The walls didn't just scream.
They howled.
Like a chorus of tortured souls, voices blending into a nightmarish wail that made the air itself feel heavier.
Then? The floor cracked.
The bookshelves twisted like they had spines snapping in agony.
Felix, somehow conscious again, bolted upright. "I WANT A REFUND ON LIFE."
Julien grabbed his arm. "MOVE, IDIOT!"
Chairs toppled. The table flung itself backward.
And the Host?
Still seated. Still watching.
Even without a face, I could feel it staring.
And then it stood.
RUN, THE NOTE SAID.
We listened.
BAM. The door flew open.
We ran straight into darkness.
The hallway was gone.
No torches. No walls.
Just endless black.
Leo panicked. "WHERE ARE WE?!"
Julien: "DEAD. WE'RE DEAD."
Felix: "I'M GONNA DIE A VIRGIN."
Mira, still calm: "Not my problem."
Behind us?
The Host floated forward.
Not walking. Not running.
Floating.
Like it had all the time in the world.
The worst part?
The air bent around it.
