The heavy wooden doors creaked open, revealing the darkened corridors of the school. The familiar scent of old wood and mildew filled the air, mixed with something new—a faint, metallic tang that made their skin crawl.
Bryan gripped his iron rod tighter. "This place feels different… worse than before."
Dami took a shaky breath. "Maybe because it knows we're coming back. It's preparing for us."
Sofia squeezed Barto's hand, trying to hide her trembling. "Do you think the song will work?"
Barto didn't respond immediately. He glanced at the hallway leading to the basement, his instincts screaming danger. "We'll find out soon enough."
John flicked on his flashlight, illuminating dust particles floating through the stagnant air. "I hate this place… why do the walls look like they're… breathing?"
Ellie shuddered as she noticed the wallpaper pulsating, as if something underneath was alive and trying to break through. She whispered, "Let's just keep moving."
As they crept down the hallway, the flickering overhead lights buzzed erratically. The shadows stretched unnaturally long, pooling around their feet. Barto remained focused, ignoring the feeling of being watched.
Suddenly, a loud clang echoed from a nearby classroom, making everyone jump. Sofia instinctively gripped Barto's arm. Bryan raised his rod, ready to swing at anything that moved.
John tried to laugh it off, but his voice cracked. "Probably just a rat… or something."
Ellie peeked through the cracked door, squinting into the darkness. "It's empty…"
As they moved past the classroom, a soft humming reached their ears. It was the melody from Lila's song, drifting through the air like a lullaby. Dami froze. "Did someone… start the song?"
Barto shook his head. "It's drawing us in."
They pressed forward, guided by the eerie tune. The basement door loomed ahead, slightly ajar, as if inviting them in. Bryan hesitated. "If we go down there again… what if we don't come back?"
Barto pushed the door open, peering into the darkness below. "We'll come back. We just have to face it."
One by one, they descended the creaky steps, the cold air wrapping around them like a shroud. The humming grew louder, and the temperature dropped with each step.
At the bottom, they found the basement just as they left it—cracked walls, old desks piled up, and the faint smell of mold. But now, something was different. The far wall seemed… off. The bricks shimmered, almost transparent.
Ellie whispered, "Is that… the hidden room?"
Dami stepped closer, feeling a chill as he reached out. His hand passed through the wall, like it was made of smoke. "It's not solid…"
Barto gestured for Ellie to play the video again. As the song started, the wall began to ripple, and faint voices whispered around them. Sofia stepped back, unnerved. "It's like it's waking up."
Suddenly, the wall cracked, revealing a narrow passage beyond. A sickly green light flickered from inside. Bryan swore under his breath. "Are we really doing this?"
Barto stepped through without hesitation, the others reluctantly following. The corridor was narrow, lined with crumbling tiles and broken lockers. The whispers grew louder, overlapping into an incoherent murmur.
As they moved deeper, they came across a series of old, rusted metal doors. One of them hung open, revealing a small room filled with scribbled notes on the walls—frantic handwriting repeating the same phrase:
"Don't forget her. Don't forget her. Don't forget her."
Ellie shivered. "Who wrote this?"
Dami skimmed one of the notes, eyes wide. "It's Lila's handwriting… but it looks so desperate."
Just then, a loud bang came from the end of the hall. A door slammed shut, and a figure appeared—a silhouette of a girl, standing completely still.
Sofia whispered, "Lila?"
The figure slowly turned, revealing hollow, sunken eyes. Lila's face was twisted with pain and terror. "Why did you forget me?" she rasped, her voice layered with distorted echoes.
Bryan stumbled back, nearly dropping his rod. "She's… real?"
Barto stayed calm, stepping forward cautiously.
"Lila… we didn't forget you. We're here to help."
Her face contorted, anger flickering in her empty eyes. "You're lying… everyone forgets. They always forget."
John tried to reason with her. "We came back for you. We want to know what happened."
Lila's figure flickered, as if unstable. "He made me stay… said I couldn't leave. I tried to run, but the shadows… they swallowed me."
Ellie stepped closer. "Who did this to you?"
Lila pointed down the corridor, where the shadows pooled thickest. "He's here… always watching. You can't stop him."
Suddenly, the lights flickered violently, and the walls groaned as if under pressure. Lila's form dissolved into mist, and a booming voice echoed through the basement.
"You meddle where you shouldn't. Leave… or become part of the darkness."
Barto narrowed his eyes. "We're not leaving without answers."
The corridor rumbled, and from the shadows emerged a grotesque figure—a tall, distorted man with unnaturally long limbs and glowing red eyes. He moved with a jerky, unnatural gait, his movements like a marionette pulled by unseen strings.
Bryan swung his rod, but it passed through the figure like smoke. The entity laughed, the sound reverberating through the walls. "You think you can fight me? I am the fear… I am the memory."
Dami shouted, "Play the song! It's connected to him!"
Ellie fumbled with the laptop, replaying the video. As Lila's voice filled the air, the figure recoiled, its form flickering and distorting. The shadows around it seemed to thin, like smoke dissipating.
Barto stepped forward, holding the photo. "You can't hold onto her forever. She didn't belong to you."
The entity howled, its face warping between the man's and Lila's. "She's mine… they all are. Forgotten souls… trapped in the dark."
Sofia joined in, singing the song softly, her voice blending with the recording. The figure convulsed, shrinking back into the shadows. The oppressive atmosphere lifted slightly, and the whispers faded.
The hidden room brightened, and for a fleeting moment, Lila's true form appeared—smiling faintly, tears in her eyes. "Thank you…" she whispered before fading completely.
As the entity's presence dissipated, the wall behind them solidified, sealing the room. The oppressive energy lifted, and the basement felt… almost normal.
John wiped sweat from his forehead. "Did we… win?"
Barto remained stoic. "We gave her peace. But whatever that thing was… it's still here. We just weakened it."
Dami nodded. "It feeds on forgotten memories. As long as Lila's story is remembered, it loses power."
Sofia smiled faintly, holding Barto's hand. "We did it. We broke its hold."
As they left the school, dawn broke outside, the fog lifting. The group walked back to Dami's house, exhausted but relieved, knowing that the real nightmare might finally be over.