The house was suffocating in silence, broken only by the hum of something wrong moving through the dark.
Pierce crouched in the corner, clutching the broken chair leg like a lifeline. Tango trembled inside the closet, whispering prayers under his breath. The wall screamed in dripping black letters:
PLAYER FOUR: FOUND.
And beneath it, fresh words gleamed like wounds:
PLAYER FIVE: READY OR NOT.
Then came the footsteps. Slow. Heavy. Deliberate. Moving through the hallway like a predator savoring the hunt.
Pierce hissed, "Hide!" His voice cracked with panic.
They scattered again Pierce pressed himself into the shadows, Tango slammed the closet door shut. The lights flickered once, twice, then died, plunging the house into darkness.
And that's when Ryder whimpered.
He was crouched near the kitchen doorway, hoodie torn, eyes wide and glassy. His chest heaved like he'd been running for miles, but his legs wouldn't move. He hugged himself, trembling so hard his teeth chattered.
"I-I can't do this," he whispered, voice breaking. "I can't-she's gone. Siara's gone." His breath hitched, a sob clawing up his throat. "I saw it take her. I saw-" He gagged on the memory, squeezing his eyes shut. "Her hand slipped out of mine. I should've-oh God, I should've-"
Pierce hissed from the corner, "Ryder! Shut up! It's hunting-"
"I don't want to die!" Ryder's voice cracked like glass. He scrambled backward until his spine hit the wall, curling into himself like a child. "I don't want to be next. I can't-I can't fight that thing!"
The lullaby drifted through the dark, sweet and wrong:
"Ready or not… here I come…"
Ryder slapped his hands over his ears, rocking back and forth, whispering Siara's name like a prayer. His breath came fast, ragged, panic clawing at his chest like talons.
The footsteps grew louder. Closer. The hum slid through the dark like silk:
"Player FIVE… found."
Tango's scream ripped through the silence as the closet door burst open. Something pale and twisted lunged from the shadows....limbs too long, joints bending backward, fingers curling like hooks. It wrapped around Tango's waist, lifting him like a rag doll.
Pierce lunged, grabbing Tango's arm, pulling with everything he had. For a heartbeat, it was a brutal tug-of-war,man against monster. Then the voice whispered, right in Tango's ear:
"Player FIVE… found."
The strength doubled. Tango was ripped away so fast Pierce slammed into the wall, pain exploding in his shoulder. He scrambled to his feet, heart pounding, but Tango was already gone dragged into the dark, leaving bloody streaks across the floor.
The lullaby hummed again, soft and sharp:
"Player SIX… ready or not…"
Ryder whimpered louder, curling tighter into the corner, tears streaming down his face. "No… no… no…"