Something inside me
726 Words
My pulse picked up.
---
“So I’m what?” I asked. “An accident?”
---
“No.”
---
Zayden didn’t hesitate.
---
“Accidents don’t get tracked.”
---
Silence.
---
“They knew where I was,” I said.
---
“Yeah.”
---
“They knew what I was.”
---
A nod.
---
“They even knew I wasn’t stable.”
---
Zayden looked at me.
---
“Which means they’ve seen it before.”
---
My chest tightened.
---
“Others?”
---
He hesitated.
---
Then—
---
“Maybe.”
---
That word didn’t help.
---
Not even a little.
---
“What happens to them?” I asked.
---
Zayden didn’t answer.
---
And that silence—
---
Told me everything.
---
“They don’t come back like you,” he said finally.
---
A pause.
---
“Or if they do…”
---
He didn’t finish.
---
He didn’t need to.
---
I looked away.
---
Trying to steady my thoughts.
---
Trying not to think about what that meant.
---
“Why do you know all this?” I asked.
---
Zayden went quiet.
---
Then—
---
“I’ve seen what they leave behind.”
---
My chest tightened.
---
“What does that mean?”
---
His eyes darkened slightly.
---
“It means you’re not the first strange thing to show up where it shouldn’t.”
---
A pause.
---
“But you’re the first one still… thinking.”
---
That didn’t feel like a compliment.
---
It felt like a warning.
---
I crossed my arms slightly.
---
“So what’s inside me?” I asked.
---
The question felt heavier this time.
---
Real.
---
Dangerous.
---
Zayden held my gaze.
---
“I don’t think they made it.”
---
My stomach dropped.
---
“…What?”
---
“I think they found it.”
---
Silence.
---
Cold.
---
Unmoving.
---
“And put it in you.”
---
My breath caught.
---
“No…”
---
*It is.*
---
The voice returned.
---
Clear.
---
Closer than before.
---
Not distant anymore.
---
Not faint.
---
Present.
---
*You’re starting to understand.*
---
My chest tightened.
---
“Stop,” I whispered.
---
Zayden frowned.
---
“Nyra?”
---
I shook my head.
---
“Nothing.”
---
But it wasn’t nothing.
---
Not anymore.
---
Because now—
---
It wasn’t just a voice.
---
It was aware.
---
And it was listening.
---
*You keep pretending I’m separate.*
---
My fingers curled slightly.
---
*But I’m not.*
---
My breathing slowed.
---
Too controlled.
---
Too steady.
---
“What are you?” I whispered under my breath.
---
A pause.
---
Then—
---
*I’m what’s left.*
---
My heart skipped.
---
“What does that mean?”
---
But there was no answer this time.
---
Just silence.
---
Heavy.
---
Waiting.
---
Zayden stepped closer.
---
“You sure you’re okay?”
---
I looked at him.
---
Really looked.
---
Trying to ground myself.
---
Trying to stay here.
---
“I don’t think it’s just me anymore,” I said quietly.
---
His expression didn’t change.
---
But his posture did.
---
Slightly more alert.
---
“Define ‘not just you,’” he said.
---
I hesitated.
---
Then—
---
“There’s something else in my head.”
---
Silence.
---
Zayden didn’t react immediately.
---
Didn’t dismiss it.
---
Didn’t question it.
---
That worried me more.
---
“…And it talks,” I added.
---
A beat.
---
“What does it say?” he asked.
---
I swallowed slowly.
---
“It says it’s me.”
---
That landed.
---
Hard.
---
Zayden exhaled quietly.
---
“Yeah,” he said.
---
“That’s not good.”
---
I almost laughed.
---
Almost.
---
“Glad we agree.”
---
But the feeling didn’t last.
---
Because deep down—
---
I knew something now.
---
Something I couldn’t ignore anymore.
---
This wasn’t just about being chased.
---
Or being watched.
---
Or even coming back from the dead.
---
This was about what came back with me.
---
And the worst part?
---
I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer anymore.
- Writer
