The ‘This is Definitely a Bad Idea’ Moment
“So,” Jax started, still sprawled across a church pew like this was a casual Tuesday, “anyone wanna explain why the walls are whispering?”
Elara hugged herself. “I’d rather not acknowledge that.”
Lucienne, still gripping her sword, ignored them both. Instead, she focused on the voice that had just spoken. “Who are you?”
The voice didn’t answer.
Instead, the shadows shifted.
Sienna took a slow step forward, eyes sharp. “We don’t mean any harm,” she said carefully. “We just needed a place to hide.”
The shadows laughed.
Laughed.
Jax immediately sat up. “Okay, first of all? Rude.”
Lucienne elbowed him. “Shut up.”
The laughter faded into a low hum. A shape began to form—tall, cloaked, but entirely made of shadow.
“Outsiders,” the figure mused. “How strange.”
Elara swallowed. “We, uh… get that a lot.”
Sienna narrowed her eyes. “You know what we are?”
Silence.
The figure didn’t confirm or deny it, which was not reassuring.
Jax leaned toward Elara. “Okay, so… do we fight it? Run? Try to make it our friend?”
Elara blinked. “Why is ‘make it our friend’ even on the list?”
Jax shrugged. “Sometimes it works.”
Lucienne pinched the bridge of her nose. “Not. Now.”
---
The Part Where It Definitely Knows Too Much
The shadow figure tilted its head. “You are not supposed to be here.”
Sienna tensed. “You mean… in this church?”
The shadow’s voice lowered. “In this world.”
Silence.
The weight of those words slammed into them.
Jax, bless his soul, was the first to break it. “…Awkward.”
Elara glared. “Jax.”
“What? It is!”
Lucienne exhaled sharply. “What do you mean we’re not supposed to be here?”
The figure moved closer. The shadows rippled like a living thing.
“This world does not allow humans,” it said. “You should not exist here.”
Jax scoffed. “Well, that’s not ominous at all.”
Elara nudged him. “Not helping.”
Sienna, keeping her voice steady, asked, “Then why are we here?”
The figure was silent.
Then, it said: “Because you are not human.”
---
The ‘Hold On, What?!’ Moment
Jax physically flinched. “I’m sorry, what?”
Elara’s stomach dropped. “That’s… not funny.”
Lucienne clenched her fists. “You’re lying.”
The figure merely stood there, its form flickering like a dying flame. “Am I?”
Jax pointed at himself. “Bro, I literally grew up in a human world. I had a dentist.”
Elara, processing too many things at once, muttered, “Wait, does this mean I don’t have to pay my student loans?”
Lucienne rubbed her temples. “That is not the priority right now.”
Sienna, the only one keeping it together, inhaled deeply. “If we’re not human, then what are we?”
The shadow figure stilled.
“You are forgotten.”
Silence.
Elara frowned. “That’s… cryptic.”
Lucienne’s expression darkened. “Elaborate.”
The figure did not elaborate.
Instead, the walls started whispering again.
The air grew thick, heavy with something ancient.
Jax gripped Elara’s arm. “Okay. I’ve officially decided. I hate this.”
Elara nodded. “Same.”
Lucienne raised her sword. “Enough riddles. Tell us what we are.”
The figure didn’t answer. Instead, it simply began to fade.
“The truth will find you soon,” it murmured.
And then—it was gone.
---
The ‘We Need to Get Out of Here’ Realization
For a long moment, none of them spoke.
Then—
Jax clapped his hands together. “Alright! So, we all agree that was terrifying?”
Elara hugged herself. “Terrifying.”
Lucienne sheathed her sword. “We need to leave.”
Sienna nodded. “Agreed.”
Jax paused. “Uh. One problem.”
They all turned to look at him.
Jax pointed at the church doors.
They were gone.
Not locked.
Not blocked.
Just… gone.
Elara groaned. “This is why we don’t enter creepy abandoned buildings.”
Lucienne exhaled. “There has to be another way out.”
Jax squinted. “What if we just, y’know… scream for help?”
Elara stared. “Scream for help?”
Jax nodded. “Yeah. Maybe someone outside will hear us.”
Sienna crossed her arms. “You mean the same people trying to kill us?”
Jax froze. “Oh. Right.”
Elara patted his arm. “A for effort.”
Lucienne started moving. “Come on. We’re not staying here.”
They began searching for an exit, moving cautiously through the dimly lit church. The walls still whispered. The air still hummed.
Sienna stopped in front of an altar. “There’s something here.”
Elara peeked over her shoulder. “What is it?”
Sienna reached out, brushing dust off an ancient carving.
It was… a symbol.
One she had seen before.
Her stomach flipped.
Lucienne noticed her reaction. “What?”
Sienna’s voice was quiet.
“I’ve seen this before.”
Elara frowned. “Where?”
Sienna exhaled. “In my dreams.”
Silence.
Jax muttered, “Okay. No offense? But that’s not normal.”
Lucienne studied the symbol. “Do you remember what it means?”
Sienna shook her head. “No. But I know it’s important.”
Jax sighed dramatically. “Of course it is.”
Elara tilted her head. “So… what now?”
Lucienne tightened her grip on her sword. “We figure out what’s happening to us.”
Sienna looked at the symbol again, heart pounding.
Something about it felt familiar.
Like a memory just out of reach.
Like the answer had been there all along.
And for the first time, she wondered—
If they weren’t human…
Then what were they?