"Well, well… time to work now~"
"Isolde, where's my prey tonight?"
"Unlike certain fake nobles, I'm busy pretending to be a mere maid who—oh. Target 68. Second floor. Third terrace from the left."
I hope it will be something fun.
It's suffocating in here… all polished smiles and dust-covered egos.
I excused myself and when went to find the target for the night
What should I have breakfast tomorrow…?
Mexican?
…No. Isolde would riot over spice at sunrise.
"Copy~ Keep your eyes on target sixty-eight. Don't blink."
"Could you act a little more serious?"
"As my lady commands."
" About the time, peasant"
Little lamp, little lamp…
blood-marked flame.
A fragile glow in borrowed glass—
already named.
I wonder why you still burn so blind…
when your veins were the target all this time.
Hmmm~
"Withdraw. Observe from a distance. I've reached the destination."
"Copy."
Showtime.
Step one: approach the prey.
I nudged the door open, pressing my fingers to my temple like I'd just survived a headache worth crying over.
He slowly glanced back .
Perfect.
I let out a soft gasp. "Oh—my apologies. I didn't mean to intrude, Mr. Velmire. I can leave if want —"
Nothing.
He looked me over, slow, deliberate and then turned without a word.
A cigarette rested between his lips, unlit.
Step two: lure the prey.
"Or nottt…"
I stepped closer.
Took out a cigarette. Placed it between my lips. Lit it.
A slow inhale.
Then I leaned in—close enough to feel his breath—and tilted my head just slightly…
…and lit his cigarette with mine.
For a second, our faces hovered too close to be accidental.
I let a faint smile slip through—soft, tilted, almost harmless.
The kind that had led more people to ruin than I cared to count.
He parted his lips.
Finally.
"Your purpose."
…
Oh.
I almost laughed.
"Purpose? God, no. I just—"
—and then—
crack.
Pain flared sharp against my ear as he yanked something free.
The microchip.
Gone.
Broken between his fingers like it was nothing.
I blinked.
Slowly.
Does he have any idea how expensive that was?
"Opps"
He repeated , "Your purpose."
I tilted my head a little.
"… stealing your heart?"
The air changed instantly.
A little… sharper.
His gaze settled properly on me for the first time brimming with calculation
"And how," he said slowly, "do you intend to achieve that… with a microchip in your ear, and a wire stitched into your pocket?"
A pause.
Then he moved.
With a quick, precise pull—
ripped my pocket out
I looked down at it.
Holy shit ! This man is expensive.
"And how do you plan to court me ?" he asked
"By asking you out on a date."
A beat .
Then he smirked.
"…When."
"Now?"
"…Where."
I glanced around, like the building itself might have opinions.
"Where do you want to go?"
Another pause.
Then he spoke, flat and immediate:
"…Alright. Follow me "
And just like that— A month passed .
———————————————————-
My eyelids felt like they'd been sewed shut. Not normal tired-heavy. No. This was illegal levels of heavy. I was pretty sure I lifting my sister would be easier than I opening my eyes right now.
…Sister.
Wait.
Who is that?
I tried to move.
Nothing.
Not a finger. Not even the pinky. No dramatic twitch for effect. Since when did my body become a unliftable item?
Okay. Calm down. This is fine, absolutely alright. People wake up paralyzed all the time, right?
…Right?
Panic crept in anyway,ofc it would, slow and cold, like it had all the time in the world and was enjoying the walk.
With the last scraps of my willpower, I forced my eyes open—
—and immediately wished I hadn't.
Pitch black.
No, not just black black. This was the kind of darkness that felt personal. Like it had beef with me specifically.
And then, because my luck is outstanding, I noticed it.
A shadow.
Of a body.
Still
Darker than the darkness around it. Which shouldn't even be possible, but clearly physics had clocked out for the day.
It hovered above me.
Falling all over me.
Like a blanket ?
But with eyes ~ Watching.
"Oh great," I thought. "Sleep paralysis with a creep hovering over me .Fantastic. Love that for me."
My body locked up completely, as if it heard my thoughts and decided, yeah, no need to even pretend you're in control.
I tried to move again. Failed.
Tried to scream. Also failed.
At this point, I would've settled for blinking aggressively to convince myself that no this is not my soul leaving my body
Nothing.
And then—
I swear—
it leaned closer like it became bigger .
Not in a dramatic, jump-scare way.
But. Slow. Curious.
Like it was inspecting me.
Bitch ! Do you think I'm some kind of animal ?
Which, honestly is .Rude
If you're going to haunt me, at least don't do while acting like you're judging my life choices which even if you were , I wouldnt know
Suddenly, my chest tightened. Breathing became optional, apparently.
And just before everything slipped away, one very clear thought crossed my mind:
If this is how I die, I'm haunting back
Ha! I don't wanna have thoughts like that of a dying person !!!
Then darkness swallowed everything