Stuck In A Monster Loop

After reading the notes, I tucked them away again, along with the one I'd found in my pocket when I first woke up.If I failed to escape this loop, they would become the next cycle's lifeline.I had just hidden them all and risen to my feet when a faint, scratching sound came from behind me, like fingernails raking across wood.Startled, I turned toward the bathroom. Only then did I notice the door was shut.That was strange. I always left it slightly ajar.Who was inside?The sound continued, fine and rapid, like long nails frantically clawing at the door… or like a swarm of worms writhing over its surface.Suddenly, it stopped.A heartbeat later, it returned.Bang! Bang! Bang!Something was slamming against the door.The pounding grew wild and relentless, like a storm hammering down, shaking the wood on its hinges.Could the monster be in there?Every hair on my body stood on end, and for a moment I almost bolted from the room.But just as my hand was about to grasp the

Beneath the carved warning, four crude tally marks stood out.After a moment's thought, I took the utility knife and carved another stroke into my skin.Searching my pockets, I found a folded scrap of paper… and a few more hidden in the corners of my room.[The monster is tampering with my memory. Trust no one. Not even myself.][The monster's cycle isn't endless. If you can't escape within a set number of loops, you will die. Permanently.][The monster is cunning and deceptive. It hides well and can take human form. But I suspect it can't kill at will. It must meet certain conditions first. I still haven't figured out what those conditions are.][The bathroom is safe. Still, something about it is strange. The sound of claws scratching at the door appeared out of nowhere and vanished just as suddenly. The blood-written "Help me let me out" did the same. I suspect there's another secret hidden inside. Best to keep my distance for now.]I read each one quickly, committing them to

I ran through the possibilities in my head.Based on everything I'd observed so far, the monster's kill condition was either three consecutive exchanges in a conversation or agreeing to—or refusing—all of its requests three times in a row.If that was true, then I had a way out.Next time I faced it, I'd follow one pattern: agree once, stay silent once, refuse once.That way, no matter which theory was right, I'd dodge the condition entirely.Of course… if both guesses were wrong, I'd just have to accept my fate.Decision made, I clenched my teeth and reached for the door handle.But before I could open it, a knock came from the other side.So it had decided to come to me this time."Jason, why are you still in there? Lunch is ready. Come out and eat.""Alright," I replied, swinging the door open, agreeing to its first request."Don't just stand there, help me bring the bowls and utensils."I stood frozen, neither helping nor refusing outright. For the second request, I kep

I stared at my sister. A chilling thought crept into my mind.If there were more than one monster, how could I be certain Kiera wasn't just one of them in disguise? In the worst case, maybe Father, Mother, and Kiera had all already been replaced, leaving me as the only real human in this house.My expression must have betrayed me. Kiera studied my face, sighed, and abruptly rolled up her sleeve.There, etched deep into her arm, were lines of text.[Monsters have infiltrated this house. Every time they kill me, I fall into a loop. It can take on the appearance of others, so never trust anyone completely. The monster kills according to certain rules. I have to figure out its pattern. Its loops are limited. If I don't find a way to escape soon, I'll be trapped here forever.]I read the words aloud under my breath."Now," she said, "do you believe I'm just like you? I've gone through this cycle many times, and from the clues I left myself before, I learned the truth—both of our par

I remembered the long recording—how the "me" from the previous loop had read aloud the carved words on my sister's arm, his tone tinged with suspicion.Now I understood why I had deliberately spoken those words out loud back then.Even when trapped in the same loop, the clues each person uncovers vary drastically, shaped by differences in intelligence, decisiveness, and sheer luck.And Kiera's carved message… it was almost identical to the one on my own arm—only a few phrasing differences. That alone was deeply wrong.Unless… that message was something the monster had wanted us to know from the very start.Me, my sister, my father, my mother—every one of us had been nothing more than toys in the monster's hands. From beginning to end, we'd never stood a chance.It felt as though ice was sprouting from my very bones, stabbing outward, making me tremble uncontrollably.No hope. No way out. Never again. I'd never escape…No. No! I forced the panic down, clinging to reason like a d