Tick. Tick. Tick.The clock was louder tonight.Like it knew.
7:00 PM.Four people left.
Nobody cried anymore.They were beyond grief.Now there was only silence... and waiting.
Dimas lit the fourth candle.The flame was tall—too tall. It danced unnaturally, casting wild shadows that didn't match anyone's movements.
"I dreamt of Reina," Maria muttered."She didn't have eyes."
They didn't respond.
But deep down, they all had nightmares.All the same.Reina staring at them. Bloody. Hollow. Smiling.
A cold breeze slithered across the floor.
The flame bent toward Jared.Then flickered sideways.Then…Split into four.
The shadows on the wall moved on their own.Twisting. Reaching.
Then a laugh.Childlike.Cruel.Right beside Dimas's ear.
He jumped up, stumbling backward."No! I'm not playing anymore! I didn't agree to this!"
But the shadows weren't listening.They were hungry.
The candle exploded into smoke.
When the fog cleared…There were three people left.And a black mark burned into Dimas's chair.