SHADOWS OF THE PAST
1095 Words
A suffocating silence filled the cabin.
Outside, the wind whispered through the trees, but all Emma could hear was the low, taunting voice from beyond the door.
“Miss me, cousin?”
Damian stood rigid, his grip tightening on the gun. The name hung between them like a blade—Elias.
Emma’s pulse pounded. Cousin? He had never mentioned another family member. She thought Lucas was his only real threat.
But this—this was something else.
Damian’s voice was calm, but the darkness in his eyes told another story. “Elias. You shouldn’t be here.”
A chuckle from beyond the door. “Neither should you.” A pause. “But here we are.”
Oliver exhaled sharply. “Someone want to tell me who the hell Elias is?”
Emma’s fingers curled around the gun in her hand. “That’s what I’d like to know too.”
Damian’s jaw tightened. “He’s…” He hesitated, his eyes flickering toward the door. “He’s supposed to be dead.”
A slow clap came from outside. “Oh, Damian. That’s cute. You really thought Lucas was the only skeleton in the family closet?” A sigh. “You never were good at finishing what you started.”
Emma swallowed hard. Whoever Elias was, he was dangerous. And he was here for a reason.
Damian motioned for them to stay quiet and stepped toward the door. “What do you want?”
Elias’s voice turned sharp. “Let me in, and we’ll talk.”
Damian didn’t move. “Not happening.”
A dark chuckle. “You always did make things difficult.”
A moment of silence stretched between them. Then—
CRACK.
A single gunshot shattered the air.
The bullet tore through the wooden door, missing Damian by inches. Emma gasped, yanking Oliver down as the echo of the shot rang through the cabin.
“Damian!” she whispered, gripping his wrist and pulling him back.
His breathing was steady, but Emma saw the flicker of something dangerous in his eyes.
Elias’s voice was almost…bored. “I was hoping you’d be reasonable. But I guess we’re doing this the hard way.”
A shadow passed by the window. More than one.
They weren’t alone.
Elias had brought backup.
Inside the cabin, time slowed.
Damian’s mind raced. Elias wasn’t just here for a conversation. He was here to end this.
And he hadn’t come alone.
Oliver crawled toward the overturned table, his breath ragged. “Tell me we have a plan.”
Damian’s eyes swept the room. One door. Two windows. But if Elias was anything like he remembered, they were already surrounded.
Emma’s voice was calm, but firm. “Who is he, Damian?”
His throat tightened. “My father’s enforcer.”
Oliver blinked. “Wait—what?”
Emma’s breath caught. “Your father’s…?”
Damian exhaled. “Elias worked for my father. He wasn’t just family—he was the family’s weapon.” His eyes darkened. “And if he’s here now, it means one thing.”
Emma finished the thought. “Your father isn’t as dead as you thought.”
Damian didn’t answer. He didn’t have to.
Oliver whispered, “We’re dead, aren’t we?”
Damian snapped back to focus. “Not if we move now.”
Outside, Elias was getting impatient.
He ran a hand through his slicked-back hair and sighed. “I really hoped you’d make this easy, cousin.” He turned to the man beside him—a broad-shouldered figure dressed in black. “Burn them out.”
The man nodded, stepping forward with a glass bottle.
A flick of a lighter.
Molotov.
Elias smiled. “Time to say goodnight, Damian.”
Inside the cabin, Emma saw it first.
A flicker of orange through the window.
Her stomach dropped. “They’re going to burn us out.”
Damian didn’t hesitate. “We’re leaving. Now.”
Oliver paled. “And go where? They have guns. We don’t even know how many—”
A loud crash.
A burst of fire exploded against the far wall. Flames licked at the wooden beams, swallowing the old curtains. Smoke filled the air.
The heat surged toward them. They were out of time.
Damian grabbed Oliver by the collar. “Move!”
Emma coughed, covering her mouth as she followed them toward the back window. Damian kicked it open and scanned the tree line. Shadows moved between the branches. They were surrounded.
He turned to Emma. “Stick close.”
She nodded, gripping his arm.
Then they ran.
Outside, the cold night air hit them like a shock.
Damian kept his body low, leading them through the trees. His mind worked fast—they needed a car, a weapon, a way out.
A sharp snap to the right.
Emma turned—
A gun was already pointed at her head.
A man in black.
“Don’t move,” he ordered.
Emma’s heart pounded. Damian froze. Oliver swore under his breath.
From the darkness, Elias stepped forward.
“Running?” Elias smirked. “Come on, cousin. You know me better than that.” He motioned to the man holding the gun. “Take them.”
The man grabbed Emma’s arm. Hard.
She acted on instinct.
Twisting. Elbow up.
The man staggered, caught off guard.
Damian moved fast. Gun up. One shot.
The man dropped.
Oliver gasped. “Jesus Christ—”
Elias laughed.
“Oh, Damian,” he mused. “You really haven’t changed.”
Damian turned the gun on him. “Try me.”
Elias’s smirk deepened. “Do it.”
Damian’s finger tightened on the trigger. Emma held her breath.
Then—
A rustle.
More men.
Damian exhaled sharply. They were outnumbered.
Elias took a step closer, his voice low. “You’re not getting out of this, cousin.”
A beat of silence.
Then Elias grinned. “But I’ll give you a choice.”
Damian’s jaw clenched. “What choice?”
Elias tilted his head. “Come with me. Face the past. Or…” His gaze flickered to Emma and Oliver.
Damian’s blood ran cold.
“…I kill them.”
A pause.
Damian’s heartbeat thundered.
Emma whispered, “Damian, no—”
His eyes burned into Elias.
Then—
Damian lowered the gun.
Emma’s heart shattered. “No. No, you can’t—”
Damian didn’t look at her. His voice was quiet, steady. “Take me.”
Elias’s smile was slow. Triumphant.
“Good choice.”
The last thing Emma saw was Damian stepping into the darkness—
—before the world exploded into chaos.
- Writer
