The forest held its breath, the air thick with the scent of pine needles and damp earth. Lily, her heart pounding in her chest, held Thomas close, her arms wrapped tightly around him. He trembled, his body still shaking from the encounter with Madeline's ghost. "It's okay," Lily whispered, her voice filled with reassurance. "She's gone. We're safe." But even as she spoke, a sense of unease settled over her. The forest seemed to shift, the shadows deepening, the air growing colder. She felt a pull, a magnetic force drawing them deeper into the woods. Thomas, his eyes wide with fear, looked at her, his voice a barely audible whisper. "She's calling me." Lily felt a chill run down her spine. She knew what he meant. The factory, the place where Rod Sullivan had conducted his experiments, where he had created the creature that had taken the form of her brother, was calling him back. "No," she said, her voice firm, but her heart sinking. "We're not going back there." But the pull was too strong. It was a force that seemed to emanate from the very core of the forest, a force that drew them towards the ruins of the factory, towards the darkness that had consumed them. "We have to go," Thomas said, his voice filled with a strange mix of fear and longing. "It's calling me home." Lily felt a surge of panic. She couldn't let him go back there. She couldn't let the darkness consume him again. She held him tighter, her arms squeezing him as if she could hold him back from the darkness. "No, Thomas," she said, her voice trembling. "We're not going back. We're safe here." But the pull was too strong. It was as if an invisible hand was reaching out, pulling them towards the factory, towards the darkness. "We have to go," Thomas said again, his voice filled with a desperate plea. "She needs me." Lily felt tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn't fight it. She couldn't stop him. The darkness was calling him, and he was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. "Okay," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "We'll go." She knew it was a mistake. She knew that going back to the factory was a dangerous, perhaps even fatal, decision. But she couldn't leave Thomas to the darkness alone. She led him through the forest, her heart heavy with dread. The trees seemed to close in around them, their branches reaching out like grasping claws. The air grew colder, the shadows deepening, and a sense of foreboding settled over them. They reached the edge of the clearing where the factory stood, a skeletal ruin against the darkening sky. The windows were broken, the walls crumbling, the air thick with the stench of decay. But even in its ruined state, the factory exuded an aura of menace, a sense of something sinister lurking within its walls. As they approached the factory, the pull grew stronger. It was as if the factory itself was reaching out, beckoning them towards its depths. Thomas turned to Lily, his eyes filled with a strange mix of fear and longing. "She's waiting for me," he said. "She needs me." Lily felt a surge of despair. She knew that going back to the factory was a mistake. She knew that it was a trap, a darkness that would consume them both. But she couldn't leave Thomas to the darkness alone. She took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest. She would face the darkness, she would face Madeline's ghost, she would face whatever awaited them within the walls of the factory. She would fight for Thomas, she would fight for the light, she would fight for the soul of the world. Together, they stepped into the shadows of the factory, the darkness closing in around them, the pull of the darkness growing stronger with every step. End of Chapter 4