The sirens wailed.
Not from one direction. Not from the city. But from *everywhere*.
They twisted through the air like haunted cries — distorted, stretched thin across the wind, as if the very sky had found a voice and was shrieking in agony.
Max staggered through the smoke toward the wrecked car, his eyes locked on Vivian slumped inside. He reached out — but stopped.
The heat wasn't natural.
It pulsed in waves, thudding like a second heartbeat against his skin — a *living* force. The air shimmered with it, almost whispering, almost watching.
Then, it happened.
The mark beneath his shirt flared to life.
Agonizing, blistering pain seared across his chest — *his mark was burning*. A deep, crimson glow pulsed under the fabric like an ember awakened.
He cried out, stumbling backward, clutching at his chest as if trying to claw the fire out.
"It won't let us interfere," he gasped, voice cracked, eyes wide with fear.
"The Hunt... it chooses. It *claims* who it wants."
Zee collapsed to her knees on the blood-speckled driveway, tears streaking her dirt-stained cheeks. Her voice trembled, barely louder than a whisper.
*"This isn't just a curse. It's choosing."*
Tari stood motionless, his eyes locked on the dancing fire, its flames reflected in his clenched fists.
*"Then what do we do?"* he growled. *"Wait here until we're all dead?"*
Vivian's death hit them like a slow-burning explosion — silent, yet devastating.
They had tried. *Really tried.* Kept her close. Watched her every move. But all it took was a moment.
A single moment.
They had turned away to load the gear, thinking she'd be safe for just a few seconds.
But in those seconds... the demon came.
Silent. Precise. Like it had been *waiting*.
It didn't need time.
Just an opportunity.
Starr watched numbly as the paramedics wheeled Vivian's lifeless body away under the cold light of dawn. Guilt wrapped around her like chains.
She had sent Vivian out.
*Told* her to start the car.
She had *promised* Vivian's mother she'd keep them all safe.
And now, she had failed.
A sharp chime echoed from Zee's laptop. It sliced through the thick silence like a warning bell.
They rushed inside, hoping—desperately—that maybe it was a clue. Maybe something had finally broken through. Maybe…
The moment they stepped into the house, a foul, metallic scent filled the air—cloying and wrong, like blood mixed with burned sugar. It hit their noses fast and hard.
Zee froze. Her eyes widened in horror.
*"Cover your noses!"* she screamed. *"It's hypnotic—don't breathe it in! Once it's in your lungs—"*
But it was too late.
Tari and Max were already collapsing, their bodies hitting the floor with lifeless thuds. Zee barely turned before her knees buckled. The room spun. Darkness clawed at the edges of her vision.
One by one, they dropped.
No sound.
No struggle.
Just bodies. Still. Motionless.
The house fell into silence again, broken only by the soft hum of the laptop and the eerie hiss of the air… as if the walls themselves had exhaled.
They lay sprawled across the floor like discarded marionettes—eyes closed, limbs twisted—
*like dead animals in a slaughterhouse.*