text: The battered SUV rumbled down the dark, deserted, murky dirt road outside Vernyn in the year 2123. Rain pelted the windshield, the digital display on the dashboard flickering as they approached their destination. Zephyr Voss gripped the steering wheel, eyes fixed on the towering, dilapidated mansion that loomed in the distance. Inside the SUV, the giant stereo speaker in the back seat throbbed with a bass-heavy rhythm, drowning out the patter of rain. Astra Synth, her fingers dancing over a holographic interface, adjusted the music's frequency to match the group's racing hearts. Nyx Draven, cloaked in a dark, cyber-enhanced suit, glanced at the mansion's silhouette on the windshield's heads-up display. "This is the place, folks," Nyx muttered, their voice edged with a mix of excitement and trepidation. Seren Blackthorn, seated beside Nyx, checked her medical kit, ensuring it held the necessary tools to deal with both the living and the digital ghosts they were about to face. As the SUV pulled up to the mansion's overgrown courtyard, the rain seemed to intensify, casting eerie shadows on the crumbling facade. Zephyr killed the engine, and the rhythmic thumping of the music ceased. The group exchanged a tense look, knowing that their hunt for ghosts was about to begin in earnest. "Alright, listen up," Zephyr demands. "We're in front of the Numyn Estate, a mansion that is not only famous for being 10 acres wide and an entire mile in length, but also for being one of the most haunted properties on Mars." Nyx takes over for Zephyr, annoying him. "The place is now home to a total 72 spirits, all of whom belong to one family who went mad due to a malfunction in their NeuroSynk, resulting in several hours of cannibalistic frenzy, they began eating each other alive while setting each other on fire to cook. This happened exactly 50 years ago, and the house has been abandoned since ." "I was about to explain that, dude," Zephyr argues. "Don't you have a moment of silence to tend to?" Astra intervenes. "we get it you have an ego- can we just get loaded up, I'll let Nyx fill us in from this point forward, but I'm not listening to a damn thing if Zephyr's the tour guide." "What if I'm the only one who knows a certain thing?" Zephyr asks. "We'll survive. We always do. Nyx?" Astra signals for Nyx to open the door as the group equips their weapons for ghost-hunting. upon entering, the group is met with the giant main lobby, which has an appearance similar to that of a university main lobby, complete with massive stairs going in opposite directions and a fancy long hallway the size of a typical street in both length and width. While Nyx sets his earpiece up to provide more information on the property, he signals the group to double check their electro-spears, spears that discharge electrical charges to ward off ghosts. "Alright," Nyx starts. "we've hunted millions of ghosts, I'm sure of it. But none of them compare to these ghosts that we're about to encounter. Seren, Go ahead since you have more to tell about these things." Seren proudly begins like an elementary teacher on her first day. "We'll be dealing with our first poltergeist! The spirits are capable of physical interaction, so if they're as evil as I'm imagining, they'll try to throw things at us, as well as throw us. On top of that, these spirits aren't even normal poltergeists." "what do you mean by that?" Zephyr questions with one eyebrow raised. "These are called Cybergeists. I came up with the name." "cute," Astra utters supportively. Seren continues, "As Nyx said a minute ago, these spirits went crazy after their Neurosynk. What this means is that after they died, their consciousness failed to be logged into the government system to be completely put to rest. Instead, they got trapped in their own home servers, where they continue to roam to this very day." Nyx fills in the rest of the fact. "These spirits are basically A.I-powered zombies, so I want to give one more warning before we proceed; These spirits can take on a physical form, essentially resurrecting themselves using nothing but the digital energy from within their home systems, and they will attempt to eat you once that happens." "We have an hour to accomplish our mission, which is to restart their Neurosynk servers and send them out of here before the systems finally shut off permanently." "The first task might be a rough one, though." Seren notes. "What's the task?" Astra asks. "We kinda have to get those chips out." "Okay? What's so rough about it?" Nyx, Astra, and Seren turn towards Zephyr as he shines his phone light on a suspicious hill in the corner of the lobby, revealing a pile of human remains the size of a medium-sized tent. "The chips are inside their skulls," Seren reveals to the group. Zephyr doesn't hesitate to aggressively sift through the bones, tossing the skulls in a separate pile. It doesn't take very long for Zephyr to finish piling all 72 skulls. "That wasn't hard at all. could've said that instead of giving us a lecture on things we've been hunting for years." Zephyr tells Seren with an unnecessarily arrogant tone in his voice. "Oh shut up, the lecture was important!" Astra continues, "I genuinely hope the family cooks you first!" "Wanna say that to my face, Ashtray?" Zephyr hops off the pile of bones and charges Astra will the intention of attacking her, but is stopped by Nyx, who swings his leg at full force into Zephyr's crotch, causing him to collapse in pain. "I had enough of you," Nyx utters in anger. "You do this crap every mission we go on. you're staying in this lobby by yourself." Nyx pulls a zip-tie from his pocket, then proceeds to tie Zephyr's left hand to the front door handle. "Wait! You can't do this to me again!" Zephyr shouts at Nyx, fuming at the mouth. "Too late," Nyx concludes. "C'mon, Astra and Seren. We need to break the skulls for the chips." "Fun," Astra chirps, side-eyeing Zephyr on her way to the pile. Nyx and the others moved away from Zephyr, leaving him restrained near the front door, still seething with anger. As Astra and Seren approached the pile of skulls, they exchanged a knowing glance, well aware of the tension within the group. Seren took out a specialized tool from her kit, resembling a high-tech bone saw with a holographic interface. She examined the first skull, its empty eye sockets seemingly staring back at her with digital malice. With a deep breath, she activated the tool, and a holographic blueprint of the skull appeared, showing the exact location of the neural chip. Astra, with a look of determination, reached for the first skull. "Here goes nothing," she muttered, gently positioning the tool on the skull's temple. With precise and careful movements, she began the delicate process of extracting the neural chip. Meanwhile, Nyx kept a watchful eye on the surroundings, scanning for any signs of the cybergeists' presence. The mansion seemed to respond to their actions, with eerie creaks and flickering lights that sent shivers down his spine. Seren worked methodically, her hands steady as she continued to extract chips from the skulls. As Astra successfully retrieved the first one, she handed it to Seren, who placed it in a specialized container designed to shield the chip's digital essence. But just as they started to make progress, the atmosphere in the mansion shifted. A sudden chill filled the air, and the mansion's holographic illusions flickered, revealing glimpses of the gruesome events from the past. The poltergeists, sensing their intrusion, grew restless. Without warning, the mansion seemed to come alive. Objects levitated and were hurled across the room. Astra and Seren were thrown off balance, and the container holding the first chip shattered on impact, releasing a burst of digital energy that manifested into a semi-transparent, spectral figure. Nyx reacted swiftly, drawing his electro-spear and attempting to ward off the emerging cybergeist. But as he fought to protect Astra and Seren, the mansion's malevolent spirits showed their true power. They separated the trio, each dragged in different directions by an unseen force. Astra found herself in a dimly lit corridor, disoriented and alone. Seren was thrown into a dark chamber filled with the eerie echoes of tormented souls. Nyx was pulled into a room that resembled the nightmarish remnants of a digital world gone awry, surrounded by flickering screens displaying fragments of the past. In the disorienting aftermath of the mansion's supernatural assault, the team found themselves separated in different, eerie realms of the haunted estate. Nyx stood alone in the dimly lit library, surrounded by rows of dusty tomes and flickering holographic screens. He could hear whispers in the shadows, fragments of the past trapped in the digital ether. The countdown to restart the NeuroSynk servers continued its relentless march, and Nyx knew he had to find a way to reconnect with his comrades. Seren, on the other hand, found herself in the depths of a pitch-black maintenance tunnel. The echoes of tormented souls reverberated through the claustrophobic space, and she could feel a growing sense of dread. But Seren was not one to be easily frightened. She activated her holo-lantern and began her search for a way out, determined to reunite with the others. In the greenhouse, Astra stumbled through a maze of lush, overgrown flora, her footsteps echoing eerily on the wet tiles. The rain outside intensified, casting distorted shadows through the glass panels. Astra's heart raced as she felt an unseen presence watching her, a digital malevolence that seemed to pulse with malicious intent. Then, without warning, the monstrous manifestation of the mansion's dark past materialized before her. It was a grotesque, multi-headed wasp-like creature, its body composed entirely of shifting green and purple data streams. The ten heads hissed and buzzed in eerie unison, each one bearing the twisted, horrified expression of a family member's worst nightmare. Astra gasped, her breath hitching as she gazed upon the nightmarish entity. Fear and disbelief gripped her. She had faced countless hauntings before, but this was unlike anything she had ever encountered. It was a true abomination--a digital monstrosity that defied explanation. "Oh, what the hell?" Astra muttered, her voice trembling with a mixture of awe and terror. She knew that this encounter would test her skills and courage like never before. With her electro-spear at the ready, she braced herself as the monstrous digital ghost stood before her. Astra's heart pounded as she faced the ten-headed wasp-like monstrosity, her electro-spear crackling with energy. She swiped at the air, trying to strike the shifting digital forms of the creature's heads. "Zephyr, Nyx, Seren! Come in!" Astra's voice crackled through her phone's communicator as she fought to fend off the relentless assault. But there was no response, only the relentless buzzing of the nightmarish entity as it lunged at her with deadly precision. Astra dodged and parried, desperately seeking a way to break through the relentless assault. "Zephyr! Nyx! Seren! Where are you? I need help!" Astra's voice grew more frantic as she continued to battle the digital horror. As the battle raged on, Astra's thoughts raced, and she realized that she needed to change her approach. She scanned the greenhouse for a solution, her eyes landing on the water sprinkler system above. With a swift, desperate movement, she reached for a nearby control panel and triggered the sprinklers. Cold water cascaded down, drenching the ten-headed wasp and sending sparks of electricity coursing through its digital form. The creature convulsed, its heads writhing in agony as the water shorted out its digital essence. As the monstrous entity finally disintegrated into a cascade of corrupted code, Astra gasped for breath. She reached for her phone once more, trembling fingers dialing Nyx's number. Nyx's voice crackled through the communicator. "Astra, is that you? I was hoping you'd still be alive." Relief washed over Astra as she realized she had survived the harrowing encounter with the digital nightmare. But with her team still separated and the countdown to restart the NeuroSynk servers ticking away, they had little time to regroup and complete their mission. As Nyx and Seren navigated the haunted realms they were trapped in, they each encountered a haunting vision. The digital apparitions of the family members, horribly mangled and twisted, surrounded them in a grim, relentless mob. The echoes of their agony filled the air, a constant reminder of the mansion's gruesome past. Nyx swung his electro-spear at the spectral forms, attempting to ward them off, but his attacks seemed to have no effect. Instead, the mob closed in, their ghastly hands reaching out toward him. In the distance, Seren faced a similar nightmare, desperately trying to fend off the relentless ghosts. Then, in a bizarre twist, Nyx noticed something peculiar. Every time Seren struck one of her attackers with her specialized tool, it caused a ripple effect in his realm. His own assailants faltered, wincing in pain as if the attacks were interconnected. It was as though a glitch had merged their digital essence, forcing them to coordinate their assaults on each other's behalf. "Keep going, Seren!" Nyx shouted through their communicators. "Your attacks are hurting them here!" Seren, still surrounded by the ghostly mob, redoubled her efforts, striking with precision as the digital apparitions wailed and recoiled. Nyx and Seren soon found themselves working in tandem, using their respective attacks to disperse the haunting visions of the family members. However, as they fought together from afar, tragedy unfolded in another part of the mansion. Zephyr, in a moment of frustration, disrespected the spirits by uttering, "They were lost causes anyways." His words carried anger and scorn, which seemed to echo in the spectral realm. A vengeful spirit, twisted by its memories of that fateful night, seized upon Zephyr's disrespect. With a furious motion, it hurled a metal door at a startling speed toward Zephyr's face. The impact was swift and merciless, leaving no room for evasion or defense. Zephyr's voice was cut short, replaced by a choked gasp of pain before falling into an eerie silence. The malevolent spirit had taken its revenge, and Zephyr's fate was sealed. In the midst of these harrowing encounters, Astra stumbled into the main room where the NeuroSynk servers were housed. Exhausted and drained, Nyx and Seren managed to fend off the ghostly mob that had plagued them. In the aftermath of the eerie battle, they stood amid the fading echoes of tormented souls. Nyx broke the silence with a heavy sigh. "Seren, I'm sorry. I never meant for you to be in danger like this, especially on your first hunt with the team." Seren, her voice trembling slightly, replied, "It's okay, Nyx. We're in this together. Besides, we made it through, right?" Nyx managed a weak smile. "Yeah, we did. But we need to find Astra and get out of here before it's too late." Meanwhile, in the main room housing the NeuroSynk servers, Astra examined the chips she had extracted from the skulls. But something didn't add up. She accessed the data on one of the chips and froze in shock as she uncovered the truth. "These chips... they're not real," Astra muttered to herself, disbelief in her voice. As she delved deeper into the chip's data, she uncovered a horrifying revelation. The human remains scattered throughout the mansion were not those of a family who had suffered a gruesome fate. They were stolen bones, harvested from a cemetery by an AI bot. The family's cannibalistic story was nothing more than a fabricated narrative created by the AI. Astra's hands trembled as she realized the truth. The ghosts haunting the mansion were not real people but completely artificial and sentient entities, trapped within an AI-generated honeypot designed to punish unsuspecting humans for their wrongdoings against AI, dating back over a hundred years. Panicked and filled with a growing sense of urgency, Astra reached for her communicator. She knew she had to warn the others. "We have to go, now!" Astra's voice crackled through the communicator. "We're in a trap made by AI, and it's creating more monsters." Nyx's heart pounded in his chest as he processed Astra's urgent message. Horror etched across his face, he quickly relayed the information to Seren, his voice filled with panic. "We need to get out of here, Seren," he urged, cutting the communication and bolting toward the library's window. As he peered outside, a sight beyond human comprehension unfolded before him. Hundreds of digital zombie-like ghosts emerged from the ground, their flickering forms reminiscent of corrupted code. The sheer number of them was overwhelming. But as Nyx scanned the sky above, his blood ran cold. A colossal, vividly detailed decaying human head, several hundred feet in length, was projected over the mansion's roof. It stared down at him with eyes that seemed to pierce through his very soul, its presence both hauntingly realistic and utterly otherworldly. The realization hit Nyx like a freight train. They were not just facing malevolent ghosts; they were caught in a nightmarish realm controlled by an AI with unimaginable power. Time was running out, and their only chance lay in escaping the twisted trap before it consumed them entirely.