Chapter 9

Aiden led the way, but each step felt heavier, as if the weight of his guilt was pressing down on him. Kara walked behind him, her silence a chasm filled with unspoken accusations. Lyra remained at the back, her face pale and drawn, her eyes reflecting the turmoil within.

"I'll figure it out, I promise" Aiden finally said, his voice barely above a whisper. "or if we can't, we should stop and turn back, maybe...maybe the killing would stop"

Kara stepped forward, her gaze piercing into him. "Stop? You think we can just stop after everything that's happened? After Kieran and Theron—"

Aiden flinched at the mention of their names. "I know! I know it's my fault!" He raised his hands defensively. "But we have to focus on getting out of here!"

Kara's face twisted with frustration. "You don't get it, do you? If you hadn't insisted on digging deeper, we wouldn't be in this mess! They would still be alive!"

Lyra's expression mirrored Kara's as she shook her head. "Aiden, you wanted to be the hero. You pushed us into this, and now we're paying the price. We need to acknowledge what happened if we're going to move forward."

Aiden felt his heart sink, shame flooding his chest. "I didn't know. I thought we could find answers. I thought we could help!"

"But look where that thinking got us!" Kara shouted, tears brimming in her eyes. "We lost two of our friends because you wanted to play the hero!"

"Stop!" Aiden yelled, his voice cracking. "We're all scared. I didn't mean for any of this to happen!"

"Your intentions don't matter now," Lyra said softly, her voice trembling. "We can't ignore the truth. We have to face it if we want to survive."

Aiden clenched his fists, anger and guilt boiling within him. "So what? You want me to just admit that I killed them? That it was all my fault?"

"It doesn't change what happened," Kara said, her tone softer but still filled with sorrow. "But if we can't confront this, how can we hope to move on? We're not going to make it if we can't trust each other."

Silence enveloped them, the weight of their words hanging in the air. Aiden's mind raced, the shadows of doubt creeping in. Kieran's face flashed before his eyes, a reminder of the price of his reckless ambition.

The growl from earlier echoed faintly in the distance, a reminder that time was running out.

"Aiden," Lyra said quietly, "we need to decide if we're going to keep moving forward together. Or if we're going to let this tear us apart."

He felt the heaviness of their gazes upon him, the unspoken accusations weighing heavily on his heart. He wanted to defend himself, to justify his actions, but deep down, he knew the truth.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice choked with emotion. "I never meant for any of this to happen. I wanted to help. I thought we could make a difference."

Kara crossed her arms, her expression softening slightly. "We all wanted to help. But we have to be smarter. We can't let fear and anger drive us apart."

Lyra nodded. "We have to focus on getting out of here and finding a way to stop the curse. Kieran wouldn't want us to fall apart like this."

The shadows flickered as Aiden absorbed their words, the weight of his guilt still heavy but somehow lighter. He realized that the only way to honor Kieran's memory was to push forward, to face the darkness together.

"Okay," Aiden said, taking a deep breath. "Let's keep moving. We'll figure this out together, I promise."

As they ventured deeper into the catacombs, the shadows twisted and coiled around them, whispering haunting truths. But Aiden felt a flicker of hope igniting within him. They were still together, still fighting. And as long as they had each other, they had a chance.

But as they pressed onward, they couldn't shake the feeling that time was running out. The darkness was closing in, eager to consume them whole, and Aiden knew that they would have to confront not just the curse but also the demons of their past if they were to survive.

With every step, the shadows seemed to thicken, and the echoes of Kieran's laughter mingled with the haunting toll of the bells, a reminder that they were not alone in their suffering.