(A/N):
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Jenny's House — Past Midnight
The house had gone quiet hours ago.
Outside, the wolves patrolled the perimeter, their massive shapes moving silently between the trees.
Occasionally a low growl rolled through the forest when one of them crossed another's scent trail.
Inside, the lights were still on.
None of the four had wanted darkness.
Hayley, Paige, Paxton, and Grant had pushed two beds together in the guest room so none of them would have to sleep alone.
They had covered every mirror in the room with towels just like Jojo instructed.
The clock on the wall ticked slowly.
12:17 AM.
Paxton lay awake staring at the ceiling.
"I'm telling you," he muttered quietly, "in every horror movie the first one who splits from the group dies first."
Grant rolled his eyes from the edge of the bed.
"Yeah, because horror movies are real life."
Paige pulled the blanket tighter around herself.
"Can you two not start this again?"
Hayley turned onto her side, trying to ignore the rising tension.
Then—It came.
A laugh. Soft at first.
-KekekekeKeKE!!!
Then stretching longer.
A thin, eerie sound that crawled through the walls.
-Hehehehe…
The four of them shot upright at the same time.
"...."
"...."
"...."
"What the hell was that?" Paige whispered.
The laughter echoed again.
-KekekekeKeKE!!!
Not from outside. From inside the house.
Grant jumped off the bed.
"Someone's messing with us."
Paxton grabbed his arm.
"Don't go out there!"
The laugh came again.
-KekekekeKeKE!!!
This time louder. Distorted. Like a voice trying to remember how humans sounded.
Hehehehehehe…
Hayley's stomach dropped.
"That's it. It's that evil spirit."
The temperature inside the room dropped suddenly.
The windows rattled softly.
Grant walked to the door and yanked it open.
The hallway outside was empty.
-Creak!
Dead quiet.
"...."
The laughter continued.
But now—It was inside the room again.
Behind them. The four spun around.
Nothing. Just the beds.
The covered mirrors.
The trembling clock on the wall.
Paige grabbed Hayley's arm.
"Oh my god…"
The laugh rang out again.
Closer.
Hehehehehe…
Paxton's voice shook.
"She's playing with us."
Grant slammed the door shut again.
-Thud.
"Good. Let her try something."
The laughter grew louder.
Echoing around the walls like someone circling them.
Hayley's heart pounded.
"...."
"...."
"...."
It never showed itself. It never attacked. It just laughed.
Over and over.
Hehehehehe…
Minutes passed.... Then hours.
Every time they started drifting toward sleep—The laugh returned.
Sharp. Mocking.
Like a predator tapping the glass of an aquarium.
By 3 AM all four of them had moved onto the same bed.
Shoulder to shoulder. No one wanted to be alone.
Paxton whispered nervously,
"She's waiting."
Grant stared at the ceiling.
"They're treating us like sheep waiting for slaughter."
Hayley squeezed her eyes shut.
Outside the house—One of the wolves lifted its head suddenly, ears twitching.
It heard something too.
But when it looked toward the house—Nothing was there.
Inside the room—The laughter continued.
Not stopping. Not attacking.
Just echoing like an alarm that would never shut off.
By dawn—None of them had slept.
And the first night of the three had only just begun.
Day One — Morning...
Jenny's House...
The first light of dawn slipped through the curtains.
Golden sunlight slowly crawled across the bedroom floor.
And just like that—The laughter stopped.
Instantly. No fading. No last echo.
It vanished as if it had never existed.
The silence felt almost unnatural after a full night of torment.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Paige slowly lowered the blanket from her face.
"…it stopped."
Paxton rubbed his eyes, exhausted.
Hayley glanced around the room carefully.
Nothing moved. No shadow. No sound.
Grant swung his legs off the bed.
"Yeah," he muttered, voice rough from lack of sleep, "because whatever that thing is can't come out in daylight."
He stood up immediately.
"I'm done with this."
Hayley grabbed his arm.
"Grant, don't—"
He pulled away.
"I'm not sitting here waiting to die."
He marched out of the room and down the hallway.
The house was quiet.
Too quiet.
Jenny, Kang, and their son Alex had already moved to Jojo's mansion for safety.
The entire house had effectively become a containment zone for the four of them.
Grant reached the front door.
He grabbed the handle.
Locked.
-Click! -Click!
'Of course.'
He thought as he slammed his fist against it.
"HEY!"
-BANG.
"OPEN THE DOOR!"
-BANG. -BANG.
"I NEED TO GO HOME!"
Paxton hurried down the hallway.
"Dude, stop!"
Grant kept pounding.
-BANG. -BANG.
"YOU CAN'T KEEP ME LOCKED IN HERE!"
Hayley and Paige joined them, trying to pull him away from the door.
"Grant, calm down!"
"There are wolves outside!"
He laughed bitterly.
-Haha
"Yeah, great! Guard dogs!"
He leaned his forehead against the door.
"They locked us in like prisoners…"
No answer came from outside. No one opened the door.
Eventually Grant stopped banging.
"...."
"...."
"...."
He stepped back and dragged a hand through his hair.
"…we're going to die in this house."
The words hung heavy in the air.
Meanwhile...
Jojo's Mansion...
The large living room had been converted into a temporary surveillance center.
Multiple screens filled the wall.
Each one showed a different camera angle from Jenny's house.
Living room. Hallway. Front porch. Bedroom.
The audio from inside the house played clearly.
Grant's outburst echoed from the speakers.
Jojo stood with arms crossed, watching silently.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Beside him stood Inadu, leaning against the table, calm as always.
On the couch sat Caroline, Rosalie, and Alice.
Rosalie sighed.
"Well, Grant's losing it faster than I expected."
Caroline shook her head.
"Can't blame him. That laughter would've driven me insane too."
Alice tilted her head slightly as she watched the screen.
"They're still alive."
Her eyes flickered briefly with future visions.
"For now."
Inadu glanced at Jojo.
"She didn't attack."
Jojo nodded his head.
"She's testing them and our response."
On the screen Grant paced the hallway like a trapped animal.
Paige sat on the couch hugging her knees.
Paxton stared blankly at the floor.
Hayley looked like she hadn't blinked in minutes.
Rosalie folded her arms.
"Night two will be worse right?"
Jojo didn't respond. He simply watched the monitor.
"...."
Inside his mind he could still feel Ilona's presence.
She was nearby. Observing.
Waiting for the moment one of them broke the rules.
Jojo finally spoke.
"She wants them desperate."
Caroline leaned forward.
"So they'll make a mistake."
Jojo nodded slightly.
-Nod
"And when they do…"
The camera screen flickered for a fraction of a second.
-Flicker!
Just once.
Behind Grant's reflection in the hallway window—For a single frame—A faint silhouette of a woman in ancient robes appeared.
Watching.
Alice narrowed her eyes.
-Frown
"...."
Meanwhile....
Back on the Jenny's House...
The four survivors were still exhausted, sitting in the living room like people who had survived a long storm.
Then—Click.
The front door unlocked.
All four heads snapped toward it.
"...."
"...."
"...."
The door opened and Leah Clearwater stepped inside, carrying two large food carriers.
The smell of warm breakfast filled the hall as she walked calmly to the dining table and set them down.
"Breakfast," she said shortly.
She glanced at the group.
Dark circles under their eyes. Pale faces. Nervous tension.
"Looks like none of you slept."
Paige gave a weak laugh.
-Hehe
"You think?"
Grant, however, wasn't looking at the food.
"...."
His eyes were locked on the open door.
Fresh air. Freedom.
Before anyone could react—He bolted.
Grant lunged forward, sprinting for the doorway.
"Grant—!" Hayley shouted.
Too late.
He burst through the entrance—And slammed straight into someone standing outside.
-THUD.
Grant hit the ground hard.
Dazed, he looked up—Jojo stood there.
Calm.
Hands in his pockets.
Grant scrambled to his feet instantly and tried to push past him.
"I'm leaving."
He didn't get two steps.
Jojo moved.
Fast.
A smooth taekwondo sweep hooked Grant's leg from under him.
Grant crashed back onto the floor with a thud.
-THUD.
Before he could get up, Jojo's foot pressed lightly against his chest, pinning him.
Grant froze.
"...."
Jojo looked down at him. His voice was calm but carried weight.
"If you walk out that door…"
He leaned slightly closer.
"…I'm not responsible for what happens to you."
Grant's breathing grew heavier.
Jojo removed his foot and stepped back.
"If you want to live," he said simply, "stay inside."
The words weren't shouted.
They didn't need to be.
Grant remained on the floor for a moment, staring up at him.
Then Jojo turned and walked inside the house as if nothing had happened.
Leah leaned against the wall watching the whole thing.
She smirked slightly.
-Smirk!
"Breakfast is getting cold,"
She said, nodding toward the table.
-Nod
Hayley helped Grant up slowly.
Paxton muttered quietly,
"Dude… maybe listen to the guy."
Grant didn't answer.
But this time—He didn't try to run again.
Leah didn't stay long.
Once the food containers were placed on the dining table, she glanced once more at the four exhausted students.
"Eat," she said bluntly.
Then she walked to the door.
Before stepping out she turned the handle from the inside and locked it again.
The heavy click echoed through the quiet hallway.
"Three days," she reminded them.
Then she left.
Outside, the wolves resumed their silent patrol.
Inside the house the tension returned.
Grant stood there for a moment, fists clenched.
His pride had just taken a direct hit.
Getting thrown to the floor in front of Hayley—his ex—by Jojo had stripped whatever confidence he had left.
He rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding everyone's eyes.
"Whatever," he muttered.
No one replied.
He kicked lightly at the floor in frustration.
"I'm going to sleep."
His voice carried irritation more than exhaustion.
Hayley opened her mouth to say something, but Grant had already turned and started toward the hallway.
Paxton immediately stood up.
"I'm coming with you."
Grant stopped halfway and looked over his shoulder.
"Why?"
Paxton shrugged.
"Because we're not splitting up."
The reminder hung in the air.
Even Grant couldn't argue with that.
He snorted but didn't object.
"Fine."
The two walked down the hallway toward the guest room.
Paige watched them go nervously.
"You think he's gonna try to escape again?"
Hayley shook her head slowly.
"Not after that."
She glanced toward the door where Jojo had been standing moments ago.
Grant had always been stubborn.
But the look in Jojo's eyes had made even him hesitate.
Down the hallway, Grant dropped onto the bed with a groan.
Paxton sat in the chair beside it.
Neither of them spoke for a moment.
Grant stared at the ceiling.
"Man… this is insane."
Paxton leaned back and closed his eyes.
"Yeah."
A pause.
"But at least we're still alive."
Grant didn't respond.
The exhaustion from a sleepless night finally started dragging them down.
Outside the house the wolves continued circling the property.
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(Author's POV)
(A/N):
[New Fan fic: Star Entertainment: Building An Empire. Check it out.
There will be two chapters a week(Monday and Tuesday)
If delayed I would post it on Wednesday or Thursday.]
Thanks for reading the chapter!
Please give a review and power stone!!!