I thought I was just grabbing some dinner. Alone. Big mistake. Like, huge.
I walked into this restaurant I’d never noticed before. Neon sign buzzing, kinda green, kinda… weird. Door swung open and I swear it made this sound like it had lungs. Weird vibe immediately. Empty. Not a soul inside. Plates perfect, silverware shiny. Music? Low piano, slow, haunting. I blinked. Too quiet. Too clean.
“Hello?” I called. Nothing. Just the piano. Weird. Weird. Weird.
I sat at a corner table, right? Nothing to do. Menu just floated onto the table. I swear. Not kidding. No one touched it. Opened it. Names of dishes were… creepy. Like they weren’t dishes. They were people. “Reserved for the living,” one page read. Another: “Do not leave.” My stomach? Nope. My brain? Nope. I wanted out. But the door? Stuck. Like glued shut.
First note appeared. Just… hovering above the plate. “Sit. Eat. Stay.” I blinked. Looked around. Empty restaurant. But the note glowed faintly. Pink letters. Neon. Almost… smiling at me. I got up. Tried door again. Nope. Locked. Not budging.
Suddenly a chair creaked. Behind me. I turned. Empty. Smelled perfume. Sweet, metallic. Not human. Heart pounding. Adrenaline kicking in. My phone? Dead. Just… black screen. No signal. No charging. Typical horror starter pack.
Next note. On table. Floating again. “We’ve been waiting for you.” Wait. Who the hell is we? I scanned the room. Lights flickered. Shadows danced. Not natural. Piano slowed down. Notes deep now. Heavy. Like footsteps. Someone was walking close. Not human steps. Hollow.
Then I saw them. First ghost. Transparent. Pale. Smiling too wide. Eyes black holes. Fork in hand. Just… staring. Second ghost. Third. Behind tables. All of them. Not moving. Floating. Watching. I’m frozen. Frozen but screaming in my head. Tried to scream out loud. Nothing. Music louder. I swear I heard whispers. “Dinner’s served.”
Ran to kitchen. Knife. Grabbed it. Passed right through my hand. Not real. Food moving like water. Plates shifting like they were alive. Candles flames stretching toward me. Breath frozen. Floor cold, shadowy. Walls… alive. Breathing? Maybe. Maybe not.
I tried table again. Note now on wine glass. “Look closer.” I did. Reflection? Not me. Me but twisted. Mouth moving without voice. Whispering: “You belong here.”
I ran. Everywhere. Tables moving. Chairs floating. Every step slower than last. Shadows curling like snakes around my ankles. Door still locked. Windows? Shadowed. My heart in my throat.
Then lights flicked off. Complete darkness. Piano gone. Only whispers. Hundreds of them. All around me. All saying same thing. “Stay. Eat. Stay.”
I tripped. Fell on floor. Ghosts now… all around. Floating above chairs, around tables, behind counters. Pale. Smiling. Silent screams in their faces. Waiter? Floating. Host? Floating. Everyone. Or… nothing.
Notes flying. “No phones. No calls. No leaving.” “We’ve been waiting. Finally.” “You should’ve come earlier.” I started hyperventilating. Tried shouting. Mouth dry. Nothing.
Finally… one note right on my chest. Neon red. Pulsing. “Welcome to the World of Ghosts.” And then… everything blinked. Lights on. Restaurant empty. Music normal. Doors unlocked. Nothing floating. Nothing whispering. Just… me. Sweating, shaking, crying. Alone.
I ran out. Street wet, raining lightly. Looked back once. Neon sign flickering. Green. Buzzing. Whispered piano music faint. The restaurant? Gone. Like vapor.
Next day, I tried finding it. Street empty. Businesses normal. Same corner. Nothing. No trace. Phone? Working. Normal. Menu? Not there. Notes? Gone. Friends? Think I’m crazy.
But at night, sometimes I see it. Neon green flicker. Faint piano. And I hear whispers in dreams: “You belong here.”
I never go alone at night now. Never. I know it’s still waiting. Somewhere. Watching. The restaurant wasn’t real. Or maybe it was. Or maybe I wasn’t.
And that’s the thing about the World of GHOSTS once it sees you, you never really leave. You just… remember.
