It was supposed to be a serious ghost-hunting expedition.
But then Cupp got control of the aux cable.
"Cupp, for the love of sanity—turn off the 'Gods of Death' Nightcore Remix!" Shin shouted over the screaming techno beat.
Cupp, wearing sunglasses inside the car, replied smugly,
"Silence, mortal DJ reject! This is my divine rhythm."
Elena floated beside Issac in the passenger seat, holding the GPS upside down. "It says we're on the right path!"
Issac leaned over. "Elena… that's a picture of a cat café advertisement."
"Oh. Then we're lost."
Shin slammed the brakes, the van skidding slightly on the fog-drenched road. "Fantastic. We're in the middle of nowhere, the road looks like a horror movie set, and my GPS just said 'Recalculating… RUN.'"
Cupp, ever the optimist, peeked out the window. "At least the trees look friendly!"
One of the trees moved.
"…Okay, never mind," he said, closing the window.
Elena's translucent hair started dripping again, the droplets vanishing as they hit the seat. "The air feels… heavier here," she whispered.
Issac looked out the window. "Yeah, no kidding. It's like the fog's alive—"
Then something darted across the road.
Everyone screamed simultaneously.
Except Grim, who had suddenly appeared in the back seat, eating popcorn.
"Relax, it's just a lost spirit. Happens all the time near water-crossing routes." She looked around. "Wow, this van smells like ramen and bad decisions."
Cupp spun around, betrayed. "YOU'RE HERE?! When did you sneak in?!"
"Since you turned on that awful remix," Grim smirked. "I followed the sound of pure suffering."
Issac groaned, gripping the wheel. "Can everyone just—sit—still for FIVE MINUTES?! I'm driving through a cursed mountain!"
Shin muttered, "We could've just stayed home and ordered pizza. No ghosts, no murder mystery, no divine road rage—"
Elena pouted. "But then you wouldn't find out how I died~"
Cupp leaned forward, smirking. "And we wouldn't get to see Shin's terrified face every time a squirrel moves."
As if on cue, something tapped the windshield.
Everyone froze.
A pale hand pressed against the glass from outside.
Issac's breath hitched. "…that's not a squirrel."
Grim squinted. "Oh, don't be dramatic. That's just a water phantom. They hitchhike sometimes."
The hand slowly slid down the glass, leaving streaks of water… spelling faint letters.
E… L…
Elena's voice trembled. "That's my name."
Everyone: collective silence
Then Shin shouted, "OKAY, EVERYBODY SHUT UP, I'M FLOORING IT—"
The van roared forward, tearing through the mist like a panicked rhino. Cupp's sunglasses flew off. Grim laughed hysterically. Elena clung to Issac's arm despite being ethereal.
After five minutes of screaming, chaos, and Cupp shouting prayers from three religions at once, they finally burst out of the fog and stopped by a quiet lake reflecting the moonlight.
Issac exhaled shakily. "We… made it?"
Cupp slumped over. "My divine bladder disagrees…"
Grim floated out the window gracefully. "Welcome to Lake of Regrets. That's what I call it do you how many people ended thier lives in it and was found dead here."
Elena looked at the still water — her reflection staring back, dripping, eyes hollow.
"It's… where it happened," she whispered.
Cupp whispered to Shin, "Bro, I am getting that horror aura again."
Shin whispered back, "Yeah, we're so dead."
"Thanks for reading chapter 11"