They had locked every window. Nailed every door. Sealed the vents with towels and chairs, and whatever they could find. But it wasn't enough.
Because Michael was already inside.
He didn't break in. He didn't knock. He was simply there, like a ghost that never left. A whisper in the rafters. A shadow behind the mirror. A breath that didn't belong.
Missy stood in the hallway, her fists clenched and shaking. Kevin checked the boarded kitchen windows again, and Dina held her stomach like something inside it was turning over.
"I don't know how he got in," Missy muttered. "We watched every inch…"
"No, we didn't," Kevin said. "We only saw what he wanted us to see."
Upstairs, floorboards creaked. Not from footsteps—but from something heavier, slower. Like muscle dragging against wood.
Michael's presence was thick now. The air had changed. Too quiet, too dense. The house no longer felt like a shelter—it felt like a throat preparing to swallow.
Outside, the wind shifted again, and from the woods beyond, three survivors stumbled through broken trees and frost.
Officer Reddick, blood streaking his face, still clutched his radio like it meant something. Dr. Lennox, limping from a gash along his thigh, followed behind with trembling hands. Officer Martens was the last. His eyes darted behind them—haunted.
Behind them, back in the dark, three officers lay torn apart. Slashed down by Led, the bone-hungry thing with the mismatched limbs and teeth that clicked even in death. It had hunted them like a dog chewing through leaves, never making a sound.
"We have to keep moving," Reddick said between breaths. "There's a house—just up ahead—I saw lights!"
"That's Anika's," Lennox whispered, his voice shaking. "The survivors. That's where they're hiding."
Martens stopped cold. "Then… why are we hearing screaming?"
They all froze.
From the house, faint and terrible, came the sound of a woman's voice—cut off. Then again. Then something wet against wood.
Inside, Kevin turned toward the stairs.
"…Did you hear that?"
"Yes," Missy said.
"It came from the bathroom," Dina whispered. "But that door's been locked since we got here."
Suddenly, the bathroom door clicked open on its own. Kevin stepped forward slowly, poker in hand. "Stay behind me." But the bathroom was empty.
Only water ran—cold, black water from the faucet. Steam curled from the mirror, and written in condensation, a sentence burned itself into shape: YOU LET HIM DIE.
They all froze. Missy choked on a sound—something between a gasp and a cry.
"I didn't mean to," she whispered.
The faucet shut off. From the hall, a knock came from inside the walls. And then… the doorbell rang.
The survivors jerked around. Kevin ran to the peephole.
"Cops!" he hissed. "It's Reddick! Open the door!"
Missy hesitated. "How do we know it's not him pretending again?"
"I saw his eyes. It's them."
They unlatched the door.
Reddick, Lennox, and Martens stumbled inside, panting, soaked with sweat and blood.
"We saw movement," Reddick said. "He's still hunting."
"Led is out there," Lennox added. "But this house… this house feels wrong too."
Martens turned slowly, eyes scanning the hallway. He felt that something was wrong. He was scared. Frightened about the house.
"I don't think we're alone."
The door slammed shut behind them. They hid in the corner of the living room. They saw Michael. His eyes were filled with anger. He knew that blood was the only price to pay now.
Then, he shot everything around him. The bullet got inside the couch and came through Marten's head. Headshot. He dropped down and his head bumped the floor. It created the noise and attracted Michael. They all screamed and shouted.
Anika threw plates towards the man. Michael raised his gun and pointed towards her, and clicked. The bullet ran out.
Kevin leaped towards Michael's back and covered his eyes with his hands. Michael moved around intensely until Kevil released. Reddick shot Michael in the head. The bullet went through his head also, just like his victims.
Reddick laughed continuously.
A sudden knock touched the door. A claw stabbed the door, and there, Led looked at the hole.
"Perfect! A reunion!"
Led the Claws headed towards them. His claws were prepared for the strike. Missy, Anika, and Dina tried to leave the house by the back door. They removed every nailed plank in it.
It took a long time.
The rest fought the entity. They tried their hardest while the girls were still breaking the planks.
"We'll never get out of here alive!" Dina screamed.
Lennox slammed the TV on Led's head, but it did not work.
Sadly, she was stabbed by the claws of Led and was grabbed by her upwards. Her intestines met the disjointed, dirty claws.
Led opened his mouth "Aaaaaaa" and ate Lennox's head. He chewed. He was satisfied. He loved it. His eyes closed and he enjoyed the tasty meal.
All of them didn't knew what to do. They were stunned. It turns out that Led was just hungry. Reddick pulled the trigger, but the gun was also out of ammunition.
Led grabbed Reddick with full force. He squeezed him. Reddick screamed. Kevin tried to help by stabbing him multiple times. None worked. Reddick was already gone. He threw Reddick's body in the kitchen. Kevin was the only one standing inside the living room.
Michael twitched. His fingers moved. His body cracked its bones. And suddenly. He got up. It was behind Kevin, holding a syringe.
Kevin noticed that Led was looking at his back. He began to become curious. But he didn't look behind. Instead, he walked backwards. Slowly. Gently. And he stopped.
Michael shot Kevin in his back with a syringe. He screamed so loud. Dina came back to the living room and saw the gross scene. She screamed in fear.
"What the fuck.."
Hush-Mama was behind her with two knives from the kitchen. She held it and stabbed it into Dina's head. Blood came out of his eyes. Her mouth was open. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't. It happened too fast.
Hush-Mama hummed and twisted the knife in Dina's head at a slow pace. Very slow.
Kevin watched. He couldn't do anything.
She pulled out the knife, and Dina dropped down low to the floor. Kevin screamed emotionally.
Missy and Anika opened the door from the back. They waited for seconds. Anika asked, "Where is she?!"
"I. I don't know." Missy replied in fear.
"We have to move!" Anika grabbed her arms and sprinted to the woods. Each step led footprints behind. The entities will immediately know where they will go.