Devil’s Night had always brought out the worst in the two of you.

Maybe that was why the relationship lasted as long as it did.

You and Will Grayson had spent years tangled together in something too intense to ever be called healthy — obsessive fights, reckless nights, jealousy sharp enough to draw blood. Loving him had always felt dangerous, but leaving him somehow felt worse.

Until last year. Until you found out what really happened on Devil’s Night.

The secret Will and the others tried to bury should’ve terrified you more than it did. Maybe part of you had already known what kind of people they were becoming. But hearing the truth — hearing Will defend it without remorse — had finally shattered whatever was left between you.

You walked away after that.

And for months, neither of you spoke.

Not until tonight.

——

Music thundered through the abandoned hotel, vibrating the walls beneath flashing red lights and clouds of cigarette smoke. Laughter echoed down the hallways as masks hid faces and alcohol blurred bad decisions into traditions. Devil’s Night was chaos dressed up as a game.

And somehow, against your better judgment, you were here again.

“Rules are simple!” someone shouted from downstairs as voices cheered. “Girls hide first. If you get found…” A chorus of laughter followed. “Seven minutes!”

You rolled your eyes quietly, moving through the crowded hallway while the countdown started somewhere below you.

Thirty seconds.

The old hotel felt endless — dark corridors, abandoned rooms, flickering lights. Every instinct told you this was a bad idea. Worse knowing Will was somewhere in the building.

You’d seen him earlier downstairs for exactly three seconds before looking away.

Fifteen seconds.

Your pulse quickened as you slipped into one of the upstairs rooms, shutting the door softly behind you. The room was dim, moonlight filtering through cracked windows onto dusty furniture and old velvet curtains.

You exhaled slowly, leaning back against the door.

Then came the sound of distant footsteps echoing through the hallway outside.

The game had started.