The Day Death Died

The Day Death Died - Chapter 35

His voice echoed in my mind, lingering, refusing to fade. The heavy door slammed shut behind us, cutting off the twisted wails and the suffocating grip of the Keres. Outside, everything felt unnervingly still, the sky thick with clouds that blotted out the sun. Yet even in this eerie quiet, the weight of what had just happened crushed down on me. Alex was gone again—lost to the void.

I should have saved him.

My throat tightened, and I fought back the rising panic as Edwin pulled me further from the school, his scythe still gleaming faintly in the dim light, bloodshot eyes scanning the area for danger. His movements were sharp, urgent.

"Maddison, we don't have time for this," Edwin said firmly, his voice barely concealing his own frustration. "The Keres won't stop. Not until they've drained every last soul."

I followed, each step a battle against the weight in my chest. The image of Alex's hollow, accusing eyes wouldn't leave me. His voice—broken, bitter—cut deeper than any blade could. I'd failed him, again. I stumbled forward, the box clutched tight to my chest, its cold surface biting into my skin like a constant reminder of the power I carried. A reminder of what I still had to do.

"They're coming," I whispered, barely able to get the words out as the ground beneath us trembled faintly. Edwin nodded without looking back.

"They're preparing their final strike," he said grimly, his voice tight with urgency. His hands gripped the scythe so tightly I could hear the leather of his gloves creak. "We need to end this before they overwhelm us."

I swallowed hard, the reality sinking in. There was no outrunning the Keres, no more hiding or delaying. We would have to face them head-on, here and now. My fingers tightened around Pandora's Box, the ancient, relentless energy within stirring. It was as though it knew the Keres were coming, as though it was just as ready to be unleashed as they were.

"How do we stop them?" My voice cracked, torn between fear and exhaustion.

Edwin turned to face me, his eyes intense but clear. "Once the Keres show themselves in full force, we have to draw them all in. We can't fight them piecemeal. We have to trap them." He motioned to Pandora's Box. "That's our only chance."

I blinked at the weight of what he was suggesting. Open the box? Open the thing that had torn the world apart once before? The idea seemed insane, reckless. But there was no other choice. We couldn't defeat the Keres with weapons alone. They thrived on death, on suffering, and would always be more relentless than we could ever hope to be.

"They're close," Edwin warned, pulling me from my thoughts. His eyes flicked toward the darkened sky, where the air seemed to shimmer unnaturally, as if the world was holding its breath.

The ground trembled again, harder this time, and a shrill, otherworldly cry pierced the air.

"They're here."

A low, keening wail filled the air, and from the edges of the parking lot, the shadows began to move. One by one, the Keres emerged—twisted, skeletal figures with hollow, glowing eyes, their tattered black robes trailing like smoke behind them. They moved with unnatural grace, their bony fingers extended as though they were reaching out to tear the very life from the world around them.

There were dozens of them, and more kept coming.

I felt a wave of cold, biting terror crawl up my spine, but I couldn't let it take hold. Not now. "There's too many," I whispered, barely able to get the words out.

"They're all here for the same thing," Edwin said, his voice calm despite the growing swarm around us. "The box."

Pandora's Box pulsed in my arms, the energy inside it responding to the presence of the Keres. It felt like a living thing, growing warmer, hungrier.