Author's note.

Ok, I'm back! I know right?! Unbelievable! Honestly though I have an explanation, but I'll put it at the end so you can skip it if you want to… hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer, I still don't own any of this stuff.

Jack is chasing two dead people.

In any other world thoughts like these would have him end up in a nut-house, but in his current situation it's mildly annoying at best and menacing as fuck at worst.

Though that's not so much the dead, Jack's used to those at this point, as it is the way they're behaving, namely, not attempting to murder all living beings bloodily. Instead, they're running in the other direction, which is really impressive in and of itself, considering one of them lacks a leg, but even ore stunning considering that the women ghost had been about two minutes from killing Bunny.
Letting up on killing a living person like that is very abnormal.

But Jack won't complain, he could not have kept up the subtle difference between covering the guardian in a thin sheet of protecting ice and killing him through hypothermia much longer.

He was quite close to that bit of accidental murder, now that he thinks about it, arguably though, he can't be blamed for that, he was... distracted.
There had been a shadow.
Yes, Jack, protegee scientist and one of the youngest guardians to ever find a weapon, got so freaked out by a shadow that he almost killed one of his team-mates.
Granted, it wasn't a normal shadow, it couldn't have been, there was nothing to cast it.
It looked more like a freakish black-hole-like human silhouette right next to the ghost with the unidentifiable face.

"Wait the hell up! Oi! Frost brat!" …taking a wild guess as to who that might have been.

"Well, then catch the fuck up, Fluff! "

Jack yells back as he jumps onto the first step of the stairs... and promptly slips.

For a few seconds he's sliding forward uncontrollably, until he manages to regain his balance at least partially, stumbles down the rest of the stairs and only barely avoids serious injury by shielding his head with his arms as he crashes into the wall at the end of the steps.

He turns to continue down the hallway but freezes before he can take even the first step, the ghosts vanish around a corner and Jack still doesn't move.

"What the… "

Behind him he hears two sets of feet approach rather fast only to slow down as they reach the stairs and come to a stop behind him.

"now listen up here kid…"

Upon seeing the expressions of his team-mates face, Bunny ends his rant before he even really begins it.
He drops his annoyed attitude immediately and goes for his weapon.

"what is it ? " he asks, turning towards jack, the kid seems to somehow always know whats going on.

" The hallway is lit" the kid answers… well, at least it seems hes not going with the whole cryptic, slow explanation-thing anymore. Great. Now onto the actual issue.

" Where the hell did the weird darkness go? "

It's odd, looking at the same hallway that had seemed so creepy before only to find it completely changed in the bright morning light, it seems almost peaceful.
As if the darkness that the human eye picks up, also bleeds into its perception of its surroundings atmosphere, affecting emotions despite the actual intellectual knowledge that the environment not actually changing.
One could probably attribute this to … some psychological thingy or other.

Due to the new safety initiated by daylight both the Bunny and Sandy can't help but relax slightly.
It's not their mistake, they're just used to it at this point, night equals danger and work where as day equals sleep and safety.

Nevertheless, while this might be a reasonable excuse for this drop in concentration on the guardians part, no apparition cares for that.

And so they burst through the walls in a swarm.

There are so many of them, it's impossible to even distinguish their individual forms anymore, a gigantic wave of ghostly figures melting into each other, bursting through the walls, threatening to rip the guardians away with them.
Not actually trying to kill the three living beings, not even taking note of them.

It's as though they have a purpose, somewhere to be and nothing else matters, they move into the exact same direction, down the hallway.
The guardians are bystanders, not central focus points. Ignored and swallowed in the riptide of the dead.

Ultimately, what saves them is luck and… Jack.

Luck in so far that neither Bunny nor Sandy had taken of their goggles, meaning that they are aware of their situation, which, even if it doesn't go a long way in giving them any ability to attack, at least prevents them from doing anything detrimental to the situation.

And Jack. Jack who can't even remember the last time he distinguished between night and day at all. Working in primarily red-zones means that there are no breaks no save time, Light and dark blurring together until there is only the time-span the mission takes up.

This never-ending tension and anxiety is what enables Jack to react just as fast as he always does.

The Australian guardian realizes all of this in the fraction of a second that he is not ready for battle.
Thanks brain, not like you could have used that thought process to find a way to save our lives instead.

There is a hollow crack as Jacks staff hits the floor, conjuring up a thin ice shield in front of them, giving Sandy just enough time to follow up with his Sand letting it form around their backs.

„ Shit" Jack pants.
Bunny blinks himself out of his shock and looks at the youngest guardian. He looks… odd. Not stunned or scared. But there is a shaky smile on his face and his eyes are wide and seem lighter than usual.

He's not looking at his two companions but at his own shield in front of them.
The ice is almost transparent and they all see what he means.
The ghosts are still not dodging, instead they are rushing on as if they could pass through something created by a guardians' weapon, instead, they crash and burst and yet keep slamming into the ice until they pass either over it or along the sides by coincidence.

You alright, jack? Sandy signs.

The kids still not looking at them though, so Bunny sighs and repeats the inquiry out loud.

''Oi! Frost. You ok? ''

Jack still doesn't turn, he clutches his staff and stares ahead at the apparitions.

The Australian takes a step forward hearing Sandy's sand scratch across the floor behind him as it wraps around the three tighter.

Standing right behind the young guardian he lifts his arm and awkwardly scratches his head.
He opens his mouth trying to say something comforting even though he doesn't get what's wrong, if anything even is wrong. But jack beats him to it.

" Say, you saw that too, right? " "Saw what, kid?" "Their disregard. For us. The deads' disregard for us. „ He says quietly.

Bunny frowns and hesitates. Disregard…? Sure, the reaction had been unusual but… "Was it that important? " …why is Jack reacting like this?

Jack can feel the stare of his fellow team members on his back. He ignores them. Was it that important?

Yes.
Of course it's that important.

The ghosts are acting in a way they never have before, ignoring life that they could have extinguished, which itself is unsettling and surely not a good sign.
But that's not all. In just this one moment, they had all been ignored, forced into non-existence.
Like Jack.
Damnit.
He had always counted on at least being acknowledged as he died, been so sure that apparition finally doing him in would just see him.

" Fuck all this" Jack says.

Out of the corner of his eye he sees Bunny recoil at his tone. Well. Sometimes the bitterness and hatred just show.

Damn.

Ah well. He decides to ignore his current inner break-down over the uncaringness of his probably dead murderer. Uh. What? …somehow that makes no sense…

"The ghosts are almost gone" Bunny says, staring down the corridor and unknowingly startling Jack out of his admittedly rather derailed thoughts.

He is right, though, all of the apparition seem to have disappeared around the corner.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's follow them!"

"No! What?! " Bunny yells, even though that seems rather redundant considering that he's already running after both of his companions.

This vaguely unwilling cooperation lasts for about sixty seconds.

„ I'll kill you! Frost brat! How dare you! "

Bunny's feet are frozen to the ground, he stands yelling and growling.

" Look here. I had to stop you from rounding the corner, we can't do that without thinking up a strategy first. "

" That's funny comin' from you! Ya ran right after the other too. "

" Well, It was just because of the shadow…"

" What shadow!? "

" that's not important now. "

" I agree, damnit! Way more important is for you to unfreez me. "

" Oh dear. " Jack drawls, voice anything but apologetic, " I seem to have forgotten about your predicament"

" fuck you, Frost! "

" Well. you were just threatening my life. Maybe freeing you will turn out to be a mista… uhg! Sandy! " The sand-wielding guardian had rather expertly resolved the situation by shackling ack`s feet together using sand.

Ill release you if you release him.

" Hah! "

No, Bunny. Just do not. I will abandon you.

Pouting, Jack removes the ice, but not without having it melt and…

" My SOCKS! DO YA KNOW THE TORTURE THA WET SOCKS ARE! HOW COULD YOU. " "…are you crying. "

" Frost. You will die. "

" We all will. Which is why you could just wait see until my life inevitably ends all by itself." jack says and smiles.

The ghosts Sandy signs, punctuating the statement by slamming two sand-hands over both of their mouths. Drastic measures are required.

We should pay attention to the deadly dead trying to have us join them in death or rather the fact that they are not trying to have us join them… What. I mean. Be professional.

Both immediately stand up straighter.

" Let's take a look around tha' corner then. " The Australian mutters.

All three peek around the corner carefully and immediately the mood changes.

" Frost…"

" Yes, I know. We have to do something. "

The ghosts are trying to enter the dining-room. Like waves they slam against the walls and door trying to penetrate the ice cubical still surrounding the inside of the room.

Obviously they are not successful but…

" There is not telling what will happen if they can't get in there in the long run. " Jack muses.

What are they even trying to reach in the first place. Tooth and North?

" Unlikely. They ignored us completely. Why would they worry about the others? "

" Fair enough"

Perhaps they are trying to reach something else inside?

" Well, yeah. I guess that's possible. " " That doesn't matter. We have to get Tooth and north out at all cost!"

" Obviously, but we still have a little time. They won't run out of Oxygen for another… uh while. "

" I think we have a few more important issues. Like you know. The ghosts. "

" I am aware, thank you."

Say Jack, is it possible for you to make the cubicle smaller?

" You mean… Hey Sandy. You're a genius! This might actually work. "

" explain it. "

" If there is something inside that room that they are trying to reach, then me making the cubicle smaller will give them room to reach whatever it is that they want. Then they might leave or disappear or… uh… start attacking us. "

"…That's a risk we have to take. "

" We all agree on that anyway. "

" So why are we still standing around here? "

Jack hesitates and looks away.

" Well…" " Huh!? Don't tell me you can't do it Frost. "

The youngest of the guardians scowls.

" …sure I can! Why not get the hell out of my way so I can start. I need to get as close as possible. "

Jack inches closer to the dining-room, taking care to not touch any of the apparitions, then he stops.

" Waiiiit. Sandy, how long can you keep that sand shield up? "

No limit. But I can't do anything else if I surround the three of us, not enough Sand

" Ah, well. Then. Could you get over here? I'm gonna have to concentrate and I don't wanna be defenceless, even if the ghosts aren't doing anything right now, if they attack me before I'm done, I won't really be able to react and also the ice will disappear and leave Tooth and North defenceless. "

" Also, you'll die" Bunny states walking over to his other two team-members.

" yeah. Also that." Jack says despondently, not even really listening.

Geez, he sure has a way of throwing out random moments of serious psychological issues really casually. Bunny sighs, not the time to talk about any of this, not that hed know what to say. He'll just leave all that to Sandy.

Jack kneels down and lays his staff down in front of him, he presses his hands down on it in a way that allows them to connect to both the weapon and the floor.

" The second the ghosts start disappearing or getting less, you tell me. Alright? And if they move over here Sandy you do your sand shield stuff. "

Yep. All clear.

Jack closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

" Ok. Step one. Connection to my ice. " Bunny is about to comment when Sandy pulls on his sleeve.

Don't interrupt him. Talking aloud can be helpful to concen…

In this moment the temperature suddenly drops and both guardians turn their attention back to Jack.

Once again his hands start glowing, thin veins of ice start spreading over the floor in the direction of the dining room. they stop when they reach the wall, only to restart their movement upwards leaving a frozen, glowing trail, resembling ice-flowers.

As though there was ivy made of glass growing up the molding tapestry.

They soon hit the ceiling and start moving along it until they reach the door, Jack scowls and grits his teeth.

" Where's the damn crack… there was a crack there… damnit. "

Sandy startles at that, of course! Jack has to connect the ice slithers with the cubicle, he can't do it through the wood.

The small guardian turns towards Bunny but he seems completely transfixed by the sight of the kid and his power. Sandy grabs his sleeve and tucks.

To the Australian credit he only jumps a little managing to not distract the silent boy.

Look there. Sandy points up at the dining-room-wall. Bunny, seems confused but then he nods, he turns back to Jack and hesitates. The kid looks incredibly anxious, his shoulders are tense and his hands are slowly clenching into fists.

Bunny sighs and puts his hand on the kids` shoulder.

" Frosty. Calm down a little. You have time, so do Tooth and North. You can do this, just… take a deep breath. Or somethin' "

He feels jack wince startled but his shoulders lose a little of their tension and he does indeed take a deep breath.

" Alright, " he murmurs " Alright. "

" Good. Now kiddo. The crack your looking for is a little to the right, it goes straight through to your cubicle. "

The youngest guardian doesn't reply but the shining ice moves in the right direction until it disappears into the fissure.

" Well. Here I go. " is all the warning they get.

Then the ice explodes. Light flaming behind the door, extending over the icy veins and lighting up Jacks face in a blue glimmer.

For a second the others are forced to close their eyes and look away until the brightness dims down a little.

"Alright. I'm making it shrink, pay attention to the ghosts"

It takes a few seconds, then the apparitions are moving. The two inform Jack of this but he doesn't stop.

" They must be filling the space i'm making free inside", He says, now much calmer.

" tell me when they're all gone. "

The gruesome figures keep fading into the walls, a plague victim, a man with half his spine showing... Bunny, stares in awe.

" What the hell is making them act like this!? "

" Ah! The last ones disappeared, Kid. You can stop. "

Jack immediately rips his hands of the floor taking the staff with him. " Thank fuck" he pants and looks up.

The ghosts are all gone. Jack stands up and brushes the dust off of his jeans (not that it does him much good, the state of his clothes is rather terrible after the day they've had)

" Well we should go and see weather i've squashed our two team-mates, cuz at this point I'm not too sure…."

Autor's note.

So… Did y'all like it? If so… please review? Or if you didn't that's fine too, constructive criticism is always welcome.

As for the explanation… Well, this is gonna sound like a cheap excuse but my laptop broke down and I lost literally everything I'd written for the story up until that point… I'm really sorry…

Have a nice day, though!