The locker room was cold.
Kai's breath fogged in the air—he didn't even know that was possible inside a school. His wrist throbbed where something had grabbed him, but now there was nothing. No one.
He stared at the open locker, wide now.
Inside it: a handprint.
Burned into the metal. Black. Twisted fingers. Almost human.
Almost.
The whisper still echoed in his ears. You were never meant to wake up.
He stumbled back, heart pounding, then reached into his pocket for his phone.
No signal.
Static buzzed across the screen like the screen itself was alive.
> Then the lights went out.
Pitch black.
He heard something dragging across the floor. Slow. Sharp.
---
Meanwhile: Lena and Dre
They ran to the front entrance.
Locked.
Every door. Every window. Even the fire exit. Bolted shut like the school had sealed itself.
"This doesn't make sense," Lena whispered. "Schools don't just lock people in."
"It's a prank. Has to be. Some sick senior game or... or—"
"You saw her eyes, Dre!"
He was shaking now. His hands wouldn't stop. "We need to find Kai. Now."
They turned toward the east wing—when all the hallway lights flickered once.
And then they heard it.
Laughter.
Not happy. Not funny.
High-pitched. Wrong.
It echoed across the hallway from every direction.
Dre grabbed Lena's arm. "Run."
---
Cut Back: Kai — Alone in the Dark
He moved by feel, hands brushing lockers, footsteps echoing too loud.
Then he felt it again: cold fingers on his shoulder.
He spun around. No one.
Then a voice behind him, right by his ear:
> "Open your eyes, Kai. It's your turn."
His flashlight flickered on.
The hallway in front of him was lined with people.
All standing perfectly still.
All facing him.
Their eyes: black. Their mouths: smiling.