Walter and Olivia were relentlessly calling out to Alex, trying to stop him, but Alex was simply walking down the road like a robot, as if his control lay in someone else's hands. Walking on, Alex stopped right in the middle of the road, and a sixteen-wheel truck was fast approaching from the front. Seeing this scene, Olivia dropped to the ground right there, shouted Alex's name loudly, and then fell silent. But somehow, Walter managed to reach Alex, and he lunged and grabbed hold of Alex, pulling him to the side of the road.
At this moment, Olivia's eyes were closed, but it was only when she heard Walter's voice from the other side of the road that life returned to her. Following this incident, Olivia and Walter were quite frightened and had realized that if they did not quickly take a solid step to deal with this spirit, the spirit would take the lives of their family. Olivia and Walter returned to the room with Alex, where Cindy was waiting for them.
"Dad, is Alex okay?" Cindy asked, patting her brother's body.
"Yes, Cindy, he's okay," Walter said in a muffled voice.
"But how long will our children be safe like this, Walter? How long do we have to spend our nights in motels even though we have our own home? I am tired of running like this. I think there is only one way left by which we can save our family." Olivia said to Walter, surrendering to the circumstances.
"What exactly are you trying to say, Olivia? Speak clearly, which last option are you talking about?" Walter asked, looking at Olivia with surprise.
"I think I should hand myself over to that spirit so it can quench its lust with me, and in return, I will ask it not to harm you and our children." Saying this, Olivia covered her face with both hands and began to weep.
Seeing his wife in such a state, Walter, too, was broken inside and started cursing God. He wondered what was the use of going to church every Sunday with his family when, in their time of trouble, Jesus himself had abandoned them.
"Dad, I have written the email to send to 'The Ghost Mentors.' If you say so, should I send it to them?" Cindy said to Walter, showing him the laptop screen.
Walter looked at his wife, Olivia, once, and then said to Cindy, "Cindy, if your heart truly wants this, then you should send them the mail. After all, when we are destined to die in the end, we might as well give 'The Ghost Mentors' a try." At this moment, the tension for his family and the fear of that spirit were clearly evident in Walter's voice.
On the other side, the three girls were shopping in the mall at this time and were enjoying their day quite happily.
"Claire, you needed to buy lingerie, didn't you? Look, how many designer bras in size 32 B are showcased here," Lily said, pointing Claire towards the bras in the lingerie section.
"Lily, can't you speak a little softer? There are quite a few people here around us, too," Claire said, feeling a little embarrassed.
"Oh, come on, Claire! Everyone knows that girls buy sexy bras and panties so that, on a special occasion, a special guy can take them off and then make a girl feel her womanhood," Lily said, picking up a few bra and panty sets from the lingerie section.
"It's alright, you go ahead and try on the bra and panties—after all, you've got no shortage of men who'd happily help you take them off. I'm still single, and when I finally find someone special, I won't stop at lingerie—I'll go completely nude before him," Claire said teasingly, her tone dripping with playful mischief.
Hearing Claire's remark, Lily laughed and headed into the dressing room to change, while Claire stayed behind, wandering through the rest of the clothing section. Stephanie, meanwhile, was on the phone with someone.
Suddenly, Lily came running out of the trial room, her voice filled with excitement. "Stephanie! Claire! We've just received an email from a new client—we've got a new case!"
Lily had just read the email sent by Cindy, and she was so thrilled that she forgot she was still in her bra and panties as she burst out of the dressing room. Her body, clad in lingerie, looked no less than that of a ZARA model. Seeing her like that, the customers and store staff around couldn't help but take out their phones to snap pictures and record videos.
When Stephanie and Claire heard Lily's shout and rushed over, they were shocked to find her half-naked—but even more stunned when they saw she wasn't trying to cover herself. Instead, Lily was striking playful, sexy poses for the cameras, enjoying every bit of the attention.
"What the hell, Lily! Get back inside and put your clothes on! You can't just flaunt your bold, sexy side anywhere you like," Claire scolded as she hurried over to her.
Stephanie, however, said nothing—she simply smiled. She knew Lily too well. Lily loved the spotlight; she enjoyed being the center of attention, no matter the place or time.
After hearing Claire, Lily finally went back into the dressing room. When she came out again, dressed properly, she said, "Claire, I got an email from a little girl. It was sent to our official 'The Ghost Mentors' email ID."
"Whatever it is, first go pay the bill," Claire replied calmly. "We'll talk about it in the car. If it's from a child, it's probably just some prank."
Lily quickly paid for her items, and soon, the three girls left the mall. Once they got to the parking lot, they climbed into their car and started heading home.
"So, Lily," Stephanie teased, "mind telling us why you came running out half-naked in the mall, shouting like a maniac?"
"Should I start with my sexy new lingerie collection, or the new case we've got?" Lily quipped mischievously.
"Lily, stop joking around and just tell us about the email you mentioned at the shop," Claire said, her tone slightly irritated.
"Claire, why do you get irritated at every little thing?" Lily shot back, her voice rising. "You don't like jokes, you don't like laughing, you don't like meeting people—and somehow, that's my fault? This channel belongs to all three of us, but you treat me and Stephanie like we're your assistants! And just because you're in a bad mood doesn't mean we have to sit around miserable too!"
"I'm not saying you should do things my way," Claire replied sharply. "I just want you to take things seriously once in a while. Not everything has to be a joke. If you could just calm down for a few moments, your beauty wouldn't fade away, Lily."
Soon, an argument broke out between Claire and Lily. Stephanie tried several times to calm them down, but neither of the two seemed willing to listen. Both were too caught up in trying to prove the other wrong. Quarreling like that the entire way, the three girls finally reached home.
"Well, now that you two are done fighting, can we go inside the house? Or are you planning to kill each other right here in the car?" Stephanie asked, looking from Claire to Lily with exasperation.
Hearing her, Claire and Lily fell silent. Without a word, Lily got out of the car, slamming the door behind her, and walked toward the house, still fuming. Claire, however, stayed in her seat, staring out the window.
"What's wrong, Claire? Do I need to personally invite you to get out? I need to drive the car back to Tom's place," Stephanie said, turning toward her.
At that, Claire sighed, opened the door, and got out. She went inside the house, where Lily was already sitting in the living room, reading the email from Cindy. A little while later, Stephanie returned after parking the car at Tom's house. As soon as she walked in, she noticed that Claire and Lily still weren't talking to each other after the argument.
Wanting to make peace between them, Stephanie decided to prepare their favorite snacks—cheese sandwiches and apple pie. She headed straight to the kitchen and started cooking, refusing to let either of them come in. She wanted it to be a surprise.
After some time, Stephanie set everything neatly on the dining table and called out to them. Both Claire and Lily came over, but their faces still reflected anger; neither uttered a word. Stephanie went back into the kitchen to fetch a jug of water, and as she did, she called out to Claire.
"Claire," she began gently, "Lily wasn't entirely wrong, you know. You really do treat us like you're our boss. I don't personally mind it—but if Lily does, then maybe it's time you reconsidered how you behave. Before we're 'The Ghost Mentors', we're best friends first."
"Do you really think I'm that rude, Stephanie?" Claire asked, genuinely surprised.
"Yes, Claire," Stephanie said softly. "Lily just wants to live every moment of her life happily because her childhood wasn't exactly easy. I know she comes from a rich family, but do you know why she left all that luxury behind to live with us? It's because we're her best friends. She considers us an important part of her life."
"What do you mean by 'her childhood wasn't easy'? She's from such a wealthy family—what could she possibly have suffered?" Claire asked, confused. After all, she knew Lily's father was a powerful businessman, with companies spread across the world.
"That's exactly what you don't know, Claire," Stephanie said, her voice turning heavy. "Money doesn't always mean happiness. Lily's family had everything—wealth, mansions, private jets—but her parents were always fighting. Her mother was addicted to gambling and late-night parties, which drove her father mad. But her mother didn't care—she was obsessed with money and luxury. She paid no attention to her husband, and even less to Lily. When Lily needed love the most, she was left alone in that big, empty house.
"Eventually, her mother divorced her father and moved abroad with a new boyfriend. Not long after, her father remarried. Her stepmother adored her own children but treated Lily like an outsider. Her step-siblings bullied her constantly, making her feel unwelcome in her own home. That's why Lily left them all behind and came to live with us. She still misses her family, Claire—but she hides all her pain behind that radiant smile."
By the time Stephanie finished speaking, tears had welled up in her eyes.
After Stephanie told Claire about Lily's past, Claire felt the sting of guilt and decided she would apologize to Lily.
"Are you two coming in for dinner, or do you plan to dig a well in the kitchen and fetch water all night?" Lily called out playfully to Stephanie and Claire from the hallway.
Hearing Lily, both women left the kitchen and joined her. Claire stepped forward and apologized for her behavior, promising she would never act that way again. Lily forgave her, rose from the couch, and wrapped Claire in a hug. Then, suddenly, Lily pressed her lips to Claire's.
"You'll never change, Lily. Have you turned into a lesbian or something?" Claire asked, startled, touching her lips.
"My dear," Lily teased, "if a hot, virgin girl like you actually agreed to date me, I'd happily become a lesbian. At least then I'd get a chance to—" she taunted, voice mischievous, "—taste that virgin pink pussy of yours."
The three of them broke into laughter and finished their dinner in high spirits. After the meal they settled on the couch, and Stephanie turned to Lily. "Okay, tell us about this new case you mentioned."
"Oh right—I forgot to tell you about Cindy's email. She even attached pictures. Look at them first, then I'll explain the whole story," Lily said, swiveling her laptop so Claire and Stephanie could see the screen.
As Stephanie and Claire began viewing the photos Cindy had sent, a chill passed through them. The pictures showed Cindy and her family with deep nail marks on their bodies; one image contained a vague, shadowy figure—black and indistinct—that looked frighteningly like a spirit.
"Do you think these photos are real, Stephanie, or is this kid playing a joke on us?" Claire asked, turning to Stephanie.
"We'll only know after we hear the whole family's story," Stephanie replied. "Lily, tell us everything you got from Cindy."
Lily began to read Cindy's email aloud:
"The Ghost Mentors team—first of all, I want to tell you I'm your biggest fan. I also adore Claire—she always solves mysteries with her sharp mind.
"I'm writing on my parents' insistence. My family and I live on Morrington Street, KingGeorge Town, New York. We moved into a new house three months ago, and since then strange things have been happening. There is a man's spirit in the house who wants to rape my mother and kill all of us. He has attacked me, my mother, my father, and my little brother multiple times, and he even killed a priest who came to help us.
"Before I wrote this email, he already tried to kill my brother. We are in terrible trouble; we don't know how many hours or days we will survive. Right now we are staying at a motel where we spent last night because the spirit wrecked our house. Please, as soon as you receive this, come to our home and help us. You are our last hope.
Your fan,
Cindy Walter Johnson."
"After reading this letter, I felt a cold shiver run through my body," Lily said softly. "You can feel that girl's pain—and the terror of that spirit—in every single word she wrote."
"Stephanie," Claire murmured, her face pale, "if everything Cindy wrote in her email is true, then the Johnson family is in serious danger." Fear was clearly visible on Claire's face now.
"Alright," Stephanie said, standing up with quiet determination, "tomorrow morning at 5 a.m., we'll take the bus to the Johnsons' house. Once we're there, we'll find out whether what's happening to them is truly paranormal—or if there's another explanation behind it. Now, both of you go get some sleep. We've got to wake up early, and the trip will take nearly six hours."
With that, Stephanie rose from the couch and headed toward her room.
Lily and Claire followed her advice, going to their rooms without another word. None of them could have guessed what awaited them the next morning—or the kind of spirit fate was preparing to confront them with.