OFFER

💀CHAPTER 10

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴇɴ
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***

He was so quiet. I had a small part of me that believed something like this might happen, so I wasn't as shocked as William. It was more painful for him because he didn't get a chance to talk to Oliver before he was scheduled to die.

"You know," I began, trying to comfort him, "Oliver always said he was grateful to have a friend like you. You really did your best to find me. He hoped he would see you before he died, and he would be happy if that happened. And it did happen. So he's happy now, up in heaven. He got a chance to see you before he died. Don't worry about him; he's in good hands now."

I hoped my words would bring him some comfort, even just a little.

(WILLIAM P.O.V)

When I woke up, I stretched my arms and legs, then looked over at Lexi's bed, but she wasn't there. Where could she be?

I decided to go to Room 1 to see if she might be there. When I entered, I saw her. She seemed to be talking to Brianna and Natalie. I walked towards them, and Lexi noticed me. "You're already up," she said.

"What are you doing here? It looks like you were talking to them about something. Can I know what it was?" I asked. "Just about Oliver," she replied, her face expressionless as she walked past me. I glanced at Natalie and Brianna before deciding to follow Lexi.

(BRIANNA P.O.V)

Natalie and I were talking about our life outside when someone stood in front of us. We both looked up, slightly shocked to see Lexi.

"Is it about Oliver?" Natalie asked.

"I'm really angry because you were all so selfish, but that's not why I came here," Lexi said, so Natalie and I exchanged a glance before turning back to her. "What is it?" Natalie asked.

"It's about William... sigh Please look after him. If you can do anything to save him, then do it, please. Take care of him," Lexi said. Just then, we saw William entering the room. "William is here," Natalie said.

"Don't tell him anything. He'll ask why I'm here for sure," Lexi replied.

William finally reached us and, just as Lexi predicted, asked why she was there. Lexi answered, "Just about Oliver," before walking past him. After they both left the room, Natalie and I exchanged looks.

"Why is she saying that?" Natalie asked, her voice filled with concern. I didn't have an answer either. Even I was confused about why Lexi had said that, but it made me worried about William. What if she said that because...

(WILLIAM P.O.V)

"You don't have to do that," I said.

"Why not? They were selfish. I'm Oliver's friend too, so I have every right to be mad at the people who let him die and hurt you. Now tell me, what's another reason why I shouldn't be mad at them?" she replied, her voice filled with frustration. I didn't say anything in response; I just kept my mouth shut. "I'm sorry," she said, lowering her head.

"It's okay, I understand," I replied. She looked up at me, and I felt confused. "Why are you looking at me that way?" I asked. "No... nothing," she said, turning her eyes away. "Are you sure?" I asked again, sensing she wanted to say something important. "Yes, it's nothing," she said with a small smile. Then she looked at her wrist, showing me a single rubber band she had on, and took it off.

"Remember this?" she asked, and I nodded, smiling back. "You, me, and Oliver used to play with rubber bands all the time when we were young. You and he even used them as bullets for Uncle's handmade gun. I miss those old days, but I..." she trailed off, leaving her sentence unfinished.

"But what?" I asked, hoping she'd repeat what she had said after the "but I..." "Never mind," she said, taking my hand and slipping the rubber band onto my wrist. "It's yours, take it," she said with a smile.

It seemed like she was thinking about sad memories or maybe missing Oliver. She looked like she wanted to tell me something. Even though I wanted to know what it was, I decided not to press her for more. She had already said it was nothing.

(LEXI P.O.V)

I waited for him to fall asleep. Once he was deeply asleep, I quietly got up, walked towards the door, and left the room.

I made my way to the last room, Room 666. After closing the door behind me, I stood in the darkness. Despite the dim light and the absence of visible shapes, I could feel a presence behind me, moving slowly and deliberately. The eerie sensation of being watched or followed sent a shiver down my spine.

(WILLIAM P.O.V)

When I woke up, I stretched and scratched my eyes. After clearing my vision, I noticed that Lexi's bed was empty. I looked around the room, hoping to spot her among the people nearby, but she was nowhere to be found. I left the room and headed to ROOM 1, but she wasn't there either. Reluctantly, I approached Brianna, James, and Natalie, who were engaged in conversation.

"Do you know where Lexi is? Have you seen her?" I asked. "Nope, we... We haven't seen her," Natalie replied, her voice tinged with concern. "Maybe she's just roaming around," James suggested. "Yeah, maybe she's just out exploring. You should check everywhere," Natalie added. "Okay," I said, turning to leave the room while scanning the area for any sign of her.

I checked ROOM 2, but it was filled with objects and no people. ROOM 3 was dark and silent, so I didn't venture inside. ROOM 4 had the lights on but was otherwise empty. The other rooms were locked and inaccessible.

I attempted to open ROOM 101, but upon seeing a guard inside, I quietly closed the door to avoid being noticed.