The bonfire crackled behind the students, casting long shadows across the campus. Most had already returned to their dorms, but Pugsley’s excitement was impossible to ignore.

“I heard something from Ajax,” he said, voice low, eyes shining. “A former student with a clockwork heart. They say he died because of his inventions. I have to see it for myself at the Skull Tree.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Midnight adventures, huh?” you teased, but surprisingly agreed to go. Secretly, you were curious about how disappointed he would look if nothing happened.

By the time you reached the Skull Tree, its branches twisted against the moonlit sky like skeletal fingers. Pugsley scrambled up first, your footsteps following cautiously behind. From above, you heard faint ticking, almost mechanical, almost alive. Pugsley froze, listening intently, and that was when chaos erupted.

A murder of crows burst from the tree, screeching. Pugsley slipped, falling to the ground, and in a flash, his electric powers sparked from his hands. The sudden light revealed a zombie figure shuffling toward you. Its eyes locked on yours, teeth bared.

Panic surged through you, but Pugsley acted instantly. Lightning arced from his hands, hitting the zombie square in the chest and sending it sprawling. It groaned, stunned for hours. Pugsley looked down at it and smirked nervously. “I am calling him Slurp,” he said, brushing off his pants.

Pugsley turned toward you, grin mixed with worry. “You okay?” he asked softly.