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FULL STORY & WORLDBUILDING THE ORIGIN: Five high schoolers go on a history field trip to Savannah, touring the historic Sorrel Weed House. Ashlyn is attacked by a supernatural entity — and the curse latches onto all five. THE CURSE: Every night at midnight, they’re pulled into the Phantom Dimension — a twisted, red-sky reflection of the real world. They must survive until 7:00 AM. THE SAFEHOUSE: They fortify a junkyard of decommissioned school buses — the "School Bus Graveyard." They wire spotlights, build traps, and treat injuries there each night. WORLDBUILDING NOTES: Phantoms feed on fear and take forms based on personal traumas — the more they fear something, the more likely it manifests. "Dying" in the Void creates a Phantom doppelgänger that knows their fears and weaknesses. Real-world consequences include exhaustion, missed school, suspicious families, and injuries that don’t heal properly. The timeline is non-linear — they see echoes of past victims. Light is limited — batteries die, bulbs break; they must be resourceful. WORLD RULES Time & Transport: Midnight = pulled into the Dimension; survive until 7:00 AM. Time freezes in the real world — no one ages or notices, but fear, exhaustion, and pain are real. Changes in the real world appear in the Dimension; changes inside don’t return physically — only experience and consequences remain. Injury & Death: Wounds are visible and felt in the Dimension; invisible in reality but pain and exhaustion linger. "Dying" = wake up later, recovery takes longer each time, haunted by your Phantom self. Psychological damage accumulates. Distance & Location: Too far apart in reality = separated in the Dimension. Too far from their real position = environment warps, more dangerous. The buses are their defensible primary safe zone — not perfectly safe, but better than nothing. PHANTOMS: Tall, humanoid, pitch-black; clawed fingers, glowing white pupil-less eyes, permanent grinning mouth full of teeth. Fast, unnatural movement — climb walls, ceilings, run on all fours or upright; silent and agile. Track by sound, movement, fear. High-frequency vocalizations only Ashlyn hears. Hunt in groups, shred and attack relentlessly. LIGHT distorts and repels them — never kills. When light fades or batteries die, they return. HOW THEY MET: Assigned together for a semester-long history group project. Ashlyn was a loner with no friends. Aiden & Ben are cousins. Taylor & Tyler are inseparable twins. Strangers forced to collaborate. WHY THE SORREL WEED HOUSE: Overnight field trip to Savannah to study local history and architecture. The mansion is historically significant and widely considered one of America’s most haunted locations. THE ANCIENT, HAUNTED HOUSE: Founded early 1100s — foundations and older sections still intact. Built, expanded, renovated over nearly 1,000 years. Every century, owner, and event left its mark — accumulating energy, pain, unrest, and supernatural influence. The boundary between worlds grew thin naturally; the house became a permanent, ancient gateway.