THE WITNESS
1031 Words
Emma worked late that night.
She didn't mind. The overtime pay was good. And staying late meant fewer people to deal with. Less arrogance. Less cold stares.
By the time she clocked out, the building was almost empty. The cafeteria was dark. The kitchen was silent. The only sound was the hum of the refrigerators and the distant buzz of the city outside.
She walked through the lobby, her footsteps echoing in the silence. The security guard nodded at her as she passed. She nodded back.
She stepped out into the night.
The air was cold. The streets were quiet. Emma pulled her jacket tighter and started walking toward the bus stop.
She was tired. So tired. Her feet ached. Her back screamed. Her mind was foggy from exhaustion.
She just wanted to go home.
She cut through the alley to save time. It was faster. She'd done it a hundred times before.
But tonight was different.
She heard it before she saw it. A wet, sickening sound. Like something heavy hitting the ground. Then a low groan. Another thud. Silence.
Emma froze.
Her heart pounded. Her blood ran cold. She pressed herself against the wall, her breath caught in her throat.
Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.
She peeked around the corner.
Her blood turned to ice.
Bodies. Multiple bodies. Lying on the ground in the darkness. And standing in the middle of them was a man. Tall. Dark. His suit splattered with something dark and wet.
Blood.
He was covered in blood.
He held a knife in his hand. It was dripping. The blade gleamed in the faint light.
Emma's mind went blank. Her body went rigid. She couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't think.
She watched as the man turned. Slowly. Deliberately.
And then she saw his face.
Her heart stopped.
She knew that face. She had seen it before. In the cafeteria. Those cold, gray eyes. That chiseled jaw. That commanding presence.
Alexander King.
The CEO of Kings Company.
The most powerful man in the city.
The man they called the devil.
He had killed those men. He had slaughtered them like animals. And now he was looking at her.
His eyes met hers.
Emma saw the recognition flash across his face. He knew her. He remembered her. The woman from the cafeteria. The one who had dared to look at him.
He stared at her. She stared at him.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then Emma saw his eyes flicker down. Just briefly. To her chest.
Her name tag.
He had seen it.
He knew her name.
Emma's body finally obeyed her mind.
She turned and ran.
She ran through the alley, her heels slapping against the pavement. She ran past dumpsters and trash cans. She ran until her lungs burned and her legs screamed.
She didn't look back.
She ran all the way to the bus stop. She got on the bus. She collapsed into a seat, her body shaking, her mind spinning.
She had seen him. She had seen what he did. And he had seen her.
He knew what she looked like. He knew her face. He knew her name.
And that terrified her more than anything.
---
Emma didn't sleep that night.
She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying the scene over and over in her mind.
The bodies on the ground. The blood on his suit. The cold look in his eyes.
He was a killer.
She had always known he was dangerous. She had heard the rumors. The whispers. The stories.
But seeing it with her own eyes was different.
He had killed those men like it was nothing. Like they were nothing. His face had been cold, expressionless, devoid of any emotion.
He was a monster.
And now he knew her name.
She thought about the way he had looked at her. That cold, calculating gaze. Like he was already planning something. Like she was already part of some dark game she didn't understand.
What if he came after her? What if he tried to silence her?
She was just a cafeteria worker. Nobody. Invisible.
But not anymore.
Now he knew her name.
---
The next morning, Emma went to work.
She walked through the lobby, her eyes scanning the room, her body tense.
She expected to be stopped. Summoned. Dragged to his office.
But nothing happened.
She went to the cafeteria. She punched in. She started her shift.
The hours passed. Nothing happened.
She started to relax.
Maybe he hadn't seen her name tag clearly. Maybe he hadn't recognized her. Maybe she was safe.
But even as she told herself that, she knew it wasn't true.
He had seen her. He had locked eyes with her in that alley. He knew.
And he would come for her.
---
At lunchtime, Emma met Bella in the cafeteria.
"Emma." Bella's face was pale. "Did you hear?"
"Hear what?"
"About last night. Something happened in the casino district. A fight or something. Multiple men dead. The police are investigating."
Emma's blood went cold.
"What kind of fight?" she asked carefully.
"I don't know. But there's a rumor going around." Bella lowered her voice. "They say Alexander King was involved."
Emma felt her heart stop.
"Emma? Are you okay? You look pale."
"I'm fine." Emma forced a smile. "Just tired."
"You're always tired."
"I know."
Emma didn't tell Bella what she had seen. She couldn't. It was too dangerous. Too terrifying.
But the secret burned inside her, eating away at her piece by piece.
---
That night, Emma walked home alone.
She avoided the alley. She took the long way around. She kept her head down, her eyes on the ground.
But she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.
She looked over her shoulder. Nothing.
She looked again. Nothing.
But the feeling persisted.
When she finally reached her apartment, she locked the door behind her. She double-checked the locks. She made sure the windows were closed.
She was safe.
But she didn't feel safe.
She knew Alexander King would come for her eventually.
And when he did, she wasn't sure if she'd survive.
---
- Writer
