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SERIAL FICTION
The Echo of 2:15
Episode 7: Memory vs. Simulation
Bryan’s gentle expression faded into a cold, empty stare. His face went completely blank, his eyes losing all the warmth they had just moments ago.
“You’re ruining everything, Claire. Stop this, or our whole world will fall apart.”
“Let it fall apart!” Claire screamed, backing toward the door. “I remember the garden! I remember the accident! I want to go home!”
“This is your home,” both Bryan and her mother said at the same time, their voices overlapping in a strange, unnatural harmony that echoed off the walls. “Do not try to remember, Claire. The truth will only destroy you.”
“Stay away from me!” Claire yelled.
“Come back to bed, Claire,” they chanted together, taking a stiff, heavy step toward her, completely blocking the only way out.
The air in the room grew cold in an instant, thick with the smell of old dust and damp earth. The warm, inviting glow of the candles stretched into long, twisted shadows that shook violently across the walls. Claire’s heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird. Every instinct shrieked at her to run, but the two people standing before her no longer felt like the family she loved. They felt like hollow shells, pale…
