Kill the Ghost, While Staying Alive

The brick building had over a dozen rooms. Zoe and Penny shared one on the second floor, with one bed between them. Penny felt that sharing a bed gave her a sense of security.

"Miss Faye, even though you look soft, your aura is strong. Being with you, I feel protected."

"Thanks for your oddly phrased, insincere compliment."

"How can you call it insincere? I meant every word," Penny said, then added, "Miss Faye, how about we keep the oil lamp on tonight? It's too dark and quite scary."

No sooner had she spoken than a chilling wind seemed to sweep through the room, extinguishing all the oil lamps in the building. Darkness enveloped them.

Zoe sighed after a moment of silence, "Look at your jinx."

Penny, frightened, instinctively moved closer to Zoe, wrapping her arms around her neck.

Zoe dryly remarked, "Aren't you holding a bit too tight?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Faye. It's just more reassuring to hold onto a living person in a place like this."

"Right."

Penny nestled her head on Zoe's pillow, clinging to her like a koala. Just as she was about to close her eyes, a sudden eerie laughter of a woman echoed from outside.

It was clear that this laughter was not from any ordinary human. It was chilling and sinister.

Penny gasped, but Zoe quickly covered her mouth, whispering, "Stay quiet. Do you want to die?"

Penny nodded frantically, indicating she understood.

The woman's laughter continued, echoing throughout the building, refusing to fade away. After what felt like an eternity, the laughter was replaced by a mournful singing voice, humming a haunting lullaby.

Mom, look after my red wedding dress,

Don't let me die too soon.

Ah~~ Ah~~ Ah~~

Deep into the night, your hair falls,

Deep into the night, your eyes closed.

It's a secret pact,

Belonging to me, belonging to you.

The wedding dress is red,

The poison is white...

May the woman you touch bleed endlessly,

One night of passion, it's not, not my fault;

May the woman you touch rot away,

One night of passion, it's not, not my fault...

The song was repeated thrice, each time growing more sorrowful and piercing, as if a woman was lamenting right in front of their bed.

Penny was shivering, "Miss Faye... are you sure there's no one in our room? I feel like the ghost is singing right next to my ear..."

Zoe listened intently, "I think I've heard this song before."

"Really?"

"It tells the story of a young girl who gave her virginity to her fiancé. But on the eve of their wedding, he cheated on her. Heartbroken, she took poison and died wearing her wedding dress. By morning, the dress had turned blood-red."

Penny shuddered, "Killing herself over a man, was it worth it?"

"Perhaps in her time, values were different," Zoe paused, then added, "That's why it's important for young women to be independent and value themselves. Dump the jerks. Life is long, and there's always a chance for new love. Never do anything foolish."

"It's quite a haunting tale of revenge, but you turned it into late-night life advice?"

"I was just trying to lighten the mood."

"Thanks. So, what should we do next?"

Zoe calmly asked, "What did you do the first time you traveled?"

"Well... a guy accidentally found a peach wood sword and killed the zombie."

"You might as well say you lucked out."

Penny was taken aback, "It was my first time, I didn't have experience. That's why I wanted to learn from you this time."

Zoe leaned back, relaxed, "Theory has its limits. Experience comes from practice. Your main task is always to find a way to kill the ghost, while staying alive."

Easier said than done. Just staying alive was already a tall order. For instance, those who broke the rules might not even live to see the next sunrise.