Chapter 9: No Way Out

Chapter 9: No Way Out

1

We were back.

No matter how far we ran, how hard we tried, we always ended up here—back in town, back where it all started.

The gas station lights flickered in the distance, their sickly glow barely cutting through the darkness. The cornfields loomed on the horizon, rustling even though there was no wind.

Mike was gripping the steering wheel so hard I thought it might snap. "Jack," he said, voice hollow, "we're never leaving, are we?"

I clenched my fists. "We're not giving up."

He let out a short, bitter laugh. "Danny gave up. You saw where that got him."

A sharp pain shot through my chest at the mention of Danny.

I exhaled slowly. "Amy's still in there."

Mike didn't answer.

I opened the door.

"Jack, don't," he said.

I stepped out anyway.

2

The streets were deserted, but I could feel them watching.

The town itself felt *wrong*—distorted, like a half-formed dream. Buildings shifted in the corner of my vision. The streetlights flickered, pulsing like dying stars.

And then—

A whisper.

*"Jack."*

My breath hitched.

Amy's voice.

I turned.

She stood at the edge of the street, her figure barely visible in the dim light.

She looked *normal*—no twisted grins, no hollow eyes.

Just *Amy*.

"Amy?" My voice cracked.

She tilted her head. "Why did you come back?"

I took a step forward. "To save you."

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "There's nothing left to save."

The streetlight above us shattered.

3

Mike grabbed my arm, yanking me back. "Jack, this isn't her."

I shook him off. "Yes, it is."

Amy's expression flickered—something shifting beneath her skin, too fast for me to catch.

"You don't understand," she whispered. "You can't win."

I reached for her. "Come with me."

Her smile *twisted*.

Then, she stepped *backward*—into the darkness.

Gone.

4

I ran.

Mike called after me, but I didn't stop.

I chased her through the empty streets, past houses that *shouldn't exist*, down roads that led *nowhere*.

Every time I thought I'd lost her, I'd hear her voice—soft, teasing—leading me deeper.

Then—

The cornfield.

A wall of black stalks rising from the earth like ribs of a dead god.

Amy stood at the entrance.

Waiting.

5

I hesitated.

She smiled.

"Come find me, Jack."

Then she *vanished* into the corn.

I followed.

The stalks closed behind me, swallowing the world whole.

And the whispers began.

6

The cornfield was *alive*.

The stalks *breathed*.

Shadows slithered between them, flickering at the edges of my vision.

Amy's laughter echoed from every direction.

*"Come on, Jack. Don't you want to save me?"*

I pushed forward, my heartbeat pounding in my ears.

Then—

I saw her.

Standing in a clearing, her back to me.

I reached out—

She turned.

And my blood *froze*.

Her eyes were *black holes*.

Her mouth *split too wide*.

She *grinned*.

Then—

The Watcher stepped from the shadows behind her.

And everything went *black*.

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At the end of **Chapter 9**, I can add a message like this:

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Authors Note:

Thank you for reading! I'm a new writer, and I'd love to hear your thoughts. What did you think of this chapter? Let me know in the comments!

Also I wold appreciate it if 'The Readers Rate The Story.