*The safety of the Enigma, for what safety is had brought to her, was tempting, but the thought of someone else out there, someone that could possibly be in danger, was too much for Hannah to bear. She turned to the door, and made her way out*
Hannah: I have to help them, no matter what may be out there
*Fear gave a light chuckle as he moved his bourbon around in his glass, before taking a long sip*
Fear: Idiot! Do whatever wewe please. But if wewe can’t save this person, your own guilt will continue to manifest. But of course, don’t let me stop you. Be on your way
*The words were ringing throughout Hannah’s mind, but she tried her best to silence them, and made her way out the bar, and it was just as they said. She was in the nightmare once again. The decayed buildings, the darkened sky, and the ash that was all around her, it was just as it was when she first arrived. Before she could start walking, she felt a sudden itch, a burning pain in her hand. She looked down to see the butterfly, kipepeo symbol on her hand, but saw a real, red butterfly, crawling from underneath her skin. The burning pain seemed slight, but clearly noticeable. That, au Hannah was far too shocked at the sight to notice it, as the butterfly, kipepeo crawled from her flesh like one would crawl out of it’s cocoon. Once it had crawled out, the butterfly, kipepeo flew off her hand and moved forward, down the alleyway, and making a left. Hannah, still in a bit of shock, chased after the butterfly, hoping that this would lead her somewhere.

*The town was still desolate, but the monsters, they didn’t appear to be out this time. au at the least, she didn’t find any. The butterfly, kipepeo ahead of her continued to fly down the street, flying past the stores that lined up against the streets of the busier part of chestnut Pines. Hannah continued to follow the butterfly, panting zaidi and zaidi as she followed it, before the butterfly, kipepeo finally lead her to the bridge that lead to the outside of the town. The butterfly, kipepeo suddenly flew back to Hannah, moving as fast as a bullet. It struck her hand, before crawling back into it quickly. The sudden pain caused Hannah to groan, and grip her hand as it crawled back inside of her, and then, returning to just a symbol in her hand. She groaned a little as the pain started to ease, before her eyes moved up, and in front of her was a young man, a guy, probably in her class, with a shaved head, a band T-shirt, and torn jeans, standing on the ledge of the bridge, looking down. Hannah walked over to the man.
Hannah: Uh, hey. Are you… human?
*The man turned around and looked at Hannah. His face was void of any expression. Any expression except for guilt. He looked terrible, as if he didn’t know what he was doing. He turned his head back to the bridge*
???: So, there are other people here. What did wewe do, huh? wewe fuck a teacher too?
Hannah: Excuse me?
???: Don’t act like wewe aren’t here for some reason. Maybe wewe killed a guy. Maybe wewe killed your little sister. Why else would anyone be having these dreams. wewe remember that Wendy in school, right?
Hannah: Wendy? Wait, are wewe a student at her school
???: Yeah, I saw her. She was losing her shit before she killed herself. Now I see why. This! This fucking hell! This would cause anyone to lose their shit! It brings out the worst in a person, it causes them to go mad!
Hannah: W-What are wewe talking about
???: Well, I’m not going to be a part of this shit anymore. It’s just a dream! Just a goddamn dream! Once I hit the bottom, I’ll be free. I’ll wake up in my bed, and everything will be fine
*With that said, the man turned to the ledge again and allowed himself to fall off the ledge. Hannah rushed to the ledge and tried to grab him, and was just barely able to grab his wrist. The man looked over the ledge to see Hannah, before his expression turned to shock*
???: Wait a second… You’re part of the dream too! I should’ve known!
*The man reached into his pocket with his other hand and took out a pocket knife*
???: wewe aren’t gonna keep me in this hell, wewe dirty bitch!
*Before Hannah could pull him up, the man swung the kisu at Hannah, slicing her hand. The pain caused her to fall back, the cut was pretty deep, but she rushed back to the ledge, hoping to catch the man. But as she looked over the ledge, she saw what the man was looking at. She could see the man falling to the river, not even flailing as he fell, but could also see that the river was filled with many small corpses, all of them bloated from the water and covered in a black sludge. Once the man hit the water, Hannah shot up in her bed, panting heavily. She was still in her clothes that she wore that day, but she was no longer in the nightmare. She knew where the bridge was, and she got out of kitanda and rushed downstairs, passing kwa Drew, who couldn’t even get a “good morning” out before Hannah was out the door.*

*Hannah ran down the street, passing kwa a few people on the streets, who looked back at her with confusion. She made her way to the bridge that she saw in her dreams. But as she arrived, she saw that the police had already made it there. One of the police officers, the police chief Marcus, was examining something on a gurdy, covered kwa a white sheet. He had a look of shock and disgust on his face, his tired eyes lowered, a disgusted frown appeared under his moustache. He removed his hat to whip his brow, exposing his combed black hair. before his eyes looked up at Hannah.*
Marcus: Ms. Asher, please. wewe shouldn’t be here
*Hannah was panting heavily, her eyes locked on the white sheet.*
Hannah: I-Is that a body
Marcus: Hannah, please. wewe can’t be here. And how did wewe know about this?
*Hannah knew that she couldn’t say anything. She knew that Marcus wouldn’t believe anything she alisema if she alisema so. She kept her mouth shut, not wanting to say a word, but as she did so, she saw something on Marcus’ neck. The sight of a butterfly, kipepeo wing. Before she could get a good look, Marcus fixed his uniform collar, alama and spoke again.*
Marcus: I’m sorry to tell wewe this, Hannah, but this is a body of one of the students in your school. One Samuel Phish. He was found here this morning. It’s only been a week since wewe Lost another classmate, that young girl, Wendy, and now this. I’m sorry, Hannah.
*Hannah could already feel herself terrified, but she just sighed, as she looked at Marcus. She didn’t say another word, before she turned and made her way down the road. Marcus wanted to stop her, but he wouldn’t believe that Hannah was responsible. The guilt she showed was clearly there. He turned back to the body to examine it, to try and find some connection.*

*It was Saturday. Hannah made her way down the road, with rumors about Samuel’s death already spreading around town. Hannah tried to text Rebecca, but wasn’t able to meet with her. Rebecca told her that she would be busy today. As Hannah was walking down the road, she turned to left to find that she had unknowingly walked to the alley that lead to The Enigma. She groaned, before she made her way into the alley, and through the doors of The Enigma. Sorrow and Hate sat at the bar, drinking their sorrows away, while Fear was playing darts, a smile on his face, one he usually kept, as he struck a bullseye. He turned to Hannah with his usual smile, a smile that showed his lack of empathy.*
Fear: Ah, Hannah. There wewe are. How went your tafuta for the fellow in the nightmares
Hannah: I thought I could save him, but I wasn’t able to. I found him, I spoke to him, but he just… he just jumped
*Hannah slumped at one of the seats inayofuata to Sorrow, who didn’t even acknowledge her.*
Fear: Sorry to tell wewe this, Hannah, but in the nightmare, one’s want to be punished is far zaidi stronger than your want to save them. If wewe truly want to save them, they’ll have to save themselves first. That’s the only way they will survive this hell.
*Hannah thought about that for a moment. She remembered that Wendy had some guilt inside of her when she died. She knew that Samuel had alisema something else, but she didn’t know what he could be guilty of. She had to find something about that, before the inayofuata victim was found.*

*Marcus sat in his office, looking over his computer at the deaths of both Wendy and Samuel. He was able to find some files on Wendy, who was alisema to have went completely silent before she died. Same for Samuel. Both of them had something happen to them before they were killed. Marcus believed that they were kept silent kwa someone and that maybe, the pressure was far too much for both of them. This was something that Marcus was unable to understand. As Marcus was trying to think of something, he heard a voice from behind his office door.*
???: Marcus, are wewe almost done in there
Marcus: In a few minutes, honey. Just have to check something.
*Silence followed after that, and Marcus continued to look over the two. As he did, he scratched his neck, feeling the itch that the butterfly, kipepeo brought to him.*

*Hannah was at Wendy’s house, knocking on the door. She had to find out what drove Wendy to want punishment. She waited a few moments, before Wendy’s mother opened the door. She seemed to have Lost a bit of weight after her daughter’s death, as well as cut her hair shorter. She looked at Hannah, and tried her best to give her a smile, despite how sorrowful it was.*
Wendy’s Mother: Oh, how are you, dear
Hannah: I’m fine. And how are you
Wendy’s Mother: Oh, I’m fine
*That was a lie.*
Wendy’s Mother: What brings wewe here
Hannah: If wewe don’t mind, I’d like to check Wendy’s room. Something happened, and I want to know what happened. I know it’s a weird request but-
Wendy’s Mother: Of course
*Hannah was surprised at how easy that was, but she accepted it, not wanting to swali it any further. She stepped inside the house, and made her way upstairs. Seeing the stairs going up was enough to bring back the horrifying memory that was two weeks ago. She made her way up the stairs and into Wendy’s room. The room remained untouched from the last time Hannah was here. She looked around the room, hoping to find something useful. The drawers were only filled with Wendy’s clothes, and closet was almost empty, and nothing was under the bed. But, there was something that Hannah saw. A cell phone with a dog charm on it. She turned the phone on to find a text box from a mysterious man calling himself “Deetz” from two weeks ago, just before her death. The text read, “At the old Mercy’s store. 11 PM. Don’t be late.” Hannah was confused. Was this a bribe? Drugs? She didn’t have any idea what this meant, but she had a feeling that this could mean something. She kept this in mind and made her way downstairs. She thanked Wendy’s mother for letting her check, and then made her way out.*

*Sunday, Marcus was continuing to look for information. He was searching through zaidi files on Samuel, and as he searched, he was able to find some information that was very useful. Samuel Phish had a sister, Cloey Phish, who died in a car accident that caused the car to topple off a bridge. Samuel survived, but Cloey didn’t. Marcus thought that this may be just what Samuel had that he didn’t want to get out. As Marcus continued reading, he felt his eyes getting heavy. He tried his best to keep them open, before they closed for a brief second. He opened the, again, only to see that his office… wasn’t his office. A dull, rotting room. Marcus stood up from his chair, and looked around, not sure where he was. Nothing but empty winds blowing… and the sound of something scraping in the distance.*

*Hannah lied in bed, not even bothering to change into her sleepwear, and this time, holding an aluminum baseball bat in her hands, hoping that she’d be able to carry it with her when she makes it into the other world. She could already feel her eyes getting heavy, and she could already tell that she wouldn’t be able to remain awake for long. Before she knew it, she shut her eyes for a brief moment, before they shot open, and she was in the nightmare once again. And to her surprise, the bat came with her. Just the sight of it gave her some hope that she could protect herself. She climbed out of bed, and looked down at her hand, and as she did so, the butterfly, once again, crawled from her hand. This time, the pain was zaidi noticable, and she was ready to follow behind it. As soon as the butterfly, kipepeo crawled from her hand, it flew out of her room and down the stairs. Hannah followed behind it, the baseball bat in her hand, hoping that she’d be able to save the person she was looking for this time.*

*The streets were desolate, nothing there but a few monsters, the same ones that Hannah saw before, ones of rotting flesh, molded bodies that were far from human, yet worse clean masks to hide hide their faces. Hannah stood at the end of the mitaani, mtaa as one lingered towards her. She held the bat tightly in her grasp, and swung it down on what she believed to be the creatures head. The strike knocked the creature off its feet and onto the ground, where it began to screech at Hannah, wiggling on the ground like a worm. The sight was enough to make Hannah sick, and she struck the creature again, this time, stopping it from moving. Hannah felt as though she was going to vomit, but did what she could to shrug it off and continue following the red butterfly. The butterfly, kipepeo flew into a corner that lead down a set of stairs and into the bottom of a small apartment. Hannah followed it, her eyes glued onto the butterfly. As she turned the corner and looked down the stairs, it was something different. The stairs were stretched out to go down for several floors, and at the bottom, a sickly, faint green glow came from the bottom of the stairs. Hannah reluctantly placed on foot onto the first step. From there, she followed with another step, and then another, and so on. She slowly descended down the stairs, the glow getting closer and closer to her, illuminating zaidi of the area around her, until finally she reached the bottom. There, another creature stood in front of her. A different one. This one appeared to be human, au at least was, until it vomited up a black sludge, it’s eyes flooding with it, it’s mouth unable to shut as the black sludge continued to pour out, before she saw that the black sludge were a group of giant leeches, all of them wiggling on the ground, before making their way toward Hannah. She swung the bat at them frantiquely, striking a few, but the person continues to vomit zaidi from it’s mouth, and zaidi and zaidi leeches continued to crawl toward her. But as she tried to fight the creatures off, there was a gunshot. The humanoid backed away, before it fell back after two zaidi gunshots. The leeches on the ground groaned in agony, before falling silently, no longer moving, those that still were that Hannah didn’t crush. Hannah turned behind her to see Marcus, standing behind her, holding a revolver that was smoking after firing three bullets. He looked at Hannah, before reloading his gun. He looked shocked to see her, then zaidi cacious.*
Marcus: Ms. Asher, what are wewe doing here?
Hannah: To be honest, I don’t rightfully know. I’ve been coming here once every week for three weeks?
Marcus: This is just a dream, right? This can’t be real. This is insane! This can’t really be hap- *Before Marcus could respond, the scraping sound he heard once before returned. He turned to look behind Hannah, to see that the room they were in was like that of a maze, with several rooms around them*
Marcus: What the hell was that? Hannah, wewe may want to get behind me
*Hannah gave Marcus a nod and stood behind him as Marcus lead the way, his gun held in his hands. As they walked down one of the halls, Hannah could hear the scraping getting louder and louder. Soon, the noise became unbearable, the scraping far too loud for her au Marcus to handle. As they stepped into the inayofuata room, the sight in front of them was far too much for either one to bear. The room had a multitude of sheets hanging from the ceiling, all stained with a dark brown color, like that of dried blood. The sight of feet, some bare, some with shoes, could be seen under the sheets, and the silhouettes of heads dangling from under the sheets with what looked like hooks in their hands from different angles could be seen. But, the most noticeable sight was the humanoid creature at the end of the room. The creature was tall, but thin, and had numerous needles stuck in his body, several deep cuts on his wrists, and was starved to a point that would kill anyone. The creatures limbs were long, it’s arms dangling down to his knees, and in his hands, he wielded a long, bloody pair of scissors, rusted and creaking as they slowly opened. It’s face was concealed kwa a cracked gas mask. The front was clearly a mask, yet as the mask went further to the back of the creatures head, it almost appeared that the mask was connected to the creatures face. Heavy breathing came from the creature, and it looked at Hannah for a moment, before it’s eyes turned to Marcus. Marcus stared at the creature in not disgust au horror, but in surprise and hate. Whatever Hannah was seeing, Marcus was seeing differently. Marcus gritted his teeth at the sight of the creature.
Marcus: No! No way! wewe can’t be alive! I know wewe can’t be! I killed you!
*Marcus aimed his gun at the creature, and as he did, the creature slammed the scissors shut, then opened them again, repeating this process. Marcus had the gun aimed at the creature, yet didn’t react.*
Marcus: D-Don’t wewe dare look at me that way! wewe killed those people! Sold people drugs! Sold drugs to young kids, wewe son of a bitch! Y-You can’t blame me for what I did! I had every right for what I did! You’re scum, wewe hear me! N-N-No one would m-miss you!
*Marcus’ hands began to shake as he aimed the gun at the creature, and as he shouted, the creature stepped towards them, opening and closing the scissors repeatedly. This time, it had intentions to kill them, either Hannah au Marcus. Hannah knew that, if she didn’t do anything, they’d be killed kwa this creature. She thought about grabbing the gun from Marcus, it was the only way to attack the creature. If she got near it with her bat, she’d be killed immediately. But she thought back to what Fear said, how the only way to save them from the nightmare, they must first save themselves. If Hannah’s theory that guilt brings people into this nightmare, than maybe, Marcus may have some sort of guilt. But it was only a theory. Hannah didn’t know if she wanted to risk her au Marcus’ life on a theory. She had to make a choice right now. Marcus had the gun, yet he wasn’t using it, and the creature is getting closer. Either choice could save Marcus, au kill him. What will it be?*