Part 1: The Smiling Man
Elliot stared into his own face.
The thing standing before him wasn't just mimicking his voice. It was wearing his voice.
Like it had stolen the sound from his throat.
Caldwell was already backing away. "That's not a person. That's… something else."
Emily clenched her fists. "You're not supposed to be here."
The figure smiled wider.
"Neither are you."
Elliot felt his pulse hammer. "What do you want?"
The thing in his shape tilted its head.
And then it answered—
"I want to offer you a deal."
Part 2: The Black Tower Beckons
Mara snorted. "A deal? You think we're stupid?"
The thing didn't stop smiling. "If you were smart, you wouldn't have come here at all."
Elliot tightened his grip on his knife. "Why did you take this city?"
The thing chuckled. "I didn't take it. You gave it to me."
Emily stiffened. "No. The alley was collapsing. We stopped it."
The thing's black eyes gleamed. "Did you?"
A deep hum vibrated through the ground.
And then, from behind the black tower—
Something moved.
Elliot turned slowly.
The tower's massive doors creaked open.
And inside, dozens of figures stood motionless.
Mara cursed. "Holy sh*t."
The missing people were here.
But they weren't normal.
Their eyes were empty. Their mouths hung open. Their skin was pale as marble.
And then—as one—they spoke.
"Help us."
Part 3: The Hollow People
Elliot felt his stomach twist.
Mara took a step back. "They're alive?"
Caldwell swallowed hard. "They're… in between."
Elliot turned to the smiling figure. "What did you do to them?"
The thing tilted its head. "They are here, but they are not."
Emily shook her head. "You took them."
The thing smiled wider. "They walked through willingly."
Elliot's blood ran cold. "What?"
The thing spread its arms.
"They heard the whispers. And they followed."
Part 4: The Final Door
Beyond the frozen people, deep inside the black tower, Elliot saw something else.
At the far end of the room—
A massive stone archway loomed.
Covered in twisting, shifting symbols.
A final gate.
And Elliot realized what it was.
It wasn't a portal into the alley.
It was a portal into something even deeper.
Emily stepped forward. Her hands trembled. "That's the real door."
The smiling figure nodded.
"The last one."
Part 5: The Deal
The thing in Elliot's shape folded its hands.
"You want these people back? You want your city returned?"
It gestured toward the black archway.
"Then give me one thing in exchange."
Elliot's breath caught. "What?"
The thing grinned.
And then it pointed.
At Emily.
"Her."
Silence.
Then—
Elliot stepped in front of his sister. "No."
The thing sighed, almost amused.
"Then your city stays lost."
Emily's breath shook. "Why do you want me?"
The thing smiled wider.
"Because the alley wanted you."
It tilted its head.
"And I want what was left behind."