Absorption

"So… what do you wanna do about them?" Leon asked, gesturing toward the girls slumped over in their seats.

"Should we wake them up?"

He tapped one of them gently on the shoulder, but they didn't stir.

"Yeah," he said. "They may or may not be in a food coma. Now what?"

"Pick one up," I told him. "I'll carry one on my back. Think you can handle another?"

"Probably," Leon said. "We'll just come back for the last one in a few minutes."

I picked up Dahlia while Leon grabbed Kara. We carried them to the car and gently placed them in the backseat. Then I went back for Penny and laid her between the other two.

I turned to the waiter still standing by the door.

"What did you mean by 'boundaries' earlier?" I asked.

"I'm sorry," he replied, expression flat. "I can't share that information."

I scowled and headed back to the car.

"You up for a pit stop on the way home?" I asked Leon as I slid into the driver's seat.

"Sure. You need gas or something?"

"No… that waiter mentioned boundaries. I think we should find out what he meant."

"I'm down."

I put the car in drive and pulled out of the lot.

"Did he say where the boundaries are?"

"No. I couldn't get anything out of the bastard."

"So… where are we going, exactly?"

"Pull up your maps app. This place has to have some kind of exit or entrance."

Leon checked his phone. "There's a few options. Closest one is a mile ahead."

I drove toward it. As we got closer, a thick fog rolled in.

"Is it just me," I asked, "or is it getting darker?"

"No, it's definitely darker. Could just be coincidence, though."

We sat in silence, watching the road vanish into mist.

"So… wanna walk over there?" I asked.

"Nope."

"Why not? You're the Fool. You're supposed to do the dumb stuff."

"Listen," Leon said, "I watched the monster eat someone twice. I also came up with the idea for the first challenge. I've done my share of 'dumb stuff.'"

"Alright," I said with a shrug. "I guess I'll go. See ya."

I stepped into the fog, the air immediately colder. The forest surrounded me, endless in all directions.

"Hey Leon," I called back. "There's really nothing out here. I think it's—"

I turned around. The road was gone. Nothing but trees and fog in every direction.

I ran the way I thought I came from—but it was all the same.

Then I heard a twig snap.

"What the hell do I do now?"

More sounds: footsteps, weird mechanical clicks, a low growl.

"Hello?" I called out.

A single red eye blinked in the fog.

I froze.

It stepped forward, slow and heavy.

I bolted.

I tripped over a log and slammed into the ground.

"Y0u… Sh0u1dN't… bE… OuT hER3…" it said in a garbled, digital voice.

The moment I blinked, I was suddenly back by the car.

I gasped for air, heart pounding, soaked in sweat despite the cold night.

"Breathe," Leon said. "Just tell me what happened."

"Everything disappeared once I walked in," I said. "It was like the whole forest swallowed me. Then this… thing showed up. It told me I shouldn't be there. Whatever's going on, we're stuck. This town—it's not normal. We can't escape."

"Let's just get home," Leon said. "You good to drive, or should I take over?"

"No, I've got it. Just… give me a minute."

We pulled into the driveway just as the girls began waking up.

"That was a delicious dinner," Kara mumbled, stretching.

"If we ever don't feel like cooking, we're going back there," Leon said.

"How did we end up in the car?" Penny asked.

"Oh, Connor and I carried you," Leon said casually.

As we approached the front door, I noticed the mailbox was slightly ajar.

"Everything alright, Connor?" Dahlia asked.

I pulled out a letter and opened it.

"What now?" Leon said.

"Curiosity has a cost. The Barrier exists for your protection. Attempts to breach it will not be taken lightly. All members are reminded that The Feed gives… and The Feed takes.

Punishment scheduled: Tonight.

Time: Unknown.

Subject: Connor.

Signed, The Feed."

"Shit," Leon muttered.

"Why is Connor being punished?" Kara asked.

"When you guys were asleep, I tried to find a way out," I admitted. "I went to the edge of town… and something found me."

"Whatever happens," Leon said firmly, "we're in this together. We're the House of Five. None of us face this alone."

"Thanks… but this one's on me."

"Let's get inside before we catch a cold," Dahlia said.

We unpacked and went to our rooms. I entered mine to put something away, but the door slammed behind me.

I tried to open it, but it was locked. No—it was sealed.

My phone buzzed wildly.

One notification:

Punishment has begun.

Punishment: Absorption.

The house started shaking.

Then I saw it.

A ripple of shadow spread from the ceiling—not on the surface, but in it, like the house itself was bleeding darkness.

A voice—flat, mechanical, layered—spoke directly into my ears:

"Y0u lEfT tHe StAgE. Y0u qUeStI0nEd ThE sEt.

NoW yOu MuSt SuFfEr ThE cOnSeQuEnCeS."

The floor cracked open.

A massive, black mouth with jagged teeth formed beneath me.

Tendrils of blackness poured upward, stabbing into my mouth, my ears, my chest. I tried to scream but no sound came out.

In that moment, I was nowhere—and everywhere. It felt like an eternity.

Then—nothing.

I hit the ground hard, gasping.

My phone buzzed again.

Punishment complete.

I heard a knock at the door.

"Connor? You okay in there, buddy?" Leon asked.

"The punishment… it happened. It was awful."

He came in and sat down beside me.

"Wanna talk about it?"

I told him everything: the mouth, the tendrils, the voice.

"If I remember right," Penny said, appearing at the doorway, "your card said 'punishment default: absorption.'"

"So," Kara added, "that means we each have a punishment type… and if we break the rules, we suffer that specific one."

"This just gets more twisted," Dahlia muttered.

"Connor," Leon said gently, "just relax for now. Sit in bed, watch a movie or something. We'll handle things tonight."

"If you need anything, just call us," Kara said.

They left.

But the fear didn't.

The weight was still there—the pressure, the sense of being watched.

Of something still waiting.