Chapter 13: The Betrayal

                                    

                                          
It was late at night, and the only sounds in the room were the steady clicks of the keyboard as Ben sifted through decades-old documents on his laptop. Stacks of papers were spread across the dimly lit room, their edges frayed and discolored with age. Alex stood nearby, flashlight in hand, scanning over faded newspaper clippings pinned to the walls. They were piecing together the shadowy puzzle that had long haunted both of their families.
The deeper they delved, the more disturbing the details became. Shady business deals, threats, and cover-ups lay hidden behind layers of bureaucracy. The names of influential figures, including their own fathers, surfaced repeatedly in documents marked “confidential.” It was a twisted tale of power, greed, and lies, tangled in the webs of both the Carter and Miller families.
Suddenly, Ben’s laptop screen flashed with a loud beep. The words “ACCESS DENIED” appeared in bold red letters, casting an eerie glow across the room. Both of them froze.
“Did you hear that?” Ben whispered, glancing around as his heart pounded.
Alex nodded, his face tense. “It’s not just the laptop. There’s something… I don’t know. I just felt like we’re not alone.”
A cold draft passed through the room, causing the pages on the table to flutter. The fluorescent bulb flickered overhead, casting long shadows across the room. Ben’s hands trembled as he reached out, almost instinctively pulling a thick, dusty file from the table. Something about the file felt different—it was heavier, as if the secrets inside were weighing it down.
“We’re getting close to something big,” Ben murmured, opening the file carefully. His eyes scanned the text, and his face went pale. “Alex… our fathers weren’t just involved in the scandal. They orchestrated it.”
As Alex peered over Ben’s shoulder, a creaking noise echoed from the hallway outside. Both men froze, exchanging wary glances. Alex gripped the flashlight tighter, angling it toward the door.
“You don’t think—” Ben started, but his words were cut off as the lights flickered, and the room was plunged into darkness.
A low, guttural whisper filled the air, echoing around them as if the very walls were speaking. Alex’s hand trembled as he turned the flashlight on. The beam sliced through the dark, revealing faint outlines of shadows moving just beyond the door.
“Who’s there?” Alex called out, his voice steady, though his pulse raced.
Silence followed. Then, suddenly, the door slammed shut, sealing them inside. The shadows shifted, becoming sharper, darker. A cold chill settled over the room, and both men felt it—a suffocating weight, pressing down, suffusing the air with dread.
“Ben… something’s really wrong here,” Alex muttered, his voice a mixture of fear and urgency. “We’re not supposed to be finding this.”
They hurriedly searched through the papers, hoping to find some clue, anything that could explain what they were experiencing. Ben’s fingers landed on a set of photos, his eyes widening at the images. They depicted their fathers, younger, shaking hands outside an old building—the same building they were in right now.
The realization dawned on them: they were standing in the place where the conspiracy had been born.
“This place is cursed, Ben,” Alex whispered, his voice barely audible. “Our fathers did something terrible here. It’s as if… it’s as if they left a piece of that darkness behind.”
A sudden crash came from the other side of the room. Both men whipped around, and the flashlight beam landed on a toppled chair, yet no one else was in sight. They backed up, inching toward the door, but just as Ben reached for the doorknob, he felt something cold wrap around his wrist. He yelped, jerking his hand back, his heart racing.
“What happened?” Alex asked, his eyes wide.
Ben held up his wrist, a faint bruise forming as if someone—or something—had gripped him tightly.
“We need to get out of here,” Ben said, his voice hoarse. They made a dash for the door, but it wouldn’t budge. It was as if an invisible force held it shut, trapping them within.
Desperation filled the air as Alex lunged at the door, kicking and slamming against it. The shadows seemed to move closer, swirling and growing darker with each passing moment. The whispering grew louder, the words indistinct but filled with malice. It was as if the building itself wanted them gone.
“Ben, look out!” Alex shouted as a file cabinet tipped over, barely missing Ben by inches.
They scrambled back, their breaths coming in short gasps, their minds racing. Finally, Ben spotted a small window high on the wall. “We could break that and climb out!”
Without hesitation, Alex grabbed a nearby chair, throwing it at the window with all his strength. The glass shattered, letting in a rush of cold, fresh air. One by one, they hoisted themselves up, struggling through the narrow opening. Just as Alex climbed out, a powerful gust slammed the remaining documents against the wall, scattering the papers like confetti in a violent storm.
They stumbled onto the pavement outside, breathing hard, their clothes covered in dust. For a moment, they simply stared at each other, trying to process what had just happened.
“We’re onto something bigger than we realized,” Ben said, his voice shaken. “Our families… there’s more here than just business dealings. Something dark is tied to all of this.”
Alex nodded, his gaze hardened. “If our fathers went to these lengths to hide it, then we have to keep digging, no matter how dangerous it gets.”
But as they looked back at the abandoned building, a final chill ran down their spines. They could swear they saw two shadowy figures standing by the window, watching them. And for the first time, they felt as if they weren’t just uncovering family secrets—they were disturbing something far more sinister.
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End of chapter 13