CHAPTER 12: THE FIRST SACRIFICE
The scratching stopped.
Silence.
Then—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Cold rushed into the room, and Lena's breath turned to mist. On the bed, the creepy, skin-covered book started to shake. Its pages flipped wildly until it landed on a new message:
"Rule 1: A Keeper must feed the hunger. Offer a name by moonrise... or become the meal."
Something hit the door with a heavy thud. A dark, sticky liquid began to seep through the cracks.
Blood.
Her phone buzzed. A message from an unknown number lit up the screen:
"Look outside."
Lena looked out the window and saw the moon, huge and blood-red, hanging low over Bucharest. In the hotel's parking lot, three twisted figures stood, their heads turned completely around, faces staring over their backs.
They were the same three people who'd appear in tomorrow's news.
The book's ink shimmered again, revealing another line:
"Choose one to die again. Or take their place."
Lena's head spun. The walls seemed to stretch, and black vines crept out of the corners. In the mirror above the sink, she saw someone else staring back—gaunt and stitched at the mouth. The Last Witness. Grinning.
Knock. Knock. KNOCK.
The door bowed inward, hinges screeching under the pressure.
Panicked, Lena snatched the book. Its cover pulsed under her grip, as if it were alive. Without thinking, she shouted—
"The receptionist!"
Silence.
Then, from the lobby—an agonizing scream followed by a horrible crunch, like bones being crushed.
The door calmed. The blood on the floor pulled back and disappeared.
The book gave a low, pleased sound as it updated itself:
"Sacrifice Accepted. Two remain."
Another message appeared on her phone:
"Clever girl. But the hotel is hungry for more. Sleep now. Tomorrow... the altar waits."
As Lena collapsed onto the bed, she saw the Last Witness in the mirror lean close. She felt its cold breath at her ear, and then it whispered:
"Wait until you see... what we do to liars."
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