The night was too quiet.

Lucas sat on the edge of the bed, hands curled into the sheets. The air felt thick, heavy with something unseen. Outside, the dead body lay cold beneath the moonlight-the person they had exorcised. They had dragged it out in a panic, unwilling to keep it inside. But even now, it felt like its presence lingered.

Eli's real body was still in the library, locked in the glass sarcophagus. Yet his spirit roamed free, slipping between shadows, watching them.

The chief shifted from the floor, rubbing his face. "We need to burn the body."

Ryan turned sharply. "What?"

The chief's voice was flat, grim. "It's the only way to sever the connection. We exorcised Eli from it, but that doesn't mean he's done with it."

Lucas's stomach twisted.

Before he could speak, a sound rippled through the room.

A creak.

The mirror.

Lucas turned his head-and his breath caught in his throat.

His reflection was wrong.

The Lucas in the mirror stood unnaturally still, his head tilted slightly, lips curling into a slow, eerie smile. His eyes gleamed with something unreadable-something not his own.

"Don't burn him."

Lucas flinched. His reflection's mouth had moved, but he hadn't spoken.

Tessa frowned. "Lucas?"

He ignored her, his heart pounding.

"Burying him makes him stronger," the reflection whispered.

Lucas felt his pulse hammer in his ears.

Was it true?

A sharp chill spread across his spine-then, another voice.

"Don't listen."

Lucas's breath hitched.

The mirror shifted-and suddenly, another figure was there. His real reflection.

The two stood side by side-one smirking, the other looking at him with wide, fearful eyes.

"That's not me," the second reflection whispered. "Eli made it. Don't believe what he says."

Lucas's chest tightened. His head spun.

The fake Lucas just chuckled. "You're already too late."

And then-

It stepped out of the mirror.

Ryan gasped. Caleb backed against the wall. Tessa grabbed Lucas's wrist.

The fake Lucas took a slow, deliberate step forward.

"You don't have a choice."

Lucas's real reflection pressed his hands to the glass. "Lucas-don't let him near Eli's body."

Lucas's breath hitched. His heart pounded.

Which one was telling the truth?

And then-

The fake Lucas reached for him-

And the lights went out.

---
The room plunged into darkness.

Lucas's breath came fast, shallow. The air felt colder, pressing against his skin like unseen hands.

Then-movement.

Something rushed toward him.

A sharp yank on his wrist sent him stumbling back. Tessa. She pulled him toward the others just as a chilling whisper slithered through the air.

"You can't run from me, Lucas."

The voice was his. But it wasn't.

A sudden crash split the silence. Ryan cursed, fumbling in the dark. The chief's voice cut through the chaos.

"Stay together! Don't let it separate us!"

A flicker of light-Caleb's phone screen. The weak glow barely reached the center of the room, but it was enough to see him.

The fake Lucas stood by the mirror, his face twisted into a sharp grin. His eyes gleamed in the dimness, reflecting something unnatural.

Then, he moved.

Fast. Too fast.

Lucas barely had time to react before the figure lunged at him.

Pain bloomed as something cold slammed into his chest. His back hit the wall, his head snapping back from the impact. His vision blurred.

The fake Lucas loomed over him.

"You don't belong here," it whispered.

Lucas gasped, struggling to move, but his limbs felt heavy. His body sank into the cold floor as if the darkness itself was swallowing him.

And then-

A reflection.

Not in the mirror.

In the window.

Lucas's real reflection.

It moved on its own, separate from him, eyes blazing with urgency.

"Lucas-fight back!"

His breath hitched. The weight on his chest tightened. The fake Lucas pressed down, fingers digging into his shoulders, keeping him pinned.

"You should've never freed me."

Eli.

It was Eli speaking through the doppelgänger.

Lucas gritted his teeth. His real reflection was still there, hands pressed against the glass of the window now, desperate.

"Push him away!" his reflection yelled.

Lucas clenched his fists. His chest burned, his mind spun-but he forced himself to move.

With all his strength, he shoved against the fake Lucas.

The figure stumbled back, its form glitching-flickering between shadows and something almost human.

Lucas gasped for air, scrambling to his feet. The others moved fast.

Tessa grabbed his arm. "We need to get out of here."

Ryan was already at the door, yanking it open. The cold night air rushed in, but-

Something blocked their way.

A shadow.

Tall. Unmoving. Waiting.

And then-

A voice.

Deep. Familiar.

"You should've buried me when you had the chance."

Lucas's blood turned to ice.

The body.

The one they had exorcised.

It was standing.

And it was looking right at them.

The exorcised body stood in the doorway.

Its face was wrong.

Its skin sagged in places, like something had tried to mold it back together but failed. Its mouth hung slightly open, lips moving without sound. And its eyes-lifeless, but aware.

Ryan took a step back, nearly tripping. "No. No, we exorcised it. We saw it die."

The chief's grip tightened on his knife. "Then something brought it back."

Lucas barely heard them. His chest felt tight, his breath shallow. The body hadn't moved yet, but he could feel its presence pressing against him-something dark slithering just beneath its rotting skin.

The fake Lucas was gone.

But this? This was worse.

The corpse tilted its head, eyes locking onto Lucas.

And then-

It smiled.

"You let me in."

The voice came from its mouth, but the lips didn't move right. Eli. He wasn't just possessing it-he was inside it, twisting it like a puppet.

Tessa's hand tightened around Lucas's arm. Caleb let out a shaky breath. No one moved.

Then, the thing stepped forward.

The chief reacted first. He raised his knife and threw it.

The blade buried itself into the corpse's chest.

It didn't flinch.

Lucas's stomach dropped.

The corpse reached up, fingers closing around the hilt. With a slow, unnatural movement, it pulled the knife out.

No blood. No pain. Just... emptiness.

Ryan swore under his breath. "What the hell do we do?"

The thing took another step, then-

It laughed.

The sound was wrong-warped, echoing, crawling under their skin.

"You think you can stop me?" Eli's voice sneered from the corpse. "You barely stopped one possession. How do you plan to stop a hundred?"

The air shivered around them.

Lucas's real reflection still stood in the window, watching, his face pale with horror.

"Don't let him touch you!" the reflection warned.

The corpse's hand shot out.

Lucas barely reacted in time-he staggered back, heart hammering.

The chief grabbed his arm and yanked him toward the door. "Move! Now!"

Tessa and Caleb were already rushing outside, Ryan not far behind. The chief shoved Lucas forward, following close behind as the thing lunged after them.

The moment they were out of the house, the chief slammed the door shut.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Lucas's breath came fast, uneven. His pulse pounded in his ears.

Ryan wiped sweat from his forehead. "What-what the hell was that?"

The chief stared at the house, his face grim. "Eli's testing us."

Lucas swallowed hard. "Testing us for what?"

The chief finally looked at him.

"To see if we're ready for what comes next."

The wind howled through the trees.

And somewhere in the house-something knocked against the door.

Once.

Twice.

A slow, deliberate sound.

Tap. Tap.

And then Eli whispered through the wood.

"You should've buried me when you had the chance."

---

The knocking didn't stop.

Tap. Tap.

The sound was slow, rhythmic, almost mocking. The house stood in eerie stillness behind them, its windows dark. Lucas could feel the thing inside, standing just behind the door. Watching. Waiting.

The air smelled of damp earth and something rotten.

No one moved.

Ryan clenched his fists. "We can't just stand here. We have to-"

Tap. Tap.

Louder this time.

Tessa shuddered. "What does he want?"

Lucas swallowed hard. He already knew the answer.

"To break us."

The chief inhaled sharply. His eyes were locked on the door, but his expression was unreadable. Then, without another word, he turned and started toward the library. "We need to move."

Lucas hesitated, glancing back.

The house stood too still.

The knocking had stopped.

The silence was worse.

Lucas exhaled, forcing himself to follow the others. His legs felt stiff, like he was dragging himself through water.

Ryan muttered under his breath, still shaken. "This isn't normal. It wasn't supposed to still be moving."

Caleb wiped a hand over his face. "We exorcised it. How the hell is it still up?"

No one had an answer.

Lucas stayed quiet, his mind racing.

Eli was getting stronger.

He thought sealing the body in the glass sarcophagus had been enough, that the exorcism had severed Eli's control. But something was wrong. He could still touch the dead.

And that meant he wasn't just lingering-he was anchoring himself.

A new thought clawed its way into Lucas's head, chilling him to the bone.

What if the sarcophagus wasn't enough?

His real reflection had told him not to listen to the fake.

But what if that warning came too late?

The wind howled around them as they entered the library, pushing open the heavy wooden doors. The air inside smelled of old paper, dust, and something faintly metallic. The chief led them through the rows of bookshelves toward the back room-the hidden place where they had sealed Eli's body.

Lucas's pulse quickened.

The glass sarcophagus sat in the center of the room. Unmoving. Undisturbed.

Or so it seemed.

Tessa hesitated by the door. "Are we sure it's still in there?"

Lucas stepped closer. His breath fogged against the cold glass.

Eli's body lay inside, pale and perfectly still.

His arms were folded across his chest, his face peaceful-too peaceful. Like a mannequin. A wax figure.

Something was wrong.

Lucas's stomach twisted.

Ryan nudged his shoulder. "He's dead. We locked him in there. He can't-"

The lights flickered.

Lucas's breath caught.

The air shifted.

A hand slammed against the glass.

Lucas stumbled back with a sharp gasp.

Eli's body hadn't moved.

But a second handprint pressed against the inside of the sarcophagus.

Too high. Too misplaced.

Tessa let out a shaky breath. "Tell me you saw that."

Ryan nodded stiffly. "I-Yeah."

The chief stepped forward. His gaze was cold, calculating. "It's not just his body in there."

Lucas's hands trembled.

There was something else inside.

The second handprint stayed there for a long moment-and then it slid down the glass, leaving a faint streak behind.

Lucas clenched his fists. "The exorcism didn't work completely."

Caleb shook his head. "We forced him out. We saw him leave."

Lucas inhaled sharply. "Not all of him."

The thought lodged itself deep in his chest.

Eli had split himself.

One part had possessed the body they exorcised. But another part of him-his soul, his essence-was still inside the sarcophagus.

Still waiting.

The handprint vanished.

Ryan swore under his breath. "So what now? We can't keep him in there if he's still alive."

The chief didn't answer right away. He ran a hand over the glass, his eyes narrowed. "We need to reinforce it. Trap him fully this time."

Lucas's pulse pounded. "How?"

The chief turned to face them. His expression was grim.

"We need to cut off his connection to the town."

Silence.

Tessa looked confused. "What does that mean?"

The chief's voice was steady, but there was a weight to it. "Eli is still feeding off the town. Off us. Every soul he touches, every mind he bends-it's making him stronger. He has anchors."

Lucas swallowed. He already knew where this was going.

Ryan frowned. "You mean... we have to break the curse?"

The chief nodded. "Completely."

Caleb exhaled. "But we don't even know how."

Lucas turned back to the sarcophagus, staring at the glass, his mind racing. The curse was the root of everything. Eli had created it, twisted it, and was now using it to keep himself alive. If they wanted to stop him, they had to sever his hold on the town.

But breaking the curse wasn't just about freeing people's minds.

It was about cutting off Eli's source of power.

Lucas's reflection had warned him-don't let the fake Lucas near Eli's body.

What if it wasn't just about tricking him?

What if the fake reflection had been trying to merge with Eli?

Lucas's stomach dropped. He turned sharply to the chief. "I need to see a mirror."

Ryan blinked. "Now?"

Lucas didn't answer. He grabbed the nearest reflective surface-a small, framed piece of glass from the shelf-and stared into it.

His reflection looked back at him. Normal.

But then-

His real reflection stepped forward.

Lucas's breath hitched.

The second Lucas pressed his hand against the glass, his expression urgent.

"Lucas," he whispered. "You need to hurry. He's waking up."

Lucas's chest tightened. "Who?"

His reflection's eyes darkened.

"Eli."

The handprint on the sarcophagus reappeared.

This time, a crack formed in the glass.

Lucas turned sharply. His blood ran cold.

A single fracture snaked across the surface.

Eli's voice, low and amused, echoed through the room.

"I told you... you should have buried me when you had the chance."

And then-

The sarcophagus shattered.

---

The sound of shattering glass rang through the library.

Lucas barely had time to react before a cold wind blasted through the room. The shards of the sarcophagus lifted into the air, twisting violently like they were caught in an invisible storm.

And Eli's body-it was gone.

A breath, soft as silk, whispered in Lucas's ear.

"Run."

The lights exploded.

Darkness swallowed them whole.

Ryan cursed, fumbling backward. Tessa grabbed Lucas's wrist in a death grip, her breath fast and panicked. The air felt thick, suffocating, like something was watching them from every shadow.

Then-

A single lightbulb flickered to life.

And in the dim glow, someone stood at the doorway.

A woman.

Tall, wrapped in a heavy coat, her hair tangled and her face drawn with exhaustion. She held a rusted lantern, its weak light barely illuminating her sharp eyes.

She wasn't scared.

She was waiting.

"Come with me," she said.

Lucas didn't move. His chest tightened. "Who-?"

"No time," she cut in. Her voice was low but commanding. "Eli's loose. If you stay here, you die."

That was enough.

The chief nodded once and shoved Lucas forward. "Move."

They ran.

---

The Safe House

The woman-Rita-led them through the backstreets of town, moving fast, never looking back. The air was too quiet, the sky wrong-too dark for this time of night.

Eli was doing this.

Lucas felt it in his bones.

They reached an old, abandoned pharmacy, its windows covered with blackened paper. Rita unlocked the door and shoved them inside, locking it behind them.

Only when they were in the basement did she finally exhale.

Lucas took in their surroundings-old shelves, broken chairs, dusty books. This wasn't just a hiding place.

It was a war room.

Maps of the town lined the walls, marked with symbols and dates. Names were crossed out. Circles drawn in red.

Lucas's stomach turned. "Who are you?"

Rita gave him a hard look. "Someone who knows what you're dealing with."

Ryan scoffed. "That's vague as hell."

Rita grabbed a stack of papers and shoved them toward him. "I've been tracking Eli for years. He's not just a curse. He's a plague. You think you're the first ones to fight him?"

Lucas's fingers tightened around the paper. "What happened to the others?"

Rita's face darkened.

"They're dead."

Silence.

The chief sat down, rubbing his temples. "So you have a plan?"

Rita's eyes flicked to Lucas. "You've seen him, haven't you? The reflections."

Lucas's breath caught. "How do you know that?"

"Because that's how he finds his next vessel."

Tessa's voice shook. "What do you mean?"

Rita exhaled. "Eli's body is just a shell. He doesn't need it anymore. He's looking for something new. A stronger host. Someone connected to the curse."

She turned to Lucas.

"He wants you."

The room froze.

Lucas's chest ached. He already knew, deep down. The whispers, the dreams, the way his reflection kept warning him.

Eli wasn't trying to just kill him.

He was trying to become him.

Caleb swallowed. "So what do we do?"

Rita's jaw tightened. "We sever the connection before it's too late."

"How?" Lucas asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Rita turned and grabbed something from a crate-a mirror.

But it wasn't normal. The glass was blackened, the edges covered in symbols. The frame felt wrong just looking at it.

She held it up. "This is a Hollow Mirror."

Ryan frowned. "And that means...?"

Rita met Lucas's eyes.

"It's the only thing that can show you what Eli really is."

Lucas's stomach dropped.

Tap. Tap.

A sound from above.

Something had found them.

---

The Hollow Mirror

The air in the basement grew colder.

Lucas felt it pressing against his skin, sinking into his bones. The sound above shifted-from tapping to something worse.

Dragging.

Something was moving inside the pharmacy.

Rita grabbed Lucas's wrist and shoved the Hollow Mirror into his hands. "Look. Now."

Lucas's fingers trembled.

The glass was cold.

Slowly, he lifted it to his face-

And everything changed.

The basement was gone.

The world twisted, stretched, melted into something wrong. The walls pulsed like flesh. The floor was covered in black water.

And in the mirror-he saw himself.

But it wasn't him.

The reflection grinned.

"Finally."

Lucas gasped and dropped the mirror.

The world snapped back.

Tessa caught his arm. "What did you see?"

Lucas's breath was ragged.

"He's-" He shook his head. "He's already inside."

Ryan's face paled. "Inside what?"

Lucas's heart pounded. He turned to Rita. "What happens if he takes over?"

Rita's expression was grim.

"The town dies."

BOOM.

The door upstairs slammed open.

A voice echoed through the pharmacy.

"Lucas..."

The lights burst.

And then-

The screaming started.

---

The screaming ripped through the