Chapter 7
The Ghost's 'Shortcut'
Impatient with Mark's lack of progress, the Fitness Ghost decides to take a 'shortcut.' She infuses him with a surge of borrowed power, a dangerous method that comes with a hidden, burning cost.
The air in Mark’s makeshift training space crackled with an energy that was both exhilarating and terrifying. Dust motes danced in the slivers of sunlight that pierced the grimy window, each one a tiny testament to the sheer, unadulterated effort Mark was supposed to be putting in. But Mark, as the Fitness Ghost had discovered with growing frustration, was not a creature of sustained effort. He was a creature of fleeting bursts, of grand pronouncements followed by prolonged periods of… well, of lying on the floor contemplating the existential dread of a poorly-timed burpee.
“Again, Mark!” the Ghost’s voice, usually a silken whip, was now laced with a distinct edge of exasperation. Her spectral form shimmered, a kaleidoscope of athletic impossibilities – the sculpted bicep of a bodybuilder, the impossibly long stride of a marathon runner, the coiled spring power of a gymnast. Today, she seemed to have settled on the stern, disappointed countenance of a drill sergeant who’d just discovered her entire platoon was secretly knitting sweaters. “You call that a lunge? A child could lunge with more conviction!”
Mark grunted, pushing himself up from his latest collapse. His muscles screamed a symphony of protest. He’d been at this for weeks, under the Ghost’s relentless tutelage, and while he’d seen some improvement – he could now jog for a full three minutes without needing an oxygen mask – he hadn’t quite achieved the god-like transformation the Ghost had promised. And, more importantly, he hadn’t achieved the crushing, soul-destroying victory over Anna and Serina that he craved. Those two little terrors seemed to get faster, stronger, and more annoyingly cheerful with every passing day.
Keep reading "The Ghost's 'Shortcut'"
Open the same story in AIBookCraft. Later chapters may require an active subscription.
Free on iOS & Android · No signup to read