The air inside the diner was heavy with tension. Ethan couldn’t tear his eyes from the clock tower looming outside the window. Its cracked face seemed to glare down at them, the hands frozen as if mocking their predicament.

  “We need to check it out,” Ethan said, breaking the silence.

  Mia’s head snapped up. “The clock tower? Are you serious? After what just happened in the forest?”

  Damien crossed his arms, his expression skeptical. “Yeah, because that worked out so well.”

  Ethan stood, his jaw set. “We heard the message. ‘The clock ticks backward.’ That has to mean something. We don’t have a choice.”

  “You always have a choice,” Damien muttered.

  Mia sighed, glancing between Ethan and Damien. “If we’re going, we stick together. No splitting up this time.”

  Ethan nodded. “Agreed.”

  From the shadows near the back of the diner, Lucas’ voice rang out. “You’re all insane.”

  Ethan turned to see Lucas leaning against the doorframe, his face half-hidden in the dim light.

  “You’re really going to waltz into the creepiest building in town because some radio told you to?” Lucas asked, smirking.

  “It’s better than sitting around waiting to die,” Ethan shot back.

  Lucas tilted his head, his smirk fading. “Fine. Do what you want. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  Without another word, Lucas slipped out the door, disappearing into the night.

  The group approached the clock tower cautiously, the cobblestones beneath their feet slick with dew. Up close, the tower looked even more foreboding—its bricks cracked and weathered, its metal doors covered in rust.

  “Doesn’t look like anyone’s been in here for years,” Damien muttered.

  “Or maybe they have, and they didn’t come out,” Mia said softly.

  Ethan ignored them, stepping up to the door. He reached for the rusted handle, but the moment his fingers touched it, the door creaked open on its own.

  “Great,” Damien said. “It’s haunted and welcoming.”

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  “Let’s just get this over with,” Ethan said, stepping inside.

  The interior of the clock tower was dark and cold, the air thick with the scent of mildew and rust. A narrow staircase spiraled upward, disappearing into the shadows above.

  The group’s footsteps echoed as they moved cautiously through the space. The walls were covered in strange carvings—symbols, phrases, and jagged lines etched deep into the stone.

  Mia stopped to examine one of the carvings. “It’s the same symbol,” she whispered, tracing the broken-rayed sun with her fingertips. “It’s everywhere.”

  “Look at this,” Damien said, pointing to a phrase scrawled across one wall. “Time is a circle. The end is the beginning.”

  Ethan frowned. “What does that mean?”

  Damien shrugged. “Ask your creepy radio friend.”

  “Guys,” Mia said suddenly, her voice trembling.

  They turned to see her standing near a cracked mirror mounted on the wall. The reflection wasn’t right—the room in the mirror was brighter, cleaner, and empty of people.

  “That’s...not us,” Mia whispered, stepping back.

  Ethan approached the mirror cautiously, his pulse quickening. As he stared into the reflection, something moved—a shadow darting across the room in the mirror but not in the real world.

  “We need to leave,” Mia said, her voice breaking.

  “Not yet,” Ethan said, though his heart was pounding. “We need to get to the top.”

  The staircase groaned under their weight as they climbed higher and higher. The air grew colder, and the faint ticking of gears echoed through the space.

  Finally, they reached the mechanism room. The massive clock gears loomed above them, grinding slowly, though the hands outside remained frozen.

  Ethan stepped forward, his eyes scanning the space. The carvings were even more elaborate here, covering every inch of the walls and floor.

  At the center of the room stood a pedestal, and on it rested a brass key.

  “That’s...ominous,” Damien said.

  “It’s a trap,” Mia whispered.

  Ethan ignored them, stepping toward the pedestal. The moment his hand closed around the key, the clock tower shook violently, the gears screeching to life.

  “Ethan!” Mia screamed.

  The floor beneath them cracked, sending chunks of stone tumbling into the darkness below. Ethan stumbled back, clutching the key as the room seemed to warp around them.

  The ticking grew louder, faster, almost deafening. The hands of the clock outside began spinning backward, the motion visible through the narrow windows.

  “What’s happening?” Damien shouted.

  Ethan turned to the group, his voice barely audible over the noise. “We need to get out of here!”

  As they raced down the staircase, the walls around them seemed to shift and stretch, the carvings glowing faintly in the dark. Ethan felt the key pulsing in his hand, as if it were alive.

  When they burst out of the tower and into the town square, the noise stopped abruptly.

  The group staggered to a halt, gasping for air.

  “What the hell was that?” Damien demanded.

  Ethan held up the key, his hands trembling. “This. Whatever this is, it’s important.”

  Mia looked at the clock tower, her face pale. “Did you see the carvings? The symbols? It’s all connected. The forest, the tower...it’s like they’re part of the same thing.”

  “Yeah, great,” Damien said. “But connected to what?”

  Before Ethan could respond, a familiar voice spoke from the shadows.

  “Interesting find,” Lucas said, stepping into the light. “Didn’t think you had it in you.”

  Ethan glared at him. “What do you know about this key?”

  Lucas smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “More than you’re ready to hear.”