14. The Echo of Screams

The night had never felt this tight before.

Damian sat up in his bed. His heart was hitting his chest very fast. The room was quiet. Only his roommates were breathing softly. But something felt wrong. The air felt too still. Too heavy. Like the walls were trying to squeeze him. He moved his hand through his wet hair. He tried to stop the fear crawling up his back.

Then he heard it.

A soft voice.

"Did you think I'd stay dead?"

His blood felt cold. The voice was quiet. Like wind slipping through a small hole. But it was not the wind. It was a voice he knew. A voice he could never forget.

Ethan.

Damian swallowed. He shook his head. No. This cannot be real. My brain is just tricking me. He looked around the dark room. His friends were still sleeping. Their faces looked calm. No fear. No sound. Did he make it up?

He lay down again. He shut his eyes tight.

But the voice came back. This time it was closer.

"You should have killed me properly."

Damian sat up fast. He let out a small gasp. His breath came out fast and rough. He held the sheets with both hands. He looked at the others. His throat felt dry.

"Did… did you hear that?" His voice was soft and shaky.

Mason made a sound in the other bed. "Hear what?" he said as he turned around.

"The whispering" Damian said. His heart was pounding very loud.

No one answered. The room went quiet again.

Maybe he was losing his mind. Maybe all the stress was too much. He took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes. Then another voice cut through the air.

"Do you remember how I begged?"

A loud scream came from the dorm.

It was not Damian. It was not Mason.

It was Daniel.

He jumped up from his bed. His eyes were full of fear. He started to hit his ears like he was trying to pull something out. "Shut up. Shut up. Shut up" he screamed.

Damian and Mason jumped up fast. Their own fear went away for a moment.

"Daniel" Mason ran to him. He held Daniel's arms. "What is wrong?"

Daniel shook hard. His eyes were wide. His skin was white like paper. His face was wet with cold sweat. "He is here" Daniel said. His voice sounded broken. "He is talking to me. I heard him. I heard him"

Mason looked at Damian. Fear was in his eyes too. "What is he talking about?"

Daniel's breath was rough and fast. He pulled his knees to his chest. "Ethan" he said. "Ethan is talking to me"

The room fell quiet.

One second passed.

Then another.

A low laugh came from the dark part of the room.

Damian's face lost all color. It was not Daniel. It was not Mason.

It was something else.

Something they could not see.

Something that should not be real.

"Did you think you could get away with it" The voice was soft. But it felt like a scream in the air.

Damian stepped back. His body shook. He felt like someone was watching him. Something was hiding just outside the light. His breath got faster. His thoughts were spinning.

It was not real.

It could not be real.

But Daniel was crying now. He rocked back and forth on his bed. "He is here. He is here. He is here"

Mason grabbed his phone. His hands were shaking. He turned on the flashlight. He pointed the light around the room. The light went into every dark place. But there was nothing. No person. No shadow. No monster.

Still the voice came.

"Sleep while you can"

Mason dropped the phone. Damian's legs gave out.

Daniel screamed again. He covered his ears. "Make it stop. Please make it stop" His voice was sharp. It was full of fear. A kind of fear they had never heard before.

Mason ran to the door. He pulled it open. "We need help"

Damian could not move. His mind was falling apart. His body felt strange. Like it did not belong to him. His skin felt tight. His heart felt too loud. He told himself it was a joke. Maybe someone was playing a trick. But deep down he knew the truth.

They had buried Ethan.

But Ethan was not gone.

And he was not finished with them.

In the dark Ethan smiled.

He stood in the shadow outside their dorm. He listened to their fear. He listened to their panic. He could hear their hearts beating fast. He could hear their short gasps for air. It felt good. Too good.

The system buzzed with joy.

[Fear Points Accumulated. +500]

Ethan closed his eyes. He let the power fill him. Every little bit of their fear made him stronger. It made him grow. And this was just the start.

They took everything from him. His pride. His life. His soul.

Now he would take everything from them.

Piece by piece.

Night by night.

Until they knew what true fear felt like.