"No… don't…!" my voice broke - barely more than a whisper, yet it tore through the silence. "Don't-!"
Warm tears blurred my vision, slipping down uncontrollably. My mind… was empty. Not a single thought - only the crushing weight of what I was seeing. I didn't understand it. I couldn't. And yet, it hurt. It hurt so much it felt like something inside my chest was being ripped apart.
They surrounded him. Shadows and bades. Again and again- and again. Steel sank into flesh with a sickening rhythm, each strike painting him deeper in red. Blood dripped, pooled, clung to him—as if it refused to let go.
And still- he knelt there. Broken and bleeding. Facing me.
His eyes found mine through the chaos. Warm. Impossible… but warm. As if none of this mattered. As if... I was the only thing he could see. My breath hitched. My heart slammed violently against my ribs - so loud, so frantic it felt like it would burst free.
"Stop…" the word barely formed before it died.
I reached for him. Desperate. Needing to do something - anything - but, a sharp and cold pull. I froze. My wrist. Chains. Thick and heavy. Unforgiving. They coiled around me, binding me in place like I had always belonged to them. No matter how hard I pulled- I couldn't move. I couldn't reach him. And he… was still looking at me.
My gaze snapped back to the blade. Eyes widened. No…
Time slowed infront of my eyes. The dagger descended - and drove straight into his spine. A broken sound escaped him. Or maybe it came from me. Everything went silent. Too silent. And then, blood burst forth. Violent and endless. It spilled like something alive, rushing, spreading - consuming everything until the world itself seemed to drown in red.
I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. But I could feel it. The pain, not just his—Mine. It tore through me like the blade had pierced my own body. My chest tightened, a suffocating ache blooming deep within - raw, unbearable.
Why…? Why does it feel like I'm the one dying…?
My fingers trembled as I reached for him again—desperate, shaking, but the chains bit deeper into my skin. Cold and merciless. Dragging me back. Holding me in place. No escape. No saving him. No saving… anything. His body gave in. Falling. A hollow, final thud echoed through the emptiness. And in that moment- something inside me snapped.
"No…!" the word never fully left my lips.
The world twisted - distorted - like reality itself was breaking apart. Darkness seeped in.Slow and suffocating. Wrapping around my vision - deliberately pulling me under. The last thing I felt was that pain still lingering. As if it would never leave.
My eyes snapped open. Air tore into my lungs like I had been drowning. A sharp gasp broke from my throat as my body jerked upright, hands clutching at my chest as if trying to hold something together, something that felt like it had just been shattered. For a second, I didn't know where I was.
The darkness still clung to me. The blood, the chains and... Him. My vision blurred as I looked around wildly, breath uneven, trembling. A familiar room, my room and yet, it didn't feel like it. Not yet. My hands shook as I dragged them over my arms - my wrists - I froze. There was nothing, no chains, no wounds, just skin. Normal but the sensation, was still there. Vold, tight and unforgiving. I could still feel them.
A broken breath slipped past my lips. "…No…" the word came out hoarse, barely audible. My chest tightened again, pain blooming deep inside, too raw to ignore. I pressed my palm harder against it, as if I could force it to stop but it didn't. It only reminded me that it wasn't just a dream.
My gaze dropped to my hands. Only to find out they were trembling uncontrollably. As if my body hadn't realized it was over. As if some part of me was still there, still watching him fall. My breath hitched.
His eyes, that warmth. Even now, it refused to leave me.It lingered. Burned into my mind, into my chest.
"Why…?" I whispered. I didn't know what I was asking.
Why him?
Why me?
Why did it hurt lpike that?
The room felt suffocating. Too small and too quiet. I needed air. Right now. I stumbled out of bed, nearly losing my balance as my legs struggled to hold me. My fingers brushed against the wall as I made my way to the window.
The glass was cold beneath my touch. I pushed it open. A rush of night air hit my face. Cold, sharp and real.
I inhaled deeply—once, twice—trying to steady the storm inside me. Slowly, the world began to settle but the feeling didn't leave. It stayed. Heavy. Lingering.
I lifted my eyes. The sky stretched endlessly above me and there, hanging in silence— Acrescent moon.
My breath stilled. Again… That same shape and that same mark. A faint chill ran down my spine. Not from the cold, from something else. Something deeper.
Without realizing it, my hand drifted to my wrist. There was nothing but for a brief moment I could almost see it. A mark, a crescent. Faint, flickering and then... gone.
I froze.
"…What… was that?" my voice barely existed. The night gave no answer. Only silence but deep inside that pain remained.Quietly waiting for something. As if something had just begun.The room felt suffocating. Too quiet, too close. I couldn't stay there. Before I could think it through, I grabbed my jacket and stepped outside.The door clicked shut behind me.
The night greeted me with cold air and silence. Not the peaceful kind-the empty kind. The streets that had once been alive with laughter and light just hours ago now stood hollow. Faded decorations still hung from poles and balconies, their colors dulled under the dim streetlights. Stray confetti clung to the pavement, crushed beneath passing footsteps that were no longer there. A plastic streamer fluttered weakly in the wind—its soft rustling the only sound in the distance.
It was hard to believe this was the same place. Just hours ago, it had been filled with people with loud music and cheerful laughter. But now, it felt like everything has been erased.
I walked slowly, hands tucked into my pockets, my breath forming faint clouds in the cold air. Each step echoed softly against the empty street. Too loud, too noticeable in a street like this. My mind drifted back once again, blood, chains, his eyes and his warmth. Even now… It refused to leave me.
I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair.
"Get a grip…" I muttered under my breath.
But the unease didn't fade, it only shifted. A few more steps and then, I stopped. Something felt wrong. At first, it was subtle. A slight pressure at the back of my mind. Almost unnoticeable. Then it grew. My body tensed instinctively.
That feeling, I knew it too well. Someone… was watching me. But this time it wasn't just a presence, it was heavy, sharp and murderous.
My breath slowed carefully, controlled under me. I didn't turn immediately. Didn't move a muscle. The air around me felt completely different. Colder and thicker than before. As if, something unseen had stepped into it. My fingers curled slightly inside my pockets.
My heartbeat steadied, not from calm but from instinct. The gaze didn't waver, it pressed into me. Piercing, intent. Not curious, not distant, just focused... On me.
A faint sound echoed somewhere behind. A footstep which was soft and measured. Too deliberate to be named coincidence.
I slowly lifted my head, eyes narrowing slightly."…Who's there?" my voice came out low and steady but the silence that followed felt wrong. No one answered, only that gaze, growing heavier and closer.
My instincts screamed to move. To run as fast as I could yet, I felt like I should stay. The streetlight above flickered. Once,... Twice. And soon, darkness swallowed the ground for a split second. And in that moment, something shifted behind me. My breath caught. This wasn't over. For brief second, I froze. Something deep inside me—instinct, fear… or something far older— stubbornnessly refused to let me move.
I clenched my fist tightly.
Move!
I forced myself to act and my hand slipped into my pocket, pulling out my phone.
Kevin. That was the only name in my mind right now. The only person I could think of calling. The screen lit up my face as I unlocked it. Footsteps, sharp, fast, closing in.
My breath hitched. That wasn't normal walking, that was running. Toward me!
My head snapped up and then, I saw them. Three men in back suit. Their movements were synchronized—too precise, too controlled. They were not drunk, not lost, not normal.
My grip on the phone tightened. This wasn't coincidence.It felt like, they had come for me.
They slowed as they approached—not out of hesitation… But control. The man in the center stepped forward. The faint streetlight caught his face— His expression was cold and empty. Hard to read.
"Found him." the words were quiet. Flat. Like I was nothing more than a task.
My heartbeat spiked. Running didn't feel like an option anymore. The air grew heavy. That same suffocating presence returned. Only now… It had a form. Three of them and all of their eyes were locked onto me.
I moved. The moment it clicked- It wasn't waiting anymore. I lunged forward first. If they wanted me, they wouldn't get me easily.
My fist struck was the closest one- A clean hit and he staggered yet didn't react. No pain, no resistance at all.
My eyes widened.
What the—
The second one was already on me. My arm was instantly twisted behind my back as pain shot through my arms. I clenched my teeth and drove my elbow back— A hit but like the last one-It barely slowed him. They weren't ordinary people.
The third one moved in— And my legs were kicked out from under me. I hit the ground hard. Air left my lungs. "—gh…!"
Before I could recover— They were already on me. One pinned my shoulders and another locked my arms. Their grip were inhuman and unbreakable. I struggled, kicked. Fought to get free from them but at the end it was useless.
Three against one, and they were stronger, much stronger.
"Let go—!" I yelled at them.
The third man crouched in front of me. His expression was calm like he didn't care what I say or do.
"Don't move." a pause. "Just give us your blood."
My body went still.
…Blood?
For a second, I nearly forgot to breathe. Why…? Why my blood?
"No—get off me!" I thrashed again, desperate now but they didn't react at all.
The man pulled out a syringe from god-knows-where. My heart slammed violently as the needle moved closer... Slowly, inch by inch...
This can't be—
BANG.
The sound exploded through the night, echoing in the endless streets. Everything froze. Warmth splattered across my face. The man in front of me—his eyes widened—then went empty. He collapsed right in front of me with a thud. I looked down and found my shoes soaked in dark crimson pool. His soundless body layed immovable on the side walk.
Another shot rang out. Slowly, the grip on me loosened. Something had changed. Someone… was here. A footstep -alow and heavy , from the darkness echoed in my ears.
My head turned toward the forest and then— I saw him.
A figure emerged from the shadows. It was tall, broad and wrapped in black hoodie that swallowed thr the light itself.
A hoodie that swallowed the light itself. His face was hidden but his presence was cold, steady, and dangerous.
The men hesitated, just for a second but, it was enough. He moved faster. One second ago he was there, the next, right in front of them. Then, a hand shot out, grabbing one by the throat. Lifting him like he was nothing. With a sharp crack, the body dropped. The second attacked—Desperate but it didn't matter. A single, heavy punch from the hooded man and... Silence. Just like that, it was over.
I couldn't move nor could I think.
What… just happened…? Is it even real?
Slowly, he turned toward me. My breath caught. I still couldn't see his face. Only darkness beneath the hood yet, those eyes—I couldn't see them clearly and yet… I felt them. Gazing on me hungrily.
And then, suddenly, something shifted inside me. It wasn't because of fear. Something else entirely. Something familiar.
Without a word, he turned and slowly walked. Like I was meant to follow. And somehow… I did.
The bike was waiting in silence, hidden in the darkness of the bone chilling night.
He got on first, he didn't look back, didn't ask. But I understood.
I climbed on behind him without thinking. The engine roared and we diseapeared in the night. The night blurred around us. Cold wind and empty streets passed by us. But my focus was on him-on his hand. A mark. My breath caught.
That mark— I had seen it before. That evening, when I was with Kevin. My mind tried to connect it but the answer stayed just out of reach. Still, that feeling remained.
The bike slowed. I instantly knew, I reached my destined place. I got off slowly. For a moment, I thought he would say something. Reveal something about him but he didn't. Without a word, he left.
Leaving behind nothing but the fading sound of the engine… and that lingering feeling that I had just met someone… I was never supposed to forget.