The survivors opened their eyes and found themselves bound and in a very different place. They weren't in the spacious living room of the duo, talking about them, they looked up and their eyes found a pair of deep blues lifeless eyes.
The survivors' breaths hitched as they took in the sight before them. Liam's lifeless body lay sprawled across the cold stone floor, his blond hair tangled and smeared with dirt. His once vibrant presence was now replaced by a chilling stillness, his wide, empty eyes fixed on nothing.
The girl's scream echoed in the confined space, raw and piercing, snapping the others out of their stunned silence. One man scrambled backward, his bound hands clawing at the rough ground as though trying to distance himself from the horrifying scene.
"W-what is this?" the girl stammered, her voice cracking as she clutched her knees to her chest. "Why is he... why is he dead?"
Heavy footsteps echoed from the shadows, each step deliberate, echoing their growing fear. David emerged from the darkness, his imposing figure casting a long shadow over the group. His piercing blue eyes were colder than ice, devoid of warmth as they swept over the cowering survivors.
He stopped beside Liam's body, his expression unreadable. Slowly, he crouched down and placed a hand on the blond's shoulder, as if checking for life, though he already knew there was none.
"He had a job to do," David said, his voice low and even, sending chills through the room. "And he failed."
The survivors froze, their eyes darting between David and the lifeless body. The implications of his words began to sink in, their fear deepening.
"Failed?" one of the men managed to choke out. "What… what does that mean? What does that have to do with us?"
David's gaze snapped to the man, sharp and unyielding. "It means failure isn't tolerated. Not from him. Not from any of you."
The girl who had screamed earlier started crying, her sobs muffled as she tried to bury her face in her arms. The others remained silent, the weight of David's words pressing down on them.
David rose to his feet, towering over them. "You're here because I chose to give you a chance. But understand this—one misstep, one sign of disobedience, and you'll end up like him."
He gestured toward Liam's lifeless form, his tone devoid of emotion, as though the blond was just another tool that had outlived its usefulness. "This is your warning. Prove to me that you're worth keeping alive."
And then, as David delivered his warning, a soft, eerie sound broke through the tension—a giggle, light and lilting, yet utterly chilling.
The survivors' wide eyes darted back to Liam's lifeless form, only to see his shoulders begin to shake, his head tilting slightly to the side.
He was laughing.
Slowly, Liam propped himself up, his movements unnervingly fluid, as if he hadn't just been sprawled out like a discarded doll. His disheveled blond hair framed a face lit with a wicked grin, his bright eyes now brimming with cruel delight.
"Oh, David," Liam said, his voice a melodic mockery. "You always know how to set the mood." He stretched languidly, as if waking from a pleasant nap, and then turned his gaze to the survivors, who were now trembling in unison.
One of them, the girl who had screamed earlier, stammered, "W-we thought you were—"
"Dead?" Liam interrupted, his grin widening. "That's the fun part, isn't it? You all believed it. It makes this moment so much better." He let out another giggle, the sound crawling under their skin like a thousand tiny spiders.
David, watching the scene unfold, allowed a slow smile to stretch across his face. "Always so beautiful, my little sun," he murmured, his voice low but dripping with love.
Liam blushed a little ,before he sprang to his feet, his energy unnervingly manic now, and began to circle the group. "You lot are adorable," he cooed, leaning in close to one of the men, who flinched away. "So scared. So fragile. I almost feel bad for you."
One of the survivors, a burly man with a scowl on his face, found his courage—or perhaps his fear drove him to recklessness. "Enough with this crap!" he barked, glaring at Liam. "You're just playing games. You think you're better than us? You're just—"
Before he could finish, Liam's demeanor changed in an instant. His smile vanished, replaced by a cold, detached expression. He raised a hand, his fingers curling slightly as if grasping an invisible thread. The man froze mid-sentence, his eyes widening in horror as his body went rigid. Frost began to creep up his limbs, a crystalline sheen spreading with unnatural speed.
The others gasped, watching in stunned silence as the man's breath hitched and then stopped altogether. His entire body was encased in ice within seconds, his terrified expression frozen—literally—in place.
Liam tilted his head, admiring his handiwork. "Better than you?" he said softly, his voice as cold as the air around the frozen man. "I don't think better even begins to cover it."
The girl began to sob, the sound breaking the suffocating silence. The rest of the group shrank back, their earlier defiance utterly snuffed out.
David stepped forward, his smile returning as he placed a hand on Liam's waist. "That's enough," he said, his tone almost affectionate. "We don't want to break all of our toys just yet."
Liam nodded, his grin returning, though the edge of menace remained. "Okay. Just wanted to make sure they understood."
David turned his gaze back to the survivors. "Now, I trust there won't be any more boldness. I don't want to hear a song until tomorrow."
The survivors nodded frantically, their eyes wide with terror, as Liam's giggle echoed in the cold, dark room.