Chapter 80: Ghosts, Punches, and Pure Chaos

Ben barely had time to breathe before Ellie was at it again.

She dodged left, spun, and kicked the shadow in what should have been its ribs—except, of course, it didn't have ribs. The kick just whooshed through the smoky mass, leaving her stumbling forward like an idiot.

Ben winced. "Ellie, that was—"

"I know it was a bad idea, Ben, thanks!" she snapped, whirling to face the entity again. "You got any better suggestions?!"

"Uh, yeah—run?"

"Too late!"

The shadow roared, swirling into a mass of limbs, tendrils, and pure nightmare fuel. It lunged at Ellie—only for her to duck at the last second, leaving Ben directly in its path.

Ben yelped. "ELLIE!"

"Oh, you'll be fine!" she called over her shoulder.

Ben had precisely one second to react before the shadow smacked him across the room. He hit the floor hard, skidding like a ragdoll.

Ellie winced. "Okay, maybe not fine."

Ben groaned, peeling himself up. "Yeah, thanks for that."

The entity laughed, a sound like breaking glass and whispering shadows all at once.

"You are both fools," it hissed. "You cannot fight what you do not understand."

Ellie snorted. "Buddy, I never understand what I'm fighting. That's half the fun."

The entity snarled, lunging again.

Ellie jumped out of the way—only for the shadow to switch directions midair and come straight for her.

"Oh, come on!"

It wrapped around her like a vice, squeezing the air from her lungs.

Ben panicked.

He grabbed the nearest thing—a broken chair leg—and charged. "HEY, YOU UGLY FOG MACHINE—LET. HER. GO!"

And then—he whacked the shadow over the head.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Ellie, still trapped in its grip, slowly turned her head. "Ben."

Ben, gripping the chair leg like a baseball bat, cleared his throat. "Yeah?"

"You just hit a literal ghost with a stick."

Ben frowned. "And?"

The shadow stared. Then, slowly, its head turned back to face him.

Ben paled. "Okay, maybe that wasn't my best idea."

The entity let out a low growl.

Ellie elbowed it in the ribs—again, no ribs, but it worked this time. The shadow flinched, and its grip loosened just enough for her to slip free.

She landed on her feet, chest heaving. "Ben."

"Yeah?"

She pointed at the entity, which was now shifting into something bigger. "Run."

They ran.

The walls twisted and screamed as they sprinted through the ever-changing space. Doors appeared and disappeared, corridors stretched and shrank, the entire world shaking as if reality itself was unraveling.

Ben, panting, risked a glance back. "Okay, so, uh—is this normal?"

Ellie huffed. "Ben, NOTHING about this has been normal since day one!"

"Fair point!"

The entity's shadowy form slithered through the cracks in reality, shifting faster than they could move.

"YOU CANNOT ESCAPE ME," it boomed.

Ellie skidded to a stop.

Ben crashed into her back. "Ellie, what the—why did you stop?!"

She turned, eyes flashing. "Because I just had an idea."

Ben sighed. "Oh no."

Ellie smirked. "Oh yes."

She stepped forward, hands clenched into fists, and grinned at the shadowy figure looming over them.

"You want my body so bad?" she taunted. "Then come and get it."

Ben gawked. "WHAT?!"

The entity hesitated.

Ellie wiggled her fingers. "Come on, big guy. You scared?"

The shadow lurched, tendrils snapping toward her—

And Ellie dodged, spinning out of the way.

The entity screeched as it missed—and slammed straight into the nearest mirror.

The moment it touched the reflective surface, the entire world seemed to bend.

Ellie grinned. "Ohhh, so that's how you work."

Ben, still catching up, blinked. "Wait—what just happened?"

Ellie turned to him, smug. "Ben, meet our new prison for the spooky smoke monster."

Ben looked at the mirror.

The shadow thrashed inside it, trapped in the glass, its form distorted as though it had been swallowed by a vortex.

Ben let out a slow breath. "Okay. That was… weirdly smart."

Ellie stretched. "I have my moments."

The entity screamed, its voice distant, fading.

Ellie patted the mirror. "Alright, stay in there this time, yeah?"

The shadow snarled.

Ben eyed the mirror warily. "Uh… you sure it can't get out?"

Ellie hesitated. Then, shrugging, she picked up a blanket from the floor and threw it over the mirror.

Ben stared. "...That's it? That's your solution?"

Ellie clapped her hands. "Problem solved."

Ben buried his face in his hands. "We're doomed."