Story 1233: The Girl and the Ghost

Lena had learned by now: not all the dead wanted to kill. Some wanted to be remembered. Some wanted to be heard.

And one… just wanted to play.

She found the girl inside an abandoned daycare on the outskirts of Blackout City—painted walls peeled like old skin, stuffed animals lay gutted, their plastic eyes staring in eternal shock. Dust-coated laughter lingered in the corners.

But there was one room untouched by time. Room G.

Lena stepped inside.

A tea party was set—porcelain cups, a cracked teapot, a doll with sewn-on eyes. And in the center chair, facing the window, sat a girl in a faded yellow dress.

Lena’s hand instinctively went to her crowbar, but she hesitated.

The girl didn’t move.

Didn’t breathe.

Didn’t rot.

She just sat there.

And then the doll turned its head.

"You're late," it said in a small, cheerful voice.

Lena stepped back, breath caught in her throat.