Chapter 1: The Worst Career Choice Ever

The final school bell rang, signaling freedom.

Sora, Ash, and Li did not rush out like normal students excited to go home. No, they moved at half-speed, drained by lectures, tests, and most importantly poverty.

Ash stretched his arm as they stepped outside. "Man I'm starving" Li scoffed. "Starving? You had a slice of bread for lunch. I had air." Sora sighed. "We're actually one step away from eating our own erasers."

As they walked down the familiar road home, the same conversation played out like it did every day: "So what's the dinner plan?" Ash asked. Sora held up a single finger. "Step one: boil water."

"Then?" 

"Step two: pour it over plain rice and cry."

Li shook his head. "We have to find a way to make money. I can't keep living like this." Ash smirked. "What, you wanna sell a kidney?"

"I was thinking more like a job that doesn't involve illegal organ trade, but " Li stopped mid-sentence, eyes catching something taped to a lamppost. "What's this?"

A tattered flyer flapped in the wind.

Sora, ever curious, pulled it off and read it aloud. "WANTED: GHOST HUNTERS!Capture a REAL ghost on camera get PAID!"

Li's eyes lit up at the last part. "Money?" Ash leaned in. "No fakes, no Photoshop, and absolutely no dudes in bedsheets… Huh. Sounds legit." 

Sora's entire face lit up. "Ghost hunting?! SIGN ME UP!" Li raised a brow. "You like ghosts?" Sora grinned. "Like? I'd smash one if I could."

Ash nodded. "I mean, I wouldn't mind seeing a ghost in person either."

Li crossed his arms. "I don't care about ghosts. But money? That's my only motivation."

Sora clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Then it's settled. You get your cash, Ash gets his ghost sighting, and I get—"

"A weird obsession fulfilled," Ash finished.

"Exactly."

Li shrugged. "Fine. But if a ghost does attack us, I'm throwing one of you as bait."

Ash patted his back. "You might actually have to."

And just like that, their first real job began.

What could possibly go wrong?

After making the questionable decision to become ghost hunters, Sora, Ash, and Li headed home to gather their "equipment."

Which, unfortunately, wasn't much.

Sora rummaged through his drawer and pulled out a flashlight a relic from an ancient era, possibly their childhood. He clicked it on. The light flickered weakly, looking more possessed than any ghost they'd ever encounter.

"Battery's almost dead," Sora muttered. "Great start," Ash said, peering over his shoulder. 

Meanwhile, Li proudly held up his contribution a beat-up old smartphone with a cracked screen.

"This baby's been through wars with me," Li said, patting it. "It's got 10% battery and a camera that works most of the time."

Ash sighed. "We are so underprepared."

Sora grinned. "Nah, this is the authentic ghost-hunting experience. Barely functional equipment? That's how the best ghost stories start!"

"Or how people die in them," Li muttered.

Regardless, they had no money for upgrades, so they made do with what they had. Once settled, they dialed the number on the flyer.

Ring… Ring… Click! A gruff, tired voice answered. "Yeah?"

Sora cleared his throat. "Uh, hi! We saw your ghost hunting flyer, and we're interested in the job!" The voice paused. "…You sure?"

Ash frowned. "What do you mean, are we sure? That's a weird thing to ask for a job listing." The man sighed. "Listen, kid, this ain't some Halloween prank. There's an actual ghost in that place. You wanna quit now, I won't blame ya." 

Li jumped in. "How much are you paying again?"

"Depends on the quality of the ghost photo," the man said. "A blurry mess? 50 bucks. A clear, undeniable shot? You're looking at a few hundred."

Li slapped his hand over the phone speaker and whispered, "We're doing this." Sora nodded. "Definitely." Ash grinned. "Yup."

Li removed his hand. "We're in." The contractor sighed. "Alright… Your target is an abandoned hospital on the edge of town. Third floor, east wing. That's where the ghost's been spotted. Just take a photo of it don't try to mess with it and get out. Got it?"

Sora gave a thumbs up. "Got it! One ghost pic, easy money." "Yeah, sure. Easy." The contractor chuckled, clearly unconvinced. "Try not to die." Click.

The three stared at each other. Li crossed his arms. "So, uh… when are we doing this?" Sora beamed. "Tonight."

Ash's smile wavered. "Wait, tonight tonight?"

Sora nodded. "Yup. The sooner we get it done, the sooner we get paid plus i wanna see a ghost baddie."

Li shrugged. "Fine by me. More money, less problems." Ash sighed, rubbing his temples. "Or more problems because we're literally hunting a ghost."

But the decision was made. That night, their first ghost hunt would begin. What could possibly go wrong?

The night air was cold. Too cold. Sora, Ash, and Li stood in front of the abandoned hospital, staring at the broken windows, rusted doors, and the eerie way the wind howled through the empty halls. The building looked like it had been pulled straight out of a horror movie the kind where they would be the first to die.

Li gulped. "Okay. Uh… this is worse than I imagined." Ash nodded rapidly. "Yup. I think I just heard the walls whisper." Meanwhile, Sora was grinning.

"This is AMAZING," he said, practically vibrating with excitement. "Look at this place! Classic haunted hospital vibes! The perfect setting for a ghost hunt!" 

Li grabbed him by the shoulders. "Are you seeing what we're seeing?! This place is cursed!" Sora patted his hands. "And that's exactly why we're here!" Ash shivered. "I—I can already feel something watching us."

Sora rolled his eyes. "Dude, it's just your imagination." At that exact moment, the front doors creaked open on their own. Li and Ash jumped back so fast they nearly tripped. 

"NOPE. Nope, nope, nope." Li shook his head. "The ghost is welcoming us in. That's never a good sign."

Ash clutched his old phone. "We—we could just come back tomorrow morning. Ghosts hate daylight, right?"

Sora clapped his hands. "Guys. We're getting paid for this. One picture. That's it. Then we leave, easy money."

Li groaned. "If I die, I'm haunting you." Ash took a deep breath. "Okay, okay… Let's just get this over with." Sora happily led the way inside.

Li and Ash followed, hearts pounding. The air inside was thick and stale. The hallway stretched into darkness, lined with rusted hospital beds and broken wheelchairs. Old, faded signs hung loosely from the ceiling, swaying slightly despite the lack of wind.

Ash gripped Sora's sleeve. "Okay, but why is it so cold in here?" Sora shrugged. "Classic haunted location stuff." Li took out the half-dead flashlight and flicked it on. The beam was so weak it barely lit anything. 

"This thing is useless," he muttered. Sora pulled out his flashlight—only for it to flicker and die instantly. "…Huh."

Ash facepalmed. "We are so unprepared." Li sighed. "We're actually gonna die." Then—

A loud crash echoed from deep inside the hospital. Li and Ash froze. Sora? He grinned wider. "Oh-ho, we are definitely not alone."

Ash grabbed his arm. "Sora, normal people don't get excited about this!!" But Sora was already moving forward. Li whispered, "If we survive, I'm doubling my cut of the payment." 

With shaky hands and beating hearts, the three of them stepped deeper into the hospital, ready to regret every life choice that led them here.

The hospital was too quiet. For nearly an hour, Sora, Ash, and Li wandered through the halls, checking every room, peeking behind curtains, even knocking on walls nothing. No ghosts, no weird sounds, not even a floating chair.

Ash sighed. "Maybe the ghost took the night off?" Li groaned. "If we don't find anything, we don't get paid. I knew this was a scam." Sora, on the other hand, was having the time of his life. 

"This place is amazing," he said, shining his flashlight into an empty patient room. "I could live here." Li grabbed him. "Don't say that. This is how horror movies start."

Ash checked his phone. "Alright, one last place the rooftop. If there's nothing there, we're leaving."

Li nodded. "Yeah. I want to go home. I miss my plain rice." With that, they climbed the creaky, rusted stairs to the top floor and stood in front of the rooftop door. Sora reached for the handle. "Moment of truth."

He pushed the door open. A gust of cold wind hit them, sending chills down their spines. And then-

They saw her. A girl stood at the edge of the rooftop, facing away from them. Long, dark hair. White dress. Completely still. No movement. No sound. Just… standing there. The three of them froze.

Li whispered, "Okay. That's a person, right? Just a regular person?" Sora squinted. "Wait… is that actually a ghost?" Ash swallowed. "Dude. Ask later. Let's leave."

But of course, Sora—being Sora—called out. "Hey! Uh… are you a ghost baddie?" The girl turned around. Her face was wrong. Sunken eyes, twisted expression, her mouth stretched way too wide. And she was staring right at them.

For a full second, nobody moved. Then—

FLASH!

Li's shaking hands somehow managed to take a photo. Then— "AAAAAHHHHHH!!!" All three of them screamed at the top of their lungs and ran so fast they nearly tripped down the stairs.

Ash shoved Li. "WHY DID YOU TAKE A PHOTO?!" Li wheezed. "W-WE NEED IT TO GET PAID!!" Sora was still grinning, but now it looked slightly panicked. "Okay, okay—so that was definitely a ghost! Congrats, we found one! now we Run."

The ghost moved. That was all they needed to see. In record-breaking speed, they bolted down the hospital halls, tripping over chairs, slamming into doors, and not once looking back.

They didn't stop until they were outside, gasping for air. Li clutched his chest. "D-Did we actually… get the photo?" Ash checked his phone. The blurry image of the ghost's horrifying face stared back at them.

"…We got it." Sora threw his arms up. "WE'RE GONNA GET PAID!" Sora, still catching his breath, suddenly muttered, "Man… I wish I could touch her though." 

Li collapsed onto the ground. "I don't even care. I just wanna go home." Ash nodded. "Agreed. Never again."

A long silence followed. Li and Ash slowly turned to stare at him.

"…WHAT?!" Li screeched. Ash smacked Sora on the back of the head. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'TOUCH HER'?! SHE WAS A NIGHTMARE ON LEGS!"

Sora rubbed his head. "I mean, she looked kinda hot! Imagine if we could, like… shake hands or something."

Li stood up, absolutely done. "I'm leaving. I'm going home. I'm never speaking to you again." Ash sighed, dragging Li with him. "I don't know why we're friends with this guy." 

Sora just shrugged. "You love me." They did not respond. As they walked away, Sora glanced back at the hospital, a smirk on his face. 

This was only the beginning.