The Day Death Died

The Day Death Died - Chapter 34

The air in the boiler room felt heavier with each passing second. Edwin's knuckles whitened as he gripped his scythe, eyes flicking between the souls trapped in the room and the darkened corners where the Keres would emerge. My hands trembled around Pandora's Box, the coldness of it sinking deeper into my bones.

The souls were silent now, frozen in place like statues. Their twisted forms and hollow eyes still sent waves of revulsion through me, but it was the stillness that made my skin crawl. As if the room was holding its breath, waiting.

And then, I heard it.

"Maddison..."

The voice was faint at first, a whisper carried on the cold breeze. I spun around, searching the shadows, heart pounding.

"Maddison..."

This time, it was clearer, and unmistakable. I knew that voice. I knew it better than my own.

My breath caught in my throat, and I felt the world tilt beneath me as I turned toward the sound. There, stepping from the corner of the room, half hidden in the gloom, was Alex.

But it wasn't the Alex I remembered. His skin, once warm and full of life, was pale, translucent, his edges flickering like a flame caught in the wind. His eyes, once full of laughter and light, were dull, clouded with confusion.

"Alex?" I whispered, the word barely escaping my lips.

He took another step toward me, his movements slow, as if each one cost him an immense effort. "You... left me..." His voice was strained, a thin echo of what it used to be, like it had been fraying at the edges.

I staggered backward, clutching Pandora's Box tighter against my chest. "No, Alex... I didn't..." My voice broke, and I could feel the tears stinging the back of my eyes. "I didn't leave you."

Edwin stepped forward, his body tense, scythe still raised, but he glanced at me, the faintest flicker of sympathy in his otherwise cold expression. "It's not him," Edwin said, his voice low and firm. "Not anymore."

But I couldn't stop staring at Alex, at what was left of him. The boy I had loved, the boy I had lost, was standing there, his face twisted with confusion and... anger.

"You let me die," Alex hissed, his voice growing darker, more venomous with every word. "You were supposed to help me. You promised."

"I tried!" I cried, the weight of his words pressing down on me like a stone. "I didn't know what was happening. I—I couldn't save you."

Alex's face contorted into a snarl, something feral creeping into his expression. His fingers curled into fists at his sides, and his form flickered, growing more unstable. "You left me to burn. You escaped, but I didn't. I'm still here, Maddison. I'm still here!"

The sound of his anger echoed off the walls, mixing with the cold hum that filled the room. The trapped souls seemed to stir in response, their twisted bodies swaying like shadows in a windstorm. The energy in the room was shifting, growing darker, more dangerous.

"I didn't leave you," I whispered again, but my voice felt small, insignificant against the rising tide of his fury. My heart ached with the weight of it—the guilt, the regret, all of it crashing over me like a wave.

"He's not real, Maddison," Edwin said again, louder this time, stepping closer. His eyes never left Alex. "This is what the Keres do. They feed off the anger, off the pain. They twist memories, use them against you."

But I could hardly hear him. Alex's eyes were locked on mine, and the anger in them burned hotter with each passing second.

"You think you can just walk away from this?" Alex spat, his voice shaking with fury. "You think you can leave us behind? Leave me behind?" He took another step forward, his flickering form becoming more defined, more solid. "I'm not the only one, Maddison. We're all still here. Trapped. Forgotten."