Karl groaned softly as he blinked his eyes open, pain pulsing through his skull. His head throbbed from where it had struck the hard floor. The room around him was dim, the air musty and thick, and the only light came from a cracked window covered in grime.
He tried to sit up but winced, realizing his wrists were tied tightly with coarse rope.
His heart began to race.
"What the hell…" he muttered, trying to pull free. His voice trembled—not with fear yet, but confusion. He was never treated this way before. Not at home. Not with his family. Not even when he was annoying or dramatic.
This… was something else.
As his eyes adjusted, he noticed two other ghosts nearby—one was curled up and shaking silently in the corner, the other…
Karl's eyes widened.
"You—!?"
The second ghost looked up—and his jaw dropped too.
"You!?"
"Jo!?" Karl said, completely stunned. "What are you doing here?! You… you ran away with that Witch, didn't you?!"
