Minutes passed.
Or maybe longer.
Time didn't feel normal anymore.
Every second stretched.
Every tiny sound felt too loud.
Then—
Mason exhaled sharply. "I'm not just sitting here waiting to die."
"Then what are you gonna do?" Lena asked.
"We fix the car."
"It didn't start."
"That doesn't mean it's broken beyond repair."
"You gonna go out there and check?" Jake said.
Mason didn't answer.
Because yeah—that was the problem.
Silence again.
Then—
"I'll do it."
Everyone turned.
Ryan.
Lena's head snapped toward him. "No."
"We need the car."
"And you think walking out there is a good idea?"
"I think sitting here doing nothing is worse."
"He's right," Dylan said. "We need to move."
"No," Lena said firmly. "We stay inside."
"And wait for what?" Dylan shot back. "That thing to get bored?"
"It's not bored," Ryan said quietly.
They all knew that.
---
A faint sound came from behind the car.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Dragging.
Then—
A voice.
From the back.
"Ryan…"
Everyone froze.
Ryan didn't move.
"That's not me," he said immediately.
The voice came again.
Closer.
"Ryan… help me…"
Chloe's head whipped around. "Who is that?!"
"No one," Lena said quickly. "Don't respond."
But the voice—
It sounded scared.
Weak.
Human.
"Please… I can't move…"
Jake's jaw tightened. "What if there's actually someone out there?"
"There isn't," Lena said.
"You don't know that!"
"Yes, I do!" she snapped. "Because that thing doesn't need someone else—it is the problem!"
The voice cracked.
"Ryan… please…"
Ryan's hands tightened into fists.
"Don't," Lena warned.
"I'm not—"
"Don't even think about it."
The voice shifted again.
Subtle.
But wrong.
"Why won't you help me?"
Now it sounded like a mix.
Not one person.
Not real.
Ryan shut his eyes tightly. "Yeah… okay. That's not human."
"No shit," Jake muttered.
---
Then the car shook.
Violently.
Chloe screamed.
Something slammed against the trunk.
Hard.
Again.
Again.
Metal groaned.
"Fuck!" Mason shouted. "It's trying to break in!"
"No—it's testing!" Lena yelled. "It's trying to scare us!"
Another slam.
Harder.
The back window creaked.
Dylan swore. "That's not just testing!"
Ryan turned sharply. "Wait."
"What?"
"It's still not breaking through."
"So?!" Jake said. "It's gonna eventually!"
"No," Ryan said. "Think about it. It's strong enough—it could've smashed the glass already."
Silence.
The realization crept in.
Slow.
Uncomfortable.
"Then why isn't it?" Chloe whispered.
Lena answered.
"Because it wants us to let it in."
The slamming stopped.
Instantly.
Like it heard that.
Like it agreed.
---
Silence again.
Then—
Footsteps.
Moving away.
Slow.
Fading.
Gone.
No one relaxed.
No one dared.
Because that didn't feel like relief.
It felt like—
A break.
---
Mason let out a shaky breath. "Okay… okay… maybe we've got time."
"Don't assume that," Lena said.
"I'm not—but we can't waste it either."
He looked at Ryan.
"We check the car. Quick. Together."
"No," Lena said immediately.
"We go together," Mason insisted. "Not alone. In and out. Thirty seconds."
"That's still a bad idea."
"So is staying here forever!"
"He's right," Dylan said again. "We need the car."
Lena looked at Ryan.
He didn't speak.
But his expression said enough.
He was going.
"Fuck," she muttered.
---
"Fine," she said. "But listen carefully."
They all leaned in.
"We open the doors at the same time. We don't split. We don't run. We check the hood and get back in immediately."
"And if that thing shows up?" Jake asked.
"Then we don't stop moving," she said. "We get back in the car and lock it."
"And if it's already close?" Chloe whispered.
Lena didn't answer that.
Because there was no good answer.
---
"Ready?" Mason asked.
No one was ready.
But they nodded anyway.
"On three."
He grabbed the handle.
"One."
Lena's heart pounded so hard it hurt.
"Two."
The silence outside felt… heavier.
Like something was listening closely.
"Three."
The doors opened.
Cold air rushed in instantly.
Sharp.
Unnatural.
They stepped out.
Fast.
Close together.
The darkness felt thicker outside.
Like it pressed in.
"Pop the hood," Ryan said.
Mason did.
They moved to the front.
Hands shaking slightly.
"Battery looks fine," Ryan said.
"Then why the hell—"
A sound.
Behind them.
Soft.
Too soft.
Lena turned slowly.
Nothing.
"Did you hear that?" Chloe whispered.
"Yeah," Jake said. "I heard it."
"Check fast," Lena said. "We're going back in."
Ryan leaned in closer. "Connections are—"
He stopped.
"What?" Mason asked.
Ryan didn't answer.
He was staring at something.
"Ryan," Lena said sharply. "What is it?"
Slowly—
He pointed.
To the ground.
Right beside the car.
Footprints.
Fresh.
Too big.
And they weren't just around the car.
They circled it.
Multiple times.
Like something had been walking around them—
For a long time.
Watching.
Waiting.
"Get back in the car," Lena said immediately.
No one argued.
They moved fast.
Too fast.
Almost tripping over each other.
Doors slammed shut.
Locks clicked.
Breathing heavy.
Hearts racing.
---
Then—
Chloe spoke.
Very quietly.
"…Where's Dylan?"
Silence.
Everyone froze.
Jake looked around. "He was right behind us."
"No," Chloe said, shaking. "He wasn't."
Lena's blood ran cold.
"Dylan?" Mason called.
No response.
"Dylan!" Jake shouted louder.
Nothing.
Ryan's voice dropped. "He was here."
"I saw him," Mason said. "He was right—"
A knock.
On the window.
All of them flinched.
Slowly—
They turned.
And there—
Standing beside the car—
Was Dylan.
Or something that looked like him.
Head slightly tilted.
Face… wrong.
Not injured.
Not bloody.
Just—
Off.
He smiled.
Too wide.
Too still.
"Open the door," he said.
But his voice—
Came a second too late.
Like it didn't match his mouth.
Lena whispered, "That's not him."
Chloe started crying again. "No, no, no—"
"Open the door," it repeated.
Same smile.
Same wrong voice.
Jake shook his head slowly. "Fuck that."
The thing's expression didn't ch
ange.
But something about it shifted.
Like irritation.
"Guys," it said again.
Now more natural.
Closer.
Better.
"Let me in."
Ryan leaned back slowly.
"It learned fast."
Too fast.
Lena's eyes locked onto it.
Cold.
Focused.
"We're not opening that door," she said.
The thing stared at her.
Silent.
Then—
Its smile widened further.
Impossible.
And it spoke—
In her voice.
"Then I'll come in another way."
---
Something hit the roof of the car.
Hard.
---
End of Chapter 3