Day 6. 8:00 PM. Salem, Oregon. Umi’s House.
Door opened.
Miri first. Hugging Umi, then Lila.
Alex next. Guitar case in hand, Elias behind him.
Fritz last. Camera, energy drink, and Noah.
4 authors. 1 living room.
For the first time since this started, they were all in one place.
Lila looked at all of them. "You’re the story people, right?"
Umi: "Yeah baby. We’re the story people."
On the coffee table: 4 splinters. White. Blue edge.
They weren’t moving. Yet.
Fritz: "So. Destroy, Rebuild, or Wait?"
Alex: "I vote Rebuild. If we don’t make a weapon, The Hunger will."
Miri: "But what if the table turns on us?"
Umi: "Then we write a new ending. Together."
Umi picked up her splinter. It was warm.
Miri picked hers. It hummed.
Alex picked his. It vibrated like a guitar string.
Fritz picked his. It flashed once.
The book on the table flipped open by itself.
New writing:
_4 Authors. 4 Splinters. 1 Choice.
You have until 11:11 PM._
11:11. 3 hours left.
8:30 PM
They tried to burn one. It wouldn’t catch.
They tried to break one. It bent, then went back.
They tried to ignore them. The lights flickered.
Fritz: "Okay they’re sentient. 10/10 creepy."
Miri: "They’re listening to us."
9:45 PM
Lila fell asleep on the couch.
The splinters moved closer to each other. 1 inch apart.
Alex: "I think they want us to decide."
Umi: "Then we decide now. Rebuild.
Not for The Hunger. For us.
A table where we can tell stories and it can’t eat them."
All 4 nodded.
10:55 PM
They put the 4 splinters in the middle of the floor.
In a circle.
Held hands.
All: "We build."
11:11 PM.
The splinters shot into the air.
White light. Blue edges.
They slammed together.
CRACK
A table formed.
White. Blue rim.
4 chairs.
But this time... the chairs were empty.
And on the table: 1 blank book.
The book in Umi’s hands flew and landed on the new table.
New writing:
_The Authors’ Table.
No one can eat here without permission.
Season 6: The First Meal._
The lights went out for 1 second.
When they came back, The Hunger’s voice was in the room.
_"You built it. Cute.
Now I get to sit."_
A 5th chair scraped across the floor.
Behind it: Black smoke. Shaped like a person.