Chapter 15: Chapter 15: The Last Message
The first rays of morning light crept through the cracks in the old rented room, painting faint golden streaks across the worn-out walls. It should have been a sign of hope, a new day, a fresh beginning. But for Clay, Emily, and Lily, it felt nothing like that.
The light was arriving, but Ben was fading.
Clay knelt beside his son, holding his frail, trembling body in his arms. Ben's breathing was shallow, his small chest rising and falling with difficulty. His skin was unnaturally cold, his once vibrant face now pale and lifeless.
Emily was crouched next to them, her hands pressed against her lips as silent tears rolled down her cheeks. Lily stood frozen, gripping her mother's dress, too young to fully understand, yet aware enough to feel the weight of the moment.
Clay's heart pounded painfully against his ribs. He felt helpless. How did it come to this? Just hours ago, Ben was crying out for help, begging Clay to stop whatever was happening. And now…
Now his little boy was slipping away.
No. This can't happen.
Clay gritted his teeth, his hands tightening around Ben's frail shoulders. "Ben, stay with me," he pleaded, his voice cracking. "You have to fight, son. Don't give up."
Ben's lips trembled, his body shuddering. His eyes fluttered open, barely able to focus on his father's face. But he was still here.
A weak, broken voice escaped his lips. "Daddy…"
Clay leaned in closer. "I'm here, Ben. I'm right here."
Ben exhaled shakily. His fingers twitched as if trying to hold onto something—hold onto life. But his strength was failing.
Then, he whispered something so faint that Clay had to lower his ear to his son's mouth to hear.
"Now… it's Lily's turn."
Clay's entire body went rigid.
Emily gasped, shaking her head in horror. "No… No, Ben, don't say that!"
But Ben's lips curled into the faintest, saddest smile. He wasn't afraid anymore. He had already accepted his fate.
A single tear slipped from the corner of his eye as he looked at his little sister.
"P-Please… save her," he choked out.
Lily's eyes widened, her small frame trembling. "Ben…?"
And then—his body went still.
For a brief moment, Clay thought time itself had frozen. The room was silent, eerily so.
Clay shook his son gently. "Ben?"
No response.
His breath hitched. "Ben! Wake up, son!" His voice grew desperate as he shook him harder. "Don't do this! You're okay, you're—"
But he wasn't.
Ben's lifeless body lay still in his father's arms. The color had drained completely from his face. His lips were slightly parted, as if he had one last thing to say—but never could.
Emily let out a heart-wrenching scream as she collapsed beside them, sobbing uncontrollably.
Lily's tiny hands covered her mouth as tears flooded her eyes. "Benny… wake up," she whispered. "P-Please…"
Clay's entire body trembled. His mind refused to accept the truth. This wasn't real. This couldn't be real.
His son—his little Ben—was gone.
The world around him blurred. His hands felt numb. His own heartbeat rang loudly in his ears, drowning out Emily's sobs, Lily's cries, and the distant sounds of morning outside their broken home.
A piece of him had just died.
And yet, something even worse had just begun.
"Now… it's Lily's turn."
Ben's last words echoed in Clay's mind, sending a sharp wave of terror crashing into his chest.
He had fought against the darkness, and he had lost.
But the nightmare wasn't over.
It had only shifted its focus.
Now, the shadows were coming for Lily.
Clay clenched his fists. His sorrow, his helplessness—all of it twisted into rage. No. He wouldn't let this happen. He had already lost his son. He would not lose his daughter, too.
Tears still streamed down his face as he pressed a trembling kiss to Ben's forehead. "I swear to you, son," he whispered. "I'll protect her."
Emily looked up at Clay with terrified, swollen eyes. "What do we do, Clay?" she sobbed. "What do we do?"
Clay exhaled shakily, his heart still pounding.
There was only one answer.
Find the unknown man. End this nightmare.
He didn't know how, he didn't know where to start, but he didn't care. He had no choice anymore.
Because now, a new life was loading.
The days that followed Ben's death were filled with an unbearable emptiness.
Clay and Emily performed all the rituals for their son, their hearts weighed down with grief. The air around them felt different, heavier, like a shadow lingering over their lives. Lily barely spoke, her young mind unable to process the horror of what had happened.
Yet, what disturbed Clay the most wasn't the pain of losing his son.
It was the silence.
For ten days, nothing happened.
No whispers in the night. No eerie shadows stretching across the walls. No doors creaking open by themselves. No unknown man appearing and disappearing like a ghost.
Just silence.
And it was terrifying.
The first few days, Clay barely slept. He kept expecting something—anything—to happen. Every night, he sat awake, staring at the ceiling, waiting for the nightmare to return. He listened carefully to every sound, every movement in the house. But all he heard was the distant ticking of a broken clock and the faint breathing of his wife and daughter.
Emily, though drowning in grief, noticed the change in Clay. "It's over," she whispered one night. "Maybe… maybe Ben's soul is finally at peace."
Clay wanted to believe that. He really did.
But something inside him refused to accept it.
The way Ben had died… his last words… the mysterious unknown man who seemed to control everything—it was too much to ignore.
Ben had warned him.
"Now… it's Lily's turn."
And yet, nothing had happened to Lily. Not a single nightmare. Not a single mark on her.
Why?
On the seventh day after Ben's death, Clay finally voiced his thoughts to Emily. "It's too quiet."
Emily looked up from where she was folding some of Ben's old clothes, her eyes red and swollen from days of crying. "What do you mean?"
Clay frowned, rubbing his tired face. "We both know this thing isn't over. Ben said Lily was next. But it's been a week, and nothing's happened. Why?"
Emily hesitated before speaking. "Maybe…" She swallowed hard. "Maybe Ben's death ended it."
Clay shook his head. "No. If that was true, I would feel it." His voice dropped lower. "But I don't."
Emily shuddered and looked at Lily, who was sitting by the window, staring blankly outside. "I don't care what it was. I just want my daughter safe."
Clay sighed, walking toward Lily. He crouched beside her, gently tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear.
She didn't react.
"Lily?" he said softly.
She blinked and slowly turned to look at him.
For a moment, Clay saw nothing but emptiness in her eyes.
A hollow, distant stare.
But then, she blinked again, and it was gone.
"I miss Benny," she whispered.
Clay's chest tightened. "I know, sweetheart. I miss him too."
She hesitated before adding, "He's not gone."
Clay's breath caught in his throat. "What do you mean?"
Lily's fingers curled around the fabric of her dress. "I see him. In my dreams."
Emily, who had been listening, immediately tensed. "Lily…" she said cautiously.
Lily finally looked up, her small face pale. "He tells me to be careful."
Clay and Emily exchanged a look of pure terror.
Lily continued in a whisper. "He says something is waiting."
Emily gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.
Clay grabbed Lily's shoulders gently. "Lily… tell me exactly what Ben says."
Lily hesitated. "He says the game isn't over."
A chill ran down Clay's spine.
His worst fear was true.
The silence wasn't peace.
It was the calm before the storm.
For ten days, nothing had happened.
But now, the nightmare was about to begin again.
And this time…
It was Lily's turn.
Clay felt his entire body go cold. His hands trembled as he held onto Lily, his mind racing with fear and confusion. The game isn't over. Ben's words echoed in his head like a cruel reminder that their nightmare was far from finished.
Emily's breathing was uneven, her fingers digging into her arms as she whispered, "Clay… what does this mean?"
Clay swallowed hard, his gaze locked onto his daughter. "It means… the worst is yet to come."
Lily looked up at her parents, her innocent eyes now clouded with something dark—something unnatural. "Benny said…" She hesitated, her voice barely above a whisper. "Tonight is the last night."
A shiver ran down Clay's spine. "Last night?"
Lily nodded slowly. "Because tomorrow…" She took a deep breath before finishing.
"The endless night is coming."
Silence filled the room, thick and suffocating. Emily let out a strangled sob, covering her mouth. Clay's heart pounded against his ribs as he stared at his daughter, his mind screaming for answers.
The last night. The endless night.
What did it mean?
He didn't know.
But one thing was certain.
Tonight would be their final chance to stop whatever was coming.
And if they failed…
They would never see the morning again.
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