The creaking of the locker pierced the silence. The rusty door swung open with a little head peeking through.

  She jerked upon seeing Hezekiah. But after seeing who it was, her nerves steadily calmed.

  What in the world happened to her?

  Hezekiah redirected his attention to the sealed entrance.

  Unless I'm willing to burn her to death, I'll have to take her somewhere else first.

  A tight force suddenly wrapped around his waist, startling him.

  "Don't go... They took Daddy."

  Sally buried her head in his gown as tears slid down her cheeks.

  "I couldn't help him. I was too scared."

  Hezekiah remained silent, watching the girl bleed from her lacerations.

  "What would you have done if you weren't?"

  She didn't answer, only clenched his clothes tighter.

  Took him? You mean he wasn't torn to shreds? That would explain the sprinkled blood. But why not just kill him outright?

  "I can't do anything to help you. And I'm sure he wants you to live more than anything else. Don't throw your life away that he tried to save."

  "Noo!" She pushed away from him. "I won't leave him! You have to help him!"

  This child...

  "Try not to yell. You don't want them to come back and snatch you up too, do you?"

  She twitched, breaking eye contact.

  Hezekiah sighed.

  It would be a shame to be orphaned at such a young age, but life can be unfair sometimes. Or maybe The Rule of Suffering desired this outcome.

  Hezekiah walked to the desk. The copied rules he had just written lay right beside the manifested one.

  Wasn't I going to explore my options before going inferno on the entrance? It would suck to reach this far only to be crushed by the floors above.

  "As long as I write a rule that isn't positive, then it should be fine," he whispered. "But what would be considered a positive rule? Is it only based off the current situation?"

  Hezekiah looked back at Sally, who sat on the floor hugging her knees.

  I should at least try, I guess.

  The black notebook paper appeared before him. Already having another rule in mind, he wrote it down without hesitation.

  To his surprise, the rule remained. A red light emitted from the manifested copy, catching the girl's attention.

  "Wha—what's that?"

  Another rule appeared on the manifested copy, matching the original.

  Hezekiah made his way towards her and crouched to her level.

  "Close your eyes."

  Sally wearily shifted back a bit, unsure of his intentions.

  "Why? What's going on?" she lightly asked.

  "Just do it."

  Without asking further, she eventually listened.

  "Are you still willing to find your father, even if you see something you wish you hadn't?" he softly asked.

  Sally sniffled, rubbing the tears from her eyes.

  "I don't care! I can—can't leave without him!" she declared.

  Hezekiah scratched his head while checking his surroundings.

  I thought I told you to stop screaming.

  "Can you tell me what you're currently feeling right now? Do you wish to be by his side at this current moment, despite what he did to your mother?"

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  Sally's eyes shot open, her chest tightening at his words.

  She looked down at her arms, seemingly deep in thought. She turned her head at the open locker, biting her lip.

  A sharp ache coursed through her like a stream. The sight of her father's struggle against the creatures plagued her mind, but the image of her father hurting her mother still sent a sliver of unease.

  "I know my daddy is a good man. I trust him."

  Hezekiah lightly smiled.

  What an interesting child.

  A distortion of space began rippling beside them. Sally scurried away, screaming from the unexpected phenomenon. Hezekiah ignored her, remaining completely still. But the sudden effect of the rule taking place still shook him a bit.

  But as quickly as it came, it vanished likewise. In its place, a man lay sprawled on the floor with his sleeves drenched in blood.

  "Daddy!?" Sally cried, rushing toward him without a second thought.

  It worked just like that? If it's that easy, then leaving the hospital should be easier than anticipated.

  Reed's eyes fired open upon a heavy weight suddenly pressing on him.

  "Whoa! What in the—Sally!?"

  He hastily checked his surroundings as his daughter pressed against him, still dazed by what had just happened.

  He finally spotted Hezekiah, tapping against the desk with an unreadable expression.

  "Yo—you again? Ouch!"

  Sally quickly pulled away. "Daddy, are you okay!?" Upon seeing his bloody clothes, her face twisted.

  "Not sure," he weakly muttered. "But it could've been worse, I suppose."

  "No question about that," Hezekiah answered after approaching Reed. He noticed light scratches on his face and a bruise under his right eye.

  Given the state of his arms, it's questionable if he should still be moving them. But nevertheless, Hezekiah extended a hand.

  "Care to explain how you can teleport?" Hezekiah asked, feigning ignorance.

  Reed carried an awkward look as he pulled himself up, still rattled by the sudden change of scenery.

  "Teleportation? What—how is that even possible? And what are you even doing here?"

  Well, I needed to find out why your memories are intact. What makes you two different from Elaine, despite all three of you being family?

  "I was searching for a way out and stumbled across your daughter bleeding out in a locker. How did she even get like this?"

  Reed flinched at his question. He took another look at Sally, who still had blood dripping from her trembling fingertips. Despite her not showing it, he could tell she was stomaching the pain.

  "They separated me from her. We were suddenly ambushed. Those beasts targeted her first... and I was too slow to act. Fortunately, however, their attention switched to me, and well, at that time I thought it would be better to lead them away from her. So I told her to hide."

  That does kind of sound similar to what Sally witnessed. But for both of you to turn out just fine? Were the creatures not as violent as I initially thought? No, that's not possible. The floor was entirely painted with blood when I first left the stairwell.

  "Well, if that's the case, then I'm not sure what you could've done differently." Hezekiah made his way back to the desk, preparing to write his final rule for escape.

  He can ask them about their relationship when they finally leave. Too many unknown obstacles now dwell in this hospital—the quicker they leave, the better.

  "Maybe. But there's something you should know about," Reed stated before picking up his daughter.

  "And that is?" Hezekiah asked, looking back.

  "One of the creatures that captured me was able to speak."

  Hezekiah's expression shifted. "Are you serious?"

  Dealing with sentient creations like the nurse and the false authority was already a headache. The last thing he needs is intelligent monsters.

  Reed, gauging his response, nodded in affirmation.

  "I wish that's all it was but—" he abruptly paused, as if searching for the right words first. "Wherever they took me, I wasn't alone. Some were either screaming, dead, or maybe even unconscious, but sometimes..."

  He shot a subtle glance at Sally, frowning as he turned towards Hezekiah.

  "Sometimes it seemed they were simply dead inside while someone or something was having their 'way' with them."

  Hezekiah swiftly raised his hand, signaling him to stop. He furrowed his brows, not wishing to pursue his implications at the moment.

  "Look, weird shit happens here. I get it. Let's just focus on getting out."

  This is insane. What type of sick shit is this? Hell, why did the creatures even bring him there? What the f*ck is actually going on?

  "That might have to wait." Reed looked down the hallway where he was taken too. "I have to confirm something."

  Sally rested her head on his shoulder as her eyes kept fidgeting, somewhat tuned out of their conversation while still trying to stay awake.

  Hezekiah pushed himself off the desk, crossing his arms.

  What in the hell do you possibly want to see that's worth staying any longer? Are you mad?

  "Is it that important enough to bring your child with you, jeopardizing her safety? Why delay getting out of here?"

  Reed pressed his lips, steadily letting his daughter down. But her grip stayed on his collar.

  "You—you’re going to leave again!?" Sally cried.

  "You're not seriously expecting me to watch her, are you?" Hezekiah questioned sharply. "When did I say to leave her with me?"

  "I saw her."

  Hezekiah raised his eyebrows, attempting to decipher his meaning.

  Reed lifted his hand. A golden ring with a peculiar ruby embedded inside was snug around his finger.

  Clutching his fist, he began making his way down the hall, passing Hezekiah.

  "I need to discover the truth. Just maybe—maybe I still have a chance..."

  Hezekiah carefully studied his behavior. About to check a specific location with the live feed, he noticed Reed had suddenly stopped walking, eyes glued to the shadowy hallway as he remained stiff as a board.

  Sally slipped a gasp, quickly covering her mouth after following her father's gaze and shooting a glance at Hezekiah.

  "Oh shit," Hezekiah whispered.

  Beneath the flickering lights, a child-like creature stood paces away, carving the tile floor with its sharp nails. Fangs arched from its chin. Both of its mouths licked their lips after its sunken eyes met them.

  "I thought you'd be here. So predictable, Reed," the creature faintly spoke.

  Its voice was reminiscent of a child, but strained, like it was a hollow attempt to mimic something it wasn't.

  "And of course," the creature turned towards Hezekiah. "The expected nuisance is here as well."