Inside the Tower
Dust floated in the air. The staircase spiraled upward into darkness. As Liam climbed, the ticking echoed through the walls.
At the top, he found the clock mechanism.
It was running.
But the hands of the clock still showed 9:17.
Suddenly, a voice spoke behind him.
"You weren't supposed to come alone."
Liam turned to see a girl about his age. She had short hair, sharp eyes, and looked just as nervous as he felt.
"I'm Maya," she said. "My brother disappeared three years ago. At 9:17."
Liam swallowed hard. "My father too."
Maya nodded slowly. "Then you're part of it now."
The Hidden Room
Maya showed Liam a hidden panel behind the gears. It opened into a small room with monitors, wires, and old photographs.
Photos of people.
All taken near the clock tower.
"All of them vanished," Maya said. "But not dead."
Before Liam could ask what she meant, the door slammed shut.
The ticking stopped.
Then everything went sile