Fractured – Chapter 4: The Man in the Closet

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Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

Victoria's body refused to move.

Her eyes stayed locked on the closet door.

The voice came again.

"Victoria..."

"I know you're there."

Her heartbeat thundered in her ears.

"N-No..."

She took a shaky step back.

Then—

Everything went silent.

The lights flickered back on.

The knocking stopped.

The apartment looked completely normal.

The closet door was slightly open.

Empty.

Victoria slowly walked toward it, every step heavier than the last.

She pulled the door open.

Nothing.

Just clothes hanging neatly inside.

She let out a relieved breath.

Then she noticed something beneath the clothes.

A small wooden box.

Old.

Covered in dust.

She didn't remember owning it.

With trembling hands, she opened it.

Inside lay a tiny pink hairclip.

A worn-out teddy bear.

And...

A child's drawing.

It showed a little girl standing alone.

Behind her was a tall man with no face.

Across the page, written in a child's shaky handwriting, were the words:

"He said no one would believe me."

Victoria dropped the drawing.

A sharp pain exploded in her head.

Flash.

A dark basement.

A frightened little girl hugging a teddy bear.

Heavy footsteps coming down the stairs.

A man's shadow.

The little girl screamed—

Then...

Nothing.

Victoria collapsed onto the floor.

"No..."

"I don't want to remember..."

Inside her mind, the hallway shook violently.

Cherry covered her ears.

"I hate these memories!"

Jennifer hugged the crying little Victoria hidden in the corner.

"It's okay... You're safe now."

Oni punched the wall.

"Damn it!"

"They're coming back too fast."

Catherine adjusted her glasses, her face unusually serious.

"She's recovering memories before she's ready."

All four turned toward the fifth door.

Cracks spread across it.

Wellcy stood behind it.

Tears streamed down her face.

"I've carried these memories alone for years."

"I can't hold them much longer."

The next morning, Victoria woke on the living room floor.

The wooden box was gone.

The drawing had disappeared.

She searched the apartment.

Nothing.

"Was it... another hallucination?"

Her phone buzzed.

Unknown Number

Stop digging into the past.

Another message arrived.

Some memories are buried for a reason.

Victoria's blood ran cold.

She hadn't told anyone.

No one should know.

Another text appeared.

You're still my little girl.

Her hands shook so violently that the phone slipped to the floor.

That wasn't a random message.

Someone knew.

Someone had always known.

Someone was watching her.

And for the first time in years...

Victoria realized her past wasn't over.

It had just found her again.

...****************...

Victoria didn't sleep.

She spent the entire night staring at the unknown messages on her phone.

Stop digging into the past.

You're still my little girl.

Her hands wouldn't stop shaking.

"Who are you...?"

She called the number.

The number does not exist.

A chill ran down her spine.

The next morning, she forced herself to go to college.

She looked pale. Exhausted.

Halfway through class, Professor Adrian noticed.

"Victoria, are you alright?"

"I'm... fine."

"You don't look fine."

Before she could answer, her vision blurred.

Voices filled her head.

"Don't trust him." Oni growled.

"He's trying to help." Jennifer replied.

"Let's leave!" Cherry laughed.

"Stay calm." Catherine ordered.

Victoria grabbed her head.

"Stop..."

The classroom fell silent.

Everyone stared at her.

Professor Adrian gently said, "Victoria, come with me."

His office was warm and quiet.

He handed her a glass of water.

"You don't have to tell me anything," he said. "But you're carrying something very heavy."

Victoria stared at the floor.

For the first time in years...

She spoke.

"I... lose time."

"I find things I don't remember writing."

"I hear voices."

"I wake up in places I don't remember going."

Professor Adrian didn't look shocked.

Instead, he nodded.

"Victoria... have you ever spoken to a mental health professional?"

She slowly shook her head.

"My parents said I was just seeking attention."

His expression hardened.

"No child deserves to hear that."

Tears rolled down Victoria's face.

That evening, she returned to her apartment.

The hallway light outside her door flickered.

Someone had slipped an envelope underneath it.

No name.

No address.

Inside were several old photographs.

Victoria, around six years old.

A birthday party.

She wasn't smiling.

In every picture, the same faceless man stood in the background.

Watching her.

On the back of the last photograph were the words:

"Remember the basement."

Victoria dropped the photos.

"No..."

Suddenly, the world around her disappeared.

She stood inside the hallway of her mind.

This time, all five personalities were there.

Oni stood with crossed arms.

Jennifer looked heartbroken.

Cherry was unusually quiet.

Catherine held an old key.

Wellcy stepped forward.

Her white dress was stained with dirt.

"It's time," Wellcy whispered.

Victoria looked at her.

"What happened to me?"

Wellcy reached out and held Victoria's trembling hand.

"You've spent years blaming yourself."

"You thought you were broken."

"You weren't."

"You survived."

Victoria's eyes filled with tears.

"Then... why can't I remember?"

Wellcy looked toward the locked basement door that had appeared at the end of the hallway.

"Because I took those memories from you."

"I carried them so you could keep living."

The old key in Catherine's hand began to glow.

Oni stepped in front of the door.

"If we open it..."

"Nothing will ever be the same again."

Victoria wiped away her tears.

For the first time, she didn't run.

"I want the truth."

She reached for the key.

The basement door slowly unlocked.

A child's terrified scream echoed from behind it.

The door creaked open...

And a voice whispered,

"Welcome back, Victoria."

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