EPISODE 8: THE MAN WHO KNOWS MY SECRETS
1190 Words
The cold night air slapped against my skin as we ran.
Barely breathing.
Barely thinking.
Just running.
“Slow down!” I gasped, my legs already burning.
“We can’t,” he replied sharply, not even looking back. “Not yet.”
My hand was still locked in his grip, firm and unrelenting, like letting go meant losing me forever.
Behind us, faint voices echoed in the distance.
“They went this way!”
My heart skipped.
“They’re following us…” I whispered, panic rising again.
“They always do,” he muttered.
That sentence didn’t sit right.
Always?
Before I could question it, he suddenly pulled me into a narrow alley between two buildings. My back hit the wall as he pressed a finger gently to his lips.
“Quiet.”
Footsteps.
Close.
Too close.
I held my breath as shadows passed by the entrance of the alley.
“…check behind the houses.”
“…boss said she’s the priority.”
Priority.
Me.
Why me?
The voices faded slowly, and only then did I realize how fast my heart was beating.
I slid down the wall slightly, my body shaking.
“I can’t do this…” I whispered. “I don’t even understand what’s happening anymore.”
He crouched in front of me, his expression softer now—but still serious.
“You’re alive,” he said. “That’s what matters.”
“No,” I snapped weakly. “That’s not enough anymore.”
Silence fell between us.
“I need the truth,” I said, my voice steadier this time. “No more half-stories. No more ‘you’ll understand later.’ I need everything. Now.”
He studied my face for a moment… like he was deciding something.
Then he nodded.
“Fine.”
My chest tightened.
“The night of the fire,” he began slowly, “you weren’t supposed to survive.”
“I already heard that part,” I said, frustration creeping in. “What I don’t understand is *why*.”
He took a deep breath.
“Because you saw something you were never meant to see.”
A chill ran through me again.
“That’s too vague,” I said. “What did I see?”
He hesitated.
And that hesitation… said everything.
“Say it,” I pushed.
His jaw clenched.
“You saw a murder.”
The world went quiet.
“What…?” My voice barely came out.
“A man was killed that night,” he continued. “Not far from your house. And you were there.”
I shook my head immediately.
“No… no, I would remember something like that
“You were younger,” he cut in. “And your mind did what it had to do to protect you.”
I pressed my hands to my head.
“No… this doesn’t make sense… why would I even be there?”
“Because you followed your dad.”
That made me freeze.
“What?”
“You weren’t supposed to leave your room that night,” he said. “But you heard him arguing with someone outside. So you followed.”
Fragments.
Tiny, broken pieces of memory flickered again.
Voices.
Anger.
Fear.
“I… I remember voices…” I whispered.
He nodded.
“You hid. You watched.”
My breathing became uneven.
“And then?” I asked.
His eyes darkened.
“You screamed.”
A sharp pain shot through my head.
Like something trying to break free.
I winced, grabbing my temple. “I remember… someone turning… looking at me…”
“Yes,” he said quietly. “He saw you.”
My heart dropped.
“Who?” I asked, my voice trembling.
This time… he didn’t hesitate.
“Someone very powerful.”
I swallowed hard.
“How powerful?”
He leaned closer, his voice barely above a whisper.
“The kind of powerful that makes people disappear.”
My stomach twisted.
“And he’s been looking for me… all this time?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t he just find me?” I asked. “I changed my name, but
“You didn’t just change your name,” he interrupted. “Your dad made sure of that.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“He erased you.”
My eyes widened.
“What?”
“No records. No history. No trace,” he said. “As far as the world knows… you stopped existing that night.”
I couldn’t process it.
“So… I’ve been living as someone who technically doesn’t exist?”
“Yes.”
A hollow feeling settled in my chest.
Everything I thought I knew about my life… wasn’t real.
“Then how did you find me?” I asked quietly.
He looked at me.
“Because I was there that night too.”
My breath caught.
“What?”
“I saw you,” he said. “I saw everything.”
My heart started racing again.
“You… you were there during the murder?”
He nodded once.
“Then why didn’t you come forward? Why didn’t you tell someone?” I asked.
“Because the moment I realized who was involved…” he paused, “…I knew the truth would get us both killed.”
Silence.
Heavy. Suffocating.
“So instead,” I said slowly, “you disappeared too.”
“Yes.”
“And now you just suddenly come back into my life?” I snapped. “After years?!”
“I didn’t come back,” he said firmly. “I never left.”
That made my chest tighten.
“What does that mean?”
“It means,” he said, his voice softer now, “I’ve been watching from a distance. Making sure you stayed hidden. Making sure no one found you.”
I stared at him.
“You’ve been watching me… this whole time?”
“Yes.”
A mix of emotions hit me all at once anger, confusion, fear… and something else I didn’t want to name.
“That’s not protection,” I said quietly. “That’s control.”
His expression shifted slightly.
“Call it whatever you want,” he said. “But you’re alive because of it.”
Before I could respond
A sudden light flashed at the end of the alley.
We both turned instantly.
A car.
Black.
Slowly pulling up.
My heart dropped.
“They found us…” I whispered.
The car door opened.
A tall figure stepped out.
Even from a distance… something about him felt wrong.
Dangerous.
Familiar.
“Stay behind me,” he said, standing up.
I grabbed his arm.
“No… wait…”
My eyes locked onto the man approaching us.
And suddenly
A memory slammed into me.
Clear.
Sharp.
Terrifying.
His face.
That night.
The man who turned when I screamed…
The man who saw me.
My breath hitched.
“It’s him…” I whispered, fear flooding every part of me.
The man stepped closer, a slow smile forming on his face.
“Well…” he said calmly, his voice sending chills down my spine.
“Look who finally remembers.”
My heart stopped.
- Writer
