OFFER

💀CHAPTER 16

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ sɪxᴛᴇᴇɴ
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Who could that man be? I'm so nervous for them. I'm not there, so I can't know what's happening, and I can't protect them since I can't stay for long. That man... who is he? He seems so familiar. I think I was close to him. He's tall, has broad shoulders, but I'm not sure since the coat wasn't fitted. Maybe it was just the coat making his shoulders look broad. Even though I only saw his back and side view, he's really familiar. I'm just afraid that it might be one of my friends—maybe James, Elijah, Noah, or Gian since they're the only ones who are my friends there. But I trust them, and it could be someone else who just seems familiar because I've talked to some of them before, and I know their names and faces.

I can't suspect my friends because I trust them, and I believe none of them would do that. It's too dangerous if it's one of them. I'm also scared they might start suspecting each other, and that could be the end of their friendship. I can't let that happen. I wish I hadn't told them. I wish I could turn back time, and that I was the only one who knew. Maybe it would've been better that way—no conflict, no one feeling left out, and, most importantly, no risk of ruining their friendship. I could have investigated it alone.

Their friendship is so deep, and if it breaks, it'll be my fault for saying anything. I wish I could turn back time, but I know I can't. I need to face the consequences of my decision.

(NARRATION)

"Hey, come here, guys," a man with brown hair called out to the others, but only a few people came over to him.

"Why?" they asked.

"Come closer," the man said, so they approached him. He then whispered something.

(BLACK SUIT MAN)

"How?!" the black-suited man yelled.

"It's not just my fault. It's yours too. You should've at least closed the door when you had something to tell me," his son replied. "We should kill them," the black-suited man shouted.

"But even if you kill them, it's too late. Too many people already know, and I’m sure they’ll keep it a secret to protect themselves. They won’t tell anyone who doesn’t know yet, so they can stay safe," his son explained.

"But once they find out it's you, it'll be dangerous. What if they escape and report it to the police?" the black-suited man asked.

(WILLIAM P.O.V)

I was sitting on my bed, thinking about the fake server, when someone called me. I looked to the right, where the door was, and saw a helper signaling me to follow him. So, I walked toward him.

"Follow me," the man said, and I followed him out of the room until we reached Room 1."Stay here," the man instructed before closing the door."Why?" I asked, but he didn’t answer. The door had already shut.

"Hey, why are you here? Did that man take you here?" Noah asked."Yes, he told me to stay here," I replied.

"Hey William, what are you doing here?" Natalie asked. "The helper told William to stay here," Noah answered for me. "But why?" James asked.

"Did... Did someone tell about the others?" Elijah whispered. "Tell what?" Noah asked.  "About our secret, of course," Elijah whispered. "Hey! I didn’t tell anyone!" everyone insisted. "Then why did they move you here?" Elijah questioned.I looked around, seeing some people eyeing us suspiciously.

"I... I think someone overheard the secret," I said nervously, and they all started glancing around. "Now our secret isn’t safe anymore. We need to be really careful and protect each other," Brianna said. "I'm so scared," James admitted, moving closer to Elijah, who held him.

***

I went back to my bed, which was above Brianna’s.  I felt nervous and scared, and I knew my friends were too. None of us could sleep, all of us thinking about what might happen next.

A few hours later, I saw Noah leave the room. He was gone for a long time, and I started to worry about him. After about an hour, he returned and went straight to bed.

"What did he do outside?" I wondered. Everyone was asleep now, except for me. I eventually forced myself to sleep.

(Gian P.O.V)

I didn’t have the chance to talk to William and ask why he was there because my friends and I were still discussing the secret server. I don’t know who spread the news, or if someone overheard our conversation when Noah and I talked about it. But why is William here? Is it because the secret server has been compromised?

I’m getting nervous. The news is spreading so fast, and I don’t know what to do anymore. I should approach William tomorrow.

(WILLIAM P.O.V)

I woke up and climbed down from the top bunk. Brianna, Natalie, Noah, Elijah, and James were not in their beds. I walked over to Gian’s bed and asked, "Do you know where Brianna and the others went?"

"No, I haven’t seen them. I just woke up," Gian replied, rubbing his eyes. Suddenly, someone screamed, and we both looked toward the door. We saw Elijah carrying Brianna, with the others following behind. They were crying, and I rushed over to them in a panic."What… What happened?" I asked nervously.

"Brianna is in danger," Noah said. "What?! What happened? Why?" I stammered. "We don’t know," James replied.I noticed Brianna was bleeding, and panic overtook me. "Wait… I’ll get my first aid kit from my bag!" I said, teary-eyed, taking a step to retrieve it.

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