CHAPTER 6: EVELYN'S SON
The darkness swallowed everything.
Daniel couldn't see Sarah.
He couldn't see David.
He couldn't see Claire.
But he could hear them.
David breathing rapidly.
Emily crying somewhere behind him.
Claire whispering his name.
And the footsteps.
Four sets.
Then five.
Walking toward him through the passage.
Daniel raised his hands.
“Everybody stay where you are.”
No one answered.
Then a voice came from the darkness.
His own voice.
“You're still trying to protect them.”
Daniel turned toward it.
“Who are you?”
A quiet laugh.
“You've asked that before.”
A light flickered.
For one second, Daniel saw the faces again.
Five versions of himself.
Standing in a line.
Five identical faces.
Five identical pairs of eyes.
Five identical smiles.
Then darkness returned.
Daniel's heart hammered.
“Claire!”
“I’m here!”
“What did you mean?”
Silence.
“You said I'm Evelyn's son.”
“I know.”
“What does that mean?”
Claire's voice trembled.
“You weren't born in a hospital.”
Daniel froze.
“What?”
“You were born here.”
“No.”
“You were born beneath this house.”
“No.”
“Your mother was Evelyn.”
Daniel shook his head.
“My mother was Margaret.”
“Margaret raised you.”
“That means she was my mother.”
“She loved you.”
Claire's voice broke.
“But she didn't give birth to you.”
Daniel felt something inside him crack.
“Who was my father?”
Silence.
Then Claire answered.
“Thomas.”
Daniel almost laughed.
“You just told me I'm not Thomas Morgan's son.”
“Biologically, you aren't.”
“Then how can Thomas be my father?”
“He was assigned to you.”
Daniel stared into the darkness.
“Assigned?”
Claire nodded.
“The Morgans didn't raise children the way normal families did.”
“What did they do?”
“Every generation, they selected one child.”
“For what?”
“To continue the bloodline.”
Daniel felt sick.
“What bloodline?”
Claire hesitated.
“Evelyn's.”
A soft laugh came from somewhere behind them.
Evelyn.
“She always hated that word.”
Daniel turned toward the sound.
“Evelyn!”
A woman's voice answered.
“You've been asking about me.”
“Show yourself.”
“I already have.”
Daniel's flashlight suddenly came back on.
The beam swept across the passage.
The five duplicates were gone.
Only one remained.
The one who looked exactly like Daniel.
He stood ten feet away.
But Evelyn wasn't there.
Daniel stepped toward him.
“Where is she?”
The duplicate smiled.
“Everywhere.”
Daniel looked around.
“What does she want?”
The duplicate pointed at Emily.
Daniel immediately stepped in front of his daughter.
“She wants Emily.”
“No.”
“She wants what Emily carries.”
Daniel frowned.
“What does she carry?”
The duplicate's expression changed.
Something almost like pity appeared.
“Her blood.”
Daniel shook his head.
“Emily is four.”
“That doesn't matter.”
“She can't possibly have anything special.”
The duplicate smiled.
“She has everything.”
David suddenly screamed.
“Daddy!”
Daniel spun around.
David was standing beside Sarah.
But Sarah was staring at the boy with horror.
“What happened?”
David pointed at his own chest.
“Something's moving.”
Daniel rushed to him.
“What?”
David grabbed his father's shirt.
“Inside me.”
Sarah knelt.
“David, breathe.”
“I can feel it.”
Daniel looked at Sarah.
“What is he talking about?”
She shook her head.
“I don't know.”
Then David's body jerked.
Once.
Twice.
His eyes rolled upward.
Sarah caught him.
“David!”
Claire ran toward them.
“Put him down.”
Daniel lowered his son to the floor.
Claire knelt beside him.
She pressed two fingers against David's neck.
Then her face changed.
“What?”
Claire looked at Daniel.
“His heartbeat.”
“What about it?”
“It's not regular.”
“What does that mean?”
Claire looked terrified.
“It has a second rhythm.”
Daniel stared.
“What?”
“Two heartbeats.”
Daniel's stomach dropped.
David suddenly opened his eyes.
They weren't his son's eyes.
They were completely black.
He looked directly at Daniel.
Then smiled.
“Hello, Father.”
Daniel stumbled backward.
Sarah screamed.
Claire covered her mouth.
David's eyes returned to normal.
He blinked.
“Daddy?”
Daniel couldn't move.
David began crying.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Daniel dropped to his knees.
“David.”
The boy reached for him.
Daniel hesitated.
Then pulled him into his arms.
David clung to him.
“I had a bad dream.”
Daniel held him tightly.
“I know.”
Behind them, the duplicate whispered:
“He's beginning to wake.”
Daniel looked up.
“What did you do to my son?”
“Nothing.”
“Then who did?”
The duplicate looked toward the ceiling.
“Evelyn.”
Daniel stood.
“I'll kill her.”
The duplicate laughed.
“You can't.”
“Watch me.”
“You've tried before.”
Daniel froze.
“What?”
“You don't remember.”
The duplicate stepped closer.
“That's the problem with every Daniel.”
“What problem?”
“You forget.”
“Forget what?”
“Every time you get close to the truth, they erase you.”
Daniel stared.
“Who?”
“Your family.”
The duplicate reached into his coat.
He pulled out a small metal object.
A key.
Daniel recognized it immediately.
It was identical to the key Claire had dropped.
The duplicate held it out.
“Ask Claire what this opens.”
Daniel turned.
Claire looked away.
“Claire.”
She didn't respond.
“WHAT DOES IT OPEN?”
Claire finally whispered:
“Your mother's grave.”
Daniel frowned.
“My mother's grave?”
“Yes.”
“Why would a grave need a key?”
Claire's face crumpled.
“Because it's not a grave.”
Daniel felt cold.
“Then what is it?”
“A door.”
The duplicate smiled.
“Now you're getting close.”
Daniel took the key.
It was ice-cold.
“What is underneath the grave?”
Claire whispered:
“The first room.”
Daniel looked at Sarah.
She nodded slowly.
“I've seen it.”
“You have?”
“Before I was declared dead.”
Daniel stared.
“What did you see?”
Sarah swallowed.
“A nursery.”
Daniel frowned.
“A nursery?”
“Yes.”
“For babies?”
Sarah shook her head.
“For Daniels.”
Silence.
Daniel felt his hands begin to shake.
“How many?”
Sarah looked at him.
“Seven.”
The duplicate smiled.
“Eight now.”
Daniel stared at him.
“Are those children still alive?”
“No.”
“What happened to them?”
“They grew up.”
“Where are they?”
The duplicate pointed toward the darkness.
“They're the ones you've been meeting.”
Daniel looked behind him.
The five duplicates.
The first had vanished.
Then a sixth figure appeared.
Then a seventh.
Seven Daniels.
Standing silently in the passage.
All watching him.
One of them spoke.
“We were born here.”
Another said:
“We were trained here.”
A third whispered:
“We were erased here.”
The fourth smiled.
“And you were released.”
Daniel's mouth went dry.
“Released?”
The oldest-looking duplicate stepped forward.
“You were the successful one.”
“Successful at what?”
“Living outside.”
Daniel shook his head.
“You're insane.”
“No.”
The duplicate pointed at Daniel's chest.
“You're the only one who doesn't remember.”
Daniel suddenly heard a ringing in his ears.
A memory surfaced.
A room.
White walls.
A woman singing.
A baby's cry.
Then a man's voice.
“Subject Eight is stable.”
Daniel grabbed his head.
“Stop.”
Another memory.
A needle.
A bright light.
Someone holding him.
Someone whispering:
“Forget.”
Daniel fell to his knees.
Sarah rushed toward him.
“Daniel!”
He pushed her away.
“Don't touch me.”
She froze.
“You knew.”
Sarah's eyes filled with tears.
“I tried to protect you.”
“You knew.”
“Yes.”
“You knew what I was.”
“Yes.”
Daniel looked at Claire.
“And you?”
Claire nodded.
“Yes.”
He looked at the seven duplicates.
“You all knew.”
They smiled.
“Yes.”
Daniel's voice broke.
“Who am I?”
Nobody answered.
Then a new voice came from behind him.
A woman's voice.
Soft.
Calm.
Familiar.
“Daniel.”
Everyone turned.
Evelyn stood at the end of the passage.
She was holding Emily's hand.
Daniel's heart stopped.
He hadn't even heard her approach.
“Let my daughter go.”
Evelyn smiled.
“She came willingly.”
Emily stared at Daniel.
“Daddy.”
Daniel took a step.
Evelyn raised one finger.
“Another step, and she screams.”
Daniel stopped.
“What do you want?”
Evelyn looked at him.
“You.”
“Take me.”
“I don't want you dead.”
“What then?”
“I want you to remember.”
“Remember what?”
Evelyn looked toward the seven duplicates.
“Which one of you was the original.”
Daniel's blood ran cold.
She smiled.
“Because only the original can open the first room.”
Daniel stared at the key in his hand.
“And if I don't?”
Evelyn's smile vanished.
“Then Emily opens it.”
Daniel looked at his daughter.
Evelyn squeezed Emily's hand.
The little girl began crying.
“Daddy, please.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Let her go.”
Evelyn shook her head.
“Tell me who you are.”
Daniel looked at the seven faces.
His own face.
Seven versions.
Seven lives.
Seven secrets.
Then he looked down at the key.
Something inside his memory suddenly clicked.
A sentence.
A sentence he had heard as a child.
His father had whispered it to him.
Daniel repeated it aloud.
“I was never the eighth.”
Every duplicate went silent.
Evelyn's eyes widened.
Daniel looked directly at her.
“I was the first.”
For the first time, Evelyn looked afraid.
And behind her, the wall began to crack.
A hidden door slowly opened.
Warm yellow light spilled into the passage.
From inside came the sound of dozens of children whispering at once.
“Daniel...”
“Daniel...”
“Daniel...”
Daniel stared into the room.
Then one tiny voice spoke louder than the others.
“Brother.”
Daniel recognized it.
The voice from the photograph.
The little girl.
Evelyn's first child.
And she said one sentence that made everyone in the passage freeze.
“Mommy lied.”
Evelyn's face went white.
The girl continued:
“Daniel isn't her son.”
May you like
A pause.
“He's her husband.”
