Liam, Airan, Maya ran as fast as they could through the narrow, a hallway filled with shadow Every step echoed like a drumbeat in the empty space. Behind them, the students comes together, crying, shaking, their faces pale in the dim light. The walls seemed to close in, suffocating them.
"We have to get them out!" Liam shouted, lifting a small girl into his arms. Her tiny body trembled against him. "Almost there! Don't stop!"
Airan held another boy tightly, murmuring comfort even as his own face showed fear. "We're close, just a little more!"
Maya's chest heaved. Her hair stuck to her sweaty face. "The exit… I can see it! Just a few steps!"
But when they reached the doorway, their hearts sank. It was the same door they had come through. The same black, silent doorway.
"Wait… what? How…?" Liam's voice cracked. He lowered the girl gently and looked around, confused. "Why are we back here?"
The students huddled closer, shaking. Their small cries echoed in the dark. Panic began to spread like fire.
Then it happened. A dark red mark appeared on the door. The letters dripped slowly, like blood, forming words that burned into their eyes:
RUN OR D…IE
A cold wind rushed through the hallway, carrying with it the stench of decay. The children screamed, stumbling backward. Their small hands reached for Liam, clinging desperately.
"Everyone calm down!" Liam shouted, but his voice trembled. Even he felt a shiver run down his spine.
Maya's eyes were wide. "It's… it's alive. This door… it's not just wood."
Airan swallowed hard. "We have to keep moving. We can't stop."
The scene shifted.
Tom and Alissa were running through another hallway. They had been separating from the main group, trying to find students, but the cursed spirits were relentless. The walls seemed to close in, and shadows moved across them, twisting like snakes.
Suddenly, a sound echoed from the walls. A word, stretched and broken:
"BINGo… BINGE…"
Then came the laughter. Hollow. Sharp. Cold. It bounced around them, loud and cruel.
Tom grabbed Alissa's arm. "Keep moving! Don't stop!"
Alissa's legs burned, but she forced herself forward. The laughter followed, moving with them, filling every corner of the dark hallway. Each step felt like running through a nightmare.
Behind them, shadows flickered. Eyes gleamed. Every door they passed seemed to breathe.
Meanwhile, Steve was somewhere else entirely. He had stepped inside the dark doorway, into a room where shadows pressed against every wall. His torch barely lit the space, revealing twisted shapes that stretched across the walls like living things.
And then he saw it.
The mimic.
Its shadow loomed tall, dark and thick. Its face twisted in a cruel grin. Its mouth slowly opened, wide enough to swallow him, revealing rows of jagged, sharp teeth. Its eyes… empty, hollow, hungry.
Steve stumbled backward. His hand reached behind him, searching desperately for the holy water he had kept in his bag. But it wasn't there.
His heart raced. He could feel the weight of fear pressing down on him, heavier than the darkness itself. The mimic hissed, a sound like breaking glass scraping on stone.
He tried to think. Holy water… I don't have it. His chest tightened. The curse… it's getting stronger. All this fear… all the students trapped… this energy is feeding it.
He paused. The mimic crept closer, its body stretching unnaturally, shadows curling around its legs like snakes. Its grin widened, and it hissed again, low and threatening.
Then Steve thought fast.
Fear is the source… negative emotion feeds it. That's it!
He straightened his shoulders, took a deep breath, and smiled.
Not a big grin, not a fool's smile. Just calm. Quiet. Steady.
The mimic froze. Its body shivered, swaying slightly. Steve felt a strange power in that moment. The shadow tried to reach him, but it hesitated, confused by the lack of fear in Steve's eyes.
He realized the truth. The curse could not harm them directly. It needed energy. It needed fear. It needed them to panic, to feel helpless. Every scream, every tear, every desperate heart fueled it.
Steve's mind raced. He looked around the dark room, the walls crawling with shadows. The faint whisper of voices echoed, broken and twisted. Each shadow was waiting for someone to be afraid.
He stepped forward, his torch steady.
"I need to end this here," he said, quietly but firmly, to himself.
The mimic hissed again, showing its teeth, but Steve didn't move back. He didn't flinch. The shadows around it writhed and twisted, trying to force fear into him. But it didn't work.
Steve understood now. The way to stop this curse was not just fighting it with holy water or weapons. It was controlling the fear. The curse lived on fear, and if he didn't give it, it could not harm him.
He could see the trapped students in his mind. Each scream, each cry, each heart pounding in panic—every piece fed this darkness. And the more it fed, the stronger it became.
Steve's lips pressed together. He stared at the mimic. Its shadow stretched, towering over him, teeth snapping. But still, he smiled. Calm. Fearless.
The mimic hissed once more. Then it paused, as if unsure.
Steve knew the next step would be dangerous. The mimic would attack anyone who showed fear, anyone whose heart raced in panic. But he also knew its weakness.
Negative emotion. Fear. That's all it has.
He took a deep breath, his chest rising steadily. He whispered, almost to himself:
"I won't give you any more power. I'll end this… here."
The mimic's shadow writhed violently. The air around it seemed heavier, darker, almost like it was alive. But Steve stood firm. His smile didn't fade.
And for the first time, the mimic hesitated.
Steve understood. He had a chance. A real chance to stop it before it fed on anyone else.
The chapter ended there.