Something moved upstairs. Heavy footsteps, uneven and slow, like a marionette being dragged.

Then-silence.

Rita grabbed Lucas's arm. Her grip was like iron. "Stay behind me."

The others pressed against the wall, barely breathing.

And then-

A single, wet step.

Someone-or something-was coming down the stairs.

The air shuddered. The walls groaned. Lucas clenched his fists, forcing himself to look.

A figure emerged from the dark.

Tall. Twisted. Skin wrong-too smooth, too stretched.

Its face-

Lucas.

A warped, lifeless version of him.

Its smile was too wide. Its eyes blackened pits.

"You can't run from me."

Lucas staggered back. His stomach twisted-his own voice, mocking, hollow.

The others saw it now, too. Ryan muttered a curse. Tessa covered her mouth.

Rita didn't hesitate. She threw the lantern.

WHOOSH.

Flames erupted. The thing didn't flinch.

It tilted its head. The fire reflected in its empty eyes.

Then it moved.

Fast.

Rita shoved Lucas aside as it lunged at her.

A sickening crack.

Blood.

Rita gasped, stumbling back. A long, jagged hand was buried deep in her stomach.

Her breath hitched.

Lucas screamed.

The thing twisted its hand. Rita choked.

Her knees buckled. She slumped forward, but it didn't let her go.

Instead, it leaned close, whispering something in her ear.

A sound-wrong, distorted, like static.

Then it let go.

Rita hit the floor. Motionless.

Ryan grabbed Lucas. "MOVE!"

They ran.

The world blurred. Lucas's heart slammed against his ribs.

Up the stairs.

Through the darkened pharmacy.

The door-locked.

Caleb slammed against it. "HELP ME-"

Tessa grabbed a chair and smashed the window.

Glass rained down.

They burst outside.

The night was too dark. The sky-swirling.

Eli was warping the town.

Lucas looked back.

The thing stood in the shattered doorway.

Rita's blood on its hands.

It was still smiling.

Lucas's chest ached.

She had saved them.

And now, she was gone.

A cold voice slithered into his mind.

"She was never going to stop me."

Lucas's fists tightened.

His reflection.

Eli.

They had to end this. Now.

---

The night warped.

The air smelled of iron, rot, and fire. The streets twisted under a blood-red sky, and the buildings looked melted, half-swallowed by the darkness.

Then-

Lucas saw them.

People.

They stumbled across the road, their faces twisted in pain and confusion. Their skin was pale, stretched too thin. Blood dripped from their eyes, their mouths. Some crawled, their fingers digging into the cracked pavement, leaving behind streaks of red.

Ryan gagged. "What the hell-?"

Tessa covered her mouth. Caleb stood frozen, shaking.

Then-

A shadow passed over them.

Lucas looked up.

And his heart stopped.

The fake Lucas-**Eli-**was floating in the sky.

His arms were spread wide. His eyes burned black. His smile-pure malice.

His voice echoed through the air.

"You see what you've caused, Lucas?"

Lucas's breath caught in his throat.

"It's all because of you."

The ground cracked. The sky boiled. More people collapsed, shrieking.

Eli's laughter was like thunder.

"Now, I'll kill everyone."

Lucas's pulse roared in his ears.

"I'll bury everything under my feet."

Buildings collapsed. Fire erupted from the streets.

"I'll send the world into pieces."

Lucas stumbled back. His legs felt weak.

"No one-" Eli's voice grew monstrous. "I mean, NO ONE-can escape my wrath."

Lucas clenched his fists. "Shut up."

Eli's grin stretched wider.

"And you'll watch, Lucas. You'll watch in pain while everything shatters."

A scream.

The chief.

Lucas whipped around.

The chief was on his knees, bleeding.

A shadowy figure loomed behind him, a blackened hand buried in his chest.

Blood poured from the wound.

The chief choked. His gaze met Lucas's.

His voice was weak, strained.

"Save my wife."

Tears burned Lucas's eyes. "Chief-"

"Save the town-before the doom takes everything."

Then-

The hand twisted.

The chief went still.

His body crumpled.

Dead.

The world blurred.

Lucas couldn't breathe.

Eli's laughter echoed through the flames.

"One by one, Lucas."

His voice dripped with satisfaction.

"I'll take everything from you."

And Lucas knew-this wasn't the end.

It was just the beginning.

Hi guys !!
Hope your enjoying this chapter.pls tell me what you think about this chapter in the comment section.

Love ya!! Mush 💋🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭