~The Primordial Void~

Chapter 10

Kat opened her eyes, snapping out of what felt like a strange nightmare. Forcing herself to stand up, she took a moment to stretch her sore limbs until she staggered from the numbness in her ghastly legs. The debilitating sensation was so strong that she almost couldn't feel the ground beneath her.

Was it daytime? Looking up at the otherworldly sky, it was impossible to tell. Then the realization that it wasn't a dream at all crumbled her spirits once more. The Tunnel of Fear. The SuperVoid and its superghosts. Casper flying away to find help.

Everything was real. Awoke in the Freelands instead of her bedroom, a familiar burst of adrenaline pumped through her veins again. Normally Kat was used to things lurking in the shadows, after all, she lived in a haunted house and befriended a friendly ghost. Eventually with his help, she accepted those conditions. This dimension, on the other hand, was a whole new universe, and not a wondrous, charming one at that. It was meant to not only terrify the living, but to steal their souls. If even Casper was afraid, how could she not be?

Casper. Still not a trace of his return. Perhaps something happened to him, either he was lost or worse, he was in trouble somewhere.

"Casper?" She called, breaking the heavy, eerie silence settled around her. Scanning the empty forest, there was no sign of him nearby. Then she remembered the whistle he gave her, the one he said to use for emergencies, the same way he found her back at Friendship. Such a tool would be much louder than any human voice. Her ghostly friend designed it himself and anyone who blew the whistle would summon him in an instant, no matter where he was. Not only was he motivated to make it because of his father as an inventor, but he claimed to have his other reasons too. Of course, it would likely come with a price in her current situation. If she blew the whistle, he'd return to her side, but there was still a chance that it could attract the other residents in the area. Hesitantly, she held it up to her lips. Before she could do anything more, she heard an unfamiliar voice from behind that sent a shiver down her spine.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you.."

Kat froze, hovering her hand over the Infrared Light stuffed in her backpack. "Who said that?"

"Um, so just to clarify..I think what you're really saying is- 'what' just said that, I mean, I'd probably wanna know the same if I was the only living person here, but to answer your question..a superghost, who's actually quite chill once you get to know her!"

With a shaky pair of hands, Kat switched on the beacon, maintaining a steady expression as she darted its revealing beam back and forth. "Wherever you are, how do I know you're not-"

"Lying..?" The being said, finishing her sentence. "Okay, well maybe I lied about the chill part. Believe me I try to be, my sister always says how exhausting I am since I'm so eager. But hey, this gloominess could use a bit of hype now and then, so..anyway, hi, I'm Sharla." Then she appeared, remaining true to her superghost name. Although she was a ghost, she was none that Kat had ever seen before, even after all her encounters at Whipstaff Manor. The ghoul was much bigger than an ordinary apparition, likely three times the size. Instead of being pale with blue undertones, she was a pale green, almost camouflaging with the threatening sky above. With a pair of biceps that looked strong enough to beat a fleshie to a pulp, she had bright amber eyes and a delicate smile. It was like someone tried to combine Casper and the Ghostly Trio, but turned out as an experiment with unexpected results.

Imagining such a powerful being as the cause behind Casper's disappearance, the sweet little ghost who loyally remained by her side through thick and thin, disturbed her more than the actual creature facing her. "What did you do to him? You brute!" Shouting above the loud silence, confused by her own explosive rage, how could she be infuriated yet riddled with fear?