The closet door slammed open so hard it cracked against the wall. Dust exploded into the air, choking the silence.
Serena barely had time to scream before something cold and impossibly strong wrapped around her ankle. It wasn't a hand it was worse. Long, thin fingers, jointed wrong, curling like hooks.
"Ryder!" she shrieked, clawing at the floorboards as the thing yanked her out of the closet. Her nails scraped wood, leaving splinters under her skin. Blood smeared in streaks where her wounded hand dragged.
Ryder lunged, grabbing her arm. "Hold on!" His muscles strained, veins standing out as he pulled against the force. For a second, it was a brutal tug-of-war—man against monster.
Then the voice whispered, right in Serena's ear:
"Player TWO… found."
The strength doubled. Serena was ripped from Ryder's grip so fast he slammed into the doorframe, pain exploding in his shoulder. He scrambled to his feet, heart pounding, but she was already sliding down the hallway dragged by something half-seen in the flicker of dying light.
He caught a glimpse as it turned the corner: pale limbs too long, a grin carved into a face that wasn't a face. And eyes black, endless, hungry.
"Serena!" Ryder roared, sprinting after her.
Her scream echoed once, sharp and raw then cut off like a snuffed candle.
When Ryder reached the hallway, she was gone. Only a smear of blood led toward the stairs. And on the wall, fresh letters dripping black:
PLAYER TWO: FOUND.
Serena's blood trailed toward the stairs like a scar across the floor. His fists clenched so hard his nails bit into his palms. He wanted to run after her, tear through the house, rip that thing apart—but the sound of footsteps behind him stopped him cold.
"Ryder!" Aria's voice cracked as she stumbled out of a bedroom, face pale, eyes wide. "Where is she? Where's Serena?"
He didn't answer. .
Tango emerged next, shaking so badly he could barely stand. "It took her," he whispered, voice hollow. "I heard it. I heard her scream."
Pierce's rage boiling over fear. "This is insane! We need to get out now!"
"How?" Talia snapped, stepping out of the wardrobe, her face tight with panic. "Doors are sealed. Windows nailed shut. Phones gone. We're trapped."
Aria's breathing hitched, tears streaking her cheeks. "It's picking us off one by one. Tim. Serena. Who's next?"
The voice answered for her, drifting through the house like smoke:
"Player THREE… ready or not…"
The group froze. Every breath felt like a scream.
Talia turned on Ryder, fury in her eyes. "You were with her! Why didn't you stop it?"
Ryder's jaw clenched, his voice low and dangerous. "You think I didn't try?" His hands shook as he pointed at the blood trail. "You think I wanted this?"
Tango whimpered, backing into a corner. "We're all gonna die," he whispered. "We're all gonna—"
"Shut up!" Talia snapped, her voice sharp as glass. "We need a plan. Now."
But the house groaned like it was alive, and the shutters rattled violently. The lights flickered once—then died completely.
In the dark, the voice sang again, sweet and sharp:
"Come out, come out… wherever you are…