Day 2: The Curse of Dawn Academy

The trouble began when Joe found a book.

This was, historically speaking, a terrible development.

The book sat on a dusty pedestal inside Dawn Academy, bound in black leather and chained shut. Its cover bore a warning in ancient lettering:

DO NOT OPEN AFTER DARK.

Joe read it twice.

Then he opened it.

Joe: Guys, I found something cool.

Carly: Put it back.

Joe: You don’t even know what it is.

Carly: And yet, somehow, I know exactly what you’re about to do.

Venom: OPEN IT.

Carly: Venom, I will rename you something embarrassing and leave you that way for a week.

Venom: Worth it.

Joe broke the chain.

Every candle in Dawn Academy went out.

A scream echoed through the halls.

Then a ghostly voice whispered:

ONE OF YOU MUST REMAIN.

Joe: Okay, that’s actually sick.

Carly: JOE.

Venom: Bro unlocked a side quest.

Carly: I am going to turn both of you into decorative furniture.

The doors slammed shut.

A figure appeared at the end of the corridor, floating several inches above the floor. Its face was hidden beneath a hood, and its fingers were long, pale, and absolutely not covered by any health insurance plan.

Ghost: WHO DARES DISTURB MY SLUMBER?

Joe: Joe.

Ghost: …WHAT?

Joe: You asked.

Venom collapsed against the wall laughing.

The ghost raised one skeletal hand.

Ghost: SILENCE! I SHALL CLAIM YOUR SOULS!

Carly: Get in line. I’ve been trying to claim Joe’s common sense for months.

The ghost turned toward her.

Ghost: YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE.

Carly: With what? Speedups? I have a stash.

The ghost hesitated.

Somewhere, deep in the building, something made a noise like a thousand angry keyboards.

Ghost: SPEEDUPS?

Joe’s eyes widened.

Joe: Wait. Are you playing Whiteout Survival?

Carly: Do not recruit the ghost.

Joe: Think about it. Another fighter for SvS.

Carly: JOE, WE ARE CURRENTLY BEING HAUNTED.

Joe: Yeah, but imagine his power level.

The ghost began floating closer.

Venom, who had finally stopped laughing, made a tactical decision.

He hid behind Carly.

Carly: Seriously?

Venom: You’re R5. You’re supposed to protect us.

Carly: I am not a paranormal bodyguard!

Venom: Then why do we pay you in emotional damage?

Before Carly could answer, the ghost lunged.

Everyone screamed.

Well, almost everyone.

Joe threw a handful of event tokens at it.

They bounced harmlessly off its chest.

The ghost stopped.

Slowly, it looked down at the tokens.

Ghost: …WHAT IS THIS?

Joe: Halloween prep items.

Ghost: YOU HAVE COME TO MOCK ME WITH YOUR INSUFFICIENT SACRIFICES?

Carly: Oh my God. It’s upset we’re not saving resources for Prep Week.

Venom: Even the dead understand alliance priorities.

Carly: Apparently better than some living members.

Joe looked offended.

Joe: I saved for two months!

Carly: And then you opened a cursed book.

Joe: Unrelated.

The ghost began shaking violently. Its robes billowed, its eyes glowed, and a deafening howl rattled the windows.

Then it shouted:

GHOST: IF YOU WASTE YOUR PREP ITEMS, YOU SHALL BE DOOMED TO LOSE SVS FOR ALL ETERNITY!

Silence.

Carly slowly turned toward Joe.

Joe slowly turned toward Venom.

Venom slowly turned toward the exit.

Carly: Well. At least the ghost has good priorities.

Suddenly, a second voice rang out from behind them.

Lourdes: Why is everyone screaming?

They turned.

Lourdes stood in the doorway holding a lantern and looking mildly inconvenienced.

Carly: There’s a ghost.

Lourdes looked at it.

The ghost looked at Lourdes.

Lourdes: Oh. Okay.

She walked past it.

The ghost stared after her.

Ghost: YOU DO NOT FEAR ME?

Lourdes: Should I?

Ghost: I HAVE HAUNTED THIS ACADEMY FOR THREE HUNDRED YEARS!

Lourdes: That’s a long time to be unemployed.

Venom made a sound that could only be described as a dying kettle.

Joe dropped to his knees.

Even Carly had to turn away.

The ghost looked genuinely wounded.

Ghost: I AM AN ANCIENT AND TERRIBLE SPIRIT!

Lourdes: And yet you haven’t learned to lock the doors.

The ghost vanished in a flash of green smoke.

The doors unlocked.

The candles relit.

Dawn Academy returned to normal.

For three seconds, nobody spoke.

Then Joe picked up the cursed book.

Carly: Put. It. Down.

Joe: I think there’s another chapter.

Carly: If you open that book again, I will personally ensure your next respawn is in a different state.

Venom leaned over Joe’s shoulder.

Venom: Read it.

Carly: VENOM.

Venom: Sorry. Reflex.

Lourdes started toward the exit.

Lourdes: I’m going to tell DD what happened.

Carly: Why?

Lourdes smiled.

Lourdes: Because I’m going to tell him the ghost was a dog.

Venom immediately began laughing again.

Joe looked delighted.

Carly closed her eyes.

Somewhere in the darkness, the ghost screamed one final time.

Not because it was angry.

Because it had just realized it was haunting the most exhausting alliance in the state.

And tomorrow night, they were planning to visit the castle.

End of Day 2. 🎃