Chapter 20: The Children Will Like You Too
Ryan was utterly confused. He stared at the albino kid in front of him—his instincts suddenly firing signals through his mind.
This isn’t right. He thought.
His previous victims weren’t like this. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
Victims should be victims, they cower. They begged, cried—and they definitely didn’t smile like that.
No. This wasn’t just wrong. Ryan was seeing something else, himself. Riley’s face was a mirror that was reflecting him.
And just like that, the storage room’s shadow seemed to deepen as Ryan finally understood. The temperature around them felt like it had dropped.
"You... you’re like me," Ryan whispered, "Something is also wrong with you."
Riley’s head tilted to the side. The smile on his face slightly faltering, replaced by a brief moment of confusion. He then looked Ryan in the eyes, something he rarely does, if ever, to people who weren’t Hannah.
"I do not think so, Mr. Ryan."
"Huh?" Ryan’s eyes narrowed, the blood from his face splashing on the floor, "No. We’re both monsters."
"That I agree with, Mr. Ryan." The tone of Riley’s voice remained flat—but the smile on his pale face that was still stretching from ear to ear was becoming eerily grotesque.