CHAPTER 3 – THE MAN WHO DIED SEVEN YEARS AGO
Emily's flashlight rolled across the cold stone floor before coming to a stop.
Its beam illuminated the man's face.
She froze.
"Noah...?"
The man standing before her looked exactly like the brother she had lost seven years ago.
The same hazel eyes.
The same scar above his eyebrow from the bicycle accident when they were children.
The same gentle smile.
But something wasn't right.
He hadn't aged.
Not even a day.
While Emily had grown into a woman carrying years of grief...
Noah still looked nineteen.
Just like the day he vanished.
Tears streamed down Emily's face.
She ran toward him.
"Noah!"
He caught her in his arms.
For a brief moment, everything felt real.
She could hear his heartbeat.
Feel his warmth.
Smell the familiar scent of cedarwood that reminded her of home.
"I knew you'd find me," he whispered.
Emily pulled away, shaking.
"How? Where have you been? We searched everywhere! Mom cried herself to sleep every night. Dad died believing you were gone!"
Noah lowered his eyes.
"I wanted to come home."
"So why didn't you?"
His smile slowly disappeared.
"Because they wouldn't let me."
Emily frowned.
"They?"
Before Noah could answer...
The Labrador suddenly growled.
Its ears flattened.
Its eyes locked onto the darkness behind Noah.
Emily turned.
Footsteps echoed through the basement.
One pair.
Then another.
Then dozens.
From every tunnel surrounding them.
"Noah..." Emily whispered.
His face turned pale.
"They found us."
"Who's coming?"
Instead of answering, Noah grabbed her wrist.
"Run."
The lights hanging from the ceiling flickered violently.
One by one...
They turned on.
Emily gasped.
The basement was far larger than she had imagined.
It wasn't a basement.
It was an underground village.
Old wooden doors lined endless stone corridors.
Every door had a number.
Every number belonged to someone who had disappeared over the last fifty years.
Some doors slowly creaked open.
People stepped outside.
Men.
Women.
Teenagers.
Children.
All of them wore gray clothing.
All of them stared at Emily without blinking.
And none of them looked older than the day they vanished.
One little girl smiled.
"I remember sunlight..."
A middle-aged man whispered,
"My family stopped looking for me decades ago."
An elderly woman quietly laughed.
"They all think we're dead."
Emily backed away in horror.
"This... this isn't possible."
Noah squeezed her hand.
"They've kept us alive."
"But why?"
Before he could answer...
A loud bell rang through the tunnels.
Every trapped person instantly fell silent.
Their terrified expressions returned.
Then...
All at once...
They knelt.
Facing the end of the corridor.
A massive iron door slowly opened.
Heavy footsteps echoed toward them.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Out of the darkness emerged an elderly man wearing an immaculate black suit, holding an antique silver pocket watch.
His icy blue eyes settled directly on Emily.
He smiled politely.
Then checked the time.
"Exactly seven years."
He closed the watch with a sharp click.
"Miss Carter..."
"Thank you for bringing me my final guest."
Emily's blood ran cold.
"My... final guest?"
The old man nodded.
"There have always been ninety-nine souls beneath Blackwood."
He smiled even wider.
"But tonight..."
"You complete the collection."
Behind Emily...
The iron door slammed shut.
The Labrador barked furiously.
And Noah whispered three words that made her heart stop.
May you like
"Don't trust me."
To Be Continued...
