FIRST MAIN OBJECTIVE: GUN SHOP

"We need some better weapons," Ashlyn declared, marker in hand, as she addressed the group.

"Okay...how are we going to get there?" Tyler asked, his brow furrowed as he looked at the board and then at the redhead.

"Well, we'll need two things first:

·FORTIFY GRAVEYARD WALLS ·BRING JEEP INTO GRAVEYARD

"We need a vehicle to drive to the gun shop. My parent's Jeep is the closest so we'll need to bring it to the graveyard." Ashlyn explained, "However, the phantom got over the walls last time. I'm not sure how, but we need to figure out a way to stop it from happening again - so when we get the Jeep, any phantoms that follow us won't be able to get in. Anyone got any ideas?"

Ashlyn scanned the group, hoping for suggestions, but everyone remained silent, including Y/N who stood to the side with her hand on her chin, lost in thought. Just as the silence was about to become overwhelming, Ben had a sudden idea. He stood up, catching Y/N and Taylor's interest as they watched with confusion and curiosity. Ben walked over to a bag on the floor, opened it, and took out a red book and a pencil. He started drawing something in the book, and Y/N, recognizing his movements as that of an artist, leaned in to see.

Ben then showed the drawing to the group—a rough sketch of barbed wires on top of a structure resembling the outside wall. The group inspected the sketch, wondering about its significance. Tyler was the first to speak up, expressing doubts about the effectiveness of the plan.

"If they were normal humans that might work, but I feel it wouldn't really bother them to grab and climb the wire regardless."

"Yeah... I can see that happening." Taylor agreed, envisioning the phantom easily climbing over the wall despite the barbed wires.

"Since their body doesn't react well to light, why don't we just have some large light fixtures on the wall?" Aiden suggested.

"I'm not sure if the generator has enough power to keep those lights on." Ashlyn answered, "Most of the power goes toward the door...If the lights went off every time we opened the door, it wouldn't be that helpful."

"...Then...solar lights? Maybe?" Logan proposed, intriguing Ashlyn.

"That...could work."

"But how are we going to get them?"

Ah, you can leave that to me. I haven't been using my allowance lately so it's built up a bit." Aiden said with his head tilted slightly.

"Allowance? How much do you have?" Ashlyn asked, her curiosity piqued.

"About---?"

Tyler - 'So he's the rich cliche kid.'

Taylor - 'There was bound to be one in the group.'

Y/N - 'Must be nice...'

Ashlyn - 'Why'd it have to be the psycho though.'

"Anyway, I have a card, so we can order the lights online and have them shipped here." He smiled.

"...Alright, then we'll do that tomorrow." Before ending the discussion however, "Oh. Before I forget, can I borrow your knife, Aiden?"

"Sure," Aiden handed Ashlyn the blade, which catch Y/N eye as she looked at Ashlyn with confusion and a hint of curiosity. "What do you need it for-"

Right as he was about to finish his sentence, his eyes grew wide with shock. He watched as she suddenly cut off her two long cornrows, surprising both H/C-girl and the blonde.



Without hesitation, Ashlyn said, "These need to go," while holding her hair as strands fell from her head.



Last night was a bit surprising for Y/N when Ashlyn decided to cut her hair for a cause. Y/N never expected this, but she thinks she knows the reason behind it. It was a little sad to think that she wouldn't be able to do much with her hair in the phantom world. Despite this, Y/N got ready quickly and headed downstairs, feeling a mix of emotions.

Slowly...

Y/N peeked over the staircase and saw her dad on the couch, his back turned with his body leaned back as he stared at the ceiling. He looked lost in thought, which brought back memories of the previous day when she had lied to him. The guilt from her actions caused her to have an emotional breakdown. She felt ashamed and didn't know how she could face her dad after what had happened. Despite all of this, she knew that giving each other some space would be the best thing for both of them. She needed time to clear her head and sort out her feelings.

As Y/N was lost in her thoughts, she realized that she was going to miss the bus if she didn't leave soon. She quietly slipped out of the house, not wanting to disturb her dad. Outside, she saw the bus approaching and hurried to catch it. Looking back at the house, she felt a pang of guilt for leaving without saying goodbye.

When Y/N stepped onto the school bus, she spotted Ashlyn from afar. To her surprise, Ashlyn still had her two long braids intact. This was strange because Y/N vividly remembered seeing Ashlyn cut her hair off just the night before. It was like a scene from a movie where things didn't add up.

Y/N had a sudden recollection about the phantom dimension that was unlike anything they had experienced before. It was like a dream, but with a dark twist. In this dimension, things could affect them in strange ways that didn't happen in their normal reality. One key difference was that any changes that occurred in the phantom dimension did not alter their physical appearance in reality.

For example, when Ashlyn cut her hair in the phantom dimension, it had no impact on her appearance in the real world.

After realizing this, Y/N took a moment to compose her emotions and then went to find a seat on the bus. It was a strange and mysterious experience, but one that they couldn't shake off easily.

Who knows what other secrets the phantom dimension held?

★

At school, a group of friends gathered in the hallway, walking side by side.

"Are you able to order those lights during lunch?" Ashlyn asked, turning her head to the side to face the red-eyed blonde.

"I should be, yeah."

"Aren't your parents going to be confused when the lights arrive though?" Taylor asked.

"Nah, they're on a trip right now. Probably won't be back for a few months."

"Oh."

Tyler's gaze shifted from his phone for once, noticing something in the distance. His eyes narrowed at the sight.

"I was wondering where that nerd was."

The others followed where he was looking and saw from the distance was Logan. He was standing by the lockers, cornered, scared, and defenseless. There was another guy, taller than him, yelling at him out of anger. While all this was happening, Logan only had his head down as he stood there doing nothing.

It was a scary situation to witness. Logan looked so small and helpless compared to the other guy who was towering over him. The bully was shouting and making Logan feel trapped and scared.

Logan didn't know what to do. He just stood there, not saying anything, with his head down. It was like he didn't know how to stand up for himself or ask for help.



• I saw this quote on Pinterest and I thought it reminded me of Barron's future Karma:

"When KARMA comes back to punch you in the face, I wanna be there just in case it needs help"

"Hahaha, seriously no joke... I would for you Logan." -Shilee13