Chapter 25: Caution: Ghost Labor at Work
The wreckage covered the entire South Block of District 5 — one of the poorest and most underdeveloped areas of the district. Since the incident the night before, it could've easily been mistaken for a ghost town.
After all, the chaos had been deemed a natural calamity, meaning no one — at least not this soon — was approaching the area, fearing another wave or aftershock from the so-called "earthquake."
To the living, it was a dead zone, waiting to be renovated when it was safe.
But for the dead — and for Mikel — it was an entirely different story.
In the South Block of District 5, ghosts from the neighborhood and wandering spirits alike formed a long line in the dead of night.
Mikel, having managed to repair a broken chair and a table from the debris, sat behind them with a notebook he'd picked up from the convenience store.
"Nah, nope!" Mikel waved a hand in dismay. "Can't do that."
The ghost — a middle-aged auntie with her hair rollers still in, wearing a bright purple dress floating with her — sat in the broken chair across from him, frowning. "Hey, kid! You said you could help us pass on! How can you not help me?!"
"Auntie, I can help you cross over, but leaving your family a fortune you never had? That's out of my league," Mikel said, slipping fully into the role of a head contractor.
Shrugging off the awkwardness, he leaned forward. "Alright, here's the deal: You get closure, or you get nothing. I'm not running a charity."
"Tch!" The ghost auntie clicked her tongue in frustration. "Fine!"