“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Luther bolts right through her in a flash!

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! WAIT! COME BACK!” The lady ghost begins to weep and chases after him!

Luther escapes the lounge and makes it to the mansion’s front door! He opens it and leaves! He’s almost out! Come on, keep running faster! Yes!

Luther escapes the lounge and makes it to the mansion’s front door! He opens it and leaves! He’s almost out! Come on, keep running faster! Yes!

Luther…escapes…the…lounge…and…

‘Wait…’ Luther slows down his running speed into a light jog inside the living room.

With each step out that front door, he somehow returns to the lounge each and every time…

Luther does a defeated, hopeless walk to the front door again. But as he reaches for the doorknob, he decides “screw it” and rests his hand, followed by his face on the door.

“Finally caught up to ya!” The ghost wheezes.

Luther shrugs. “Well yeah, of course, you’ll catch up, silly! I can’t seem to-” Then when he remembers that he is talking to a ghost, Luther’s eyes bulge, and he scoots comfortably against the door.

Luther shines the flashlight on her face. It shines right through her, not even casting a shadow. She, of course, notices this too and giggles. The way she laughs and speaks, it sounds like a faint echo, like she’s talking through a cup or a radio.

Luther gulps. “You? Y-y-you? Really? Really a-a-a-a-? You! r-r-really g-g-g-g—g-g—g-g-g-g—g-g-g”

The ghost winks. “G~G~G~G~GORGEOUS~? Why yes…”

“I~❤️ Am~❤️” She glides her hands around her ghostly curves…

“NO! ARE YOU A GOD DAMN GHOST!?!?!?!?” Luther clarifies.

She makes a pouty face. “Rude…I prefer the term manifestation. AND don’t raise your voice with a ❤️~LADY MANIFESTATION~❤️”

“But not just any ❤️~lady manifestation~!”

“A ❤️~lady manifestation~❤️ with….

❤️~nipples~❤️” She puts on the smuggest prideful grin she can!

Luther’s eyes bulge out again. He’s speechless and feels second-hand shame…

“...are you going to possess me?” Luther starts to slide down.

“Nah~🎵” The ghost smiles.

“...eat me?” Luther drops his ass to the floor.

“Eeeeeeewwwwwwwwww! NO WAY!” She retches.

Then the ghost peeks around the corner to point out, “But HE wants to~🎵”

*GRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU* The muddy zombie bellows, and Luther shoots back up, standing perfectly firm.

*CLUMP* *CLUMP* The zombie is stumbling in their direction as its boney ankles snap in and out of place! Albeit…painfully slowly…

The lady ghost puts her arm around Luther’s shoulder. “He’s not fast, but if you let him get too close, he will pull ya limb from limb!”

Luther quivers.

Her face becomes menacing as she pulls him close. “BLOOD GUSHING AS YOU FEEL EVERY SINEW RIP FROM YOUR SOCKETS LIKE A THANKSGIVING TURKEY!”

“PRAYING THAT YOUR ORIFICES DON’T TURN INTO AN ORGY AS YOUR LEFTOVER INTESTINES PAINT THE WALLS!”

“But again~🎵 Only if he catches you~!” She smiles. “And~ You have someone sweet to help you~”

“Tee~❤️ Hee~❤️” She flutters her eyelashes.

Luther is still quivering, frozen, not even making eye contact with her.

She sighs. “So…do you have ’em yet?”

Luther snaps out of it. “Have wha-”

*ah* He feels his left hand stinging again. It feels warm…

Luther pulls off the handkerchief. Blood and puss bubble out of the wound…

Nudged between his wound is the emblem of a wolf and poker suits.

*ah* Luther tries pulling it out. “A poker card?”

The ghost taps his shoulder and makes a peace sign. “Two more, hun~🎵”

As requested, Luther is able to remove two more cards. There’s still more even after that. This wound houses an entire deck of cards!

The ghost glances at the still sluggish mud for brains and mud eating for breakfast zombie and back to Luther. “Okay~🎵 I’ll give you a quicker than THAT GUY rundown! First, have you played Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories?”

Luther shakes his head no.

“Neither have I, hun~🎵 But it’s in the script!” She bumps him with her elbow.

Luther isn’t laughing. He disapproves of cheap contextless humor masquerading as rich, relevant comedic commentary. Or at least he assumes that sort of trash would be her standup style. Luther would know. He’s the funniest guy in town (for one reason or the other).

“That’s what we call a joke, hun~🎵” She rolls her eyes.

“Yeah…jokes.” Luther judges her still exposed nipples and pouts to the side.

“It doesn’t have to be funny, but you’re NO FUN, hun~🎵” She pokes back in her ethereal nipples from the great beyond. “Okay~🎵 The cards chosen determines what ya can do, easy enough~?”

“Huh? Yeah! Sounds like a card game I play called Game King, err I mean used to play as a kid!” Luther lets out a weak chuckle.

“He~🎵 He~🎵 Sounds like Yu-Gi-Ohnevermind, forget it!” She turns her back to Luther’s comedy-judging face

*GRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU* The zombie is only a few feet away!

The ghost thumbs through Luther’s cards. “Ok~🎵 What is important is that you got a 5, a 2, and an oh~!” She smooches the last card…

“And a Queen~❤️” The ghost leaves a glowing blue kiss mark on it. “Any Queen~❤️ cards are guaranteed to involve me~❤️”

Luther nods.

“Okay~🎵 Release the cards!” She dramatically raises her arm forward!

Luther shrugs and gently releases the cards. They suddenly pulse with a bright blue hue and spiral rapidly around his wrist.

The ghost begins to charge with an even brighter and brilliant blue! “Surefire Shot~🎵” She points a finger gun at the slinking ahead zombie.

Her fingertip flickers with a blue spark. “GHASTLY GUN~🎵” She makes a sadistic grin and-

*POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW* -unloads her aptly named attack. The blue spark becomes a blue wave!

Before it fully connects with the zombie, it proudly lets off one last, *GRUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-*

-The big blustering blue shot shaves off the pre-shredded past its prime skeleton.

Sparks fly, Luther’s remaining grip on reality flies, and most importantly, worms fly!

The upper torso deficient cretin creeps a few more steps forward, then collapses. Now more mud than bones! A blue smoke trail rises from the mess. This former tombstone trailblazer is toast!

Luther leans forward as he watches the worms sizzle to a crisp. He holds his nose shut. It smells just as bad as the zombie’s breath…

The ❤️~Lady Manifestation~❤️ brings her lips close to her firing finger and blows on it.

She turns around and extends her hand out to Luther. “I’m Lyra~🎵 Nice to meet ya, hun~🎵”

-CHAPTER END-

🎵Man! I feel like a BOOman!🎵

-Nightmare’s overture-