The dimly lit room was thick with tension. Lila sat slumped against the wall, her hands bound, her head hanging low. Her dark hair fell over her face, obscuring her expression, but the group could see the faint, unsettling smile curling at the corners of her lips. It was as if she was amused by everything that had happened, despite the fact that she had just been restrained after trying to attack Brandon.
"What do we do with her?" Damien asked, his voice low, eyes darting nervously between Lila and the others. "We can’t just let her wander around after… that."
"We need answers," Lex said, her tone steady but grim. "We need to understand why she did what she did."
"I don’t think she’s going to give us a straight answer," Maya said, crossing her arms. "She’s… unhinged."
"Unhinged doesn’t even begin to describe it," Sophie muttered, glancing at Lila with a mix of pity and fear. "But if she knows something about this place, we need to find out."
Brandon’s face was pale, still shaken by how quickly Lila’s demeanor had changed. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy, but it was overshadowed by the fear that had gripped him when she tried to attack. "I… I’ll talk to her," he said quietly. "Maybe she’ll listen to me."
"Are you sure that’s a good idea?" Lex asked, her eyes narrowing. "She’s obsessed with you, Brandon. That could make things worse."
"I’m not sure about anything right now," Brandon admitted. "But we need to understand what’s going on, and if she’ll talk to anyone, it’s probably me."
----------------------------------------
The group gathered around Lila, keeping a careful distance. Brandon stepped forward, taking a deep breath as he knelt down in front of her. For a moment, he hesitated, unsure of what to say. Then he spoke, his voice soft but firm.
"Lila," he said, "we need to talk. I need you to tell me the truth."
Lila slowly lifted her head, her eyes bright and strangely unfocused. She looked at Brandon, and her lips parted in a small, almost dreamy smile. "You came back," she whispered. "I knew you would. You always do."
"What are you talking about?" Brandon asked, his heart beating faster. "Lila, we’ve never met before. We found you hiding in the bookstore."
"No," she said, shaking her head slowly, as if amused by his confusion. "Not like this. But I’ve seen you before. I’ve been watching you… all of you."
Maya’s eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, ‘watching’?"
"I mean I’ve been here," Lila said, her voice lilting, almost sing-song. "Watching you walk through these dark halls, searching for answers. I’ve seen how you fight, how you run. I know you, Brandon. I’ve known you from the moment I saw you."
----------------------------------------
Brandon’s skin crawled. There was a strange, sickly sweetness to the way she spoke, like she was reciting lines from a script, rather than speaking to him. "Lila, we don’t have time for games. Just tell us why you attacked me."
Lila’s expression darkened. "I didn’t want to hurt you. I wanted to save you. They’re going to take you away from me, Brandon. They always try. But I won’t let them. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe."
"Safe from what?" Lex interjected, her voice sharp. "Who is trying to take him?"
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
Lila’s head snapped towards Lex, her eyes narrowing. "You. All of you. You don’t understand. You’re all trapped here, just like me. But I can get out. I can get out with him. We’ll be safe together."
"Why him?" Sophie asked, a mix of confusion and fear creeping into her voice. "Why are you so fixated on Brandon?"
"Because he’s different," Lila said, her eyes softening as she looked at Brandon. "He’s kind. He’s smart. He can help me escape this place, but only if he’s with me. Only if you don’t ruin it."
"Ruin what, Lila?" Brandon asked, his voice trembling. "What’s really going on here?"
----------------------------------------
Lila’s smile widened, but it was a smile without warmth. "Do you want to see?" she said, almost playfully. "Do you really want to know?"
"Yes," Lex said, stepping forward. "We want to know everything. And you’re going to tell us."
For a moment, Lila was silent, her eyes darting from face to face, as if weighing her options. Then she laughed, a low, unsettling sound that sent chills down their spines. "You’re not ready," she said, shaking her head. "You think you understand, but you don’t. You think you’re the hunters, but you’re the ones being hunted."
Maya clenched her fists, trying to keep her composure. "What does that mean?"
"It means," Lila said, her voice dropping to a whisper, "that you’re part of the game. And the game isn’t over yet. Not until they say it is."
"Who?" Damien snapped. "Who is ‘they’?"
Lila’s eyes lit up, and she tilted her head, as if considering whether to answer. "They’re the ones who watch. The ones who decide who lives and who dies. The ones who want to see how far you’ll go, how much you’ll suffer before you break."
----------------------------------------
The room was silent, the air heavy with tension. Brandon felt like he was suffocating, trapped in the gaze of someone who knew far more than she was letting on.
"And what about you?" Brandon asked, his voice barely more than a whisper. "What do you want?"
Lila’s smile softened, and for a moment, she almost seemed normal, vulnerable. "I just want to be free," she said. "I want to get out of this nightmare. But I can’t do it alone. That’s why I need you, Brandon. You can help me escape."
"Escape what?" Lex pressed. "The infected? The Psychos?"
"Everything," Lila said, her voice low and haunting. "The infected, the traps, the lies… the experiment. They’re all part of it. Part of the test."
"Test?" Sophie echoed, her heart sinking. "You’re saying… this is all planned?"
"Of course," Lila said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Did you really think any of this was an accident?"
----------------------------------------
The group exchanged uneasy glances, their minds racing. If what Lila was saying was true, then everything they had experienced—the infected, the Psychos, even the lockdown—was part of a larger, orchestrated plan. But who was behind it, and why?
"And where do you fit into this?" Lex asked, her voice steady but cold. "Are you part of this ‘test’ too?"
Lila’s expression changed, her smile faltering. "I’m a… participant," she said slowly, as if choosing her words carefully. "I was supposed to play my part, just like the others. But I didn’t want to. I wanted out. And then I saw you all, and I thought… maybe I could change the game."
"What are you saying?" Brandon asked, his throat dry.
"I’m saying," Lila said, her eyes locking onto his, "that I was supposed to lure you in. To keep you close. But I didn’t want to hurt you, Brandon. I wanted to protect you. Because I… I love you."
The confession hung in the air, freezing everyone in place.
"Love?" Brandon whispered, his voice cracking. "We just met."
----------------------------------------
Lila’s eyes filled with a strange, desperate light. "But I’ve known you for so long. I’ve watched you. I’ve seen how you fight, how you care. I thought… I thought if I could make you see, you’d understand. We could escape together. But now… they’ll never let us go."
"Who are ‘they,’ Lila?" Lex said, her patience wearing thin. "Tell us who’s behind this."
"I can’t," Lila whispered, her voice breaking. "They’re always watching. Even now. And if I say too much, they’ll… they’ll make me disappear. Like they do with the others."
"You’re lying," Maya said, stepping closer, her eyes blazing. "You’re trying to manipulate us. You’re just another Psycho, trying to mess with our heads."
"You think I’m lying?" Lila said, her smile twisting into something darker. "Then why don’t you ask your friend Brandon what he found in the lab? Why don’t you ask him why he’s still carrying those vials?"
The group turned to Brandon, shock and confusion etched on their faces.
"What is she talking about?" Damien asked. "What did you find?"
Brandon’s hands trembled, his mind reeling. "I… I don’t know. I thought they were just samples, but—"
"They’re not just samples," Lila interrupted, her voice sharp. "They’re part of the experiment. They’re the key. And you’ve been carrying them all along, just like they wanted you to."
End