The cracks begins to show

(Ella's POV)

My hands were still shaking. No matter how much I tried to stop them, I couldn't. It wasn't just fear—it was the overwhelming realization that everything I thought I knew about the world was wrong.

We had seen it. Together. And there was no pretending otherwise.

As we sat in the living room of Daniel's house, the air felt suffocating. Alex leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his face as pale as a ghost. Trevor was pacing back and forth, his hands buried deep in his jacket pockets. And Daniel... he was sitting on the edge of the couch, staring at his hands like they held some kind of answer.

"I don't get it," Trevor said suddenly, breaking the silence. "How does this even make sense? Things like that aren't supposed to exist."

"They don't," Alex muttered, his voice low. "At least, they didn't."

I swallowed hard and hugged my knees to my chest. "It wasn't just a hallucination, right? I mean, we all saw the same thing."

Daniel finally looked up, his expression unreadable. "It's not a hallucination. It's real. And it's been haunting me for months."

"Months?" Alex's voice rose slightly. "You're telling me this thing has been after you for months, and you didn't think to tell us?"

Daniel's jaw tightened. "I didn't think it would get this bad. I thought I could handle it."

Trevor stopped pacing and turned to face him. "Well, news flash, Dan—you can't handle it. None of us can. That thing... it's not human. It's not even natural. What the hell are we supposed to do against something like that?"

"We figure it out," Daniel said firmly.

"And how exactly do we do that?" Alex snapped. "Do you have some magical guidebook on dealing with supernatural entities? Because if you do, now's the time to share it."

"Stop it!" I said, my voice shaking but loud enough to make them pause. "Arguing isn't going to help us. We need to stick together, not tear each other apart."

The room fell silent again, but the tension was still thick.

"Ella's right," Daniel said quietly. "We're all in this now, whether we like it or not. And we have to figure out what it wants."

"Maybe it doesn't want anything," Alex said. "Maybe it just wants to... torment us."

Trevor shook his head. "There's always a reason. Things like this don't just show up for no reason."

"How would you know?" Alex shot back.

"Guys, stop!" I stood up, my hands clenched into fists. "We need to focus. If we keep fighting, we're not going to get anywhere."

They both fell silent, though Alex still looked like he wanted to argue.

"Okay," I said, trying to steady my voice. "Let's think this through. Daniel, you said your dad was into all that research, right? Ancient history and rituals and stuff?"

Daniel nodded. "Yeah. He kept a lot of notes and journals. I've been trying to find something that might help, but... I haven't had much luck."

"Then we need to start there," I said. "If your dad knew anything about this kind of stuff, it's our best chance."

Trevor frowned. "What if this thing isn't in any of those notes? What if it's something completely new?"

"Then we'll figure it out," Daniel said, his voice steady. "We have to."

Alex sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Fine. But we're not splitting up. I'm not wandering around this house alone."

"Agreed," I said.

Daniel stood up, determination etched into his features. "Alright. Let's check the basement again. If there's anything down there, we need to find it."

The basement was colder than I remembered. It felt like stepping into another world, one where the air was heavy and every shadow seemed alive.

We moved cautiously, our flashlights cutting through the darkness. Daniel led the way, his steps purposeful but quiet. I stayed close behind him, my heart pounding in my chest. Trevor and Alex followed, their footsteps echoing softly against the concrete floor.

"Over here," Daniel said, stopping in front of a set of shelves. "This is where he kept most of his research."

We began sifting through the shelves, pulling out old notebooks, folders, and dusty books. The pages were filled with handwritten notes, sketches, and diagrams, but none of it made any sense to me.

"This stuff is ancient," Trevor muttered, flipping through a worn notebook. "Your dad was into some weird shit, man."

Daniel ignored him, focused on a stack of papers he had just uncovered. "These are his notes from Egypt. He mentioned something about rituals and curses... maybe there's something here."

As he read through the pages, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye—a faint movement in the shadows.

"Did anyone else see that?" I whispered.

"See what?" Alex asked, his voice tense.

I pointed toward the far corner of the basement, where the shadows seemed to ripple like water.

Trevor squinted. "I don't see anything."

But Daniel froze, his eyes fixed on the same spot. "It's here," he whispered.

The temperature dropped even further, and a low, guttural sound filled the air. It wasn't a growl or a moan—it was something else entirely, something that made my skin crawl.

"Everyone, stay close," Daniel said, his voice steady but laced with fear.

The shadows began to shift, coalescing into a shape that was almost human but not quite. Its eyes glowed faintly in the darkness, and its presence was suffocating.

"Run," Daniel said suddenly.

"What?" Trevor asked, his voice shaking.

"Run!" Daniel shouted, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward the stairs.

We bolted up the steps, the sound of the entity's presence following close behind. My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest as we reached the living room, slamming the basement door shut behind us.

"What the hell was that?" Alex shouted, his voice filled with panic.

"It's not going to stop," Daniel said, his breathing heavy. "It's not going to stop until it gets what it wants."

"What does it want?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Daniel met my eyes, his expression grim. "That's what we have to find out. Before it's too late."