Red eyes crinkled with glee as they watched the wiggling form of the fat man in the ditch. The fool made it too easy. The only real threat had been sent away and now the bumbling oaf was completely helpless. It would be faster to simply blast the earth on either side so it fell into the crevice, covering the imbecile completely, but the sound would most certainly attract unwanted attention. The best option would be to manually push the dirt into the hole. Vlad wished he had thought to bring a shovel but since this delightful twist had not been part of his initial plan he was left without an easily accessible tool for burying his hated rival.

With almost no effort Vlad propelled himself through the air, following the signs of crushed undergrowth and felled saplings. The faint glow in the distance let him know he was getting close. An extra burst of speed brought him to the head of the fleeing spectral beasts, all of whom skidded to a halt as he landed in front of them.

Vlad picked the biggest of the lot, each of whom had large clawed appendages which would be perfect for moving heavy mounds of earth.

"You four, I have a job for you."

…

Maddie listened as the echo of her voice faded away. She had been calling Jack's name for the last several minutes and had yet to hear any sort of reply. Under normal circumstances, she'd be worried, but Jack had Cujo with him and she doubted any too terrible could happen with the ghost dog at his side. She twinged slightly as she was forced to admit even the faintest bit of trust in the spectral hound, but time and again he had proven loyal to the family and her doubts were fading more each day.

"Jack!" Maddie called once more.

Only silence answered. Frustrated she dug into her pocket until she found a small silver whistle. She heard nothing as she pressed the cold metal to her lips but a few moments later, she caught sight of a bouncing green glow. Her hand twitched near her gun until a small dog bounded happily into view.

"Cujo, come here."

Cujo gave a muffled yip and skidded to a stop at Maddie's feet, his tail wagging happily. Maddie's face twisted in confusion as she realized he was carrying something in his mouth.

"Drop it," Maddie commanded.

Cujo immediately released his prize and panted happily, expecting praise.

"Good boy."

Maddie picked up the item and realized it was a very familiar, smaller version of herself, although she had absolutely no clue what Cujo was doing with it. Even more concerning was the fact that Jack had failed to appear with the ghost dog.

"Cujo, where's Jack?"

Cujo's head tilted sideways for a moment and then he yipped happily.

"Cujo," Maddie said firmly. Cujo's ears perked up. "Find Jack."

Cujo spun around and darted back into the woods. Maddie wasted no time following after him.

…

Jack sputtered and coughed and tried to twist so the dirt falling on his head didn't go directly into his eyes and mouth. It was hard to see exactly what was happening in the dark but he was certain that the earth above him was loosening and started to crumble. He hoped Cujo returned quickly or else he'd be a bit more difficult to find.

Jack sucked in a breath of air, readying to call out and hoping Maddie was near enough to hear him. Before he could shout a word, a noticeable green glow entered his line of vision. Accompanying the glow was red eyes and multiple rows of teeth connected to what had probably been a bear at some point in the past. Jack froze and hoped the ghostly beast had not yet seen him. A moment later the head pulled back, but the faint glow remained. The amount of dirt showering his head increased and Jack began to wonder if it was intentional.

…

Vlad watched with glee as his minions dug their sharp claws into the earth and dragged chunks of it through the air and into the hole. The only downside was the size of both the ravine and the man within it meant it was taking a rather long time to bury both. If they took too long the green mutt would return before the job could be completed.

Impatient Vlad pointed his finger and shot a small blast at the hindquarters of each of the beasts. "Is that the best you can do? I haven't got all day and at this rate neither do you." Vlad's eyes flashed threateningly and the creature began to dig faster.

Vlad only had a moment of glee before his ears twitched, catching the sound of movement approaching and quickly. "Mont Blanc," Vlad swore. He had run out of time. "I suppose I'll have to go with plan B then."

Without blinking, Vlad gathered a fistful of ecto energy and blasted the nearest ghost beast. It collided with a tree, cracking the trunk just before it fell limply to the ground. The other creature froze in confusion and terror.

"My apologies," Vlad said with false sincerity, "but I have a bad first impression to make up for."

…

Maddie saw the sudden blast of light before she heard fearsome snarls and a voice which would have sounded almost human if not for the ethereal echo. She wasted no time drawing her weapon and after passing several more trees she focused her line of sight on the creatures before her. At least four large animal-like ghosts, two of which were already down, and a familiar humanoid specter sporting the kind of cape only popular in bad monster movies.

Maddie hissed between her teeth. Her priority was finding Jack, not getting in the middle of a fight between ghosts. But she also couldn't just pass by, not when the Wisconsin ghost had made an appearance so far from his usual haunt.

"Cujo," Maddie commanded, immediately getting the ghost dog's attention. "Go big."

Cujo shot up so fast that several branches snapped against his back on the way up. A large booming bark echoes from his chest as he charged into the fray, his teeth snapping fiercely at the nearest specters.

Maddie knelt tactically behind and tree and fired a few well-placed shots to make it easier for Cujo to grab hold of the ghost beasts. The ethereal animal soon turned tail and run, leaving only the Wisconsin ghost. Cujo lunged at the smaller humanoid who barely flinched away from the razor-sharp fangs before talking to the air.

"Call off your beast!" He shouted.

Maddie replied by firing an ectoblast at him.

"I was trying to help," The ghost insisted, dodging the blast and then jumping several more feet into the air to avoid having his ankles mauled by the ghost hound below him.

Cujo stalked the humanoid spirit from the ground, growling menacingly as he circled below.

Maddie readied another shot when a familiar voice broke her concentration.

"Maddie! Maddie, is that you?"

"Jack!"

Maddie hesitated, she didn't lower her weapon but she did hurry sideways until she could look into the hole where her husband's voice echoed. Jack sputtered up at her, partially covered in loose dirt and a few rocks.

"Jack! What on earth are you doing in there?"

"Oh, well I was looking for cover from the stampede and...well I sort of got stuck."

"I can see that," Maddie sighed, partly relieved and also partly annoyed. "I'll get you out in a minute, I have a ghost to disintegrate first."

"Now hold on," the Wisconsin ghost pleaded, raising both hands defensively. "I stopped those feral specters from burying him alive. Won't you at least hear me out?"

"Oh, so suddenly you're a good ghost? I seem to recall you possessing my husband at our friend's castle, along with causing all sorts of destruction the other times we crossed paths."

"Only in self-defense," the spirit replied defensively. "After all, you two invaded my home, armed to the teeth, and speaking nothing but ill towards my kind. I was absolutely terrified you were planning to end my very existence."

The ghost gave the most mournful look. Maddie tried to recall how that incident had started. She didn't recall doing anything to start a fight, but then again she wasn't entirely sure Jack hadn't done anything while she wasn't looking.

"What about all the other times?" Maddie insisted.

"I never shot first. Besides, how do you expect me to behave when I'm constantly being hounded by two hunters intent on tearing me apart molecule by molecule. I've only ever acted in self-preservation."

Maddie tried to find fault in his words. He sounded just a bit too sincere, but she also could remember a time she and Jack hadn't shot first when it came to ghosts.

"That doesn't explain why you suddenly want to help us." Maddie shot back.

The ghost pointed at Cujo. "Because of him."

Maddie couldn't hide her surprise.

"That dog," the Wisconsin ghost continued, "has been welcomed into your family. You've actually started to accept and understand at least one ghost as something other than a monster. To be honest," The spirit places his hand over the place where a living person's heart would reside, "it gave me hope, that maybe you weren't as blindly biased as I once thought, and perhaps, if given the chance, you might come to see more of us as we truly are and not just the horrors most assume us to be."

Maddie hesitated. This had to be a trick, but maybe he really did save Jack. Two of the ghost beasts had been down before she even arrived here and she did see what looked like an ectoblast just before she saw them. She also couldn't find fault in his explanation. Perhaps she and Jack really had misjudged this ghost. Maybe Cujo wasn't the anomaly she had thought.

"I...I still don't trust you, ghost."

"I understand."

"But...I'm willing to let you go this time...and I'm willing to consider the possibility of you not being entirely evil."

The ghost swept his arms into an elaborate bow. "That's all I ask."

Maddie shivered at the glint from his grinning fangs. It was unsettling.

"Now I believe you no longer need my help. I will bid you adieu."

The ghost vanished.

Maddie waited a minute before putting her gun away and leaning over the hole where jack still lay.

"Cujo," she called.

Cujo bounded over his tail wagging.

Maddie pointed at Jack. "Fetch."

…

Vlad waited until he was a good distance from the couple before dropping his invisibility. A scowl adorned his face. He had been so close to getting rid of Jack. Just five more minutes and one of his problems would have been gone forever. Still, he had accomplished at least one goal tonight. Vlad's fanged smile glinted under his glowing red eyes. Now Maddie was considering his ghostly form as a possible ally, or at the very least as a non-threat. With a little more persuasion she may even come to appreciate his ghostly half. His plan may not have worked perfectly, but it was a good start.