Chapter Ten: The Last Stand
575 Words
The room was suffocating.
After Milo’s return, the silence that followed felt heavier than anything before. Fewer voices. Fewer breaths. More empty space where their friends once were.
Ken suddenly stood up.
“I’m done.”
Everyone looked at him.
“I’m not staying here waiting to die,” he snapped, his voice shaking but firm. “You can all sit here and cry if you want—but I’m leaving.”
“Ken, don’t!” Lila pleaded, jumping to her feet.
Leo stepped forward. “We stick together. That’s the only way we survive.”
But Ken shook his head, backing toward the door. “That hasn’t worked so far, has it?”
He turned and ran.
“KEN!” Milo shouted.
The rest of them chased after him, their footsteps echoing as panic surged again.
Ken reached the main hall, the massive doors just ahead. Hope flickered in his eyes.
“I’m getting out of here!” he yelled.
He grabbed the handle—
SHUNK!
Two long, razor-sharp javelin-like spikes shot out from the walls.
One struck through his head.
The other pierced straight through his chest.
Ken froze for a split second… then his body went limp.
Lila screamed. Eli staggered back. Leo grabbed Milo to stop him from rushing forward.
“NO!”
But it was too late.
Another one… gone.
“RUN!” Leo shouted.
They turned and sprinted, terror pushing them faster than ever before. Up the winding stairs, higher and higher, until they burst into the attic.
The door slammed behind them.
The attic was dusty, filled with old furniture covered in sheets. Moonlight slipped through a cracked window, barely lighting the space.
Eli leaned against the wall, shaking. “We’re not making it out… we’re not…”
“Stop!” Milo snapped, breathing hard. “Just—stop.”
Lila wiped her tears, trying to steady herself. That’s when she noticed something on a small wooden desk in the corner.
A book.
Old. Worn.
She walked toward it slowly and picked it up.
“A diary…” she whispered.
“Of who?” Leo asked.
Lila flipped it open, her hands trembling.
“…Lord Malrick.”
They gathered around as she read aloud.
The pages told a story—not of a monster, but of a man. A wealthy lord obsessed with gold and power. But one night, the people he trusted most betrayed him. They killed him for his treasure… right there in the castle.
His final entry was messy, written in desperation:
“They will not take what is mine… I will guard it… even in death…”
Silence filled the attic.
Milo swallowed. “So… he’s not just haunting this place…”
Leo finished the thought. “…he’s protecting it.”
Eli shook his head. “That doesn’t change anything. He’s still killing us!”
Lila closed the diary slowly, her expression changing. The fear was still there—but something else was growing.
Resolve.
“No more,” she said quietly.
They all looked at her.
“No more running. No more hiding. No more dying.”
Her voice grew stronger.
“We end this. Tonight.”
Milo nodded. “We fight back.”
Leo clenched his fists. “Together.”
Even Eli, still shaking, gave a small nod.
For the first time since entering Blackthorn Castle, they weren’t just scared.
They were ready.
And somewhere in the darkness…
The spirit was waiting.
- Writer
