The pit in the floor widened, yawning like a wound that refused to close. From its depths, black tendrils writhed upward, slick and dripping, clawing at the air as if tasting it. Marcus tightened his grip on Sophie, dragging her back from the edge as the boards beneath them splintered.
Ethan's form loomed above, half-shadow, half-flesh, his mouth twisting into a mockery of a smile. Run, if you want. It only delays the inevitable. She's already mine. You're the only one left to break.
Marcus's voice cracked with fury. "You'll never have her."
But his words rang hollow even to himself. Sophie was trembling violently in his arms, her eyes half-shut, as though the voices below were pulling her soul into the pit.
"Marcus," she whispered, "it hurts. It hurts so much. If I go with him… it will stop."
Marcus cupped her face, forcing her to look at him. "No. That's a lie. Pain is the only thing reminding you you're still here. Still you. Don't let him steal even that."
The floor groaned again, and a tendril whipped upward, striking Marcus across the chest. He was hurled backward, slamming into the wall with bone-jarring force. Sophie screamed, reaching for him, but two more tendrils lashed around her ankles, dragging her toward the pit.
Marcus staggered to his feet, ribs screaming in protest. "No!" He lunged, seizing her wrists as the shadows pulled. His muscles burned, tendons straining, but he refused to let go.
Ethan's laughter filled the house. Yes. Hold on. Feel her slip away in your hands. Feel the weight of choice pressing down until your bones crack.
Marcus roared, pulling with everything he had. Inch by inch, Sophie slid closer to safety—but the tendrils only tightened, black liquid searing into her skin. She writhed, her face twisted in agony.
"Marcus, let go!" she sobbed. "Please—you'll die!"
"Then I'll die holding you," he spat through clenched teeth.
The tendrils yanked harder, nearly tearing her from his grip. Marcus's vision blurred with pain. His body screamed for release, his ribs grinding with every breath. He knew he couldn't hold on much longer.
And then Ethan's voice whispered, low and intimate, directly into his mind: Let her go, and I'll spare you. You can walk out of this house alive. She'll suffer, yes—but you will be free. Isn't that what you secretly want? To escape the burden? To stop watching her rot?
Marcus's grip faltered for the briefest heartbeat. Doubt flashed through him like lightning.
Sophie's wide, desperate eyes locked onto his. "Don't listen. Please, Marcus. Don't leave me."
Tears blurred his vision. His arms shook violently. He could feel himself breaking—body, mind, soul.
And Ethan's laughter thundered: Choose, Marcus. Choose!
Marcus's arms screamed as the shadows tore at Sophie, dragging her toward the abyss. Every muscle fiber felt like it was tearing apart, every nerve blazing with agony. He could feel the slick weight of her slipping, inch by inch, no matter how hard he clung.
Ethan's voice swelled through the house like thunder. Yes. Break. Shatter. Your bones will give before I do. And when you let her fall, you'll know it was your weakness that delivered her to me.
Marcus gritted his teeth until his jaw ached. "You'll have to rip me apart first."
The tendrils whipped again, one striking across his back, another curling around his wrist. The black burn seared through his skin, forcing his grip to falter. Sophie screamed as her body lurched toward the pit, only Marcus's mangled hand keeping her tethered.
"Marcus, let go!" she sobbed, tears streaking her face. "Don't kill yourself for me. Please—"
His voice was hoarse, but his eyes were wild with defiance. "I'd rather die with you than live without you."
For a heartbeat, silence filled the air. Even the pit of voices hushed, as if stunned. Then Ethan roared, the sound shaking dust from the ceiling. Then die.
The tendrils constricted, bones cracking in Marcus's wrist. Pain tore through him, but he refused to scream, refused to release her. His vision darkened at the edges, the world spinning, but his grip held.
And then—something shifted. Sophie's eyes, brimming with despair, suddenly sparked with a light he hadn't seen in weeks. "No," she whispered. "Not like this. You don't get to decide for me."
With a cry that seemed to rip from the deepest part of her, Sophie twisted in his grasp, reaching for the knife that had clattered nearby. Her fingers brushed it, seized it—and before Marcus could stop her, she plunged the blade down into her own leg where the tendrils wrapped.
A screech split the air. The shadows recoiled violently, sizzling into smoke where the blade struck. Sophie gasped in agony but kicked free, scrambling back into Marcus's arms.
Ethan's howl rattled the walls, shaking the entire house. Clever little puppet. You think pain frees you? Pain is my language!
The tendrils lashed wildly, tearing through furniture, ripping beams from the ceiling. Marcus shielded Sophie with his body as debris rained around them. His arm throbbed, broken, nearly useless, but his resolve burned hotter than the pain.
He looked down at Sophie, her face pale but fierce, blood soaking her leg. "You chose," he whispered. "Not him. Not me. You."
Her hand clutched his shirt, her breath ragged. "I won't let him take that from me."
Ethan's form loomed taller, his body thickening into near-solid flesh, ink dripping like tar. His grin split wider than any human mouth. Then I'll tear choice away entirely. I'll rip you both apart until you're nothing but silence.
The ground split further, shadows rising in a tidal wave. Marcus knew they couldn't hold out forever. Not like this. Not in this house that had become Ethan's body.
He pressed his forehead against Sophie's, his voice raw. "If I have to give him something, let it be me. Not you."
Her eyes widened in horror. "Marcus, no—"
But the choice was already made.
Marcus surged to his feet, his broken arm hanging limp, knife clenched in the other hand. He faced Ethan's towering form, his voice steady despite the storm of fear inside him. "You want sacrifice? You'll have mine. But you'll never touch her again."
And with a roar, he hurled himself straight into the shadows.