• More silence.


  

  And then…

  - Mommy, I found you.

  It came from right behind me, loud and broken and far too close.

  My whole body shifted into slow-mo mode, like I’d just walked into a horror movie trailer.

  I turned my head — just a bit. Something rolled into view.

  A toy race car. Worn-out, chipped paint. Bald tires. It squeaked to a stop at my feet.

  And sitting in the tiny seat was a little boy — no older than five. Neatly combed hair, bangs brushed to one side. Cheeks red from cold, eyes bruised by sleeplessness. His lips quivered as he sobbed and wiped away tears with the sleeve of a knitted sweater covered in dancing cartoon mice.

  

  
• Oh baby… you must be You’re not even wearing a coat… — I cooed, voice breaking in places I didn’t know existed.


  

  I shrugged off my jacket and draped it over his tiny shoulders. He shivered and gave a shaky little nod.

  

  
• Thank you, But I’m still so cold. Please… hug me. Warm me


  

  up… please?

  What else could I do?

  When a child asks, the universe listens. So I sat down. Legs crossed on the freezing ground, folding into lotus position. The tiny driver pulled up beside me, still in his toy racecar, close enough to reach out those impossibly small, frail hands.

  He touched me.

  They were trembling, those hands. But full of life. Full of… love for me? How long had I waited for this?

  The moment when I’d finally get to hold the one thing closest to me in all the known worlds.

  I shifted slightly, opened my arms. Come here, my love.

  He did.

  And he was beautiful. Even as his neck began to stretch…

  Even as his head split in half like a damn Venus flytrap, forming a gaping, fanged maw that dripped with decay and affection.

  It smelled sweet. Like rot and childhood.

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  His monster-mouth reached for my head. And I — yeah, don’t judge — I leaned in. Let it happen.

  But before it could clamp down, a bolt of pain cracked through my skull. An electric jolt lit up my brain like a Christmas tree being electrocuted.

  I flinched. Blinked. Came back to myself.

  The -boy- didn’t stop. The once-human head peeled wide open — two halves lined with fangs. The creature’s body unfurled like wet laundry made of nightmares.

  We moved at the same time.

  I kicked. A brutal, explosive, not-so-motherly kick — straight into his vehicle.

  The demon-child flew backward like a failed rocket pilot. Screaming, he vanished into the dark that had birthed him.

  I could still hear him wailing, long after his form had disappeared. At my feet, his little car rocked gently.

  Left-right. Left-right.

  I reached out with trembling hands and picked up my jacket — now lying lonely on the seat. I slipped it on.

  Second failure.

  I collapsed inward. Folded into myself like a crumpled map. Hugged my own body (thank God it wasn’t his anymore) and stumbled toward the next glow.

  Somehow, in all that chaos, I hadn’t noticed another streetlight just ahead. I stepped into its soft circle of light and shook my head, trying to exorcise the memory.

  And then I heard them — my angels, my crew, my damn lifeline:

  -Ali! Are you okay? Are you hurt? What was that thing?-

  

  
• No… I’m But what the hell was that? Why did I fall for it?


  

  

  
• We don’t know. - Mia said, calm and careful, her voice like a glass of chamomile laced with vodka. -But I’m glad I hacked your brain when I


  
• You WHAT?


  

  

  
• S-sorry! That wasn’t my idea! - Julia panicked immediately, reverting to her usual -tiny scared anime girl- mode.


  

  -It was Antwan. He begged me to find a way to protect you — to do something more than just cheer you on. So when you fell asleep, I slipped in a little program. It triggers an electrical impulse if you’re in immediate danger.-

  I froze. Brain rebooting. Antwan?

  

  
• How deep did you go, Jul? What exactly did you hack?


  

  -Just a tiiiiny bit! I swear! Only the top layers! I didn’t peek into anything deep!

  I considered scanning the whole cluster for breaches… but I was too drained. And honestly, she sounded sincere. I could grill her later.

  From the background, I heard Antwan muttering angry curses. Something about betrayal and -snitches getting stitches.

  

  
• It’s okay, little Thanks for watching my six. I needed that zap. You did good.


  

  

  
• Always here for you, - he -I’m your cleric and your tank. You’re the rogue-DPS hybrid. It’s an honor to buff you.


  
• - I smirked.


  

  But it helped. The levity. The stupid gaming metaphors. The fact that someone was still out there, still caring, even while I walked deeper into whatever this hellscape was.

  I straightened up. Shook off the memory of toothy toddlers and predatory nostalgia.

  

  
• You guys with me?


  

  

  
• Always.


  

  Alright, time to keep moving.

  Another stretch of quiet, relentless steps deeper into the kingdom of eternal dark. My little heels tapped sharply with each move, echoing into the nothing. I shoved my hands into my pockets, trying to keep them warm.

  And for the first time ever, I felt cold.

  Which was… weird. That hadn’t happened before.

  At the very edge of my limited sight, something flitted by — a small shadow. Then another. A little -hello- from the Obscurity. Didn’t faze me. Even when a damp, clawed paw waved at me from behind the wall of black

  

  
• I just kept


  

  

  
• Ali, why did you stop? - Their voices brought me My qualia — whatever was left of my soul — slid back into my chilled body.