A Life Is Loading

As the last rays of sunlight disappeared beyond the horizon, Clay felt a weight settle deep in his chest. The night had arrived. The night he had feared the most.

Lily sat beside him, clinging to his arm, her small fingers trembling against his skin. Emily sat a few feet away, her eyes puffy from crying, her hands gripping the fabric of her dress tightly. She hadn't said much after Lily's chilling words about Ben's anger and the warning he had given them. But Clay knew—this was all because of her.

He didn't know how, he didn't know why, but one thing was certain—Emily was connected to all of this.

He could feel it in his bones.

As the darkness swallowed the house whole, Clay took one last deep breath and locked the door to the room—the same room where they had first hidden when the unknown man appeared with the knife. This was their safe place now.

But was anywhere in this house truly safe?

The silence was thick, suffocating.

A cold breeze brushed against Clay's skin, even though all the windows were closed.

Something was coming.

He could feel it.

The Heavy Night Begins

Minutes passed, stretching into what felt like hours. No one spoke. Even Lily, who had been bravely telling them about Ben, had gone silent. She simply curled against her father, her tiny body tense.

Emily sat near the wall, staring at nothing. Clay knew she could feel it too—the weight of the night.

Finally, she broke the silence.

"Clay…" Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Do you think… do you think Ben is really… angry with me?"

Clay clenched his jaw.

"Lily saw him," he said, his voice rough. "She said he's standing next to you. She said he blames you."

Emily let out a shaky breath, her hands gripping the floor as if to steady herself. "But why? What have I done?" Her voice cracked. "Why would Ben say that?"

Clay's fists clenched. That was the question burning inside him too. He wanted to trust Emily. He wanted to believe that his wife—the woman he had loved for years—had nothing to do with this.

But something in his gut told him otherwise.

She knew something.

And whatever it was… it had brought this nightmare into their lives.

The Sound of Footsteps

A sudden sound shattered the silence.

Footsteps.

Slow, deliberate. Moving across the hall outside their locked room.

Emily gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. Lily pressed herself tighter against Clay, her breath shaky.

Clay felt his heart hammering in his chest. Someone was there.

Or… something.

The footsteps stopped right outside their door.

Then, in the dead silence of the night, a voice whispered.

"Daddy… open the door."

Clay's blood ran cold.

It was Ben's voice.

But Clay knew it wasn't Ben.

Lily whimpered, burying her face into Clay's arm. Emily's body shook violently, her breath coming out in uneven gasps.

The doorknob twisted.

Once.

Twice.

Click. Click. Click.

The door was locked. But the thing outside kept trying.

"Daddy, let me in… It's cold outside."

Clay clenched his jaw, pressing Lily closer to him. He turned toward Emily, his voice low and firm.

"You need to tell me the truth."

Emily shook her head violently, her eyes wide with terror. "I don't know anything, Clay, I swear! I don't know what's happening!"

Click. Click. Click.

"Mommy… don't you love me? Open the door, Mommy…"

Emily let out a strangled sob. "Ben… oh my God… Ben…"

Clay grabbed her wrist, forcing her to look at him. "Tell me what you know. Now."

Tears streamed down Emily's face as she shook her head, her lips trembling. "I swear, I don't—"

A loud bang cut her off.

The door shook violently.

Clay tightened his hold on Lily. Whatever was out there… it wasn't Ben.

And it was getting angrier.

The Shadows in the Room

Then… the room changed.

The air grew colder, heavy with something unseen. The walls seemed to stretch, the shadows growing taller, shifting unnaturally.

Lily gasped.

"Daddy… something's in here with us."

Clay whipped his head around, scanning the room. Empty. But… something was wrong.

Emily's breathing became ragged as she whispered, "He's inside."

A low, eerie chuckle echoed from the dark corner of the room.

Clay's entire body froze.

They were no longer alone.

Emily whimpered, pressing herself against the wall. Lily clung to Clay, her little body trembling.

Then…

A voice spoke from the darkness.

Not Ben's.

Not the unknown man's.

But something else.

Something older.

Something far more terrifying.

"The night is heavy, Clay. And it has only just begun."

Clay's breath hitched.

His worst fear was now a reality.

They were trapped.

And the night was just getting started.

Outside, the sky was completely black.

The sun had gone down.

Clay's entire body trembled with rage and fear as he stood up, shielding Lily behind him. His fists clenched, his breath uneven, and his heart pounded like a drum. The shadows in the room twisted unnaturally, growing darker, spreading like ink in water. The eerie chuckle from the corner of the room sent chills down his spine.

He couldn't take it anymore. His son was gone. His family was falling apart. And now, this thing—this presence—was tormenting them without mercy.

With his voice breaking in anger, Clay screamed into the suffocating darkness.

"Who are you?!"

The laughter stopped.

A silence heavier than anything before settled in the room.

Then, in a voice that was neither human nor entirely otherworldly, the shadow answered.

"I am what remains. I am what was forgotten. I am what she tried to bury."

The voice was deep, layered, as if multiple voices spoke at once.

Clay's breath hitched. His mind was spiraling, trying to grasp what the entity meant. His eyes darted toward Emily, whose face had lost all color.

But he wasn't done.

With tears welling in his eyes, he roared, "Why?! Why did you take my son?! What did Ben ever do to you?!"

The shadow moved—slowly, deliberately. The darkness curled like smoke, shifting closer.

And then it spoke again.

"Because of your wife."

The words hit Clay like a punch to the gut. His knees nearly buckled.

His eyes widened, and slowly, he turned to Emily.

She was shaking violently, her lips quivering.

She knew.

She had always known.

And Clay had no idea what monster was standing beside him all these years.

Clay's world spun as the weight of those words settled deep in his chest. Because of your wife.

His heart pounded violently against his ribs. His breath grew shallow. He turned to Emily, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Emily shook her head frantically, tears spilling down her cheeks. "No… no, Clay, please… I don't know what it's talking about! I swear—"

But Clay wasn't sure if he believed her anymore.

His mind screamed for answers. What had she done? What was she hiding?

The shadow chuckled again, a sound that was neither fully human nor fully monstrous. It was amused.

"She knows, Clay." The voice slithered into the room, wrapping around them like an invisible noose. "And soon… you will too."

The darkness in the room thickened. The air turned colder.

Lily clung to Clay's shirt, her tiny body trembling. "Daddy…" she whimpered. "Ben told me… the night has just begun."

A heavy silence followed.

Clay exhaled, gripping his daughter tightly. He felt trapped, suffocated.

Somewhere outside, the wind howled. The shadows flickered, shifting unnaturally against the walls.

And then…

A whisper.

"A life is loading."

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