Alex stared inside, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Leo, what's this? The label has your mom's name on it... why did she prescribe so many? There are like ten bottles in here!"

Leo's face tightened, a mixture of guilt and frustration flashing in his eyes.

"She didn't," he admitted quietly, avoiding Alex's gaze. "Last month, I stole a page from her prescription pad."

Alex's jaw dropped. "You what? What the hell possessed you to do that?"

Leo sighed, the weight of his actions pressing heavily on his shoulders.

"Alex, you don't understand. When my mom came to the U.S. at nineteen, she had nothing. She worked three jobs to put herself through college. She got a full ride to Harvard Medical. That's where she met my dad, who already had three patents under his belt. Now? He has twenty."

Alex leaned back, absorbing the magnitude of Leo's words. "I knew they were both doctors, but damn."

Leo's eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"Everything I do is measured against them. 'At your age, I'd won an international prize. At your age, I'd started my own company.' I am already so far behind them, and they can't hide how disappointed they are. I can see it every time they look at me."

Alex's anger softened, replaced by a deep sympathy.

"Leo, I had no idea you felt this way. But stealing prescriptions... that's not the answer."

Leo nodded, his shoulders slumping. "I know. I just... I just wanted to be seen, you know? To feel like I mattered, like I could live up to them."

Alex's eyes widened with a mix of shock and disbelief. "So you decided that taking focus pills was the solution?"

Leo looked down, his hands trembling.

"I couldn't think of anything else to do. I was already overloaded with classes, I wasn't sleeping... I was at my limit and I could feel myself slipping. I had to get some help. The first week... it was amazing! I had so much energy, and I never got tired or distracted. I finished two college applications in one night."

Alex listened, a knot forming in his stomach. He had never seen Leo so vulnerable, so desperate.

Leo continued, his voice cracking. "But it didn't last. Suddenly, I was paranoid all the time and I couldn't sleep, even when I was exhausted. That's when our principal got suspicious."

"Wait, so does that mean... Oh God, Leo, the snake?" Alex's mind raced, connecting the dots.

"It's the only explanation that makes sense," Leo said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Principal was about to set a meeting with my parents, Dylan put that snake in the principal's desk to protect me. It's my fault he's in the hospital, and it will be my fault if he dies."

Alex felt a surge of anger mixed with pity. "Leo, you can't blame yourself for everything. Dylan made his own choice."

Alex took a deep breath, trying to process everything. "So what will you do now?"

Leo looked resolute, his voice steady. "I'm going to get rid of the pills, and I'm going to do whatever I can to stop Dylan from hurting anyone else. After that, I don't know. I'm sorry, Alex. I know I have no right to ask anything of you, but please, don't tell anyone what I did. Please give me a chance to fix this."

Alex studied his friend, seeing the desperation and determination in his eyes.

"I understand why you did this. Just please, don't do it again. And we have bigger problems right now. We can't solve them without you. I'll keep your secret for now."

Relief washed over Leo's face. "Thanks, Alex. I swear, I'm going to fix this."

Leo pulled off the highway, navigating through the familiar streets of their town. He found a parking space off Main Street, and Alex got out, spotting Kimmy's car partway down the block.

"Looks like the others beat us here. You ready to head in?" Alex asked, glancing at Leo.

Leo shook his head. "Hold on. There's something I have to do first."

In a narrow alley across the street from the hospital, Leo took a deep breath, the weight of the past few weeks pressing down on him. He opened the bag, looking at the bottles of pills inside. With a final, determined nod, he stuffed the bag into a large trash can, closing the lid with a sense of finality.

"There. It's done," Leo said, turning back to Alex, a mix of relief and apprehension on his face.

Alex gave him a reassuring nod. "Good. Now let's go. We have a lot to sort out."

Alex was about to say something when a throat cleared at the end of the alley. They both turned to see Ava standing there, arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

"Sooooooo... you guys know Dan's not in that garbage can, right?"

Alex jumped, his heart racing. "Jeez, Ava! What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you guys," Ava replied, her tone brisk but not unkind. "I’m here to lead you to the weird back room they’ve got Dan in."

Alex and Leo exchanged a look and nodded. Together, the three of them walked into the hospital, the sterile scent of disinfectant and quiet hum of activity surrounding them.

Ava led them through the maze of corridors to a small room at the back of the hospital. The others were already there, clustered around the bed where Dan lay still and quiet. The room was dimly lit, the only sounds the soft beeping of the heart rate monitor and the hushed whispers of concern.

Andy stood up as they entered, giving Alex a tired nod before stepping aside. Alex took the empty chair beside the bed, feeling the weight of the situation settle heavily on his shoulders. The heart rate monitor beeped out a soft, regular rhythm, a constant reminder of Dan's fragile state.

Ava looked at Dan, her expression pained. "Jeez, he looks so... it’s like something drained the life out of him."

Alex leaned closer to Dan, his voice barely a whisper. "Can he... I mean, does he know we're here?"

Andy shook his head, his face somber.

"Dunno. The nurse was here a minute ago. She said Dan's in a 'vegetative state.'"

Leo's voice trembled as he asked, "Is it... do they know what caused it?"

Lucy shook her head, her expression grim. "They have no idea. He just... won't wake up."

Kimmy sniffled, hugging herself tightly and looking up at the ceiling to hold back the tears.

"Guys, what if he never wakes up?"

Leo moved to stand beside Kimmy, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders. Lucy squeezed Kimmy's hand, her voice gentle but firm.

"The nurse also said we should talk to him, though. She said Dan might be able to hear us."

Noah scoffed, his skepticism evident. "It's probably crap. They always say that to make you feel better."

Alex reached out and squeezed Dan's hand, the warmth a stark contrast to the cold fear gripping his heart. "Has anyone else been here to see him?"

Noah replied, "We ran into Dan's mom on the way in, but she was on the phone with someone named Dr. Morris."

Leo's brow furrowed in confusion. "Another doctor? Are they bringing in some kind of specialist or something?"

Lucy interjected, "Actually, based on what they were saying, I think she may have been Dan's therapist."

Alex's eyes widened in surprise. "Woah! Dan was seeing a therapist? Do you think she knows something about all this?"

Kimmy shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes. "Who knows? He never told me about any of this. He wasn't one for talking about feelings."

Andy stepped closer to the bed, his voice choked with emotion. "Dan, buddy... I wish you could tell us what happened."

Suddenly, Dan's head turned just a few degrees to the right. Alex's eyes followed the motion, landing on Dan's clothes folded neatly on the bedside table. Acting on impulse, he reached out and checked the pocket of Dan's jeans, pulling out his cell phone.

Dwayne, who had been standing quietly in the corner, spoke up. "Wait, he didn't tell us what's going on, but maybe he told someone else."

The group fell silent, the air thick with a mixture of hope and dread. Alex unlocked the phone, thankfully it didn't have a password, his hands shaking slightly.

"Let's see if we can find anything that might help us understand what happened to Dan."

Kimmy hesitated, her voice uncertain. "Do you think we really should?"

Leo nodded firmly. "I think we definitely should."

Alex met their eyes with determination. "Let's do it. This is the only way we can find out what happened to him."

With a deep breath, Alex began scrolling through Dan's phone. The screen illuminated his face as he checked all the texts, feeling like an intruder in his friend's private world. His heart sank as he read message after message detailing Dan's fear and trauma. Dan had been having nightmares, feeling cold all the time, and confiding in Dr. Morris. Despite his guilt, Alex couldn't stop himself from reading the private texts between Dan and his therapist.

Dr. Morris seemed genuinely caring and compassionate, her messages filled with encouragement and understanding. But the most surprising revelation was that Dan had confided in Dr. Morris about Dylan. She had reassured him, telling him it was all in his head. The deeper Alex dug, the more unsettling the messages became. He discovered that on the first day of college and the exact day he went missing, Dan had gone into the woods on his own.

Alex put down Dan's phone, his hands trembling violently. The pieces of the puzzle were falling into place, but he still couldn't grasp the full picture. He looked at Dan's still form, the beeping of the heart monitor the only sound in the room.

"Oh, Dan," Alex whispered, his voice choked with emotion. "I am so sorry. I promise we will find a way to help you. And when you wake up, we're going to be there for you. Whatever you need."

He squeezed Dan's hand tightly, a silent vow of friendship and loyalty. As he let out a long sigh, the weight of the situation settled heavily on his shoulders, but he knew they had to keep pushing forward.

Noah's voice was sharp with anger. "We'll help more than that quack doctor. She told Dan it was all in his mind! She's the reason he went to face Dylan."

Lucy frowned, her tone defensive. "That's not fair, Noah. Dr. Morris didn't tell him to do that. She did the best she could with the information Dan gave her."

Leo nodded, his expression thoughtful. "And it did seem like she was helping him. It seemed like he was getting better at dealing with everything, until..."

Ava finished the sentence, her voice bitter. "Until Dylan ruined everything again."

Alex looked around the room, feeling the weight of their collective anxiety. "Everything that's happened... it seems like it all started when Dan went inside the ruins."

Dwayne shook his head, his voice firm. "I don't think so, Alex. Don't forget about the missing people, thirteen people went missing in a single year."

Andy clenched his fists in anger. "And not to mention, Alvin and Alice both went missing too."

Lucy nodded, her face pale with worry. "First Alvin and Alice, now Dan."

Kimmy's eyes widened with realization. "That makes sense... I mean, that's how it all started."

Alex's mind raced, piecing together the fragments of their nightmare. "First one of us goes in (Dan), and it wakes him up. Then more of us show up, and his power grows, that's how it works I guess."

Andy said, "But still, that doesn't explain why Dylan got Alvin and Alice. What did they ever do to him?"

Leo frowned, deep in thought. "Maybe Dylan saw them as a threat and wanted to get rid of them."

Dwyane who knew about them just stood in corner pretended not to know anything.

Noah's face contorted with frustration. "So, what... Dylan used Dan as bait to lure us into the woods? To increase his powers?"

Alex's heart pounded as he remembered the shadowy figure's words. "The shadow monster did say I was supposed to bring everyone."

Lucy crossed her arms, her face set with determination. "So we don't give him what he wants. We all just stay out of the woods, and that way things don't get any worse."

Alex and Leo shared a worried look.

Leo’s voice was low and troubled. "I think things are already worse. I think... in his sick way, Dylan has been doing us favors. To get on our good side."

Dwayne looked skeptical. "Favors? Like what?"

Alex interjected, "Like the animal attacks on Mateo, the Principal, and then on Maria too."

Lucy frowned, shaking her head. "Those could have been coincidences. When your town is surrounded by woods, animal attacks just happen sometimes."

Andy but his bottom lip he was hiding about an animal attack but didn't say anything to them.

Kimmy shifted uncomfortably, chewing on her lip. "Not like this," she muttered, the words barely audible.

Everyone turned to look at her, sensing she had more to say. Kimmy took a deep breath, finally revealing everything about the blackmail and how she got the phone.

Alex's eyes widened in realization. "Dylan knew about the blackmail and he helped you get to her phone."

Ava's brow furrowed in confusion. "Okay, that explains why Maria invited us to a party, but it doesn't explain why she suddenly decided to stop being a jerk to Lucy."

Alex pondered this, then a thought struck him. "Wait, do you think Dylan can affect people's minds?"

Lucy’s voice was shaky but defiant. "N-No way! There's no proof that Dylan can do anything like that!"

Ava persisted, "Okay, but you gotta admit there's something wrong here. Maria is acting totally—"

"She's just acting like she used to! Before she started hanging out with monsters like Mateo and Emma" Lucy shouted, her frustration boiling over.

As Lucy’s voice rose, Dan seemed to flinch back from the sound, his brow furrowing as if in pain. The room fell silent, everyone noticing the subtle movement.

Alex's heart ached seeing Dan react, even in his unconscious state. He placed a gentle hand on Dan's arm.

"Dan, we’re here. We’re going to figure this out."

Dan’s eyes fluttered open, and he slowly whispered, "Nnn... Al..."