115.Two hearts..
Three weeks passed.
Just like that.
But the dark entity…
The thing that tore their world apart…
It remained silent.
No sign of it.
No shadow.
No whisper.
No flicker of its presence.
Nothing.
And somehow, that silence was far more terrifying.
The Brooks Mansion, once filled with light, laughter, teasing, and warm dinners, now felt like a mausoleum.
No one laughed.
No one smiled.
Even greetings felt like faded echoes.
Every corner held the memory of the massacre.
Every room held the weight of trauma.
People spoke only when necessary — and even then, their voices were flat, expressionless, almost mechanical.
Like they were living, but not alive.
---
In her room, Chloe sat hugging her knees, tears streaking down her face.
She missed the old Brooks family.
The playful Kyron.
The loud Aiden.
The calm, gentle atmosphere that once wrapped the mansion like a warm blanket.
But most of all…
She missed Maximilian — the brother who used to ruffle her hair, smirk at her childish jokes, and silently protect her in ways he never said aloud.
Now?
Max felt like a ghost wandering his own home.
Broken.
Haunted.
Carrying guilt that wasn't his.
Chloe wiped her tears furiously.
She didn't want to cry — not now, not when Max himself was drowning in emotions deeper than hers.
But then a thought struck her.
A frightening one.
"What if… he's suffering alone right now? What if he breaks?"
Her heart raced.
She couldn't sit still anymore.
---
Chloe hurried down the corridor, her steps shaky but determined.
Maximilian's door loomed ahead — closed for weeks now, like a boundary no one dared cross.
She lifted her trembling hand and knocked softly.
No reply.
She knocked again.
Inside the room, Maximilian's head lifted slowly, eyes red and exhausted.
He hadn't heard another human voice at his door in so long that, for a moment, he thought he imagined it.
Another knock — small, weak, but desperate.
He exhaled shakily.
"…Chloe?"
His voice cracked from disuse.
He stood, walked to the door, and opened it.
Chloe stood there crying silently.
And something inside Maximilian shattered.
"Chloe… why are you crying?" Max asked softly, trying to sound strong, but failing miserably.
"I-I just…" Chloe hiccuped, wiping her face with her sleeves.
"I can't take it anymore, Max… this silence… this sadness… it's killing all of us."
Max's jaw tightened.
His eyes softened in the saddest way.
Chloe took a shaky breath.
"I miss you," she whispered.
"I miss my big brother. The one who used to tell me everything would be okay."
Max looked away, eyes glistening.
"Chloe… I failed you," he murmured, voice trembling.
"I failed everyone in this house. Ten families lost someone because I couldn't stop that thing. I wasn't strong enough—"
"STOP." Chloe's voice cracked, loud from pain.
Max froze.
"You didn't fail anyone," she cried.
"You fought harder than anyone. You protected us. You saved Aiden. You saved me. You did everything."
Max's shoulders slumped, tears finally slipping down his face for the first time in weeks.
Chloe reached out and hugged him tightly.
For a moment, Max just stood there — stiff, shocked.
Then his arms slowly came up, curling around her as he sagged into the hug, as if he had been waiting for this simple human touch for so long.
"I don't want you to carry this alone," Chloe whispered into his chest.
"We're your family, Max. We need you. I need you."
Max's voice broke completely.
"I'm scared, Chloe," he confessed in a whisper so raw it hurt.
"I'm terrified it'll come back. And I won't be able to protect you."
Chloe shook her head.
"Then we'll be scared together. But don't shut me out. Don't shut yourself out."
Max inhaled sharply, swallowing his tears.
He placed a gentle hand on her head, resting his chin on top.
"…Thank you," he whispered.
"You don't know how much I needed to hear that."
For the first time in weeks, inside that cold, haunted mansion…
Two hearts finally beat a little warmer.
---