CHAPTER NINE-THE THIRTEENTH
1362 Words
Daniel woke to silence.
For a moment, he didn't know where he was.
The floor beneath him was cold.
His ears were ringing.
A faint emergency light blinked somewhere above him.
Then he remembered.
Samuel.
The gunshot.
The countdown.
The voice.
Your brother.
Daniel pushed himself upright.
“Amara?”
No answer.
“Samuel?”
Nothing.
He looked around.
The control room was empty.
The glass chambers stood open.
Every computer was dead.
Daniel checked his phone.
No signal.
No time.
No messages.
Then he noticed something on the floor.
A trail of blood.
It disappeared into the darkness.
Daniel followed it.
The trail led to one of the chambers.
The door was open.
Inside, someone had written on the glass.
ELEVEN REMEMBERED.
Daniel touched the words.
Then another sentence appeared on the glass.
Not written.
Displayed from inside the chamber.
TWELVE FORGOT.
Daniel stepped back.
“What does that mean?”
A voice answered behind him.
“It means you're still asking the wrong question.”
Daniel turned.
Amara stood at the entrance.
Her gun was raised.
“Put it down,” she said.
Daniel stared at her.
“Where's Samuel?”
“I don't know.”
“You shot him?”
“No.”
“Kane did.”
Amara lowered the gun slightly.
“I know.”
Daniel looked at her.
“How?”
She reached into her jacket.
She pulled out a small memory card.
“I found this.”
Daniel took it.
“What is it?”
“Something Kane dropped.”
They returned to the control room.
Amara found a computer that still had power.
She inserted the card.
A video opened.
Dr. Elias Kane appeared.
He was sitting alone in a dark room.
He looked directly at the camera.
“If you're watching this, then Samuel has already told you about the thirteenth child.”
Daniel leaned closer.
Kane continued.
“There were never supposed to be thirteen.”
A document appeared beside him.
PROJECT TWELVE — ORIGINAL SUBJECT LIST
Daniel read the names.
One through twelve.
Then beneath them was another name.
It had been crossed out.
SUBJECT ZERO.
Daniel frowned.
“Subject Zero?”
Amara looked at him.
Kane continued.
“Before Project Twelve officially began, there was another child.”
The screen showed a photograph.
A boy.
Approximately eight years old.
His face had been scratched out.
“He was the first.”
Daniel felt something inside him shift.
The boy looked familiar.
Not like Samuel.
Not like Daniel.
Someone else.
Kane continued.
“Subject Zero was used to test the first memory-transfer procedure.”
The screen showed medical charts.
“The experiment failed.”
Daniel whispered:
“What happened to him?”
Kane looked terrified.
“He survived.”
Daniel's eyes widened.
“And became the Architect?”
Kane shook his head.
“No.”
The video paused.
A new message appeared:
SUBJECT ZERO WAS NOT THE ARCHITECT.
Daniel stared.
Then the video continued.
“Subject Zero became something worse.”
The screen went black.
A child's voice whispered:
“Daniel.”
Daniel froze.
The voice sounded familiar.
“Daniel…”
Amara looked around.
“Did you hear that?”
“Yes.”
The computer screen switched on.
A live camera feed appeared.
It showed a corridor.
At the end stood a little boy.
Eight years old.
He was wearing a white shirt.
His back was facing the camera.
Daniel stared.
The boy slowly turned.
Daniel's breath caught.
The boy had his face.
Not Samuel's.
His.
Eight years old.
Daniel stepped closer to the screen.
“That isn't possible.”
The boy smiled.
Then he lifted his hand.
A symbol had been carved into his palm.
0.
Daniel's phone suddenly vibrated.
One message.
COME ALONE.
A location followed.
ST. MARTHA'S — EAST WING.
Daniel looked at Amara.
“You're not coming.”
“Yes, I am.”
“No.”
“You're not going alone.”
“They asked for me.”
“They've been asking for you since the first murder.”
Daniel shook his head.
“That's exactly why you can't come.”
Amara stepped closer.
“You don't trust me.”
Daniel didn't answer.
She looked hurt.
“After everything we've been through?”
Daniel looked away.
“I don't know who you are anymore.”
Amara's expression hardened.
“Neither do you.”
She walked past him.
Then stopped.
“I'll meet you there.”
Daniel watched her leave.
For several seconds, he stood alone.
Then he looked at the screen again.
The little boy was gone.
Only one sentence remained.
YOU HAVE 42 MINUTES.
---
St. Martha's looked different at night.
The ruins were covered in darkness.
The wind moved through the broken windows.
Daniel entered through the east wing.
His flashlight moved across the walls.
Nothing.
Then he heard footsteps.
“Samuel?”
Silence.
He continued.
A door opened ahead.
Daniel raised his gun.
Inside was a small room.
A chair stood in the center.
On the wall were photographs.
Daniel walked closer.
The photographs showed the twelve children.
But something had been added.
Pictures of them as adults.
The eleven murder victims.
And Daniel.
Under each photograph was a date.
The victims' dates matched their deaths.
Daniel's photograph had tomorrow's date.
His blood ran cold.
SEPTEMBER 14, 2026.
Someone was planning his death tomorrow.
A voice spoke behind him.
“You're early.”
Daniel turned.
The Architect stood in the doorway.
White mask.
Black clothing.
Still.
Daniel aimed his gun.
“Take off the mask.”
The figure laughed.
“You've seen my face before.”
“Who are you?”
“Someone you betrayed.”
“I don't remember you.”
“Exactly.”
The Architect stepped into the room.
“You were always good at forgetting.”
Daniel tightened his grip.
“Did you kill the eleven?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because they remembered.”
“Remembered what?”
The Architect looked at the photographs.
“The fire.”
Daniel's voice dropped.
“What happened that night?”
The Architect said nothing.
Daniel stepped forward.
“Tell me.”
The Architect slowly removed the white mask.
Daniel stared.
His gun almost slipped from his hand.
It was Dr. Elias Kane.
Daniel's face went blank.
“You…”
Kane smiled.
“Now you understand.”
Daniel shook his head.
“You're the Architect?”
Kane laughed.
“No.”
He threw the mask onto the floor.
“I was just the man they trusted to wear it.”
Daniel stared.
“Then who are you?”
Kane looked toward the doorway.
Someone else was standing there.
A small figure.
A child.
Daniel turned.
The boy stepped into the light.
Eight years old.
Same eyes.
Same face.
Daniel's face.
The boy smiled.
“Hello, Samuel.”
Daniel froze.
The boy continued:
“You finally came home.”
Kane lowered his head.
“Meet Subject Zero.”
Daniel stared at the child.
The boy walked closer.
“You've forgotten me.”
Daniel whispered:
“Who are you?”
The boy smiled.
“My name is Daniel.”
Daniel's blood ran cold.
The child pointed at him.
“And you're Samuel.”
A gunshot suddenly rang out from behind them.
Kane collapsed.
Daniel turned.
Amara stood in the doorway.
Her gun was raised.
But she wasn't aiming at Kane.
She was aiming at the child.
Her face was covered in tears.
“Daniel…”
The child smiled at her.
“Hello, Amara.”
She whispered:
“I remember.”
Daniel looked between them.
“What do you remember?”
Amara lowered her weapon.
Her voice trembled.
“That night…”
She looked at the child.
“He killed everyone.”
Daniel stared at Subject Zero.
The boy smiled.
Then he whispered:
“No.”
He pointed at Daniel.
“He did.”
The lights went out.
And somewhere in the darkness, twelve children began counting.
One.
Two.
Three.
Daniel heard the voice of the child beside him.
“Let's start again.”
Four.
Five.
Six.
And Daniel realized something terrifying.
The murders weren't counting down to twelve.
They were counting back to zero.
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