The air inside the house grew thick with smoke and dread. The Ink's voice echoed, dripping with malice.
"Running again, little mice? You can't escape the maze."
Suddenly, the burning television flickered violently, its screen distorting into a swirling vortex. From within, a figure emerged—a woman floating eerily, her head bent downward, a nametag reading "Minnie" pinned to her tattered dress. Blood-red tears streamed from her eyes as she raised her gaze, locking onto Ephraein and Toff.
With a chilling scream, Minnie thrust her arms forward, a force propelling the two men backward, sending them crashing into the staircase. They scrambled to their feet, ascending the stairs as the Ink slithered after them, its form shifting and writhing. Hands burst from the walls, clawing and grasping, trying to pull them into the darkness.
Reaching the top, they found a window and leaped without hesitation. They landed hard but intact, the chilly night air a stark contrast to the inferno behind them.
As they caught their breath, a homeless man appeared, waving with a sinister grin. Behind him stood Minnie and the Ink, their presence a harbinger of doom. Without a word, Ephraein and Toff turned and ran, the whispers of past tormentors—bullies, Lukas, and others—filling their ears. Ephraein clutched his head, trying to drown out the cacophony.
They reached Masha's ruined house, its walls echoing with memories and whispers. Turning back, they saw Minnie approaching, her legs twisted unnaturally, a bloodied knife in her hand, her hair matted and wild.
Toff sprinted ahead, urging Ephraein to follow. As they passed through their neighborhood, they noticed something unsettling—every resident stood outside, waving at them with vacant smiles. It was the middle of the night; they should have been asleep. The eerie uniformity of their actions shattered the normalcy of the scene.
The chase continued, the line between reality and nightmare blurring with each step.
They arrived at the hospital, bruised and battered. Ephraein looked disoriented, his eyes darting around wildly. Officer Toff was still shaken by the night's events, haunted by the memory of Sasha's supposed death—a secret he kept to himself.
The hospital's fluorescent lights flickered ominously as Ephraein was wheeled into the psychiatric ward. His lips moved in silent conversation with unseen entities, the trauma of recent events fracturing his mind.
Settling him into the room—the same room where Pierro had once been confined—the nurses exchanged worried glances. The walls seemed to whisper, echoing with the remnants of past torments.
"He's been talking nonstop," one nurse whispered to a doctor. "Arguing with voices only he can hear."
Meanwhile, Officer Toff stood outside the hospital, staring at the arriving police vehicles. The officers had returned from the crime scene in the woods, bringing with them a shocking revelation: Sasha Williams was alive.
Toff's heart raced as he saw her step out of the car, a serene smile on her face. But how? He had shot her. He had seen her fall.
Sasha approached him, her eyes gleaming with an unsettling calm. "Officer Toff," she greeted, her voice melodic.
He took a step back. "Sasha? How... how are you alive?"
She tilted her head, the smile never leaving her face. "Some things defy understanding."
Inside the hospital, Ephraein's condition worsened. He screamed at the doctors, accusing them of conspiring against him. The nurses tried to calm him, but his paranoia grew.
"They're coming," he whispered. "The Ink... Minnie... they're not done."
The medical staff, though skeptical, couldn't ignore the eerie occurrences that began to plague the hospital. Lights flickered, equipment malfunctioned, and shadows moved independently.
Officer Toff, determined to uncover the truth, confronted Sasha again. "What happened in the woods? How did you survive?"
She leaned in close, her voice a mere whisper. "Death is just a doorway. Some of us find our way back."
As midnight fell, the hospital became a nexus of supernatural activity. Patients reported nightmares of a woman with twisted limbs and bleeding eyes. Staff members vanished without a trace.
Ephraein, amidst his delusions, began to piece together the truth. The Ink was not just a malevolent force—it was a conduit, a bridge between worlds. And Sasha? She was its vessel.
Realizing the impending doom, Ephraein managed to escape his restraints, determined to stop the darkness from consuming everything.
The hospital's corridors echoed with a chilling silence, broken only by the distant hum of malfunctioning lights. Nurse Violet and Nurse Sydney stood outside the administrator's office, their faces pale but resolute.
"We need to shut this place down," Violet insisted, her voice trembling. "People are dying, and it's not just the patients anymore."
Sydney nodded in agreement. "Five nurses and two officers are already gone. This isn't a hospital anymore; it's a death trap."
The administrator, a stern man named Mr. Caldwell, sneered at them. "You're both hysterical. This hospital has been running for decades. A few incidents won't bring it down."
Violet stepped forward, her eyes blazing. "These 'incidents' are murders. There's something evil here, and if we don't act, more will die."
Caldwell's expression darkened. "Enough. You're both suspended. Leave before I have security escort you out."
Before they could respond, a blood-curdling scream echoed from the ground floor. The three turned as Officer Toff burst into the room, his face ashen.
"It's Minnie," he gasped. "She's here. Five nurses and two officers are dead. We need to evacuate now."
Caldwell's bravado vanished. "Minnie? That's impossible."
Toff didn't wait for a response. He turned and ran, the nurses close behind. As they fled, Toff spotted Sasha standing in the hallway, her eyes vacant. Without hesitation, he pushed her aside and continued toward Pierro's room.
Inside, Pierro lay in a coma, his face serene amidst the chaos. Ephraein sat beside him, muttering incoherently.
"They're coming," Ephraein whispered. "The shadows... they're everywhere."
Nurse Violet entered, pulling a gun from her pocket. "Just in case," she murmured.
Screams echoed from below, followed by the sound of shattering glass. The windows on the second floor remained broken, the cold night air seeping in.
Sydney locked the door, her hands shaking. "We need to find a way out."
Toff nodded. "There's a service elevator at the end of the hall. It might still work."
As they prepared to move, the lights flickered, and a low growl resonated through the walls. The Ink was near.
Ephraein stood, his eyes clearer than before. "We have to end this. It's the only way."
The group moved cautiously through the corridor, the shadows seeming to watch their every move. Reaching the elevator