Nomi leaned over the old desk, her fingers pressing into the chipped wood as if it could anchor her thoughts. The classroom was empty, silent except for the distant hum of the school's dying lights. Elisabeth stood opposite her, arms crossed, eyes sharp with determination.
"We sneak in after midnight," Elisabeth said quietly. "The cameras stop working for six minutes when the backup power shifts."
Nomi hesitated. "And if we get caught?"
Elisabeth smiled — not playful, not confident. Tired.
"Then at least we'll know the truth."
Behind the half-open door, Samy stood frozen.
She hadn't meant to listen. She had only been passing by, her mind still foggy, her heart still heavy with everything that had happened. But the moment she heard their names, her body refused to move.
A plan? Sneaking into school?
Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag. Something bad was coming — she could feel it. But she didn't know what. And somehow, that scared her more than knowing.
The black hollow space stretched endlessly.
No walls.
No ceiling.
No ground — yet they stood.
Pete moved slowly, eyes glowing faintly as he scanned the darkness. His senses felt sharper here, stretched thin, like wires ready to snap. Beside him, Noah walked with shallow breaths, his thoughts spiraling.
How did we get here?
Why are we here?
Is this hell?
He opened his mouth to speak, but fear swallowed the words.
Behind them, unseen and unheard, Roger and Kim followed.
They moved like shadows among shadows — silent, weightless. Roger watched Noah carefully, her expression tense.
"He's close," she whispered.
Kim nodded, fingers lacing through Roger's instinctively. "Too close."
Pete suddenly stopped.
Noah nearly crashed into him. "Hey— you okay?" he asked, trying to sound calm, though his voice trembled.
Pete didn't answer immediately. His eyes narrowed as he slowly turned his head.
"I felt something," he said finally. "Like… something passed through me."
Noah swallowed. "There's nothing here."
But even as he said it, something shifted.
The darkness moved.
Not like smoke.
Not like shadow.
Like intention.
Roger stiffened. "He can sense us."
Before Kim could respond, something invisible slammed into Roger, sending her stumbling backward.
Kim caught her hand instantly. "It sees us too."
Roger's jaw clenched. "Then we're not alone."
Noah's heart began to race. He felt it now — the pressure, the way the air seemed heavier, watching him. He spun around.
"Okay," he muttered, forcing a shaky laugh. "This isn't fear. This is… something else."
Pete raised his hand slowly. "Noah. Don't move."
The darkness ahead rippled.
Then—
Two eyes opened.
They glowed pale white, floating in the void, unblinking.
The air screamed.
Noah's breath hitched. "What… is that?"
The eyes moved closer, slow and deliberate, like they were studying prey. Pete stepped in front of Noah instinctively.
Roger's voice dropped to a whisper. "That's not one of us."
Kim nodded. "That's older."
Far away, at the edge of the hollow space, shadows gathered.
Not Pete.
Not Noah.
Not Roger or Kim.
Others.
They rose from the darkness like broken memories — twisted shapes, pulsing with rage. Their movements were violent, unnatural, as if the space itself rejected them.
"They're forming again," Roger said.
Pete felt it too — the pull, the warning humming in his chest.
The eyes stopped.
Then the thing spoke — not with words, but with sound that scraped against the mind.
Noah screamed.
Pete grabbed his arm, grounding him. "Look at me. Don't listen."
The shadows surged forward.
The hollow space trembled, cracks of white light tearing through the darkness like scars. The unseen presence laughed — a low, echoing sound that didn't belong to any mouth.
Roger squeezed Kim's hand harder. "This time… it's angrier."
"And stronger," Kim added.
The eyes flared brighter.
Then everything—
Collapsed.
Samy jolted awake, gasping for air.
Her vision blurred as the classroom came back into focus. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest, as if it had been trying to escape her body.
She didn't know why — but tears rolled down her cheeks.
Somewhere, far beyond the walls of the school, something had awakened.