Today, Mary and Sylvia told Jack they had found an "Asian Master" to save him. So, clinging to hope, Jack deliberately stayed awake.

  He sat at his dorm desk, staring at the wall.

  In truth, he hadn't slept at night for a long time. His eyes were bloodshot, mapped with red veins, and dark circles hung heavy under his lids. He was pushed to the limit.

  *He was afraid.*

  *Tick. Tock.*

  The second hand on the wall clock hit twelve.

  *Click.*

  The locked door knob turned. The door creaked open.

  Jack's heart leaped into his throat.

  *She's here.*

  Trembling violently, Jack didn't dare look back.

  A cold, clammy breath exhaled against the back of his neck. Goosebumps erupted all over his skin. Then, he felt his body stand up.

  It wasn't his choice. His muscles moved on their own, jerking him upright and marching him step by step toward the door.

  *I don't want to go! I don't want to go!*

  Jack tried to scream, but his mouth felt glued shut. His face flushed crimson with the effort, veins bulging in his neck, but only a faint, strangled *hukk... hukk...* escaped his throat.

  He was a passenger in his own body. He watched helplessly as his legs moved with a stiff, jerky gait—like a toddler learning to walk—marching him out of the dorm.

  His resistance intensified. His face turned purplish. He was using every ounce of strength to stop, but he couldn't even slow down.

  *Mary? Sylvia? Where is the Asian Master?!*

  Jack roared inwardly. But the hallway was empty.

  University dorms had no curfews, and the RAs were asleep. Jack's bizarre midnight march went completely unnoticed.

  Except...

  By three shadows hiding in the bushes outside.

  "He's out," Mary whispered, anxious. She started to rush forward.

  Li Li grabbed her arm. "Don't rush. Observe first."

  Li Li’s calm voice was like an anchor. Mary and Sylvia settled back down.

  The three of them watched Jack walk down the path.

  "He walks..." Sylvia squinted, trying to find the right words. "...weird. Like he's being held hostage."

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  Mary nodded grimly.

  They couldn't see ghosts. They couldn't see the **broken-necked female ghost** clinging to Jack's back, her arms wrapped tight around his chest, literally lifting him off the ground as she dragged him forward.

  "Look at his feet," Li Li whispered.

  Mary and Sylvia looked down. They gasped.

  Jack's heels weren't touching the pavement. He was walking entirely on his **tiptoes**, bobbing up and down with an unnatural, floating gait.

  "What... what is that?" Mary asked, terrified.

  "There's a ghost on his back," Li Li replied matter-of-factly. She put a finger to her lips. "**Shh.**"

  Mary and Sylvia clamped their hands over their mouths, terrified their pounding hearts would give them away.

  Jack reached a fork in the road and stopped stiffly.

  A cold wind brushed past the girls' faces.

  Moments later, Duke—the other newbie—marched out of his dorm.

  He looked just as bad as Jack. His face was beet red, every muscle in his body strained and trembling as he fought an invisible force.

  He was marched to stand next to Jack.

  Then, the two boys began to move in sync. One foot on tiptoe, one foot flat. One deep step, one shallow step.

  To Li Li, it was clear: The female ghost was standing *between* them now, one arm around Jack, one around Duke, dragging them both like oversized ragdolls.

  "Follow them," Li Li whispered.

  She stepped out of the bushes. Mary and Sylvia stuck to her like glue.

  ---

  The ghost marched Jack and Duke to the **Abandoned Gymnasium**.

  The heavy chain on the main doors was gone. The entrance stood wide open, a pitch-black maw waiting to swallow them.

  The ghost dumped the boys in the center of the basketball court, then limped back out.

  Moonlight filtered through the broken skylights, illuminating Jack and Duke. They stood frozen, their faces masks of absolute despair.

  *Here we go again.*

  "It left," Li Li whispered from the shadows near the bleachers.

  "Where did it go?" Mary asked.

  "To get the last victim," Li Li said.

  Sure enough, a gust of wind announced Lacey's arrival. Perhaps because her body type was closer to the ghost's, she walked faster than the boys.

  Soon, the three stood in a formation at center court. Lacey's eyes were red and swollen; she had clearly been crying the whole way here.

  The moonlight hit them like a spotlight.

  **'The performance is about to start. You're late.'**

  A hoarse, broken female voice echoed in their ears.

  Li Li could hear it too.

  Then, the horror show began.

  Mary and Sylvia watched in disbelief as the three students started... dancing.

  They twisted their hips. They tossed their hair. They lined up for high kicks.

  Lacey, being a fit girl, handled it okay. But Jack and Duke?

  Imagine two stiff, muscular gym bros forced to do the splits.

  Their faces contorted in agony as invisible hands forced their legs higher than anatomy should allow.

  Mary: "..."

  Sylvia: "..."

  "Why..." Mary whispered, "does this look like a cheerleading routine?"

  "Because it is," Li Li said, watching with great interest.

  The ghost was wearing a tattered cheerleading uniform. A captain who died of a broken neck, obsessed with one last performance.

  **'Wrong! Terrible! We've been practicing for days!'**

  The ghost voice shrieked, dissatisfied.

  She stopped Jack and Duke mid-kick.

  The boys stood on one leg, wobbling dangerously. The fabric of their pant legs compressed, revealing **five deep finger indentations** on their calves—as if invisible hands were gripping them.

  **'Higher.'**

  The invisible hands yanked upward.

  Jack and Duke's legs were forced up. Their hamstrings screamed. They trembled violently, tears squeezing out of their eyes.

  **'Smile.'**

  Jack and Duke’s mouths were forced open. Their lips stretched wide, baring their teeth in a **Standard American Customer Service Smile**.

  The contrast between their crying eyes and their grinning mouths was the stuff of nightmares.

  They practiced like this for what felt like hours. Finally, the ghost seemed satisfied.

  **'The Finale.'**

  The moment those words were spoken, Lacey started shaking uncontrollably. She was terrified.

  Jack and Duke dropped to one knee, facing each other. They crossed their hands to form a platform.

  Lacey, trembling, stepped onto their palms.

  Li Li watched as the ghost floated up behind Lacey, wrapping her arms around the girl's waist.

  She was preparing for a **Basket Toss**.

  **Folklore Note:** In Chinese ghost stories, "walking on tiptoes" (feet not touching the ground) is a classic sign of possession. It implies the spirit is carrying the body, or the body is being dragged.

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