Reflections of the Damned

Past(3)

The corridor seemed to stretch endlessly as Lara, Elias, and Margot moved cautiously through the oppressive silence. Every flickering light and faint creak of the building amplified their unease.

Lara clutched the photograph tightly, her knuckles white. Andy's words gnawed at her like a festering wound: "Lyn brought you here for a reason. And Margot isn't who she thinks she is."

Margot walked a few steps ahead, her shoulders tense, her hand gripping a rusted scalpel she'd found. The confusion and anger on her face were plain as day. Lara knew the revelation about Lyn had shaken her, but there was no time to process it fully.

Elias leaned on Lara for support, his strength slowly returning. His face was pale, but his sharp eyes darted around the corridor, searching for any sign of danger.

"We need to keep moving," Elias said, his voice a rough whisper. "If Lyn really betrayed us, she won't give up without a fight."

Lara glanced at Margot, her voice quiet but firm. "Margot… are you okay?"

Margot stopped in her tracks and turned, her face pale but determined. "No," she admitted. "But I'm not going to fall apart. Not now."

Lara nodded, her grip on the photograph tightening. "Good. Because I think we're about to find out just how deep this betrayal goes."

They turned a corner and found themselves facing a heavy steel door with faded lettering across its surface: "Patient Records – Restricted Access."

"This might have something," Elias said, his voice strained.

Margot stepped forward, examining the keypad beside the door. "It's locked. We need a code."

Lara's eyes drifted to the clipboard hanging beside the door. She grabbed it and flipped through the pages, her heart sinking as she spotted Lyn's name listed among the staff signatures.

"Look at this," she said, holding it out to the others.

Margot frowned as she scanned the list. "She signed off on multiple patient transfers," she muttered. "All of them to the ICU… or worse."

"She was part of it," Elias said, his jaw tightening. "She wasn't just guiding us here she was working with the hospital the entire time."

Lara's voice trembled as she said, "She knew exactly what this place would do to us. She wanted us to fall into their hands."

Margot's hands balled into fists. "But why? Why would she do that? We trusted her. She fought beside us!"

Lara shook her head. "Maybe she didn't have a choice. Maybe the hospital got to her, just like it's trying to get to us."

Before they could say more, a familiar voice echoed down the corridor, smooth and mocking.

"Well, isn't this touching?"

All three of them froze, their blood running cold.

Andy stepped out of the shadows, her twisted smile stretching unnaturally across her face. Her blackened eyes gleamed with cruel amusement as she clapped her hands slowly.

"You've done well, little lambs," she said, her voice dripping with venom. "But you're still so far from the truth."

Margot raised the scalpel, her voice trembling with fury. "Stay away from us, you monster."

Andy laughed, the sound chilling and inhuman. "Oh, Margot. Sweet, naive Margot. You still don't understand, do you?"

"What are you talking about?" Margot snapped.

Andy's smile widened, her gaze locked on Margot. "You really don't remember, do you? Elene. The hospital. Your mother."

Margot's hand shook, the scalpel faltering. "You're lying," she whispered, her voice cracking. "You're just trying to mess with my head."

Andy took a slow step forward, her movements fluid and unnervingly graceful. "Oh, my dear, I don't need to lie. You've always been tied to this place. It's in your blood. In your bones. Why do you think you've been having those dreams? Why do you think the hospital called you back?"

Margot staggered back, her face pale as the color drained from it. "No… that's not true. It can't be."

"Margot, don't listen to her," Elias said sharply, stepping between them.

Andy's gaze shifted to him, her smile twisting into something cruel. "Ah, Elias. Always the protector. But tell me… how long do you think you can keep her safe from the truth?"

Lara stepped forward, her fear giving way to anger. "Why are you doing this?" she demanded. "Why keep playing these games?"

Andy tilted her head, her black eyes gleaming. "Because the truth is a weapon, Lara. And I'm the only one willing to use it."

"You mean you're a coward," Lara shot back, her voice trembling.

Andy's smile faltered for the briefest moment, but then she laughed—a cold, hollow sound. "You can call me whatever you like, little lamb. But I'm not the one running in circles, chasing shadows."

Lara's hands clenched into fists. "We'll find the truth ourselves. We don't need you."

Andy's smile returned, sharper than ever. "Oh, but you do. Because the truth isn't something you find. It's something you face. And believe me, you're not ready for what's coming."

Margot took a shaky breath, her voice barely above a whisper. "The woman in my dreams… she called herself my mother. But I don't remember her. I don't remember any of it."

Andy's gaze softened, almost pitying. "That's because the hospital took those memories from you. Just like it's taken so much from everyone else who's walked through these doors."

Margot's eyes filled with tears, her hands trembling. "If that's true… then what am I? Who am I?"

Andy stepped closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "You're the key, Margot. You always have been. But keys are meant to open doors. And once that door is open…"

She didn't finish her sentence, but the implication hung heavily in the air.

"Enough!" Elias snapped, his voice cutting through the tension. "We're not playing your games. Get out of our way."

Andy smirked, her black eyes glinting. "As you wish."

She stepped back into the shadows, her form dissolving into the darkness. But her voice lingered, chilling and echoing through the corridor.

"Good luck, little lambs. You'll need it."

The silence that followed was deafening. Lara turned to Margot, who looked shaken to her core.

"Are you okay?" Lara asked softly.

Margot didn't answer right away. Finally, she whispered, "No. But I don't have a choice, do I?"

"No," Elias said quietly. "None of us do."