Chapter 3 : Shadows in the Dark

The hand pushed harder, the glass bending outward as if whatever was inside was trying to break free.

“What do we do?” Mia asked, her voice shaking.

“We have to end the game,” Anna said firmly. “But we need the book to know how.”

“The book’s at the library!” Sophia exclaimed, panic rising in her voice.

“Then we go back—now!” Anna said.

As they turned to leave, the mirror rattled violently. A distorted voice echoed from within, low and guttural: “It’s too late. You invited us in.”

The group bolted, the sound of shattering glass chasing them as they fled the house.

The group stumbled into the street, breathless and trembling. Ryan slammed the door behind them, his hands shaking. “What the hell just happened in there?”

“I don’t know!” Logan snapped, running a hand through his hair. “But something isn’t right. That was not normal.”

Anna clutched the edges of her jacket, her mind racing. “The book… it warned us. We broke the rules, and now—”

“Now what?” Mia interrupted, her voice rising. “You’re saying this thing is… real?”

“I don’t know!” Anna admitted, her frustration boiling over. “But we need to figure out how to stop it. The book must have answers.”Sophia looked over her shoulder at the house, her face pale. “Guys… did anyone else notice the lights just came back on?”

They all turned to look. Through the windows, a dim glow filled the house, flickering unnaturally. The shadows inside moved as if alive, shifting and writhing against the walls.

“That’s it. I’m not going back in there,” Ryan declared, stepping farther away from the house.

“We’re not staying here either,” Anna said. “We need to get to the library and find that book.”“Are you serious?” Logan asked, his voice tight with disbelief. “You want to go back to the same place where you found this stupid game?”

“Do you have a better idea?” Anna shot back.

Before Logan could respond, the sound of glass shattering erupted behind them. The group turned in unison to see shards of the mirror spilling out onto the porch. Something was crawling out—slowly, deliberately.

A figure emerged, its shape human but wrong. Its limbs were too long, its movements jerky like a marionette. Its face was blank, featureless, except for two deep hollows where eyes should have been. Mia let out a strangled scream. “Run!”

They didn’t need to be told twice. The group took off down the street, their footsteps echoing in the empty night. The thing behind them let out a distorted wail, a sound that made their ears ring and their hearts race faster.

“This way!” Anna shouted, leading them toward the library.

As they ran, the shadows on the pavement seemed to stretch and twist, reaching for them like hands. The streetlights flickered, one by one, plunging the road into darkness.

By the time they reached the library, they were out of breath and drenched in sweat. Anna pulled on the heavy doors, but they didn’t budge. “It’s locked!” she cried.

“Of course it’s locked!” Ryan said, panic lacing his voice. “It’s the middle of the night!”

“Then we break in,” Logan said, grabbing a rock from the ground.

“You can’t just—” Sophia began, but Logan didn’t wait. He hurled the rock through a side window, the glass shattering loudly.

“Let’s go,” he said, climbing in.

The others hesitated, but the low wailing in the distance made their decision for them. One by one, they followed Logan into the dark library, unaware that the shadows were already waiting for them inside.