CHAPTER 7: "The God of Ghostland"
---
EXT. LOMAN'S HEAVEN – LAKESIDE – DAY
KAMAL and MIRAYA sit by the calm, reflective lake. Birds chirp faintly. The silence feels heavier than usual. The sky above Loman's is a surreal lavender haze, like it's waiting for something to happen.
KAMAL
(sighs deeply)
I don't know what the fuck to do anymore.
MIRAYA
(gently)
It's okay… Just tell them the truth.
KAMAL
(shaking head)
The truth? That none of this is real? That all of them... every single person here... are just brains in comas? Lying on some hospital bed, breathing through tubes, shitting through bags, and they don't even know it?
MIRAYA
But they deserve to know... don't they?
KAMAL
(pained, frustrated)
Maybe. But imagine what that would do to them. Their entire sense of self would just… collapse. What if someone is only surviving because they believe this world is all they have left?
(beat)
Fuck those bastards. Our minds aren't some test subjects for their goddamn science experiments or black-market entertainments.
---
INT. LOKESH AND MANOHAR'S LAB – EARTH – NIGHT
Loki spins in his chair, a twisted grin on his face. Papers and crypto-contracts lie scattered around. Manohar stands beside, stunned.
LOKI
Big offer just came in. 2.3 billion fucking dollars. After I leaked those "ads" from Loman's onto a few private channels, some shadow conglomerate from the U.S. reached out.
MANOHAR
What?! You told them everything?!
LOKI
(grinning)
Every fucking detail. The neural interface, the coma subjects, the subconscious playground—everything.
MANOHAR
idiot! What if they go public? We'll be slaughtered.
LOKI
They won't. Their company makes us look like ants. They're Black Tower Syndicate—half legal, half phantom. They don't give a shit about ethics. They just want content.
MANOHAR
Then why the fuck did you reject it? That's a billion-dollar escape!
LOKI
Because they wanted to change everything. Send new inmates. Force people into comas. Turn Loman's into some dystopian Hunger Games shit.
(beat)
And what if that little bastard Kamal opens his mouth? The whole plan goes up in smoke.
MANOHAR
So what? Let them take over. We sign some waivers, take the money, and disappear. Done.
LOKI
No. Listen to me. I've got a better plan.
(leans in)
The dark web.
MANOHAR
(disgusted)
No. That won't work. That's straight-up illegal shit.
LOKI
(chuckling)
Only if we break the law. But we're not. Think about it—we're not showing real people. We're "streaming an animated AI-generated simulation." That's what we tell them. No one can trace it to coma patients. It's anonymous. Uncensorable. Underground.
MANOHAR
Still risky as hell...
LOKI
But cleaner than mainstream. No rules. No governments. No fucking morality police. We control everything. Ads, storyline, deaths, drama, emotion—our world.
Manohar slowly exhales, half horrified… half intrigued.
---
EXT. LOMAN'S VILLAGE OUTSKIRTS – DUSK
KAMAL and MIRAYA walk through a dusty path. Kamal is carrying a bag, determined.
KAMAL
We need to know more. If this is all subconscious… then maybe the truth is buried somewhere deep inside these lands. Pack your stuff. We're going exploring.
MIRAYA
(confused, yet loyal)
Okay… But what exactly are we looking for?
Suddenly, a group of villagers surround them. Elderly, weathered faces. They stare at Kamal like he's holy.
ELDER MAN
We don't know how you returned from Malcom. It is only possible for a Maravah to come back.
Kamal glances at Miraya, puzzled.
KAMAL
(whispers)
What the hell does "Maravah" mean?
MIRAYA
(whispers back)
It's a word from old tales. A being that defies death. A god… in human form.
A younger man steps forward.
YOUNG MAN
He's the Maravah. He returned from death. And he brought her back with him.
ALL VILLAGERS
(chanting)
Maravah! Maravah! Maravah!
Kamal stands frozen as the crowd gathers around him, bowing, touching his feet, crying in reverence. Miraya watches—half in awe, half in fear.
---
TO BE CONTINUED.