The group remained huddled in Dami's living room, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. Outside, the sky remained unnaturally dim despite the morning light. Dami nervously flipped through his notebook, as if the worn pages might somehow offer answers.
Ellie sat cross-legged on the floor, eyes darting around the room. "I still feel it… that heaviness. Like we never really left the school."
John leaned against the wall, trying to shake off his unease. "It's like… it's following us. That place is still in my head."
Sofia sat beside Barto, her hands trembling despite her calm facade. "Do you think it's really over, Barto?"
He didn't answer immediately, staring at the photo of Lila on the table. The faint smile in the picture seemed almost mocking now. "If it's over, why did we all get that message?"
Nancy, pacing by the window, bit her lip. "Maybe it's just… leftover energy. Like a bad dream that lingers."
Bryan scoffed. "That wasn't a dream. Dreams don't send creepy photos to your phone."
Dami raised his hand, as if presenting a theory. "If the entity is tied to memories, maybe it's not just Lila that it's holding onto. What if it's trying to make us forget what happened… or make us doubt it ever occurred?"
Sofia shivered. "Like gaslighting us… erasing the truth."
Ellie shifted uncomfortably. "What if that's how it spreads? Making people doubt what's real… until they can't tell the difference."
Barto stood up abruptly. "We need to go back."
Everyone turned to him, shocked. John shook his head furiously. "Are you out of your mind? We barely made it out the first time!"
Barto's tone remained calm, but firm. "We didn't finish it. Whatever's left behind is still calling out. If we ignore it, it'll just find another way to reach us."
Sofia looked conflicted. "But how do we even fight something like that? It's not just a ghost—it's an entire place twisted by memories."
Dami tapped his notebook, as if remembering something. "I read about entities that latch onto guilt and regret. They become stronger when the past is buried and ignored. Maybe… maybe the school isn't just haunted—it's like a wound that never healed."
Bryan frowned. "Great. So we need to do what? Therapy for a building?"
Ellie snorted despite herself. "Kind of. If Lila's tied to that place because of something unresolved… maybe putting the truth out there will finally break its hold."
John scratched his head. "But why us? Why not the people who actually knew her?"
Sofia glanced at Barto. "Because we remembered. No one else cared to look into it. We made the mistake of digging too deep."
Nancy spoke up from the window. "Hey, guys… I think you should see this."
They joined her, peering out into the dimly lit street. The fog seemed thicker now, rolling in waves, almost like it was alive. Shapes moved within it—human silhouettes flickering in and out of view.
Dami gulped. "Are those… people?"
Bryan squinted. "No way. It's just the shadows playing tricks."
Suddenly, one of the shapes broke away from the fog and stumbled into the streetlight. It was a man, disheveled and confused. He looked around wildly before collapsing onto the pavement.
Barto didn't hesitate, stepping outside with the others reluctantly following. As they approached, the man muttered incoherently, clutching his head.
Sofia knelt down beside him. "Hey, are you okay? What happened?"
The man looked up, eyes wide and vacant. "I… I was there… the school… I saw them… shadows crawling… they… they took her!"
Ellie glanced nervously at Barto. "He's talking about Lila."
Dami knelt beside Sofia. "Who took her? What did you see?"
The man's breathing grew ragged. "She kept screaming… but no one listened. They just went on with their lives. I didn't help… I just watched… and now… now I can't stop seeing her face."
Barto studied him carefully. "What's your name?"
The man hesitated. "Tom… I used to be the janitor… when she disappeared. Everyone just forgot… but I couldn't. The shadows came for me… said I didn't do enough."
John looked worried. "So, it's not just us.
The entity's reaching out to anyone who remembers Lila."
Tom grabbed Barto's arm, desperation in his eyes. "You have to make them remember! She never left—she never got out! It's like the school swallowed her whole!"
Barto didn't flinch. "Did you see anything strange before she disappeared?"
Tom shuddered. "There was this room… in the basement. A hidden space behind the storage closet. I heard her crying… but when I checked, there was nothing—just a wall where the door used to be."
Dami whispered to the group, "A hidden room? That might be where the entity is strongest. If Lila's spirit is trapped there, maybe breaking it open could release her."
Tom began coughing violently, his body shaking. Sofia tried to steady him, but he suddenly gasped, his eyes widening in terror. "It's here… it's coming… don't let it take me!"
Barto looked around, his instincts kicking in. The fog thickened, and the shadowy figures seemed to inch closer. Tom's face contorted, his mouth moving soundlessly before he collapsed completely—still, eyes glazed over.
Sofia checked his pulse, her hand trembling. "He's… he's gone."
A cold breeze swept through the street, and the fog seemed to whisper around them, like a hundred voices murmuring just out of reach. Barto glanced at the darkened sky, his jaw clenched.
Ellie's voice quivered. "If that thing can kill someone out here… maybe it's not just tied to the school anymore."
Dami nodded grimly. "If we don't stop it, it might start claiming anyone who remembers—even if they aren't at the school."
Barto looked back at the house, the uneasy feeling still gnawing at him. "We're going back. This time, we find that room. Whatever it takes, we end this."
Sofia glanced at Tom's still form, a pit of dread forming in her stomach. "We can't keep running. We have to face it."
Bryan swallowed hard, trying to act brave. "Fine. But this time, we're prepared. No more blind wandering."
With determination hardening their resolve, the group prepared to face the dark truths waiting within the school's haunted walls.