The cold bite of the knife at Alex’s back sent a shiver down his spine as Noah forced him down the dark, winding staircase. The stone walls were damp and close, making the descent feel like a plunge into some forgotten, lightless pit. Alex’s heart pounded in his chest, the weight of betrayal heavy in every step he took.

“Noah, I don’t understand.” Alex’s words trembled, laced with confusion and fear.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Trust me. Everything will make sense in a minute.” Noah’s calmness was chilling, as if this act was a necessity rather than a choice.

“How can I trust you when you’re pointing a knife at me?” Alex’s breath came in shallow gasps, panic gripping his chest. His mind raced for answers, desperate to reach the friend he once knew.

“Alex, please.” Noah’s words faltered, a flicker of doubt surfacing. “Just walk.”

The two of them emerged into the cavern, its vastness swallowing them in oppressive darkness. The faint light from above barely reached the edges, leaving much of the space shrouded in shadow.

As they approached, the familiar sight of the circle of chairs made Alex’s blood run cold. His all friends were already seated, their faces pale and strained, eyes wide with fear as they struggled against invisible bonds that held them fast.

Kevin, Shoyo, and Claire struggled desperately to free themselves from their chairs, but no matter how hard they fought against the force, they couldn’t break free. Their efforts were in vain, as the invisible grip held them firmly in place.

Alice and Sofia’s faces were flushed and streaked with tears, their eyes red from crying. Alvin was sitting silently in his chair, was too weak to fight against the force, his resolve shattered by the betrayal.

“Leo!” Alex’s voice cracked as he saw his friend’s frantic struggles.

“Noah, I don’t know what the hell is going on,” Leo growled, his eyes blazing with fury, “but you’d better let us go.”

“And give me back my knife, you backstabbing little scab!” Ava’s eyes were narrowed into slits, her fury barely contained as she fought against her restraints.

Noah shoved Alex toward an empty chair in the circle. The force of it nearly knocked Alex off his feet, but he caught himself at the last moment, turning to glare at Noah.

“Oof. Noah, there’s still time to stop this.”

Noah’s eyes darkened as he held the knife with a trembling hand. “I couldn’t stop now even if I wanted to,” he muttered, more to himself than to Alex.

“We don’t have a choice. We have to do this.”

Across the circle, Andy’s leg hung at an unnatural angle, pain etched into his face as he spat out a threat through clenched teeth.

“When I get out of this chair, I’m gonna break my other leg by kicking your ass.”

Dan’s eyes were locked on Noah, his voice pleading for some glimmer of reason.

“Noah, just talk to us. Help us understand. What do you want? Why are you doing this?”

Noah's face was pale, his expression a mix of desperation and conviction.

“Because she’s trapped here, and we’re the only ones who can save her.”

Sofia frowned, her frustration bubbling to the surface. “Noah, you’re not making any sense. Who’s trapped?”

“June!” Noah’s words were sharp, urgency cutting through each syllable.

“She’s trapped here."

Kimmy’s words cut through the tension, tears brimmed in her eyes, her anguish palpable.

“June is dead, Noah! She’s been gone for eight years!”

“No. She hasn’t.” Noah’s eyes darted around the room, as if seeking something only he could see.

“June is right here. June is Dylan.”

A stunned silence gripped the group, disbelief hanging heavy in the air.

Ava turned to Alex, her eyes wide with fear.

“Alex? What the hell is he talking about?”

Alex shook his head, his heart pounding. “I don’t believe him. It’s a trick. Dylan’s just trying to mess with us again.”

“It’s not a trick!” Noah’s voice trembled as he tried to make them understand.

“Don’t you see? June didn’t die eight years ago; she took Dylan’s place, and now she’s…”

The shadows around them seemed to thicken, pulsing with a life of their own. A figure emerged from the darkness, and Alex felt a cold shiver run down his spine at the sound of a voice he hadn’t heard in years.

“Hi Alex.”

Kimmy’s breath hitched, her face draining of color. “Oh my god. It’s really her.”

June’s laughter echoed through the cavern, eerie and hollow, as she glided around them like a predator circling its prey.

“Nice to... meet you... again.”

Leo’s confusion deepened, his voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t understand. What does she want from us?”

Noah’s eyes darted between his friends, desperation etched into every line of his face.

“The same thing we want... to do the ritual. To finish this.”

Alex’s heart pounded as he stared at Noah, his mind racing. “But we already did the ritual.”

Noah then gave a weak smile. “Not the right one. Not our ritual. Don’t you get it yet?”

Ava’s eyes widened in horror, the truth dawning on her like a slap to the face.

“We changed the rules.”

Alex looked at Ava, his pulse quickening as the realization hit him like a freight train.

“Ophelia told us... the power and its followers are bound by the rules that they create.”

Kimmy’s breath caught in her throat.

“So Ophelia’s ritual didn’t work because it isn’t ours? Then what…”

Before she could finish, June’s eerie voice cut through the air like a knife, her presence dark and menacing.

“Play.”

She came to a stop, her eyes gleaming with malevolent intent as they locked onto Alex. His blood ran cold.

Alex’s stomach twisted in fear. “It’s the game! She’s gonna make us play the game again.”

June’s lips curled into a sinister smile, her voice dripping with malice. “Are... you... scared...?”

Alex’s mind whirled as he locked eyes with Noah, disbelief etched on his face.

“Noah, we can’t do this.”

Dwayne’s voice broke through the tension, sharp with fear and anger.

“Yeah. I don’t know if you remember, but the last time we played ‘Are you scared?’ with Dylan? SOMEONE DIED!”

Noah’s face twisted with a mix of desperation and determination.

“Aren’t you listening? June didn’t die! She’s been right here all along!”

June’s glowing eyes flickered with something almost human as she looked at Noah, her voice softening.

“All... along... alone.”

Dwayne trembled as she spoke, trying to reach the friend she once knew.

“Noah... even if June is in there, she’s not the same girl that we knew. Can’t you see that?”

Lucy nodded, her face pale with fear.

“Dwayne is right Noah. Let’s say Dylan is June, but she’s not the same sweet girl she once was. Look at her—she’s twisted, corrupted. The innocence is gone, replaced by something dark and monstrous.”

Leo began to sweat, his blood running cold as well, but he forced himself to speak through gasps.

“Lucy’s right. Think about it, Noah. She’s hurt people—killed people!”

Noah’s eyes filled with a desperate need to believe, even as the truth stared him in the face.

“She doesn’t understand what she’s doing! She was just trying to help us! Those were... they were mistakes! Accidents.”

June’s smile faltered, her eyes wide with a strange mix of guilt and hope as she nodded eagerly. “Accidents! Clumsy June!”

Kimmy’s voice was sharp, tinged with disbelief. “Do you actually believe that? After everything she’s done?!”

Alice's voice cracked with desperation, her eyes pleading with Noah. “Noah! That’s not your cousin anymore! She’s something else now! She’s been twisted! You can’t trust her!”

Claire’s frustration boiled over as she shouted, “Damn it, Noah, snap out of it! She isn’t your cousin anymore! Look at her—she’s a monster, twisted and corrupted beyond recognition. Can’t you see the darkness that’s taken over her? The innocence is gone, replaced by something terrifying. Wake up and accept the truth before it’s too late.”

Shoyo looked down, his voice soft but earnest. “Noah, I understand how you feel. I have a sister too, and I’m terrified of losing her. I get scared sometimes, just like you. But you need to face the truth. Your cousin isn’t human anymore. She’s become something else—something beyond the person you knew. It’s hard to accept, but you must see what’s really happened and protect yourself and others from the danger she now represents.”

Kevin locked eyes with Noah, his expression serious. “Noah, you’re putting yourself in danger—and all of us too.”

Noah’s face twisted with defiance, his voice trembling with a desperate need to believe. “No! June is still in there! She’s just confused. But she told me this would help her. She said this was the only way.”

Alex’s fury boiled over, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

“SHE TOLD YOU? WHEN THE HELL DID THIS HAPPEN? AND YOU BELIEVED HER? HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN, NOAH? HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LYING TO US? ANSWER ME NOW! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! YOU MUST EXPLAIN EVERY DETAIL, EVERY DAMN SECRET YOU’VE KEPT! HOW COULD YOU BE SO DECEITFUL, SO CALLOUS?"

Noah’s hand shook as he raised the knife, pointing it at Alex, but his eyes were clouded with fear. “It doesn’t matter now. It won’t change anything.”

Alex’s fury surged as he struggled to maintain his composure.

“No! Don’t you dare dodge this, Noah! You don’t get to pull this stunt and then just stay silent. You owe us an explanation—a full account. I want to know exactly when you discovered that June had been replaced by Dylan and why you kept it hidden. How dare you be so deceitful and evasive? Don’t think for a second you can brush this off or keep us in the dark any longer!”

Noah’s face crumpled under the weight of Alex’s words. His shoulders slumped as he let out a shaky breath.

“You want to know so bad? Fine. It was the Monday after Maria’s party. I’d just had a big fight with my mom. Some old crap, but... it really got to me that day, so I went for a walk.”

...

The sky hung low, a thick blanket of gray clouds pressing down on the world below. Gravel crunched beneath Noah’s sneakers as he trudged angrily down the lonely road, his breath coming in frustrated huffs.

"Sick of this," he muttered, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. "It wasn’t my fault… it wasn’t. That stupid bi—"

A sudden snap of a twig behind him sent a jolt of fear racing up his spine. He froze, his heart pounding in his chest. His mind raced to calm the rising panic.

"It’s just a squirrel, Noah," he whispered to himself, trying to slow his racing pulse.

"Just a squirrel."

But the dread refused to loosen its grip. He slowly turned, every muscle in his body tensed, ready to flee. And there, at the edge of the trees, stood Dylan.

“Nooooaaahh,” Dylan’s voice drifted through the air, cold and hollow.

Noah’s blood turned to ice. Without thinking, he spun around and bolted, the sound of his feet pounding against the gravel filling his ears. His breath came in ragged gasps as he glanced over his shoulder, expecting to see Dylan closing in. But Dylan hadn’t moved. He just stood there, watching.

“Waaiiitt,” Dylan’s voice carried through the distance, eerie and detached.

Noah stumbled to a stop, panting, sweat trickling down his neck. He whirled around to face Dylan, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.

“What do you want? Huh? What do you want?!”

Dylan’s head tilted slightly, a strange, almost childlike confusion playing across his features. “Noah… don’t be sad…”

Noah’s heart hammered in his chest, his pulse roaring in his ears. He took a shaky step backward, his voice trembling with a mixture of fear and anger. “Get away from me! Just leave me alone.”

Dylan remained where he was, his expression distant, almost serene. “Not to blame.”

Noah blinked, a wave of disbelief washing over him. Was Dylan—was he trying to comfort him? Rage boiled up inside him, his anger finally erupting.

“Yeah, no kidding. It’s yours—all of this is your fault!”

Dylan’s eyes widened slightly, a flicker of confusion deepening the shadows under his eyes. “My fault?”

Noah’s breath caught in his throat, his anger giving way to a deep, burning sorrow.

“You killed my cousin, or did you forget?” His voice cracked as the words spilled out, each one laced with pain.

“JUNE! Her name was June, you bastard, and you murdered her!”

Dylan cocked his head, the confusion in his eyes deepening.

“No…” He lifted a hand, placing it over his chest. “June… is here…”

Noah’s brow furrowed, his anger momentarily eclipsed by bewilderment.

“Huh? What are you talking about? ‘June is here’? Here where?”

But before Dylan could answer, a beam of sunlight broke through the heavy clouds, casting a harsh light across the road. Dylan winced, retreating into the shadows of the trees as if the light itself burned him.

“HEY! NO!” Noah shouted, desperation clawing at his throat. “Stop! What does that mean? Where is June?”

But Dylan was already gone, the trees swallowing him whole, leaving Noah alone on the empty road. The silence pressed in, thick and suffocating, and the anger drained from Noah’s body, leaving only a hollow ache behind.

“What the hell?” Noah whispered to himself, his voice trembling with the weight of confusion and dread.

“What the hell?”

His suddenly phone buzzed, breaking the suffocating stillness. With trembling hands, he pulled it from his pocket, his fingers fumbling as he unlocked the screen. A new message from Ava flashed across the display.

Ava: Holy crap! Did you hear what happened? Last night after the party, Alex went home and found Mateo dead!

...

“Wait, you found out about June all the way back then?!” Alex’s disbelief cut through the thick, oppressive air.

Noah’s face was etched with a deep, worn sadness. “I wasn’t sure yet. I thought maybe she was alive somewhere, or being held prisoner... In a way, I was right.”

Kimmy’s eyes narrowed, recalling a tense morning. “I knew something was off that day outside school! You were so on-edge… I thought it was just because of Mateo.”

Lucy’s brow furrowed as she pieced together the unsettling events. “And you kept pushing us to come back.”

Leo’s anger flared, understanding the manipulation. “You were trying to get us all to go into the woods the whole time! That’s all you’ve been saying, over and over.”

Noah’s frustration erupted, his voice rising with defensiveness. “Of course I was! I wanted answers! I wanted us to confront what happened to June!”

Kimmy shook her head, disbelief mingling with anger. “We did confront what happened to June.”

“No,” Noah insisted, his gaze fierce and desperate.

“I mean dealing with it the right way! Like we were all supposed to!”

Andy’s frustration boiled over. “Hey, idiot, you don’t get to decide that.”

Alex’s eyes, usually warm, now bore into Noah with icy detachment. “Noah, you lied to us.”

“No, Alex,” Noah’s tone was laced with a mix of regret and frustration. “I was… I was just trying to fix things.”

Dwayne’s voice took on a bitter edge.

“What’s that saying about the road to hell?”

Ava chimed in with sharp clarity. “It’s paved by sociopaths.”

Noah’s face contorted with fury, his anger barely contained, his eyes blazing with unspoken rage. He seemed on the verge of an outburst when Dan cleared his throat, his voice calm but firm.

“So then what? I know that’s not all. You went back, didn’t you? You had to go back. To find the truth. To see if you could trust your own mind.”

Noah’s anger ebbed away, leaving a resigned melancholy. He nodded slowly, the weight of his actions pressing heavily on his shoulders.

“Yeah… yeah I did. So the morning after the ritual, I came back here.”

...

Fists clenched tightly, Noah stood before the ruins, his gaze fixed on the doorway. The barrier shimmered faintly, like a pane of glass veiled in smoke, casting an eerie, translucent glow. The heavy silence around him was punctuated only by the hum of the barrier, a low, unsettling resonance that seemed to vibrate with ancient power.

He muttered to himself, the frustration and despair in his voice barely contained.

“Is this it? One little spell, and it’s all over just like that. I thought if we all came back here and faced you, something would happen. Something would get fixed. You said ‘June is here.’ So where is she, huh? What was all this for? What the hell am I supposed to do now?!”

The old house stared back at him with its empty, weathered facade, a silent witness to decades of pain and loss. Noah’s eyes began to sting as the harsh reality settled in.

“I knew it was just a lie. June isn’t here. She’s gone, and it’s time I finally accept that. It’s been years, and I guess it’s finally time to move on, to face the future without her shadow lingering over me, and to build a new path forward.”

He turned to leave, the weight of his failure pressing heavily on his shoulders. But just as he was about to step away, the smoke behind the barrier coalesced into a dark, formless figure. The sensation was abruptly familiar, a knife twist of recognition.

“Noah, don’t go.”

Upon hearing the voice, Noah spun around in shock. “No… June? Is that you? Hold on!”

His desperation surged as he charged at the barrier, slamming into it with his shoulder. He rebounded violently, as if crashing into an impenetrable wall, staggering back with a pained grunt.

“I don’t understand! Alex broke this when we were kids by walking through it. What am I supposed to do? Wait another eight years?”

June, or the shadow that bore her name, shook her head slowly. Her gaze drifted to a tiny crack forming in the barrier’s surface, like a spider’s web spreading through a windshield.

“No… the barrier… it’s going to break again!” Noah’s voice trembled with rising panic.

“So the ritual didn’t work! That means you’re going to escape again, aren’t you? Soon. And then all this will happen all over again. You’re going to hurt people again. You don’t even understand what you’re doing, do you?”

Noah’s eyes locked onto the shadowy figure with a mixture of anger and sorrow.

“Are you even my cousin anymore? Is there anything left in there?”

June’s eyes flickered with a faint, sorrowful light, and she gave a tiny, almost imperceptible nod. Noah’s voice cracked with a mix of hope and desperation.

“Then tell me what I have to do! Tell me how I can help you.”

Through the barrier, a single word resonated, the dark essence of June’s presence amplifying its urgency and despair. The word echoed in Noah’s mind, a haunting call to action. “Play.”

...

Noah's eyes flared with a mix of frustration and determination as he faced the group.

“And then June told me how to fix it. How to save her.”

Ava’s expression shifted from shock to fury, her eyes widening. “How? By stabbing all your friends in the back?”

Noah’s gaze was resolute, his jaw set firmly. “Not everyone has to get hurt… Just one.”

Ava’s disbelief turned into outrage.

"HOLD THE F### UP! WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?”

“Noah, what the hell?” Andy’s voice boomed with anger. “So you just thought you'd volunteer the rest of us for that?”

“It could just as easily be me!” Noah retorted, his voice cracking under the strain. “In fact, I hope it is.”

Kevin's eyes were blazing. “Great! Problem solved! Let us go, and enjoy being a monster.”

Noah’s shoulders slumped, his face drawn with the weight of his actions. “I wish it were that easy. But we have to play the game. June said—”

Kimmy cut him off, her voice a mixture of frustration and anguish. “I don’t care what June said.”

Noah’s face twisted in confusion and hurt.

“How can you be so selfish?”

Kimmy’s voice was a piercing cry of desperation. “Andy is hurt! Other people are DEAD! What June's doing isn't right! Look at Alvin—see how much you’ve hurt him!”

Noah finally turned to face Alvin, who was immobilized by an unnatural force, his body rigidly fixed to the chair. Alvin lacked the strength to even meet Noah’s gaze, his eyes cast downward, overwhelmed by the oppressive force.

Alice, tears streaming down her face, managed to choke out through her sobs, “If we get out of this… just know, you won’t get away with this that easily.”

“No!” Noah’s voice surged with a mix of guilt and defiance. “All the more reason we have to fix this! What happened to June was our fault! Every single one of us is responsible!”

Dan’s voice rang out, firm and resolute, cutting through the tumult.

“NO. WE. ARE. NOT.” The reverberation of his voice filled the cavern, echoing off the walls.

June’s laughter filled the air, cold and mocking, as she entered the circle once more, her presence a dark, looming shadow.

“Shh… no more fighting. Time to play!”

With a swift flick of her wrist, June sent Noah’s knife spiraling through the air, its blade glinting ominously before clattering to the ground. Alex and Noah were yanked upward, their bodies propelled into the air, suspended by an unseen force.

“No! June!” Noah’s desperation was palpable, his voice breaking. “I was helping you. You don’t need to—”

Before he could finish, June’s eyes glittered with a malicious delight as she flicked her arm again, slamming Alex and Noah back into the two remaining chairs. They were pinned, unable to move, as an invisible force bound them to their seats.

Dwayne’s voice was taunting, edged with dark amusement. “How’s it going, Noah? All according to plan, huh?”

Noah’s face was pale, his body trembling. “It’s… It’s fine! We just have to play the game, and then this will all be over.”

Alex struggled against the invisible restraints, his face contorted with fear and anger.

“Yeah, and one of us will be dead.” He was trapped, unable to move, his eyes darting around desperately.

June circled the ring of seats, her movements fluid and unsettling. Her whispers were filled with a chilling excitement as she repeated, “Time to play. Time to play.”

Alex’s voice cracked with desperation. “We don’t want to play! You have to let us leave.”

June’s laughter echoed off the cavern walls, a cruel sound that reverberated through the room.

“Why? Are you scared?” Her eyes gleamed with a dark, unholy joy, relishing the fear and helplessness surrounding her.