Chapter 8 - EP 8 : THINGS THAT FOLLOW U HOME

📖 DIMENSION X

Episode 8: "Things That Follow You Home"

Morning didn't feel like morning.

It felt… paused.

The sky was bright, the birds were loud, the world looked normal—but something underneath it all felt slightly off, like a glitch no one could see but everyone could feel.

Inside the treehouse, Maya stretched dramatically like she had just survived war.

"I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT," she declared.

"No one asked," Zayn muttered from the corner.

"School. Is. Suspended. For. Three. Days."

Silence.

Then—

Arjun dropped his book. "WHAT."

Layla gasped. "Wait—like actually??"

Maya threw her hands up. "YES. NO SCIENCE. NO MATH. NO LIFE SUFFERING."

Ryan leaned back, smirking. "You're celebrating like you were ever studying."

"Excuse me?? I study vibes."

Zayn rolled his eyes. "That explains a lot."

Maya ignored him and turned dramatically toward Evie.

"Question of the century… do you know science?"

Evie blinked.

"…What is science?"

Silence hit the room like a brick.

Then chaos.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT IS SCIENCE—"

"BRO SHE'S FROM ANOTHER DIMENSION—"

"WAIT THIS IS ACTUALLY COOL—"

Maya grabbed a notebook like a proud teacher.

"Okay class. Today we are educating Evie because clearly her dimension failed her."

Evie tilted her head, genuinely curious.

"…You learn about things?"

"Yeah," Maya said. "Like how the world works."

Evie looked down at her hands.

"…I thought I just had to survive it."

That line?

Yeah. That shut everyone up.

Ryan's expression softened.

"Here… we'll show you."

Meanwhile—

far away—

inside a dark, half-burnt facility—

Dr. Kingo stood still.

Machines flickered weakly around him, wires exposed, glass shattered, remnants of something that used to be controlled.

Now it felt… abandoned.

Unstable.

A monitor buzzed to life.

A faint signal.

Kingo's eyes snapped toward it.

"…She's alive."

His voice wasn't relieved.

It was hungry.

He adjusted a dial, scanning frequencies.

Electric patterns.

Energy spikes.

Then—

3:33 flashed across the screen.

Kingo smiled.

"Good girl…"

Back in town—

a café buzzed with quiet chatter.

Elena sat by the window, fingers wrapped around a cup of coffee she hadn't touched.

Her eyes were distant.

Thinking.

Replaying.

The flickering lights. The clock. That feeling.

"Didn't expect to see you here."

Elena looked up.

Nadia.

Of course.

They exchanged a small, polite smile—one that didn't quite reach their eyes.

"You too," Elena said.

Nadia sat across from her.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then—

"…The lights flickered again last night."

Elena froze slightly.

Nadia continued, quieter now.

"And the clock… it stayed at 3:33."

Elena exhaled slowly.

"…I thought it was just me."

Their eyes met.

This time, they didn't look away immediately.

"Something's wrong," Nadia said.

Elena nodded.

"…Yes."

But neither of them said the bigger thought out loud.

What if this wasn't new?

What if this was something coming back?

Back at the house—

science class had officially turned chaotic.

"So this is gravity," Maya explained, dropping a pencil dramatically.

Evie watched it fall.

"…It pulls things?"

"Yeah."

Evie lifted her hand slightly.

The pencil rose.

Floated.

Spun mid-air.

Everyone froze.

"…Or," Evie said softly, "you can just not let it."

Maya blinked.

"…Okay you win."

Arjun whispered, "This is unfair."

Zayn: "We're literally useless."

Layla: "Speak for yourself, I'm still pretty."

Evening came slower.

Quieter.

But underneath that quiet—something was building.

Inside the house, dinner preparations filled the air.

Elena moved around the kitchen while Nadia sat nearby, watching the kids from a distance.

They didn't talk about the café conversation again.

But it lingered.

Heavy.

Unfinished.

Upstairs—

Layla and Zayn stood near the window.

Then—

they froze.

"…That's mom."

"…Oh."

They both lit up instantly.

Excitement.

Relief.

Normal.

They rushed downstairs without a word.

Dinner felt… strange.

Everyone sat around the table.

Food passed around.

Voices filled the space.

But Layla and Zayn?

Quiet.

Too quiet.

Elena noticed immediately.

"So," she said casually, "everything okay?"

Layla forced a smile. "Yeah."

Zayn nodded. "Just thinking about tomorrow."

Maya snorted. "Since when do you think?"

Zayn kicked her under the table.

"OW—OKAY RUDE—"

But the tension didn't leave.

Elena and Nadia exchanged a glance.

Again.

Silent understanding.

Later that night—

the kids returned to the treehouse.

Evie sat cross-legged, focused.

Maya's notebook open in front of her.

Ryan climbed up first, then paused.

"…What are you doing?"

Evie didn't look up.

"Learning."

He stepped closer.

Every answer.

Every problem.

Solved.

Perfect.

Ryan blinked.

"…You understood all of that?"

Evie nodded.

"…It makes sense."

Maya climbed up behind him and saw it.

Her jaw dropped.

"NAH THIS IS ILLEGAL."

Arjun grabbed the notebook. "HOW."

Zayn: "We studied for this."

Layla: "I failed this."

Maya: "She finished it in ONE DAY."

Evie looked confused.

"…Is that bad?"

"NO," Maya said, grabbing her shoulders dramatically, "you're either a genius or a menace."

Then—

CRACK.

The sound split the air.

Everyone froze.

The window—

shattered.

Cold air rushed in.

Darkness followed.

Something moved inside.

Not entering normally.

Leaking.

Like shadows peeling off reality itself.

Evie stood instantly.

Her eyes flashed—

red.

A burst of fire shot forward.

The creature didn't burn.

It absorbed.

Its form twisted—

then Evie snapped again—

ice.

The air froze.

The creature slowed.

Cracked.

But then—

the shadows slipped through the ice.

Like it was never solid.

Like it didn't obey rules.

"WHAT IS THAT—" Maya screamed.

"RUN," Ryan snapped.

The creature lunged.

The walls creaked.

The treehouse shook.

For a second—

it felt like it would collapse.

They ran.

Fast.

Climbing down.

Barely thinking.

Just moving.

Into the house.

Slamming the door behind them.

Breathing hard.

Shaking.

Inside—

Elena and Nadia looked up.

"Hey—what—"

"Treehouse," Ryan said quickly, trying to sound normal, "we were just—playing."

Maya nodded aggressively. "Yeah. Playing. Very normal playing."

Nadia narrowed her eyes.

"…At this hour?"

"Night games," Arjun added.

"Educational," Maya said.

"Lies," Zayn whispered.

Then—

they all turned.

Slowly.

Toward the window.

The treehouse stood still.

Perfect.

Untouched.

No broken glass.

No damage.

Nothing.

"…What?" Layla whispered.

Then—

movement.

At the edge of the forest.

A tall, dark shape.

Still.

Watching.

Ryan's breath hitched.

"…It's there."

Maya whispered, "What do we call it…?"

Silence.

Then Arjun said quietly—

"…Shadow."

Zayn added, "…monster."

Maya nodded slowly.

"…Shadow monster."

It turned.

Its head shifting unnaturally.

Looking straight at them.

Then—

it disappeared into the forest.

Far away—

in a cluttered, dimly lit room—

a man with wild hair leaned over a desk filled with wires, radios, and flickering signals.

Static filled the air.

Numbers glitched.

Frequencies spiked.

He turned a dial slowly.

Listened.

Then froze.

"…No…"

His eyes widened.

A smile crept in.

"It's back."

He stood up abruptly, knocking papers aside.

"…It has come."

End of Episode 8. 🔥