The door slammed shut.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Crushing.
Noah stood frozen.
Gone.
She was gone.
For a moment—
He didn't move.
Didn't think.
Didn't breathe.
Then—
Something inside him snapped.
"No."
Mira turned sharply.
"Noah…"
But he was already moving.
Fast.
Focused.
He rushed to the door and threw it open—
Empty hallway.
No sign of them.
"No…" he muttered.
Mira followed him out.
"They're gone."
"No," Noah said again.
"They're not."
He knelt slightly.
Eyes scanning the floor.
"Look."
Mira frowned.
"What am I looking at?"
"Water."
Silence.
"From the rain," Noah said.
Small droplets.
Leading away.
A trail.
Mira's eyes widened.
"You're kidding…"
"No."
He stood up.
"They moved fast… but not perfectly."
Mira hesitated.
"This could be a trap."
Noah didn't respond.
Instead—
He started walking.
Following the trail.
"…Noah," Mira said again.
He stopped.
But didn't turn.
"If we don't go now," he said quietly…
"…we lose her forever."
Silence.
Then—
Mira exhaled.
"…Fine."
They moved together.
Fast.
The trail led them outside.
Rain still falling.
The street almost empty.
But the water marks—
Still visible.
Faint.
But there.
"They went that way," Noah said.
They ran.
Through narrow streets.
Across intersections.
The city blurred around them.
Until—
Noah stopped suddenly.
Mira almost crashed into him.
"What is it?"
He didn't answer.
He was staring ahead.
At a building.
Tall.
Dark.
Abandoned.
At least—
That's what it looked like.
But something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
"This place…" Mira whispered.
Noah stepped closer.
"There's no way…"
Mira looked at him.
"What?"
He didn't take his eyes off the building.
"This is too obvious."
Silence.
"Which means?" she asked.
"It's not meant to be hidden."
A pause.
"It's meant to be found."
Mira's stomach dropped.
"A trap."
Noah nodded.
"Definitely."
Silence.
They stood there.
Rain falling around them.
The building waiting.
Watching.
"What do we do?" Mira asked.
Noah didn't hesitate.
"We go in."
"…Of course we do," she muttered.
They approached slowly.
The main door—
Already open.
No force.
No damage.
Just…
Open.
"Inviting," Mira said.
"Exactly," Noah replied.
They stepped inside.
Darkness.
Cold air.
Empty space.
Or so it seemed.
Their footsteps echoed.
Too loud.
Too clear.
Then—
A light flickered on.
Far ahead.
A single hallway.
Leading deeper inside.
Mira whispered:
"This is wrong…"
Noah nodded.
"I know."
But he kept walking.
Step by step.
Into the light.
Until—
A voice echoed.
Calm.
Familiar.
"You came."
Both of them froze.
Noah's heart dropped.
"…Lina?"
She stepped into the light.
Standing at the end of the hallway.
Still.
Perfect.
Watching them.
Waiting.
But something was different.
She wasn't just controlled anymore.
She was… calm.
Too calm.
"You shouldn't have followed," she said.
Mira whispered:
"That's not her…"
Noah stepped forward.
"I'm not leaving without you."
Silence.
Then—
Lina smiled.
"Then you won't leave at all."
The lights shut off.
Total darkness.
Mira gasped.
"Noah—!"
Too late.
A sound.
Movement.
Fast.
Too fast.
Something grabbed Noah—
Pulling him into the dark.
"NOAH!" Mira screamed.
Silence answered.
When the lights came back—
He was gone.
Only Mira remained.
Alone.
And Lina—
Still standing there.
Watching.