(A/N):
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The silence didn't last.
It cracked.
Slowly at first… then all at once.
Inside Jenny's living room, the tension that had been building since morning finally snapped.
Grant paced back and forth like a caged animal.
"I'm telling you, this is stupid," he said sharply.
"Sitting here doing nothing while that thing messes with our heads?"
Paxton frowned already his irritation building up.
-Frown
"And what's your genius plan? Run out and die faster?"
Grant turned on him immediately.
"At least I'd be doing something."
Paxton stepped forward.
"Yeah? Like getting killed the second you step outside?"
Grant laughed bitterly.
-HAHA!!!
"You sound real confident for someone who almost had a breakdown last night."
Paxton's expression hardened.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Grant smirked with a mocking look on his face.
-Smirk!
"It means you panic. You freeze. You're dead weight."
That did it. Paxton shoved him.
"Say that again."
Grant shoved back harder.
"I said you're a liability."
Hayley stepped between them.
"Stop it! Both of you—"
Grant snapped back at her and turning back to Paxton.
"Stay out of this!"
Paige flinched hearing him scream.
"Grant—"
He turned on her next.
"And you—don't even start. You're barely holding it together."
Paige's face fell.
"Why are you saying this…?"
"Because it's true!"
Paxton stepped forward again.
"Enough."
Grant swung first.
A punch connected with Paxton's jaw.
-BAM!
"...."
The room erupted.
Paxton tackled him.
Both of them crashed into the table, knocking over the food containers.
Chairs scraped. Things fell.
Hayley screamed at them to stop fighting.
"STOP!"
Paige backed away in panic.
"Guys, please!"
But neither of them listened.
Grant and Paxton were already trading punches, fueled by exhaustion, fear, and everything Ilona had planted in their minds.
Jojo's Mansion...
The surveillance screen flickered with sudden movement.
Inadu's eyes snapped open.
On the monitor—The living room had turned into chaos.
Grant and Paxton were fighting.
Hard. Not holding back.
Inadu stood immediately.
"They're breaking."
Her voice was calm—but sharp.
Across the room, Jojo sat on the couch, holding a cup of tea Rosalie had just handed him.
He hadn't even taken a sip yet.
Rosalie raised an eyebrow.
"Well… that escalated fast."
Inadu didn't waste another second. She turned toward Jojo.
"They're fighting."
Jojo placed the cup down slowly. His expression didn't change.
"I know."
He had already sensed it.
Alice tilted her head slightly, eyes flickering.
"The future just shifted."
Caroline frowned hearing Alice words.
"That's bad, right?"
Alice nodded turning back to look at her.
Nods
"Very."
On the screen—Grant slammed Paxton into the wall.
Paxton retaliated with a punch to the ribs.
Hayley tried to pull them apart.
Paige was crying. The room was unraveling.
Inadu looked at Jojo.
"If this continues, one of them will break the rules."
Jojo stood up.
Calm. Unhurried.
But his presence shifted instantly.
The room itself seemed to respond.
"Then we stop it," he said simply.
Jenny's House — Living Room...
Grant raised his fist again—Before he could land the punch—The door burst open.
A force swept through the room.
Both men were thrown apart instantly.
Grant slammed into the couch.
Paxton hit the wall. Silence followed.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Heavy. Absolute.
Jojo stood at the doorway. Eyes calm. But cold.
The air in the room shifted immediately.
Grant groaned, trying to sit up.
Paxton held his ribs.
"...."
"...."
Neither moved further.
Jojo stepped inside slowly. He didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to.
"Are you done?"
No one answered.
Hayley wiped her tears.
Paige stood frozen still caught between the fight between her friends.
Jojo's gaze swept across all four of them.
"You're doing her work for her."
The words landed harder than any punch.
Silence deepened.
"...."
"...."
"...."
"She doesn't need to kill you," he continued calmly.
"You'll destroy yourselves first."
Grant clenched his jaw.
Paxton looked away.
Jojo stepped further into the room.
"If you fight," he said, "you die."
No threat. Just fact.
His eyes lingered on Grant. Then Paxton. Then all of them.
"Pick."
The silence Jojo created didn't last long.
Grant snapped having enough.
"I've had enough!" he shouted, voice cracking under pressure.
"You think you're saving us? You're the reason we're trapped here!"
Hayley froze seeing him once again react violently.
"Grant—"
But he was already moving.
"You're going to get us killed!"
He lunged. Fist aimed straight for Jojo's face.
A desperate, reckless strike.
But he never reached him.
A blur of motion cut across the room—A sharp THUD echoed.
-THUD!
Grant's body lifted off the ground.
Then slammed violently into the wall.
Rosalie stood where he had been a second ago, one leg still extended from the kick.
Her eyes were cold.
Protective. Deadly.
"You don't get to touch him," she said flatly.
Grant collapsed to the floor. A choked gasp escaped him as he clutched his ribs.
"AAH—!"
A thin line of blood slipped from the corner of his mouth.
Internal damage.
Not fatal. But enough. More than enough.
Paige screamed.
"OH MY GOD—!"
Paxton staggered back, shocked.
Hayley rushed forward but stopped halfway, unsure what to do.
Grant tried to push himself up—Failed—And then his body went limp.
Unconscious.
"...."
"...."
"...."
The room fell completely silent.
Rosalie lowered her leg slowly.
Unbothered.
Caroline, who had followed Jojo in, exhaled softly.
"Yeah… he earned that."
Jojo didn't even look at Rosalie.
He looked at Grant. Then at the others.
His voice remained calm.
Unshaken.
"Exactly my point."
The words settled heavily in the room.
He stepped forward slightly.
"Second day."
His gaze moved from Hayley …to Paige …to Paxton.
"Just one more day."
No emotion. No comfort. Just truth.
"Grit your teeth."
A pause.
"And stay alive."
He turned. Without another word.
Rosalie glanced once more at Grant on the floor.
"Try that again," she muttered under her breath, "and I won't hold back."
Then she followed Jojo out.
Caroline gave the group one last look.
"Don't be stupid," she said.
Then she left too.
The door closed. Locked again.
Silence returned.
But it was different now.
Heavier.
Hayley knelt beside Grant, checking his breathing.
"He's alive…"
Paxton leaned against the wall, shaken.
Paige wiped her tears. No one spoke.
Because now—They understood something clearly. This wasn't just about surviving the curse anymore.
It was about surviving each other. The house had gone still again.
After the chaos. After the shouting. After the violence.
Only the aftermath remained.
In the bedroom, Grant lay unconscious on the bed. His breathing was steady, but shallow.
A faint bruise had already begun forming along his ribs.
Paige adjusted the blanket over him gently.
"…he's going to be okay, right?" she whispered.
Hayley nodded, though her voice lacked certainty.
-Nod
"He'll wake up."
Paxton stood at the foot of the bed, staring at Grant.
His jaw was tight. His eyes still carried the remnants of anger.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then Paige tugged at Hayley's arm.
"Let's… give him space."
Hayley hesitated. Then nodded.
-Nod
"...."
The two girls stepped out of the room.
Paxton remained. He looked down at Grant.
"...."
The silence stretched.
Then—Smack!
Paxton slapped him. Not hard enough to injure.
But enough to sting.
"That's for earlier," he muttered.
Grant didn't react. Still unconscious.
Paxton exhaled sharply, shaking his head.
-Sigh!
"…idiot."
Then he turned—And left the room. The door closed.
-Click!
Silence.
"...."
"...."
"...."
No movement. No sound.
Just the faint rhythm of Grant's breathing.
Then—The temperature dipped. Barely noticeable.
A thin thread of shadow slipped along the ceiling.
Slow. Silent. Watching.
"...."
Ilona.
Her form stretched across the corner of the room like a stain in reality.
Her gaze fixed on Grant.
The weakest link.
The one already fractured. Already unstable.
Already close to breaking.
Perfect.
She did not rush. She did not hesitate.
From her form—A faint stream of dark mist began to descend.
Like breath on a winter night.
It hovered above Grant for a moment.
Then—Slipped into him. Through his mouth. Through his breath. Through his being.
Grant's body twitched.
Once. Then stilled.
"...."
His fingers curled slightly. His breathing deepened.
The shadow above the room faded.
Ilona was gone. Darkness. Not a dream.
Not fully. A presence. Cold.
Watching from within. Not controlling yet.
Not fully. But there.
Waiting. Listening. Feeling.
Outside, the wolves continued their patrol.
Inside, Hayley, Paige, and Paxton sat in the living room.
Unaware.
Above them—Nothing remained. No shadow. No trace.
Ilona had made her move.
Quietly. Perfectly.
A few hours passed...
The house remained quiet. Too quiet.
In the bedroom—Grant's fingers twitched.
Slowly… his eyes opened.
He stared at the ceiling.
Unmoving. Unblinking.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then he inhaled deeply.
Sat up. Calm.
Too calm.
In the living room, Paige was the first to notice.
"Hey… he's awake."
Hayley stood immediately.
"Grant?"
Paxton followed behind them, cautious.
They entered the room together.
Grant sat on the edge of the bed.
Head slightly tilted. Eyes distant. He turned toward them.
"…hey."
Normal voice.
No anger. No frustration. Just flat.
Hayley frowned slightly.
-Frown!
"How are you feeling?"
Grant looked down at his ribs.
"…fine."
That was it. No complaint. No sarcasm. No blame.
Paxton raised an eyebrow.
"That kick didn't break your personality too, did it?"
Grant didn't respond.
He simply stood up. Walked past them.
No rush. No resistance.
He entered the kitchen.
Opened the food container.
Ate. Quietly.
No comments. No irritation. No jokes.
Just… eating. The three watched him.
Uncomfortable.
Paige whispered not able to contain herself,
"…is it just me or is this weird?"
Hayley nodded slowly.
-Nod
"Very."
Paxton frowned massing his forehead suspecting could it be his slap turned him to new leaf.
"Yeah… this isn't Grant."
Grant finished eating.
Closed the container neatly.
Walked back to the bedroom.
Lay down. Stared at the ceiling.
Silent.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Still. Like his mind was somewhere else entirely.
Something had changed.
Not loud. Not obvious. But wrong.
Hayley stood in the doorway, watching him.
"Grant?"
No response. Just a slow blink. Creepily turning towards them.
-Blink!
"...."
Paxton leaned against the wall.
"…okay, now I'm officially creeped out."
Paige hugged herself.
"At least he's not trying to fight us…"
But even she didn't sound convinced.
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(Author's POV)
(A/N):
Guys My New Fic name is:
-->Star Entertainment: Building An Empire.
-->Mahabharat: Shiva's Last Variable
Check it out... I hope you will like it
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