16: 16.
Return ticket to hell 16: 16.
Return ticket to hell They stopped the car on a silent road.
The engine died.
The night was deathly still.
They got out, their bodies aching, their hearts still racing from the chase.
One by one, they threw away the stolen police clothes.
The disguises fell to the dirt like shed skin.
Then they walked.
Four shadows against the darkness.
Four survivors who had stolen back what was never meant to leave.
— The Plan Blinc gathered them close.
His voice was low.
Urgent.
Every word carried the weight of what they were about to do.
“If we come back from there, four of us go to the Miller Jeff house.
Lomro and Lara, you take a C.D.
player there.
Inose and Cult, you find more things in the book — but not in the house.
Go to the city library.
Annie goes with you.
If I get weapons, I will send them to you, Lomro.
Listen — any three of us go to the other world.
Two of us stay at the gate.
We find a way to go down there.
Search for Amili.
Come back.
And then give that C.D.
out of Monovi.” The plan was insane.
It was impossible.
It was all they had.
— At Miller Jeff House.
10:30 PM.
Blinc, William, Zander, and Charlie entered the old house.
Their footsteps echoed on the rotting wood.
They took the stairs carefully.
Each step groaned under their weight.
Lomro and Lara were already there, setting up the equipment.
C.D.
player.
Car battery.
Electronic circuit.
Walkie-talkie.
The tools of their desperate mission spread across the dusty floor.
“This walkie won’t work in the other world.
Maybe,” Lara said.
She held the device in her hands, turning it over.
Doubt in her voice.
“But we can use it here.
Connect with Annie.” Charlie paused.
His brow furrowed with worry.
“By the way — did Inose, Annie, and Cult reach the library?” — In the Library.
Annie pushed open the heavy door.
The hinges creaked.
She stepped inside and immediately cursed under her breath.
“Shit.” The library was empty.
Silent as a tomb.
All the lights were off except for one — a single bulb burning above a table in the far corner.
And there, sitting at that table, were two high school girls.
Carla and Zendaya.
They looked up briefly, glanced at Annie and the others, then went back to their work as if nothing was strange about people breaking into a library at night.
— At Miller Jeff House.
“Lomro, take this to Annie.” William’s voice was grave.
He handed over a heavy bag.
Inside — an M249.
Military grade.
Deadly.
Lomro took the bag.
His fingers tightened around the strap.
Without a word, he went outside, climbed onto a bicycle, and pedaled into the darkness.
The bag bounced against his back.
The gun inside was cold.
Heavy.
A promise of violence.
“Listen to me,” Blinc said.
His voice was worried.
Genuinely afraid.
The others turned to him.
“I still can’t control my powers properly.” He stopped.
Swallowed.
“Whenever I get hit, I become normal.
I hear a creepy sound calling me.
And then I lose control.” “So what?” William took a step toward Blinc.
His eyes were hard.
Challenging.
“You think we agreed to do this because you have powers?” “You don’t?” Blinc whispered.
The question hung in the air.
“No,” Charlie said.
His voice was soft.
Certain.
There was no hesitation.
“We want to save Amili too.
She was like our sister,” Lara said.
She was fixing a board to the battery, her hands steady despite everything.
“Just our sister.
Not yours,” Zander whispered slowly in Blinc’s ear.
A small, teasing smile.
Even now.
Even here.
“What do we do now?” Lara asked.
She looked around the room.
“Any three?” William asked.
The question was open.
Who would go?
Who would stay?
Charlie thought for a moment.
His mind was racing.
“Me, Blinc, and Zander go to the other world.
William and Lara stay here.” “No.” Blinc shook his head.
“We want William.
He can drive the bus better than us.” “We want Lara too.
When we had Annie, we wanted Lara with us.
And I must go because my powers always appear when we have trouble,” Blinc said.
There was no arguing with his logic.
“Okay.” William nodded slowly.
“So me, Lara, and Blinc go to the other side.
Zander and Charlie stay here.” Sadness crossed Charlie’s face like a shadow.
He walked toward Lara.
His steps were heavy.
Reluctant.
“Be careful,” Charlie said.
His voice was quiet.
Intimate.
“Hmm,” Lara murmured.
She didn’t look at him.
“Nothing is going to happen,” Lara said.
Calm.
Certain.
She was trying to convince herself too.
“Okay.
I want to say something to you.
When we come back from there.” Lara’s voice changed.
Softer.
Shyer.
A blush crept up her cheeks.
“Okay,” Charlie said.
His eyes met hers.
They kissed.
Soft.
Brief.
Meaningful.
A promise wrapped in fear.
“Lara, play the C.D.,” Blinc said.
His voice broke the moment.
Lara inserted the C.D.
into the player.
Her finger hovered over the button.
Then she pressed play.
— In the Military Area.
Tom arrived on foot.
His leg was injured.
Each step sent pain shooting through his body.
He entered the base and saw soldiers lying unconscious on the ground.
Bodies scattered like broken toys.
He limped to the lab.
Empty.
He walked further.
And then he saw Bruce.
Fainted.
Blood on his face.
Bruises on his knuckles.
Tom knelt down.
Shook him.
“Bruce.
Wake up.” Bruce’s eyes fluttered open.
Pain clouded his vision.
“What happened?
Where are those guys?” His voice was raw.
Broken.
“Bruce.
I need to tell you something,” Tom said.
His voice was heavy with secrets too long kept.
— At Miller House.
10:45 PM.
Blinc held the door handle.
The metal was cold against his palm.
He breathed in.
Held it.
Released.
He nodded his head.
Yes.
He was ready.
He opened the gate.
Everything was the same.
Air pulled inward.
Darkness and light swirled together.
Stars flickered and died.
Monovi’s lights went out.
One by one.
Street by street.
The town sank into darkness like a stone into water.
People in their houses closed their doors.
Shops pulled down their shutters.
No vehicles moved on the roads.
Just silence.
Just fear.
The library lights went out.
— Tom and Bruce.
Entering Monovi.
“You’re telling me this now?” Bruce shouted.
His voice was raw with anger and disbelief.
“Because they were children!” Tom shouted back.
His hands gripped the steering wheel.
“But I don’t know why that creature killed three families that night.
And three of those houses were in opposite directions from each other!” They entered Monovi.
The headlights cut through the darkness.
Suddenly, something jumped in the darkness ahead.
A shadow.
Fast.
Wrong.
Tom slammed the brakes.
The car skidded to a stop.
The headlights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
“What the fuck is that?” Bruce asked.
He narrowed his eyes.
Leaned forward.
The lights stopped flickering.
A Karbu stood up in the middle of the road.
Nine feet tall.
Thin.
Black eyes.
Sharp teeth.
Its body was burned in places.
Hair grew in patches.
It stared at them.
Unmoving.
Hungry.
Bruce and Tom stared back.
Shock froze them in their seats.
The Karbu screamed.
The sound tore through the night.
— At Miller Jeff House.
Everything stopped.
The pull.
The wind.
The light.
Silence descended like a curtain.
They opened their eyes.
They stepped forward.
The gate was opening into the other world.
Violet light spilled through the crack.
“Let’s go.” Blinc, Lara, and William crossed the gate.
Charlie and Zander stayed back.
Their faces were tense.
Afraid.
But determined.
They came out on the other side.
The road was the same.
The buildings were the same.
But everything felt wrong.
Distorted.
Like a memory corrupted by time.
They looked toward the tower.
The place was as usual.
Silent.
Waiting.
Sudden ly, an earthquake hit.
The ground shook violently.
The tower’s cracks glowed orange.
Lava-colored light pulsed through the stone like blood through veins.
To be countinue