Horror revival: I Own a Ghost Bus

In the dark bedroom, an icy hand suddenly clamped down on Jiang Yan's arm, sending a jolt of alarm through him.

Jiang Yan was already suspicious that Zhang Tiantian was not what she seemed. Although he hadn't directly exposed her identity, it appeared his suspicions had caught her attention.

A sharp chill radiated from the hand gripping his arm, seeping into his entire right side as Zhang Tiantian's body crept closer. Her movement was eerily slow and silent, advancing mere centimeters every few seconds. He could hardly understand how she was moving like this, but one thing was clear: this wasn't human.

A cold realization gripped Jiang Yan—he'd been living with a ghost for over a month, sharing countless moments he once believed were real. But he knew this was no time to panic. He now possessed the ghost bus's power, giving him the confidence to fight back if necessary.

For now, he restrained himself, careful not to trigger whatever "kill condition" she might have. He spoke gently, feigning ignorance.

"Can't sleep? Is it the ghost bus incident that's keeping you up?" he murmured reassuringly, playing the role of her boyfriend as convincingly as possible.

Zhang Tiantian's voice sounded cold and slightly shrill, the human warmth slipping away. "I'm… hungry."

"Hungry?" Jiang Yan's heart skipped a beat. It was clear she was losing interest in her disguise. He sensed that waiting any longer could be fatal.

But he didn't want to make any sudden moves, not until he was sure he had control over the ghost bus's power. Trying to keep his tone calm, he said, "Well, that's understandable. We haven't eaten properly since we got on the bus. How about I get up and fix you something?"

As he tried to rise from the bed, her icy grip tightened like an iron shackle around his arm, refusing to let him move.

The chill intensified, spreading through his limbs, while a sense of numbness began to settle in. He glanced down to see that his arm had been locked against her chest. In other circumstances, he might have found the situation amusing, but now, it was terrifying.

"I want… meat." Her cold, wheezing voice rasped near his ear, accompanied by a faint stench of decay that made his scalp tingle.

He couldn't stand it anymore. Jiang Yan felt his body going numb where it touched hers, as if his very essence was being drained. It was clear now that she intended to devour him.

Without hesitation, he activated the ghost bus's power. In an instant, a dim yellow light enveloped him, illuminating the room.

The light wasn't bright but cast a strange, aged hue over the room, lending it a surreal and haunting quality. The ghostly yellow glow revealed Zhang Tiantian's face inches from his, her bloodshot eyes fixed on him, her expression empty and cold.

Jiang Yan felt a shiver down his spine as he caught sight of her in the ghostly light. Her once-familiar features looked disturbingly vacant, the flesh pale and devoid of life. She clung tightly to him, eyes bloodshot and unblinking.

With the power of the ghostly realm active, Jiang Yan felt the chill recede as Zhang Tiantian instinctively withdrew from the light. It seemed the ghost bus's realm held some power over her.

Seizing his chance, Jiang Yan channeled more of the ghostly energy, increasing the light's intensity. His heart thundered as he pushed his limits, feeling the energy from the bus surging through his veins.

In the moment he increased the intensity, a jarring sensation surged through his chest, as though his heart had turned into a roaring engine ready to tear him apart. The strain was almost too much, but he gritted his teeth, keeping his focus on Zhang Tiantian.

The dim yellow light intensified, illuminating every corner of the room. The figure beside him shrieked in pain, recoiling as she released his arm.

"It's… too hot!" she cried, her voice reverting to the soft, gentle tone she used to deceive him. Her bloodshot eyes cleared up, and she looked at him with an expression of confusion. "Why… why are you glowing?"

Jiang Yan's expression hardened. "It's nothing to worry about. I'm still learning to control the ghost bus. This light won't hurt you."

"Oh… okay," she muttered, sounding almost like her old self again. She turned over and lay with her back to him, as though she had suddenly forgotten her previous intentions.

As she settled back down, Jiang Yan's heart was still pounding. The deception, the eerie transformation—she was too convincing, too good at pretending.

But he wasn't deceived. He knew this facade was only temporary. He would play along for now, but he was ready for whatever might come next.

At dawn, the faint chime of a bell echoed through the village, announcing the arrival of morning.

The black-hatted man had spent the entire night awake, guarding the living room. He had experienced no attacks, but the quiet tension in the air was unsettling. As the bell sounded, he saw the first hint of daylight streaming through a crack beneath the door.

"Finally… morning. Now I can get out of here," he muttered, exhaling in relief. Whatever strange forces haunted this place, he wanted nothing more than to leave the village and its mysteries behind.

Just as he was preparing to rise, the door to the other bedroom creaked open, catching his attention. His muscles tensed—was it Jiang Yan or that ghost in disguise?

But as he turned, he realized it was a different door, the one belonging to Zhang Tiantian's mother's room.

The door opened a sliver, and through the narrow gap, he saw a bloodshot eye staring directly at him. 

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𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 shoutouts 𝘁𝗼:

•Leroy

• Jonathan Bailey

𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸:

• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 volume 1 of this novel 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.

• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁-𝗢𝘂𝘁: 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩!

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀!

👉 𝙅𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙬: patreon.com/sorkarnayeem