32Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWo52QFER6VCHAPTER 3
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“WALKING DEATH”
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Rain taps the roof in uneven rhythms. A lantern flickers on the crooked table, throwing long shadows across the cramped shack.
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Paul sits hunched over. A mini ice brew keg rests within arms reach, condensation dripping down its sides. His eyes are red from drink, from worry, from lack of sleep. The door creaks open.
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Lilly stands in the doorway soaked. Her cloak drips on the wooden floor, but her hair is still dry, tucked under her hood. She pulls down the hood slowly, revealing a face carved by exhaustion and fear.
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Lilly:
"How long have you been drinking?"
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Paul doesn't answer. He lifts the mug and takes another swallow — a long one, like he's trying to drown something inside him.
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Lilly:
"Paul, talk to me."
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Paul:(quiet, brittle)
"They should've been back already."
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Lilly steps inside, closing the door behind her.
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Lilly:
"I know.’
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(beat)
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‘I'm scared for Rose."
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Paul stares at the table jaw tight.
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Paul:
"We're gonna wait this out... It's too dangerous near the castle. Not with everything that's going on."
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Lilly:
"I'm headed home. Just to make sure one of us finds her. I'm not disappearing — just going to search."
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Paul slams his mug down hard, the lantern rattles.
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Paul:
"It's dangerous! You step foot near those walls and you could get hurt! Everyone meets here! That's the rule. If anything changes, we send a bird. You know that."
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Lilly's voice rises — not in anger, but in desperation.
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Lilly:
"Rules don't matter when my daughter is missing!"
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Paul pushes himself to his feet. He sways — just a little—but enough for Lilly to notice.
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Paul:
"You're not going."
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Lilly:
"You don't get to decide that!" "I'll go where I please."
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Thunder rumbles***
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Lilly:
"Who are you right now?
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‘...This isn't the man I trust."
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A long, tense silence fills the shack. The rain outside grows louder, like the world is listening.
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Paul's voice drops:
"I can't lose you too."
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Lilly's expression softens for a heartbeat.
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Lilly:(voice lowered)
"Then stop pushing me away."
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Paul looks down at the mug, at the spilled brew on the table, at the mess, at himself. He looks small for the first time.
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Paul:
"I'm trying."
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Lilly's eyes harden — not cruelly, but out of heartbreak.
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Lilly:
"No. You're drinking yourself into a stupor...
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...I'm not staying here to watch you destroy yourself."
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Paul:(snaps)
"You're abandoning me when I need you the most."
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Lilly stares.
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Paul:
"Do you know what it's like to lose a child?"
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Paul nods like a matter of fact, pointing at himself, as the chosen one.
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Paul:
"I'm doing what's best for you! Just stay put for once. Listen to me or you're gonna get yourself killed!"
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Lilly snaps back.
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Lilly:
"YOUR DRUNK!!
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(beat)
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‘...You've killed people, I don't know what I was thinking... I can't ruin my life… or lose my daughter. I won't make the same mistakes as you."
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Paul:(furious)
"AND WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSE TO MEAN!?
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Lilly steps back trembling but resolute.
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(Heavy stretched beat)
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Lilly:
"It means…
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…I'm leaving you."
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She turns for the door.
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Paul grabs her wrist.
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Lilly's reaction is instant.
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She twists and slaps him across the face, a sharp crack that cuts through the storm and silence.
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Paul freezes.
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(Lightning strike)+++
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The rain outside pounds against the shack, wind rattling the loose boards. The lantern flickers, throwing warped lights across the walls.
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Thunder rumbles***
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Paul's eyes are unfocused, burning with fear and anger, and something darker he's been trying to compress.
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His arms drop.
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He just stands there looking at the ground.
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Lilly backs up a step, her hand gripping the counter behind her. Her eyes shine with fear and heartbreak.
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Paul's jaw tightens. A flicker of darkness crosses his gaze.
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A low, guttural grunt escapes him. Then, with a sudden roar of frustration, he slams his fist into the wooden shelves.
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SMASHHH!!!
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The wood splinters under the blow. Jars topple. A tin cup clatters to the floor. The lantern's flame jumps wildly. The crash echoes through the shack like a thunder clap. Dust drifts down in slow spirals. Paul stands there, chest heaving, staring at the shattered shelves as if they've betrayed him.
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Lilly presses backwards, taking another step towards the door.
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Lilly:(trembling)
"Your scaring me Paul."
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(Silence)
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"I can't do this anymore."
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Paul doesn't turn. He doesn't answer. He just stands in the wreckage, shoulders rising and falling with every ragged breath. Lilly hesitates — one last look at the man she trusted... Then she turns and bolts. The door slams behind her, swallowed by the storm.
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Paul remains frozen, staring at the broken shelves. The mini keg on the table tips, rolls off the edge, and hits the floor with a dull thud. It rolls across the boards, wobbling, until it comes to rest at his feet.
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Paul exhales.
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In the silence of rain.
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In his own wreckage.
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In the storm inside his own chest.
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And outside, somewhere in the darkness, Traeven is coming.
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(Moments later)
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