Zee paced the room, muttering fragments in the strange ancient tongue he'd been dreaming in. Starr sat with her knees pulled up to her chest, eyes darting to every shadow that moved. Max stood by the window, staring into the night like he was listening for something.
Then, suddenly, it clicked.
"The others…" Max said, voice barely above a whisper. "Mrs. Grace died alone. Liam too. Remember? No one was home when they were attacked. It's always when they're *alone.*"
Starr's breath caught. "You're right. Even Kelvin … he was attacked while isolating himself after the trip."
Vivian's name dropped like a stone in the silence.
"She's alone right now," Max said, already reaching for his phone. "She's next."
He dialed. It rang. Once… twice… then—
"Hello?" Vivian's voice came through, low and trembling. "Max, something's wrong. I—I thought I saw someone in my mirror, but no one's here. And the lights… they keep flickering."
"Don't move," Max said sharply. "We're coming now. Just stay where there's light. Whatever you do—don't be alone in the dark."
Vivian's apartment door creaked open. Max, Starr, and Zee stormed in—Zee muttering protective words in that strange language under his breath.
Vivian sat in the corner, hugging herself. Every bulb in her apartment had blown out except one, dim and flickering.
"I—I thought it was just my nerves," she whispered. "But then the walls started whispering."
She looked up at them. "It said my name, over and over… from the mirror."
They helped her up. Zee scanned the apartment, then pointed to a faint symbol drawn on her bedroom door… in ash.
"It marked her," he said grimly. "It knows she's next."
"We can't leave anyone alone again," Max said. "From now on, we stay together. We sleep in shifts. We watch each other."
Vivian nodded slowly, though her eyes kept flicking toward the mirror.
That night, they all stayed at Max's house.
But as they tried to sleep… the mark on Max's hand flared again.
And from somewhere in the walls, something *breathed.*
Max's house was quiet—too quiet. Every ticking sound felt amplified, every creak of the floorboards like a whisper of something watching. Vivian, Starr, Zee, and Max huddled in the living room, mattresses and pillows scattered around them like a makeshift camp.
No one dared be alone—not even for a second.
"We take turns sleeping," Max said. "One stays awake, watching. We don't separate. Ever."
Vivian nodded, her skin pale and clammy. "I keep hearing whispers when I close my eyes… but they're not in my head. They're *beside* me."
Zee sat cross-legged, placing marked stones at the corners of the room. "They're crossing thresholds," he murmured. "It doesn't need doors anymore. It follows fear. And now that we know… it's watching closer."
That night, Starr took first watch.
The room was dim, lit only by a single standing lamp that flickered like a dying star. Everyone else drifted into uneasy sleep. Starr sat upright, eyes wide, fighting the pull of exhaustion.