!!Prelude to the Inferno!! D3 !!SHORT STORY!! HORROR!! - Page 2

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Chapter 8: The Last Dance

The four of them stood in the grand hall, their faces lit bya harsh spotlight. The air felt thick, heavy, as if the very walls werewatching them, waiting for something.

Rey and Kriya exchanged a quiet glance. She could feel hisgaze on her, intense but filled with something she couldn’t quite define — wasit love, or something darker?

Swayam and Sharon flanked them, their hands clenched. Therewas no time for words, only an unspoken understanding that this was it. Thefinal test. The voice came again, deep and chilling, echoing through the room.

“The Inferno awaits. You have onechance to prove your loyalty, your strength. Dance. And let the truth revealitself.”

The music began — haunting, like a death march. The beat wasslow, methodical, building an inevitable tension. The floor beneath them seemedto tremble with each step.

Rey’s body moved first, as if pulled by an invisible force.His dance was fierce, raw, each movement filled with emotion. Kriya followed,mirroring him, their steps fluid but filled with a desperation neither couldhide. Their past intertwined through every twist and turn, their bodiesfighting for a connection that had once been lost.

Swayam and Sharon moved next, their style more synchronized,controlled, yet there was an edge of bitterness in their every step. Theunresolved tension between them was palpable.

The room felt like it was closing in. The music becamelouder, faster, as though the very walls were pushing them forward. They dancedin perfect harmony, despite the internal chaos, pushing through the layers ofhurt, betrayal, and fear.

But then, as the music reached its peak, the lightsflickered, and the screen above them flashed a message:

“One must fall. One must rise.”

The music stopped abruptly.

Kriya froze, eyes wide. “What does that mean?”

The voice came again, almost mocking. “The truth is… someone must sacrifice for the others to survive.The dance is over.”

They stood still, breathless, not knowing who would have tomake the ultimate choice.

Rey reached for Kriya’s hand. "Not without you,"he whispered. But deep down, he knew — the true test was yet to come.

Chapter 9: The Ultimate Choice

The tension in the room thickened, like a physical forcepushing them apart. The air crackled with fear and anticipation as the lastmessage hung in the air: “One must fall. One must rise.”

Kriya’s heart hammered in her chest. She looked from Rey toSwayam, then to Sharon. Their faces mirrored her confusion, but there was alsosomething else — resignation.

“Is this it?” Sharon asked, her voice shaky. “Is this theend of everything we’ve worked for? All of us... divided?”

Rey took a step forward, his eyes never leaving Kriya.“We’re not divided. Not anymore.”

But the voice, cold and distant, interrupted him.

“The choice is yours, Rey. You mustdecide. Who will make it out, and who will stay behind?”

The room seemed to close in on them. The spotlight shifted,landing solely on Rey, then flickering to Kriya, Swayam, and Sharon.

Kriya swallowed, trying to steady her breath. “We’re a team.We’re stronger than this.”

“No,” the voice countered. “Youare not. You’ve danced to survive. Now, you must choose who will live... andwho will fall.”

Swayam clenched his jaw. “It’s not that simple.”

But the voice was relentless. “The path is clear. Only one team member can leave this placealive. The others will be consumed by the Inferno. Choose.”

Kriya stepped forward, her mind racing. “This isn’t a game.We can’t—”

“Enough!” Rey shouted, his voice breaking through the chaos.He took a deep breath, his gaze hardening. “I’ll go. I’ll sacrifice myself forall of you.”

“No, Rey!” Kriya reached out, but the room around themseemed to blur, and she realized that the floor beneath her was beginning tocrumble.

“Time is running out.”

Swayam stepped between them. “No one is sacrificinganything. We make this choice together.” His eyes hardened. “We’ll figure out away. Together.”

But then, the ground beneath Sharon’s feet gave way. Shestumbled, falling toward the pit that had opened beneath them.

“Sharon!” Kriya screamed, reaching out, but the divide wastoo wide.

Sharon’s eyes met hers, the same resolute expression she’dworn when she had walked away from Swayam all those years ago.

“Don’t,” Sharon said, her voice calm. “This is the only way.You all deserve to live.”

And just like that, she disappeared into the depths of theInferno.

The room went silent. The floor reassembled itself, asthough nothing had happened.

Rey reached for Kriya, pulling her into his arms. “We madeit,” he whispered. “But at what cost?”

The final door opened, revealing the path back to theoutside world.

But as they stepped through, they felt the weight ofSharon’s sacrifice. The truth wasn’t just about survival. It was about thepainful reality of what it meant to truly trust.

And as the door slammed shut behind them, they all knew thattheir lives would never be the same again.

Chapter 10: The Price of Survival

The harsh light outside the door blinded them momentarily,and as they stepped into the daylight, the oppressive weight of the Infernolifted. But the relief was short-lived.

Sharon’s sacrifice hung heavy in the air. The world beyondthe dark halls was eerily quiet, like the calm after a storm, but the echoes oftheir journey — of trust, betrayal, and survival — stayed with them.

Kriya’s breath hitched as she looked at Rey, her heart atangled mess. The warmth of his hand in hers was the only comfort she had, buteven that felt different now. They’d come out of the nightmare together, butthey were forever changed.

“I can’t believe she’s gone,” Kriya whispered, voicestrained. “We were so close... and now... she’s just gone.”

Rey didn’t know what to say. They’d all made it through thegame, but at what cost? Sharon’s bravery — her choice to step into the unknown— haunted him. He squeezed Kriya’s hand, his voice soft. “We’ll carry hermemory with us. She wasn’t just part of the game, Kriya. She was part of us.”

Swayam stood at a distance, his face unreadable. The pastwas behind them, but the present felt heavier than ever. Sharon had made herchoice. And now, the burden of that decision rested on his shoulders as much asanyone’s. He knew he would never forget her.

“She was right,” he said, turning toward them. “We made itout. But Sharon... she made sure we did.”

The wind stirred, and they all stood together in silence fora moment, each of them processing the weight of the sacrifice they hadn’texpected, the bond that had been severed.

“I think...” Kriya began, breaking the quiet, her voicefragile but determined, “We can’t undo what happened. But we can move forward.Together. For her.”

Rey nodded, his gaze fixed ahead. “We keep going. ForSharon. And for each other.”

The four of them — now three — began walking, leaving behindthe shadows of the Inferno. The world was still there, waiting. It was a newbeginning, though the scars of the past would never fully heal.

But for now, they could move forward. Because in the end, itwasn’t just about survival. It was about the connections they had formed, thetruths they’d faced, and the love they carried with them.

And with every step, they knew they were no longer justdancers.

They were survivors.

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Story Ended. Hope all like it. Thank you will meet with next soon.

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