The group made their way through the vast hospital, now in total chaos. The earthquake intensified, and the building seemed to warp around them. Everywhere was filled with the dull but loud rumble of collapsing ceilings and people screaming from every corner.

"Where the hell is he?" Harper yelled over the noise.

Charlie gestured towards a trail of chaos winding through the corridors. Doors were torn off their hinges, and walls had huge holes as if someone had smashed through them. "I think that way!"

"Why are we running straight into the mayhem? Aren't we supposed to run away from it?" Sage shouted.

"Because that's all Colby," Charlie replied, then saw the ceiling above them starting to crumble. "Quick, back!" He shoved Harper, Sage, and Vic away just as a massive chunk of the ceiling crashed down on the ghost, but it passed right through him.

"Holy shit!" Vic screamed in shock, then turned to the unscathed Charlie. "Are you telling me all this chaos is from Colby?!"

"Angry ghost? Dangerous. Angry Colby ghost? Fucking deadly," Harper explained, climbing over the huge chunk that almost crushed them.

"Um, guys?" Once Sage cleared the obstacle, he pointed in the direction they had just come from. "Am I imagining this, or are these cracks in the walls heading towards us?!"

Indeed, cracks were forming along the walls of the corridor, extending directly towards them.

Vic wasted no time. "Shit! Run! Run!"

Harper and Charlie led the way, followed by the twins, as the cracks in the walls continued to spread and pursue them. The earthquake seemed to amplify the hospital's structural instability, and the ceilings above them groaned ominously.

"What fucking part of 'run' don't you understand?!" the pirate screamed in panic as she rushed after the others.

They dashed through the winding corridors, constantly avoiding collapsing ceilings and the ever-expanding cracks that seemed like the jaws of a giant mouth closing in behind them. People ran in all directions, trying to find shelter, while the quake continued to shake the building.

Suddenly, Charlie yelled as he turned a corner and a massive wall of debris came hurtling towards them. "Quick, back!"

Harper, Vic, and Sage turned around and ran in the opposite direction, as the wall of rubble ominously followed them. They narrowly escaped disaster as the wall crashed with a deafening roar into the corridor where they had just stood.

"The fucking wall fell over?!" Harper screamed in terror.

"Okay, that's enough, we'll find you a way out of here and then I'll look for him alone," Charlie decided, but immediately received a slap from Vic.

"Now listen to me, you inflated spirit of a girl's dress-up doll! It's too late to turn back now, and I didn't risk my life and my brother's several times just to puss out now! If this is Colby's doing, we find him, and I'm shoving his imaginary face so deep up his dirty hairy asshole it comes out the front by his dick! Do you understand me?!"

Charlie shook his head, but let Vic's words sink in. "Okay, okay, I get it! But then let's step it up, alright?!"

They continued through the labyrinthine corridors, shaken by the earthquake. Every step was a race against time, as the hospital seemed to dissolve around them. Harper, Vic, Sage, and Charlie sprinted through the halls, always on the lookout for Colby. Every step was fraught with danger, every moment could be their last if another piece of the crumbling structure collapsed above them.

Suddenly, Harper stopped and pointed to a staircase leading up to another floor. "Taylor's room is up there! He must be there!"

They all nodded and cautiously ventured onto the stone steps. The staircase ahead of them looked unstable, severely damaged by the earthquake's tremors. Dust and small debris trickled down from the ceiling as they slowly and carefully ascended. Each step was a risk, as the stairs creaked ominously beneath their feet – stone steps definitely shouldn't creak like that – and the railings swayed dangerously, none daring to hold onto them.

"That's insane!" Vic shouted.

"Do you have a better idea, sis?" her brother retorted.

Half crawling, half running, they fought their way higher in the stairwell, always mindful of not being struck by falling debris or swallowed by cracks in the walls, which ran like hostile veins through the building. Harper led the way, followed by Vic pulling Sage and Charlie behind her.

Suddenly, a step collapsed under Harper, and she lurched forward. With lightning reflexes, Vic grabbed her arm and pulled her back just in time before she plummeted into the void. They all jumped over the new gap and resumed their upward struggle.

Charlie glanced back as a tremendous crash sounded behind them. A large section of the staircase collapsed, sending huge chunks crashing down where they had just stood. The situation grew increasingly perilous, and turning back was absolutely no longer an option.

The glass from a window a few floors above them shattered, and shards rained down towards them at tremendous speed.

"Quick! Cover your faces!" Harper shouted as the first shards reached them. She, Sage, and Vic screamed as the razor-sharp glass pierced their arms, but they held on until no more came down.

"Are you guys okay?" Charlie asked quickly.

"We're still alive," Sage commented, then glanced briefly upwards. His eyes fell on a large metal door leading to one of the floors. It was already completely warped. "There! Up ahead!" he yelled, pointing upward. "The door! Hurry!"

They all gathered themselves and sprinted, hoping to survive the last few meters now.

Sage reached the door first and pulled with all his might, but it didn't budge an inch. It was too bent.

"Guys ... guys!" Vic screamed as the quake reached a new intensity.

"Quick! Open it!" Harper shrieked.

Sage felt the panic of the others as he pulled with all his might on the twisted metal door. It didn't give an inch. His muscles tensed, every fiber of his body focused on the door handle. Sweat beaded on his forehead and ran down his back. The effort made his arms tremble, but he fought against exhaustion.

The others grabbed the door too, their faces expressionless with effort, but it was no use. The door remained firmly shut, as if resisting them.

"It's not working!" Sage cried out in despair.

They all let go, exhausted, but then the ground trembled directly beneath them. A deep rumble reverberated through the building, as if the hospital's structure was giving way under the earthquake's violence.

"This place is about to come crashing down!" Charlie said, as debris began to fall around them.

In one last effort, Sage focused entirely. His eyes glinted with determination as he tensed his muscles and gripped the handle.

Every movement was precise and powerful as his arms strained like steel cables. Sweat gleamed on his skin, every vein standing out under the strain.

And then it happened. With a loud creak and groan, the door finally moved. It opened slowly and only partially, but enough for them all to pass through.

As the door finally gave way, a wave of relief and triumph surged through Sage. His body pulsed with energy, his eyes flashing with victory.

"Get in there!" he yelled, pushing everyone through the opening before going through himself.

And it was none too soon, because a loud crash shook the building again, and the spot where they had just stood collapsed with a thunderous roar. The entire staircase was gone.

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"Shit, man!" Vic exclaimed, exhausted, tousling her brother's hair proudly. "You saved us all."

"Yeah, yeah. Celebrate me later, first up to this ghost terrorist," Harper quipped.

"He's not a terrorist," Harper and Charlie replied simultaneously.

"He doesn't know what he's doing. Ghosts are very specific when they're angry," Charlie continued alone.

"Whatever. Main thing is we stop him."

The group hurried down the corridor, marked by deep fissures and debris. As they reached the corner to Taylor's room, they immediately understood the reason for the chaos.

Standing in front of Taylor's room was Colby, surrounded by a swirling storm of dust and rubble. Additionally, shadowy figures manifested around him, screaming ghostly entities whose distorted faces bore witness to immense suffering. They circled him, drawn by his energy, their cries echoing through the corridors, while Colby's eyes glowed with uncontrollable rage and pain.

The air was thick with an eerie cold that settled like a veil over them. Each breath felt heavy and laborious, as if Colby's anger had condensed the air itself. A sharp smell of ozone and burnt material hung in the air, and it crackled constantly, as if every movement could trigger an explosion.

The corridor around him was a zone of pure devastation. Electric sparks flew from destroyed lamps, and the walls bulged threateningly around him, as if he was magnetically repelling them.

Charlie, Harper, Vic, and Sage fought through this supernatural storm, each step a battle against the forces Colby had unleashed.

Harper shielded her eyes and shouted through the roaring chaos. "Colby, you have to stop!"

The Ghost Boy slowly turned to face them, his eyes glowing and unfocused. A fraction of clarity flickered in him as he recognized his friends. But the spirits around him hissed and howled, their voices full of despair and anger, as if they wanted to pull him back into his darkness.

"She's dying!" he screamed with a thousand voices simultaneously. High, low, smoky, demonic, he spoke with all voices.

"She's dying," the figures screeched horribly.

"I-it's just an allergic reaction! She'll get through this! Taylor is a tough bitch!" Vic shouted, clearly terrified. She had never seen anything like this before.

Colby's eyes glowed brighter. "She's dying! And if she dies, I will destroy this world!"

"Destroy," the figures repeated.

"I am a god! A god!"

"A god. A god."

Charlie stepped forward bravely, though he knew exactly what had happened last time. "Colby, this isn't you! Fight against it! You're stronger than this!"

Colby whirled around, his eyes blazing with uncontrollable rage. The spirits around him seemed to respond to his anger, their cries growing louder, and the storm intensifying.

Harper gritted her teeth and shouted back. "Remember Taylor! She needs you now! Don't leave her alone!"

"I need no one!" he roared back, and the other voices echoed. "I am a god!"

"A god. A god."

Now Vic tried it her way. "You're not a god, you arrogant asshole! You're a murderer! All the people you've probably killed in this hospital and are killing right now!"

Colby's clothes burst with a bang from his body and whirled into a thousand shreds around him. He rose into the air, completely naked, and spread his arms. Then he opened his mouth wider than should be possible, his jawline was at his navel, and he let out a tremendous roar that slammed his friends against the wall.

"People are my toys! Worth less than my piss! Even my fucking piss is too worthy for them!"

"Worthless. Worthless."

"He's possessed, isn't he!" groaned Sage, staggering to his feet.

"No, he's not. That's Colby," Charlie said, looking at him determinedly. "And I'm bringing him back now. Or at least helping him find his way back."

With that, Charlie ran towards Colby. The Ghost Boy hadn't expected that, as Charlie managed to wrap his arms around him and hold him tight. He tried to bring him back down to the ground, but it didn't quite work.

"What are you doing?!" Harper screamed in panic.

"Colby! You're Colby fucking Vance! Damn, maybe you're a god, but first and foremost, you're Colby Vance! And to Colby, Taylor matters!" Charlie tried again. "Listen to yourself, you're contradicting yourself! Taylor matters to you, you need her!"

"Taylor!" he screamed back.

"Taylor. Taylor."

"Think, buddy! Think about Taylor!"

"Taylor. Taylor. Taylor. Taylor. Taylor."

"You're Colby fucking Vance, you're a god, Taylor matters to you, and you're stronger than these ghost rules! You wouldn't be Colby if you didn't defy rules!"

Colby's eyes flickered again, a spark of clarity breaking through the dark fog of his possession. The spirits around him shrieked and tried to maintain their power over him, but Charlie's words reached him. The storm of debris and screaming ghosts began to slowly diminish.

"Taylor," Colby muttered, his voice fragile. "Taylor is ... important."

"Yes!" Charlie shouted. "You love her! You have to remember! You're stronger than this!"

Colby's body began to sink, his feet finally touching the ground again. The spirits around him hissed and howled, as if unwilling to relinquish their hold on him, but Colby fought against it. The swirling storm of dust and debris slowly subsided, and he closed his eyes. Then he opened them, and Colby's normal eye color was back.

"Colby!" Harper screamed in relief.

The Ghost Boy looked at the spirits around him. "What the fuck is this?!"

He didn't think twice and with a precise punch, he hit one of those figures directly in the face. Colby's fist passed through it as if through smoke, but the effect was immediately felt. The entity screamed and dissolved into nothingness, shortly followed by all the others. They must have realized they had lost their power over Colby.

The others immediately ran to him, and the storm around Colby disappeared, the air feeling clear and breathable again, and the pungent smell gradually fading.

"What the fuck," he panted.

"You can say that again, asshole," came from Vic.

"Taylor." Immediately, Colby turned around and ran into the room, the others following him.

For some reason, the room was completely unscathed. As if the earthquake had never reached this room, everything looked normal.

Taylor lay on the bed, pale and weak, but alive. Her gaze was dazed, but when she saw Colby, her face lit up. She had been feeling better for quite some time now, she had no more trachea in her mouth.

"Colby, you're here ..." she whispered hoarsely.

Colby rushed to her bed, knelt beside her, and grabbed her hand. "Taylor, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean any of this. I just wanted to protect you. But ... I defeated it. Fuck this ghost stuff, I do what I want. And I never want to be that angry spirit again."

Taylor smiled, her eyes opening a bit wider. "You're here. That's all that matters ..." She looked him up and down. "And ... you're completely naked."

"Looks like it." He grinned at Sage, winked arrogantly, and made his typical popping noise again. "Jealous?"

"Shut it," Sage retorted, but with a smirk.

Taylor smiled too and then looked around the group properly for the first time. There was her Colby, Harper, even Vic and Sage. And ... wait. Taylor tried to sit up, she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Whoa, easy there, girl," Colby said gently. "Don't strain yourself."

But Taylor didn't listen. She stared with wide eyes at the person behind Colby. Her breathing quickened, tears welling up in her eyes.

"That can't be..." she whispered.

Colby turned around, puzzled by Taylor's reaction. There just stood Charlie, smiling gently. But then, then he understood.

"Hey, Taylor," Charlie said softly.

"C-Charlie?" Taylor whispered in disbelief. Her voice trembled with emotion. "I... I can see you."

Charlie nodded, tears glistening in his eyes too. "Looks like it, kiddo. Thanks to your allergy."

Taylor sobbed softly, covering her mouth with her hand. "I can't believe it."

"Wait, she couldn't see the twink before?" Vic quipped, and everyone laughed.

Well, not everyone. Colby didn't laugh. While he didn't let go of Taylor's hand, his gaze turned to the open room door and saw the devastation in the hallway. He had destroyed the entire hospital.

The Ghost Boy sighed deeply, his gaze shifting from the wreckage in the hallway back to Taylor. "I've caused so much damage..." he muttered, his voice filled with regret. "I've probably killed countless people."

"No," Taylor quickly interjected. "Colby Vance, you're many things, but you're not a murderer. You haven't killed anyone. I just know it."

"Taylor, listen to me... the whole hospital is completely-"

"No," she interrupted, coughing. "Now you listen to me, buddy. I may not have just experienced what you did, but I know your powers really, really well by now. Damn it, maybe you just destroyed the entire hospital, but you haven't killed anyone. You just don't do that. Not even in your anger." She stroked his hand. "And you certainly have the ability to undo all of this. You can't tell me you can make damn mold disappear but not have time travel powers, big guy. You can do this. And if you still have an ounce of doubt in you, grab it by the balls and throw it out."

"Taylor," Colby grinned in surprise. "Those words from you-"

She looked at him determinedly. "Kick your doubts in the ass so hard they fly, and become the all-powerful being you already think you are, you conceited bastard," she smiled.

Colby nodded and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and let Taylor's words sink in. Her conviction and support gave him new strength. He focused on the energy he felt within himself and slowly opened his eyes again. A glow surrounded his hands as he concentrated on his abilities. He extended his arms and began to murmur softly, not in any language but rather a melody of emotions.

Harper and the others rushed out into the hallway to witness it with their own eyes. Debris lifted into the air and reassembled itself. Broken walls smoothed out, shattered lamps became whole again, and cracks in the floor sealed as if they had never existed.

Colby's eyes glowed with concentration, sweat beads forming on his forehead, but he remained focused on his task. His hands moved in gentle, flowing motions as if conducting an invisible symphony only he could hear.

The atmosphere was filled with a mix of tension and hope. The friends held their breath as they saw Colby's powers work the impossible. Each moment was like a miracle unfolding before their eyes.

The last traces of destruction slowly disappeared, and the hallway looked as if nothing had ever happened.

As Colby lowered his arms and closed his eyes, a calm silence returned. He took a deep breath and slowly let his energy subside. A smile spread across his face, a smile of triumph and relief.

"I-I think you're right," he said to Taylor. "Everyone survived. I can feel it. It's like a miracle."

"It's not a miracle. It's you."

The fratboy grinned broadly, but he still had one last thing to do. He stared at his right hand and snapped his fingers.

With that, he erased all memory of the earthquake from everyone. Even all seismic devices around the world that had accurately recorded the earthquake had no proof left. Except for the memories in Colby and his friends' heads, there was no evidence left.

Taylor, still sitting in her bed, smiled weakly but touched by the gesture. "You did it," she whispered moved. "You're incredible, Colby Vance."

Colby looked at her and felt his heart almost overflowing with happiness. He still couldn't believe she was here, alive, with him. He took a moment to compose himself and then grinned again with his typical Colby grin. Then he replied arrogantly, but couldn't help laughing himself. "Of course. Did you ever doubt it, Living Girl?"