HALLWAY OF LIES

The Sixth Bell

The laughter stopped as suddenly as it had begun.

Silence swept through the chamber.

Every clock froze.

Not one tick.

Not one sound.

Maya stared at the wooden box. It was empty.

"There was nothing inside," Emma whispered.

"No," the Director replied, his voice tense. "There never is."

Jordan frowned.

"Then whose laughter was that?"

The Director looked away.

"The hallway doesn't trap people."

"It traps memories."

A loud BOOM! shook the chamber.

Dust rained from the ceiling.

The heavy footsteps on the staircase grew louder.

The Hunter was descending.

So were the masked figures.

Grant quickly searched the room.

"We need another exit!"

"There isn't one," the Director answered.

"There has to be!"

"There isn't."

For the first time since Maya had met him, the Director looked afraid.

Not nervous.

Not worried.

Terrified.

The clocks suddenly began ticking again.

But this time...

They weren't synchronized.

Some ticked forward.

Others backward.

A few spun so fast their hands became a blur.

Emma noticed something strange.

"The times..."

Jordan looked closer.

"They're changing."

The Director rushed to the largest grandfather clock.

"No..."

He grabbed its pendulum, trying to stop it.

It ignored him.

The clock chimed once.

DONG.

The sound echoed through the chamber.

Every other clock answered.

DONG... DONG... DONG...

Maya covered her ears.

The sound was unbearable.

The walls trembled.

Cracks spread across the stone floor.

Then one of the clocks fell.

It smashed against the ground.

Instead of gears...

Human bones spilled from inside.

Emma screamed.

Jordan stumbled backward.

"What is this place?"

Grant knelt beside the broken clock.

He picked up a small metal object lying among the bones.

A student ID card.

The faded photograph showed a teenage boy.

Name:

Ethan Cole

Status:

Missing – 1998

Jordan's voice shook.

"These clocks..."

The Director closed his eyes.

"They're memorials."

The chamber lights flickered violently.

A slow clap echoed from the staircase.

One.

Two.

Three.

The masked figures entered the room in complete silence.

There were seven of them.

Each carried a black lantern.

The Hunter walked behind them.

Its enormous iron key scraped across the floor, sending sparks into the darkness.

The leader removed his hood.

It was Victor Hale.

"You've reached the Clock Chamber," he said calmly.

"I'm impressed."

Grant stepped in front of Maya.

"Stay back."

Victor smiled.

"If I wanted to hurt you..."

"...this conversation would already be over."

He looked directly at Maya.

"The Director has lied to you since the day you arrived."

Maya tightened her grip on the silver locket.

"I don't believe you."

Victor slowly reached into his coat.

Jordan tensed.

Instead of a weapon...

Victor removed a worn photograph.

He tossed it onto the floor.

It slid to Maya's feet.

She picked it up.

Her hands began to tremble.

The photograph showed her as a little girl.

Standing beside her mother.

Beside Caleb.

And...

Beside the Director.

He wasn't wearing a suit.

He looked much younger.

And he had his arm around Maya's mother.

Maya stared at him.

"You knew my family..."

The Director didn't answer.

Victor did.

"He didn't just know them."

"He was part of them."

The room fell silent.

Emma looked from the photograph to the Director.

"Tell me that's fake."

The Director's shoulders slumped.

"No."

Jordan took a slow step back.

"You've been lying to us."

"I was trying to protect you."

"By hiding the truth?"

"By keeping you alive."

Before anyone could speak again, Maya noticed something written on the back of the photograph.

She turned it over.

In faded ink were six words.

The traitor isn't who you think.

The chamber shook violently.

The Hunter suddenly lifted its head.

For the first time...

It spoke.

Its voice echoed like gravel scraping against stone.

"Found..."

Everyone froze.

The Hunter slowly pointed its iron key.

Not at Maya.

Not at the Director.

At Emma.

Emma's face drained of color.

"W-Why is it looking at me?"

The Hunter took one heavy step forward.

Then another.

Victor's confident smile disappeared.

"No..."

He whispered.

"It found the wrong person."

The Hunter raised the bloodstained key high above its head.

The clocks began ringing wildly.

The floor cracked open beneath Emma's feet.

She screamed as the stone collapsed beneath her.

Jordan lunged forward, grabbing her hand just before she disappeared into the darkness below.

He held on with all his strength.

But something beneath the floor...

Grabbed Emma's other arm.

A pale hand.

Human.

Its fingers slowly tightened around her wrist.

Then a familiar voice echoed from the darkness.

"Emma..."

"...I've finally found you."