My breath caught in my throat. Zero? That wasn't just punishment—it was a death sentence. I had no choice. To survive, I needed to grasp this lifeline, even if it belonged to a dangerous, otherworldly being.

"Protect me?" I tried to sound calm, though a slight tremor betrayed me. "How exactly? Didn't you just admit you're a... ghost?"


"Precisely because I am," he moved closer, his ice-cold fingertips trailing along my cheek, sending electric shivers through my body, "I can shield you from things far worse than me—things that truly hunger for your destruction."

The moment his words faded, a blood-curdling scream tore through the silence from the direction we'd come, slicing through the darkness like a knife.

It was the director!


"Director!" I gasped, my body jolting with shock as I instinctively turned to run back. What horrors were my colleagues facing in that darkness? Fear and panic flooded through me.

Sean caught my wrist with shocking strength, his grip nearly crushing my bones. His palm was ice-cold yet carried an unmistakable authority.


"Don't." His tone was eerily calm yet carried absolute command, his voice pressing down on me with almost physical weight. "Go back now, and you'll simply be next."

"What do you mean? My colleagues are back there!" I struggled against his grip, desperate to break free despite the terror gripping my heart. I couldn't just abandon them.

He sighed and in one fluid motion pulled me against him, my back pressed to his ice-cold chest. His large hand covered my eyes, plunging me into complete darkness beyond the darkness already surrounding us.

"Be still. Don't look." His voice was gentle yet carried absolute authority, brooking no argument.

In the enforced darkness, I could only listen as distant gasps and frantic footsteps grew more frequent, punctuated by crashes of falling equipment. Then came another sound—one I struggle to describe—a wet, cold, sticky sound of... feeding. Of tearing and chewing. My stomach heaved violently, bile rising in my throat.

"What are those things?" I whispered, my entire body trembling uncontrollably.

"This haunted house was built on an ancient burial ground," Sean's voice came from above me, terrifyingly matter-of-fact. "Your crew's intrusion has awakened them. And the scent of living flesh—particularly yours—is their favorite delicacy."

He paused, his hand tightening slightly over my eyes, that cold touch somehow providing a strange comfort in the horror.

"But now," he chuckled softly, his breath tickling my ear with unexpected intimacy, "you carry my scent. They wouldn't dare touch what's mine."

Before I could process this bombshell, my system flashed another warning in my mind.

[WARNING: Life force rapidly depleting. Current remaining: 9 days 23 hours 58 minutes...]

My eyes widened in panic. Why? Hadn't I completed the mission?

[System detecting high concentration of malevolent energy affecting host's vital signs. Secure Sean Shaw's protection immediately or life force will continue to diminish.]

"I accept!" The words burst from me in desperate panic. "Please—I need your protection!"

The moment the words left my lips, the nauseating miasma around us vanished as if blocked by an invisible shield. Warmth enveloped me, pushing back the deathly weakness that had been creeping through my body.

The rapidly dropping numbers in my mind stabilized. I exhaled shakily, feeling like I'd narrowly escaped death itself.

Only then did Sean remove his hand from my eyes. When my vision cleared, I found him watching me with a faint smile—playful and satisfied, but with something deeper lurking beneath that I couldn't quite grasp.

"That was quick," he chuckled, his tone lightly mocking.

Too shaken to respond to his taunting, I looked past him. Down the hallway, my colleagues huddled together in shock, clutching dead phones and flashlights, their faces ashen. Miraculously, they seemed only frightened, not injured.

The director spotted me and rushed over, grabbing my shoulders and scanning me for injuries, his eyes wild with panic. "Sophie! Are you okay? What the hell was that? I thought we were all dead!"

"I'm fine," I said, peering past him anxiously. "Is everyone else okay?"

"They're all accounted for, but..." His face darkened, voice dropping to a terrified whisper. "We're trapped. Every exit is sealed shut."

My stomach dropped. Sean moved beside me, his gaze sweeping dismissively over the frightened crew before settling on me. His presence wrapped around me like a cloak—both comforting and unsettling.

"Ready to leave?" he asked, his deep voice somehow both casual and magnetic.

I nodded frantically, not bothering to hide my desperation.

"Beg me," he said simply, his lips barely moving.

My entire crew stared at me like I'd lost my mind. To them, I was talking to empty air, having some kind of psychotic break. The director tugged at my sleeve, his expression a mixture of concern and fear.

"Sophie," he whispered cautiously, "who are you talking to?"

How could I possibly explain? I looked at Sean, who watched me with amused interest, his dark eyes studying my every reaction. Life or dignity—I had only one real choice.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and swallowed what remained of my pride.

"Please," I whispered, the word burning my throat. "I beg you. Get us out of here."

The moment the words left my lips, a distant emergency exit—the same one we'd failed to budge earlier—clicked loudly in the silence. The sound echoed through the haunted house like salvation itself. Slowly, the door swung open.

Blinding light spilled through the widening gap, cutting through the darkness and the fear gripping my heart. Everyone froze for a heartbeat before erupting into desperate relief, rushing toward the exit like drowning people spotting a lifeboat.

The director grabbed my arm, pulling me along with the fleeing crowd. As we ran, he kept glancing back, confusion etched on his face. "Sophie, that door—how did it—"

I didn't answer, just looked back over my shoulder. Sean remained where he was, making no move to follow. He stood at the threshold between darkness and light, his powerful presence seeming to distort the very air around him. He mouthed two words to me, his lips moving with deliberate clarity as if branding them into my mind.

"Wait for me."