đ DIMENSION X
Episode 13: "The One It Replaces"
The scream didn't echo.
It exploded.
Maya's voice tore through the treehouse as the shadows twisted violently around them, glitching, stretching, multiplying.
"VOX DO SOMETHINGâ"
"I AM," Voss snapped, gripping the device tighter.
The frequency spiked.
Sharp.
Unstable.
The shadows frozeâ
then snapped forward again.
Stronger.
Faster.
"THAT'S NOT WORKING," Zayn shouted.
"I noticed!" Voss barked.
Ryan stepped forward, pulling Evie behind him. "Everyone stay backâ"
The device flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Thenâ
it died.
Silence.
A second.
Just one.
Then chaos.
The shadows surged, rushing outward like something finally set free.
Glass cracked.
Wood groaned.
The air turned freezing.
"MOVE!" Layla yelled, dragging Maya down.
Evie's eyes flared blackâthen redâ
but before she could reactâ
the door slammed open.
"Elenaâ"
Her voice cut off as she saw it.
Everything.
The shadows.
The kids.
The stranger.
"WHAT IS THISâ"
Nadia stepped in behind herâand froze.
"âŠVoss?"
Everything stopped.
Just for a second.
Even the shadows hesitated.
Voss looked at them.
Recognition hit.
"âŠyou've got to be kidding me."
Elena stepped forward slowly. "Youâwhat are you doing here?"
"Saving your children," Voss snapped.
The shadows lunged again.
That broke it.
"Nope, not talking here," Maya said, crawling backward. "Discussion later, survival now!"
Evie raised her handâ
ice shot outwardâ
buying them seconds.
Just seconds.
"Everyone DOWN!" Voss shouted, slamming the device against the wall.
It sparked.
Glitched.
Then burstâ
a wave of frequency exploded outward.
The shadows shriekedâ
then vanished.
Gone.
Again.
But this timeâ
it didn't feel like a retreat.
It felt like a warning.
Silence dropped.
Heavy.
Unstable.
Everyone stood there.
Breathing hard.
Looking at each other.
At the truth.
Finallyâ
no more hiding.
"âŠyou knew," Elena said slowly, looking at the kids.
Ryan didn't answer.
Didn't need to.
Nadia crossed her arms. "Since when?"
Layla spoke first.
"âŠsince her."
She pointed at Evie.
Voss's gaze snapped to her again.
"âŠof course."
Maya stepped forward. "Okay before we start blaming people, maybe we focus on the shadow demon thing??"
Zayn muttered, "She's not wrong."
Arjun held his notebook tighter. "We have dataâpatternsâbehaviorâ"
"You have a death wish," Nadia cut in.
Silence.
Ryan stepped forward. "We handled it."
"Handled it?" Elena repeated. "You were seconds away from beingâ"
She stopped.
Didn't finish it.
Didn't want to.
Voss exhaled slowly.
"âŠthey're not wrong."
Everyone looked at him.
"They survived this long," he continued. "That's not luck. That's adaptation."
Nadia scoffed. "They're kids."
"They're involved," Voss corrected.
Silence again.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
That nightâ
no one went back to their houses.
No one argued.
No one questioned it.
They stayed.
Together.
In the same space.
Not because it was safe.
But because being apart felt worse.
Maya lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling. "So⊠family sleepover with trauma included. Cute."
Layla sighed. "Just sleep."
Zayn didn't reply.
Ryan didn't either.
Evie lay in the middle again.
But this timeâ
her eyes stayed open longer.
Watching.
Thinking.
Remembering.
Morning came too fast.
The adults were already awake.
Talking.
Planning.
Low voices.
Serious tones.
"We can't involve them," Nadia said.
"They're already involved," Elena replied.
"Then we take control now."
Voss stood near the window, arms crossed.
"âŠthe entity is evolving."
Both women looked at him.
"It's not just hunting anymore," he continued. "It's selecting."
Elena frowned. "âŠselecting what?"
Voss didn't answer immediately.
"âŠhosts."
Silence.
Upstairsâ
the kids weren't asleep anymore.
They were listening.
"Wow," Maya whispered. "Love being excluded from my own near-death experience."
Ryan frowned. "They're planning something."
Arjun nodded. "Without us."
Zayn stood up suddenly.
"Good."
Everyone looked at him.
"What?" Layla said.
"We shouldn't be part of it," Zayn replied. "This is getting worse."
Maya blinked. "You literally fought the thing yesterday."
"And almost died," Zayn snapped.
Silence.
Ryan stepped forward. "So whatânow you quit?"
Zayn didn't answer.
That was answer enough.
Downstairsâ
the adults turned as the kids entered.
Elena's expression softened slightly.
"âŠwe made a plan."
Maya crossed her arms. "Let me guess. We stay home and drink juice?"
Nadia didn't smile.
"You stay out of it."
There it was.
Clear.
Final.
Ryan's jaw tightened. "That's not happening."
"It is," Elena said firmly.
Arjun stepped forward. "We have informationâ"
"And we have responsibility," Nadia cut in.
Evie stayed quiet.
Watching both sides.
Zayn turned.
"âŠI'm out."
Layla blinked. "What?"
"I'm not doing this," he said. "You all can play heroes."
Maya scoffed. "Oh now you wanna be smartâ"
"I want to be alive," Zayn snapped.
Silence.
Then he walked out.
Just like that.
The door closed behind him.
Ryan exhaled slowly. "âŠwe're still going."
Layla nodded.
Maya grinned slightly. "Illegal mission? I'm in."
Arjun already had his notebook out. "We adjust the plan."
Evie looked at them.
"âŠit's changing."
Ryan met her eyes.
"âŠthen we change faster."
Meanwhileâ
Zayn walked home alone.
The streets felt quieter.
Too quiet.
He unlocked the door.
Stepped inside.
Silence.
No one home.
"âŠfinally."
He dropped his bag.
Sat down.
Ran a hand through his hair.
No chaos.
No monsters.
No pressure.
Just quiet.
Thenâ
a sound.
Soft.
Behind him.
Zayn froze.
"âŠno."
He turned slowly.
Something stood there.
Not fully shadow.
Not fully real.
Him.
Same face.
Same posture.
Same expression.
"âŠyou've got to be kidding me," Zayn whispered.
The clone tilted its head.
Perfectly.
Zayn grabbed a shard of broken glass from the table.
"Stay back."
It didn't move.
Just watched.
Zayn threw it.
Hard.
The glass cut across its face.
A clean line.
A scar.
For a secondâ
it stayed.
Thenâ
the shadows moved.
From its skin.
From the floor.
From everywhere.
They swallowed him.
Zayn didn't even have time to scream.
The clone stood still.
The scar faded.
Perfect again.
Then it smiled.
And walked toward the door.
As if nothing had changed.
End of Episode 13. đđ„