“What!? No! I refuse to kill either of them!” His response was instant.

  Hezekiah crossed his arms, examining the last rule he wrote. He wondered if he had made the right choice. Then he looked again at Reed and could only shake his head with pity.

  It’s shitty. But what can you do, Reed? Surely you’re not so foolish as to think all three of you can walk out of here alive—or all four of you, I should say.

  Elaine’s mind went blank after hearing the soldier’s command. She clenched her gown as a swirling pressure mounted in her chest.

  “Honey,” she softly clasped her husband’s wrist. “There’s nothing to think about. You know what you nee—”

  Elaine paused. She glanced around her surroundings, her expression contorting. Then she met the eyes of the man whose hand she held.

  It’s finally taking effect now. Now… how will the creations respond?

  “Elaine?” Reed grabbed her shoulders. But she remained speechless.

  “Honey, answer me!”

  Elaine’s eyes suddenly widened. She swiped his arms away, shocking Reed.

  “Get off me! This has nothing to do with me! I can’t believe… I can’t believe I was about to—”

  She briefly turned away, bristling through her hair with conflicting thoughts.

  “Another instruction?” the military soldier muttered. “Oddly specific. Is he trying to meddle?”

  “Mommy?” Sally called, tears welling in her eyes. She didn’t understand why, but her mother’s sudden outburst against her father felt... terrifying.

  “Mommy?” Elaine echoed back, her voice tinged with doubt. “Stop calling me that!”

  “Wh—what’s gotten into you!? Have you lost your mind!?”

  Reed stood thunderstruck at his wife’s words, struggling to decipher the sudden shift in her behavior. The military officer fired a bullet into the ceiling, Sally screamed. The other two immediately fell silent.

  “You have ten seconds, Reed. The girl or your wife. Decide.”

  Before Reed could gather his thoughts, Elaine bolted and tackled him. His head slammed against the floor, white light flashing across his vision.

  Definitely not what I hoped for. But the best of the worst situation isn’t meant to be good. But could this really be considered the best? Hezekiah watched, contemplating if he should change courses.

  “Mommy! Daddy! Stop fighting!!” the girl cried. She wiggled and struggled, but the man didn’t budge an inch. Tears raced down her cheeks as her parents wrestled each other, fighting for control of the syringe.

  “You don’t honestly expect me to die for a nobody like you, do you!?” Elaine shrieked. Her eyes screamed desperation. Fear etched her face every time Reed managed to grab her. She gritted her teeth and fought harder, refusing to let him knock her off balance.

  “Damn it! Get a hold of yourself!”

  Without thinking, Reed threw a punch to her chin. Elaine’s mind blanked. Her hearing dulled. Her thoughts disjointed, the distant screams of a child hollowed out.

  Reed quickly mounted her, fearing she might lash out again. The syringe angled at her neck—death was millimeters away. His wrist trembled. Sweat stuck to his face. His breath came shallow and uneven. But he knew there was no other choice, and time wasn’t on his side. It was either her or Sally.

  Her eyes were empty, but her swollen stomach still heaved. Reed felt his teeth chatter. Knowing the outcome set his mind on a rollercoaster. Two lives would be lost, and he couldn’t do anything about it.

  Steeling his heart and tightening his grip, he plunged the syringe into her neck.

  Her legs spasmed, eyes rolled back. Foam sprang from her mouth as her body violently shook. It was lawless, unnatural—like she was suddenly being possessed.

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  Sally watched, unable to comprehend the scene before her. It didn’t sit right. Her stomach twisted, her chest tightened, and she continued to struggle.

  “Let me go!” she screamed, twisting and turning—but she couldn’t break free.

  The military officer held the girl securely, though he gave subtle glances. Her fear, her shock, the anxiousness that ravaged her little mind… his lips curved as her teary eyes met his.

  Elaine’s body ceased twitching. The syringe was now empty, void of its golden color.

  Reed’s hair was disheveled. His sleeves torn. His wife’s gaze stared into nothingness, yet the drumming of his chest persisted. He gripped his knuckles and turned to the man who still held his daughter captive—who now wore an insulting smile.

  “An interesting development, wouldn’t you say? But rejoice—you kept your promise, did you not?” the soldier sneered.

  “THAT WASN’T HER!” Reed slammed his fist against the floor. Teardrops puddled beneath him. His arms throbbed as he hovered over his wife.

  He couldn’t understand how everything had turned out like this in such a short time. The creatures, the ruthless armed men, his delirious wife—none of it made sense. His thoughts were muddled. His blood boiled. The nonsensicalness of it all made him feel like he was playing a game.

  A twisted one.

  Rage seethed within him. The instinct to charge and kill was rampant, but—

  “Perhaps it was, or maybe it wasn’t. But does it matter? She only thought about herself and was willing to exchange your lives for hers. Desperation can be cruel, even revealing the secrets of one’s heart. Remember that.” The soldier released Sally.

  As soon as her feet touched the floor, she scurried away quickly.

  A dull light enveloped the soldiers, shifting the surrounding darkness and blurring their forms—until no trace of them remained.

  Reed remained speechless, unable to process what he’d just witnessed. Silence returned, and the hallway was again swallowed in shadow.

  I failed. Another death. Another mistake.

  The same feeling he’d had in the cave arose again. He took a deep breath and shook away his muddled thoughts. He narrowed his eyes at the last two rules, gritting his teeth at their excessive risk:

  7. Any patient that has a daughter will lose all memories of familial ties with them and their partner, as long as they stay within the hospital.

  8. Any patient that has a parent die in front of them will lose all memories of that parent.

  I thought severing the connection between them would make the creations lose interest. The suffering would’ve been minimized—even if one were to die. But it made no difference. If anything…

  Hezekiah watched the young girl, who had yet to approach her father. She was shaking, carved with fear.

  I only made it worse. I should’ve written a better rule—one that would’ve avoided this. The consequence I wrote was too heavy. Too thoughtless. But what time did I have to work with? If I wrote recklessly, I could’ve implicated myself in those rules.

  Hezekiah withdrew from his position and approached the duo. Reed snapped his gaze to the stranger.

  He didn’t speak, only watched Hezekiah with apprehension. But Hezekiah could see it. The rage. The anger. Hidden deep beneath his eyes. Waiting for any opportunity. Waiting for any reason to unravel.

  “Are you one of them?” Reed’s tone was shaky, laced with suspicion. It wasn’t hard to tell he was holding back tears.

  Hezekiah’s jaw unhinged, feigning shock at the sight of Elaine’s corpse.

  “Is—Is she okay? What happened here?”

  Reed didn’t answer. Instead, he turned back to his wife. He loosened his fists and slowly rose to his feet.

  “Sally,” he called weakly, reaching out to her. “Let’s go.” His smile was soft—but hurting. Almost forced.

  Sally was still visibly frightened, but eventually nodded and held her father’s hand.

  “Is Mommy going to be okay?” she asked, still carrying a trace of hope.

  “We’ll see her again. She’s with god now.” He tightened his grip around his daughter and hugged her tightly.

  Hezekiah remained unanswered. A slight tug pulled at him, but keep it to himself.

  Yet something disturbed him—poked at his mind. He wished he could ignore it, but couldn’t.

  Reed turned to face him, looking slightly more composed.

  “Murderers. That’s what they are. They forced me to choose...” His words drifted off, reluctant to finish.

  Hezekiah didn’t push.

  “I—I see. Sorry for your loss.”

  Silence stood between the two as Reed partially shielded his daughter, as if gauging, anticipating something.

  Sally watched him while staying close to her father. She gently tugged his gown.

  “I want to leave now,” she faintly whispered.

  Hezekiah didn’t miss her words. He considered tagging along, but ruled against it. If more danger arose, it would be difficult to defend himself with them too close.

  But at the same time, a sense of responsibility wouldn’t leave him.

  I can’t do anything for them. I tried—and that’s enough.

  “We’ll be on our way. Be careful,” Reed said curtly before walking off—without even bothering to ask if Hezekiah wanted to come with them.

  But Hezekiah couldn’t blame him. This place had proven itself unpredictable. You couldn’t trust anybody. You didn’t know who—or what—they were, or what they were planning. The last thing he needed was to fall for another setup.

  But leaving them entirely wasn’t possible—not with the nagging thought that still lured his suspicions.

  This shouldn’t be possible. Why does the father still remember his daughter? And why hadn’t the memory of her mother disappeared from the girl? The rules have always been absolute. Yet only the mother was affected?

  He looked at Elaine, who lay completely still like a doll. Then back to the relationship between Reed and Sally.

  This makes no sense.