78. Who's in The Shadows

Watching from the threshold, Jayden’s heart tightened. A wave of guilt washed over him. He had taken Felix away from her—ripped a sibling from a girl who clearly adored her brother more than anything. The weight of that loss sat heavy on his chest. Silently, he left the room. Back in the corridor, the air felt cooler, the lights dimmer. The hallway stretched endlessly before him, the walls echoing faint whispers of memories. He walked without a word, each step measured, until he reached the final door—the sixteenth. It stood closed, firm, untouched. Jayden reached for the knob and tried to turn it, but it refused to move. Locked. Sealed. Defeated, he turned left, where another door stood directly ahead—this one shut, but not locked. He grasped the handle and twisted. It opened without resistance. Beyond it, he found another corridor—eerily similar to the one before. Seventeen more doors lined the passage, eight on the right, 9 on the left side, and the air carried the scent of paint an