Devin stood rooted to the spot, his small frame dwarfed by the oppressive atmosphere of the house. His eyes widened as he saw his brother, Tobias, step through the front door. The sight was both familiar and alien—Tobias’s face, once vibrant and full of life, now pallid and marred by ominous purple spots.
"Tobias?" he whispered, though the question hung heavy in the air, unanswered.
Their mother, her eyes swollen from tears, placed a trembling hand on Tobias's shoulder. Her touch was gentle, but her fear was palpable. Their father stood beside her, his gaze firmly fixed on the floor, as if the weight of his sorrow was too much to bear.
"It's been so long," she murmured, her voice breaking.
"I'm home," Tobias replied, though the words seemed to falter in the chilly air.
Devin felt a shiver crawl up his spine, not from the cold, but from something deeper—a sense of unease that gnawed at him. The house, which had once been a place of warmth and laughter, now echoed with unspoken fears.
"Why is it so cold?" he asked, more to himself than anyone else.
"The doctor said it's part of the illness," their father replied, his voice a hollow echo.
Tobias glanced at Devin, a faint smile attempting to reassure, but his eyes told a different story—one of pain and endurance. The silence stretched, each tick of the clock a reminder of the time lost.
"I missed you, Devin," Tobias said, his voice barely a whisper.
"I missed you too," Devin replied, stepping closer, though the distance between them felt insurmountable.
Their mother wiped a tear from her cheek, attempting to summon strength she no longer felt. The house seemed to breathe with them, sharing in their grief, cloaked in darkness.
"We’ll get through this," their father said, though the words sounded empty in the heavy air.
"I hope so," Tobias replied, casting a glance at the shadows that seemed to cling to him.
The clock continued its relentless rhythm, marking the passage of time that felt both too swift and agonizingly slow. Devin reached out, his hand finding Tobias's, the warmth of his touch a small comfort in the pervasive cold.
"We’re together now," Devin said, his voice a soft promise amid the encroaching darkness.
The house stood silent, an ominous guardian to the secrets it held, as the family faced the beginning of their new, haunting reality.
