William was still trapped inside the abyss of his own mind. Every second stretched into an eternity. I feel like I'm losing it... maybe I already was. What kind of sane person would cause all of this? he thought, his chest tightening.
"William..." Dave's voice slithered through the void.
"FUCK YOU! LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE, YOU BASTARD!" William roared, his own anger echoing back at him.
Dave chuckled, calm, deliberate. "Wow. I only said your name, and you're already cursing."
"WHAT DID YOU EXPECT? YOU KILLED FOUR CHILDREN, YOU MOTHERFUCKING MONSTER!" William barked.
Dave tilted his head, a faint, almost polite smile on his face. "Five, actually." His tone was casual, clinical. "It was Henry's daughter. Her name was Charlotte. I figured you should know."
Rage exploded within William. He slammed the door again and again, until metal screamed and hinges gave way. The door fell to the pitch-black floor.
He ran, feet pounding through the darkness, but the abyss only stretched farther.
"I'M GOING TO COME FIND YOU, YOU BASTARD! NO MATTER HOW LONG IT TAKES! NO MATTER WHAT YOU THROW AT ME! I! WILL! FIND! YOU!" he screamed.
Dave's voice came from everywhere, soft but unnerving. "You can try. You can rage all you want. But this is my realm now. And you... you're already weaker than you think. Soon, you'll be just a memory."
William snarled. "I'll get to you. I'll tear you apart!"
A trace of amusement laced Dave's voice. "You misunderstand. I'm already inside you. Your body... it's mine as much as yours. Even so, you can try your best to destroy it, but it's stronger than any human now. Your body has become your prison and your death sentence."
"I'm going to try anyway," William said, determination igniting in his veins.
"Very well," Dave replied, voice soft, almost conversational again. "I'll be waiting."
The darkness shifted. The void stretched into an endless hallway. Newspaper clippings covered the walls, reminders of memory, loss, and mistakes. William ignored them and kept running.
Finally, a door appeared. He flung it open. Dave was there, calm, and waiting.
"Finally... time to end this," William roared and charged.
He tore at Dave with everything he had. But just as he finished, the figure before him changed—replaced by a little girl, pale and lifeless, hair matted.
William's legs buckled. He fell to his hands and knees. He couldn't believe he was seeing. What did he just do? "No... No! What have I done? You poor, innocent girl. I... I'm so sorry!"
Then the clarity hit. "This can't be real... it's... it's just another one of your games!" William accused.
"It is real, William," Dave said—quiet, firm, unshakable. "All of this is real. You did this. That girl... I didn't take her. You did."
William trembled, tears blurring his vision, burning hot against cold fear.
Dave exhaled softly, almost bored.
"Regardless, I've had my fun. And this little debacle has taken up far too much of my evening." He said.
"Goodnight, William."
The darkness crept back. William tried to resist—but it swallowed him whole.