Phantombusters: Afterlife

Chapter 5: The Shandorian mine legend

Meanwhile, at Spinners, Trevor was dealing with the stock, and he was freezing a little since it was in the freezer.

"Hey there, how's inventory?" Lucky asks

"Hey, it's not that good. I feel like i'm freezing practically." Trevor comments. "Does everyone do this?"

"Yeah, it's really really important." Lucky responds. "You okay? Your lips are literally blue."

"Apart form that, i',m fine." Trevor says

"I'll let you burrow my hoodie in the future if you need it." Lucky says. "It's really really warm. Was my ex's before he bought a new one and since we're still in good talks and all, he gave it to me."

"I'm fine." Trevor responds

"Good luck with inventory." Lucky comments, walking off

Meanwhile, on the streets of Summerville, Podcast and Phoebe were going for a walk.

"Just introduce yourself and tell me what you ate for breakfast." Podcast says as his tail flicked a little and he held the mic to Phoebe

"Uh...i'm Phoebe, and for breakfast I had some toast." Phoebe comments into the mic

"Okay, maybe a little more, like tell me a joke or something." Podcast says

"A joke? Okay." Phoebe comments. "What do you call a dead polar bear?"

Podcast shrugged.

"Anything you want. It can't hear you now." Phoebe states

Podcast snickered a little.

"You know, you're a funny girl." Podcast comments as they resumed walking. "Neat little fact, Summerville actually has more dead citizens than living ones."

"yeah, that's....kind of how cemeteries and graveyards work." Phoebe responds

"Werdenmier's Hardware, ran by the Illuminati. Lizard people." Podcast comments

"Lizard people???" Phoebe questioned, not believing in that kind of stuff

"Jefferson, Einstein, Beyonce." Podcast lists off. "how do you think we got the pyramids?"

"Slaves." Phoebe stated

"Oh, and the movie theater's haunted." Podcast comments

Phoebe looked at it before saying, "I don't believe in ghosts."

"What?? How can you-I mean, all the evidence! You don't believe in spirits?" Podcast asks

"No. I think we're all just kind of meat puppets." Phoebe responded

Podcast leans in and says, "There's something you need to see. I'll grab my wheels."

Phoebe rose an eyebrow as she followed him. After a ride on a dual seat bike and they got back on foot, they were heading to an old mine from the Shandor Mining Company.

"Are we allowed to even be here?" Phoebe asks

"Oh yeah, totally. Mine's been closed since the 40s." Podcast responds. "All those signs are just there cause of hazardous chemical leaks and un-accounted dynamite. I just cover my mouth with the corner of my shirt."

When getting into the mine, Podcast decided to explain some things.

"The whole town was basically built out of a mining operation. They mined out this mountain like a grapefruit and smelted everything into cold, rivoted, selenium girders."

"Why would you make a steel beam out of an electro-conducter like selenium??" Phoebe questions

"I know right? It's weird." Phoebe comments. "But, one day they were forced to close down the whole enchilada."

"Why?" Phoebe asks

"one by one, miners who had worked for years began leaping down the mineshaft to their DEATH." Podcast explains, stepping over to a tarp covered object. "They called it....the Shandorian curse."

He stepped behind the tarp. When Phoebe did as well, they saw all sorts of weird carvings on the wall. Temple-like carvings and dog-like beasts were carved on the wall.

"Who built these?" Phoebe asks

"Depends on what you believe." Podcast responds. "One day, they just showed up with seemingly no explanation. Weird stuff"

Back at the dirt farmer house, Trevor was in the barn, working on the car that was in the barn, mainly working on the engine before closing the hood and picking up the headlight rims and taking the tarp off the car, and there were siren lights and all sorts of gear on the top and on the license plates it said 'ECTO-1', which he has no clue what that means.

"Whaaat a shitbox." Trevor comments

Later, Phoebe and Podcast were on their way so Phoebe could get home.

"So what's your podcast about?" Phoebe asks

"Mostly mysteries, the unknown, conspiracy theories, and restaurant item reviews every other Tuesday." Podcast responds

"Maybe I could give it a listen at some point." Phoebe comments

"Really?" Podcast asks

Phoebe nodded and Podcast handed her a little USB flash drive stick.

"It really finds it's voice in episode 46." Podcast comments

"Okay." Phoebe comments, putting the USB stick in her pocket

"hey, this is no rush, totally cool if you say no, zero presh." Podcast comments. "but do you wanna be my lab partner?"

"I mean, I don't know if we'll be using any labs, but yeah. Sure. I'd love to." Phoebe responds. "Anyways, this is my place."

Podcast looks and says, "The dirt farmer's house?"

"yeah, he was my grandfather." Phoebe comments

As Phoebe went to go back home, Podcast pulls out his phone to record. Just in case.

"Why are you recording me?" Phoebe asks

"Just in case your body is pulled apart by some dark unseen force." Podcast responds

"Alright." Phoebe says. "Bye."

That night, Phoebe had brushed her teeth as best as she could and when looking at the chess board, she noticed a white knight piece was moved. So, she moved one of her black pawn pieces forward two spaces, right in front of the white pawn.

Then, right in front of her eyes, one of the white pawns that was still able to move moved forward one space.

"What the....??" Phoebe comments quietly

She then eliminated the first white pawn with her black horse. Then, the white horse moved and eliminated the black horse by hitting it so hard it bounced off the wall across the room which caused Phoebe to duck a little. Then, the PKE Meter on the bedside counter began beeping.

She got up and grabbed it, saying, "Hello???"

She picks the device up and when she looked one way, it's side wings went up and the beeping got fast. When she looked the other way, the beeping stopped and the wings went down. Then, when she looked at the door to her room as it opened on it's own, the PKE began beeping pretty fast and the wings stuck up.

She followed a seemingly invisible trail and lights turned on, guiding her safely through the halls of the house. The trail seemingly led to a spot in the living room when suddenly, the recliner that had some holes in it swung around and forced her into it, somehow not waking up Callie who was passed out at the dinner table.

She looked at a spot on the floor and put the PKE down, solving a little floor puzzle bit by bit, slowly revealing a hidden hatch. She pulled out a large box-like device that was the trap that had been stored away in there by the dirt farmer, her grandfather. She rose an eyebrow, not having a single clue as to what the device is. But whatever it was, it was, it had some weight. She rose a confused eyebrow when looking at it.