CHAPTER 6:STAYED AWAY
942 Words
Why did his hand feel so familiar in mine?
Why did my heart calm down… even while everything around me was falling apart?
And why did it feel like… I had done this before?
“Stay close,” Daniel said, pulling me along.
We were moving fast.
Too fast.
The wind brushed against my skin as we ran, his grip on my hand firm, unshaking.
I stumbled slightly.
He didn’t let go.
“Daniel—” I tried to speak, but my breath was uneven.
“Don’t stop,” he said.
His voice wasn’t just serious.
It was urgent.
Like something was right behind us.
And I didn’t need to turn to know it was true.
I could feel it.
That same presence.
That same danger.
“They’re still coming, aren’t they?” I asked.
He didn’t answer.
That was enough.
Fear rose in my chest again, sharp and heavy.
But somehow…
His hand in mine kept me grounded.
Like I wasn’t alone in this.
Like I had never been alone.
We finally stopped when we reached a quieter path, hidden away from the main road.
My chest rose and fell quickly as I tried to catch my breath.
Daniel didn’t let go immediately.
His hand was still holding mine.
Warm.
Steady.
Real.
Slowly… he loosened his grip.
But before he could pull away—
My fingers tightened.
I didn’t even realize I was doing it.
I just…
Didn’t want him to let go.
He noticed.
Of course he did.
His eyes dropped to our hands for a moment.
Then back to me.
And something shifted.
“You should be running from me,” he said quietly.
My heart tightened.
“But you’re not.”
I swallowed, my voice coming out softer than I expected.
“I tried,” I admitted.
A pause.
“It didn’t work.”
His expression changed slightly.
Not surprised.
Just… conflicted.
“Why?” he asked.
The question hit me harder than anything else.
Why?
Why was I still here?
Why wasn’t I running?
Why did I feel like this?
I looked at him, really looked at him.
And the truth came out before I could stop it.
“Because it feels like I know you.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Deep.
His breath stilled slightly.
Like I had just said something important.
Something real.
“You do,” he said quietly.
My heart skipped.
“What does that mean?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
He didn’t answer immediately.
He just stared at me.
Like he was trying to decide something.
Then slowly…
He stepped closer.
Close enough that I could feel the tension in the air between us.
Close enough that my heart started beating faster again.
“If I tell you,” he said softly, “everything changes.”
My chest tightened.
“It already has,” I replied.
Another silence.
But this one felt different.
Like we were standing at the edge of something.
Something big.
Something irreversible.
“Daniel…” I whispered.
And then—
It happened.
A sudden sharp pain shot through my head.
I gasped, my hand flying to my temple as my vision blurred slightly.
“Hey—” Daniel’s voice changed instantly, concern replacing everything else.
“What’s wrong?”
“I—I don’t know,” I said, my voice shaking.
Images.
Flashes.
Quick.
Unclear.
But there.
A voice.
Familiar.
His voice.
“Run.”
The word echoed in my head.
Not now.
Before.
Another flash.
A hand reaching for mine.
His hand.
The same warmth.
The same feeling.
My breath caught.
“Daniel…” I whispered, my voice trembling.
He was already closer now, his hand gently holding my arm.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I saw something,” I said, my eyes searching his.
“Something… from before.”
His expression changed instantly.
Shock.
Real shock.
“What did you see?” he asked, his voice low.
“I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head slightly. “It was too fast.”
But I felt it.
Deep inside me.
Something was there.
Something real.
“You told me to run,” I said slowly.
His grip on me tightened slightly.
“And I didn’t.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Painful.
Like that sentence meant more than I understood.
“You’re starting to remember,” he said quietly.
My heart raced.
“Remember what?” I asked.
But before he could answer—
That sound came again.
Closer.
Faster.
Daniel’s head snapped up instantly, his body going tense.
“They’re here,” he said.
My heart dropped.
Already?
That fast?
Fear rushed through me again, but this time…
It was different.
Because now, I knew.
This wasn’t just about him anymore.
This was about me too.
“Daniel,” I said quickly, my voice shaking, “what did I forget?”
He looked at me.
Really looked at me.
And for a second…
Everything else faded.
The danger.
The noise.
The fear.
It was just him and me.
“You forgot everything,” he said softly.
My breath caught.
“And if they catch you before you remember…”
His voice trailed off slightly.
But I didn’t need him to finish.
I could see it in his eyes.
It wouldn’t be good.
At all.
“Then don’t let them,” I said.
The words came out stronger than I expected.
His expression shifted.
Something like determination.
Something like promise.
“I won’t,” he said.
And this time…
I believed him.
Even with everything happening.
Even with everything I didn’t understand.
I believed him.
Because somehow…
It felt like I always had.
- Writer
