CHAPTER 46-Ghost Hunted Town!

***Varick’s POV***

The receptionist’s voice cut through the stale, hot air of the small, dingy motel room. “That’s the bed right there,” she said, gesturing to a narrow mattress with an old, faded blanket thrown over it. “The roof’s leaky, but it’s not the rainy season, so you don’t have to worry about that. We’re experiencing a water shortage, so you’ve got two buckets of water, and if you run out, you’ll have to wait till morning for a refill. That’s the intercom, but it doesn’t work. If you need anything, just come to the reception. The lights might go off at some point tonight, but your phone’s flashlight should work fine.”

Her voice was matter-of-fact, as though this rundown place was as normal as any other. But I could feel my tension rising, creeping up my spine like something crawling out of the shadows.

Lulu shifted uncomfortably beside me, his unease obvious. “We don’t have phones,” he muttered, glancing around the room with increasing anxiety.

“Well, I see you have light now,” the receptionist said with a shrug. “You can use that to get by. And lastly—don’t open the windows. Keep them closed. For your safety.”

Her words hit me like a punch in the gut. The room was stifling, the air thick and oppressive, and the idea of staying in this tiny, suffocating space with no air circulation made me want to claw at the walls.

“Wait, what?” I asked, my voice laced with frustration. “There’s no fan or air conditioner, and you expect us to sleep with the windows closed?”

She barely even flinched. “Well, you can leave them open if you want, but I won’t be responsible for what happens if you do.”

I could feel my patience thinning. This whole situation was getting more bizarre by the second. But I didn’t have time to argue. I needed answers.

I stepped forward, reaching out just enough to lightly grasp her arm, stopping her from leaving. “Please,” I said, my tone softer now, “Can you tell us more about this town? This place… it feels haunted. And strange. The old man took our car. The one at the gas station. He gave us his bike to use, like it was nothing. And—what about that woman? Why is she following us?”

The receptionist’s face shifted. Her eyes seemed to darken, and she lowered her voice. “I see you met the old man and his ghost wife.”

“Ghost wife?” Lulu and I said in unison, the words hanging in the air like an echo.

“Yes,” she continued, her voice growing softer, almost secretive. “She died a long time ago, but she hasn’t rested. She haunts this place along with the other older folks in town. They don’t like strangers. They don’t want anyone new. They’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you leave—if they don’t get rid of you first.”

I felt a chill crawl up my spine as the reality of her words set in. "You mean... they kill outsiders?"

The receptionist nodded grimly. “If you’re lucky, you might make it out. Just don’t do anything foolish. I hope you didn’t eat anything from his store.”

I exchanged a look with Lulu, both of us already regretting our decision to buy anything.

“We bought a snack,” I said, my voice tense. “We were planning to eat it after you left.”

“Get rid of it,” she said immediately. “That store is a trap. Everything there is poisoned. If you eat that, you’ll be dead by midnight. They’ll feast on you. The store is just a front for their evil.” Her eyes hardened. “No one’s ever in there for a reason. You’re lucky you didn’t eat it yet.”

Lulu, his face pale, glanced at me in fear. Without a word, he tossed the snacks into the trash can. I did the same, my stomach turning. I’d never imagined I’d be stuck in a situation like this.

“Lastly,” the receptionist said, her tone now stern, “If you hear any noise outside your door tonight, don’t open it. Not even if the knock is persistent. That’s not me. Keep the windows and doors shut until sunrise. Don’t open them, no matter what.”

I nodded, the weight of her words sinking in. But before she left, I quickly pulled her back one last time.

“Thank you,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper, unsure whether I believed her or not.

She didn’t respond with much more than a nod before she left, shutting the door softly behind her.

The silence that followed was deafening.

I looked around the room, the reality of our situation hitting me harder now. The room was filthy, with peeling wallpaper, and the furniture was old and battered. It reminded me of a place I’d stayed in years ago, a small, cramped cell I’d been locked in by Star for months. The memory made my stomach twist with discomfort. This room was worse.

Lulu started pacing, his anxiety more palpable by the second. His nervous energy was contagious, and I could feel myself starting to unravel. But I had to stay calm. We both did. We couldn’t afford to fall apart.

“You need to calm down,” I said, trying to steady my voice, to sound more certain than I felt. “We can’t survive this if we don’t keep it together.”

“How can I calm down?!” Lulu snapped, his frustration and fear evident. “I’m starving, I’m scared out of my mind, and you—this whole thing—none of this makes sense! I never signed up for fighting ghosts and running away from them!”

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my own composure in check. “We’re here. And we don’t have a choice. We have to survive until sunrise, and then we leave. We’ll get out of here, and we’ll never look back.”

Before I could finish speaking, there was a knock at the door.

A hard, persistent knock.

Lulu froze beside me, his body stiff with fear. “Oh my God,” he whispered. “It’s the ghost woman! She’s here!”

I held up a hand, signaling for him to be quiet. I crept toward the door, my heart pounding in my chest. I grabbed the nearest piece of furniture—the couch—and wedged it against the door to block any potential entry. My mind raced as I wondered what kind of sick game this town was playing with us.

Another knock. Louder this time. I could feel the pressure in the air, thick and suffocating.

“Who is it?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly.

The voice that came through the door was sickeningly sweet, almost like the receptionist’s but tainted with something darker. “Hello, Mr. I brought something you’ll both like. Aren’t you hungry? I have some grilled food here for you—just open the door.”

I felt my stomach churn. If she hadn’t warned me, I might have been fooled. But something inside me, something primal, told me this wasn’t right.

“Go away!” I barked, my patience running thin. “We don’t need your food.”

“Oh really?” the voice replied, mocking. “You don’t? How about the young man behind you? He’s sweating. He’s hungry. If he doesn’t eat, he might collapse.”

I felt my blood run cold. How did she know? The sweat on our skin, the hunger gnawing at our bellies—how could she possibly know?

I turned around to see Lulu shaking like a leaf, his face pale and his eyes wide with fear. I tried to calm him, but the sound of the knock—persistent, relentless—kept getting louder. It was as though it would never stop.

And then, the knocking stopped. But only for a moment.

It shifted, the sound growing more forceful. Bang! Bang! Bang! The door rattled, as though someone was trying to break it down.

Lulu panicked. “Oh my God! This is too much! Let’s jump out of the window and run!”

I grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing him to focus. “Don’t be ridiculous,” I whispered harshly. “That’s exactly what they want. Stay calm. Stay inside.”

And then the voice came again, colder and more mocking. “You better listen to the young man. Jump out of the window and run.”

I knew this was a game. They were toying with us. And I wasn’t about to play along.