place. “What the hay?! It’s locked! I can’t open it!” “Looks like we can’t go back that way,” Tim frowned wearily. “We have no other choice but to move forward.” Tim points toward another door in front of the pair. Seeing no other choice, the two proceed toward the next door and try to open it. To their shock, the door was locked in place just like the other one. “Darn it!” Sunset grumbled. “We’re trapped!” “Not exactly, Sunset,” Tim said. He approaches the nearest counter, finding a small key sitting there. “I believe this is our way out.” “How do you know?” Sunset asked. “I don’t.” Sighing, Sunset Shimmer noticed a newspaper article, with a faint white aura coating it. “What’s this?” Curious, Sunset Shimmer picks up the newspaper article, noting it was written in Thai. Unfortunately, and unfamiliar with the language, Sunset had a tough time understanding the imprinted words. “Hey Tim!” Sunset called out. “What does it say?” “Oh, it’s printed in Thai,” Tim answered. “Here, let me read it for you.” Tim politely takes the paper from Sunset as he reads the headline. A University Student Reported Missing September 28, 1996 A student from a famous university in Bangkok has mysterious disappeared for more than 2 days. Witnesses reported that she was heading home after a severe stomachache… (More on page 15) “Ouch!” Sunset winced, clutching her stomach. “I’d hate to be that girl.” “Never mind that now,” Tim brushed aside. “Let’s just get out.” Turning his attention back toward the door, Tim inserts the key through the lock and turns it clockwise. With a click, the door opens up toward another dark hallway. Among the shelves sat a little golden statue of a woman in a sitting position with one hand by her side or holding a money bag, and the other hand in a beckoning position. “Whew! It’s so chilly in here,” Tim shivered, as Sunset hugged herself. “If this isn’t the definition of ‘creepy’, I don’t know what is.” Sunset nodded in agreement, as Sunset and Tim prepare to leave the room… only to catch sight of a person leaving. “Hey! Hey you!” Tim called out. Tim burst into a run as Sunset took off after him. The two turn a corner, only to find… no one there. “Where’d they go?” Sunset asked confused. “They must’ve gone downstairs!” Tim deduced, looking down. “HEY! Hey you! Can you hear me?” But answer there came none. Tim turned toward Sunset, shaking his head incredulously before making his way down the stairs. “C’mon. They couldn’t have gone far.” With no argument, Sunset quickly followed the man down the stairs. With every step, the stairs spiraled down. Just at the bottom, Sunset could see the area was lit with an eerie red glow. After two floors down, a streak of shadow suddenly fell from above, startling Sunset Shimmer. “AH!” She screamed. “What?” Tim turned. “What is it?” “Something fell from above!” Sunset pointed to the large black mass now on the floor. Tim cautiously went to inspect it, as Sunset stayed close behind. After a moment, Tim shook his head incredulously as he turned toward the girl. “It’s just a garbage bag, Sunset,” Tim chuckled. “… I knew that,” Sunset muttered blushing. “I thought it was something else.” “You’re letting your imagination run wild. Now c’mon.” Sunset pouted, feeling as if he were chiding her like a father would to his imaginative child. That being said, they both open the door and enter another hallway. “Look!” Sunset pointed. Down the hall, just along the end, the silhouette outline of a teenage girl, roughly Sunset’s age, stood. The girl turned toward the nearest door on the left, before disappearing. “Hey! Hey wait!” Sunset called out toward the girl. Sunset and Tim race after her, opening the door to the room. But once they got inside, they stood perplexed to find the girl was nowhere to be seen. "Where did she go?" Tim asked, as he and Sunset walk into the room. They walked over to another door in the room, and opened it. They were caught off-guard by the sight before them… a brick wall in plain view, with a large bloodstain upon it. “WHAT THE--?!” Sunset exclaimed. “This is just getting really, really, REALLY weird! And I’ve seen ‘stranger things’ before!” “You don’t say,” Tim muttered, inspecting the stain. “Yep. Definitely blood.” “’Letting my imagination run wild’, huh?” Sunset raised an eyebrow. Ignoring her, Tim inspected the trail of blood, which appeared to lead away from the brick walls. “Strange. That wasn’t there before!” Flashing his light against the trail, Tim could see it lead directly out of the room. Even more disturbing, the hallway he and Sunset came through had suddenly changed structure. “What the hell? What’s going on here?” Sunset, following the man’s gaze, exits the room and turned her head both ways. “Didn’t we came from the right?” She asked. “… something’s playing with us here. Like one of those horror movies… or horror games.” “I don’t even know anymore,” Time replied. “Let’s just get the hell out of here… fast.” Both Sunset and Tim followed the bloody trail, the disgust on their faces grew as the trail lead them to a couple large blood puddles. Some of it even dripped from the ceilings. “This is gross!” Sunset groaned in discomfort. The foul smell of blood reeked through their nostrils, as the pair were forced to walk under the bloody shower. And then something else caught their eyes. “Are those… footprints?” Sunset questioned. Without a doubt, upon the floor were bloody imprints of feet… human feet. The trail lead down the other end of the hall, leading toward the next door. Upon opening the door, they walk down a lit hallway before stumbling upon another door at the end. Opening it slowly, they discover the mysterious girl they’ve been searching for. “There you are!” Tim greeted the girl. “Can I ask you something, miss…!” But before Tim could finish, the girl suddenly twist her whole head in a disturbing 180-degree turn revealing her stained face tricked with warm red blood. It streamed down her nose, over her mouth, as she stared at them with cold dead eyes. “What the fuck?!” Tim exclaimed. Then, without warning, the girl uttered a bloodcurdling screech, startling both Tim and Sunset out of their wits and snapping them back to reality. “LET’S GET OUT OF HERE!” Sunset screamed. Sunset took off running, with Tim following her out the room. They rush down the hall back towards the door they came through. But upon opening the door, to their confusion, it was walled up by another brick wall. “Are you kidding me?!” She moaned. Sunset and Tim turned back as the girl emerged from the room, a boxcutter knife in one hand. “Oh, that’s it! We’re done for!” Turning to his right, Tim spots another door – which wasn’t there before. “THIS WAY! Hurry!” Grabbing the fiery girl by the hand, Tim pulled Sunset into a quick dash toward the door, swinging it open, and slammed it in front of the ghost girl. Inside the room, they found a locker sticking against the wall. Without wasting a second, Tim pulls the locker open and they both jump in, sealing the metal door shut. Tim held Sunset close to his chest, wrapping his arms around the fiery girl’s hair. They both dared not to breathe, as the other girl followed. Spying through the vents inside the locker, Sunset and Tim observe the ghost as she searched the room. Eventually she gave up and left, while moaning… “Come back… come back to me…” Adding to her eerie presence, the girl held the boxcutter knife, sliding her fingers across its hilt, sliding the blade in-and-out of its sheath. The ghost approaches the wall, where it appeared to be bleeding a pool of red blood. The ghost girl walks through the pool, disappearing out of sight. “D-D-D-D-Did you see what I saw?!” Sunset exclaimed. “Uh-huh!” Tim nodded, equally frightened. “And I don’t need to see it again.” After a moment of silence, Tim and Sunset exit the locker. “Let’s get out of here before she comes back,” Tim suggested. “No need to tell me twice,” Sunset agreed. The two strolls through the hallway, walking back into the room where they first encountered the ghost. Walking through the door on the other end, opening to their relief, they found a hallway painted greenish-blue, unlike another brick wall from before. As they walk, the lights begin to flicker rapidly, as random objects flew off the shelves and onto the floor, startling them both. Sunset held the man’s arm tightly, like how a frighten girl would react with her father. “Mr. Tim?” Sunset whimpered frightfully. “Stay close, Sunset,” Mr. Tim consoled. “We’ll get out of this… we just have to.” Eventually, the two arrive at the entrance of a hallway. Unfortunately, it was closed off by a steel grated door wrapped with two chains across. Sunset tried to pry the chains off, but they wouldn’t move. “Darn it!” Sunset snarled. “It won’t open!” “We just need to find something to break these chains off,” Tim replied, looking around. Turning to his right, he approached another hallway which lead them to a rope – undoubtedly, a dumbwaiter. Pulling the ropes, Tim hauled up a rusty bucket, containing a set of pincers. “Ah-ha!” Tim cheered, picking up the pincers. “This’ll do!” Tim and Sunset proceed to head back toward the doors. “Who would’ve though we’d find pincers of all—” Sunset immediately stopped talking when she and Tim saw the wall bleeding in front of them. Frightened beyond reason, they run back toward the doors as Tim quickly cuts the chains off and opens the doors for them to get through. As they race through the hall, more objects flew off their shelves, startling the pair. The unhinged, hanging light flickers on-and-off as they quickly open another door finding themselves in another hall. Sunset shuts the door behind them, as they proceed to move forward, turning the corner to find the ghost girl ahead. “Yikes!” Sunset shouted. She and Tim quickly hid behind the wall, catching their breaths. “She’s here…” “I can see that!” Tim replied, poking his head from behind the wall. The two watch as the ghost walked across the hall, entering a room. Looking ahead, they could see the hall was blocked by shelves and drawers, stacked together, preventing Sunset and Tim from reaching the other side. “Think she did all that?” Sunset asked. “I wouldn’t be surprised,” Tim replied. They moved ahead, making sure to walk as quietly as possible. Following behind him, Sunset watched as Tim cautiously shone his flashlight into the room. “Goodness!” Tim muttered. “What is it?” Sunset asked nervously. “Would you believe me when I say that an exploding bulldozer came through here?” Tim shows the girl a large hole in the brick wall, leading toward the next room. “… What happened here?” Sunset asked. She and Tim walk through the hole into the next room, turning toward a door. They open the door to find they were out in the hall, along the other side of the shelves hindering their path before. They pass a room numbered 103, when they both heard a disturbing sound. “What’s that noise?” Tim asked. Sunset listened, cringing as it sounded like someone was vomiting. “I prefer that we never find out,” Sunset answered. They proceed to walk away from the room, reaching the end of the hall only to find several wooden boards blocking a vent in the wall. Sunset approached the wood, giving a strong kick with her legs. But the wood didn’t even break. “Too strong,” Tim shook his head. “Let’s try to find something to break them with.” Just as they turned back, they quickly caught a glimpse of the ghost girl exiting Room 103 and into another room across, slamming the door behind her. Sunset whimpered quietly, to which Tim responds by holding her hand for comfort. They slowly walk down the hall, doing the best they could to keep a brave face. Along the way, Sunset turned to her right and noticed the door to Room 104 was ajar. “That wasn’t opened before,” Sunset commented. She stepped into the room, as Tim followed behind her. Tim shut the door behind them, locking the door for extra precautions. He and Sunset uncover another hole, along the corner of the brick wall on the left, which lead to another room. Unlike the last two rooms they’ve snuck in before, Sunset and Tim were aghast to discover a full bedroom. A comfortable bed sat along the left corner, next to a desk decorated with paintings of flowers and shelves of books. Sitting upon the desk, a lamp was lit, shining its light over a puddle of blood where two parchments of paper rested. “What’s this?” Sunset asked, picking up the Thai-written paper. “Tim, can you read this?” “Sure!” The man complied, taking the paper. Note with A. Chai’s Number Bring these to A. Chai. Shane’s hair and nails. 01-612-2758 “A. Chai?” Sunset asked. “Who is this A. Chai?” “I have no idea,” Tim replied grimacing. “But however they are, they must be some kind of professional, to be referred to as 'ajahn.'" Sunset looked rather confused, "Ajahn is Thai for a 'professor' or a 'teacher.'" "Ah," Sunset nodded in acknowledgement. "Honestly, I don’t know what they’d need hair and nails from this ‘Shane’ person.” “Hmm…” Sunset pondered. She looked around the desk, finding the next piece of paper. This parchment was printed in a dark color, imagines of strange looking nails on display. Before Sunset could speak, Tim picked up the paper and read: The Cursed Nails Jinx: Do you have hatreds towards someone, enough to want them dead? Then you are at the right place! The Cursed Nails Jinx is a spell that can make them suffer from nails piercing through their stomach. The result can be deadly! This jinx has existed and had been passed on for many generations and can still be found today on rare occasions. Instruction: You’ll need something from your target, such as a nail or some hair. Next, put them inside the doll made from graveyard clay. Tie up the doll with the thread used for shrouding corpses, not the holy thread used for other occasions and ceremony. Pierce the nails (which were used to seal coffins of those who died unnaturally) right through the doll. Once it’s done, your target will experience an agonizing pain as their stomach is filled with cursed nails. Only skillful casters can perform this, it cannot be done by novices. “Yeesh!” Sunset cringed. “That’s just disturbing…” “Tell me about it,” Tim agreed. He looks again toward the pieces of paper, as if stumbling upon a connection. “Nail or some hair, huh? Looks like whoever Shane is or was, they met a gruesome demise.” “I’d hate to be that person,” Sunset frowned, clutching her stomach. “Can you imagine that many cursed nails in your stomach? Ouch… But who would—” “I don’t know,” Tim shook his head. “I don’t think we have much time to ponder. Let’s get out of here while we can.” Turning toward the bathroom, Tim walked in and to his delight finds a crowbar. There it was, sitting in the corner, just behind the curtains of what used to be the shower. “Good news, Sunset,” Tim smiled. “We can use this crowbar to pry off the boards.” “Great! Then let’s—Uh oh.” Sunset’s eyes widen as the doorknob began to turn. “We’ve got company! Hide!” Sunset Shimmer dove under the bed, while Tim quickly hid behind the shower curtains. The door opens revealing the ghost girl from before, walking into the room, and approaching the bathroom. She clutched her stomach while sobbing. “Don’t you leave me anymore…” The ghost stopped at the sink, violently, gruesomely, and disgustingly vomiting a stream of blood from her mouth. Sunset looked as if she were on the verge of losing her lunch at the horrid sight. Tim, just as shocked, was also disgusted while trying to stay still. DING! As the ghost girl convulsed, something rang in the air, sounding like metal. After the gruesome episode, the ghost girl turned and took her leave. “Come back… Come back to me!” The ghost sobbed as she exits the room, entering Room 108, slamming the door behind her. Afterward, Sunset emerged from under the bed, walking into the bathroom where she found Tim. “D-D-D-Did you see that?” She stammered. Tim silently nodded, scared beyond words. Just then, Sunset sniffed and pinched her nose as she caught the whiff of a foul smell. “Phew! What’s wrong with her?” “Must’ve had a hangover, I guess,” Tim thought. He looks into both the toilet and the sink, finding them both flooded with crimson red blood. Glistening inside the blood, as Tim shined his flashlight off, Tim made an incredible discovery. “Bloodstained nails,” Time grimaced. “And some have dried flesh on them!” Sunset turned her head, following where the ghost girl had gone. “Looks like we found our victim of that Cursed Nails Jinx,” She frowned, feeling sympathy for the ghost. “But wait… You don’t suppose our ghost is ‘Shane’, do you?” “Don’t know, don’t care,” Tim shook his head. “I just want us to get the hell out of here.” Both Tim and Sunset Shimmer quickly race down the hall, back toward the boarded-up vent. Using the crowbar, Tim broke the wooden planks apart as he pried them off the walls. Until at last, the vent was open enough to grant them safe passage. Tim, the first to crawl through, shined his flashlight ahead, with Sunset following close behind. The space was narrow; the air itself was musky. Dust and cobwebs were everywhere, the sound of crickets chirping and squeaking rats scurrying echoed deep in the musty vents. Tim began to cough vigorously and horribly. “Mr. Tim?” Sunset asked concerned. “You alright?” “I’m fine,” He coughed. “Just a little asthmatic.” The two crawled through the vent, when something startled Tim, and he nearly hit his head against the low ceiling. “What is it?” Sunset asked. “Uh… it’s nothing,” Tim answered, slightly flustered. “Just some loose pipes.” As he moved forward and turned right, Sunset caught sight of a light blue pipe leaning against the wall on the left. “All that over a pipe?” Sunset scoffed. Suddenly, as she followed Tim, the sound of crying echoed. “Do you hear that?” She and Tim look ahead toward the wall in front of them, completely broken. And there, they caught sight of the ghost girl, crying into her hands as she leaned upon the desk. Tim quickly turned his flashlight off so the ghost wouldn’t notice. Both quiet as mice, Tim and Sunset waited for the ghost to cease her crying, before she got up and walked out the door. They continue their crawl through the narrow vent. Along the way, Sunset Shimmer looked to the left and was startled by a creepy looking doll, sitting against a wall, staring off into the distance, to where the ghost girl was. Sunset could tell whether to feel scared, or remorseful for the doll, being abandoned in such obscure place. Sunset almost felt like reaching out to pick up the doll, but then her conscience told her otherwise, as if saying that picking up such an abandoned object would bring untold grievances. As she and Tim continued their way through the vent, Sunset turned to look at the right, to see in the corner of the walls is what looks to be a little shrine. There were figures of traditional Thai dancers, garlands, cup, and incense/joss sticks. There also seems to be cups with either water, alcohol, or some other drink offering. "What's with all these stuffs?" Sunset asked herself, before she continues to follow Tim, until they reached the exit, standing up in the room where the ghost was spotted. Sunset turns toward the desk and discovers another piece of parchment, much like the one they found with the Cursed Nails Jinx. Tim picks up the parchment and read: The Lechery Jinx is a spell that can forcefully make people fall in love. The noticeable feature of this spell is two dolls tied up in a hugging pose, one male and the other female. Instruction: Create two dolls from graveyard clay and put something that belongs to your target inside one of the dolls, it can be either nails or hairs. Then tie up the dolls together with the holy thread used in shrouding corpses. Only skillful casters can perform this, it cannot be done by novices. Once it’s done, put the tied-up dolls under the pillow of your target. Sitting upon the desk, next to the parchment were said dolls themselves wrapped with the holy thread. Sunset picked up the dolls, turning them to the side, observing them. “These dolls are supposed to make the person fall in love with you?” Sunset question. “Ha, for some reason, it reminds me of how Flash Sentry and I were before… before we broke up.” “I’m sorry to hear that, Sunset,” Tim said, placing a sympathetic hand upon her shoulder. “You’re not considering using this spell on him, are ya?” “What? No way!” Sunset scoffed. “I’m not like that… at least, not anymore. Besides, we only just got back together, and things are… improving. C’mon, let’s go.” Sunset and Tim proceed to leave through the door the ghost previously left through. Their journey has them cross another hallway when a familiar creaking sound made them stop in their tracks. “Is that who I think it is?” Sunset whimpered. “Shh!” Tim shushed. He slowly peeked around the corner. Sure enough, standing in the hall, in a pool of blood, the ghost screamed upon seeing her prey. “SHIT!!!” Tim and Sunset quickly backtrack the way they came and quickly dove into a locker, just as the ghost girl passed them, breathing heavily and loudly which shook the locker they were both hiding in. They waited until they were sure the ghost had gone back to the last room it came from. “Phew!” Sunset sighed. “That ghost is going to give me a heart attack.” Knowing for certain the danger had passed, Tim and Sunset emerge from the locker and made their way down the hallway previously barred by the ghost girl. But much to their discomfort, they had to walk through a rain of blood dripping from the ceiling. Suns and Tim cringed in disgust. “Urgh! I’m taking a long shower after this,” Sunset muttered. “My sentiments exactly,” Tim nodded. Upon reaching the end of the hall, they turn left toward a closed door and a passageway closed off by a rolled-up door. Sunset inspects the first wooden door, turning the knob to find it was locked tight in its frame. “I think this is the way out,” Tim pointed to the rolled-up door. Tim walks over toward a nearby switch and pushed the button. The roll-up door sprang to life, the engines roar loudly, and the gears slowly turn as the door is lifted until— BANG! “AH!” Sunset shrieked. “What the what!?” The sudden explosion caught her by surprise, as Sunset found herself clutching her chest to ease her beating heart while she panted. Tim turned to the switch to find it smoking, a small light bulb turned red. Shining his flashlight on the switch, he discovered the problem. “The fuse blew out!” He stomped his foot in frustration. “We need to find another one quick, or we’re never getting out.” “But where do we—Uh oh!” Sunset’s ears perk up in alarm when she hears the familiar creaking, followed by the foul smell of blood. She and Tim turn around and see the wall bleeding, and a pair of hands thrust out, furiously tearing their way out. “She’s coming back!” Sunset pointed in terror. “Quickly! In the locker!” Tim pointed. There were two lockers for each of them to hide and they did not hesitate to hide. They each watch through the vents as the ghost finally pulled herself free from the wall, crossing over toward their lockers. She pulls her boxcutter knife out from her pocket, sliding her finger across the hilt, making a somewhat death rattle. Sunset and Tim could feel the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end, their teeth chatter as they anxiously watched the ghost draw closer and closer. With every step she took, it added to the frightful beating of their hearts. They were sure the ghost would catch onto their ruse, staring through the vents to find her prey. Sunset and Tim carefully and silently slid themselves lower in their lockers, hiding their faces from the vents, and silently praying for the ghost to leave them alone. “I wanted to savor you!” The ghost sobbed, in a teary whisper. The ghost slid her fingers across her boxcutter knife, clicking its blade in and out, before the sound of her footsteps walking away was heard, coupled with the sound of an opening door. “Mr. Tim?” Sunset whispered. “Is the coast clear?” “I think so,” The man replied. “Better take a look first.” Standing up inside the locker, Tim looked through the vents finding the ghost nowhere in sight. “Okay. I think it’s safe to come out now.” Sunset and Tim exit their lockers to inspect the busted switch for the roll-up door. “If I can get this to work, we can get out of here!” Tim analyzed. “If I know my engineering, there should be an engineer office close-by. I’ll bet you we’ll find the spare fuse in there.” “You mean the one in there?” Sunset pointed. Sure enough, a small fuse sat upon the desk of the tiny office, just through the other side of a grated wall. “That’s the one!” Tim smiled. Sunset pushed her arm through the grates, struggling to reach for the fuse. “It’s no use,” She groaned. “It’s too far away!” “I don’t expect either of us getting it that way, Sunset,” Tim shook his head, turning to a doorway. “We’ll have to go through there to get it.” “In… there?” Sunset gulped frightfully. Now Sunset Shimmer was not the sort of girl to scare easily. But after today, her teeth had been chattering as she stares worriedly toward the room where the ghost would be. She turned back through the grates, looking at the office, then back toward the doorway. “We don’t have a choice, do we?” She sighed reluctantly. “Nope…” Tim answered bluntly. Very quietly, Tim and Sunset tiptoed toward the room, to find it was a library with shelves stocked with books, surrounding a few study tables in the room. Sunset and Tim hid behind a table and a few shelves, peeking cautiously as the ghost patrolled the room. Fortunately, she was unaware of their presence. Very carefully, Sunset and Tim crawl along the floor, careful not to be seen or heard by the murderous specter. Peeking through the gaps in the bookshelves, Tim spots another door at the corner. “That must be the other room we saw outside,” Tim pointed, facing Sunset. “You wait here; I’ll be back soon.” The fiery girl’s eyes widen, her expression showing she was against the idea of being left alone with a ghost wandering the room. She turned her head, immediately ducking down, just as the ghost rounded the corner and walked towards them. Sunset and Tim slowly backed up as the ghost girl approached, before she turned and walked off in the other direction. Looking toward the right, Sunset saw an open door leading to the bathroom. “I’ll be in there,” Sunset whispered pointing. “Be careful, Mr. Tim.” Tim nodded before he got up and went away, while Sunset took refuge in the bathroom. There were three stalls in the room: Two of them were closed, while the third in between was open. Even more disturbing was that one of the closed stalls at the far end had a pool of blood pouring out. Sunset cringed and fought the urge to throw up despite the overwhelming foul smell clogging her nostrils. Pinching her nose, she hid in the opened stall and slowly closed the door. It was there she happened upon another newspaper article. “What’s this?” Sunset didn’t have time to ponder when footsteps were heard. Sunset hoped Tim had come back, but to her dismay the creaking said otherwise. In alarm and out of impulse, Sunset locked the stall she was in, and pulled her feet up to stay hidden. She could hear the ghost sobbing, breathing heavily outside. “Why did this happen to me?” The ghost sobbed. The sound of her voice and her footsteps grew increasingly louder the closer she got to Sunset’s hiding spot. “You said together forever… I wanted to savor you…” Sunset shook her head violently, covering her ears with her hands. She huddled close within the bathroom stall, praying to Celestia the spirit would leave. But it was no use. The ghost girl sounded as if she was right in front of the stall. “Come back… come back to me…” At any moment, the girl could open the stall and catch her cornered prey. This would be the end for Sunset Shimmer, the very idea made it more frightening. She could feel her heart racing, beating loudly as a drum. To further her fright, the clammy cold touch of fear trickled up her spine, making her hair stand on end and her skin coated in goosebumps. “Come back… come back to me…” Suddenly, a low chanting was heard just outside the bathroom. Sunset looked down to see the ghost’s shadow leaving, as if to inspect the chanting itself. Meanwhile, back with Tim, the man hid behind a bookshelf, carefully watching the ghost’s every moment and silently observing her patrol. For the moment, it seemed the ghost was pacing in circles around the tables in a counterclockwise pattern. Very quietly, Tim slinked his way across the floor to reach the bookshelves on the other side of the room, keeping himself hidden from the ghost, who continued her patrol. Making sure to stay out of the ghost’s sight, and very quietly, Tim snuck around the corner where he reached the door, finding it slightly ajar. Turning to the left, he was relieved to spot a narrow hallway with rusty lockers on the left, a desk at the end of the hallway in front of him, where the fuse rested underneath the lights of a lamp, right next to a toolbox and a mess of devices. “Great! Now I can fix the switch so Sunset and I can get out of here,” Tim said to himself. Suddenly, the radio behind him suddenly went off and chanting was heard. “Oh shit!” Tim turned off the radio, but it was too late. His ears perk up in alarm to the sound of running footsteps coming toward the door. Without a doubt, the ghost was coming. Reacting fast, Tim opened one of the lockers and dove in, hiding himself from the ghost, as she entered, sliding her fingers across her knife, clicking it in and out. “You said together forever,” The ghost hissed, sobbing. The ghost walked across the locker, passing Tim who dared not to breathe. Just then, the sound of a book hitting the floor was heard outside, which caught the ghost’s attention and she quickly left the room. “Oh no! Sunset!” Tim muttered. He left the locker he hid in, peeking through the doorway and spots the ghost in the center of the room. She twists her head left to right, searching for the source of the noise. “Where are you?” The ghost sobbed, clicking her knife. “Come back… come back to me!” Once again, Tim crawled along the floor, ducking behind the bookshelves as he made his way back to the bathroom. “Sunset?” He called out. “Are you in here? It’s me, Tim.” “Dad?” Sunset whispered. Tim turns to see the girl huddled behind a bookshelf, clutching a rolled-up newspaper in her hand. “Sunset, thank goodness you’re okay,” Tim sighed in relief. He did a double take when he realized what Sunset just called him. “Did you just call me your ‘dad’?” “Did I?” Sunset asked, flustered. Wanting to stir away from the awkward moment, Sunset hastily tried to change the conversation. “Did you get the fuse?” “Got it right here,” Tim answered, clutching the fuse. It was then Tim noticed the newspaper article Sunset was holding. “What you got there?” “Oh this?” Sunset held up the article. “I don’t know. But it has a picture of some strange objects on it. Like the dolls we found back in the previous rooms we’ve been in.” “Really?” Tim took a look at the paper and reads: SHOCKING!! Witchcraft to Blame for Missing Student September 30, 1996 The investigation team were shocked after finding satanic evidence inside the missing girl’s room. She has been missing since September 26… this shocking discover… (More on page 13) Again, the story ended abruptly, with a few missing pages. “Wait a minute,” Sunset gasped, having an epiphany. “Missing student… dark magic… stomachache…” It didn’t take long before the fiery girl put it all together. “Our ghost… she’s the missing girl! “Well, she’s not missing anymore,” Tim grimaced, nodding. “Though as of right now, I’d prefer she stay that way for our sakes.” “Guess we don’t have a choice now,” Sunset shook her head. “Let’s get out of here or we’ll be missing next!” Tim nods in silent agreement, as he and Sunset left the library and raced back to the switch. Tim quickly unscrewed the blown fuse and replaced it with the newer one. Once the task was done, he pressed the button, causing the shutter to resume lifting. But because the engine roared so loudly, Tim and Sunset tensed in alarm, knowing the ghost must’ve heard that and would soon be upon them. Once the gate was up, both Sunset and Tim ran down the hall only to find another shuttering barring their way at the other end, in a room painted greenish-blue. “Are you kidding me?!” Sunset shrieked frustrated. “Let’s hope this one won’t blow up like the last one,” Time remarked. He was about to push the switch but stopped when Sunset discovered what appeared to be a tiny bird house. “Hey Mr. Tim!” Sunset pointed out. “Check this out!” “Huh?” The man turned to see what the girl was pointing to. “Huh… fancy that. You found a shrine.” “A shrine?” Sunset asked. “You mean those things built for spirits?” “Yep,” Tim answered. “To be honest, I never really took all that spiritual belief seriously. Not as much as my wife did. But, as of now, seeing is believing.” Sunset peers down and picks up a small rolled metal amulet. “What’s this?” “Let me have a look,” Tim gestured. Sunset gives him the amulet, shedding his light along the amulet and spots tiny magic words inscribed on it. “I think I’ve seen one of these before. My friend Dew once told me about them. He said they’re most worn by men to protect them from evil forces. Also, it makes us look more attractive.” “Really?” Sunset asked. “Well, I don’t know about the last part,” Tim sighed, wearing the amulet along his left wrist. “But let’s hope this thing works.” “What about me?” “Don’t worry. If that ghost shows her face again, she’ll have to go through me to get to you.” Both Sunset and Tim turn back toward the switch, which they pressed together. The roll-up door springs to life. Unfortunately, just as the door started to open, the familiar creaking was heard, as they turned to see the ghost emerge from another bloody portal in the wall. Worse still, there was no locker for them to hide in and they were completely vulnerable. “C’mon! Faster! Faster!” Tim sad frantically. He pressed the button repeatedly as the door slowly climbed up. The ghost pulled her upper body through, followed by a leg. Once the gate was up, both Tim and Sunset raced down the hall just as the ghost girl fully emerged from the portal. Unsheathing her knife, she released a nightmarish bloodcurdling scream and pursued the two. “Leave us alone!” Tim called out toward the ghost. But the ghost did not listen, and trouble laid ahead for both Tim and Sunset. Soon, they found themselves bombarded by random junk and flying objects hurled at them. Most likely manipulated by their bloody pursuer. “Sunset, look out!” But it was too late. A cart slid in their way, and Sunset crashed into it, tripping onto the floor as the ghost was catching up to them. “C’mon, get up!” Tim said. He frantically helped Sunset back on her feet and urged her to keep running, just as a cold touch of death grabbed him by the shoulder, and he turned around finding himself stabbed. The ghost girl finally caught up to Tim and repeatedly jabbed him with her boxcutter knife. He managed to fight back, flailing his arms about, struggling to pry her off him. While that happened, the amulet he wore suddenly glowed, as if by magic, making the knife bounce off his hand. Sunset slid to a halt as she turned back to see Tim struggle against the ghost girl. “Mr. Tim!” Sunset cried out. Desperately seeking something to fight the ghost off, Sunset found a large, rusty metal rod. With a loud scream, she lunged towards the ghost girl, the rod in her hands, and she slammed it hard against the ghost’s head. BAM! “AUGH!!!” Disoriented, the ghost girl clutched her smarted head, before Sunset proceeds to whack her again with the rod. She lands a front kick to her face, shoving the ghost away from her and Tim. “C’mon! Let’s go!” Sunset shouts. She places her hand along the man’s inflicted shoulder, as they made a desperate run towards the exit. By the time the ghost recovered from her head injury, they both vanished, and the ghost unleashed a loud screech, crying out in rage.