Horrific Shorts: Zombie Edition

Mira's breath caught in her throat. Her name, scrawled in fresh ink, glistened like a wound on the Cursed Book's pages. The Ghoul Accountant let out a dry, rattling chuckle, stepping closer with its massive ledger clutched in its rotting hands.

"Debt must be paid," it whispered, its voice crawling like spiders over Mira's skin.

Draven raised his shotgun, but Elias grabbed his arm. "Won't work. This thing doesn't bleed."

Zara's eyes darted between the Cursed Book and the Ghoul Accountant. "What kind of name gets written in a book like this?"

Mira swallowed hard, feeling the weight of something shifting deep inside her. "A sacrifice."

The room pulsed. The shadows along the walls stretched, growing tendrils that slithered toward them. The ghostly figures from the ledgers moved like puppets on invisible strings, their hollow eyes locked onto Mira.

The Ghoul Accountant tapped a skeletal finger against its ledger. "A life for a debt. You know how this works, Caldwell."

Draven took a step in front of Mira, blade glinting. "She's not giving you anything."

But Mira already knew—this wasn't a battle of weapons. This was a contract. A deal.

Elias wiped a hand over his mouth, thinking fast. "If it wants payment, we give it something else."

The Ghoul Accountant's hollow gaze snapped to him. "An exchange?"

Zara's jaw tightened. "That's how these things work, right? If we offer something... something of equal value... it might take the trade."

Mira's pulse thundered. She knew what the book wanted. She just wasn't sure she was willing to name the price.

Draven frowned. "And what's equal value to a living soul?"

Elias exhaled sharply, then turned to Mira. "The book. It's been bound to you, hasn't it?"

The book shuddered in her grip, as if sensing what was coming. The pages fluttered wildly, the whispers turning to frantic, desperate pleas.

Mira's stomach twisted. "You're saying... we give it the book?"

The Ghoul Accountant leaned in, its breath cold as the grave. "A ledger for a ledger."

The Cursed Book trembled violently in her hands. It didn't want to leave.

But Mira wasn't sure she wanted to keep it.

She met Draven's gaze. Then Elias's. Then Zara's. They were waiting for her answer.

Mira exhaled. Then, before she could change her mind, she threw the book onto the Ghoul Accountant's desk.

The room lurched. The shadows shrieked. The spectral figures collapsed into smoke, their contracts nullified. The Cursed Book sizzled, its cover warping, ink bleeding out like fresh wounds.

The Ghoul Accountant reached forward, its bony fingers caressing the book like a prized possession. It looked at Mira one last time and grinned. "Debt settled."

Then, the world shattered—and they were falling into darkness.