~The Primordial Void~

Chapter 5

"Forget what I said, Casper, it's no use..it's not like we can escape death itself!" Kat protested as she backed away, not daring to break her steady glare. Of course, she had seen the grim reaper before as a regular patient of her dad's, but never in his true, terrifying form, of which he had come to take her life. Perhaps this was her destiny, to slowly fade away anyway from the moment they landed in the Void, and death was bound to take her in no time. Such a philosophy was all too much to comprehend in an area of chaos.

Before the entity could swing his merciless scythe where Kat cowered in fear, Casper shoved her to the ground, boldly grabbing the hook with all his strength. For a quick moment it looked almost as if Casper had more control over the weapon than the reaper did, as it stood in shock while the boy bravely pursued him. "Keep going Kat, hurry! I'll stall him!"

But all she could do was remain frozen. If she ran, chances were she would have time to think of another fear. If she stayed, then death would catch up to her. What was she supposed to do? It was easy to understand how the Tunnel of Fear was no place for any living creature.

With Casper still holding on tight, the reaper snatched his scythe back, pushing him away effortlessly. However, it only seemed to increase the little ghost's drive to confront him. Morphing on his classic pirate's uniform, replacing his hand for a hook that almost resembled the much bigger scythe, he playfully got back up with a bold grin and a hearty laugh. As determined as he remained during their fight, Casper was fast, but the reaper was faster. Although he was strong, so was death tenfold. But he refused to give up, that was, until one powerful swing from the scythe was enough to knock him to the ground for good. Having now swiped the ghost's smaller hook as well, the reaper reveled as he crushed it in his bony hand, roaring in rage.

Kat began to run but the sound of her best friend's screams caught her attention once more. How could she abandon him? While he was fighting them, she was burdening him with her own fear, and now he had nothing left to defend himself with. Frantically searching her pockets, all she had was the Infrared Light.

J.T. McFadden's invention.

With two shaky hands, she switched it on, shining the bold light in their direction. The little ghost, upheld by death itself, stopped squirming as his eyes met with the distant beam.

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Vague memories flashed his mind before they became more vivid and vibrant. His father's joyful laughter, his clever reasoning as they played hide-and-seek together. Playing pirates in the laboratory. The young ghost managed a smile, feeling a strange trace of comfort.

The other fickle gadget tucked away in his pocket began to spark and glow once again. Before Casper had time to act, the grim reaper shrieked at the bizarre item, dropping his victim to the ground. Holding up his father's invention proudly as it continued to react, trying its hardest to come to life, Kat returned to his side while they watched the authoritative presence scramble away from them, continuing to scream until it disappeared out of thin air as quickly as it appeared. Leaving not a trace of evidence that it ever existed. He watched as the stricken fear in Kat's eyes faded away until it was no more. Once the coast was clear, the machine died down once again to his disappointment. Slipping the contraption back in his pocket, he hastily flew to his friend's side, lending a hand on her shoulder. "Hey..everything okay?"

She chuckled weakly, still recovering from her state of shock. "Could be worse, I guess, but I should be asking you that..thank you Casper, for being there for me. I'm sorry I couldn't do much, if anything I'm the one making these things appear."

"Heh, it was nothing..besides, without your help I would've been toast! You were totally awesome back there, gimme four!" After exchanging their iconic high-five, he returned to leading her onward once the girl was ready to keep going. "The reaper ain't really like that, y'know. He's actually kinda chill once you get to know him!" He added with an assuring smile. Knowing it was best to fly ahead in case they ran into any more dangers, he would be the first to confront any conflict, whether it meant fighting anything off or merely distracting them instead of placing his fleshie friend at risk.

Soon a heavy silence befell the cave and time seemed to dissipate as Casper and Kat continued their long walk down the path throughout the endless tunnel. Perhaps time wasn't real in such a place, freezing to a stop in the eerie environment as it ticked by for the victims that ventured forward. Whether an exit awaited them or not, they had to keep going. Remaining still in one spot too long only increased their chances of creating another fear. Eventually, the silence itself became too much to bear, something that could serve as a breeding ground for deep-rooted fears to reveal themselves. Ever since their confrontation with the grim reaper, the ghost remained silent, not daring to utter a single word for what seemed like hours.

"Casper..?"

Hesitant, the boy folded his hands behind his back. "Hm?"

"How come we haven't seen any of your fears yet..?"

A shiver ran down what would've been Casper's spine, wondering why she dared to ask such a question. Of course, his best answer would be that he should have nothing to be scared of, or none necessary to think of. After all, what did he have to be afraid of? "Uh..I guess cuz I don't have any! Yeah!" Despite his playful efforts to puff out his chest, however, he could tell that she wasn't convinced nor was she prepared to drop the subject.

"Omg you are so transparent," Kat started, huffing. "Remember what we said before? That we have to face our fears and overcome them together?"

"But Kat, I-"

"That doesn't just apply to flesh- I mean, people, y'know! Sure you're a ghost but there's no way you're not afraid of anything! You were alive too once, why can't you just admit to yourself that you have baggage too?" She protested, catching up to peer at him suspiciously.

"I..I don't think I can do it..!" Casper was breaking. Not only was he losing his composure but his emotional front too, including his deepest and darkest of fears that threatened to be released. In the Tunnel of Fear, where they would come to life.

"Yes, you can..I'll be here for you.." His best friend replied softly, giving him a quick hug before backing up to respect his space.

Casper hung his head in defeat, and time slowed to a stop once again. It felt like all eyes were on him, even if Kat was the only one who accompanied him other than the cave walls that had ears to listen to their every word, and every thought that crossed their mind.

Then it happened. An oddly familiar voice echoed nearby, full of bitterness and grief.

"My son, how could you betray me?"

Although it had been over a century, he knew that voice from anywhere. "D..Dad..?"