“Mason, stop this!” Chloe shouted, her voice trembling.The altar pulsed with black energy, shaking the tunnels around them. The stone glowed like a beating heart, alive with darkness. Mason’s hands pressed hard against it, and his whole body shook as if the energy was eating him alive. His eyes turned dark red, veins crawling across his skin.“I can’t stop now,” Mason groaned, his voice deep and strange. “This power… it’s mine.”Chloe stepped closer, though her fire flickered weakly in her hand. She wanted to pull him away, but the mark on her chest burned and dragged her forward like chains pulling her to him.“Don’t do this, Mason,” she whispered, her eyes wet. “You don’t know what it’s taking from you.”From the shadows, Axel charged forward. His body was covered in shifting black mist, his claws sharp, his eyes glowing with fury.“Get away from the altar!” Axel roared. Shadows leapt from his hands, slamming into Mason’s chest.But Mason only laughed. The energy swallowed Axel’s

“Hold on, Chloe!” Axel shouted, his voice breaking as the ground split beneath them.The altar shook and began to sink into the pit, pulling Mason, Axel, and Chloe down with it. Rocks rained from the ceiling, dust filled the air, and the sound of stone grinding against stone drowned every breath.“Axel!” Chloe screamed, clutching his arm as the altar dragged them deeper.Mason laughed, the sound twisted and hollow. “You can’t escape now. The curse wants us all. It wants blood.”Above, Ethan grabbed Lena by the wrist and pulled her away from the collapsing gym floor. “We have to move!”“But what about them?” Lena cried, looking back as the earth opened wide, swallowing her friends.“They’re gone!” Ethan shouted, choking on dust. But then both of them froze. A chilling, inhuman scream rose from the rubble. Sophia’s spirit burst through the air like a banshee, her hair floating, her mouth open in endless rage.“She’s following us,” Lena whispered, trembling.“We have to run,” Ethan said,

The ground shook as Sophia’s claw slammed down with a force that cracked the stone.Axel moved fast, shadows bursting from his body, wrapping around Chloe and pulling her close. The dark shield took the blow, but the pit trembled as dust and broken rocks rained down from above.“You can’t protect her forever,” Sophia’s voice echoed, sharp and cruel. Her eyes burned with red fire as her monstrous body twisted in the dim light. “Soon she will burn out, and you will kneel before me.”Chloe coughed, her body trembling as she struggled to stand. The white flame in her hand flickered weakly, almost dying out. “I… I can fight,” she whispered, though her knees shook.“Chloe, no,” Axel growled, his arm steadying her. His shadows swirled around them like living snakes, wrapping them both. He could see she was almost spent, her body pale, her lips trembling. If she pushed harder, she would break.Sophia laughed, stepping closer. Her claw scraped the ground, sparks flying. “You’re weak. Both of y

Axel’s body hit the ground hard. His skin burned like fire, and glowing blue veins spread across his arms. Everyone froze.“Hold him down!” Rowan shouted, grabbing a rope. “He’s turning! We can’t let him hurt anyone!”Ethan stepped in front of her. “No! Don’t touch him! He’s not like the others!”“Ethan, look at him!” Mason yelled. “He’s infected! He’s going to kill us all!”But Ethan shook his head, eyes full of anger and fear. “I said no one touches him!”Outside, the sound of moaning zombies faded. The wind stopped. Even the birds went silent. A strange red light spread over the camp.Chloe’s hand trembled as she pointed through the broken fence. “Um… you guys might want to look at this.”They turned. Dozens of infected stood outside the gate, their glowing red eyes locked on Axel. But none of them moved. They just… stared.“What’s going on?” Mason whispered.Then something even stranger happened. One by one, the zombies dropped to their knees. Their heads bowed as if kneeling befo

The night was cold and silent, broken only by the moaning of the dead outside the broken school walls. Smoke from burnt books and shattered chairs filled the air. Axel stood in the middle of the hallway, his eyes fixed on the cloaked figure that had just appeared out of nowhere.No one spoke. The figure’s face was hidden, its body covered in a dark, torn cloak that moved even when there was no wind. It didn’t say a word, but somehow, Axel understood what it wanted.“It wants us to follow,” Axel said quietly, his voice shaky.“Follow it where?” Chloe asked, holding tightly to Axel’s arm. Her face was pale, her hands trembling.The figure raised a bony hand and pointed toward the school courtyard — the place where the old tunnels lay buried under years of dirt and forgotten stories.Rowan, the science teacher who had somehow survived with them, stepped forward. “Those tunnels were sealed decades ago,” he said. “People died there. Strange deaths. We don’t go near that place.”Before any