The silence didn't last.
It never does.
A low, distorted screech echoed from outside followed by another.
Then another.
Danny's chest tightened.
"…That's not just one," he said quietly.
Abby didn't respond immediately.
Her eyes were fixed on the window what was left of it. The faint crimson glow around her body pulsed slightly, reacting to something unseen.
"…Yeah," she finally said.
A pause.
"They're multiplying."
Danny blinked.
"…Multiplying?"
Before she could explain a shadow darted past the doorway.
Fast.
Too fast.
Then,
SCRAAAATCH.
Something dragged itself across the wall outside his room, leaving deep, jagged marks behind.
Danny stepped back instinctively.
"…Okay, I officially hate this."
Abby let out a small breath.
"Stay behind me."
"…Wasn't planning on doing anything else."
Another screech.
Closer.
The hallway lights flickered violently—
ON.
OFF.
ON.
OFF—
Then darkness swallowed everything.
For a second,
Complete blackness.
Danny's heartbeat thundered in his ears.
"…Abby?"
A faint crimson glow lit the room again.
She was right in front of him.
Unmoved.
Unshaken.
"I'm here," she said.
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
The kind of calm that made things even more terrifying.
A slow, dragging sound echoed from the hallway.
Something was coming.
Danny swallowed.
"…How many are there?"
Abby's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…More than before."
"That's not comforting."
"It's not supposed to be."
The sound stopped.
Right outside the door.
Silence.
Heavy.
Waiting.
Danny held his breath.
"…Is it gone?"
Abby didn't answer.
Instead—
She moved.
In an instant, she grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back—
Just as the door exploded inward.
BOOM.
Wood shattered, fragments flying across the room as a dark figure lunged inside twisted limbs, hollow glowing eyes, its body flickering like it couldn't fully exist.
Danny hit the ground hard.
"Damn—!"
Before the creature could reach him—
CRACK.
Abby's fist slammed into it mid-air.
The impact sent a shockwave through the room, the creature's body distorting violently before crashing into the wall.
It screeched.
Loud.
Unnatural.
Then—
It split.
Two smaller forms peeled away from its body, hitting the ground and immediately crawling in opposite directions.
Danny's eyes widened.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Abby clicked her tongue.
"…Annoying."
The two creatures moved fast one darting toward the ceiling, the other lunging straight at Danny.
"ABBY—!"
Too late.
The creature was already on him—
Or it would have been.
Danny's body moved.
Instinct.
Nothing conscious.
He raised his arm—
And—
A faint distortion flickered around him.
The creature froze mid-air.
Just for a second.
But that second—
Was enough.
CRASH.
Abby intercepted it instantly, slamming it into the ground with enough force to crack the floor again.
Silence followed.
Brief.
Sharp.
Abby turned her head slowly.
Her eyes locked onto Danny.
"…What was that?"
Danny stared at his own hand.
"…I don't know."
The other creature screeched from above dropping down toward them.
Abby didn't hesitate.
She moved again but this time She wasn't fast enough.
The creature slipped past her.
Straight toward Danny.
Time slowed.
Danny's heart pounded.
His mind blank.
Move.
But his body Didn't respond.
The creature reached him Claws stretching out, Then It stopped.
Not because of Abby.
Not because of anything physical.
But because something else—
Something unseen—
Held it in place.
The air around Danny distorted again.
Stronger this time.
The creature trembled mid-air, its body flickering violently as if it was being pulled apart by invisible forces.
Danny's eyes widened.
"…What… is happening…?"
Abby froze.
For the first time actually froze.
"…No way…"
Her voice dropped.
Low.
Serious.
The distortion intensified.
The creature let out a final, broken screech before collapsing into nothing.
Gone.
Just like that.
Silence filled the room.
Heavy.
Unreal.
Danny stood there, breathing unevenly, staring at the empty space where the creature had been.
"…I didn't touch it…"
Abby slowly walked toward him.
Step by step.
Careful.
Measured.
Her eyes never left him.
"…You didn't have to."
He looked up at her.
Confused.
"…What do you mean?"
She stopped right in front of him.
Closer than before.
Her gaze sharp.
Focused.
Almost… intense.
"…You felt it earlier, didn't you?" she asked quietly.
"The moment the Rift opened."
Danny hesitated.
"…Yeah."
A beat.
"…I did."
Her expression didn't soften.
If anything—
It became more serious.
More certain.
"Then that confirms it."
Danny frowned.
"Confirms what?"
Abby leaned in slightly.
Close enough for him to feel her presence again that strange, heavy energy that surrounded her.
But this time…
It wasn't just hers.
It was his too.
Faint.
Unstable.
But real.
Her voice dropped to almost a whisper.
"You're connected to the Rift."
Danny's breath caught.
"…That's not possible."
Abby held his gaze.
Unwavering.
"It is now."
A sudden crash echoed from outside the house.
Both of them turned instantly.
More sounds followed.
Multiple.
Moving fast.
Surrounding them.
Danny's stomach dropped.
"…Don't tell me…"
Abby straightened.
Her crimson aura flaring slightly.
Her expression—
Calm.
But dangerous.
"That was just the beginning."
The walls creaked.
The air grew heavier.
And outside Something waited.
Not small.
Not weak.
Something bigger.
Something worse.
Danny clenched his fists slightly.
"…So what now?"
Abby didn't look at him this time.
Her eyes were locked forward.
Ready.
"Now?"
A faint smirk returned to her lips.
"We fight for real."
Outside the darkness shifted.
And whatever was coming next…
Wasn't playing anymore.
---
To Be Continued.