SHADOWS OF THE HEART

Rain hammered against the windows of Lena Carter's apartment. The city beyond the glass blurred beneath streaks of silver, its lights flickering through the storm like distant stars struggling to survive. Lena sat at her desk, staring at a blank document on her laptop. The blinking cursor mocked her. She had been trying to finish an investigative article for nearly an hour, but every time she typed a sentence, the same headache returned. A sharp pain. Right behind her eyes. She closed the laptop with a sigh. "Not again..." The nightmares had become worse over the past month. Always the same images. A burning hallway. A little girl running barefoot. A silver locket swinging around her neck. And a man's voice echoing through the flames. "Run, Lena... don't look back." She always woke before she could see his face. Her phone vibrated across the desk. Unknown Number. She hesitated before answering. "Hello?" For several seconds... Only silence. Then a man's voice, low and distorted. "They've found you." The call ended. Lena frowned. Probably another prank. She set the phone aside. A second later... The lights in her apartment went out. Silence. Then... A crash from the kitchen. Someone was inside. Lena slowly stood, her heartbeat quickening. She reached for the heavy metal flashlight beside her desk. Another sound. Closer this time. Footsteps. Slow. Deliberate. Whoever had entered wasn't trying to hide. A shadow appeared beneath the kitchen doorway. Lena tightened her grip on the flashlight. The shadow stopped. Then a voice spoke from the darkness. "You were never supposed to remember."