Date: October 10
Time: 6:11 PM
Place: Rei's House – Living Room**
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The room was dark.
Only faint blue light from the fading sky crept through the curtain edges. No one dared breathe too loudly.
Outside the window, the creature known as The Echo hovered — its mirrored face slowly tilting, as if listening.
Its legs twitched. Its body let out soft, glass-like cracking sounds — like hundreds of mirrors breaking and healing at once.
Mina clutched Rei's arm. "Why is it just... waiting?"
Tetsuo whispered, "They say it doesn't hunt by sight. It hunts by sound. Even whispers can wake its rage."
Suddenly—
> "Rei…"
The voice came from outside.
It sounded exactly like Rei's mother.
"Please open the door, baby…"
Rei's face turned pale.
"That's… that's not her. That's The Echo. It heard her voice last night."
Everyone sat frozen.
The creature moved closer. Its legs gently scraped against the street.
Then—tap tap tap — on the window.
Riku couldn't take it anymore. "This is insane! It's just standing there!"
He stood up.
Rei and Daichi both grabbed him, whispering, "No! Sit down! Don't make noise!"
But it was too late.
Riku's phone slipped from his hand. It hit the wooden floor with a loud clack.
Outside — The Echo twitched.
Its head snapped toward the window.
Then — CRACK!
The window shattered.
The creature's leg stretched inward like a spear. Everyone screamed silently, mouths open but no sound. Daichi grabbed Riku and pulled him back just in time.
Rei jumped to the breaker box and killed all remaining power lines — total blackout.
The creature stopped.
Stillness.
It hovered… sniffing. Or listening.
Then… it slowly pulled back and disappeared into the darkness.
---
One hour later — 7:19 PM.
The group stayed hidden, heartbeats loud in the silence.
Then Daichi whispered, "Guys… what the hell is happening to our world?"
Rei looked at them all.
"I think…" he said slowly, "this isn't just happening to us. I think the whole world is going dark."
He opened his phone again — screen dimmed — and opened a group forum called ShadowNet, where survivors worldwide were reporting similar events.
Post from Berlin:
"We call it the Mirror Ghost. Lost two people last night. They replied to it. Don't ever speak to it."
Post from Brazil:
"If you see your own face walking toward you, don't move. Just shut your eyes and stay silent."
Post from India:
"We named it Chhaya. It mimics your family's voice. Don't listen. Don't respond."
Rei scrolled through dozens of names: The Echo. Chhaya. Mirror Ghost. Shadow Caller.
Different places.
Same horror.
---
Suddenly, a message pinged on the screen:
"They only come at night. But night is getting longer."
Everyone looked at the clock.
7:24 PM.
The sun should have set at 6:50… but it was still pitch black outside.
Mina whispered, "Is it… not going to become morning again?"
---
To be continued…