From the shadowed depths of forgotten factories, where the very air hung heavy with an unseen, insidious doom, emerged the spectral figures known only as the Radium Girls. These were not mere factory workers, but innocent souls condemned, their very essence slowly devoured by a luminous, malevolent dust. They toiled unknowingly, painting the ghastly glow of radium upon the faces of timepieces dials and hands that would, in their morbid brilliance, betray the living. This creeping plague first unfurled its tendrils in Orange, New Jersey.

Oh, the perfidy! For these doomed women, whose trust was a fragile thing, were assured by their masters that the paint a powdered mixture of radium, zinc sulfide, gum arabic, and water, a veritable elixir of slow, agonizing death—was utterly benign. Yet, with a whispered instruction, a command cloaked in the guise of efficiency, they were bid to "point" their brushes upon their very lips, to draw the bristles to a finer tip. Thus, with each unwitting kiss of the brush, they imbibed the venom, a fatal draught of glowing poison, sealing their own sepulchral fate. For to waste a mere rag, or a precious drop of water, was deemed a greater sin than the slow, agonizing corruption of a human life.

And so, from their graves, from the silent screams of their decaying bones, these Radium Girls, though silenced in life, spoke with a chilling eloquence.

Hathen and Rockin are up to no good, as they head to a factory in New Jersey, the same place where the Radium Girls began their cursed second lives as zombies. Five remaining girls hide in closets, trying not to be discovered in the factory. Even though they no longer work there, they cannot go outside or seek help. Instead, they remain trapped in the very rooms where they once labored, spaces that have become extensions of their suffering. They hope to die quickly one day, but the radioactive illness slowly kills them, as they cry out for release.

Hathen and Rockin, along with Gorham and Crisker, enter the factory. The doors are unlocked, but the air reeks like lead. Crisker hears humming and whistling—zombie voices that pull her attention away. Gorham follows her. Hathen looks at the two and shouts, "COME BACK!"

Rockin tells Hathen, "It's okay. They're stronger than us; they'll find their way out."

"Why the hell are they here? They're ruining the fun of investigating as best friends, while those two are off doing their own thing. Not fun!" Hathen shouts.

"Yeah, but they did most of the work. I feel like they must be hiding something. For this case, Oxin told Gorham to come along and find out if there are ghosts or something," Rockin says.

"We solve a lot with ghosts. We don't need them," Hathen replies.

As they travel through abandoned rooms, ruined factory floors, and old painting stations, nothing stirs—only the smell of lead and poison filling their lungs. The two monsters feel an urgency to find the zombies, especially after reports from the monster police about a missing little girl who talks to ghosts. She has red hair, freckles, a red dress, and green eyes.

Meanwhile, the whistling and music grow closer to Gorham and Crisker. They enter a room with blood on the floor, flowers placed on beds, and a piano standing silently among scattered tables. Could this be a garden? Hardly. A coffin rests in the center, and inside lies the little girl, the lid slowly closing. The music grows louder—closer, heavier.

Crisker looks around as butterflies and moths clash in the air. Paintings reminiscent of Gustav Klimt seem to come alive. The ghosts of former patients from a mental hospital wander the room. The Radium Girls approach Gorham and Crisker, warning them to GO AWAY.

Gorham refuses. "The little girl—she's considered a missing person. With her red features, I thought she might be some controversial figure people talk about. But it turns out... she's an actress."

One of the Radium Girls, resembling Helga from Hey Arnold!, says, "She always comes here for advice on how to be the most beautiful and talented actress."

Another, who looks like Trixie from The Fairly OddParents, adds, "But her parents use her for money, and she isn't happy with who she is. When the stress, pressure, and illness—tuberculosis—overwhelmed her, she came here, asking us to sing her a final song before she died."

Crisker and Gorham understand. They leave the girl resting in the coffin as the Radium Girls begin to hum.

A song about happiness—one that is destined to fade away.

Till my day, happiness is about life and the future,

But as I grew older, I feel like happiness will die.

Growing older and older gives me pressure,

No more love, sweat, and tears; they lie.

Come back to my toys and games,

My smile will grow up and down

I do not remember all your names,

Let me find a sea to drown.

Gorham exits the room and finds the two monsters coughing blood. There is no sign of the girl, but as the music reaches them, shivers run down their spines. They listen to the song of the radioactive girls as they hold hands and hop around in a large circle.

Crisker sings a song to the little girl in the coffin, holding her hands and grieving for someone she does not even know, even though the girl had a troubled past.

Crisker sings her song.

Dream fade

I fade,

What it means to fade,

Can we all fade

Away the misery we see fade?

I cannot see the light

My life is light,

Until the dark hits the light,

I lost it, my light,

I want my light,

Back right to the other light.

The flowers bloom larger and larger as pollen spreads through the air. The radioactive girls watch as the little girl turns to ashes. They look at their own arms, where colorful flowers now wrap around their bodies, signaling death taking hold.

Crisker looks around at the girls; their bodies have transformed into trees, with vibrant petals blooming from their branches. The building begins to collapse. A humming sound echoes from nowhere, and Crisker suddenly sees the ghost of the little girl holding her hand.

The radioactive girls join them, embracing Crisker as they all turn to ashes and rise toward heaven. The ghost lifts Crisker into the air, flying into the bright blue sky while holding hands. The girls cry with joy, and the little girl sees the sky for the first time.

The first time after being trapped in the production room for so many years, Crisker thinks, as she walks away from the разрушed building, the smell of lead finally fading. Hathen and Rockin, along with Gorham and Crisker, leave the site behind. Nothing remains except a single tree, its branches covered in flowers.

Hathen and Rockin finally breathe deeply, relieved, as they head toward the police department. Entering the front desk, Carmine sees the group returning and asks, "So, where should I take Elid?"

Hathen and Rockin walk past, heading off to find a place for a smoke break.

Crisker says to Carmine, "What about the movies?"

Gorham adds, "What about an art gallery? Actually, you should bring Dola with you—not as a third wheel."

Carmine likes both ideas and continues working on a drawing for Elid's gift.

Gorham goes upstairs and hears Oxin shouting at Dola. He hides behind the door, listening.

"Don't act so tough! I don't care if you're from the future! What's going on with this actress and her boyfriend? This is our job, not yours!" Oxin roars.

"I have to do what Gorham said!" Dola shouts back.

"Gorham is just a hallucination! You must be crazy! Get out of the office, or you'll die!" Oxin snaps.

Dola storms out of the room and suddenly sees Gorham. She falls silent, remembering what she had said about him.

Gorham gently takes Dola's hand and leads her out of the office.

At the park, Dola watches ducks resting by the water. Gorham says, "I may not just be a hallucination. Your great-great-grandfather created me—as a mistake. I'm also the Thorn Monster. I kill people."

"I know," Dola replies, "but with this case, I feel like Oxin is hiding something. So are the others. Why is Carmine dead but not in heaven? Could Elid secretly be a monster? And Oxin—he's an alien, but he's hiding his true species."

"You need to talk to Theo," Gorham says. "Step away from the others for now and ask him. He's the one writing all the introductions for the monsters—day after day, just like his brother, Symon."

Dola watches as the ducks take flight. She sighs and begins to walk away from Gorham.

"How was today's case?" she asks. "I know your story is complete."