Chapter Nine: No Escape
473 Words
The hallway stretched endlessly as Finn searched for Milo, his flashlight shaking in his hand.
“Milo?” he called out, his voice echoing. “Where are you?!”
No response.
Meanwhile, Milo walked alone down a different corridor, his footsteps soft and cautious. The walls felt closer here, the air colder.
Then… he saw it.
Something was crawling along the wall.
At first, it looked like a shadow—but it moved too deliberately. Its limbs bent at unnatural angles, dragging itself across the stone like it didn’t belong in this world.
Milo’s breath caught. Slowly, he turned—
And there it was.
The spirit.
Its hollow eyes locked onto him, its twisted body twitching as if barely held together by something unnatural.
Milo’s heart slammed against his chest. “No… no…”
He turned and ran.
Footsteps pounded behind him—no, not footsteps… scraping, like bones dragging across stone.
Suddenly, a cold force yanked him backward. The spirit’s bony hand gripped his shirt, lifting him slightly off the ground.
Milo gasped, struggling. “Let me go!”
The spirit tilted its head unnaturally, as if studying him… preparing to strike—
CLANG!
A shovel slammed into its side.
The spirit recoiled with a distorted screech.
Finn stood there, panting, gripping the shovel tightly. “Get off him!”
He swung again, forcing the spirit back into the shadows.
Milo dropped to the ground, coughing. “Finn… you—”
“Don’t thank me,” Finn snapped, still shaken. “You shouldn’t have run off!”
Milo shot back, “You followed me! What, to keep blaming me too?”
Finn’s grip tightened on the shovel. “People are dead, Milo! We’re all gonna die in this place!”
“And yelling at each other won’t fix it!” Milo shouted.
Their voices echoed loudly through the hall… too loudly.
The temperature dropped.
A low, twisted laugh filled the corridor.
Both of them froze.
“Finn…” Milo whispered.
“I know…”
The spirit lunged from the darkness.
This time, it didn’t hesitate.
Finn swung the shovel, but the spirit moved too fast—its claw slicing through the air. Finn’s scream echoed as he fell, the weapon clattering uselessly to the floor.
Milo stumbled back in horror. “FINN!!”
The spirit turned its gaze toward him again, its presence overwhelming, unstoppable.
Milo didn’t wait.
He ran.
His footsteps echoed wildly as he sprinted through the twisting halls, heart racing, tears blurring his vision.
He didn’t stop until he burst back into the room with the others.
“Milo?!” Lila gasped, jumping to her feet.
He could barely speak, his voice shaking uncontrollably.
“Finn… he’s… he’s gone…”
Silence fell over the room once again.
Fewer and fewer of them remained.
And the castle was still hungry.
- Writer
