Unfinished Buissness

Back at Dami's house, the group sat around the living room, the morning light filtering through the windows. For the first time in what felt like days, the fog had lifted, and the oppressive atmosphere seemed to ease.

Ellie hugged her knees on the couch. "Do you think it's really over? Did we actually set Lila free?"

Barto leaned back in the armchair, his expression thoughtful. "We broke the curse tied to her, but that thing… it's not gone. Just weaker."

John scoffed, still jittery. "We should just burn the whole place down. Problem solved."

Dami shook his head. "It's not that simple. If the entity feeds on forgotten memories, burning the school might just scatter its influence… make it harder to contain."

Sofia rested her head on Barto's shoulder, her exhaustion evident. "But why was Lila targeted in the first place? There has to be more to it."

Before anyone could respond, Bryan's phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, his eyes widening. "Guys… the school just announced it's reopening tomorrow. They're calling it an electrical fault issue."

Ellie gaped. "Seriously? After all that? They're just pretending nothing happened?"

Barto frowned. "It's part of the pattern. If the entity wants to be forgotten, the school covering up strange occurrences just makes sense."

Dami nodded. "If we don't find out who or what created that thing, it'll just start again. New students, new victims."

John hesitated. "But we can't just walk around asking about a haunted school. People will think we're crazy."

Bryan checked his phone again. "Actually… there's a news article from years ago. Apparently, the school was built on top of an old town hall that burned down in the 80s. Some people claimed it was cursed, but it was dismissed as superstition."

Dami's eyes lit up. "That could explain it. If the entity is older than the school, maybe it's tied to whatever happened back then."

Sofia looked worried. "But why Lila? Why not someone from that time?"

Ellie pondered. "Maybe Lila accidentally triggered it. If the song is tied to that old event, singing it at the cultural day could've awakened something buried."

A knock at the door startled everyone. Dami peered through the peephole, relaxing when he saw an older woman outside. He opened the door cautiously. "Mrs. Adeyemi?"

Their elderly neighbor shuffled inside, clutching a bundle of old papers. "Sorry to bother you, Dami. I just… I saw you kids heading back to that school last night."

Dami looked confused. "You were watching us?"

Mrs. Adeyemi nodded gravely. "I've seen those shadows before. Years ago. Back when my own daughter went to that school."

Barto sat up straight. "Your daughter? What happened?"

Mrs. Adeyemi's hands trembled as she unfolded the papers. "She disappeared… just like that poor Lila. One day, she went to school, and I never saw her again. They said she ran away, but I knew better. The school… it took her."

Ellie glanced at the old, faded photo of a young girl in a school uniform. "She looks about our age…"

Dami scanned the newspaper clippings. "Wait, this article says three students went missing around the same time—one of them was your daughter?"

Mrs. Adeyemi nodded. "Yes… and one of the boys was found weeks later, wandering the old town hall ruins. He never spoke again, just kept drawing strange symbols."

Barto took one of the clippings, noticing a familiar pattern. "This symbol… it's the same one carved on the basement wall."

Sofia squinted. "What does it mean?"

Mrs. Adeyemi whispered, "It's a sigil. My grandmother used to say it was a mark of binding—a way to trap something evil. But if the sigil was broken…"

Dami's eyes widened. "When the town hall burned down, it must have disrupted the seal. The school being built on top could have reawakened whatever was trapped there."

Bryan's face paled. "So, the school itself isn't just haunted… it's a prison for something older."

John rubbed his temples, overwhelmed. "So what do we do? Fix the seal? Destroy the symbol?"

Barto looked at Mrs. Adeyemi.

"Do you remember where the boy was found? Was it a specific part of the old hall?"

She nodded slowly. "The east wing… near the old library. They said he was found scratching symbols into the floor, crying about voices."

Ellie whispered, "The east wing… that's where the music room is now. Where Lila performed."

Sofia squeezed Barto's hand. "Maybe it's not just the song… it's the place itself. If the performance broke the seal again…"

Mrs. Adeyemi sighed. "You kids shouldn't go back there. It's too dangerous. I lost my daughter… I can't bear to see more lives taken."

Barto remained stoic. "If we don't stop it, it'll just keep happening. We can't ignore it."

A sudden crash outside made everyone jump. Bryan peeked through the window, his face going pale. "Uh… guys? The fog's back… and it's thicker."

Dami frowned. "It's spreading faster this time. Maybe weakening the entity last night only made it angrier."

Barto stood up, determination in his eyes. "We go back to the music room. We'll confront it where the seal broke."

Mrs. Adeyemi grabbed his arm, pleading. "Please, don't do this. That place will swallow you just like it did my daughter."

Sofia gave her a gentle smile. "We're not alone this time. We'll find a way to end it for good."

Ellie packed her flashlight and the laptop, while Bryan grabbed his rod again, trying to hide his fear. John forced a grin. "If we're going to face some ancient evil, might as well do it with friends, right?"

As they stepped outside, the fog seemed almost alive, crawling across the ground like serpentine tendrils. The air grew colder, and distant wails echoed from the school.

Barto led the way, his resolve unwavering. Whatever lay in the east wing, they were going to find it—and make sure this darkness never claimed another soul.