"We're so fucked up," Enzo muttered, pacing back and forth in the dim, dusty attic where they had taken shelter. The air was thick with sweat, mold, and fear. His hands trembled as he dragged them through his hair, eyes darting toward the lone window that faced the trees.
The others—Bee, Dina, and Marco—sat on the floor in silence. No one spoke for a while. The only sounds were the creaking of the old wooden boards beneath them, the occasional hoot of an owl, and the constant low rumble of thunder in the distance.
"They got Ali," Dina finally said, voice shaking. "I heard it from someone who saw the police reports. No one's saying it out loud, but... his house was destroyed. Like something inhuman tore through it."
"We know who it is," Bee said coldly, hugging her knees. "Michael. That freak. Lukas's dad."
Marco hadn't spoken since they arrived. He was sitting in the corner, his face half in shadow, staring at a small photo of the original gang—back when things were stupid and reckless and they thought nothing could ever hurt them.
Thirteen in total. Now only six remained.
"I don't think it's just him anymore," Enzo said. "He's... changed. He's not human. He turned himself into a monster."
Bee scoffed. "What are you saying? That he's some sort of boogeyman now? Like out of a fucking horror movie?"
Enzo's face turned serious. "Yeah. That's exactly what I'm saying. And he's not alone anymore either."
The room went still.
"What do you mean?" Dina asked.
"Kevin and Missy... they saw something. A woman. Inhuman. Pale, glowing, dressed in black. She was floating, watching them."
"Lukas's mom," Marco spoke for the first time. His voice was hollow. "Elizabeth."
Bee shook her head. "No. She died. Years ago. Car crash."
Enzo looked at them all, dead serious. "Michael brought her back. Somehow. Just like he did with himself."
"Then we're fucked twice," Dina said. "This isn't just a guy out for revenge. It's something else."
"No," Marco said. "It is revenge. But now it's pure. It's wrath and grief mixed together. And it wants us dead."
A long silence filled the attic. Rain began tapping against the roof like soft warning knocks from the sky.
Meanwhile… deep in the forest
Marque moved through the trees like a whisper, her feet never touching the ground. Her white eyes glowed in the darkness, scanning everything, absorbing memories from the trees, the air, the soil.
She could feel them. The 6 remaining gang members. Each of them carried pieces of Lukas's suffering like stains on their souls.
She didn't need to see them to know them. She remembered them.
The ones who laughed when Lukas was pushed around.
The ones who watched and did nothing.
The ones who called themselves friends but let it all happen.
Wrath moved behind her, his body rattling and groaning with every step, claws glinting in the moonlight.
"They're afraid," she said softly.
"They should be," Wrath replied, voice like a furnace on the verge of exploding.
"I want to see them bleed," Marque whispered. "Slowly. Beautifully. I want them to beg for him."
Wrath didn't answer. He only raised his claw and pointed toward the hills, where a small house sat tucked between rocks and trees.
"They're there."
Back in the attic
Bee stood up, her nerves getting the best of her. "We can't just sit here. We need to leave. Run. Get out of the city. Hell, out of the country."
"And go where?" Marco said. "You think Wrath won't find us? You think whatever that thing is... that Marque... can't follow?"
"Then what? You want to just die here?" she snapped.
"No," Enzo said firmly. "We fight. If we're going to die, we're not going down without swinging."
Dina stared at him like he'd lost his mind. "Fight what, Enzo?! You saw what they did to Ali. There was nothing left of him. You think we can do anything about that?"
Enzo didn't answer. Instead, he walked over to the wall, pulled a wooden panel loose, and reached into the space behind it.
He pulled out a duffel bag.
"What's that?" Marco asked.
"Guns," Enzo said. "And explosives."
Bee's eyes widened. "Where the hell did you get those?!"
"My brother was in the military. Before he died. I kept his stash. Thought I might need it one day."
"You're insane," Dina said.
"Maybe," Enzo admitted. "But if monsters are coming for us, I'm not dying without putting a hole through their fucking skulls first."
Bee stood still for a moment… then grabbed one of the pistols from the bag.
"I'm in."
Marco and Dina hesitated, but eventually, they grabbed weapons too. They didn't want to fight—but they also didn't want to die like Ali, like Lukas. Not without trying.
Outside… Marque hovered just above the ground, the air warping around her like heat rising from asphalt. She extended one long hand forward, touching the bark of an old tree. The tree immediately blackened and withered, collapsing into dust. She turned her head slightly.
"They're arming themselves," she said.
Wrath cracked his neck. "Let them."
"They think fire will save them."
"They think wrong."
Marque opened her mouth and let out a sound—high, unnatural, a wail that sounded like a broken lullaby layered with static and screaming.
From behind her, shadows began to move.
Figures crawled from the woods—half-formed things made of wire, rotted flesh, and fragments of Lukas's memories. Toy-like things. Bullying voices. Smiles twisted into grotesque masks.
Marque turned to Wrath.
"Tonight, we finish what grief started."
Later That Night…
Lightning flashed over the hills, illuminating the forest in momentary white. In the attic, the tension was suffocating. They could feel something coming, not just with their nerves—but with the very air itself. A pressure, like the world was inhaling and holding its breath.
Dina checked the window again. "Nothing yet."
"Keep the lights off," Marco muttered. He was setting tripwire explosives at the stairwell. "We'll know when they're close."
Bee clutched her shotgun tighter. "Why do I feel like even with all this, it's not going to matter?"
Enzo exhaled slowly, watching the candlelight flicker. "Because deep down, we know we're already dead. We just haven't stopped breathing yet."
That was when the trees outside began to whisper.
Not rustle—whisper.
It was voices. Laughs. Sobs. Chants. Echoes of the gang's past, thrown back at them through the mouths of the damned.
"You thought you were safe…"
"You left him there…"
"You laughed when he cried…"
Enzo stepped to the window and peeked through the crack. His heart nearly exploded in his chest.
In the clearing beyond the tree line, figures were gathering.
Misshapen and twitching. Tall and skeletal. Some looked like kids in uniforms. Some looked like dolls. Others were pure nightmare. All were coming toward the house.
Then—behind them—she appeared.
Marque hovered above the horde, pale as death, eyes glowing like suns without warmth. Her long black dress floated as if underwater, hair drifting around her like tendrils of smoke.
And beside her, Wrath.
Towering, clawed, monstrous… and silent.
Enzo turned. "It's happening."
The others fell still. Then Marco whispered, "Positions. Now."
They moved quickly, taking cover, aiming guns at the windows and door. The silence in the house grew so intense it was deafening.
And then—
BANG.
The first window shattered. Dina screamed as something reached through and tried to grab her. She fired—once, twice—and the thing's arm exploded into wires and teeth. It collapsed like a broken toy.
Bee shot one that crawled through the attic hatch. It shrieked and burst into shadow.
Marco pressed the detonator for the stairwell trap. BOOM. Wood, limbs, and glass exploded into the air as two of the memory-things were obliterated.
But then Marque reached the edge of the house.
She raised one hand.
The roof began to crumble.
Her voice drifted through the air, soft but commanding. "You will feel every moment of his pain."
She pointed—and a wave of force shattered the attic walls.
They were exposed now.
Dina screamed as one of the creatures tackled her. It pinned her down, whispering Lukas's name over and over. Enzo kicked it off and shot it point-blank, spraying blood and splinters across the wall.
Marco pulled Bee out of the way as another claw tore through the ceiling. Wrath's silhouette loomed above them.
"We have to get out!" Bee yelled.
"There's nowhere left!" Dina screamed back.
"No," Enzo growled, dragging the duffel bag toward the attic hatch. "There's one place."
He pulled out a second device—larger, heavier. The last explosive.
"We'll lead them to the basement. Lure them in. And blow it sky high."
Marco stared at him. "You're insane."
"Yeah," Enzo replied. "But maybe Lukas will finally rest."
Outside the house, Marque narrowed her eyes.
"They're planning something," she whispered.
Wrath stepped forward.
"Let them. I want them to struggle."
Meanwhile…
Kevin and Missy had found an abandoned ranger station deep in the forest. They were bruised, exhausted, and bloody—but alive.
"We need to warn them," Missy said, voice trembling.
Kevin grabbed the broken radio and twisted the knobs. Static. "If they're still alive…"
Missy sank to the floor, clutching Lukas's old bracelet, the one he used to wear every day.
"I see him, Kevin," she whispered. "In dreams. In the trees. He's not gone."
Kevin looked at her.
"I think a part of him is still… inside Wrath."
Missy met his eyes. "Then maybe we can reach him."
Kevin didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Then the radio clicked.
"—anyone out there, this is Bee—please—under attack—fucked up—Marque—help—"
Kevin jolted. "It's them. They're still alive."
Missy grabbed the flashlight. "Then we're not done yet."
And in the distance… the shadows stirred again.