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Chapter 27 - Introduction To The Darkness

As Liam turned to leave, he froze .

A man in a white suit and hat stood on the small bridge near the lake, watching him. His sunglasses hid his eyes, but his face—long and stiff—felt like a warning. He didn't blink. Just stared.

Something about him was wrong. Liam's instincts screamed. He bolted for his bike, heart pounding.

But the man moved faster.

In an instant, an arm wrapped around Liam's waist. Before he could scream, he was bound with coarse rope and gagged with a cloth. The man tossed him into the back seat like cargo.

"You better love what I got you," the man muttered into his phone. "Hope the price is right."

The car roared to life. Liam tumbled onto the floor as the vehicle sped through the trees, his vision a blur of green and panic.

After a long, dizzying drive, they pulled into a building. A shutter clanked shut behind them. The car stopped.

The man yanked Liam up by the shoulders like he weighed nothing.

Then *she* appeared.

A woman in a crimson suit, short brown hair, spectacles perched on her nose, and lips as red as blood. She stormed toward them, eyes blazing.

"Is this how you treat a child?" Her voice cut like glass. "Untie him. Now."

She dropped to her knees beside Liam and gently brushed the tears from his face. "My name is Samantha. What's yours?"

She pulled the cloth from his mouth.

"I—I didn't do anything!" Liam stammered, still trembling.

Samantha shot the man a look of pure venom, then softened as she turned back to Liam.

"It's okay. No one's going to hurt you." She cupped his cheek with her hand. "Do you like toys?"

He gave a nervous nod.

"Then can you tell me your name?" she asked, quietly signaling her maid.

"Take him to his room. Give him some toys to play with," Samantha whispered into the maid's ear.

As the maid led Liam away, he glanced back. His eyes met Samantha's—wide, wet, and filled with the kind of sadness only a child could carry. He was terrified he'd never see his family again.

Hours passed.

Samantha finally stepped into the room. It was quiet. A small bed sat in the corner to the right, just past the door. Above it, a window built into the same wall could change its view with a simple voice command—tailored to a child's mood.

Opposite the bed stood a rack of shoes. Beside it, a tiny cupboard stuffed with clothes. Further along, a mirror hung beside another shelf, this one stacked with toys.

Samantha entered with a plate of cookies in hand. Liam sat curled up on the bed, arms wrapped around his knees.

"I heard you're not eating," she said gently, setting the plate in front of him as she sat beside him.

"I just want to go home," Liam sobbed.

Samantha tilted her head. "Can I ask you something? Since you arrived… have I ever tried to hurt you? Even for once?"

Liam gave a quiet nod of denial.

"Then do you want your mother thinking I starved you? Is that how you show gratitude for my kindness?" Her voice was calm but carried weight.

Liam shook his head quickly, eyes wide.

"I know you want to leave," she said softly. "But you don't want it to happen again, do you? What happened to your friends?"

Her gaze lifted as she spoke, her tone dropping to a whisper.

"I know what happened, Liam… but I won't tell anyone."

"It wasn't my fault!" Liam burst out, trembling.

"I believe you," Samantha said, almost sweetly.

"I know, I know," Samantha said softly. "I want to help you. I'll fix everything… and then I'll take you home myself."

Her voice was warm, almost motherly. Liam wanted—needed—to believe her. He nodded and took a bite.

Two cookies later, the world spun. Darkness swallowed him.

It became routine. Two cookies later, the void came again.

Until one day… he woke up mid-sleep.

He was on a surgical bed.

Blinding lights above him. Blurred shadows moving around. His limbs were heavy, eyes half-closed, but he caught enough to know this wasn't a dream. Before he could react, his consciousness slipped again.

But this time, he remembered.

When he woke on his regular bed, his head throbbed. Dizzy, he spotted the doorknob twisting. Heart racing, he shut his eyes and lay still.

"You say this every time," a man's voice whispered—one Liam hadn't heard before.

"Shh. You'll wake him," Samantha hushed him.

"All I'm saying is, you've been doing this for ten years."

"He's different," Samantha said. "Not like the others. His powers are darker. We just need to feed him enough to produce more blood, and then we can—"

She stopped.

Something had changed. Her instincts flared. She crept toward Liam and gave his arm a sharp pinch.

Pain shot through him, but he didn't flinch. His fist tightened under the blanket, but he stayed perfectly still.

She stared at him a moment longer.

Then, without a word, she led the man out of the room.

Once he was sure she was gone, Liam slipped out of bed and rushed to the door. He turned the knob.

Locked.

His chest tightened. He was trapped—and he knew now, only a miracle could set him free.

Later, when Samantha returned with the usual plate of cookies, Liam crawled into the corner and buried his face into the wall.

"We've had this conversation before," she sighed. "You need to eat."

"I'm not eating anything," he shouted, voice cracking. "I won't let you take more of my blood!"

His fear leaked through his defiance. He was shaking, eyes wet.

Samantha's smile twitched as her fists clenched at her sides. Anger flickered in her eyes, but she kept her voice calm.

"Alright. How about a walk?"

She set the plate on the bed and reached out her hand.

Liam hesitated. He didn't trust her, but he feared what might happen if he refused. Slowly, he took her hand.

She led him down a bright corridor lined with white tiles. Scientists moved quietly, heads buried in papers and screens. Everything smelled sterile, artificial.

Then she turned left.

Rows of massive fish tanks lined the hall. Goldfish darted through the clear water, their scales glowing under the lights. Liam's eyes widened. He pressed his hand to the glass, mesmerized by the fish gliding freely inside.

Samantha sprinkled food into the tank. Then she turned to him, her tone eerily gentle.

"You're like this fish. You eat what I give. Wear what I choose. Breathe the air I allow."

Her hand hovered over the water. A fish swam too close.

In a flash, she grabbed it.

"You try to escape…" she said, voice turning cold.

She lifted the fish from the tank, and with a sudden, merciless squeeze, it stopped moving.

"…you get crushed, just like this."

Liam stumbled back, heart racing, then turned and ran. He bolted through the corridor until he found a door. Without thinking, he rushed inside and slammed it shut behind him.

The room was full of play rides, toys, books—everything a child might love. But as he looked around, catching his breath, a sound pulled his attention.

To his left, a wide screen lit up.

At first, it played cartoons. Bright colors. Happy music. Then, without warning, the room went dark.

The screen flickered.

A figure appeared—illuminated in pale blue light. A child's body, hanging from a rope.

The cheerful music twisted into screams.

High-pitched. Terrified. Endless.

Liam's mind shattered with panic. He screamed until his throat burned. Pounded on the door. It wouldn't open.

"Help!" he cried. "Please! Stop it!"

He collapsed, curled into himself, hands over his ears.

"Mom... hide me... make it stop…" he sobbed into his knees.

The screaming dragged on, unrelenting, until finally—after what felt like forever—it stopped. The lights snapped back on.

Liam didn't move.

He stood frozen, arms still clamped over his ears, shaking, tears falling silently.

The door creaked open. A hand reached in and gently took his.

He didn't resist. Didn't run.

He walked, hollow, tears streaming down a face that no longer held fear—only emptiness.

This time, they took him somewhere new.

A massive iron door groaned open, like the front of a vault. Inside, the space was lined with cages—six on each side. Three stacked above three. In each cage, a child lay on a bed like a patient.

But in the center of it all stood one giant cage.

Pitch black inside.

A cage that swallowed the light.

They locked Liam in the cage beneath the upper middle one on the right. As the metal door clanged shut behind him, reality sank in—he wasn't alone. There were others. Ten kids, all watching him silently… except one.

That boy lay motionless, back turned, facing the wall. Eleven kids. One empty cage—the middle one on the lower left. Something about it felt colder than the rest.

Liam's gaze lingered on the quiet boy when a voice broke the silence.

"He was taken to that big cage once," the kid in the cage beside Liam said. "Ever since, all he says is, 'Big Black Bad.'"

The boy chuckled lightly. "I thought he wanted a fancy bed. But… nah. He just lost it."

He leaned closer against the bars. "I'm Luis. What's your name?"

Liam hesitated, shy, but eventually answered.

Luis grinned. "So… what can you do?"

Liam frowned. "I don't really know. It's... confusing."

He tried explaining—bits and pieces of strange things that had happened around him. Lights flickering. Shadows moving. Once, he shattered something when he got scared just by fear.

Luis's grin widened. "Interesting. I can read minds."

Liam stiffened. "You can what?"

Luis just tapped his temple with a smug smile. "Which means I know you are lying!"

Liam's eyes drifted toward the massive central cage. "What's in there?"

Luis's voice dropped to a whisper. "No one really knows. No one makes it back to tell. Except him."

He nodded toward the silent boy on the bed.

"They take you in when you make them mad. Either they bring out your body… or nothing at all."

Liam's chest tightened. He stared at the black void of the cage. It pulsed like it was breathing.

"Don't worry," Luis added, cheerful as ever. "You're not the naughty one. Yet."

Over time, Luis became Liam's closest friend. They laughed when they could, shared quiet moments when they couldn't. A fragile sense of normalcy grew among the kids—except for the boy who never moved from his bed and a girl with a soft afro and sharp green eyes. Her name was Natalie. She rarely spoke, smiled as if joy cost too much.

Twice a day, they were fed a bowl of boiled corn. Every day, one child was taken, blood drawn under the threat of the dark cage. That was the routine.

Then came the day they took Luis.

Liam waited. Hours passed. The pit in his stomach knotted.

Four—maybe five—hours later, the guard returned. The usual guard. Bald, scarred scalp like stitches, red, sleepless eyes, and a body like a boulder.

He dragged Luis in by one arm. Luis was thrashing, fighting to break free. But he was just a kid.

"Where are you taking him?" Liam shouted, panic surging in his throat.

"Stop!" he screamed again, but the guard didn't even glance at him.

He hauled open the black cage and flung Luis inside.

The door slammed shut.

Luis screamed—raw, terrified.

Then a whoosh, like a storm tearing through the walls.

Silence followed.

When the cage finally opened, the guard faced the cell, eyes shut tight.

Something was thrown out of the cage.

Luis.

Motionless. Blood leaking from his ears.

He was gone.

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