The village was closing in on them.
Not physically—but the darkness was spreading like it was alive.
Aaron's breath came in ragged gasps as he sprinted beside Sarah. David was just ahead, Graves behind them, and Father Matthias in the rear, chanting prayers under his breath.
They reached the edge of the village—or where it should have been.
Instead—a wall of shadows loomed before them.
A solid, pulsing mass of blackness.
Sarah stopped short. "What the hell—?"
David skidded to a halt, raising his gun. "We're trapped."
Graves turned back.
The tall figure was still walking toward them.
Slow. Methodical.
Aaron's hands tightened into fists.
We can't stay here.
Matthias stepped forward, holding up his cross. "Stand together! Do not let the fear consume you!"
The shadows quivered.
A voice whispered.
Not in their ears—inside their heads.
"You are already mine."
Sarah gasped.
Aaron's vision blurred.
The figures in the dark moved closer.
Then—the tall one raised its hand.
Black smokes woove itself around their surroundings.
And the world went black.
David's Viewpoint
The darkness whispered to him.
It didn't speak in words, but in desires. In the deepest, most secret thoughts he had buried within himself.
And then—Sarah was in front of him.
But not just Sarah.
Sarah the way he had always imagined her.
Soft. Wanting. Waiting for him.
Her lips parted slightly, her breath warm as she leaned closer.
"David..." Her voice was a sweet murmur.
His heartbeat slammed against his ribs.
She was here.
She wanted him.
David swallowed hard, his hands trembling as he reached out—and touched her.
His fingers brushed against the curve of her breast.
Warm. Real.
Sarah sighed beneath his touch.
A rush of triumph filled him. She's mine.
His hands moved over her, slowly, hungrily. His fingers traced the shape of her body, drinking in every inch of her.
Her breath hitched.
She wanted this.
She had always wanted this.
She just never admitted it.
"Sarah," he whispered, tilting her chin up. "You feel it too, don't you?"
Sarah didn't resist. She melted against him.
His head spun. This was real. It had to be real.
Sarah's Viewpoint
Sarah couldn't move.
She was trapped.
Not physically—but in her mind.
She was standing in an endless void, a mirror of the village stretched around her.
No sound.
No warmth.
Just darkness.
And then—she felt it.
Hands. Touching her.
A breath against her ear.
A whisper—"You're mine now."
She gasped.
David.
He was touching her. Holding her. His hands were—
No.No.No.
Her body was paralyzed. Her thoughts spiraled.
She tried to scream—but the void swallowed her voice.
Sarah wasn't here anymore.
She was somewhere else.
Something else.
A puppet. A doll.
A hollow thing waiting to be filled.
And David—he was falling deeper.
She could see it.See him.
The real David—standing in the middle of the darkness.
A monstrous shadow loomed behind him, its hands guiding his.
David didn't see it.
He thought he was in control.
But he wasn't.
And neither was she.
Father Matthias' Viewpoint
The air was thick.
Not just with fear.
With something else.
Something ancient. Something hungry.
Father Matthias gripped the silver crucifix hanging from his neck, feeling its weight like a lifeline. They were losing.
The darkness had already coiled around them.
Aaron had fallen to his knees, his head in his hands, whispering names that made no sense.
David was standing in place, his hands moving in the air like a man in a trance. His face was twisted in **ecstasy—**like he was touching something no one else could see.
And Sarah—
Sarah was gone.
Her body stood motionless, eyes wide, lips slightly parted.
But her soul—
Her soul was missing.
Matthias knew the signs.
He had seen them before.
"Not again..." His voice was a hoarse whisper.
With a sharp breath, he raised his hand and slammed his palm against David's forehead.
"Wake up, you fool!"
David gasped.
His body jerked violently as if struck by lightning. His eyes—once clouded with lust—snapped open, filled with horror.
"W-what...?" David stumbled back, looking at his hands like they weren't his own.
"Sarah?" His voice shook.
Matthias turned next to Aaron, who was muttering broken prayers under his breath.
He didn't hesitate—he grabbed Aaron by the shoulders and shook him.
"This is not real!"
Aaron gasped for air, like a drowning man breaking the surface.
His eyes darted around in panic. "I...I saw them...my family...they were..."
"Lies." Matthias hissed. "It knows your weakness. It will devour you if you let it."
Aaron swallowed hard, his body trembling, but he nodded.
He was back.
David was back.
But—
Sarah.
Matthias turned to her.
And his stomach dropped.
She hadn't moved.
Hadn't spoken.
Her eyes were wide.
Empty.
"How in the..."Father Matthias said, surprised.
David moved toward her, his hands shaking. "Sarah...?"
She didn't respond.
Not even a blink.
And then—
Her lips parted.
But it wasn't Sarah who spoke.
"You are too late."