"Do you have a few minutes left?" John asked Evelina.
"Five minutes." Evelina kept her eyes fixed on the clock on the wall.
John turned to the Shelf Ghost and said, "Five minutes to clean up this room. If there's any mess left, and my friend suffers any punishment because of it, I won't let you off the hook!"
The Shelf Ghost dared not resist.
It was just an ordinary shelf that, after being exposed to ghostly aura for a long time, had gained sentience and transformed into a strange being.
It wasn't even a full ghost, only capable of bullying newcomers. Against a human with real strength, it immediately cowered.
"Consider it done, rest assured!"
With that, the cluttered goods on the floor, as if sprouting legs, hopped onto the shelves and scurried back to their original places.
John raised an eyebrow at Evelina, "Ghosts and the like, they're just like some people — bully the weak and fear the strong. You just need to be more fierce than they are, and they'll back down."
Evelina was so surprised she couldn't utter a word, thinking to herself that one needed to have skills like his to manage that!
"I've solved your problem. I'll be going now."
After saying goodbye to Evelina, John returned to the lobby on the first floor.
Ghost Granny was coming out of a room, dragging two mutilated bodies behind her, which she then tossed into a meat grinder.
John greeted her politely, "Old lady, I'm back again."
Ghost Granny continued her work in silence, slowly grinding the meat.
"Old lady, may I borrow the key to the bathroom on the second floor? I need to use the restroom," John cut to the chase.
Ghost Granny remained silent, as if she hadn't heard him.
After a moment of thought, John said, "I can make a trade with you."
With that, he pulled out some Ghost Coins.
Suddenly, Ghost Granny looked up, her eyes hollow, her eyeballs missing again, "Do you want to save the man in the bathroom?"
John nodded.
"Find my mischievous grandson for me, and I'll give you the key."
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
John was pleasantly surprised. Ghost Granny's words implied that Karl was still alive!
"Of course, where might your grandson be?"
"He's quite mischievous, always running around. He could be in the basement, on the rooftop, or hiding in some corner. You'll have to find him yourself."
"Understood, please wait for me. I'll be back shortly."
The implication from the old lady was that her grandson would only be within this building, so he shouldn't be too hard to find.
As John turned to leave, Ghost Granny suddenly called out to him, adding, "Also, find my eyeballs for me."
...
"What a coincidence, I'm back again."
On the second floor corridor, John had returned.
The peeling wallpaper trembled, and an angry voice echoed down the hall, "Take that nail out!"
"Don't rush, I haven't finished my business yet."
"The grandson of the Ghost Granny on the first floor is running around this building. Do you know where he went?"
"I don't know!!"
"Goodbye then." John turned to leave.
"That little ghost went up to the third floor. Now, can you help me remove this nail?"
"Be patient. Once I've finished my business, I'll definitely help you. I'm a man of my word, not like you ghosts."
"Get lost!"
John didn't have time to argue and headed to the third floor.
The third floor was even darker and more dimly lit. Despite the presence of windows, the light from outside seemed to be blocked, unable to penetrate.
Only John's footsteps could be heard echoing clearly along the corridor.
John wanted to shout, but the eerie atmosphere choked the words in his throat.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Suddenly, the sound of something hitting the floor approached from ahead.
John's hand tightened around the handle of the Bloodied Bone Mallet.
A dirty soccer ball rolled towards him, then was picked up by a boy around four or five years old.
The boy looked up, his large black eyes devoid of any whites, creating a rather eerie sight.
"Are you here to play soccer with me?"
"What's your name?" John squatted down. Despite the boy's frightening appearance, he still put on a friendly face, showing his fondness for children.
"I'm Lucas."
"Lucas, dear, your grandma has been looking all over for you. I'll take you downstairs, and then we can play a game, okay?"
Lucas pouted and shook his head, "No, I want to play a game."
After a pause, Lucas added, "Unless you get me a new ball. This one is too dirty!"
With that, he threw the soccer ball into the darkness.
John looked around the empty space, thinking where he could possibly find a new ball at this time, and attempted to placate, "Let's go downstairs first, and I'll help you find a new ball."
"I don't want to, I don't want to, I want a new ball now!!"
The boy threw a tantrum, then suddenly pointed at John's head and innocently suggested, "Can you take off your head and let me kick it? Grandma used to get other people's heads for Lucas to play with!"
John stepped back, alarmed. This child's mischief was one thing, but such dangerous ideas were another level!
If it weren't for the fear of that old lady, John might have wished he could just flatten him with a hammer.
"My head isn't fun to play with. Stay here, don't move, and I'll go down and look for a new one, okay?"
"Not okay, I want a new ball now, or Lucas will kick your head instead!!"
Damn it! It was the first time John felt such an urge to strangle this little brat.
The boy seemed determined, ready to take John's head for a kick.
John, with a stern face, suddenly caught sight of something and said, "Lucas, dear, I think I found a ball."
"Really? Where is it?"
"Can you turn around and look?"
As the boy turned his head, John quickly grabbed an axe from a nearby fire hydrant and swung it hard at the boy's neck.
The body was severed from the head.
No blood fountain gushed out as one might expect.
The boy's head rolled on the ground, his eyes wide open, curiously looking at John.
John smiled faintly, "See, now you have a ball to kick, don't you?"
With that, he stepped forward and kicked the head into the darkness.