Marked By Darkness
1073 Words
The rain hadn’t stopped since evening.
It didn’t fall softly either—it came down like the sky was angry at the world. Alina walked faster, her slippers splashing against the wet road, arms wrapped tightly around herself.
She should have taken a cab home.
But something in her chest had insisted on walking.
Now she regretted it.
That feeling again… like she was being followed.
Alina slowed her steps.
The street behind her was empty.
Too empty.
A soft engine sound broke the silence.
Her heart skipped.
A black car rolled slowly behind her, moving at her pace. Not rushing. Not passing.
Following.
Alina’s grip on her bag tightened. She turned slightly, trying to see inside the tinted window—but it was impossible.
“Please just pass…” she whispered under her breath.
The car didn’t pass.
Instead, it stopped a few meters ahead.
Blocking her path.
Her breath caught.
The back door opened.
And the moment he stepped out…
The air changed.
Tall. Dark. Controlled. Dangerous in a way that didn’t need explanation.
He wore black like it was stitched into his skin. Rain slid down his shoulders, but he didn’t react to it. His presence alone made the street feel smaller.
Alina stepped back immediately.
“I don’t know you,” she said quickly. “So please just leave me alone.”
He didn’t respond right away.
He just looked at her.
Like he had been looking for her for a very long time.
Then he said her name.
“Alina.”
Her stomach tightened.
Hearing her name in his voice felt… wrong. Too familiar. Too heavy.
“How do you know my name?” she asked sharply.
A faint pause.
Then he answered.
“I’ve always known it.”
That made no sense.
Alina shook her head. “You’re mistaken. I’ve never seen you before in my life.”
That was when something flickered in his expression.
Not surprise.
Recognition.
Like she had just confirmed something he already knew.
“You don’t remember,” he said quietly.
Her pulse quickened. “Remember what?”
He took one slow step forward.
Alina moved back immediately.
“Don’t come closer.”
He stopped—but not because she ordered him to.
Because he chose to.
“I’m not here to hurt you,” he said.
Alina let out a shaky laugh. “That’s what every dangerous person says before they ruin someone’s life.”
Silence.
The rain between them grew louder.
Behind him, another car pulled up.
Then another.
Men stepped out.
All in black.
All watching her like they already knew the outcome.
Alina’s chest tightened. “What is this… some kind of kidnapping?”
The man’s eyes stayed on her.
“No.”
One word.
Calm.
Certain.
“It’s protection.”
Alina blinked. “Protection? From what?”
His gaze darkened slightly.
“From what’s coming for you.”
Her throat tightened. “I don’t understand anything you’re saying.”
A pause.
Then he said it.
“Your father is dead.”
That sentence hit like a slap.
Alina froze.
“My father… died a long time ago,” she said slowly.
His expression didn’t change.
“I know.”
Something cold settled in her chest.
“Then why are you telling me this now?”
He studied her for a moment before answering.
“Because it wasn’t natural.”
Alina’s breath caught.
“What does that mean?”
The men behind him shifted slightly.
Like the air itself had become heavier.
The man stepped closer again—slower this time, careful.
“Alina,” he said quietly, “your father didn’t just die.”
A pause.
“He was erased.”
Her mind struggled to process that.
Erased?
“That’s insane,” she whispered. “Who would do that?”
For the first time, his jaw tightened slightly.
“People you’ve never heard of,” he said.
“And people I work for.”
Silence.
The words didn’t make sense at first.
Then they did.
And when they did, fear hit her fully.
“So you’re one of them?” she asked, voice trembling.
He didn’t deny it immediately.
That was answer enough.
Alina stepped back sharply. “Stay away from me!”
One of the men moved behind her instantly, blocking escape.
Panic rose in her chest.
“I’m not going anywhere with you!” she said loudly.
The man watched her struggle—not reacting harshly, just observing.
Then he spoke again.
“You already are involved in this.”
“No, I’m not!”
He stepped closer again, voice lower now.
“You were involved the moment your father chose to hide you.”
That made her freeze.
Her father… hide her?
That part didn’t fit anything she knew.
“You’re lying,” she said quickly.
His eyes didn’t waver.
“I wish I was.”
A long silence followed.
Only rain.
Only tension.
Only something irreversible forming between them.
Then he finally nodded slightly.
A signal.
Immediately, the men moved—not violently, but decisively.
Alina’s breath hitched. “No—don’t touch me!”
But they didn’t hurt her.
They guided her.
Controlled. Firm. Inescapable.
A black SUV door opened.
Her heart slammed in her chest.
“Let me go!” she shouted, struggling harder now. “I don’t know you!”
The man stepped closer, his voice dropping.
“You will.”
That stopped her for half a second.
Just enough.
She was guided into the car.
Seated.
Door closing.
The sound final.
She turned immediately, banging the window.
“Let me out!”
Outside, he stood still in the rain.
Watching her.
Not smiling.
Not angry.
Just… certain.
The car started moving.
Alina pressed her hands against the glass, breathing hard.
The man walked closer to the window as the car rolled forward.
For a brief moment, he was right beside her.
Close enough that only she could hear him through the glass.
His voice came softer now.
“You were never meant to live a normal life, Alina.”
Her eyes widened slightly.
“And now… neither of us have a choice.”
The car moved faster.
He faded into the rain behind her.
And for the first time in her life…
Alina realized she wasn’t being taken by a stranger.
She was being taken by someone who already belonged to her past.
And maybe…
To something much darker.
- Writer
