Chapter 15

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I jolted awake, drenched in sweat, with Scarlet still asleep on my shoulder. It had all been another nightmare, the kind that leaves you questioning reality. My heart was racing, and the terror felt as real as the blood in my veins. Scarlet stirred beside me, her voice soft and groggy.

"Is everything alright, babe?" she asked, her eyes barely open.

I nodded quickly, forcing a smile. "Yeah, just another nightmare."

She kissed me gently, her lips brushing against mine for just a second. That brief moment of connection brought me back to reality, even if it was fleeting.

The next morning arrived, cold and crisp. The cabin had turned icy overnight, and when Scarlet woke up, she shivered and pulled the blanket tighter around herself.

"Babe, we're out of wood," she said, her breath visible in the frigid air.

I sighed, knowing what that meant. "I'll go down to the basement and grab some," I replied, getting up and pulling on a sweater.

The basement door creaked as I opened it. A rush of cold air hit me as I stepped inside. The door slammed shut behind me with a loud thud, startling me. I immediately turned to open it, but the handle wouldn't budge.

Panic clawed at me. "Scarlet?" I called out, but my voice barely echoed in the still, cold air.

I took a few steps forward, the basement dimly lit by the small windows near the ceiling. That's when I heard it—the familiar, haunting sound of piano keys being played. The same chilling rhyme I had heard in my nightmares. My breath caught in my throat as I spun around, and there he was.

The man.

He was sitting at the old, dusty piano that had been in the basement for years, his long, pale fingers gliding across the keys. His hat was tipped low over his face, but his eyes, those cold, unnerving eyes, locked onto mine. The same smile stretched across his pale lips—the same smile that haunted me every night. He stopped playing, slowly stood up, and started walking toward me, his footsteps echoing in the silence.

"Do you want to play with me?" he asked, his voice dripping with malice. His laugh followed, low and chilling, reverberating through the air like a sinister melody.

I felt frozen. My voice cracked as I finally managed to stammer, "What do you want from me? Who are you?"

He tilted his head, his creepy smile widening. "They call me 'L.'"

L. The letter from Kayla's diary flashed in my mind—the single letter scrawled in the middle of a page with no explanation. It was him all along.

"What do you want from me?" I asked again, my voice shaking.

He took another step forward, his hand slipping into his coat pocket. When he pulled it out, he held the same pocket knife I had seen in Kayla's room. He flipped the blade between his fingers, like it was an extension of his hand, before he lunged at me, grabbing my shirt.

I couldn't move. I couldn't scream. I could only look into his cold, soulless eyes. He brought the knife to my chest, pressing it against my skin. I felt the sharp edge dig into me, the pain searing through my body as he stabbed me slowly. The blood poured from the wound, pooling on the basement floor.

I cried out, my voice a ragged whisper. "Leave me... please... leave me."

His face hovered inches from mine, his breath cold against my skin. "I don't want to leave you. I want to play." He twisted the knife slightly, and I felt my skin tear open further, the agony blinding.

Suddenly, the door flew open, and Scarlet burst into the basement, her face pale with panic. She rushed toward me, her eyes wide with terror.

"Babe! Are you okay?" she shouted, throwing her arms around me.

I gasped, barely able to speak. "Run... he'll kill you..."

Her eyes darted around the room, and I pointed toward the man, who was now standing there, grinning at me with that same haunting smile. He waved casually, as if this were all some kind of game, and then, just like that, he disappeared into the shadows of the basement.

Scarlet looked at me, bewildered. "I don't see anyone. Babe, there's no one here."

I shook my head, the pain making my thoughts fuzzy. "He was here... he stabbed me. I swear..."

She knelt beside me, examining the wound. "We need to get you to a hospital. You're hurt."

I nodded weakly, and we hurried upstairs. Kayla was nowhere to be seen, but Scarlet wasn't surprised anymore. We rushed outside to the car, but when I tried to start it, the engine sputtered once and then exploded, sending smoke and flames into the air. We barely had time to jump out before the fire consumed it.

Panting, we ran back inside the cabin, slamming the door shut behind us. Scarlet helped me to the couch and began cleaning the wound as best she could, her hands shaking.

"What is happening, babe?" she whispered, her voice breaking.

I didn't have an answer. All I knew was that L wasn't finished with me yet.

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