Palo instinctively stepped in front of Ash.
Ash almost argued—
but the shadow outside shifted again, and the argument died in his throat.
The cabin's thin wooden walls suddenly felt fragile.
Too fragile.
Like a whisper could bring them down.
The voice came again—calm, certain, as if he were speaking through a door he had already unlocked.
"Ash. Open the door. We don't have to drag this out."
Palo mouthed silently:
Don't move.
Ash nodded, though every muscle in his body felt like a wire pulled too tight.
Slowly, Palo reached for the small metal bar used to lock the door from the inside. He slid it into place soundlessly.
Another step on the gravel outside.
Palo whispered, "He's alone?"
Ash shook his head.
"He doesn't need anyone."
---
The Copy Appears
The doorknob turned gently—
not violently, not aggressive, but curious.
Testing.
Like he already knew it was locked.
Then the voice:
"You found the cabin. That means you found the letter."
Ash froze.
Palo clenched his jaw.
Ash whispered back, "How do you know?"
Silence.
Then—
A soft, unsettling chuckle.
"Because it was meant for you… and for me."
Palo's eyes widened.
For him?
Ash whispered, "She didn't write it for you. She barely even knew you."
The voice responded immediately.
"She knew enough. She knew you would try to run. She knew you would reach for safety. And she knew you would come here… to remember her."
Ash's breath stilled.
Palo whispered, "He's trying to get into your head. Don't let him."
The copy stepped closer to the window.
A faint silhouette passed behind the glass—
too still, too controlled.
The voice sharpened.
"Open the door, Ash."
Ash said nothing.
His silence was answer enough.
---
A Calm That Shouldn't Be Calm
The footstep that followed wasn't angry.
It wasn't rushed.
It was slow.
Measured.
Almost… patient.
Palo whispered, "He's not forcing his way in."
Ash nodded tightly.
"That means he wants something."
Another step.
"You weren't supposed to read that letter."
Ash felt a cold drop slide down his spine.
The copy continued.
"She was supposed to destroy it before she left."
Palo whispered, "Left? He means when she disappeared?"
The copy answered as though he heard them—
as though their whispers were normal volume.
"She didn't disappear. She ran."
Ash's stomach twisted.
Palo inhaled sharply.
The voice didn't stop.
"She ran because she realized I was the one they chose. The one they needed. And she knew you would get in the way."
Ash pressed his back against the wall, fingers curled tightly.
"That's not true."
The copy's tone softened—eerily gentle.
"Ash… she saved you. But she didn't save you out of love."
Ash's pulse roared in his ears.
"She saved you because she was afraid of what I would become."
Palo shook his head furiously.
"Don't listen to him. None of this is confirmed. He's just—"
The copy interrupted.
"If you want the full truth, you're going to have to step outside."
Ash stiffened.
Palo grabbed his wrist.
"No. He's lying."
The voice came again, lower this time.
"You can't stay in that cabin forever, Ash."
"When you're ready… I'll be waiting."
A few seconds passed.
No footsteps.
No retreating shadow.
Just silence.
Palo finally dared peek through the window.
Nothing.
He was gone.
---
The Weight of His Words
Ash sank to his knees, the letter still clutched in his fist.
Palo crouched beside him.
"Ash. Look at me."
Ash didn't.
His voice came out thin.
"What if he's right? What if she didn't save me because she loved me, but because she was… scared of me? Scared of what I am?"
Palo grabbed both of Ash's shoulders firmly.
"Ash. Stop. You are not some experiment that broke loose. You are a person. You're the one she raised."
Ash shook his head.
"Then why did she leave?"
Palo hesitated—
just long enough for Ash to feel it.
Ash whispered,
"You don't know the answer either."
Palo softened.
"No. But I know this—she protected the version of you that is standing right here. And that version is real. And worth protecting."
Ash closed his eyes.
His voice was small.
"I don't want to face him."
Palo nodded.
"You won't. Not alone."
---
The Cabin Shifts
A sudden gust of wind slammed the window shutter against the wall.
Both boys jumped.
It was only the wind—
but after the copy's presence, even normal sounds felt wrong.
Palo helped Ash stand.
"We leave at first light," Palo said. "If he wants you to step outside, we do the opposite. We stay unpredictable."
Ash nodded slowly.
But as he started to move away, he winced.
Palo noticed.
"Ash?"
Ash lifted his hand.
The symbol the static had burned into his palm earlier that day—
It was glowing again.
Palo's voice broke.
"Why now?"
Ash stared at the mark, breath trembling.
"It reacts to him."
Palo swallowed hard.
"Ash… what does that mean?"
Ash looked up.
And for the first time that night, true fear flashed in his eyes.
"It means he's not gone."