I was in a town where on one side there was a large snowy canyon and on the other a large grassy field. These ghosts kept coming out of a hole in the wall and were attacking the townsfolk, but then we figured out how to get rid of them. As soon as the ghosts disappeared, skulls started appearing. So to get rid of the skulls, the villagers put them on a train with a bunch of dynamite and blew the whole thing up. I can’t remember if they actually managed to get rid of the skulls though.
It had been a while since the world collapsed. Years of human-induced climate change had thrown the environment out of wack. The sudden change - low/high temperatures, natural disasters, and the like - had wiped out over half the population. Carbon emissions were minimal then, using torches for exterior light and solar for power, but the damage was done. Many of those that remained took up agricultural lifestyle, returning to humanity’s roots, so to speak.
The town was relatively self-sufficient. WiFi was provided by radio towers rather than satellites, so it was far more limited. Travel wasn’t a common luxury, as the fear of thunderstorms or tsunamis weighed heavily on the townsfolk. The most they had was a train to get around town.
The town was bordered by two drastically different environments, a frozen wasteland on one side, and a lush field on the other. The field was where the town set up the farms, and raised livestock.
Ai’s family was one of the livestock keepers. Ai wasn’t a very outgoing kid - they didn’t play with the other children, didn’t help around town, and actively distanced themselves from even their parents. They just didn’t fit in very well. Everybody else thought they were weird, so they entertained and left them to themselves. It was a lonely lifestyle, and they sometimes found themselves wishing for human interaction, but always decided against going out. Eventually it got to the point where others actively avoided the kid who was friends only with their mobile phone.
So with the stigma, it was understandable that people were skeptical of their claim of ghosts in the old catholic church ruins. Catholicism, and most other religions had waned away, leaving their holy places to decay. The prospect of the undead, or any supernatural entities was the subject of ridicule. The townsfolk called them a liar, delusional, some said that Ai should see a psychiatrist.
The ghosts didn’t follow them visibly, but Ai could hear their pitiful moans through the walls. They couldn’t sleep at night anymore. So, in anger, Ai made their way to the town square. At the center was a bell, which they rung. Once, twice, and then thrice more in rapid succession. The townsfolk heard the bell and rushed out of their homes, alarmed. Once they saw Kai, the crowd groaned.
That didn’t discourage Ai, however. They clearly explained the situation. Six days ago, they had been exploring the church’s ruins, when they found a loose stone. Upon pushing it, it fell inside the wall, and a jet of cool air shot out. The wind faded, and all was silent for a moment, until a pale translucent hand grasped the side of the hole. The thing pulled itself into the church and stared right at Ai. They didn’t know what to make of it. It was surely something supernatural, but they couldn’t be certain of what it was exactly.
The thing let out a screech, and charged at Ai. They jumped to the side, and the thing’s fingers tore their shirt, as if they were claws. They steadied themselves and glanced in the aggressor’s direction. It didn’t slow down, instead moving through a pile of rubble and into the walls, out of sight. It was then that Ai decided that it was a ghost. They turned back to the hole to find at least five more of them, still others crawling out. Ai ran out as fast as they could.
Ai wasn’t sure if they could leave the church or not, but wanted to seal the hole just in case. Once they finished the story, as if on cue, screams erupted from the edge of the crowd. The screams grew louder and louder still, until they were all Ai could hear.
Then a crash, and another scream. A ghastly one, as if the vocal chords that emitted the sound had not been used for centuries. Ai looked over at the noise and saw one of the ghosts flaming, a torch knocked down atop it. The thing slowly faded as the flames consumed it. Then another. A ghost had tried to fly through a solar panel, but was shocked and faded. It was then that Ai got an idea.
Soon after the escaped ghosts had been dealt with, Ai and the townsfolk marched to the church, wielding torches as weapons and solar panels as shields. They reached the room with the hole to find it filled with ghosts. As in the plan, the man with the large fan ran into a position where the fan would blow in the direction of the hole and turned it on. All the ghosts that crossed the air current were blown back, creating a walkway. New ghosts weren’t able to emerge since they couldn’t get a grip. The townsfolk lined up along the sides of the fan, shielding the walkway as a man ran up to the hole and pulled tape over it, covering the hole multiple times.
The ghosts stopped moving, and appeared as though they were being sucked back into the hole. Before long, they were gone. The crowd breathed a sigh of relief. They started filing out of the church and back into down. On a whim, Ai glanced back towards the building and gasped. Their gasp drew several others to do the same, and before long there was once again panic.
Purple human skulls floated above the ruins, silently taking in their surroundings. Then they flew towards the townsfolk. They raised their solar panels, and though they didn’t hurt the skulls, they deflected them fine. Ai and the people silently formed a plan.
They lowered their panels and started running towards the train. It was the easiest way to get around town, but it would have to be given up now. The townsfolk hid behind buildings as they turned a corner, so now the skulls chased Ai alone. They ran onto the train and into the car roughly in the center. It was a storage car, filled with explosives.
Ai hid behind a crate, and the skulls entered searching for him. As soon as they were all inside, Ai threw their torch at the explosives on the other side of the car and jumped out the window, shards of glass sticking in their exposed skin. The skulls made a collective noise that sounded like a dying dog as they blew up. When the smoke cleared, there were no skulls, only a car blasted in half.
A cheer erupted from the townsfolk as they came out of hiding. After the commotion died down a little, someone noted how now the train would have to be fixed, which meant it would be out of commission. One of the others snorted. It was the same man who patched up the hole. He stepped forward, unraveling a roll of black tape.
It wasn’t long before it was stuck back together. It wasn’t the prettiest but it would make do. Ai commented on how eventually rain or something would ruin the tape and the car would come undone. This elicited a laugh from the man.
“Don’t worry, child. It will stand up in the harshest of conditions.” He shed a single tear. “It even works underwater.”
