Chapter 12
"I came for you, Olivia Hawthorne."
The words struck Olivia like a thunderclap. Her breath caught in her chest, and for a moment, she could only stare at the man who stood before her, his eyes gleaming with something dark, familiar, and impossible to ignore. He wasn't a stranger—she knew him, or at least felt like she did—but she couldn't grasp where or why.
Henry and James, still fighting to break through the locked door, shouted from the other side, their voices panicked.
"Olivia! Get away from it! We're coming, just hold on!" Henry's voice was strained, laced with fear, but Olivia couldn't tear her eyes away from the man in front of her. She wanted to shout back, to tell them she was fine, but the words stuck in her throat.
The creature that had once been Lila, twisted and dark, let out a low hiss, its inhuman gaze flickering between Olivia and the man who had just arrived. The air thickened with an unnatural tension, the shadows swirling like they had a life of their own. Olivia could feel the weight of it pressing down on her chest, her heart pounding in time with the house's groaning walls.
"You think you can save her?" the creature rasped, its voice laced with mockery. "You're just as trapped as I am. Just as broken."
Olivia flinched, her hands trembling as she took a step back. Her eyes were glued to the man, her instincts screaming that he knew more than he was letting on, but at the same time, he felt like a harbinger of doom.
"You've come too late," the man said, his voice smooth, yet icy. "She's already beyond saving. Just like you will be."
"No!" Olivia cried out, the pain of his words cutting deeper than any blade. "She's my sister. I can't leave her like this!"
"You've already made your choice, Olivia," the man replied coldly. "Just like Lila did. You think you can fight it. But there's no escape. The house has chosen."
The creature's form twisted in agony at the mention of the house, its eyes flaring with rage. It took a step forward, its movements jerky, as if it was fighting to maintain control over itself.
"I'm not leaving her!" Olivia shouted, her voice hoarse with desperation. She turned to look at the door where Henry and James were still struggling to get in. "Help me! I need you!"
But the door didn't budge. Henry's voice cracked as he yelled again, more frantic now. "Olivia! Please, listen to us! We have to get out of here. It's not her anymore!"
But Olivia couldn't move. She was trapped, both by the man's presence and by the house's suffocating grip. The shadows crept closer, whispering things she couldn't hear but felt deep in her bones. She could feel it—whatever had taken Lila, whatever had claimed this house—was starting to creep into her too.
The man's eyes never left Olivia. "You're stronger than she was," he said, as if speaking to himself, more than her. "But even strength has its limits."
Olivia could barely breathe. Her hands were shaking, her heart racing. But she was determined. She wouldn't let Lila go, not without a fight.
"Please," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "What do you want from me? What am I supposed to do?"
The man's lips curled into a small, cruel smile. "I don't want anything, Olivia. I'm not the one who's come for you. But your fate is tied to this place. You have no choice."
Behind her, the creature—Lila—lurched forward again, its claws outstretched. But this time, Olivia didn't flinch. She couldn't afford to. The fear, the terror, everything was weighing down on her, but it only pushed her to fight harder.
"I can't let her do this," Olivia muttered, more to herself than anyone else.
The man raised a hand, his fingers outstretched, and suddenly, the temperature in the room dropped further. The air turned thick with the stench of decay, and for a moment, Olivia couldn't tell if it was coming from the creature or the house itself.
"You have no idea what you're dealing with, Olivia," he said softly, his voice chilling. "You can't save her. But you can still save yourself."
Before Olivia could process his words, a sharp, jagged crack split the air as the door burst open. Henry and James rushed inside, their faces pale, eyes wide with fear. James immediately reached for Olivia, pulling her back from the man, his grip tight on her arm.
"Get away from him!" Henry shouted, his eyes darting between Olivia and the man. "What the hell is going on here?"
The man barely acknowledged their presence, his eyes still locked on Olivia. "Your sister is lost," he said coldly. "And you're not far behind her."
James stood protectively in front of Olivia, his voice low but firm. "Leave her alone!"
The creature behind them let out a guttural snarl, and before anyone could react, it lunged at James, its claws outstretched.
"No!" Olivia screamed, her heart leaping into her throat.
But the man didn't move. He didn't even flinch as James swung around to try and defend himself, his movements jerky and disoriented from the creature's otherworldly speed.
Everything happened in a blur. Olivia's mind raced, her body frozen in place, unable to move or react as James fought against the creature. Henry shouted at her to run, to escape, but the words didn't make sense in the moment.
The man raised his hand again, and just as suddenly as the fight had begun, it stopped. The creature froze in mid-air, its claws inches from James's chest, and for a long moment, no one moved.
"You think you can fight this?" the man asked, his voice filled with quiet disdain. "It's already too late for all of you."
Olivia turned back to him, her heart pounding in her chest. "Then what do you want? What do you want from me?"
The man smiled, his dark eyes never leaving hers. "What I want, Olivia, is for you to see the truth. It's time you knew who you really are."
The house groaned again, the walls shifting and whispering as if it were alive, and Olivia felt it—felt the weight of the curse tightening around them.
Her siblings were still by her side, but they couldn't help her now. Not when the house was closing in.
Not when her fate was sealed.