Unearthing Secrets
The group stood frozen, the tension in Daniel's apartment thick enough to choke. The knock came again, soft yet insistent.
Lara stepped back from the door, her mind racing. "Before we do anything, we need to see if Daniel's got anything useful here."
Margot nodded sharply. "Agreed. Whatever's out there isn't coming in quietly."
The group split up, moving quickly but carefully through Daniel's cramped living space.
Lara rifled through a cabinet near the kitchen, finding mostly canned food and mismatched utensils. In the back of one drawer, her fingers brushed against something cold and metallic—a small handgun. She pulled it out, checking the chamber. Two bullets.
"Daniel," she called. "You didn't mention this."
He winced, his face pale. "It's all I have. I didn't think it'd help against… them."
"It might," Lara said, tucking the gun into her waistband.
Margot dug through a pile of books near the couch. Most were on urban legends, cryptids, and the supernatural. One slim volume caught her eye—its spine cracked and its cover blank.
She flipped it open, frowning as she scanned the pages. They were filled with handwritten notes, diagrams, and sketches of strange symbols. One phrase was underlined multiple times:
"The heart and its tether cannot survive without the anchor."
"Lara," Margot said, holding up the book. "Look at this."
Jack checked a closet near the front door, moving aside clothes and blankets. He found a length of heavy chain and a rusty hammer, both of which he dragged out with a grunt. "Not ideal," he muttered, "but it's better than nothing"
Becca, still shaken from her wounds, sat in the corner, flipping through her sketchpad. Her trembling hands worked on a new drawing, almost without her realizing it—a dark, jagged shape with glowing eyes.
"It's them," she whispered to herself. "It's always them."
The knocking stopped.
Silence pressed against the room like a held breath. Everyone froze, their ears straining for any sound.
Then, the voice came again, soft and pleading:
"Please. It's me. Becca. Let me in."
Becca paled, clutching her sketchpad tightly. "That's not me," she whispered, her voice trembling.
"No kidding," Jack muttered, gripping the crowbar.
Margot moved to the door, pressing her ear against it. "It's not moving," she said quietly. "Whatever it is, it's waiting for us to make the first move."
Lara loaded the handgun, its weight unfamiliar in her hands. "If it's a trick, we can't let it in. But we need to know what it is."
Margot nodded, her knife glinting in the dim light. "I'll take point. You cover me."
Jack stood behind her, crowbar in hand, while Becca and Daniel stayed near the back of the room, their faces pale with fear.
"Open it just enough to see," Margot said, her voice calm but firm.
Lara hesitated, her pulse pounding in her ears. With a deep breath, she turned the lock and cracked the door open.
The hallway beyond was dim, the flickering light casting long, jagged shadows. Standing just outside was a figure identical to Becca—her auburn hair, her pale face, even the bandage wrapped around her arm.
"Lara," the figure said softly, its eyes wide with desperation. "Please, let me in. They're coming."
Lara tightened her grip on the door, her voice shaking. "You're not her."
"Yes, I am," the figure said, stepping closer. "I'm hurt. I'm scared. I just want to come inside."
"You're lying," Margot snapped, her knife glinting as she stepped forward. "We already have the real Becca."
The figure tilted its head, its expression shifting from fear to something cold and calculating. "You're all so predictable," it said, its voice hollow and echoing.
The figure's form began to flicker, its edges blurring like a glitching image. Its face twisted, its eyes hollowing into black pits. The bandages on its arm unraveled, revealing smooth, unbroken skin.
"You can't run forever," it hissed, its voice layered with malice. "The City will consume you, just like the others."
Margot slammed the door shut and locked it, her movements swift and precise. "Well, that settles that."
The group stepped back, their breaths coming in ragged gasps.
"What… what was that?" Becca whispered, her face pale.
"A reflection," Margot said grimly. "The City uses them to lure people out. It's how it gets inside your head."
The group gathered in the center of the apartment, their weapons close at hand. The air felt heavier now, the silence outside more oppressive than before.
Daniel slumped against the wall, his face pale. "It's everywhere, isn't it? The City. It's in the walls, the floors, even the air we breathe."
"Yes," Margot said simply. "And it won't stop."
Lara glanced at the journal resting on the table, its faint glow pulsing steadily. "We have to find the tether," she said softly. "If the City is using this building, there has to be a way to break its connection."
Jack nodded, wincing as he adjusted his injured leg. "We're not going to survive much longer like this. Whatever we're doing, we need to do it fast."
Lara's grip on the handgun tightened. "Then we start now."